Plasma Arginase-1 Level Is Associated with the Mental Status of Outpatients with Chronic Liver Disease
Noriyoshi Ogino,
Fusao Ikeda,
Shihoko Namba,
Shinnosuke Ohkubo,
Tomoaki Nishimura,
Hiroyuki Okada,
Satoshi Hirohata,
Narufumi Suganuma,
Keiki Ogino
Affiliations
Noriyoshi Ogino
Department of Environmental Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Kohasu, Oko-cho, Nankoku City 783-8505, Japan
Fusao Ikeda
Department of Gastroenterology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1, Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
Shihoko Namba
Center for Innovative Clinical Medicine, Okayama University Hospital, Okayama, 2-5-1, Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
Shinnosuke Ohkubo
Department of Medical Technology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1, Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
Tomoaki Nishimura
Micro Blood Science Inc., 2-14-8 Iwamotocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0032, Japan
Hiroyuki Okada
Department of Gastroenterology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2-5-1, Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
Satoshi Hirohata
Department of Medical Technology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama University, 2-5-1, Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
Narufumi Suganuma
Department of Environmental Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Kohasu, Oko-cho, Nankoku City 783-8505, Japan
Keiki Ogino
Department of Environmental Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Kohasu, Oko-cho, Nankoku City 783-8505, Japan
While plasma arginase-1 has been suggested as a biomarker of mental status in healthy individuals, it has not been evaluated in patients with chronic liver disease. This cross-sectional study investigated the utility of plasma arginase-1 for screening mental status in patients with chronic liver disease. This study included outpatients with chronic liver disease who underwent regular check-ups at Okayama University Hospital between September 2018 and January 2019. In addition to the standard blood tests, the plasma arginase-1 level was analyzed. The patients’ mental status was assessed using the Japanese version of the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). The associations between mental status and various parameters, including plasma arginase-1, were investigated using logistic regression analysis. Among 114 participating patients, 8 were excluded, comprising 6 with insufficient blood samples for plasma arginase-1 measurement and 2 with incomplete questionnaires. Multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that plasma arginase-1 was significantly and negatively associated with the GHQ-total score, especially somatic symptoms. Therefore, plasma arginase-1 may be a useful biomarker for assessing the mental status of outpatients with chronic liver disease.
