Effects of Albumin on Survival after a Hepatic Encephalopathy Episode: Randomized Double-Blind Trial and Meta-Analysis.

No therapies have been proven to increase survival after a hepatic encephalopathy (HE) episode. We hypothesize that two doses of albumin could improve 90-day survival rates after a HE episode. METHODS: (1) A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (BETA) was conducted in 12 hospitals. The effect of albumin (1.5 g/kg at baseline and 1 g/kg on day 3) on 90-day survival rates after a HE episode grade II or higher was evaluated. (2) A meta-analysis of individual patient's data for survival including two clinical trials (BETA and ALFAE) was performed. RESULTS: In total, 82 patients were included. Albumin failed to increase the 90-day transplant-free survival (91.9% vs. 80.5%, p = 0.3). A competing risk analysis was performed, observing a 90-day cumulative incidence of death of 9% in the albumin group vs. 20% in the placebo (p = 0.1). The meta-analysis showed a benefit in the albumin group, with a lower rate of clinical events (death or liver transplant) than patients in the placebo (HR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.21-0.82), when analyzed by a competing risk analysis (90-days mortality rate of 11% in the albumin group vs. 30% in the placebo, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Repeated doses of albumin might be beneficial for patient's survival as an add-on therapy after an HE episode, but an adequately powered trial is needed.

Accuracy of the Ultra-Rapid Urease Test for diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection.

BACKGROUND: Rapid Urease Test (RUT) is a simple, cheap and relatively fast method for diagnosing Helicobacter pylori infection. It is therefore the preferred method used for patients undergoing gastroscopy. Most kits require 24h to give results. The new Ultra-Rapid Urease Test (URUT) kit by Biohit® requires less than 1h. OBJECTIVE: To determine URUT's diagnostic accuracy. METHOD: Prospective, blind, multi-centre study involving dyspeptic patients. One corpus biopsy and three antral biopsies were obtained during gastroscopy for standard histological analysis, RUT and URUT. The URUT result was checked after 1min, 5min, 30min and 60min and the RUT was checked over the course of 24h. Histology was used as the gold standard test. RESULTS: 144 patients were included, 68% female, with a mean age of 49 years old; 50% were H. pylori positive. RUT and URUT diagnoses were correct in 85.9% and 90% of the cases, respectively. The mean waiting time for a positive RUT result was 6h. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for RUT were, respectively, 82%, 90%, 89% and 84%. The URUT's results were similar (85%, 94%, 94% and 87%). These figures improved when patients taking PPIs were excluded (RUT: 86%, 91%, 93% and 83%; URUT: 91%, 94%, 96% and 89%). No statistically significant differences were found when comparing RUT and URUT distributions of correct diagnoses (McNemar's Test, p=0.3) but there was a tendency towards better results with the URUT. CONCLUSION: The URUT is equivalent to (or slightly better than) the traditional RUT in diagnosing H. pylori infection, and provides results in less than an hour.

Randomized clinical trial comparing high versus standard dose of ribavirin plus peginterferon alfa-2a in hepatitis C genotype 3 and high viral load. Dargen-3 study.

INTRODUCTION: Less than half of patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 3 (G3) and high viral load (HVL) without a rapid virological response (RVR) achieve a sustained virological response (SVR) when treated with peginterferon plus ribavirin (RBV). OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of high doses of RBV on SVR in patients with G3 and HVL. METHODS: Ninety-seven patients were randomized to receive peginterferon α-2a+RBV 800 mg/day (A; n=42) or peginterferon α-2a+RBV 1600 mg/day+epoetin ß 400 IU/kg/week SC (B; n=55). Patients allocated to group B who achieved RVR continued on RBV (800mg/day) for a further 20 weeks (B1; n=42) while non-RVR patients received a higher dose of RBV (1600 mg/day)+epoetin ß (B2; n=13). RESULTS: RVR was observed in 64.3% of patients in A and in 76.4% in B (p=0.259). Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis showed SVR rates of 64.3% (A) and 61.8% (B), with a reduction of -2.5% (-21.8% to 16.9%) (p=0.835). The SVR rate was 61.9% in arm B1 and 61.5% in arm B2. No serious adverse events were reported, and the rate of moderate adverse events was < 5%. CONCLUSIONS: G3 patients with high viral load without RVR did not obtain a benefit from a higher dose of RBV. Higher doses of RBV plus epoetin ß were safe and well tolerated (Clin Trials Gov NCT00830609).

[Rapid progression of hepatocellular carcinoma after surgery: apropos of a case and review of the literature]. / Rápida progresión de hepatocarcinoma tras cirugía; a propósito de un caso y revisión de la literatura.

We report the case of a young man with chronic hepatitis B infection of probable perinatal acquisition who was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma at a very early stage (BCLC 0) with a highly favorable prognosis. However, the tumor progressed rapidly and the patient died within months. Currently, there are few data that could help to identify cases likely to show rapid progression and which could prompt initiation of aggressive therapies that might prevent or control such progression.

[Continuing care unit and day hospital as an alternative to conventional hospitalization: 10 years' experience in a district hospital]. / Unidad de atención continuada y hospital de día como alternativa a la hospitalización convencional: experiencia de 10 años en un hospital comarcal.

UNLABELLED: The continuing care unit and day hospital allows ambulatory care of patients with digestive diseases. AIM: Reducing hospital admissions and the number of patients with digestive diseases that attend the emergency department. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two types of care are provided: a) continuing care; patients are urgently visited when they show acute decompensation of their digestive disease, and b) scheduled care: procedures that, due to their complexity, require nursing care but not necessarily hospital admission. RESULTS: In the period 1995-2005, visits to the continuing care unit increased from 118 in 1995 to 784 in 2005. In scheduled care, the number of paracentesis increased from 237 in 1995 to 687 in 2006. Intravenous iron infusions increased from 111 in 2004 to 519 in 2006. The number of hospital admissions initially decreased from 605 in 1995 to 430 in 2000, and then increased. The number of patients with digestive diseases attending the emergency department decreased by 75% throughout the period studied. CONCLUSIONS: The continuing care unit and day hospital allowed an initial reduction in the number of conventional hospitalizations and in the percentage of patients with digestive diseases attending the emergency department.

[How many reach their goal? Outcome of abstracts presented at the XXIV AAEEH (Spanish Liver Study Association) Congress and their progress over time]. / 'Cuántos alcanzan la meta? Destino de los resúmenes presentados en el XXIV Congreso de la Asociación Española para el Estudio del Hígado y su evolución en el tiempo.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the abstracts presented at scientific meetings is their publication in a peer-review journal. In this study, we analysed the publication rates of the abstracts submitted to the 24th AEEH meeting (1999) and also to see if this was stable over time. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We assessed the publication rates of the abstracts presented at the 24th AEEH meeting in journals included in MEDLINE. As a comparison tool, we did the same with the abstracts submitted to the 34th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). The same procedure was carried out on the three subsequent editions of AEEH meetings to evaluate the continuity in the long term. RESULTS: Of the abstracts submitted at the 24th AEEH meeting, 52.8% (93/176) were published: 71.4% of those had been accepted for oral presentation, 54% as a poster and 41% were non-accepted abstracts. From the 34th EASL Annual Meeting, 27.1% (248/913) of the submitted abstracts were published (p < 0.001 compared to AEEH), 52.5% of those were accepted for oral communication, 33.1% accepted as a poster communication and 18.1% from non-accepted abstracts. Moreover, this high publication rate of the abstracts of AEEH meeting at 1999, was maintained during the following three years (47.55 and 54%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: a) The publication rate of abstracts presented at 24th AEEH meeting was excellent and superior in comparison to the EASL rate of the same year; b) almost three quarters of abstracts accepted for oral presentation and more than half of those accepted as a poster were finally published, and c) high publication rates seem to be maintained over time.