Increased intestinal macromolecular permeability and urine nitrite excretion associated with liver cirrhosis with ascites

Table 3 Analysis relating intestinal permeability, nitrite level and TNF-α level to the clinical and laboratory findings in the cirrhotic patients (mean ± SE )

	n	PEG400	PEG3350	IPI (%)	Nitrite (&mgr;mol/L)	TNF-α(pg/mL)
Child-Pugh classification
A	23	42.6 ± 5.7	0.20 ± 0.02	0.52 ± 0.04	1137.3 ± 45.4	218.8 ± 43.4a
B	21	38.6 ± 4.4	0.25 ± 0.03	0.72 ± 0.07	967.7 ± 67.5	78.9 ± 26.3
C	9	41.5 ± 6.0	0.42 ± 0.08a	1.12 ± 0.27a	1086.3 ± 36.4	17.7 ± 3.1
Serum albumin (g/dL)
> 3.4	16	41.4 ± 4.9	0.23 ± 0.03	0.52 ± 0.05	1013.2 ± 65.7	183.6 ± 43.5
< 3.4	37	40.6 ± 4.0	0.27 ± 0.02a	0.78 ± 0.08a	1114.7 ± 43.6	105.8 ± 28.4a
Serum bilirubin (mg/dL)
> 1.2	33	44.7 ± 4.5	0.29 ± 0.03	0.76 ± 0.09	1078.1 ± 45.7	76.6 ± 18.4
< 1.2	20	34.4 ± 3.7	0.20 ± 0.03	0.60 ± 0.07	1049.6 ± 61.2	216.3 ± 51.2
Prothrombin time (s)
> 13	43	40.66 ± 3.6	0.27 ± 0.03	0.75 ± 0.07	1052.6 ± 40.4	121.2 ± 26.8
< 13	10	41.56 ± 7.0	0.21 ± 0.03	0.50 ± 0.07	1074.9 ± 88.8	163.8 ± 55.4
Encephalopathy
No	42	41.58 ± 3.79	0.24 ± 0.02	0.67 ± 0.07	1097.6 ± 41.48	139.1 ± 27.52
Yes	11	37.98 ± 5.00	0.33 ± 0.04	0.82 ± 0.13a	1030.0 ± 77.84	91.9 ± 49.89
Esophageal varix
No	33	42.6 ± 4.54	0.24 ± 0.03	0.72 ± 0.08	1119.9 ± 39.7	145.6 ± 33.74
Yes	20	37.86 ± 3.16	0.29 ± 0.03	0.67 ± 0.10	1007.7 ± 70.1	102.4 ± 31.30

PEG: Polyethylene glycol; IPI: Intestinal permeability index.

^aP < 0.05.