Addressing the Burden and Management Strategies for Disparities and Inequities Among Liver Transplant Professionals: The ILTS Experience.

Medical professional environments are becoming increasingly multicultural, international, and diverse in terms of its specialists. Many transplant professionals face challenges related to gender, sexual orientation or racial background in their work environment or experience inequities involving access to leadership positions, professional promotion, and compensation. These circumstances not infrequently become a major source of work-related stress and burnout for these disadvantaged, under-represented transplant professionals.

Weight Loss and Weight Regain in Usual Clinical Practice: Results From the TARGET-NASH Observational Cohort.

First-line treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) focuses on weight loss through lifestyle modifications. Weight loss ≥5% results in reduction of steatosis and weight loss ≥10% has been associated with improvement in hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. The incidence and sustainability of weight loss among patients with NAFLD were estimated and associating factors identified.

Hepatitis C and Racial Disparity in Liver Transplant Waitlist Additions : Separate Not Equal.

Background: In 2014, direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) became available for hepatitis C virus (HCV) with successful results. Since their implementation, the rate of HCV waitlist (WL) for liver transplantation (LT) has decreased, but significant ethnic disparities exist. We hypothesized that the rate of decline for HCV WL for LT is different across the various racial groups.

The Association Between Alcoholic Liver Disease and Alcohol Tax.

Background: The incidence of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) has increased, causing it to become a primary indication for liver transplantation in the United States. We hypothesized an association between alcohol taxation and prevalence of ALD.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of united network for organ sharing (UNOS) waitlist additions for liver transplantation between January 2007 and December 2016.

Pre-Liver Transplant Coronary Artery Disease Workup for Low-Risk Patients.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of mortality following orthotopic liver transplant, yet there is no standardized protocol for pre-liver-transplant coronary artery disease assessment. The main objective of this study was to determine the agreement between 2 methods of cardiac risk assessment: dobutamine stress echocardiogram (DSE) and coronary calcium score (CCS) and to determine which test was best able to predict coronary calcification in low-risk patients.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed using the medical records of 436 patients who received cardiac clearance for a liver transplant.