Real-world efficacy and safety of universal 8-week glecaprevir/pibrentasvir in patients with chronic hepatitis C with early chronic kidney disease or pre-end-stage renal disease: Insights from a nationwide hepatisis C virus registry in Taiwan.

An 8-week regimen of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir is recommended for treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). In alignment with the Taiwanese government's objective to eliminate hepatitis C by 2025, this study aimed to provide real-world evidence on the use of this regimen in treatment-naïve patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) by using data from the Taiwan Association for the Study of the Liver HCV Registry (TACR). CKD was defined by an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of <60 mL/min/1.

Antiviral Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis B with Mildly Elevated Aminotransferase: A Rollover Study from the TORCH-B Trial.

Background & Aims: Treatment indications for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remain contentious, particularly for patients with mild alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation. We aimed to evaluate treatment effects in this patient population.

Methods: This rollover study extended a placebo-controlled trial that enrolled non-cirrhotic patients with CHB and ALT levels below two times the upper limit of normal.

Impact of HCV eradication by directly acting antivirals on glycemic indices in chronic hepatitis C patients -a nationwide Taiwan HCV registry.

Background/aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication using antiviral agents augments the metabolic profile. Changes in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in chronic hepatitis C patients who receive glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) remain elusive.

Methods: Data from 2417 patients treated with GLE/PIB from the Taiwan HCV Registry were analyzed, and pretreatment HbA1c levels were compared with 3-months after the-end-of treatment levels.

Benefits of Hepatitis C Viral Eradication: A Real-World Nationwide Cohort Study in Taiwan.

Background: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) increases the risk of liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This nationwide cohort study assessed the effectiveness of viral eradication of CHC.

Methods: The Taiwanese chronic hepatitis C cohort and Taiwan hepatitis C virus (HCV) registry are nationwide HCV registry cohorts incorporating data from 23 and 53 hospitals in Taiwan, respectively.

Real-World Efficacy and Safety of Universal 8-Week Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir for Treatment-Naïve Patients from a Nationwide HCV Registry in Taiwan.

Introduction: Eight-week glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) is indicated for treatment-naïve (TN) patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), with or without compensated cirrhosis. Given that the Taiwanese government is committed to eliminating hepatitis C virus (HCV) by 2025, this study aimed to measure real-world evidence for TN patients using 8-week GLE/PIB in the Taiwan HCV Registry (TACR).

Methods: The data of patients with CHC treated with 8-week GLE/PIB were retrieved from TACR, a nationwide registry program organized by the Taiwan Association for the Study of the Liver (TASL).

An algorithm for simplified hepatitis C virus treatment with non-specialist care based on nation-wide data from Taiwan.

Background: Both European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (AASLD-IDSA) guidelines recommend simplified hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment with pan-genotypic sofosbuvir/velpatasvir or glecaprevir/pibrentasvir for eligible patients. This observational study used real-world data to assess these regimens' safety in eligible patients and develop an algorithm to identify patients suitable for simplified treatment by non-specialists.

Methods: 7,677 HCV-infected patients from Taiwan Hepatitis C Registry (TACR) who received at least one dose of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir or glecaprevir/pibrentasvir, and fulfilled the EASL/AASLD-IDSA criteria for simplified treatment were analyzed.

Artificial intelligence predicts direct-acting antivirals failure among hepatitis C virus patients: A nationwide hepatitis C virus registry program.

Background/aims: Despite the high efficacy of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), approximately 1-3% of hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients fail to achieve a sustained virological response. We conducted a nationwide study to investigate risk factors associated with DAA treatment failure. Machine-learning algorithms have been applied to discriminate subjects who may fail to respond to DAA therapy.

Effectiveness and safety of 8-week glecaprevir/pibrentasvir in HCV treatment-naïve patients with compensated cirrhosis: real-world experience from Taiwan nationwide HCV registry.

Background: Large-scale real-world data of the 8-week glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) therapy for treatment-naïve patients of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with compensated cirrhosis is scarce.

Methods: The TASL HCV Registry (TACR) is an ongoing nationwide registry program that aims to set up a database and biobank of patients with chronic HCV infection in Taiwan. In this study, data were analyzed as of 31 October 2021 for treatment-naïve HCV patients with compensated cirrhosis receiving 8-week GLE/PIB therapy.

Factors Associated with Significant Platelet Count Improvement in Thrombocytopenic Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Receiving Direct-Acting Antivirals.

To clarify the predictive factors of significant platelet count improvement in thrombocytopenic chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. CHC patients with baseline platelet counts of <150 × 10/μL receiving direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy with at least 12-weeks post-treatment follow-up (PTW12) were enrolled. Significant platelet count improvement was defined as a ≥10% increase in platelet counts at PTW12 from baseline.

Ledipasvir/sofosbuvir for HCV genotype 1, 2, 4-6 infection: Real-world evidence from a nationwide registry in Taiwan.

Background/purpose: The Taiwan Association for the Study of the Liver (TASL) HCV Registry (TACR) is a nationwide registry of chronic hepatitis C patients in Taiwan. This study evaluated antiviral effectiveness of ledipasvir (LDV)/sofosbuvir (SOF) in patients in the TACR.

Methods: Patients enrolled in TACR from 2017-2020 treated with LDV/SOF were eligible.

Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir for Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Real-World Effectiveness and Safety from a Nationwide Registry in Taiwan.

Introduction: Pangenotypic direct-acting antivirals are expected to cure hepatitis C virus (HCV) in more than 95% of treated patients. However, data on the effectiveness and safety of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) in Taiwan are limited. This study aims to characterize the patient population in the nationwide Taiwan Association for the Study of the Liver (TASL) HCV Registry and evaluate treatment outcome in Taiwanese patients receiving SOF/VEL.

Nationwide registry of glecaprevir plus pibrentasvir in the treatment of HCV in Taiwan.

The study evaluated the real-world treatment outcomes of Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) including effectiveness, safety and healthcare resource utilization based on a nation-wide registry in Taiwan. The Taiwan HCV Registry (TACR) is a nation-wide platform organized and supervised by the Taiwan Association for the Study of the Liver. Data were analyzed for patients treated with GLE/PIB, including 3144 patients who had treatment outcome available.

Impact of Sofosbuvir-Based Direct-Acting Antivirals on Renal Function in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients With Impaired Renal Function: A Large Cohort Study From the Nationwide HCV Registry Program (TACR).

Background & Aims: Sofosbuvir is approved for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with severe chronic kidney disease (CKD). The impact of sofosbuvir-based therapy on renal function augmentation on a real-world nationwide basis is elusive.

Methods: The 12,995 CHC patients treated with sofosbuvir-based (n = 6802) or non-sofosbuvir-based (n = 6193) regimens were retrieved from the Taiwan nationwide real-world HCV Registry Program.

The Optimal Timing for Using Capsule Endoscopy for Patients with Gastrointestinal Bleeding.

Objectives: Capsule endoscopy (CE) is a useful diagnostic modality for patients with occult gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. However, most previous studies utilizing CE have focused on techniques, patient characteristics, safety and feasibility, and case analyses. Studies evaluating the optimal timing for utilizing CE, which is an essential factor for obtaining a better diagnostic yield, remain scarce in the literature.

Factors predicting long-term outcomes of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma after primary curative treatment: the role of surgical or nonsurgical methods.

Background: We quantified the elusive effects of putative factors on the clinical course of early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after primary surgical or nonsurgical curative treatment.

Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed early HCC who received surgical resection (SR) or percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with or without transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) from January 2003 to December 2016 were enrolled. The cumulative overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were compared.

Factors associated with treatment failure of direct-acting antivirals for chronic hepatitis C: A real-world nationwide hepatitis C virus registry programme in Taiwan.

Background/aims: Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are highly effective in treating chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. The real-world treatment outcome in Taiwanese patients on a nationwide basis is elusive.

Methods: The Taiwan HCV Registry (TACR) programme is a nationwide registry platform including 48 study sites, which is organized and supervised by the Taiwan Association for the Study of the Liver.

Once-daily tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in treatment-naive Taiwanese patients with chronic hepatitis B and minimally raised alanine aminotransferase (TORCH-B): a multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, randomised trial.

Background: Antiviral therapy for patients with non-cirrhotic chronic hepatitis B and minimally raised alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is controversial. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in reducing the risk of disease progression in this patient population.

Methods: TORCH-B is a multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, randomised trial done at six teaching hospitals in Taiwan that enrolled patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Combining hepatitis B core-related and surface antigens at end of nucleos(t)ide analogue treatment to predict off-therapy relapse risk.

Background: There remains an unmet need for convenient biomarkers to assess the risks of discontinuing nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Aim: To investigate if hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) is an independent of surface antigen (HBsAg) for risk prediction of NA cessation.

Methods: This prospective multicentre study enrolled 135 CHB patients who stopped entecavir or tenofovir after achieving viral remission for a median of 25.

Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Elastography with APRI and FIB-4 to Identify Significant Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients.

Introduction And Aim: In chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with equivocal indication for antiviral therapy, therapeutic decision currently depends on histopathology of the liver. We aimed to evaluate if acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) in conjunction with aspartate transaminase to platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score could replace liver biopsy to indicate treatment for CHB.

Material And Methods: We prospectively enrolled 101 clinically non-cirrhotic patients whose serum alanine aminotransferase was mildly elevated (1-2 folds above the upper normal limit) despite a high viral load (HBV DNA > 2,000 IU/mL).

Correction: Role of computed tomography angiography on the management of overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Time-varying serum gradient of hepatitis B surface antigen predicts risk of relapses after off-NA therapy.

Background: The serum gradient of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) varies over time after cessation of nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The association between the time-varying HBsAg serum gradient and risk of relapse has not been elucidated.

Methods: This multicenter cohort study prospectively enrolled CHB patients who discontinued 3 year-NA treatment.

Role of computed tomography angiography on the management of overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.

Background And Aim: The role of computed tomography angiography (CTA) on the management of acute overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) remains unclear. We designed a study to evaluate the impact of CTA before enteroscopy for acute overt OGIB.

Methods: All patients undergoing CTA followed by enteroscopy for acute overt OGIB were enrolled in this retrospective study.

Serum viral load at the virological relapse predicts subsequent clinical flares in chronic hepatitis B patients off entecavir therapy.

Background And Aim: Therapeutic duration of nucleos(t)ide analogues for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is not indefinite in many parts of the world. Viral reactivation is common off therapy, but the risk of subsequent clinical outcome remains unclear and unpredictable. We aimed to quantify the incidence of and explore the predictors for clinical flare following virological relapse in CHB patients who discontinue entecavir therapy.

Four-year entecavir therapy reduces hepatocellular carcinoma, cirrhotic events and mortality in chronic hepatitis B patients.

Background & Aims: Oral antiviral therapy may reduce the disease progression of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. We aimed to further investigate the efficacy of long-term entecavir therapy in reduction of the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cirrhotic events and mortality in a large group of CHB-related cirrhosis patients.

Methods: The C-TEAM (Cirrhosis-Taiwanese EntecAvir Multicenter) study was a nationwide, multicenter, retrospective-prospective cohort study in Taiwan.

Comparative effectiveness of nucleos(t)ide analogues in chronic hepatitis B patients undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy.

Background: Comparative effectiveness of different nucleos(t)ide analogues for preventing hepatitis B virus reactivation induced by cytotoxic chemotherapy has not been elucidated. The prophylactic drug of choice remains controversial.

Aim: Our objective was to compare the effectiveness of tenofovir, telbivudine and entecavir with lamivudine in preventing the reactivation of hepatitis B virus caused by chemotherapy.