Discontinuation of immunosuppression in patients with immune-mediated drug-induced liver injury or idiopathic autoimmune hepatitis: A case-control study.

Background and Aim: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) may present with autoimmune features and require immunosuppressive therapy (IST) to reach biochemical response. Discontinuation of IST without hepatitis relapse may be more frequent in these patients as compared to patients with classical autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). We aimed to determine baseline characteristics and outcome of patients with immune-mediated drug induced liver injury (IMDILI) with particular emphasis on IST during follow-up. Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective study of consecutive patients presenting at a tertiary care center between January 2005 and December 2019 either with IMDILI or with classical AIH, for whom full baseline characteristics and a close follow-up were available over a 12-month period. Results: Overall, 31 patients (IMDILI n = 16, mean age 59 [34-74] years; AIH n = 15, mean age 47 [15-61] years) were included, showing similar biochemical, serological, and histological characteristics. Incriminating drugs in IMDILI patients were mostly represented by nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and sartans. Initial corticosteroids combined with IST led to biochemical response in all patients. Compared to idiopathic AIH, more patients with IMDILI were weaned off corticosteroids at the end of follow-up (11/16 [68.7%] vs 4/15 [26.6%], P < 0.02). At 1 year of follow-up, more patients in the IMDILI group compared to the classical AIH group were off any type of IST (13/16 [81%] vs 15/15 [100%], P = 0.08). Conclusions: Although presenting with similar baseline biochemical and histological characteristics as idiopathic AIH, patients with IMDILI may not require long-term IST.

[Polycystic liver disease]. / Polykystoses hépatiques.

Polycystic liver disease (PLD) includes three entities in adults : biliary hamartomas which develop as a result of ductal plate malformation, autosomal dominant polycystic liver disease (ADPLD) and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) which occur in the setting of genetic disorders. Hamartomas are asymptomatic and benign. PLD are marked by a steady growth of cysts over time, clinically silent in the majority of cases. Symptomatic forms mainly affect women due to the influence of estrogens on the growth of cysts therefore estrogen treatments are contraindicated in this setting. Diagnosis is based on imaging. Complications are rare but must be identified early in order to offer appropriate care in an expert center.

Les polykystoses hépatiques (PKH) de l'adulte regroupent les hamartomes biliaires, conséquence d'une malformation congénitale de la plaque ductale, la polykystose hépatorénale autosomique dominante (PKHRAD) et la polykystose hépatique isolée (PKHI), de cause génétique. Les hamartomes sont asymptomatiques et bénins. Les PKH sont marquées par une croissance régulière des kystes au fil du temps, silencieuse dans la majorité des cas. Les formes symptomatiques concernent majoritairement les femmes, la croissance des kystes étant influencée par les œstrogènes. De ce fait, les traitements œstrogéniques doivent être proscrits. Le diagnostic repose sur l'imagerie. Les complications sont rares mais doivent être identifiées précocement afin de proposer une prise en charge adaptée en centre expert.

Sustained Effect on Hepatitis C Elimination Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study: A Systematic Re-Screening for Hepatitis C RNA Two Years Following a Nation-Wide Elimination Program.

BACKGROUND: The Swiss HCVree Trial (NCT02785666) was conducted in 2015-2017 with the goal of implementing a population-based systematic hepatitis C virus (HCV) micro-elimination program among men who have sex with men (MSM) with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) enrolled in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS). The trial led to a 91% and 77% decline of HCV prevalence and incidence, respectively. The long-term effect of this HCV micro-elimination program is yet to be explored. METHODS: All MSM enrolled in the SHCS were screened for HCV RNA using stored plasma samples obtained in 2019, termed "Swiss HCVree Post" screen. The incidence of HCV infection over time was assessed using additional information on HCV testing routinely collected in the SHCS. Characteristics of participants with replicating HCV infection were analyzed. RESULTS: The point-prevalence of "Swiss HCVree Post" (N = 4641) was 0.6%, reflecting a decline of 48% compared to the end of the Swiss HCVree Trial where the prevalence was 1.2%. Further, the incidence of HCV among MSM in the SHCS declined from 0.31/100 person-years (py) (95% confidence interval [CI] [.17, .55]) in 2017 to 0.19/100 py (95% CI [.09, .39]) in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: A systematic HCV RNA-based screening among MSM with HIV conducted 2 years after the Swiss HCVree Trial revealed a sustained effect and further decline of the prevalence and incidence of replicating HCV infection. This indicates that the Swiss HCVree Trial was successful in curbing the HCV epidemic among MSM with HIV in Switzerland. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT02785666.

[Residual risk of liver disease after hepatitis C virus eradication]. / Risque résiduel d'hépatopathie après éradication du virus de l'hépatite C par les antiviraux directs.

Treatment of hepatitis C has known major progress thanks to direct-acting antivirals resulting in the healing, defined by a viral clearance (sustained virological response [SVR]), in the vast majority of patients. However, there is a residual risk of progressive liver damage in a minority of patients, potentially leading to complications such as liver decompensation, hepatocellular carcinoma and/or death. This article discusses the current knowledge of residual liver disease after treatment, the impact of comorbidities and the factors potentially predicting patients at risk of complications and warranting surveillance.

Le traitement de l'hépatite C a connu des progrès majeurs grâce aux antiviraux directs, permettant la guérison des patients, définie par une réponse virologique soutenue dans la grande majorité des cas. Il existe cependant un risque résiduel de progression de la maladie hépatique pour une faible proportion de patients pouvant entraîner un risque de complications majeures, de type décompensation cirrhotique, carcinome hépatocellulaire et/ou décès. Dans cet article, nous traitons des connaissances actuelles concernant le risque résiduel d'hépatopathie après traitement, de l'impact des comorbidités mais également des facteurs permettant d'identifier les patients à risque de complication et justifiant une surveillance.

Recent advances in gastrointestinal cancers.

Gastrointestinal cancers occur in a total of eight different locations, each of them with a different standard of care. This article is not an exhaustive review of what has been published in 2020. We have concentrated on the thirteen phase III randomized studies that are practice-changing. All these studies are oral presentations which have been given in one of the four major oncology congresses, namely American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), ASCO gastrointestinal (GI), European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) and ESMO-GI. We provide a concise view of these major trials and their main outcomes, and put these results into context.

Management of Acute Wilsonian Hepatitis with Severe Hemolysis: A Successful Combination of Chelation and MARS Dialysis.

Wilson's disease is a rare hereditary disorder of copper metabolism leading to progressive accumulation of copper in several organs including the brain and the liver. Acute liver failure is a relatively rare hepatic manifestation of WD which may require urgent liver transplantation if medical treatment fails. We report here the case of a young woman who presented with classic acute Wilsonian hepatitis complicated by liver and renal failure and a severe hemolysis related to massive nonceruloplasmin bound copper accumulation requiring repeated blood transfusions. The early initiation of a combined treatment including conventional chelation therapy and repeated MARS dialysis sessions allowed a rapid control of hemolysis, a progressive decrease of free copper overload, and clinical recompensation without liver transplantation.

[Efficacy of new therapies]. / Hépatite D†: efficacité des nouvelles thérapies.

Hepatitis D virus causes chronic hepatitis D. The virus is defective, meaning it requires simultaneous presence of hepatitis B virus within the hepatocytes to complete its viral cycle. Globally, 15 to 20 millions people are estimated to be chronically co-infected by hepatitis B and D viruses. Current therapy remains limited to pegylated interferon alfa, which has an unsatisfactory success rate, several contraindications and many side effects. Drugs directly targeting the hepatitis D virus life cycle are being developed with promising results. These drugs target viral entry into hepatocytes, virion assembly or secretion from infected hepatocytes. This article provides an overview of the newly developed therapies and their efficacy.

L'hépatite D chronique est une infection causée par le virus de l'hépatite D, un virus défectueux nécessitant l'infection concomitante des hépatocytes par le virus de l'hépatite B. On estime que 15 à 20 millions d'individus dans le monde pourraient être co-infectés chroniquement par ces deux virus. Le seul traitement disponible est l'interféron alfa pégylé dont l'efficacité est encore insatisfaisante avec des effets indésirables fréquents. Des thérapies ciblant le virus de l'hépatite D sont en développement avec des résultats prometteurs. Parmi eux, les inhibiteurs de l'entrée du virus dans l'hépatocyte, de son assemblage ou encore de sa sécrétion. Cet article fait le point sur les thérapies en développement et leur efficacité.