HA35 Moderate Alcoholic Hepatitis (AH) Study

Inclusion Criteria: • Clinical diagnosis of alcoholic hepatitis defined as: * Regular consumption of alcohol with an intake of \>60 g daily or \>420 g weekly on average for men and \>40 g daily or \>280 g weekly on average for women for 6 months or more AND * MELD \<21 * Serum total bilirubin \>3 mg/dL * AST \>50 IU/I; AST:ALT ratio \>1.5; Both AST and ALT \<400 IU/I OR Histologic evidence of AH. Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant or breastfeeding women * Patients with gastrointestinal bleeding within 2 weeks * Active infection (positive blood or ascitic fluid culture) * Overt encephalopathy * Renal failure and/or on dialysis * Medications that alter muscle protein metabolism * Myopathies * Other end-stage organ diseases * Malignancy * Solid organ or hematopoietic transplantation * Active alcohol withdrawal or ongoing participation in a Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment (CIWA) protocol * History of recent upper gastrointestinal resection within past 6 months * Acute or chronic liver disease due to other active causes, in addition to alcoholic liver disease * Inability to provide consent * Creatinine \>2mg/dL * Platelets \<60,000k/ul * PT/INR \>1.7 * Presence of pedal edema * Use of anti-platelet/anticoagulation drugs or medications that interfere with blood clotting