Genetic Ancestry, Race, and Severity of Acutely Decompensated Cirrhosis in Latin America.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Genetic ancestry or racial differences in health outcomes exist in diseases associated with systemic inflammation (eg, COVID-19). This study aimed to investigate the association of genetic ancestry and race with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), which is characterized by acute systemic inflammation, multi-organ failure, and high risk of short-term death. METHODS: This prospective cohort study analyzed a comprehensive set of data, including genetic ancestry and race among several others, in 1274 patients with acutely decompensated cirrhosis who were nonelectively admitted to 44 hospitals from 7 Latin American countries. RESULTS: Three hundred ninety-five patients (31.0%) had ACLF of any grade at enrollment. Patients with ACLF had a higher median percentage of Native American genetic ancestry and lower median percentage of European ancestry than patients without ACLF (22.6% vs 12.9% and 53.4% vs 59.6%, respectively). The median percentage of African genetic ancestry was low among patients with ACLF and among those without ACLF. In terms of race, a higher percentage of patients with ACLF than patients without ACLF were Native American and a lower percentage of patients with ACLF than patients without ACLF were European American or African American. In multivariable analyses that adjusted for differences in sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, the odds ratio for ACLF at enrollment was 1.08 (95% CI, 1.03-1.13) with Native American genetic ancestry and 2.57 (95% CI, 1.84-3.58) for Native American race vs European American race CONCLUSIONS: In a large cohort of Latin American patients with acutely decompensated cirrhosis, increasing percentages of Native American ancestry and Native American race were factors independently associated with ACLF at enrollment.

Celiac trunk stenosis by median arcuate ligament in orthotopic liver transplantation: a potential hidden foe to the biliary tree.

BACKGROUND: Celiac trunk compression by the median arcuate ligament (MAL) increases the risk of ischemic complications following gastrointestinal surgical procedures. Previous studies suggest increased risk of hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT) in orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) recipients. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of untreated MAL compression (MAL-C) on biliary complications in OLT. METHODS: Contrast-enhanced imaging was used to classify celiac trunk stenosis by MAL-C. Medical records were reviewed to extract pre-transplant, transplant and post-transplant data. Patients were divided into two groups: no MAL compression (nMAL-C) and MAL-C. The primary endpoint was biliary complications. Secondary endpoints were HAT and graft survival. RESULTS: 305 OLT were performed from 2010 to 2021, of which 219 were included for analysis: 185 (84.5%) patients without and 34 (15.5%) with MAL-C. The incidence of HAT was 5.9% in both groups. Biliary complications were more common in the MAL-C group (35.3% vs. 17.8%, p = 0.035). Graft survival was decreased in patients with MAL-C (p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: MAL-C of the celiac trunk was associated with increased risk of biliary complications and inferior graft survival in OLT patients. These findings highlight the importance of preoperative screening and treatment of MAL in this population.

Low hepatic artery resistive index on Doppler ultrasound performed on the first post-liver transplant day is associated both with hepatic artery thrombosis and decreased graft survival.

PURPOSE: Although liver transplantation (LT) outcomes have improved significantly over the last decades, early vascular complications are still associated with elevated risks of graft failure. Doppler ultrasound (DUS) enables detection of vascular complications, provides hepatic artery Resistive Index (RI). The aim of our study was to evaluate the association of the RI parameters of DUS performed in the first post-transplant week with post-transplant outcomes. METHODS: All consecutive patients undergoing a first LT between 2001 and 2019 at a single center were included. Patients were divided into two groups: RI < 0.55 and RI ≥ 0.55. Patients were also divided according to the presence or absence of hepatic artery thrombosis (HAT). Graft survival was compared between groups. RESULTS: Overall, 338 patients were included. HAT occurred in 23 patients (6.8%), of which 7 were partial and 16, complete. Biliary complications were more common in patients with HAT (10 [43.5%]) vs. 38 [12.1%] [p < 0.001]). Graft survival was lower for patients with HAT (p = 0.047). Also, RI < 0.55 was associated with increased incidence of HAT (p < 0.001). Additionally, patients with RI < 0.55 on post-operative day 1 had decreased graft survival as compared to patients with RI > 0.55 (p = 0.041). RI on post-operative day 3 and 5 was not predictive of inferior graft outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Intensive use of DUS in the early post-LT period offers the possibility of early diagnosis of vascular complications, guiding medical and surgical management of HAT. Additionally, according to our data, low RI (< 0.55) on the first postoperative day also is a predictor of HAT and decreased graft-survival.

Percutaneous ethanol injection is an acceptable bridging therapy to hepatocellular carcinoma prior to liver transplantation.

PURPOSE: Locoregional therapies (LRT) are employed for bridging patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) awaiting orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Although the main LRT options include transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA), percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI) is an alternative with considerably lower costs. This study is a pioneering evaluation of the natural history of PEI bridging to OLT as compared to TACE. METHODS: All consecutive cirrhotic patients with HCC enlisted for OLT (2011-2020) at a single center were analyzed. Patients were divided into three LRT modality groups: PEI, TACE, and PEI+TACE. The primary study outcome was waitlist dropout due to tumor progression beyond Milan criteria. A comparison of post-transplant outcomes of patients as stratified by LRT modality also was performed. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-nine patients were included (PEI=56, TACE=43, PEI+TACE=30). The dropout rate due to tumor progression was not different among the three groups: PEI=8.9%, TACE=14%, PEI+TACE=16.7% (p=0.54). Thirteen (76.4%) patients underwent OLT after successful downstaging (3 [75%] in the PEI group, 5 [83.3%] in the TACE group, and 5 [71.4%] in the PEI+TACE group). For the 96 patients undergoing OLT, 5-year post-transplant recurrence-free survival was PEI=55.6% vs. TACE=55.1% vs. PEI+TACE=71.4% (p=0.42). Complete/near-complete pathological response rate was similar among groups (p=0.82). CONCLUSION: Dropout rates and post-transplant recurrence-free survivals related to PEI were comparable to those of TACE. This study supports the use of PEI alone or in combination with TACE for HCC patients awaiting OLT whenever RFA is not an option.

Interaction of Microbiome, Diet, and Hospitalizations Between Brazilian and American Patients With Cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Gut microbiota are affected by diet, country, and affect outcomes in cirrhosis. Western diets are associated with dysbiosis. Comparisons with other diets is needed. We aimed to compare cirrhosis patients from the United States with cirrhosis patients from Brazil with respect to diet, microbiota, and impact on hospitalizations. METHODS: Healthy controls and compensated/decompensated outpatients with cirrhosis from the United States and Brazil underwent dietary recall and stool for 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. Demographics and medications/cirrhosis details were compared within and between countries. Patients with cirrhosis were followed up for 90-day hospitalizations. Regression for Shannon diversity was performed within cirrhosis. Regression for hospitalizations adjusting for clinical and microbial variables was performed. RESULTS: Model for end-stage liver disease (MELD), diabetes, ascites, and albumin were similar, but more Americans were men, had higher hepatic encephalopathy and alcohol/hepatitis C etiology, with lower nonalcoholic fatty liver disease than Brazilians. Brazilians had higher cereal, rice, and yogurt intake vs the United States. As disease progressed, cereals, rice/beans, coffee, and chocolate consumption was reduced. Microbial diversity was higher in Brazilians. Within cirrhosis, high diversity was related to Brazilian origin (P < .0001), age, and cereal intake (P = .05), while high MELD scores (P = .009) and ascites (P = .05) did the reverse. Regardless of stage, beneficial taxa and taxa associated with grant and yogurt intake were higher (Ruminococcaceae, Christensenellacae, and Prevotellaceae), while pathobionts (Porphyromonadaceae, Sutterellaceae, and Enterobacteriaceae) were lower in Brazilians. More Americans were hospitalized vs Brazilians (P = .002). On regression, MELD (P = .001) and ascites (P = .001) were associated with higher hospitalizations, while chocolate (P = .03) and Brazilian origin (P = .001) were associated with lower hospitalizations with/without microbiota inclusion. CONCLUSIONS: Brazilian cirrhotic patients follow a diet richer in cereals and yogurt, which is associated with higher microbial diversity and beneficial microbiota and could contribute toward lower hospitalizations compared with a Western-diet-consuming American cohort.

Effects of immunosuppressive drugs on COVID-19 severity in patients with autoimmune hepatitis.

BACKGROUND: We investigated associations between baseline use of immunosuppressive drugs and severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data of AIH patients with laboratory confirmed COVID-19 were retrospectively collected from 15 countries. The outcomes of AIH patients who were on immunosuppression at the time of COVID-19 were compared to patients who were not on AIH medication. The clinical courses of COVID-19 were classified as (i)-no hospitalization, (ii)-hospitalization without oxygen supplementation, (iii)-hospitalization with oxygen supplementation by nasal cannula or mask, (iv)-intensive care unit (ICU) admission with non-invasive mechanical ventilation, (v)-ICU admission with invasive mechanical ventilation or (vi)-death and analysed using ordinal logistic regression. RESULTS: We included 254 AIH patients (79.5%, female) with a median age of 50 (range, 17-85) years. At the onset of COVID-19, 234 patients (92.1%) were on treatment with glucocorticoids (n = 156), thiopurines (n = 151), mycophenolate mofetil (n = 22) or tacrolimus (n = 16), alone or in combinations. Overall, 94 (37%) patients were hospitalized and 18 (7.1%) patients died. Use of systemic glucocorticoids (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.73, 95% CI 1.12-25.89) and thiopurines (aOR 4.78, 95% CI 1.33-23.50) for AIH was associated with worse COVID-19 severity, after adjusting for age-sex, comorbidities and presence of cirrhosis. Baseline treatment with mycophenolate mofetil (aOR 3.56, 95% CI 0.76-20.56) and tacrolimus (aOR 4.09, 95% CI 0.69-27.00) were also associated with more severe COVID-19 courses in a smaller subset of treated patients. CONCLUSION: Baseline treatment with systemic glucocorticoids or thiopurines prior to the onset of COVID-19 was significantly associated with COVID-19 severity in patients with AIH.

Outcome of liver cancer patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection: An International, Multicentre, Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Information about the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in patients with liver cancer is lacking. This study characterizes the outcomes and mortality risk in this population. METHODS: Multicentre retrospective, cross-sectional, international study of liver cancer patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection registered between February and December 2020. Clinical data at SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis and outcomes were registered. RESULTS: Two hundred fifty patients from 38 centres were included, 218 with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 32 with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). The median age was 66.5 and 64.5 years, and 84.9% and 21.9% had cirrhosis in the HCC and iCCA cohorts respectively. Patients had advanced cancer stage at SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis in 39.0% of the HCC and 71.9% of the iCCA patients. After a median follow-up of 7.20 (IQR: 1.84-11.24) months, 100 (40%) patients have died, 48% of the deaths were SARS-CoV-2-related. Forty (18.4%) HCC patients died within 30-days. The death rate increase was significantly different according to the BCLC stage (6.10% [95% CI 2.24-12.74], 11.76% [95% CI 4.73-22.30], 20.69% [95% CI 11.35-31.96] and 34.52% [95% CI 17.03-52.78] for BCLC 0/A, B, C and D, respectively; p = .0017). The hazard ratio was 1.45 (95% CI 0.49-4.31; p = .5032) in BCLC-B versus 0/A, and 3.13 (95% CI 1.29-7.62; p = .0118) in BCLC-C versus 0/A in the competing risk Cox regression model. Nineteen out of 32 iCCA (59.4%) died, and 12 deaths were related to SARS-CoV-2 infection. CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest cohort of liver cancer patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. It characterizes the 30-day mortality risk of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients with HCC during this period.

Uniting the Global Gastroenterology Community to Meet the Challenge of Climate Change and Nonrecyclable Waste.

Climate change has been described as the greatest public health threat of the 21st century. It has significant implications for digestive health. A multinational team with representation from all continents, excluding Antarctica and covering 18 countries, has formulated a commentary which outlines both the implications for digestive health and ways in which this challenge can be faced.

WGO Guidance for the Care of Patients With COVID-19 and Liver Disease.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the least deadly but most infectious coronavirus strain transmitted from wild animals. It may affect many organ systems. Aim of the current guideline is to delineate the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the liver. Asymptomatic aminotransferase elevations are common in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease. Its pathogenesis may be multifactorial. It may involve primary liver injury and indirect effects such as "bystander hepatitis," myositis, toxic liver injury, hypoxia, and preexisting liver disease. Higher aminotransferase elevations, lower albumin, and platelets have been reported in severe compared with mild COVID-19. Despite the dominance of respiratory disease, acute on chronic liver disease/acute hepatic decompensation have been reported in patients with COVID-19 and preexisting liver disease, in particular cirrhosis. Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has a higher risk of respiratory disease progression than those without MAFLD. Alcohol-associated liver disease may be severely affected by COVID-19-such patients frequently have comorbidities including metabolic syndrome and smoking-induced chronic lung disease. World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) recommends that interventional procedures such as endoscopy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography should be performed in emergency cases or when they are considered strictly necessary such as high risk varices or cholangitis. Hepatocellular cancer surveillance may be postponed by 2 to 3 months. A short delay in treatment initiation and non-surgical approaches should be considered. Liver transplantation should be restricted to patients with high MELD scores, acute liver failure and hepatocellular cancer within Milan criteria. Donors and recipients should be tested for SARS-CoV-2 and if found positive donors should be excluded and liver transplantation postponed until recovery from infection.

Impact of intraoperative blood salvage and autologous transfusion during liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Intraoperative blood salvage (IBS) with autologous blood transfusion is controversial in liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study evaluated the role of IBS usage in LT for HCC. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study at a single center from 2002 to 2018, the outcomes of LT surgery for HCC were analyzed. Overall survival and disease-free survival of patients who received IBS were compared with those who did not receive IBS. Cancer recurrence, length of hospital stay, post-transplant complications, and blood loss also were evaluated. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate overall mid-term and long-term survival (4 and 6 years, respectively). RESULTS: Of the total 163 patients who underwent LT for HCC in the study period, 156 had complete demographic and clinical data and were included in the study. IBS was used in 122 and not used in 34 patients. Ninety-five (60.9%) patients were men, and the mean patient age was 58.5 ± 7.6 years. The overall 1-year, 5-year, and 7-year survival in the IBS group was 84.2%, 67.7%, and 56.8% vs. 85.3%, 67.5%, and 67.5% in the non-IBS group (p = 0.77). The 1-year, 5-year, and 7-year disease-free survival in the IBS group was 81.6%, 66.5%, and 55.4% vs. 85.3%, 64.1%, and 64.1% in the non-IBS group (p = 0.74). For patients without complete HCC necrosis (n = 121), the 1-year, 5-year, and 7-year overall survival rates for those who received IBS (n = 95) were 86.2%, 67.7%, and 49.6% vs. 84.6%, 70.0%, and 70.0% for 26 patients without IBS (p = 0.857). For the same patients, the 1-year, 5-year, and 7-year disease-free survival in the IBS group was 84.0%, 66.8%, and 64.0% vs. 88.0%, 72.8%, and 72.8% in the non-IBS group (p = 0.690). CONCLUSION: IBS does not appear to be associated with worse outcomes in patients undergoing LT for HCC, even in the presence of viable HCC in the explant. There seems to be no reason to contraindicate the use of IBS in LT for HCC.

Evaluation of the genetic toxicity of sofosbuvir and simeprevir with and without ribavirin in a human-derived liver cell line.

Direct-acting antivirals have revolutionized the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Sofosbuvir and simeprevir are prescribed worldwide. However, there is a scarcity of information regarding their genotoxicity. Therefore, the present study assessed the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of sofosbuvir and simeprevir, alone and combined with ribavirin. HepG2 cells were analyzed using the in vitro cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome assay. Cells were treated for 24 h with sofosbuvir (0.011-1.511 mM), simeprevir (0.156-5.0 µM), and their combinations with ribavirin (0.250-4.0 mM). No significant differences were observed in the nuclear division cytotoxicity index, reflecting the absence of cytotoxic effects associated to sofosbuvir. However, the highest concentration of simeprevir showed a significant difference for the nuclear division cytotoxicity index. Moreover, significant results were observed for nuclear division cytotoxicity index in two combinations of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin and only in the highest combination of simeprevir plus ribavirin. Additionally, our results showed that sofosbuvir did not increase the frequency of chromosomal damage, but simeprevir significantly increased the frequency of micronuclei at the highest concentrations. The combination index demonstrated that both sofosbuvir and simeprevir produced antagonism to the genotoxic effects of ribavirin. In conclusion, our results showed that simeprevir, but not sofosbuvir, has genotoxic effects in HepG2 cells.

International and multicenter real-world study of sorafenib-treated patients with hepatocellular carcinoma under dialysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Information on safety and efficacy of systemic treatment in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) under dialysis are limited due to patient exclusion from clinical trials. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the rate, prevalence, tolerability, and outcome of sorafenib in this population. METHODS: We report a multicenter study comprising patients from Latin America and Europe. Patients treated with sorafenib were enrolled; demographics, dose modifications, adverse events (AEs), treatment duration, and outcome of patients undergoing dialysis were recorded. RESULTS: As of March 2018, 6156 HCC patients were treated in 44 centres and 22 patients were concomitantly under dialysis (0.36%). The median age was 65.5 years, 40.9% had hepatitis C, 75% had Child-Pugh A, and 85% were Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer-C. The median time to first dose modification, treatment duration and overall survival rate were 2.4 months (interquartile ranges [IQR], 0.8-3.8), 10.8 months (IQR, 4.5-16.9), and 17.5 months (95% CI, 7.2-24.5), respectively. Seventeen patients required at least 1 dose modification. The main causes of first dose modification were asthenia/worsening of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-Performance Status and diarrhoea. At the time of death or last follow-up, four patients were still on treatment and 18 had discontinued sorafenib: 14 were due to tumour progression, 2 were sorafenib-related, and 2 were non-sorafenib-related AE. CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes observed in this cohort seem comparable to those in the non-dialysis population. Thus, to the best of our knowledge, this is the largest and most informative dataset regarding systemic treatment outcomes in HCC patients undergoing dialysis.

Exposure to organic solvents and hepatotoxicity.

The purpose of this study was to identify the long-term effect of chemical exposure on the liver. Laboratory tests included alanine aminotransferase (ALT) dosage and oxidative stress tests, such as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in plasma and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione S-transferase analysis in erythrocytes. The cross-sectional study comprised 70 workers, 30 of them exposed to organic solvents and 40 not exposed. All those exposed presented at least 5 years of exposure to solvents. Hepatitis B and C, known hepatic disease, comorbidities, use of alcohol, illicit drugs or hepatotoxic medications, smoking, body mass index >30, female sex and age (<18 or >65) were excluded from the sample. Results indicated that elevated ALT was more frequent in the exposed group compared to controls: 33% vs. 10.5%, with a statistical significance (p < 0.05). Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were significantly elevated (p < 0.01) in the exposed group in comparison to controls. Antioxidant enzymes were more elevated in the exposed group compared to controls: SOD 7.29 (4.30-8.91) USOD/mg of protein vs. 3.48 (2.98-5.28) USOD/mg of protein and GST 2.57 µmol/min/mg of protein (1.80-4.78) vs. 1.81 µmol/min/mg of protein (1.45- 2.30) µM/min/mg of protein. The results suggest an association between exposure to organic solvents and hepatotoxicity.

Pre-transplant ALBI Grade 3 Is Associated with Increased Mortality After Liver Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Although MELD score is a reliable tool for estimating mortality in the waiting list, criteria for preoperative prediction of survival after liver transplantation (LT) are lacking. ALBI score was validated as a prognostic marker for hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolization, hepatic resection, and sorafenib treatment but not for LT outcomes yet. This study aimed to evaluate ALBI score as a prognostic factor in LT. METHODS: This is a single-center analysis of patients undergoing LT between October 2001 and June 2017. Primary endpoint was overall post-LT mortality. Secondary endpoint was 90-day mortality. RESULTS: Of all 301 patients included in this study, 185 (61.5%) were males. The median age was 54.1 ± 11.3 years. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that ALBI grade 3 (HR 1.836, 95% CI 1.154-2.921, p = 0.010), low serum albumin (HR 0.628, 95% CI 0.441-0.893, p = 0.010), black race (HR 2.431, 95% CI 1.160-5.092, p = 0.019), and elevated body mass index (HR 1.061, 95% CI 1.022-1.102, p = 0.002) all were associated with decreased overall survival following LT. Patients with both ALBI grade 3 (n = 25) and calculated MELD score ≥ 25 had the lowest overall survival (p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: ALBI grade 3 was related to lower post-LT survival and can be utilized as a tool for risk stratification in LT.

Sofosbuvir-based antiviral therapy in patients with recurrent HCV infection after liver transplant: A real-life experience.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Recurrent HCV infection after liver transplant (LT) has a negative impact on graft and patient survival. The aim of this study is to describe the efficacy and safety of sofosbuvir (SOF-based) regimens in the treatment of recurrent HCV after liver transplant (LT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included 68 adults with recurrent HCV infection after LT, treated with different SOF-based regimens between March 2015 and December 2016. The choice of regimens, their duration and use of ribavirin (RBV) was made by the treating physician. The efficacy of antiviral treatment was assessed based on the sustained viral response obtained 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12), according to an intention-to-treat analysis. RESULTS: The most frequent HCV genotypes were 1 and 3 (n=35, 51.4% and n=31, 45.6%, respectively). Only 22 patients were treatment naïve (32.3%) and 7 had cirrhosis (10.2%). SOF+daclatasvir (DCV) was the most commonly used regimen (n=63, 92.6%). Most patients used RBV (n=56, 82.3%) and were treated for 12 weeks (n=66, 97%). Overall SVR12 was 95.5% (65/68 patients). Three patients had virologic failure. Three patients had serious adverse events, however, no one discontinued treatment prematurely. RBV-related anaemia was the most frequent adverse event (n=34, 50%). Four patients had severe cellular graft rejection after HCV elimination, while immunosuppression remained stable. CONCLUSION: SOF-based therapy is highly effective and safe to treat HCV recurrence after LT. Cellular graft rejection following the successful treatment of HCV needs further investigation.

Efficacy and Safety of Ombitasvir/Paritaprevir/Ritonavir and Dasabuvir ± Ribavirin for HCV in Brazilian Adults with Advanced Fibrosis.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Approximately 650,000 people in Brazil have chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of ombitasvir (OBV)/paritaprevir (PTV)/ritonavir (r) plus dasabuvir (DSV) with/without ribavirin (RBV) in an openlabel multicenter phase 3b trial in treatment-naive or interferon (IFN) treatment-experienced Brazilian patients with advanced hepatic fibrosis (METAVIR F3/4) and HCV genotype (GT) 1 infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients received coformulated OBV/PTV/r daily + DSV twice daily (3-DAA). GT1a-infected patients received 3-DAA plus RBV for 12 weeks, except for prior pegIFN/RBV nonresponders with cirrhosis who were treated for 24 weeks. GT1b-infected patients received 3-DAA alone (F3) or in combination with RBV (F4) for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was sustained virologic response (HCV RNA < 15 IU/mL) at post-treatment Week 12 (SVR12). RESULTS: The study enrolled 222 patients, 214 achieved an SVR12 (96.4%; 95% CI, 93.1-98.2%), one GT1a-infected patient experienced virologic breakthrough, six (5 GT1a) relapsed, and one was lost to follow-up. SVR12 was achieved in 111/ 112 (99.1%) GT1b-infected patients, including 42/43 (97.7%) noncirrhotic, and 69/69 (100%) cirrhotic patients; and in 103/110 (93.6%) GT1a-infected patients, including 44/46 (95.7%) noncirrhotic and 59/64 (92.2%) cirrhotic patients. Overall there was a low rate of serious adverse events (n = 6, 2.7%). One patient experienced a treatment-related serious adverse event and one patient discontinued treatment because of an adverse event. DISCUSSION: The results confirm that the 3-DAA regimen with/without RBV is well tolerated and had a favorable safety profile and is efficacious in GT1-infected patients with advanced fibrosis (METAVIR F3/4).

Genetic variants underlying vitamin D metabolism and VDR-TGFß-1-SMAD3 interaction may impact on HCV progression: a study based on dbGaP data from the HALT-C study.

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in liver disease and vitamin D has been shown to decrease hepatic fibrosis through an anti-TGFß-1/SMAD3 effect mediated by the vitamin D receptor. Thus, we hypothesized that genetic variants involved in vitamin D metabolism and/or VDR/TGFß-1/SMAD3 interaction could impact on the progression of chronic HCV. We obtained or imputed genotypes for 40 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in genes implicated in vitamin D metabolism from the HALT-C cohort via dbGaP. The HALT-C study followed 692 chronic HCV patients over 4 years, evaluating clinical outcomes including worsening of fibrosis, hepatic decompensation (gastric/esophageal bleeding, CTP>7, ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and encephalopathy), development of hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver death. We tested the selected SNPs for association with these outcomes in 681 HALT-C subjects. Eleven SNPs presented tendency towards significance (P<0.05): four SNPs in DHCR7 related to with hepatic decompensation (rs4944957, rs12800438, rs3829251 and rs4945008); two in GC to worsening of fibrosis and liver death (rs7041 and rs222020); two in CYP2R1 to ascites and hepatocellular carcinoma (rs7116978 and rs1562902); two in VDR to gastric/esophageal bleeding and hepatocellular carcinoma (rs4516035 and rs2239186); and one in SMAD3 to worsening of fibrosis and encephalopathy (rs2118610). Only rs1800469 in TGFB1 was statistically associated with hepatic decompensation after Bonferroni's correction (P<0.00125). In conclusion, rs1800469 in TGFB1 was associated to hepatic decompensation in chronic hepatitis C, while the other 11 described polymorphisms must be evaluated in a larger cohort to determine the possible role of vitamin D in hepatitis C.

Effect of Vitamin D Serum Levels and GC Gene Polymorphisms in Liver Fibrosis Due to Chronic Hepatitis C.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Vitamin D has been associated with chronic liver diseases and low vitamin levels may contribute to progression of chronic hepatitis C. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of vitamin D serum levels and GC gene polymorphisms in the severity of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study that enrolled 132 adult patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 attended at the outpatient Clinic of Gastroenterology Division at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. At the time of enrollment patients had a blood withdraw for serum 25(OH)D determination and genotypic analysis of rs7041 and rs4588 polymorphisms in GC gene. None/mild fibrosis was considered as METAVIR F0, F1 and F2 and severe fibrosis as METAVIR F3 and F4. RESULTS: Median 25(OH)D levels in the sample were 19.9 ng/mL (P25-P75: 14.0-29.4). Fifty percent of patients presented vitamin D deficiency (< 20 ng/mL). In stepwise multiple linear regression the variables associated with 25(OH)D levels were blood withdrawn in Winter/spring season, the haplotypes AT/AT + AG/AT of rs7041 and rs4588 and female sex. For evaluation of severe fibrosis, variables associated in logistic regression were age, vitamin D severe deficiency (< 10 ng/mL), glucose levels, BMI and platelets count. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D levels are associated with severity of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 patients. Although the rs7041 and rs4588 GC polymorphisms are strong predictors of vitamin D levels, they do not play a direct role in liver fibrosis.

Hypothermia is better than ischemic preconditioning for preventing early hepatic ischemia/reperfusion in rats.

BACKGROUND: Topical hypothermia (TH) and ischemic preconditioning (IPC) are used to decrease I/R injury. The efficacy of isolated or combined use of TH and IPC in the liver regarding inflammation and cytoprotection in early ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury needs to be evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Wistar rats underwent 70% liver ischemia for 90 min followed by 120 min of reperfusion. Livers of animals allocated in the sham, normothermic ischemia (NI), IPC, TH, and TH+IPC groups were collected for molecular analyses by ELISA and Western blot, aiming to compare proinflammatory, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant profiles. RESULTS: Compared with NI, TH presented decreased tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6 and IL-12 concentrations and increased IL-10 levels. TH animals displayed lower inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and higher endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expressions. NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase-1(NQO1) expression was also lower with TH. Isolated IPC and NI were similar regarding all these markers. TH+IPC was associated with decreased IL-12 concentration and reduced iNOS and NQO1 expressions, similarly to isolated TH. Expression of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein (Keap)-1 was increased and expression of nuclear and cytosolic nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) was decreased with TH+IPC vs. NI. CONCLUSION: TH was the most effective method of protection against early I/R injury. Isolated IPC entailed triggering of second-line antioxidant defense enzymes. Combined TH+IPC seemed to confer no additional advantage over isolated TH in relation to the inflammatory process, but had the advantage of completely avoid second-line antioxidant defense enzymes.