A comparison of transient elastography with acoustic radiation force impulse elastography for the assessment of liver health in patients with chronic hepatitis C: Baseline results from the TRACER study.

Background: Liver stiffness measurements can be used to assess liver fibrosis and can be acquired by transient elastography using FibroScan and with Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse imaging. The study aimed to establish liver stiffness measurement scores using FibroScan and Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse in a chronic hepatitis C cohort and to explore the correlation and agreement between the scores and the factors influencing agreement.

Methods: Patients had liver stiffness measurements acquired with FibroScan® (right lobe of liver) and Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (right and left lobe of liver).

Tumour stemness and poor clinical outcomes in haemochromatosis patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aims: Patients with haemochromatosis (HFE) are known to have an increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Available data are conflicting on whether such patients have poorer prognosis, and there is lack of data regarding the biology of HFE-HCC. We compared the course of HFE-HCC with a matched non-HFE-HCC control group and examined tumour characteristics using immunohistochemistry.

High frequency and mortality of head and neck malignancy in organ transplant recipients in Ireland - A national cohort study.

Background: Solid organ transplant recipients are recognized to carry a high burden of malignancy and frequently this cancer develops in the head and neck region. Furthermore, cancer of the head and neck post-transplant carries a significantly increased mortality. In this study, we aim to conduct a national retrospective cohort study to investigate the impact of head and neck cancer in terms of frequency and mortality in a large group of solid organ transplant recipients over a 20 year time span and compare the mortality in transplant patients to non-transplant patients with head and neck cancer.

Countercontrol: A Relational Frame Theory (RFT) Account and Revival of a 70-Year-Old Skinnerian Term.

Countercontrol is a Skinnerian operant concept that posits that an individual's attempts to exert control over another person's behavior may evoke a countercontrolling response from the person being controlled that functions to avoid or escape the potentially aversive conditions generated by the controller. Despite Skinner's historical concerns regarding the detrimental effects of countercontrol in terms of hindering optimal societal growth and cultural evolution, the concept has not been widely applied within behavior analysis. Drawing from recent developments in rule-governed behavior and relational frame theory, this article seeks to explicate countercontrol from a contemporary behavior analytic perspective and presents several modern-day societal applications.

Proctalgia secondary to rectal arteriovenous malformation and inferior mesenteric vein stenosis in a patient post liver transplant.

Background: Chronic proctalgia can have a major impact upon quality of life. There are many potential aetiologies however, in some patients no cause can be identified.

Case Presentation: We present a patient post liver transplant with intractable proctalgia, despite multidisciplinary management including opioids, nerve blocks and surgical intervention.

The impact of switching to mTOR inhibitor-based immunosuppression on long-term non-melanoma skin cancer incidence and renal function in kidney and liver transplant recipients.

Solid organ transplantation is associated with increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer. Studies with short follow up times have suggested a reduced occurrence of these cancers in recipients treated with mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors as maintenance immunosuppression. We aimed to describe the occurrence of skin cancers in renal and liver transplant recipients switched from calcineurin inhibitor to sirolimus-based regimes.

Liver-Derived TGF-β Maintains the EomesTbet Phenotype of Liver Resident Natural Killer Cells.

The adult human liver hosts a complex repertoire of liver resident and transient natural killer (NK) cell populations with diverse phenotypes and functions. Liver resident NK cells are CD56 NK cells defined by a unique expression profile of transcription factors and cell surface markers (EomesTbetTIGITCD69CXCR6CD49e). Despite extensive characterization of the phenotype of liver resident NK cells, it remains unclear how factors within the liver microenvironment induce and maintain this unique phenotype.

Post-transplant malignancy in solid organ transplant recipients in Ireland, The Irish Transplant Cancer Group.

Objective: Solid organ transplant recipients are at increased risk of cancer compared to the general population. To date, this risk in Ireland has not been investigated. We conducted a national registry study of cancer incidence following solid organ transplantation.

C-arm cone-beam CT parenchymal blood volume imaging for transarterial chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma: implications for treatment planning and response.

We report on the feasibility of C-arm cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) parenchymal blood volume imaging (PBVI) performed immediately following transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to assess the need for repeat treatment. Eighteen TACE procedures were included. A retrospective assessment was made for the presence or absence of residual disease requiring treatment on immediate post-TACE PBVI and on interval follow-up multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Declining incidence of keratinocyte carcinoma in organ transplant recipients.

Background: All organ transplant populations are predisposed to increased rates of keratinocyte carcinoma (KC). Since this increased risk was first appreciated, immunosuppressive regimens have changed and organ transplant recipients (OTRs) have been aggressively screened for KC. There is a perception that these measures have impacted on KC incidence but there is a paucity of population-based studies on post-transplant rates of basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

Variation in Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Incidence by Treatment Modality Among Patients Receiving Multiple Kidney Transplants.

Importance: Existing data suggest that nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is more common in renal transplant recipients than in maintenance dialysis patients. However, whether the risk of NMSC varies as the treatment modality for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) changes between dialysis and transplantation is not well described.

Objective: To determine whether the incidence of NMSC is attenuated during periods of graft loss with a return to dialysis in those who receive multiple kidney transplants.

Lactate-Mediated Acidification of Tumor Microenvironment Induces Apoptosis of Liver-Resident NK Cells in Colorectal Liver Metastasis.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignancy worldwide, with 1.3 million new cases annually. Metastasis to the liver is a leading cause of mortality in these patients.

A Review of Child Sexual Abuse: Impact, Risk, and Resilience in the Context of Culture.

Child sexual abuse is a problem with both a national and worldwide prevalence. In this review, the authors note that while empirical research has clearly shown the negative impact of child sexual abuse on social, psychological, and sexual functioning later in life, it has also been reported that some individuals remain asymptomatic despite a history of experiencing child sexual abuse. This implies that negative outcomes later in life are not inevitable and illustrates the critical need to elucidate how resilience may moderate the negative impacts of child sexual abuse.

Increased Incidence of Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder in Autoimmune Liver Disease: An Irish National Experience.

Background: Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder (PTLD) is a well-recognized complication post solid organs transplant. PTLD represents a broad spectrum of abnormalities ranging from an infectious mononucleosis like illness to malignant lymphoma.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed by collecting data of orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) patients in the National Liver Unit in Ireland from December 1993 to December 2014.

Developing the Family Involvement Questionnaire-Long-Term Care: A Measure of Familial Involvement in the Lives of Residents at Long-Term Care Facilities.

Introduction: Existing measures designed to assess family involvement in the lives of older adults residing in long-term care facilities are basic, using visitation frequency as the prominent gauge of involvement in a situation specific fashion. The purpose of this study was to design and validate a measure of family involvement that could be used to gauge more aspects of family involvement than visitation alone and be useful in a variety of settings for both researchers and long-term care facility administrators.

Methods: Long-term facility staff were asked to assist in creating a 40-item questionnaire that used 4-point Likert scales to measure various aspects of family involvement.

Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Prevents Egress of Hematopoietic Stem Cells From Liver to Reduce Fibrosis.

Background & Aims: There is growing interest in the use of bone marrow cells to treat liver fibrosis, however, little is known about their antifibrotic efficacy or the identity of their effector cell(s). Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) mediates egress of immune cells from the lymphoid organs into the lymphatic vessels; we investigated its role in the response of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to liver fibrosis in mice.

Methods: Purified (c-kit+/sca1+/lin-) HSCs were infused repeatedly into mice undergoing fibrotic liver injury.

Effectiveness of interferon-free therapy for the treatment of HCV-patients with compensated cirrhosis treated through the Irish early access program.

Background: We investigated the real-world effectiveness of interferon-free regimens for the treatment of patients with compensated cirrhosis infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Method: Using the Irish national HCV treatment registry, the effectiveness and safety of interferon-free regimens for HCV-infected patients treated between April 2015 and August 2016, was determined.

Results: A SVR12 was achieved in 86% of subjects treated with sofosbuvir/ledipasvir ± ribavirin (SOF/LDV±RBV), 93% treated with paritaprevir, ombitasvir and ritonavir combined with dasabuvir ± ribavirin (3D±RBV) and 89% treated with sofosbuvir/daclatasvir ± ribavirin (SOF/DCV±RBV).

Notch2 Signaling Regulates the Proliferation of Murine Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells via c-Myc Expression.

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) reside in the bone marrow and maintain their stemness under hypoxic conditions. However, the mechanism underlying the effects of hypoxia on MSCs remains to be elucidated. This study attempted to uncover the signaling pathway of MSC proliferation.