Sex Differences in Treatment Response to Nucleos(t)ide Therapy in Chronic Hepatitis B: A Multicenter Longitudinal Study.

Background & Aims: It is unclear if there may be sex differences in response to nucleos(t)ide analogs including virologic response (VR), biochemical response (BR), complete response (CR), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence among hepatitis B patients. We compared nucleos(t)ide analog treatment outcomes by sex.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 3388 treatment-naïve adult hepatitis B patients (1250 female, 2138 male) from the Real-World Evidence from the Global Alliance for the Study of Hepatitis B Virus consortium who initiated therapy with either entecavir or tenofovir from 22 sites (Argentina, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States).

Antiviral therapy substantially reduces HCC risk in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection in the indeterminate phase.

Background And Aims: HCC risk in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is higher in the indeterminate phase compared with the inactive phase. However, it is unclear if antiviral therapy reduces HCC risk in this population. We aimed to evaluate the association between antiviral therapy and HCC risk in the indeterminate phase.

Differential characteristics and outcomes of Asian and non-Asian patients with HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: The epidemiology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection differs between Asians and non-Asians, but little is known regarding the effect of ethnicity on outcomes of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aim to characterize the presentation and survival outcomes in Asian and non-Asian patients with HBV-related HCC.

Methods: We analyzed the baseline characteristics and long-term survival of 613 Asian and 410 non-Asian patients with HBV-related HCC from three US and one Spanish centre.

Association Between Fatty Liver and Cirrhosis, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, and Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Seroclearance in Chronic Hepatitis B.

Background: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and fatty liver (FL) are common, natural history data on concurrent FL and CHB (FL-CHB) are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of FL on cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance incidence in CHB patients.

Methods: In a retrospective cohort study of 6786 adult CHB patients, we used propensity score matching (PSM) to balance the FL-CHB and non-FL CHB groups.

Fatty liver is not independently associated with the rates of complete response to oral antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis B patients.

Background & Aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are common liver diseases. Concurrent NAFLD may affect antiviral treatment outcomes in CHB patients. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of NAFLD on complete viral suppression ([CVS], HBV DNA <20-100 IU/mL) and/or biochemical response ([BR], ALT of ≤25 U/L for females; 35 U/L for males) in CHB patients who received oral antiviral therapy.

Analysis of a Standardized Technique for Laparoscopic Cuff Closure following 1924 Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomies.

Objective. To review the vaginal cuff complications from a large series of total laparoscopic hysterectomies in which the laparoscopic culdotomy closure was highly standardized. Methods.

Lower liver cancer risk with antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis B patients with normal to minimally elevated ALT and no cirrhosis.

For chronic hepatitis B (CHB), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≥2 × upper limit of normal (ULN) is often used as a major criteria to initiate treatment in absence of cirrhosis, though patients with lower ALT may not be free from future risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to examine the effect of antiviral therapy on HCC incidence based on ALT levels.We performed a retrospective study on 3665 patients consisting of United States and Taiwanese REVEAL-HBV cohort who were consecutive, treatment-naïve, noncirrhotic CHB patients aged ≥40 years.