Publications by authors named "Clara Tow"

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the common complications of liver cirrhosis. It occurs in nearly 20% of patients with cirrhosis who are hospitalized. Prior literature demonstrated that the AKI occurrence in patients with cirrhosis is independently associated with higher mortality.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study analyzes the effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) on liver transplant outcomes for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), focusing on allograft rejection, recurrence, and survival rates.* -
  • Out of 91 patients studied, 26.4% experienced allograft rejection, with age and the length of ICI washout being significant risk factors; there were no differences in overall survival between patients with and without rejection.* -
  • The findings suggest that with a proper washout period of around 3 months, the risk of allograft rejection may be comparable to patients not exposed to ICIs, indicating that further research is needed to validate these results.*
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Poor metabolic health and obesity have significant impacts on the outcomes of patients suffering from chronic liver disease, particularly those with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Patients with such comorbidities who require liver transplant evaluation for advancing liver disease or liver failure require special consideration due to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, renal dysfunction, sarcopenic obesity, and cancer. Those who have had a history of prior bariatric surgery pose specific anatomical constraints and may also be at increased risk of alcohol use disorder.

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Background :   Incidence of hepatocellular cancer (HCC) in the Bronx is 61% higher than the rest of New York State. Underserved populations are not well represented in clinical trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI).

Methods: Demographics were tabulated for 194 patients treated with ICI at the Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC) between 2017 and 2022.

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Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease characterized by progressive inflammation and fibrosis of the biliary tree leading to biliary strictures, cholangitis, and cirrhosis. Early in presentation, patients may have normal liver tests, though over time develop a cholestatic pattern of liver injury. Diagnosis is made radiographically with magnetic resonance or endoscopic cholangiography.

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Aim: To assess the role of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) in the patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) using real world experience in the United States.

Background: There are few effective treatments for severe alcoholic hepatitis, which has a significant fatality rate. GCSF has been associated with improved survival in a small number of Indian studies, while there is a dearth of information from other parts of the globe.

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Giant cell hepatitis is a rare infiltrative disease associated with several viruses, drugs, malignancies, and autoimmune conditions. To date, treatment aims at controlling the underlying etiology, and there are limited data on the clinical course and treatment of idiopathic cases. We present a case of idiopathic giant cell hepatitis in an otherwise healthy adult man and review the literature regarding treatment and outcomes in this population.

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Peritoneal tuberculosis is an uncommon diagnosis in developed countries and most commonly presents in patients with known risk factors for tuberculosis. We report a case of a patient without tuberculosis risk factors who presented with 4 years of intermittent fevers, several weeks of increasing abdominal distention, and newly discovered elevated liver tests. The diagnosis of peritoneal tuberculosis was confirmed following an extensive workup with a positive ascitic fluid culture for .

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It is rare for patients to have hemorrhagic complications after abdominal paracentesis. Abdominal wall hematomas and hemoperitoneum are the most common hemorrhagic complications of paracentesis. The incidence rate of hemorrhage-related complications is unknown.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study compared the morbidity profiles of patients undergoing liver transplants for alcoholic hepatitis versus alcoholic cirrhosis, focusing on outcomes at 30 days and 1 year post-surgery.
  • Patients with alcoholic hepatitis were younger and had worse functional scores pre-transplant, but the cirrhosis group had a higher rate of 30-day reoperations.
  • Despite differences in initial health status and surgical complications, both groups showed similar long-term outcomes regarding graft survival and other complications.
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In this era of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, treated patients have extremely high rates of sustained virologic response to short courses of therapy regardless of stage of fibrosis. Treatment failure is uncommon and often attributed to medication noncompliance or viral resistance to drug. This report describes 2 Child-Pugh-A cirrhotic patients who failed to clear HCV in response to therapy with DAAs.

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The burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during reperfusion of ischemic tissues can trigger the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) pore, resulting in mitochondrial depolarization, decreased ATP synthesis, and increased ROS production. Rapid recovery of ATP upon reperfusion is essential for survival of tubular cells, and inhibition of oxidative damage can limit inflammation. SS-31 is a mitochondria-targeted tetrapeptide that can scavenge mitochondrial ROS and inhibit MPT, suggesting that it may protect against ischemic renal injury.

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