Background & Aims: Steatotic liver disease (SLD) is prevalent among patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, the effects of metabolic dysfunction-associated SLD (MASLD) on the long-term survival of such patients remain unknown. Accordingly, this study investigated the mortality risks in patients with CHB and concurrent SLD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) achieve high sustained virologic response (SVR) in chronic hepatitis C patients; yet a proportion of patients still experience de novo liver complications after SVR. Identification of risk factors is clinically important. FIB-4 index is a useful noninvasive tool to assess fibrosis, while neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a biomarker for systemic inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Steatotic liver disease (SLD) is an emerging liver disease that has been associated with an increased risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The impact of concurrent SLD on the prognosis of HCC remains unknown. This study investigates how concurrent SLD affects the outcomes of patients with HCC undergoing curative radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is increasing among the chronic hepatitis B (CHB) population. This study aimed to explore the impact of metabolic dysfunction (MD) on cirrhosis and cirrhotic complication risks in CHB.
Methods: Patients with CHB were consecutively recruited between 2006 and 2021.
Background: Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and entecavir (ETV) reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients of hepatitis B. This study compared the difference between ETV and TDF on risk of HCC recurrence and mortality in patients with HBV-related HCC after curative intent treatment.
Methods: Patients with HBV-related HCC who received HCC treatment (surgery or radiofrequency ablation [RFA]) and underwent long-term ETV or TDF therapy were retrospectively included.
J Microbiol Immunol Infect
February 2024
Background: Liver dysfunction is common during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), while its clinical impact and association with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remain uncertain. We aimed to investigate liver dysfunction in COVID-19 patients and its impacts on those with/without CHB.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of COVID-19 patients at National Taiwan University Hospital, stratified according to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) serostatus, with demographics, laboratory data, and hospitalization course reviewed, and clinical outcomes compared through multivariable analyses.
Background & Aims: Risk scores have been designed to predict the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, little is known about their predictive accuracy in HBeAg-negative patients in the grey zone (GZ). We aimed to develop a HBcrAg-based HCC risk score and explore whether it outperforms other risk scores in GZ patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProtein induced by Vitamin K absence or antagonists-II (PIVKA-II) is a diagnostic marker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to investigate the predictive role of PIVKA-II and ASAP score for development of HCC in 1 year among untreated patients of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). We conducted this case-control study to include untreated CHB patients followed at the National Taiwan University Hospital and grouped into HCC and matched non-HCC groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) checkup with abdominal ultrasonography for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance remains controversial. We evaluated a serial AFP-increase and high AFP levels in the prediction of HCC.
Methods: At-risk patients with chronic liver disease underwent HCC surveillance with trimonthly AFP measurement were included and categorized into HCC and non-HCC groups.
Objective: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) are the leading causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aim to explore the impact of concurrent MAFLD on the risk of HCC in CHB.
Methods: Patients with CHB were consecutively recruited from 2006 to 2021.
Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes chronic hepatitis B (CHB), liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The evolution of human gut microbiota during the progression of HBV-related liver diseases remains unclear. Therefore, we prospectively enrolled patients with HBV-related liver diseases and healthy individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Surgical resection is a curative therapy for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, HCC recurrence is not uncommon. Identifying outcome predictors helps to manage the disease. Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) may predict the development of HCC, but its role to predict the outcomes after surgical resection of HCC was unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/purpose: Distinct hepatitis relapse has been observed after discontinuing entecavir (ETV) or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) therapy in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. End-of-therapy (EOT) serum cytokines were compared and used for outcome prediction.
Methods: A total of 80 non-cirrhotic CHB patients in a tertiary medical center in Taiwan who discontinued ETV (n = 51) or TDF (n = 29) therapy after fulfilling the APASL guidelines were prospectively enrolled.
Introduction: Optimal treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) beyond the Milan criteria is in debate. We aimed to identify candidates for surgical resection (SR) in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC)-A/B HCC beyond the Milan criteria with survival benefit.
Methods: Patients with BCLC-A/B HCC beyond the Milan criteria at the National Taiwan University Hospital during 2005 and 2019 were screened, and those who received transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or SR were consecutively included.
Introduction: Many patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are classified as indeterminate patients because they fall outside the defined CHB phases. We aimed to explore hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative patients with indeterminate phase and investigated whether the risk could be stratified by serum levels of hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg).
Methods: Two retrospective cohorts enrolling HBeAg-negative, treatment-naïve CHB patients without cirrhosis were constructed (N = 2,150 in Taiwanese discovery cohort and N = 1,312 in Japanese validation cohort with a mean follow-up period of 15.
About 4% of the population in Taiwan are seropositive for anti-HCV Ab and 70% with HCV RNA. To address this high chronic hepatitis C disease load, Taiwan National Health Insurance started reimbursing genotype-specific DAAs in 2017 and pangenotype DAAs in mid-2018. With a 97% SVR12 rate, there were still 2-3% of patients that failed to clear HCV.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are at risk of developing liver disease. Serum hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) is a new biomarker for intrahepatic templates for HBV replication.
Aim: To explore whether a high HBcrAg level is associated with increased risk of cirrhosis, especially in patients with intermediate viral load (HBV DNA 2000-19 999 IU/mL) due to their moderate risk of disease progression.
Background: Development of gastrointestinal (GI) complications is adversely associated with prognosis in the critically ill. However, little is known about their impact on the outcome of non-critically ill patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the incidence of GI complications and their influence on prognosis of hospitalized pneumonia patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground & Aims: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Serum levels of HB core-related antigen (HBcrAg) have been associated with active replication of HBV. We investigated whether HBcrAg levels are associated with development of HCC, especially in patients who do not require antiviral treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aim: The NIACE score provides prognostic values for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in European studies. We aim to evaluate the prognostic value of the NIACE score in Asian patients.
Methods: Patients with HCC were retrospectively enrolled from a tertiary medical center in Taiwan during 2009-2014, and their clinical information were collected.
J Gastroenterol Hepatol
September 2019
Background And Aim: Data regarding the comparative effectiveness and safety of sofosbuvir (SOF) in combination with ribavirin (RBV), daclatasvir (DCV), or ledipasvir (LDV) for hepatitis C virus genotype 2 (HCV-2) patients were limited. We aimed to evaluate the performance of these regimens in Taiwan.
Methods: One hundred eighty-seven HCV-2 patients with compensated liver diseases receiving SOF in combination with RBV (n = 82), DCV (n = 66), or LDV (n = 39) for 12 weeks were retrospectively enrolled.
Background: The real-world data for the effectiveness and safety of sofosbuvir/ledipasvir (SOF/LDV) with or without ribavirin (RBV) in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 (HCV-1) infection remain limited in Taiwan.
Methods: A total of 273 chronic HCV-1 patients receiving 8, 12, or 24 weeks of SOF/LDV with or without RBV were enrolled. The sustained virologic response rate at week 12 off-therapy (SVR12) by evaluable population (EP) and per-protocol population (PP) were assessed for effectiveness.