We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Download Mobile App




Methacetin Breath Test Predicts Survival in Patients with Viral Hepatitis

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 18 Nov 2009
A methacetin breath test (MBT) that can be performed quickly and noninvasively has been proven to accurately predict survival in patients with viral hepatitis.

The breath test, which has the trade name Breath ID, is based on the fact that methacetin is metabolized in the liver to produce acetaminophen and carbon dioxide. More...
The test measures exhaled carbon dioxide following an oral dose of isotopically labeled methacetin. The speed of that reaction declines with impaired hepatic function

Gadi Lalazar M.D. and a team from the Liver Unit from the Department of internal medicine at Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center (Jerusalem, Israel) and colleagues reported that the MBT accurately predicted survival of 395 patients with chronic viral hepatitis during a median of five months of follow-up. These patients had a higher Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score and, therefore were at increased risk. The scientists concluded that MBT might increase physicians' ability to identify at-risk patients and allow those patients to be listed for liver transplantation earlier than using MELD alone to determine mortality risk.


MELD is a scoring system adopted by the United Network for Organ Sharing (Richmond, VI, USA) to assess liver disease severity and determine 3-month mortality. Viral hepatitis progresses at an unpredictable rate and the addition of another way of assessing disease progression could serve as an important adjunct to MELD. The basis for allocating liver transplants, MELD is known to be an imperfect predictor of survival, explained Dr. Lalazar.

"The breath test has to be validated on a large cohort of patients," said Dr. Lalazar, principal investigator on this study "but if it is validated, this noninvasive liver function test will be able to identify liver impairment at all stages of liver disease-both acute and chronic.'' He added, "We are now conducting large scale clinical trials to assess the role of the methacetin breath test for follow up and therapeutic decision making in patients with chronic hepatitis B and in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease."

The study was presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), held in Boston (MA, USA) from October 30-November 3, 2009.

John Hoefs, M.D., of the University of California, Irvine (USA) commented that quantitative tests of liver health such as the MBT appear to be more accurate than the usual clinical measures. Dr. Hoefs, who was not involved in the study, was part of a group that reported on a separate trial involving a panel of other quantitative tests, such as choline and antipyrine clearance and perfused hepatic mass. It also accurately predicted outcomes in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.

Related Links:
Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center

United Network for Organ Sharing

American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases

University of California, Irvine



Gold Member
Quantitative POC Immunoassay Analyzer
EASY READER+
3-Part Differential Hematology Analyzer
Swelab Alfa Plus Sampler
New
Automatic Hematology Analyzer
LABAS F9000
New
Clinical Chemistry System
P780
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: A diagnostic test can distinguish patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who can be cured with surgery alone (Photo courtesy of University of Turku)

Novel Diagnostic Tool to Revolutionize Treatment Guidance of Head and Neck Cancer

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a solid tumor type commonly treated with surgery. However, there has been no clinically available method to determine which patients can be cured with surgery... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The microfluidic device for passive separation of platelet-rich plasma from whole blood (Photo courtesy of University of the Basque Country)

Portable and Disposable Device Obtains Platelet-Rich Plasma Without Complex Equipment

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) plays a crucial role in regenerative medicine due to its ability to accelerate healing and repair tissue. However, obtaining PRP traditionally requires expensive centrifugation... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The 3D paper-based analytical device has shown high clinical accuracy for adult-onset immunodeficiency (Photo courtesy of National Taiwan University)

Paper-Based Device Accurately Detects Immune Defects in 10 Minutes

Patients with hidden immune defects are especially vulnerable to severe and persistent infections, often due to autoantibodies that block interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), a key molecule in immune defense.... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The groundbreaking salmonella antimicrobial resistance prediction platform has demonstrated 95% accuracy (Photo courtesy of Yujie You et al., DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2025.01.013)

New Platform Leverages AI and Quantum Computing to Predict Salmonella Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella strains are a growing public health concern due to the overuse of antimicrobials and the rise of genetic mutations. Accurate prediction of resistance is crucial for effective... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: The smart microscope can predict the onset of misfolded protein aggregation, a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases (Photo courtesy of EPFL)

Self-Driving Microscope Tracks and Analyzes Misfolded Protein Aggregation in Real Time

The accumulation of misfolded proteins in the brain is central to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. Yet to the human eye, proteins that are... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: The Check4 gene-detection platform (Photo courtesy of IdentifySensors)

Electronic Biosensors Used to Detect Pathogens Can Rapidly Detect Cancer Cells

A major challenge in healthcare is the early and affordable detection of serious diseases such as cancer. Early diagnosis remains difficult due to the complexity of identifying specific genetic markers... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.