Publications by authors named "Phillip H Chen"

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges for hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment given the need for thorough evaluation by specialists, treatment coordination, follow-up visits, laboratory monitoring, and potential health behavior impacts on patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate HCV treatment during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when care was conducted virtually, by examining patient demographics associated with treatment initiation and discontinuation rates.

Methods: This retrospective study included 73 patients with quantifiable HCV RNA evaluated by gastroenterologists and infectious disease clinicians and referred to an HCV clinical pharmacy team for treatment coordination from March 1, 2020, to September 30, 2020.

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Introduction: Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) causes acute and chronic liver disease that requires the co-infection of the Hepatitis B virus and can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Bulevirtide is a recently introduced entry inhibitor drug that acts on the sodium taurocholate cotransporting peptide, thereby preventing viral entry to target cells in chronic HDV infection. The mainstay of chronic HDV therapy prior to bulevirtide was interferon alpha, which has an undesirable side effect profile.

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Purpose Of Review: Eosinophilic gastritis/gastroenteritis (EG/EGE) are rare eosinophilic infiltrative disorders in children and adults that fall under the umbrella term eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (EGIDs). EGIDs also include eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and eosinophilic colitis. In this article, we present the current literature regarding the clinical presentation, diagnostic criteria, and management of EG/EGE.

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Recurrent hepatitis C (HCV) disease in liver transplant (LT) recipients is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. With the availability of noninterferon-based therapy, eliminating HCV may be achievable in LT recipients. We studied all consecutive recipients who underwent LT at the University of California Los Angeles between January 2005 and June 2017.

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Unlabelled: The treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV) in human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV)-infected individuals has been historically marked by low sustained virologic response (SVR) rates in comparison to those without HIV infection, resulting in the Food and Drug Administration labeling those coinfected as a "special population with an unmet medical need." We systematically reviewed the treatment of chronic HCV infection in those infected with HIV. We propose that with the advent of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents, patients coinfected with HCV and HIV have similar SVR rates as HCV-monoinfected persons and that DAAs address an unmet medical need in this population.

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