High sustained virologic response rates, regardless of race or socioeconomic class, in patients treated with chronic hepatitis C in community practice using a specialized pharmacy team.

Approved direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens against hepatitis C virus (HCV) can cure nearly all patients; however, socioeconomic disparities may impact access and outcome. This study assesses socioeconomic factors, differences in insurance coverage and the drug prior authorization process in HCV-infected patients managed in community practices partnered with a dedicated pharmacy team with expertise in liver disease. This Institutional Review Board-approved, ongoing study captures data on a cohort of 2480 patients from community practices.

Real-world observational experience with direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C: baseline resistance, efficacy, and need for long-term surveillance.

The aim of this study was to obtain real-world, US, observational data on the effect of baseline resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) on achieving sustained virologic response (SVR) in hepatitis C (HCV) patients treated with direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens; the need for long-term follow-up in post-SVR patients.It is uncertain if the presence of RASs limits efficacy to DAAs. Once SVR is achieved, society guidelines recommend long-term surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma in certain patients.

A prospective study of the risk of bacteremia in directed cholangioscopic examination of the common bile duct.

Background And Aims: The frequency of bacteremia during ERCP with cholangioscopy has not been well studied. There are no formal guidelines regarding antibiotic prophylaxis before ERCP with cholangioscopy. The aim was to estimate the frequency of bacteremia and subsequent infectious adverse events after ERCP with cholangioscopy.

Predictors of liver transplant eligibility for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in a safety net hospital.

Background: Liver transplantation for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) affords excellent long-term survival but is limited to patients with early stage tumors. Predictors for orthotopic liver transplantation eligibility are not well defined for patients in a safety-net hospital system.

Aims: To clarify the clinical presentation of HCC and define predictors for early stage disease in a racially diverse safety-net hospital system.

Ethnic differences in hepatic steatosis: an insulin resistance paradox?

Unlabelled: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a burgeoning problem. We have previously shown that Hispanics were at greater risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease than were African-Americans despite a similar prevalence of risk factors between these groups. We have performed the largest, population-based study to date (n = 2170) utilizing proton magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and multislice abdominal MR imaging to determine the contribution of body fat distribution to the differing prevalence of hepatic steatosis in the three major U.