Increasing Burden of Chronic Liver Disease Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the USA: A Silent Epidemic.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Chronic liver disease (CLD) starts or becomes established in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) age group. This study aimed to estimate trends in CLD prevalence among US AYAs and to assess factors associated with CLD. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from 14,547 AYAs (population-weighted N = 68,274,386) aged 15-39 years enrolled in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1988 to 2012 were used. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was defined as elevated alanine aminotransferase (>19 U/L for females and >30 U/L for males) in subjects with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2; alcoholic liver disease (ALD) as excessive alcohol use (≥3 drinks/day for men and ≥2 drinks/day for women) and elevated aminotransferases after excluding alternative etiologies. Participants were considered hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive if antibody to HCV and HCV-RNA was positive. RESULTS: There was a sharp increase in the prevalence of CLD from 12.9% in 1988-1994 to 28.5% in 1999-2004 that remained stable after that (27.7%). NAFLD was the most common etiology accounting for 22% of all CLD in the later period. The prevalence of ALD has been steadily increasing throughout the years, while HCV has been decreasing. On multivariate analysis, being overweight/obese, Mexican-American ethnicity, later study period, older age, and male gender, were associated with higher odds of having CLD. CONCLUSION: More than one quarter of US AYAs might be affected by CLD. CLD prevalence in this age group has more than doubled over the past three decades mainly due to rise in NAFLD prevalence.

Sofosbuvir/Ledipasvir Without Ribavirin Achieved High Sustained Virologic Response for Hepatitis C Recurrence After Liver Transplantation: Two-Center Experience.

BACKGROUND: Current recommended regimens to treat patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection after liver transplantation include the use of ribavirin (RBV). Limited data are available on the efficacy of RBV-free regimens posttransplant, particularly the use of sofosbuvir (SOF)/ledipasvir (LDV) without RBV in this patient population. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of SOF/LDV fixed-dose combination without RBV in patients with HCV recurrence posttransplant. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of 46 patients with HCV recurrence posttransplant. SOF/LDV without RBV was used for 12 weeks in patients with early-stage fibrosis (F0-F2) or for 24 weeks in those with advanced fibrosis (F3-F4) and/or cholestatic hepatitis. The primary endpoint was sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after the end of treatment. Secondary outcomes included relapse after treatment and adverse events. RESULTS: Forty-six patients, with a mean age of 62 ± 8 years, a median duration since time of transplant of 904 days (range, 78-3525 days), an HCV genotype 1, and a mean baseline viral load of 7.79 million IU/mL, were treated. Of these, 32 patients were treated for 12 weeks, and 14 patients were treated for 24 weeks. Twenty-five patients (54%) were treatment experienced (21 with interferon and 4 with SOF). All 46 patients (100%) achieved sustained virological response (SVR) 12. Neither virologic relapses nor serious adverse events were noted. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of SOF/LDV without RBV for 12 or 24 weeks produced 100% SVR 12 in patients with HCV recurrence after liver transplantation. The use of RBV may not be necessary to achieve SVR in this patient population.

Use of rifaximin in gastrointestinal and liver diseases.

Rifaximin is a broad spectrum oral antibiotic with antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. It is poorly absorbed and thus has a highly favorable safety profile. Rifaximin has been shown to be effective in the treatment of traveler's diarrhea, functional bloating and irritable bowel syndrome, small bowel bacterial overgrowth and in the prevention of recurrent overt hepatic encephalopathy. In addition, there is emerging evidence for a possible beneficial effect of rifaximin in the treatment of uncomplicated diverticular disease and in the prevention of recurrent diverticulitis. The use of rifaximin is associated with a low incidence of development, or persistence of spontaneous bacterial mutants. Moreover, the development of important drug resistance among extra-intestinal flora during rifaximin therapy is unlikely because of minimal systemic absorption and limited cross-resistance of rifaximin with other antimicrobials. This review addresses the current and emerging role of rifaximin in the treatment of gastrointestinal and liver disorders.

The burden of bowel preparations in patients undergoing elective colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND: An adequate bowel preparation is an important quality measure for optimal colonoscopy. AIMS: The aim of this article is to study the burden of bowel preparations by examining seven specific variables (hunger, taste, volume, sleep, social, work, and adverse events (AEs)). METHODS: Ambulatory patients undergoing elective colonoscopy completed a questionnaire regarding their experience with the prescribed preparation. The seven study variables were graded using a numerical scale of 0-10 (best to worst). A score >6 was considered to indicate a significant impact and used as primary outcome. Patients were also asked to grade in descending order what they perceived as the worst aspect of the preparation. RESULTS: A total of 216 patients completed the survey. Preparations consisted of split-dose sodium picosulfate (SPS) (n = 49), split-dose 4 l PEG ± menthol (n = 49), full-dose PEG (n = 68), and 2 l split-dose PEG + ascorbic acid (n = 50). Except for work and AEs, all variables were considered to have a negative impact by >20% of patients (range 20.4-34.2). SPS was superior to PEG regimens in taste (4.1% vs. 35.9%) and volume (0% vs. 44.9%) (p < 0.05 for both) but inferior for hunger (30.6% vs. 19.2%; p = 0.09). The addition of menthol to PEG significantly improved taste (22.4% vs. 41.5%; p = 0.02). Sleep disturbances were most common with SPS and least with split-dose PEG (30.6% vs. 17.4%; p < 0.05). Overall, patients ranked volume, taste, and hunger as most burdensome. CONCLUSIONS: The burden of bowel preparation is substantial. An informed personalized choice of preparation may improve adherence, tolerability and colon cleansing.

Aspirin Has a Protective Effect Against Adverse Outcomes in Patients with Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of aspirin and anticoagulants on clinical outcomes and cause of in-hospital death in patients with nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB). METHODS: Patients were identified from a tertiary center database that included all patients with UGIB. Clinical outcomes including (1) in-hospital mortality, (2) severe bleeding, (3) rebleeding, (4) in-hospital complications, and (5) length of hospital stay were examined in patients taking (a) aspirin only, (b) anticoagulants only, and (c) no antithrombotics. RESULTS: Of 717 patients with NVUGIB, 56 % (402) were taking at least one antithrombotic agent. Seventy-eight (11 %) patients died in hospital, and 310 (43 %) had severe bleeding (BP < 90 mmHg, HR > 120 b/min, Hb < 7 g/dL on presentation, or transfusion of >3 units). On multivariate analysis, being on aspirin was protective against in-hospital mortality [OR 0.26 (0.13-0.53)], rebleeding [OR 0.31 (0.17-0.59)], and predictive of a shorter hospital stay (coefficient = -4.2 days; 95 % CI -8.7, 0.3). Similarly, being on nonaspirin antiplatelets was protective against in-hospital mortality (P = 0.03). However, being on anticoagulants was predictive of in-hospital complications [OR 2.0 (1.20-3.35)] and severe bleeding [OR 1.69 (1.02-2.82)]. Compared to those not taking any antithrombotics, patients who bled on aspirin were less likely to die in hospital of uncontrolled gastrointestinal bleeding (3.6 vs 0 %, P ≤ 0.01) and systemic cancer (4.9 vs 0 %, P ≤ 0.002), but equally likely to die of cardiovascular/thromboembolic disease, sepsis, and multiorgan failure. CONCLUSION: Patients who present with NVUGIB on aspirin had reduced in-hospital mortality and fewer adverse outcomes, while those on anticoagulants had increased in-hospital complications.

The modern bowel preparation in colonoscopy.

Adequate bowel preparation is essential for optimal colonoscopy. Suboptimal bowel preparation occurs in 25% to 40% of cases and is associated with canceled procedures, prolonged procedure time, incomplete examination, increased cost, and missed pathology. There are several effective formulations for colon cleansing with a good safety profile. Split dosing should be implemented whenever possible in an effort to enhance tolerance and adherence, and improve mucosal visibility and overall quality of the examination. In this review, modern bowel preparations are discussed including their mechanism of action, mode of use, safety, and how to optimize outcomes.

Breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries: an emerging and challenging epidemic.

Breast cancer is a major health care problem that affects more than one million women yearly. While it is traditionally thought of as a disease of the industrialized world, around 45% of breast cancer cases and 55% of breast cancer deaths occur in low and middle income countries. Managing breast cancer in low income countries poses a different set of challenges including access to screening, stage at presentation, adequacy of management and availability of therapeutic interventions. In this paper, we will review the challenges faced in the management of breast cancer in low and middle income countries.