Silent Destruction: Fulminant Hepatitis and the Hidden Danger of Weight Loss Drugs.

Introduction: The use of natural products for therapeutic purposes is a common practice throughout the world, in part, due to the global obesity epidemic and the search for products with appetite suppression and weight loss properties, which include nutritional supplements, vitamins and minerals to herbal products. It is known that such products may be associated with various adverse health effects. Thus, the objective of this study is to report a series of cases of patients, who presented fulminant liver failure (HFI) requiring liver transplantation (LT), related to the consumption of products used for weight loss.

Liver Transplantation After Previous Vena Cava Resection: Case Report.

In some specific cases, the surgical technique involved in liver transplantation can be challenging, as, for example, in cases of Budd-Chiari syndrome. This case describes a case of liver transplantation in a patient diagnosed with Budd-Chiari syndrome due to a previous surgery that required retrohepatic vena cava resection. During the liver transplantation procedure, a cavo-atrial anastomosis was performed through transdiaphragmatic access, with a good postoperative result, showing that, although challenging, this technique is a feasible option in specific cases.

Giant hepatic hemangioma in a patient with cirrhosis: challenging to manage.

Giant hepatic hemangiomas are occasional in patients with cirrhosis. It remains a challenge to decide on the need for treatment and choose the most appropriate intervention. A 62-year-old woman was recently diagnosed with cirrhosis and complained of upper abdominal fullness, reduction in oral food intake, and weight loss of 6 kg over the last three years.

Understanding the Elevated Lethality of COVID-19 in Liver Transplant Recipients: Does Immunosuppression Management Matter? Results from a Brazilian Multicentric Historical Cohort.

Background: Infections by SARS-CoV-2 in liver transplant recipients (LT) patients are of particular concern, notably due to perceived added risks related to immunosuppression and comorbidity burden. Current literature on this topic often relies on small, non-standardized, and geographically limited studies. This manuscript describes COVID-19 presentations and causes for elevated mortality in a large cohort of LT recipients.

15-Year progression to liver cancer in the lack of treatment for lysosomal acid lipase deficiency: A case report.

Rationale: Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL-D) is a poorly diagnosed genetic disorder characterized by the accumulation of cholesteryl esters and triglycerides in many tissues, leading to dyslipidemia and cardiovascular complications. In the liver, deposits are found within hepatocytes and Kupffer cells, generating microvesicular steatosis, progressive fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Sebelipase alfa is the target therapy which can improve laboratory changes and reduce the progression of liver damage, but this is not yet widely available.

Incidence and Impact of COVID-19 Cases in Brazilian Liver Transplant Recipients: An Academic, Single-center Experience.

Background: Current literature reports diverge on the impact of COVID-19 in liver transplant (LT) recipients. Literature findings often report conflicting results, relying on small sample sizes, limited ethnic variability, and nonstandardized methodologies. Notably, there are no studies on this topic regarding Latin American populations.

Refinement of the Milan Criteria: Role of α-Fetoprotein In Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary neoplasm of the liver, mainly secondary to cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C virus. Liver transplant (LT) is considered the best treatment because, in addition to removing the tumor, it also removes the underlying cirrhotic liver. The Milan criteria for LT have limitations because they do not consider the biological characteristics of the tumor.

Validation of Metroticket Score in the Preoperative Period of Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth leading cause of cancer in the world, and liver transplant (LT) is a good therapeutic option in selected cases because it treats the neoplasm and the underlying disease. Recurrence after LT is usually aggressive and has low survival; thus, an adequate selection of recipients is ideal. The new models aim to assess the individual risk of HCC recurrence in patients undergoing LT and to improve post-LT survival.

Clinical impact of the Model for End Liver Disease (MELD) score on the presence of microvascular invasion and on the postoperative outcome in patients undergoing liver transplantation.

Objective: to correlate clinical and epidemiological data with the pathological analysis of liver explants from patients undergoing liver transplantation for hetapocarcinoma in the UNICAMP HC and to verify whether the MELD and MELD-Na scores are reliable factors to predict a worse post-transplant prognosis.

Methods: we studied liver transplants carried out between May 2010 and November 2017. After excluding 38 patients, we included 87, analyzing clinical and laboratory data for correlation with the outcome Microvascular Invasion (MVI).

Microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma: is it predictable with quantitative computed tomography parameters?

Objective: To investigate whether quantitative computed tomography (CT) measurements can predict microvascular invasion (MVI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 200 cases of surgically proven HCCs in 125 consecutive patients evaluated between March 2010 and November 2017. We quantitatively measured regions of interest in lesions and adjacent areas of the liver on unenhanced CT scans, as well as in the arterial, portal venous, and equilibrium phases on contrast-enhanced CT scans.

Bloodstream Infections in Early Postsurgery Liver Transplant: An Analysis of 401 Patients Over 10 Years.

Bloodstream infections are a major factor contributing to morbidity and mortality following liver transplantation. The increasing occurrence of multidrug-resistant bloodstream infections represents a challenge for the prevention and treatment of those infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence and microbiological profile of bloodstream infections during the early postoperative period (from day 0 to day 60) in patients undergoing liver transplantation from January 2005 to June 2016 at the State University of Campinas General Hospital.

Profile of potential organ donors and factors related to donation and non- donation of organs in an Organ Procurement Service.

Objective: to characterize the profile of potential and effective organ donors, and to identify the factors related to non-donation.

Methods: the data was collected from the Organization of Organ Donation forms during the period of January 2013 to April 2018. The statistical analysis was done by the Biostatistic Service of the School of Medical Sciences of UNICAMP.

COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE CHOLANGIOPANCREATOGRAPHY AND PERIOPERATIVE CHOLANGIOGRAPHY IN PATIENTS WITH SUSPECT CHOLEDOCHOLITHIASIS.

Background: Cholelithiasis is a highly prevalent condition, and choledocholitiasis is a high morbidity complication and requires accurate methods for its diagnosis.

Aim: To evaluate the population of patients with suspected choledocholitiasis and check the statistical value of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, ultrasonography, the laboratory and the clinic of these patients comparing them to the results obtained by perioperative cholangiography.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study, which were evaluated 76 patients with cholelithiasis and suspected choledocholithiasis.

Using Lean tools to reduce patient waiting time.

Purpose This paper aims to address problems in patient flow and identify the reasons behind extensive wait time at a public liver transplant outpatient clinic in an education and research hospital through the use of Lean health-care theories. Design/methodology/approach This paper opted for the application of Lean thinking and action research strategy. Data were collected through personal observations, interviews with users and team brainstorming.