Publications by authors named "Jeffrey V. Lazarus"

Background/aims: Alcohol represents a leading burden of disease worldwide, including alcohol use disorder (AUD) and alcohol-related liver disease (ALD). We aim to assess the global burden of AUD, ALD, and alcohol-attributable primary liver cancer between 2000-2021.

Methods: We registered the global and regional trends of AUD, ALD, and alcohol-related liver cancer using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 Study, the largest and most up-to-date global epidemiology database.

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Background And Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its more severe subtype, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), are highly prevalent and strongly associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study sought to identify challenges to the diagnosis, treatment and management of people living with MASLD and MASH and understand the key barriers to adopting relevant clinical guidelines.

Methods: A real-world, cross-sectional study (BARRIERS-MASLD) consisting of a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews of physicians in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom was conducted from March to September 2023.

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Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has emerged as a public health threat as it affects approximately 38% of the adult population worldwide, with its prevalence rising in step with that of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Beyond the implications of MASLD for liver health, it is also associated with cardiovascular and vascular dysfunction. Although the many shared risk factors and common metabolic milieu might indicate that cardiovascular disease and MASLD are discrete outcomes from common systemic pathogeneses, a growing body of evidence has identified a potential causal relationship between MASLD and coronary artery disease, which is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in people with MASLD and all-cause mortality worldwide.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study collected and analyzed 1,600 posts from various countries, revealing that the most common topics included patients' journeys (92%), comorbidities (38%), and their interactions with healthcare professionals (26%).
  • * Major findings indicated that unhealthy diets and obesity are significant risk factors, with fatigue and abdominal pain being prevalent symptoms; meanwhile, the disease has a considerable negative impact on patients' quality of life, especially for those with comorbidities and more severe conditions.
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Digital health interventions (DHIs) are being increasingly adopted to improve care outcomes and experiences for people living with HIV (PLHIV). Here, we highlight the importance of DHIs in the context of HIV management and recommendations for their equitable integration in the HIV care cascade.

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Vaccine information fatigue, exacerbated by the infodemic, misinformation, and cultural influences, hampers public responsiveness to the uptake of vaccines for COVID-19 and other vaccine-preventable diseases. This cross-sectional study of 23,000 respondents surveyed in 23 countries in October 2023 analyzed trust in information sources, perceptions of the pandemic's conclusion, and confidence in one's ability to discern false information from true and the association of these factors with willingness to pay attention to COVID-19 vaccine information, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Results revealed that satisfaction with health authority communication was positively associated with individuals' willingness to pay attention to COVID-19 vaccine information in all 23 countries.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The 2023 nomenclature for steatotic liver disease (SLD) encompasses metabolic dysfunction-associated SLD (MASLD), alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), and a mix of both (MetALD), prompting a study on racial and ethnic disparities in SLD prevalence among US adults.
  • - Data from the 2017-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) revealed that 42.4% of participants had MASLD, while the rates for MetALD and ALD were significantly lower (1.7% and 0.6%, respectively), with a higher prevalence observed in Hispanic individuals.
  • - Factors such as male gender, age, higher BMI, and various
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  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) microelimination focuses on detecting and treating hidden infections in vulnerable populations, particularly people experiencing homelessness (PEH) who may suffer from substance use disorders, highlighting the role of point-of-care testing and peer support in infection prevention.
  • A study conducted in Madrid from 2019 to 2023 assessed active HCV infection among PEH, utilizing rapid testing methods and analyzing various risk factors, including substance use and financial instability.
  • Out of 2,709 screened PEH, 13.4% tested positive for HCV antibodies, with a prevalence of 6.3% for active infection; key risk factors identified were injection drug use (IDU) and associated behaviors, leading to
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Article Synopsis
  • A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted to understand vaccine preferences for COVID-19 across Canada, Germany, the UK, and the US, focusing on attributes valued by different population subgroups.
  • Participants aged 18 and older were surveyed, excluding those who self-identified as antivaccinationists, and assessed various vaccine profiles based on effectiveness, side effect risks, and options for co-administering vaccines.
  • The study employed a conditional logit model to analyze preferences, revealing insights into how different characteristics of vaccines influence decision-making regarding immunization among various demographic groups.
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Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide and can progress to serious complications, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Predisposing risk factors for MASH include obesity, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome. Patients with MASH often experience significant impairments in their health-related quality of life and other patient-reported outcomes (PROs), particularly in physical functioning domains, fatigue, and vitality.

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Achieving viral suppression alone does not fully resolve the multifaceted health challenges faced by people with HIV (PWH), such as early aging, multimorbidity, and low health-related quality of life. This co-creation pilot study to investigate patient-centered metrics for long-term well-being involved the development of a knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey through focus groups and its implementation among HIV care providers in Barcelona, Spain, in 2024. A collaborative approach of involving PWH from the community was essential in ensuring the relevance of the identified issues.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A new community care model was developed, allowing for simplified HCV screening, testing, and treatment via telemedicine across 21 centers, leading to increased patient participation and improved management of HCV cases.
  • * Results from April 2021 to April 2023 showed that a significant portion of participants successfully engaged with the care model, resulting in a high rate of successful treatments and minimal reinfections, highlighting the effectiveness of decentralizing healthcare for PWUD.
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Background And Aims: The association between socioeconomic factors and disease severity is not well studied in people living with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). We thus examined if socioeconomic factors influence the presence of, or risk for future, major adverse liver outcomes (MALOs) in people living with MASLD.

Methods: We conducted a register-based cohort study that included all individuals with a MASLD diagnosis between 1987 and 2020 in Sweden.

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Article Synopsis
  • * It finds that higher MASLD prevalence correlates with rising obesity, type 2 diabetes rates, and low physical activity, with notable variances based on a country’s socio-demographic index (SDI).
  • * The results suggest that public health strategies must be tailored to address the unique socio-economic conditions in different regions to effectively tackle MASLD and its related health risks.
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Background And Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease management guidelines have been published worldwide; we aimed to summarize, categorize, and compare their lifestyle intervention recommendations.

Approach And Results: We searched metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease/NAFLD management guidelines published between January 1, 2013, and June 31, 2024, through databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane, and CINAHL. In total, 35 qualifying guidelines were included in the final analysis.

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Objectives: The objective is to assess the interconnectedness of a network of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) variables among people with HIV (PHIV) to identify key areas for which clinical interventions could improve HRQoL for this population.

Methods: Between 2021 and 2023, we carried out a cross-sectional study within the Spanish CoRIS cohort. We conducted a weighted and undirected network analysis, which examines complex patterns of relationships and interconnections between variables, to assess a network of eight HRQoL dimensions from the validated Clinic Screening Tool for HIV (CST-HIV): anticipated stigma, psychological distress, sexuality, social support, material deprivation, sleep and fatigue, cognitive problems and physical symptoms.

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Background: Outcomes in alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) are influenced by several race and ethnic factors, yet its natural history across the continuum of patients in different stages of the disease is unknown.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of U.S.

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Liver disease prevalence, severity, outcomes and hepatic risk factors (for example, unhealthy diet) are heavily affected by socioeconomic status and food insecurity. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most prevalent liver disease globally and is likely to co-occur with other liver diseases associated with food insecurity. Though weight reduction and adopting a healthy diet can reverse the course of MASLD, gaps between recommendations and practice transcend individual responsibility and preference.

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Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is associated with high health care costs. This US study investigated the economic burden of MASH, particularly in patients without cirrhosis, and the impact of comorbidities on health care costs.

Methods: This retrospective, observational study used data from patients diagnosed with MASH aged ≥18 years from October 2015 to March 2022 (IQVIA Ambulatory electronic medical record-US).

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BackgroundRecent migration trends have shown a notable entry of Latin American asylum seekers to Madrid, Spain.AimTo characterise the profile of asylum-seeking Latin American migrants who are living with HIV in Spain and to outline the barriers they face in accessing HIV treatment.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted between 2022 and 2023 with a 6-month follow-up period.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study in Madrid, Spain, assessed the trends and risk factors of active hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among people who use drugs (PWUD) from 2017 to 2023, involving 2,264 participants and extensive data collection.
  • Results showed a significant decline in active HCV infection rates from 23.4% to 6.0% in the overall study population, with a notable reduction among those who inject drugs (PWID) and non-injectors.
  • The findings indicate successful prevention and treatment efforts in Madrid, particularly benefiting PWID, highlighting the effectiveness of public health initiatives in controlling HCV infection rates.
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Background & Aims: Patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) face a multifaceted disease burden which includes impaired health-related quality of life (HRQL) and potential stigmatization. We aimed to assess the burden of liver disease in patients with NAFLD and the relationship between experience of stigma and HRQL.

Methods: Members of the Global NASH Council created a survey about disease burden in NAFLD.

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