The start date for analyses was the date of liver biopsy, with any events occurring in the first 6 months excluded. Patients were monitored every 3-6 months Buparlisib concentration and followed up until death or liver transplantation, whichever occurred first, or until data analysis. For those lost to follow-up, up-to-date clinical information was sought by

the following: (1) contact with the primary care physician; (2) telephone interview; and (3) checking the respective death and transplant registries. Patients were censored at time of death or transplantation or last clinic visit, and those lost to follow-up were censored at the time last seen. All clinical outcomes were confirmed by a physician at each center, utilizing patient records and physician diagnoses. The following outcomes

were assessed: (1) liver complications, including liver failure, gastroesophageal varices (± hemorrhage), ascites, encephalopathy, hepatopulmonary syndrome, and HCC; (2) liver-related death or liver transplantation (for calculation of survival probability, transplantation was considered as an equivalent end-point); (3) all-cause mortality; and (4) total BAY 57-1293 cell line vascular events (including myocardial infarction, stroke, and vascular deaths).13 HCC was diagnosed if the following were present: (1) pathological changes consistent with HCC identified by histological examination of liver tissue obtained by fine-needle aspiration, liver biopsy, or liver explant at transplantation or autopsy or (2) one or more hepatic space-occupying lesions that had vascular patterns typical of HCC by angiography, 上海皓元 triple-phase computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging. All patients were followed according to standards of care and guidelines without experimental or therapeutic interventions for NAFLD or HCV. Weight management was performed with lifestyle intervention, such as dietary modification, and exercise was recommended at outpatients in overweight/obese patients. Other treatments, such as oral hypoglycemics, cholesterol-lowering

medications, and antihypertensive medications, were only given in the context of management of concomitant diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, or hypertension, respectively. Neither pharmacological nor lifestyle interventions were recorded systematically after baseline. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 13.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago IL). Results are reported as means ± standard deviation (SD) or frequency (i.e., percentage), as appropriate. Continuous variables were compared using the two-tailed Student’s t-test. Categorical data were compared using the chi-square test. Variables with a P value of ≤0.1 on univariate analysis were further analyzed by multiple logistic regression to determine the independent determinants of outcome variables.