Expression of EGFRvIII and its co‑expression with wild‑type EGFR, or putative cancer stem cell biomarkers CD44 or EpCAM are associated with poorer prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The aberrant expression of HER family members and cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been associated with tumour progression and resistance to therapy. At present, several HER inhibitors have been approved for the treatment of patients with a range of cancers but not for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study investigated the co‑expression and prognostic significance of HER family members, type‑III deletion mutant EGFR (EGFRvIII), and the putative CSC biomarkers CD44 and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) in 43 patients with HCC.

Biguanides and glucagon like peptide 1 receptor agonists in the amelioration of post liver transplant weight gain; a scoping review of the mechanism of action, safety and efficacy.

Weight gain post-liver transplant can lead to adverse patient outcomes in the post-transplant period. Pharmacotherapy and other measures can be utilised to reduce the burden and occurrence of weight gain in this population. We explored the mechanism of action, safety, and efficacy of these medications, specifically GLP-1 receptor agonists and metformin, focusing on liver transplant patients.

A survey on the state of the art of force myography technique (FMG): analysis and assessment.

Precise feedback assures precise control commands especially for assistive or rehabilitation devices. Biofeedback systems integrated with assistive or rehabilitative robotic exoskeletons tend to increase its performance and effectiveness. Therefore, there has been plenty of research in the field of biofeedback covering different aspects such as signal acquisition, conditioning, feature extraction and integration with the control system.

Changes in myocardial blood flow in a canine model of left sided breast cancer radiotherapy.

Background: Left-sided breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy are at risk for coronary artery disease, and/or radiation mediated effects on the microvasculature. Previously our laboratory demonstrated in canines with hybrid 18FDG/PET a progressive global inflammatory response during the initial one year following treatment. In this study, the objective is to evaluate corresponding changes in perfusion, in the same cohort, where resting myocardial blood flow (MBF) was quantitatively measured.

Single and Multifraction Spine Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy and the Risk of Radiation Induced Myelopathy.

Purpose: This study reports on the risk of radiation-induced myelitis (RM) of the spinal cord from a large single-institutional experience with 1 to 5 fraction stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to the spine.

Methods And Materials: A retrospective review of patients who received spine SBRT to a radiation naïve level at or above the conus medullaris between 2007 and 2019 was performed. Local failure determination was based on SPIne response assessment in Neuro-Oncology criteria.

Donor acquired visceral leishmaniasis following liver transplantation.

Patients who undergo solid organ transplantation are at risk of opportunistic infection associated with immunosuppression. We report a case of confirmed donor derived visceral leishmaniasis (VL), in a patient following liver transplantation causing fever and pancytopenia. The diagnosis was confirmed by bone marrow biopsy, with confirmed positive donor serology, with no other route of transmission.

Type 2 Autoimmune Hepatitis and Nonadherence to Medication Correlate With Premature Birth and Risk of Postpartum Flare.

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is an immune-mediated chronic liver disease that affects all ages, including women of childbearing age. Optimal management during pregnancy is poorly defined. We aimed to explore the clinical and biochemical course of AIH in the antenatal and postpartum periods, and assess factors associated with premature birth and postpartum flares.

Recommendations for Dosing of Repurposed COVID-19 Medications in Patients with Renal and Hepatic Impairment.

Introduction: In December 2019, an outbreak of a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began, resulting in a number of antivirals and immune modulators being repurposed to treat the associated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Many patients requiring treatment for COVID-19 may have either pre-existing renal or hepatic disease or experience acute renal/hepatic injury as a result of the acute infection. Altered renal or hepatic function can significantly affect drug concentrations of medications due to impaired drug metabolism and excretion, resulting in toxicity or reduced efficacy.

Biliary Strictures Are Associated With Both Early and Late Hepatic Artery Stenosis.

Background: Hepatic artery stenosis (HAS) following liver transplantation results in hypoperfusion and ischemic damage to the biliary tree. This study aimed to investigate how vascular intervention, liver function test derangement, and time point of HAS onset influence biliary complications.

Methods: A single-center retrospective study of adult patients that underwent primary liver transplantation.

Validating robotic couch isocentricity with 3D surface imaging.

Background: A proton therapy system with 190° gantries uses robotic couch rotations to change the treatment beam laterality. Couch rotations are typically validated clinically with post-rotation radiographic imaging.

Aims: This study assesses the specificity and sensitivity of a commercial 3D surface imaging system, AlignRT (Vision RT, London UK) for validating couch rotations.

Sarcopenia in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: new challenges for clinical practice.

: Sarcopenia is increasingly recognized in patients with nonalcoholic liver disease (NAFLD). Initially recognized as a consequence of advanced liver disease, there is now emerging evidence that sarcopenia may be a novel risk factor for the development of NAFLD, with a role in fibrosis and disease progression.: This review examines the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and complex interplay between NAFLD and sarcopenia.

Peculiarities of Cirrhosis due to Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH).

The prevalence of cirrhosis due to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has increased 2.5-fold in the United States in the last decade. These patients pose new challenges to hepatologists given their older age and higher frequency of coexisting metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes compared with other etiologies of liver disease.

[F]FDG cardiac PET imaging in a canine model of radiation-induced cardiovascular disease associated with breast cancer radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy for the treatment of left-sided breast cancer increases the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease. The purpose of the present study was to noninvasively image the progression of radiation-induced cardiac inflammation in a large animal model using a hybrid PET and MRI system. Five canines were imaged using [F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET to assess changes in myocardial inflammation.

The Observed Effect of Gastric Bypass Surgery on Direct-acting Antiviral Treatment: a Case Report.

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can be cured with treatment using direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Although these drugs have been widely studied, information about certain special populations is missing. In this case report we describe a treatment-experienced patient with chronic HCV infection genotype 1b, treated with 150 mg/day simeprevir, 400 mg/day sofosbuvir, and 1,000 mg/ day ribavirin for 24 weeks, after a Roux-and-Y gastric bypass.

Spontaneous Hepatitis B Seroclearance upon Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

The spontaneous seroclearance of hepatitis B upon development of a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is extremely rare. To date, there has been one published case series reporting hepatitis B seroconversion following HCC resection. We describe two novel cases of spontaneous hepatitis B seroclearance following the development of HCC, prior to resection.

Baseline Factors Associated With Improvements in Decompensated Cirrhosis After Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy for Hepatitis C Virus Infection.

Background & Aims: Treatment with direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents can reduce Model for End-Stage Liver Disease and Child-Pugh-Turcotte (CPT) scores in patients with decompensated cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C virus. However, many of these patients still die or require liver transplantation. We collected data on baseline features of patients and aimed to develop a scoring system to predict response to DAA therapy.

No one size fits all-Shortening duration of therapy with direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C genotype 1 infection.

The advent of shorter duration, highly effective and well-tolerated interferon-free therapy now provides an opportunity for virtually all HCV-infected individuals to be cured. However, there continues to be a need to simplify and shorten treatment duration. Shortening therapy to 8 weeks with sofosbuvir and ledipasvir can be considered in treatment patients with HCV genotype 1 infection and low baseline viral load.

Challenges in treating patients with inflammatory bowel disease and concurrent viral hepatitis infection.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) require long-term administration of immunomodulatory treatments to maintain disease remission. Due to the high worldwide prevalence of hepatitis B (HBV) or C (HCV) virus infections, presence of concurrent hepatitis can be a relevant clinical issue to manage when treating IBD. Areas covered: The paper summarizes epidemiological data about IBD and HBV/HCV infection and reviews current knowledge about the natural history of HBV and HCV in the IBD setting, concentrating on risk of hepatitis reactivation during immunosuppressive treatment.

Comprehensive dosimetric planning comparison for early-stage, non-small cell lung cancer with SABR: fixed-beam IMRT versus VMAT versus TomoTherapy.

Volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is emerging as a leading technology in treating early-stage, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR). However, two other modalities capable of deliver-ing intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) include fixed-beam and helical TomoTherapy (HT). This study aims to provide an extensive dosimetric compari-son among these various IMRT techniques for treating early-stage NSCLC with SABR.

Assessment of Intrafraction Breathing Motion on Left Anterior Descending Artery Dose During Left-Sided Breast Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: To use 4-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) imaging to predict the level of uncertainty in cardiac dose estimates of the left anterior descending artery that arises due to breathing motion during radiation therapy for left-sided breast cancer.

Methods And Materials: The fast helical CT (FH-CT) and 4D-CT of 30 left-sided breast cancer patients were retrospectively analyzed. Treatment plans were created on the FH-CT.

Key drug-drug interactions with direct-acting antiviral in HIV-HCV coinfection.

Purpose Of Review: We reviewed the most recent data on pharmacokinetic interactions between hepatitis C direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents and HIV antiretrovirals (ARVs).

Recent Findings: Drug interactions between DAAs and HIV ARVs are extrapolated from phase 1 drug-drug interaction (DDI) studies in healthy volunteers. Safety and efficacy data of DAA-ARV combinations are largely limited to the drug combinations permitted in phase 2 and 3 HIV-HCV coinfection trials.

Drug interactions of hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals in the HIV-infected person.

The development of direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C has occurred at a rapid pace. Up to recently, HCV therapy has been limited to pegylated-interferon and ribavirin, but now physicians have several highly efficacious and well-tolerated interferon-free direct-acting antiviral agent (DAA) regimens available. In order to minimise patient harm and maximise the response to therapy, physicians must remain cognisant of the potential DAA drug-drug interactions in patients with HIV/HCV co-infection.

Drug interactions between antiretrovirals and new or emerging direct-acting antivirals in HIV/hepatitis C virus coinfection.

Purpose Of Review: We reviewed the pharmacokinetic interactions between direct-acting antivirals against hepatitis C virus (HCV) and antiretroviral agents.

Recent Findings: Most relevant pharmacokinetic studies involve healthy individuals and refer to the already licensed HCV protease inhibitors, boceprevir and telaprevir. Data from a phase II clinical trial question the clinical relevance of the interactions between boceprevir and HIV protease inhibitors.

Spectroscopic and biological activities studies of bivalent transition metal complexes of Schiff bases derived from condensation of 1,4-phenylenediamine and benzopyrone derivatives.

Many tools of analysis such as elemental analyses, infrared, ultraviolet-visible, electron spin resonance (ESR) and thermal analysis, as well as conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements were used to elucidate the structures of the newly prepared Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes with Schiff bases derived from the condensation of 1,4-phenylenediamine with 6-formyl-7-hydroxy-5-methoxy-2-methylbenzo-pyran-4-one (H2L) or 5,7-dihydroxy-6-formyl-2-methylbenzopyran-4-one (H4L). The data showed that all formed complexes are 1:1 or 2:2 (M:L) and non-electrolyte chelates. The Co(II) and Cu(II) complexes of the two Schiff bases were screened for antibacterial activities by the disk diffusion method.