Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a late complication of liver cirrhosis and is clearly associated with poor outcomes. Chronic liver insufficiency leads to progressive muscle wasting, impairing ammonia metabolism and thus increasing the risk for HE. Given the association between lean mass and adductor pollicis muscle thickness (APMT), it has been used to predict outcome and complications in many conditions, but not yet in cirrhotic patients. Therefore, this article aimed to study the association between HE manifestations and measures related to muscle mass and strength. This cross-sectional study included 54 cirrhotic outpatients with HE varying from subclinical to grade II according to the West-Haven criteria, who were submitted to neuropsychometric tests, electroencephalogram, brain Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), anthropometric measurements, handgrip strength (HGS) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry exam (DXA). Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between body composition measures and HE grade. Analysis of the area under the receiver operator characteristic (AUROC) curve revealed the values related to neurological manifestations (HE grades I and II). Reductions in APMT and HGS were associated with higher HE grades, suggesting a big impact caused by the loss of muscle mass and function on HE severity. The link between HE manifestations and anthropometric measures, namely APMT and HGS, point to a significant relation concerning skeletal muscles and the neurological impairment in this population.

Handgrip strength may serve as an effective predictor of low lumbar spine T score among outpatients with cirrhosis. As cirrhosis affects the lumbar spine more than the femoral neck, these results suggest that handgrip strength should be tested in all patients with cirrhosis as a first indicator of bone health.

Aim The present study aimed to identify variables associated with sarcopenia in cirrhotic outpatients using clinical data, anthropometric measures and lab tests. In a single centre prospective study, 261 cirrhotic outpatients were followed on average for 2 years. The diagnostic criteria of sarcopenia were applied according to the current guidelines, combining muscle strength and appendicular muscle mass index. Methods Age, sex, liver disease aetiology and the Model of End‐Stage Liver Disease score were included as independent variables, as well as mid‐arm circumference (MAC), body mass index and triceps skinfold. Multiple logistic regression was applied including all independent variables (maximum model). Then, the analysis was performed only with the variables that were significant in the first analysis (parsimonious model). Once the variable most related to sarcopenia was determined by the two models, the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was calculated. Mortality rates were described for patients with and without sarcopenia. Results Sarcopenia was diagnosed in 14 subjects (5.36%), and the variable best associated with sarcopenia was MAC (P < 0.01). The 1‐year mortality rate of 35.71% found among subjects with sarcopenia was not significantly higher (P = 0.07) than the 15.38% observed among those without this condition. Conclusions Before examinations requiring ionising radiation, patients with cirrhosis can be submitted to simple screening tools to identify those who have a high risk of sarcopenia, thus promoting a cost‐effective assessment.

Ocular surface diseases are often diagnosed in brachycephalic dogs. The ophthalmic parameters of the Shih Tzu dogs are evaluated in this study since this breed is among the most commonly affected by these diseases. In this study, ophthalmic parameters of this breed de 0,490±0,007mm. À flaremetria a "laser",720±0, 16,118±0,460mmHg. As médias e os erros padrão, à ultrassonografia, foram de 20,255±0,134mm para diâmetro axial horizontal; de 6,624±0,031mm, para

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