Tuberculosis Disease in Immunocompromised Children and Adolescents: A Pediatric Tuberculosis Network European Trials Group Multicenter Case-control Study.

Background: In high-resource settings, the survival of children with immunocompromise (IC) has increased and immunosuppressive therapies are increasingly being used. This study aimed to determine the clinical characteristics, performance of diagnostic tools, and outcome of IC children with tuberculosis (TB) in Europe.

Methods: Multicenter, matched case-control study within the Pediatric Tuberculosis Network European Trials Group, capturing TB cases <18 years diagnosed 2000-2020.

Performance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus assays in paediatric tuberculosis: a multicentre PTBNET study.

Rationale: In 2016, a new interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) was introduced, QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus), claimed to have improved sensitivity in active tuberculosis (TB).

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the performance of QFT-Plus, compared with previous generation IGRAs and the tuberculin skin test (TST), in children with TB in Europe.

Methods: Multicentre, ambispective cohort study within the Paediatric Tuberculosis Network European Trials Group (ptbnet), a dedicated paediatric TB research network comprising >300 members, capturing TB cases <18 years-of-age diagnosed between January 2009 and December 2019.

Interferon-related genetic markers of necroinflammatory activity in chronic hepatitis C.

Introduction: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a major cause of liver disease worldwide which often leads to progressive liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). CHC displays heterogeneous progression depending on a broad set of factors, some of them intrinsic to each individual such as the patient's genetic profile. This study aims to evaluate the contribution of certain genetic variants of crucial interferon alpha and lambda signaling pathways to the hepatic necroinflammatory activity (NIA) grade of CHC patients.

Intrahepatic angiopoietin-2 correlates with chronic hepatitis C progression and is induced in hepatitis C virus replicon systems.

Background & Aims: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma and angiogenesis is closely related to the pathogenesis and progression of different chronic liver diseases (CLD). Thus, the intrahepatic expression of angiopoietins 1 and 2 (Ang1 and Ang2), as relevant mediators of pathological angiogenesis in several CLD, was investigated. In addition, the differential influence of structural and non-structural genomic regions of HCV on the expression of angiopoietins and the possible signalling involved were studied.

Angiopoietin-2/angiopoietin-1 as non-invasive biomarker of cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis C.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of peripheral blood concentrations of angiopoietins (Ang) as cirrhosis biomarkers of chronic hepatitis C (CHC).

Methods: Ang1 and Ang2 serum levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in samples from 179 cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic CHC patients, classified according to the METAVIR system. Groups were compared by non-parametric Mann-Whitney test.

Inhibition of tyrosine kinase receptor Tie2 reverts HCV-induced hepatic stellate cell activation.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease (CLD) and is frequently linked to intrahepatic microvascular disorders. Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) is a central event in liver damage, due to their contribution to hepatic renewal and to the development of fibrosis and hepatocarcinoma. During the progression of CLDs, HSC attempt to restore injured tissue by stimulating repair processes, such as fibrosis and angiogenesis.

Angiopoietin-2 Serum Levels Improve Noninvasive Fibrosis Staging in Chronic Hepatitis C: A Fibrogenic-Angiogenic Link.

Aims: Accurate liver fibrosis staging is crucial for the management of chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The invasiveness and cost burden of liver biopsy have driven the search for new noninvasive biomarkers of fibrosis. Based on the link between serum angiopoietin-1 and 2 levels and CHC progression, we aimed to determine the value of these angiogenic factors as noninvasive biomarkers of liver fibrosis.

Polymorphisms in histone deacetylases improve the predictive value of IL-28B for chronic hepatitis C therapy.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) influence many cellular processes, including the modulation of signal transducer and activator of transcription activity (STAT) in response to interferon (IFN). To identify genetic markers that help optimize the IL-28B prediction of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) sustained virological response (SVR), we evaluated 27 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HDAC1-11. Three SNPs, rs3778216, rs976552 and rs368328 in HDAC2, HDAC3 and HDAC5, respectively, were independently associated with SVR (P<0.

Preliminary evidence of sustained expression of angiopoietin-2 during monocyte differentiation in chronic hepatitis C.

Background: Monocytes are essential precursors of antigen-presenting cells, such as macrophages and dendritic cells, and contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases and cancer.

Aims: As Tie2-expressing monocytes (TEMs) are increased in the peripheral blood of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), we aimed to examine the expression of Tie2 and angiopoietins (Ang1 and Ang2) during monocyte differentiation and maturation in CHC.

Methods: The expression of Tie2, CD11b, CD80, CD83, CD86 and MHC-II was measured by flow cytometry in peripheral blood monocytes and monocytes-derived cells (Mo-DCs) from nine healthy subjects and eight CHC patients whose HCV infection was unresolved after combination therapy.

Genetic variants of interferon-stimulated genes and IL-28B as host prognostic factors of response to combination treatment for chronic hepatitis C.

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a worldwide health problem that is highly related to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The achievement of response to the current standard of care-pegylated interferon plus ribavirin-has recently been described to be associated with single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) near the IL-28B gene. Additionally, baseline expression levels of genes involved in interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes (ISGs) have been found to be related to treatment outcome.

Peripheral blood monocyte subsets predict antiviral response in chronic hepatitis C.

Background: Hepatitis C virus infection evolves into chronic progressive liver disease in a significant percentage of patients. Monocytes constitute a diverse group of myeloid cells that mediate innate and adaptive immune response. In addition to proinflammatory CD16+ monocytes, a Tie-2+ subgroup - Tie-2 expressing monocytes (TEMs) - that has robust proangiogenic potential has been recently defined.

Biliary cystadenoma.

The diagnosis of cystadenoma is rare, even more so when located in the extrahepatic bile duct. Unspecific clinical signs may lead this pathology to be misdiagnosed. The need for pathological anatomy in order to distinguish cystadenomas from simple biliary cysts is crucial.

Risk of gastrojejunal anastomotic stricture with multifilament and monofilament sutures after hand-sewn laparoscopic gastric bypass: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Gastrojejunal (GJ) stricture is one of the most common late complications after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGBP) with a hand-sewn anastomosis. The object of this study was to assess the risk of stricture for two types of resorbable suture (multifilament and monofilament) in a series of LRYGBPs performed by the same surgeon.

Design: Prospective cohort study.