Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide is higher in liver transplant recipients than in controls from the general population: a cohort study.

Background: Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide with an expiratory flow of 50 mL/s (FNO) is a biomarker of eosinophilic airway inflammation. Liver transplant recipients have an increased risk of pulmonary infections, but little is known about the burden of chronic pulmonary diseases in this group. We aimed to assess the prevalence of elevated FNO in liver transplant recipients and compare it to controls from the general population.

Ischemic Heart Disease in Chronic Hepatitis B: A Danish Nationwide Cohort Study.

Objective: Data on the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) are conflicting. Our objective was to address the rate of IHD in patients with CHB compared with individuals without CHB (control-persons) from the general population.

Study Design And Setting: We conducted a cohort study of prospectively obtained data from Danish nationwide registries.

Mortality and cause of death in persons with chronic hepatitis B virus infection versus healthy persons from the general population in Denmark.

The study aimed to determine adjusted all-cause mortality and cause of death in persons with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection compared with age- and sex-matched persons from the general population. We used nationwide registers to identify persons aged ≥18 years with chronic HBV infection in 2002-2017 in Denmark and included 10 age- and sex-matched controls for each. Follow-up was from 6 months after diagnosis until death, emigration, or 31 December 2017.

Low incidence of HCC in chronic hepatitis C patients with pretreatment liver stiffness measurements below 17.5 kilopascal who achieve SVR following DAAs.

Background And Aims: To evaluate the ability of pretreatment liver stiffness measurements (pLSM) to predict hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), incident decompensation and all-cause mortality in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients who achieved sustained virological response (SVR) after treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs).

Methods: 773 CHC patients with SVR after DAA treatment and no prior liver complications were identified retrospectively. Optimized cut-off of 17.

[Elimination of hepatitis C virus in Denmark].

In Denmark, about 50% of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are undiagnosed. Since 2014, therapy containing direct-acting antivirals (DAA) has proven efficient and is available to all patients, who have a chronic HCV infection and a Danish personal identification number. The World Health Organization has a goal of elimination of viral hepatitis in 2030.

Grazoprevir, ruzasvir, and uprifosbuvir for hepatitis C virus after NS5A treatment failure.

Unlabelled: People with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who have failed treatment with an all-oral regimen represent a challenging treatment population. The present studies evaluated the safety and efficacy of grazoprevir, ruzasvir, and uprifosbuvir, with or without ribavirin, in participants who had failed an NS5A inhibitor-containing regimen. C-SURGE (PN-3682-021) and C-CREST Part C (PN-3682-011 and -012) were open-label, multicenter studies.

[Autoimmune hepatitis preceded by hepatitis A].

Autoimmune hepatitis is characterized by unresolving inflammation and fibrosis of the liver, which untreated may lead to cirrhosis. The pathogenesis remains unclear and reflects a complex interaction between autoantigens, genetic predisposition, triggering factors and immune regulation. In rare cases, acute hepatitis A has been suspected as a triggering factor.

Preventable deaths following emergency medical dispatch--an audit study.

Background: Call taker triage of calls to the 112 emergency number, can be error prone because rapid decisions must be made based on limited information. Here we investigated the preventability and common characteristics of same-day deaths among patients who called 112 and were not assigned an ambulance with lights and sirens by the Emergency Medical Communication Centre (EMCC).

Methods: An audit was performed by an external panel of experienced prehospital consultant anaesthesiologists.

Risk factors for symptom relapse in collagenous colitis after withdrawal of short-term budesonide therapy.

Background: Oral budesonide has been proven effective in short- and long-term treatment of collagenous colitis; however, symptom relapse frequently occurs after drug withdrawal. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for symptom relapse in patients with collagenous colitis after withdrawal of short-term budesonide therapy.

Methods: One hundred twenty-three patients from 4 randomized controlled studies who achieved clinical remission after short-term treatment with budesonide (9 mg/d) were analyzed, including 40 patients receiving subsequent budesonide maintenance therapy (6 mg/d) for 6 months and 83 patients without active maintenance treatment.

Implementing a nationwide criteria-based emergency medical dispatch system: a register-based follow-up study.

Background: A criteria-based nationwide Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) system was recently implemented in Denmark. We described the system and studied its ability to triage patients according to the severity of their condition by analysing hospital admission and case-fatality risks.

Methods: This was a register-based follow-up study of all 1-1-2 calls in a 6-month period that were triaged according to the Danish Index - the new criteria-based dispatch protocol.

Treatment of the hepatorenal syndrome and hyponatremia in cirrhosis - part II.

National guidelines for treatment of ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatorenal syndrome, and hyponatremia have been approved by the Danish Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Ascites develops in approximately 60% of patients with cirrhosis during a 10 year period and is frequently associated with complications that determine the course of the disease and the prognosis. These evidence-based guidelines are divided in two parts and consider definitions, pathophysiology, diagnostic aspects, treatment, and prophylaxis.

Treatment of ascites and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis - part I.

National guidelines for treatment of ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatorenal syndrome, and hyponatremia have been approved by the Danish Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Ascites develops in approximately 60% of patients with cirrhosis during a 10 year period and is frequently associated with complications that determine the course of the disease and the prognosis. These evidence-based guidelines are divided in two parts and consider definitions, pathophysiology, diagnostic aspects, treatment, and prophylaxis.

Survival of patients with primary liver cancer in central and northern Denmark, 1998-2009.

Objective: Primary liver cancer (PLC) is a serious disease with high mortality. During the last decade, improvements in the diagnostic procedures and treatment of PLC may have improved survival. However, few updated longitudinal studies examined this issue.

Spectral and dynamic electroencephalogram abnormalities are correlated to psychometric test performance in hepatic encephalopathy.

Objective: Alterations of the electroencephalogram (EEG) have been reported in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE). However, previous methods have not assessed transient phenomena in the EEG signal (dynamics) and associations to psychometric test performance have in general been poor. The aims were to quantify spectral and dynamic EEG abnormalities in patients with HE and to correlate putative findings to psychometric test performances.

Abnormal brain processing in hepatic encephalopathy: evidence of cerebral reorganization?

Background And Aim: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a severe and frequent complication of liver cirrhosis characterized by abnormal cerebral function. Little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms in HE and human data are sparse. Electrophysiological methods such as evoked brain potentials after somatic stimuli can be combined with inverse modeling of the underlying brain activity.

Budesonide treatment and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA in colonic mucosa in collagenous colitis.

Objective: In collagenous colitis, the production of nitric oxide in the colon is found to be 50 to 100-fold higher than in healthy controls. The role of nitric oxide in collagenous colitis is debated and it has been suggested that nitric oxide has a causative role in diarrhoea. The aim of this study was to examine the possible effect of budesonide treatment on the level of inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA.

Gut pain reactions in man: an experimental investigation using short and long duration transmucosal electrical stimulation.

Visceral pain is a substantial, clinical problem but unfortunately few experimental models are available to study this phenomenon in man. In the present study we inserted a stimulation catheter 5-10 cm into the ileo-sigmoidostomy of nine patients. The catheter contained six small, flexible electrodes separated by 4 mm.