Treatment failure may lead to accelerated fibrosis progression in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with treatment failure (TF) remain at risk of continuing fibrosis progression. However, it has not been investigated whether there is an increased risk of accelerated fibrosis progression after failed interferon-based therapy. We aimed to investigate long-term influence of TF on fibrosis progression compared with untreated patients with CHC. We studied 125 patients with CHC who underwent paired liver biopsies from 1994 to 2012. Patients with advanced fibrosis were excluded from the analysis. Sixty-three patients had TF, and 62 patients were treatment-naïve (TN). Annual fibrosis progression rate (FPR) was calculated, and significant fibrosis progression (SFP) was defined as ≥ 2 stage increase in fibrosis during follow-up. Multiple regression analyses were performed to find out independent predictors of FPR and SFP. Demographic characteristics and duration between paired liver biopsies were similar in TF and TN groups. Baseline alanine aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels (71 ± 31 vs 47 ± 22, P < 0.001 and 49 ± 39 vs 36 ± 28, P = 0.027, respectively), baseline mean fibrosis stage (2.2 ± 0.7 vs 1.9 ± 0.7, P = 0.018) and histologic activity index (6.3 ± 1.9 vs 4.3 ± 1.6, P < 0.001) were higher in the TF group compared with the TN group. In regression analyses, the strongest independent predictor of fibrosis progression was the GGT level (OR: 1.03, 95%CI 1.01-1.5, P < 0.001). Treatment experience (OR: 5.97, 95%CI 1.81-19.7, P = 0.003) also appeared as an independent predictor of both FPR and SFP. Failed interferon-based CHC treatment may lead to accelerated FPR in the long-term compared with the natural course.

Clinical significance of serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) levels in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the commonest primary malignant cancer of the liver in the world. This study was conducted to investigate the serum levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)in HCC patients and the relationship with tumor progression and known prognostic parameters. Fifty-four patients with HCC were investigated. Pretreatment HGF levels were employed the quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique (ELISA). Age and sex matched 20 healthy controls were included in the analysis. The median age of the patients was 60 years (range 36-77 years); where males consistituted of majority of the group (88.8%). All of patients had cirrhotic history. Fourty-six percent (n = 25) of patients had Child-Pugh Score A, 30% (n = 16) had Score B or C. All of the patients were treated with local therapies but none of them received sorafenib. The baseline serum HGF levels were significantly higher in patients with HCC than in the control group (p < 0.001). Male patients had higher serum HGF levels compared with female patients (p = 0.01). Serum HGF levels were significantly higher in the patients with elevated serum ALT levels than others with normal serum ALT levels (p = 0.05). Poor performance status (p < 0.001), viral etiology of cirrhosis (p = 0.03), larger tumor size (p = 0.01), lower serum hemogloblin levels (p = 0.03), and not be treated for HCC (p = 0.001) related to worse survival. However, serum HGF did not have significantly adverse effect on survival (p = 0.58). Despite serum HGF levels were found diagnostic value, serum HGF levels had no prognostic value in patients with HCC.

Is anterior segment OCT superior to slit-lamp biomicroscopic examination for Kayser Flesicher ring in Wilson's disease?

OBJECTIVE: Detection of the Kayser-Fleischer (KF) ring in the diagnostic scoring and treatment follow-up of Wilson's Disease (WD) is important. Slit lamp (SL) biomicroscopic examination has traditionally been used in the evaluation of the KF ring. The role of Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography (AS-OCT), which is used in various corneal diseases, in the detection of KF rings has attracted attention in recent years. In our study, we tried to demonstrate the effectiveness of AS-OCT in detecting the KF ring by comparing it with SL biomicroscopic examination. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 64 of 356 patients followed in our outpatient clinic due to WD were included in the study in the order of their admission to the outpatient clinic. The KF ring was evaluated in both eyes by SL-biomicroscopic examination and AS-OCT. Ophthalmic examination, and findings were performed by the same physician. RESULTS: Age range was 18-67 years, mean 33.06±10.83 years, gender was 39.1% (n: 25) female. At the time of diagnosis, the mean age was 19.48 ± 9.36 years, range was minimum 5 years and maximum 51 years. Clinical presentation was mixed type involvement n: 18 (28.1%), hepatic involvement n: 32 (50%), neurological involvement n: 14 (21.9%). The follow-up period was 2-257 months (74.6±76.16). The presence of KF ring was evaluated together with both AS-OCT and slit-lamp examination, the presence of KF could be detected in both AS-OCT and SL biomicroscopic examination in 10 patients (15.6%), in 12 (18.8%) of the cases KF ring is positive in AS-OCT but was negative in Slit-lamp biomicroscopic examination, in 65.6 (n: 42) of the cases OCT and slit-lamp biomicroscopic examination results were negative. CONCLUSIONS: The sensitivity of AS-OCT in detecting the KF ring was higher than the slit-lamp biomicroscopic examination. AS-OCT can detect early stage of KF rings in Wilson's Disease patients, so that diagnosis and treatment accuracy can be evaluated effectively.

Steroid-refractory inflammatory bowel disease is a risk factor for CMV infection.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) show increased the prevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection due to the severity of the disease and the immunosuppressive treatments they receive. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of CMV infection in IBD patients and identify the risk factors for CMV infection with different demographic characteristics in IBD patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We enrolled 85 patients diagnosed with IBD (43 with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 42 with Crohn's disease (CD)) in this prospective study. The clinical disease activities of UC and CD were assessed using Truelove-Witts and Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI). CMV infection was assessed by detection of DNA using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in blood samples and quantitative PCR in colonic biopsy specimens and by detection of inclusion bodies using hematoxylin-eosin staining. RESULTS: Thirteen patients with IBD exhibited concomitant CMV infection. CMV infection was not detected in any of the patients in remission. Viral loads measured in the colonic mucosa of infected patients ranged from 800-7000 genome copies/mL total extracted DNA. The mean serum CMV DNA level was 1694 ± 910 copies/mL (range: 800-3800). The rate of steroid resistance in CMV-positive cases was significantly higher than that in CMV-negative cases (p = 0.001). CD with acute exacerbation was a risk factor for CMV disease (p = 0.04). All of the CMV-positive patients received immunosuppressive treatments. CONCLUSIONS: CMV infection should be suspected in steroid-resistant UC and CD. Antiviral treatment improved the clinical outcome in steroid-resistant IBD cases with serum CMV DNA levels above 1000 copies/mL.