Real-World Study of Adjuvant Biosimilar Trastuzumab-dkst for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Treatment in a Brazilian Population.

Introduction: Biological monoclonal antibodies play a pivotal role in cancer treatment, with biosimilars significantly enhancing their accessibility. In Brazil's ethnically diverse setting, real-world evidence is crucial for assessing the effectiveness and applicability of these therapies in routine clinical practice.

Methods: We performed a multicentric, observational, prospective real-world study on biosimilar trastuzumab-dkst for adjuvant treatment of early HER2-positive breast cancer in Brazilian patients.

WFUMB Guidelines/Guidance on Liver Multiparametric Ultrasound. Part 2: Guidance on Liver Fat Quantification.

The World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB) has promoted the development of this document on multiparametric ultrasound. Part 2 is a guidance on the use of the available tools for the quantification of liver fat content with ultrasound. These are attenuation coefficient, backscatter coefficient, and speed of sound.

Psoriasis and steatotic liver disease: Are PNPLA3 and TM6SF2 polymorphisms suitable for the hepato-dermal axis hypothesis?

Introduction And Objectives: A high prevalence of steatotic liver disease has been described in psoriasis. However, the influence of genetic polymorphisms has yet to be investigated in this scenario. This study aims to determine the frequency of steatosis, advanced liver fibrosis and PNPLA3/TM6SF2 genotypes in individuals with psoriasis and to evaluate the impact of genetic polymorphisms, metabolic parameters and cumulative methotrexate dose on steatosis and fibrosis.

Factors Associated with Disagreement of Fibrosis Stages between 2D-Shear Wave Elastography and Transient Elastography in Chronic Hepatitis B.

Introduction And Objectives: The agreement of elastography techniques in chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) needs evaluation. We aimed to evaluate, in CHB, the agreement between transient elastography (TE) and two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE), analyzing the factors related to the disagreement of measures.

Materials And Methods: CHB patients underwent liver stiffness measures with both TE and 2D-SWE on the same day.

Staging Fibrosis in Chronic Viral Hepatitis.

Staging fibrosis accurately has always been a challenge in viral hepatitis and other liver diseases. Liver biopsy is an imperfect gold standard due to its intra and interobserver agreement limitations and additional characteristics such as its safety and cost. Hence, non-invasive tests have been developed to stage liver fibrosis.

Açai supplementation (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) attenuates cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction in rats through different mechanistic pathways.

Myocardial infarction has a high mortality rate worldwide. Therefore, clinical intervention in cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction is essential. Açai pulp is a natural product and has been considered a functional food because of its antioxidant/anti-inflammatory properties.

Validation and Performance of FibroScan®-AST (FAST) Score on a Brazilian Population with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Background And Aim: FAST score has a good performance for diagnosing the composite of NASH + NAS ≥ 4 + F ≥ 2. However, it has not been evaluated in Latin American individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to analyze the performance of the FAST score in a Brazilian NAFLD population.

Diabetes influences liver stiffness in chronic hepatitis C patients with and without virological cure: A longitudinal study.

Objectives: The aim was to prospectively assess the variation in liver stiffness (LS) and the associated factors for LS progression in a cohort of naïve, non-responder (NR), and sustained virological response (SVR) chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients.

Methods: This was a longitudinal study on CHC patients prospectively followed with serial elastography (Fibroscan®). The LS progression rate was determined, and the associated factors for progression were assessed using multiple linear regression analysis.

Current management of NAFLD/NASH.

NAFLD is the most common cause of liver disease worldwide, and its prevalence is significantly increasing. Studies have shown that it is associated with comorbidities such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity. Early diagnosis and management are highly important and could modify the prognosis of the disease.

Brazilian Society of Hepatology and Brazilian College of Radiology practice guidance for the use of elastography in liver diseases.

In 2015 the European Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (EASL) and the Asociación Latinoamericana para el Estudio del Hígado (ALEH) published a guideline for the use of non-invasive markers of liver disease. At that time, this guideline focused on the available data regarding ultrasonic-related elastography methods. Since then, much has been published, including new data about XL probe use in transient elastography, magnetic resonance elastography, and non-invasive liver steatosis evaluation.

New drugs for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in Western countries. At present the safest and most effective first-line therapy for the management of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is lifestyle modification with diet and exercise. However, long-term adherence to lifestyle modification is rare in the target population, leading to progression of liver disease and its complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

The performance of M and XL probes of FibroScan for the diagnosis of steatosis and fibrosis on a Brazilian nonalcoholic fatty liver disease cohort.

Objectives: Recently, controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) was incorporated for XL probe. However, its performance through M and XL probes has been scarcely evaluated in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The performance of probes regarding transient elastography by Fibroscan is still under debate.

Precore/Core promoter variants to predict significant fibrosis in both HBeAg positive and negative chronic hepatitis B.

Background & Aims: Assessing fibrosis is essential in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The objective was to investigate the relationship between fibrosis, host and viral factors to identify non-invasive markers of significant fibrosis in a large cohort of unselected, well-characterized, treatment-naïve CHB patients.

Methods: Three hundred and seventy-seven HBsAg-positive patients (97 HBeAg-positive and 280 HBeAg-negative, genotypes A to E) who had liver biopsy were consecutively included.

Direct comparison of diagnostic performance of transient elastography in patients with chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C.

Background/aims: Accuracy of transient elastography (TE) in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has not been well established. We aimed to compare the performances of TE for the assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic HBV or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. A secondary analysis was performed to assess whether or not alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels would impact on the accuracy of TE.

Impact of peginterferon and ribavirin therapy on hepatocellular carcinoma: incidence and survival in hepatitis C patients with advanced fibrosis.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) currently represents the major cause of liver-related death in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis. We assessed the influence of combination therapy on the risk of HCC, liver-related complications (ascites, variceal bleeding), and liver-related death (or liver transplantation).

Methods: Three hundred seven chronic hepatitis C patients with bridging fibrosis (n=127) or cirrhosis (n=180) were evaluated by Cox regression analysis.

Twelve weeks posttreatment follow-up is as relevant as 24 weeks to determine the sustained virologic response in patients with hepatitis C virus receiving pegylated interferon and ribavirin.

Unlabelled: A sustained virologic response (SVR) in patients with chronic hepatitis C receiving pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin is defined as undetectable serum HCV-RNA at 24 weeks (W+24) posttreatment follow-up. Viral load outcome in patients with virological relapse (VR) has not been explored. This study evaluated whether the assessment of serum HCV-RNA 12 weeks (W+12) after the end of treatment was as relevant as W+24 to evaluate SVR in 573 patients who received combination PEG-IFN and ribavirin and had a virological response at the end of treatment.

Virological response at 4 weeks to predict outcome of hepatitis C treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.

Background: Viral kinetics during therapy provides information on how to individualize treatment. To determine the benefit of assessing positive predictive values (PPVs) and negative predictive values (NPVs) of rapid virological responses (RVRs) and early virological responses (EVRs), on-treatment outcomes in chronic hepatitis C patients were examined.

Methods: A total of 408 patients (221 treatment-naive) treated with pegylated interferon-alpha2b and ribavirin were included.

Sustained virological response is associated with clearance of hepatitis C virus RNA and a decrease in hepatitis C virus antibody.

Background/aim: Viral eradication in chronic hepatitis C patients with sustained virological response (SVR) after interferon (IFN) therapy remains controversial.

Methods: During a long-term follow-up study, 157 patients with SVR to IFN-alpha-2b-based therapy were investigated with a transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) assay in serum. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody was assessed by measuring the optical density (OD) (Axsym HCV v3.

Eradication of hepatitis C virus in patients successfully treated for chronic hepatitis C.

Background & Aims: It is unclear whether hepatitis C virus (HCV) is eradicated in patients with chronic hepatitis C who achieved a sustained virologic response (SVR).

Methods: In this long-term follow-up study, including chronic hepatitis C patients who achieved SVR after interferon-based therapy, the presence of residual HCV RNA in serum, liver, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was assessed, using transcription-mediated amplification (sensitivity, <9.6 IU/mL).