Nonpharmaceutical interventions reduce the incidence and mortality of COVID-19: A study based on the survey from the International COVID-19 Research Network (ICRN).

The recently emerged novel coronavirus, "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)," caused a highly contagious disease called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It has severely damaged the world's most developed countries and has turned into a major threat for low- and middle-income countries. Since its emergence in late 2019, medical interventions have been substantial, and most countries relied on public health measures collectively known as nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs).

The global case fatality rate of coronavirus disease 2019 by continents and national income: A meta-analysis.

The aim of this study is to provide a more accurate representation of COVID-19's case fatality rate (CFR) by performing meta-analyses by continents and income, and by comparing the result with pooled estimates. We used multiple worldwide data sources on COVID-19 for every country reporting COVID-19 cases. On the basis of data, we performed random and fixed meta-analyses for CFR of COVID-19 by continents and income according to each individual calendar date.

Efficacy and safety of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir in 5,028 Mongolian patients infected with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus: A multicenter study.

Background/aims: Ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) shows high efficacy and safety in patients with genotype 1-hepatitis C virus (HCV). We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of LDV/SOF in real-world Mongolian patients.

Methods: Between 2015 to 2019, 23 (0.

Pre-existing liver disease is associated with poor outcome in patients with SARS CoV2 infection; The APCOLIS Study (APASL COVID-19 Liver Injury Spectrum Study).

Background And Aims: COVID-19 is a dominant pulmonary disease, with multisystem involvement, depending upon comorbidities. Its profile in patients with pre-existing chronic liver disease (CLD) is largely unknown. We studied the liver injury patterns of SARS-Cov-2 in CLD patients, with or without cirrhosis.

Author Correction: Comparison between chronic hepatitis B patients with untreated immune-tolerant phase vs. those with virological response by antivirals.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Resistance-associated substitution and ledipasvir/sofosbuvir therapy in Mongolian chronic hepatitis C patients.

Background: Mongolia has the highest prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection worldwide. Ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF) was introduced to Mongolia since 2016 for HCV eradication. It has been reported that HCV resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) would affect the effectiveness of LDV/SOF in western chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients.

Transarterial Chemoembolization in Treatment-Naïve and Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Propensity-Matched Outcome Analysis.

Objectives: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) improves the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, TACE treatment outcomes of patients with treatment-naïve HCC (TN-HCC) and those with recurrent HCC after curative resection (R-HCC) have not yet been compared.

Methods: We recruited 448 patients with TN-HCC, and 275 patients with R-HCC treated with TACE as first-line anti-cancer treatment.

Results: At first TACE, patients with TN-HCC showed a significantly lower proportion of male gender (74.

Prognosis of Untreated Minimally Active Chronic Hepatitis B Patients in Comparison With Virological Responders by Antivirals.

Objectives: Serum hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA > 2,000 IU/mL is associated with higher risk of disease progression. However, without hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or cirrhosis, nucleos(t)ide analogs (NUCs) are recommended only for patients with elevated serum HBV-DNA and alanine aminotransferase ≥2 × upper normal limit.

Methods: We evaluated prognosis of untreated minimally active (MA) hepatitis patients (defined as HBV-DNA > 2,000 IU/mL, but never fulfilling current criteria for NUCs during follow-up) (untreated MA group), compared to virological responders by NUCs (NUC-VR group).

Comparison between chronic hepatitis B patients with untreated immune-tolerant phase vs. those with virological response by antivirals.

Routine nucleos(t)ide analogs (NUCs) have not yet been recommended for patients with immune-tolerant (IT) phase in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We aimed to evaluate prognosis of patients in untreated IT-phase (UIT group), compared to those in immune-active phase who achieved virological response by NUCs according to guidelines (VR group). Between 2006 and 2012, patients in UIT or VR groups were included.

Conditional Survival Estimates Improve Over Time for Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Analysis for Nationwide Korea Cancer Registry Database.

Purpose: Conditional survival estimates (CSE) can provide additional useful prognostic information on the period of survival after diagnosis, which helps in counseling patients with cancer on their individual prognoses. This study aimed to analyze conditional survival (CS) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using a Korean national registry.

Materials And Methods: Patients with HCC, registered in the Korean cancer registry database, were retrospectively reviewed.

Progression of Untreated Minimally Active Chronic HBV Infection Compared to Inactive Infection.

Nucleos(t)ide analogs (NUCs) are recommended when both are fulfilled in the absence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or cirrhosis; (1) elevated serum hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA (≥20,000 IU/mL for hepatitis B e antigen-positive chronic hepatitis B [CHB] or ≥2000 IU/mL for hepatitis B e antigen-negative CHB) and (2) serum alanine aminotransferase ≥2× upper limit of normal. Therefore, many patients still remain untreated. Such untreated patients have so called "minimally active CHB," where serum HBV-DNA is persistently >2000 IU/mL and other parameters for NUCs are below the criteria.

Fibrosis-matched outcomes between chronic hepatitis B patients with drug-induced virological response and inactive carriers.

Background & Aims: We compared the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development between patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who achieved virological response (VR; HBV-DNA < 2000 IU/mL) with nucleos(t)ide analogues (NUCs) treatment (NUC-VR group) and patients with inactive CHB phase (ICHBP group).

Methods: To adjust for imbalances between NUC-VR and ICHBP groups, propensity score matching (PSM) models with 1:1 ratios were performed.

Results: This study included 2032 patients (n = 1291 in NUC-VR group and n = 741 in ICHBP group).

Epidemiology, Genotype Distribution, Prognosis, Control, and Management of Viral Hepatitis B, C, D, and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Mongolia.

Mongolia is located between Russia and China. The total population of Mongolia as of December 2017 is estimated to be 3.2 million people.

Viral Hepatitis and Liver Diseases in Mongolia.

Mongolia is known for its high endemicity for viral hepatitis. Previous studies report that the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is 11.8% (178/1,512) among the unvaccinated population in 13 provinces and Ulaanbaatar city.

Acute hepatitis A, B and C but not D is still prevalent in Mongolia: a time trend analysis.

Background/aims: Mongolia has one of the highest hepatitis A, C, B and D infection incidences worldwide. We sought to investigate changes in the proportion of acute viral hepatitis types in Mongolia over the last decade.

Methods: The cohort comprised 546 consecutive patients clinically diagnosed with acute viral hepatitis from January 2012 to December 2014 in Ulaanbaatar Hospital, Mongolia.

Screening and management of viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma in Mongolia: results from a survey of Mongolian physicians from all major provinces of Mongolia.

Background: According to Globocan, Mongolia has the highest worldwide hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence (78.1/100 000, 3.5× higher than China).

Association Between Level of Fibrosis, Rather Than Antiviral Regimen, and Outcomes of Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B.

Background & Aims: We performed a propensity-score matched analysis to investigate whether entecavir, compared with lamivudine, can reduce risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis B after adjusting for level of fibrosis.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 1079 patients with chronic hepatitis B who received first-line therapy with lamivudine (n = 435) or entecavir (n = 644) from 2006 through 2013. Only patients with available liver stiffness value measured by transient elastography were recruited.

Seroprevalence survey of brucellosis among rural people in Mongolia.

Background: After the transition from socialism to a market economy in 1990, human brucellosis re-emerged in Mongolia. The aim of our study was to estimate a representative seroprevalence of Brucella spp. and to determine risk factors for brucellosis seropositivity among rural people.

Lower incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis in hepatitis C patients with sustained virological response by pegylated interferon and ribavirin.

Background: To elucidate the benefits of successful antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients

Methods: A total of 463 CHC patients who underwent pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin therapy were classified as sustained virological response (SVR) or non-SVR based on response to antiviral therapy. We investigated disease progression to cirrhosis in non-cirrhotic patients, development of cirrhosis-related complications such as ascites, variceal bleeding, and hepatic encephalopathy in patients with cirrhosis, and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Results: Three hundred patients achieved SVR, and 163 were classified into the non-SVR group.

Clinical features and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in Mongolia: a multicentre study.

Purpose: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common cancer in Mongolia. We aimed to investigate the clinical features, therapeutic modalities, overall survival and prognostic factors for Mongolian patients with HCC.

Method: One hundred ninety-five patients with HCC were consecutively enroled in our study.

Antiviral efficacy of lamivudine versus entecavir in patients with hepatitis B virus-related advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Aim: Little information is available about the antiviral efficacy of lamivudine (LAM) and entecavir (ETV) in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thus, we compared the antiviral efficacy of LAM and ETV in these patients.

Methods: The medical records of 134 antiviral therapy-naïve patients with HBV-related advanced HCC (modified Union for International Cancer Control [UICC] Tumor, Nodes, and Metastases [TNM] stages III-IV) treated between January 2005 and September 2009 were reviewed.