The treatment of primary biliary cholangitis: from shadow to light.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune cholestatic disease characterized by the destruction of the small intrahepatic bile ducts, which can progress to liver cirrhosis. The gold standard in the treatment of PBC is ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), which is indicated in all patients with PBC because it improves not only biochemical parameters but also patients' survival. An important milestone in the identification of patients at risk is the assessment of biochemical response to UDCA.

Use of hepatocyte transplantation after extensive liver resections in experiment.

he aim of our research is to prove, that the transplanted hepatocytes can survive and compensate for inadequate liver function in experimental animals. Thesis discusses the basic principles of hepatocyte transplantations, the process of their adaptation and effect on the organism as well as possibilities of their further use as a promising treatment method.In the experiment we used hepatocytes isolated and produced from explanted livers of laboratory rats.

Distribution and relevance of hepatitis B genotypes in the general population of Slovakia.

Aims: The aim of the presented study was to determine the distribution of HBV genotypes and their influence on selected parameters in patients in eastern Slovakia.

Methods: The study includes 202 patients with confirmed chronic HBV infection or hepatitis. For each patient, basic demographic data, and serum samples were collected.

Is Slovakia Almost a Hepatitis D Free Country?

Background: It is assumed that the prevalence of hepatitis D in HBsAg-positive individuals reaches 4.5-13% in the world and on average about 3% in Europe. Data from several European countries, including Slovakia, are missing or are from an older period.

High Prevalence of Ribotype 176 in the University Hospital in Kosice.

Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, caused by antibiotics, plays a key role in the establishment of CD). Toxin-producing strains are involved in the pathogenesis of infection (CDI), one of the most common hospital-acquired infections. We cultured a total of 84 isolates from stool samples of patients hospitalized at Louis Pasteur University Hospital in Kosice, Slovakia, that were suspected of CDI and further characterized by molecular methods.

Alcoholic Liver Disease-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Characteristics and Comparison to General Slovak Hepatocellular Cancer Population.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has multiple molecular classes that are associated with distinct etiologies and, besides particular molecular characteristics, that also differ in clinical aspects. We aim to characterize the clinical aspects of alcoholic liver disease-related HCC by a retrospective observational study that included all consequent patients diagnosed with MRI or histologically verified HCC in participating centers from 2010 to 2016. A total of 429 patients were included in the analysis, of which 412 patients (96%) had cirrhosis at the time of diagnosis.

Treatment response to ursodeoxycholic acid in primary biliary cholangitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Several ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treatment response definitions have been introduced in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). However, the lack of a gold standard results in heterogeneity in second-line treatment research and clinical practice.

Aims: This study aimed to explore which UDCA treatment response endpoint serves as the most accurate predictive model of long-term outcome.

Questionnaire for risk factors of alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Objectives: Non-communicable diseases are estimated to account for 90 % of total deaths and 19 % of premature deaths in Slovakia. Major preventable risk factors of premature mortality are overweight, obesity and alcohol consumption.

Background: Screening of risk factors related to alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (AFLD and NAFLD, respectively) in Slovak outpatients with liver disease.

HCV Elimination in Central Europe with Particular Emphasis on Microelimination in Prisons.

In 2016, the WHO announced a plan to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. In this narrative review, experts from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia assessed the feasibility of achieving the WHO 2030 target for HCV infections in Central Europe. They focused mainly on HCV micro-elimination in prisons, where the highest incidence of HCV infections is usually observed, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the detection and treatment of HCV infections.

Comparison of Two Diagnostic Methods for the Detection of Hepatitis B Virus Genotypes in the Slovak Republic.

The hepatitis B virus (HBV), belonging to the family, is responsible for a global health concern still in the 21st century. The virus is divided into 10 genotypes, which differ in geographical distribution and in their effect on disease progression and transmission, susceptibility to mutations, and response to treatment. There are many methods for diagnostics of HBV and differentiating its genotypes.

IgG4-Related Sclerosing Cholangitis: Rarely Diagnosed, but not a Rare Disease.

IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis, a biliary manifestation of an IgG4-related disease, belongs to the spectrum of sclerosing cholangiopathies which result in biliary stenosis. It presents with signs of cholestasis and during differential diagnosis it should be distinguished from cholangiocarcinoma or from other forms of sclerosing cholangitis (primary and secondary sclerosing cholangitis). Despite increasing information and recently established diagnostic criteria, IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis remains underdiagnosed in routine clinical practice.

Artificial Intelligence and Its Application to Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy Diagnosis.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a brain dysfunction caused by liver insufficiency and/or portosystemic shunting. HE manifests as a spectrum of neurological or psychiatric abnormalities. Diagnosis of overt HE (OHE) is based on the typical clinical manifestation, but covert HE (CHE) has only very subtle clinical signs and minimal HE (MHE) is detected only by specialized time-consuming psychometric tests, for which there is still no universally accepted gold standard.

Practice Guidelines of the Central European Hepatologic Collaboration (CEHC) on the Use of Thrombopoietin Receptor Agonists in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease Undergoing Invasive Procedures.

Background: Second-generation thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) are emerging as the new standard for managing thrombocytopenia (TCP) in patients with chronic liver diseases (CLDs) undergoing scheduled procedures. However, practical guidance for their routine use in CLD patients undergoing specific invasive procedures is lacking.

Methods: These practice guidelines were developed by the Initiative Group for Central European Hepatologic Collaboration (CEHC), composed of nine hepatologist/gastroenterologist experts from Central Europe.

Seroprevalence of and Infection and Impact of Related Risk Factors in People from Eastern Slovakia.

The genus is a rapidly expanding group of ubiquitous bacteria that occur mainly in different animal species, but some can also be transmitted to humans. Three species, , , and , are responsible for the majority of human cases. The severity of the clinical symptoms often depends on the immune status of the patient, but others factors such as the species of the pathogen, virulence factors, and bacterial load also can play an important role.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Clinical Patterns, Outcomes, and Prognostic Factors for Overall Survival-A Retrospective Analysis of a Slovak Cohort.

Objective: To compare NAFLD-related HCC and other etiology-related HCC and to describe predictive factors for survival in patients with NAFLD-related HCC independent of the BCLC staging system.

Methods: We performed a multicenter longitudinal retrospective observational study of patients diagnosed with HCC during the period from 2010 through 2016.

Results: 12.

The Epidemiology of Primary Biliary Cholangitis in European Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune cholestatic liver disease with wide ranges of reported incidence and prevalence.

Aim: To map the incidence and prevalence of PBC in European countries from 2000 through 2020.

Methods: Following PRISMA recommendations, we searched the Medline and Scopus databases for studies with information on either the incidence or prevalence of PBC.

Prognostic Factors in Primary Biliary Cholangitis: A Retrospective Study of Joint Slovak and Croatian Cohort of 249 Patients.

Objective: To identify pretreatment laboratory parameters associated with treatment response and to describe the relationship between treatment response and liver decompensation in patients with primary biliary cholangitis treated with ursodeoxycholic acid.

Methods: We defined treatment response as both ALP ≤ 1.67 × ULN and total bilirubin ≤ 2 × ULN.

Is elimination of HCV in 2030 realistic in Central Europe.

According to the recent data presented by Central-European HCV experts, the estimated prevalence of HCV is between 0.2% and 1.7% in certain countries in this region.

PREDICT identifies precipitating events associated with the clinical course of acutely decompensated cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Acute decompensation (AD) of cirrhosis may present without acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) (AD-No ACLF), or with ACLF (AD-ACLF), defined by organ failure(s). Herein, we aimed to analyze and characterize the precipitants leading to both of these AD phenotypes.

Methods: The multicenter, prospective, observational PREDICT study (NCT03056612) included 1,273 non-electively hospitalized patients with AD (No ACLF = 1,071; ACLF = 202).

Roma Ethnicity and Sex-Specific Associations of Serum Uric Acid with Cardiometabolic and Hepatorenal Health Factors in Eastern Slovakian Population: The HepaMeta Study.

Health characteristics associated with uric acid (UA) in the Roma minority remain less well known. The study sought to determine the ethnicity- and sex-specific associations of serum UA with health factors in Eastern Slovakian Roma and non-Roma populations. Data from the comparative cross-sectional HepaMeta study conducted in Slovakia in 2011 were used.

Chronic hepatitis C virus infection in the Czech Republic and Slovakia: an analysis of patient and virus characteristics.

Objectives: The MOSAIC study gathered data on chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and its treatment in various countries worldwide. Here we summarise patient and HCV characteristics in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Methods: MOSAIC was an observational study that included patients with chronic HCV infection untreated at the time of enrolment.

The possible role of machine learning in detection of increased cardiovascular risk patients - KSC MR Study (design).

Introduction: Currently, just a few major parameters are used for cardiovascular (CV) risk quantification to identify many of the high-risk subjects; however, they leave a lot of them with an underestimated level of CV risk which does not reflect the reality.

Material And Methods: The submitted study design of the Kosice Selective Coronarography Multiple Risk (KSC MR) Study will use computer analysis of coronary angiography results of admitted patients along with broad patients' characteristics based on questionnaires, physical findings, laboratory and many other examinations.

Results: Obtained data will undergo machine learning protocols with the aim of developing algorithms which will include all available parameters and accurately calculate the probability of coronary artery disease.