Efficacy and safety of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir combination therapy in old-aged patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

Combination therapy with glecaprevir and pibrentasvir (G/P) has been shown to provide a sustained virologic response (SVR) rate of >97% in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the first published real-world Japanese data. However, a recently published study showed that the treatment was often discontinued in patients ≥75 years old, resulting in low SVR in intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis. Thus, our aim was to evaluate real-world data for G/P therapy in patients ≥75 years of age, the population density of which is high in "rural" regions.

Real-world efficacy and safety of 12-week sofosbuvir/velpatasvir treatment for patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C virus infection.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the real-world efficacy and safety of 12-week sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) treatment for patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Methods: A total 72 of patients with Child-Pugh (CP) class B or C were enrolled. We evaluated the sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12), adverse events (AEs), and changes in the liver function.

No Regional Disparities in Sofosbuvir Plus Ribavirin Therapy for HCV Genotype 2 Infection in Tochigi Prefecture and Its Vicinity.

Objective Regional disparities were observed in the outcomes of interferon (IFN)-based therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a Japanese nationwide study. However, whether or not these regional disparities are observed in the outcomes of direct-acting antiviral drugs, including sofosbuvir (SOF) plus ribavirin (RBV) therapy, remains unclear. Methods We conducted a multicenter study to assess the efficacy of SOF plus RBV therapy for HCV genotype 2 infection in Tochigi Prefecture and its vicinity, in which IFN-based therapy yielded a low sustained virologic response (SVR) rate.

Risk factors for recurrent bile duct stones after endoscopic papillary balloon dilation: long-term follow-up study.

Background: Little is known about the long-term results of endoscopic papillary balloon dilation (EPBD) for bile duct stones.

Methods: Between 1995 and 2000, 204 patients with bile duct stones successfully underwent EPBD and stone removal. Complete stone clearance was confirmed using balloon cholangiography and intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS).

[Ultrasonography with liquid type CalorieMate for gallbladder motility].

We usually use yolks to assess gallbladder motility by ultrasonography. In this study, we evaluated liquid type CalorieMate as a simple oral stimulus instead of yolks. The volunteers (n = 27) underwent ultrasonography before, 30 min after, and 60 min after taking liquid type CalorieMate.