Table 4.
Effects of L-carnitine in BCAA− patients.
| Parameter (mean ± SD) | Pretreatment | After TACE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 week | 4 weeks | 12 weeks | |||
| Control group (N = 14) | CP score | 5.79 ± 0.97 | 6 ± 0.91 | 5.86 ± 0.86 | 6.17 ± 1.46 |
| S. albumin (g/dL) | 3.42 ± 0.6 | 3.06 ± 0.59†∗∗∗ | 3.32 ± 0.66‡∗ | 3.37 ± 0.6‡∗∗ | |
| PT (%) | 90.8 ± 17.3 | 88.3 ± 15.1 | 88 ± 17.9 | 90.4 ± 16.9 | |
| T. bilirubin (mg/dL) | 0.78 ± 0.29 | 1.06 ± 0.49†∗ | 0.89 ± 0.48 | 1.05 ± 0.74 | |
| ALT (IU/L) | 40.3 ± 35 | 55.9 ± 35 | 35.1 ± 22 | 36.9 ± 24 | |
| AST (IU/L) | 60.9 ± 48 | 55.3 ± 35 | 59.7 ± 38 | 67.3 ± 58 | |
| GGTP (IU/L) | 54.2 ± 30 | 66.3 ± 35 | 72.6 ± 35†∗∗ | 74.5 ± 98 | |
| Ascitis (no/moderate/massive) | 13/1/0 | 12/2/0 | 13/1/0 | 11/1/2 | |
| Encephalopathy (no/yes) | 14/0 | 14/0 | 14/0 | 14/0 | |
|
| |||||
| L-carnitine group (N = 8) | CP score | 5.63 ± 0.91 | 5.75 ± 0.7 | 5.5 ± 0.53 | 5.88 ± 0.83 |
| S. albumin (g/dL) | 3.38 ± 0.47 | 3.22 ± 0.52 | 3.5 ± 0.54 | 3.45 ± 0.48 | |
| PT (%) | 85.6 ± 17.7 | 89.7 ± 24.3 | 91.8 ± 14.8 | 89.2 ± 20.6 | |
| T. bilirubin (mg/dL) | 1.05 ± 0.48 | 0.87 ± 0.42 | 0.9 ± 0.34 | 0.97 ± 0.24 | |
| ALT (IU/L) | 33.5 ± 26.1 | 39.8 ± 25.7 | 43 ± 34.1 | 30 ± 12.3 | |
| AST (IU/L) | 51.1 ± 28.7 | 48.1 ± 34.6 | 61.1 ± 41.9 | 42.1 ± 10.4 | |
| GGPT (IU/L) | 88.1 ± 121 | 128.6 ± 204 | 150.1 ± 254 | 64.3 ± 53 | |
| Ascitis (no/moderate/massive) | 7/1/0 | 8/0/0 | 8/0/0 | 8/0/0 | |
| Encephalopathy (no/yes) | 8/0 | 8/0 | 8/0 | 8/0 | |
SD: standard deviation; CP: Child-Pugh; S. albumin: serum albumin; PT: prothrombin time; T. bilirubin: total bilirubin; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; AST: aspartate aminotransferase; GGTP: gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase; TACE: transarterial chemoembolization.
†Significant difference compared with baseline value; ‡significant difference compared with 1 week after TACE; ∗ P < 0.05; ∗∗ P < 0.01; ∗∗∗ P < 0.001.