Activity

Gadolinium-ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (EOB-MRI) has been recognized as a useful imaging technique to distinguish the biological behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

We analyzed 217 hepatectomy recipients with HCCs measuring 10 cm or less. We divided the patients into a decreased intensity (DI) group (

= 189, 87%) and an increased or neutral intensity (INI) group (

= 28, 13%) according to the ratio of tumor intensity to liver intensity during the hepatobiliary phase (HBP). According to the ratio of the maximum tumor diameter (including peritumoral hypointensity) between HBP images and precontrast T1-weighted images (RHBPP), we divided the patients as follows The group whose RHBPP was ≥1.036 was the high RHBPP group (

= 60, 28%), and the group whose RHBPP was <1.036 was the low RHBPP group (

= 157, 72%). We investigated the prognoses and clinicopathological characteristics of these patients.

DI

INI was not a prognostic factor for either survival or recurrence; however, a high RHBPP was an independent predictor of unfavorable survival and recurrence in patients. In addition, the INI group showed significantly lower α-fetoprotein (AFP) levels and higher rates of well-differentiated HCC and ICGR15 ≥15% than the DI group. The high RHBPP group showed significantly higher rates of vascular invasion and poorly differentiated HCC than the low RHBPP group.

A high RHBPP by EOB-MRI is a preoperative predictor of vascular invasion and an unfavorable prognostic factor for survival and recurrence. These patients might be considered for highly curative operations such as anatomical liver resection.

A high RHBPP by EOB-MRI is a preoperative predictor of vascular invasion and an unfavorable prognostic factor for survival and recurrence. Rucaparib price These patients might be considered for highly curative operations such as anatomical liver resection.

Although tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), as well as entecavir (ETV), is widely used as first-line treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis B, there are only a few studies comparing sequential therapy from ETV to TAF and continuous ETV monotherapy in patients with maintained virologic response to ETV.

In a retrospective multicenter study, we investigated the efficacy and safety of sequential therapy from ETV to TAF (ETV-TAF group) and compared them with continuous ETV monotherapy (ETV group), using propensity score matching, in chronic hepatitis B patients.

From 442 patients, we analyzed 142 patients from each group comprising 71 patients matched for several data, including age, HBV genotype, hepatitis B envelope antigen, cirrhosis, alanine aminotransferase, platelet count, prior ETV monotherapy period, and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) change during prior ETV monotherapy. In the ETV-TAF group, HBsAg levels significantly decreased from baseline to 48 weeks after switching to TAF (-0.02 log IU/mL,

= 0.038). HBcrAg levels also significantly decreased after switching to TAF (-0.1 log IU/mL,

= 0.004). However, there were no significant differences in the reduction of HBsAg and HBcrAg levels between the ETV-TAF and ETV groups. There was no significant difference in the change of estimated glomerular filtration rate levels from baseline to 48 weeks between the two groups.

The present study indicated that the efficacy, especially of the HBsAg-reducing action, and safety of sequential therapy from ETV to TAF were similar to those of continuous ETV monotherapy among chronic hepatitis B patients with maintained virologic response to ETV.

The present study indicated that the efficacy, especially of the HBsAg-reducing action, and safety of sequential therapy from ETV to TAF were similar to those of continuous ETV monotherapy among chronic hepatitis B patients with maintained virologic response to ETV.

Therapeutic options for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have expanded, as has the use of IBD medications in women during the reproductive period. However, no qualitative data exist that examine the pregnancy-related concerns of women with IBD in the current era of widespread immunomodulator and biologic use. Hence, we aimed to explore in detail the impact of IBD on pregnancy from the patient’s perspective.

This qualitative study used semistructured interviews to explore participants’ experiences regarding IBD and pregnancy until no new themes emerged. Key themes were identified using thematic analysis.

Fifteen women with IBD were interviewed. The majority of participants reported lingering concerns regarding their IBD medications, despite advice from their gastroenterologist that the drugs were considered safe in pregnancy. Participants more often reported medication-related fears, such as potential negative effects on their child’s immune system, than concerns regarding the effect of the disease itselights into the specific concerns and support needs of women with IBD in order to facilitate nonjudgmental counseling designed around patient concerns and beliefs.

Limited data exist regarding the etiological spectrum of the subset of chronic liver diseases (CLDs) diagnosed in noncirrhotic states in children. Our primary objective was to study the clinicoetiological profile of CLDs detected in noncirrhotic stages in children younger than 12 years of age. The secondary objective was to find the hepatic histological correlation of provisional diagnosis by different ranks of doctors.

This was an observational epidemiological study, cross-sectional in design, conducted in a tertiary-care setting over a 2-year period.

Thirty-seven cases were enrolled, with a mean ± SD age of 8 ± 4.1 years and a malefemale ratio of 1.81. Etiologies noted were Wilson disease (

= 8), autoimmune hepatitis (

= 4), secondary hemochromatosis (

= 4), chronic hepatitis B (

= 3), chronic hepatitis C (

= 2), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (

= 2), progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (

= 2), extrahepatic biliary atresia (

= 2), Alagille syndrome (

= 1), galactosemia (

=clinical presentation by the senior set of doctors is preferable, which could obviate the need for liver biopsy regarding diagnosis in a proportion of pediatric CLD patients.