Segmental colitis associated with diverticulosis (SCAD) in a colorectal cancer screening population: Prevalence, endoscopic features and oncological outcomes.

Background: Segmental colitis associated with diverticulosis (SCAD) is characterized by a chronic inflammatory response involving the inter-diverticular colonic mucosa, sparing the rectum and the right colon.

Aims: to assess the prevalence of SCAD in a CRC screening program and to evaluate the differences in terms of oncological outcomes between SCAD and diverticulosis.

Methods: retrospective analysis from a prospectively-maintained database including all subjects undergoing first screening colonoscopy.

Switch from intravenous or intramuscular to subcutaneous hepatitis B immunoglobulin: effect on quality of life after liver transplantation.

Background: Hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) therapy is available in intravenous (IV) or intra-muscular (IM) formulations. Recently, a subcutaneous (SC) formulation was introduced. This study evaluated changes in quality of life when liver transplant (LT) recipients were switched from IV or IM HBIG to the SC formulation.

Laser ablation is superior to TACE in large-sized hepatocellular carcinoma: a pilot case-control study.

Background: Limited therapies are available for large (≥40 mm) unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Currently, the standard treatment with transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) is unsatisfactory with high recurrence rate and limited effect on survival. Laser Ablation (LA) has emerged as a relatively new technique characterized by high efficacy and good safety.

The Italian compassionate use of sofosbuvir observational cohort study for the treatment of recurrent hepatitis C: clinical and virological outcomes.

Direct antivirals are available for treating recurrent hepatitis C (RHC). This study reported outcomes of 424 patients with METAVIR F3-F4 RHC who were treated for 24 weeks with sofosbuvir/ribavirin and followed for 12 weeks within the Italian sofosbuvir compassionate use program. In 55 patients, daclatasvir or simeprevir were added.

Impact of Diabetes on Outcomes of Sorafenib Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Patients with diabetes are at increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and have a poorer prognosis as compared to non-diabetics when HCC occurs. Diabetics with non-HCC cancers are at higher risk of toxicity related to systemic therapy, but data on HCC are lacking.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and effectiveness of sorafenib in HCC patients according to the presence/absence of diabetes.

Sorafenib off-target effects predict outcomes in patients treated for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: Sorafenib is the standard of care in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. This study was aimed to identify clinical parameters that may predict survival in these patients.

Materials & Methods: In this observational study, a training (226 patients) and validation cohorts (54 patients) were analyzed for evaluating pretreatment and on-treatment parameters.

Radiofrequency ablation versus laser ablation for the treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhosis: a randomized trial.

Background And Aim: In patients with cirrhosis and small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), thermal ablation is currently recognized as an effective local treatment. Among thermal procedures, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is the most diffusely used and is the standard against which any new treatment should be compared. In retrospective studies, laser ablation (LA) resulted as safe and effective as RFA.

Erythrocytosis after liver transplantation: the experience of a university hospital.

The prevalence and causes of erythrocytosis after liver transplantation have never been studied, even though this condition is known to predispose patients to thrombosis leading to graft failure or death. Erythrocytosis after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) can be defined as an increase in the red cell mass >125% in patients without a pre-OLT history of this condition. The study population was composed of 96 patients: 33 had undergone transplantation for a hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (18 had a hepatitis D virus coinfection), 43 had undergone transplantation for a hepatitis C virus infection, 9 had undergone transplantation for alcohol abuse, and 11 had undergone transplantation for other causes [autoimmune liver disease (6), Wilson's syndrome (1), or cryptogenetic liver cirrhosis (4)].