An observational study in Cirrhosis, sponsored by The Cleveland Clinic. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-24.
Sponsored by The Cleveland Clinic · Observational
To determine the rate and mechanisms of skeletal muscle protein synthesis and breakdown in cirrhotic patients by using multiple tracers and single muscle biopsies.
The goal of this study is to identify the molecular regulatory mechanisms that result in loss of skeletal muscle in cirrhotic patients. Current strategies involve prolonged tracer infusion and multiple muscle biopsies. We will use an innovative approach to determine the rates of skeletal muscle protein synthesis and breakdown using multiple tracers administered at short intervals followed by a single muscle biopsy. These studies are likely to provide a conceptual advance in determining the cellular and molecular responses of the skeletal muscle in cirrhosis.
1,270 studies on the registry are indexed under Fibrosis; 276 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 20 is below the median of 157 across 386 observational studies indexed under Fibrosis.
Browse Fibrosis studies →The Cleveland Clinic is the lead sponsor of 831 studies on the registry; 119 are open to participants now.
Of its 90 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 73 (81%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Study population: Adults with the diagnosis of cirrhosis will be recruited from the hepatology inpatient service, outpatient clinics and liver transplant clinics at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. The diagnosis of cirrhosis will be based on liver biopsy and/or clinical, biochemical, and imaging criteria. Will include patient with Child Pugh score from A5- to B7
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria for both groups (cirrhotic and control) are:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.
Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.
A score of how well the liver works in people with liver disease such as cirrhosis: class A is mild, B moderate and C severe.
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
Blood tests of how long blood takes to clot. The INR is the prothrombin time (PT) put on a common scale; about 1 is usual for someone not taking a blood thinner.
Criteria often make an exception for people on a blood thinner such as warfarin, whose INR is raised on purpose.
Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.
Biopsy and archival tissue
A biopsy takes a small piece of tissue to examine. “Archival tissue” is a sample already taken, for example at diagnosis, and kept by the hospital.
Whether a stored sample will do depends on when it was taken, how much there is and what the study needs. Ask whether the study accepts your stored sample or needs a new biopsy.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Child-Pugh class
A score of how well the liver works in people with liver disease such as cirrhosis: class A is mild, B moderate and C severe.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ALT and AST (liver enzymes)
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
INR, PT and aPTT (clotting tests)
Blood tests of how long blood takes to clot. The INR is the prothrombin time (PT) put on a common scale; about 1 is usual for someone not taking a blood thinner.
Criteria often make an exception for people on a blood thinner such as warfarin, whose INR is raised on purpose.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Platelets
Blood cells that help blood clot. Too few raises the risk of bleeding and bruising. A usual adult range is about 150–400 × 10⁹/L (150,000–400,000 per µL); each lab has its own reference range.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Patients with a diagnosis of cirrhosis will have a blood draw and muscle biopsy will be performed.
Procedure: blood draw and muscle biopsy
control group should have serum ALT and AST within normal range and a blood draw and muscle biopsy will be performed
Procedure: blood draw and muscle biopsy
One venous catheter will be used for bolus injection of multiple labeled AA at the beginning .The second venous catheter will inserted in the other arm for 5 ml of arterialized venous blood draw.Following the infusions, a single muscle biopsy will be performed from the vastus lateralis of the thigh using the Bergstromm needle.
Fractional Synthesis Rate
Fractional synthesis rate (FSR)for each patient is measured by the rate of tracer incorporation from the MIF pool to the bound pool.
Time frame: 4 hours
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Aug 2017 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Sep 2028, 133 months after the start.
Of 177 non-industry observational studies under Fibrosis, half reached primary completion within 52 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 21 and three quarters within 105. This study's planned 133 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 186 studies reached it within 48 months; a quarter within 21 and three quarters within 105.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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