Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42022367›Full record

ArticleClinical and experimental hepatology2025

Efficacy of zinc and lactulose vs. lactulose monotherapy in improving cognitive function and serum ammonia levels in cirrhotic patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy.

Majid Almansouri, Ragdah H Arif, Ahmad Fallata, Iman Mirza, Afaf Albalawi, Waleed Badoghaish, Eyad Faizo, Dahlia S Mirdad, Humaira Waseem, Amber Hassan

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Article in Clinical and experimental hepatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Majid AlmansouriDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Ragdah H ArifDepartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmad FallataDepartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Iman MirzaDepartment of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Afaf AlbalawiDepartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Waleed BadoghaishDepartment of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Eyad FaizoDepartment of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Dahlia S MirdadDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Humaira WaseemDepartment of Biostatistics, Fatima Jinnah University, Lahore, Pakistan.
Amber HassanEuropean School of Molecular Medicine, University of Milan, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Aim of the study: Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is a common yet frequently underdiagnosed complication of liver cirrhosis, characterized by subtle cognitive impairment and elevated serum ammonia levels. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of zinc supplementation combined with lactulose versus lactulose monotherapy in improving cognitive function and lowering serum ammonia levels in cirrhotic patients with MHE. Material and methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted on 148 cirrhotic patients, aged 18-60 years, clustered into two groups ( Results: The two groups were comparable at baseline. After 12 weeks, significant improvements were observed in PHES scores in both groups ( Conclusions: Adding zinc to standard lactulose therapy significantly improves cognitive recovery and lowers serum ammonia in cirrhotic patients with MHE. This combination accelerates clinical improvement without added side effects, supporting zinc supplementation as an effective adjunct in managing early-stage hepatic encephalopathy.

Indexed as

cirrhosiscognitive functionlactuloseminimal hepatic encephalopathyPHESserum ammoniazinc supplementation

Identifiers

PMID42022367
PMCPMC13097293

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