Clinical Characteristics of Steatotic Liver Disease Categories in a Large Cohort of Japanese Health Checkup Participants.

Background And Aims: The clinical characteristics and risk factors involved in the development of liver fibrosis in the subtypes of steatotic liver disease (SLD) remain unknown. We examined the clinical characteristics of SLD subtypes using a large Japanese cohort.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis (total n = 108,446).

Prevalence and associated metabolic factors of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the general population from 2014 to 2018 in Japan: A large-scale multicenter retrospective study.

Aim: The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the recent prevalence and clinical characteristics of NAFLD in Japan.

Methods: This study initially included 410 061 retrospectively enrolled adults from the medical health checkup registry for metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease, and fatty liver in Japan (MIRACLE-J; UMIN-CTR no.

Jets from MRC 0600-399 bent by magnetic fields in the cluster Abell 3376.

Galaxy clusters are known to harbour magnetic fields, the nature of which remains unresolved. Intra-cluster magnetic fields can be observed at the density contact discontinuity formed by cool and dense plasma running into hot ambient plasma, and the discontinuity exists near the second-brightest galaxy, MRC 0600-399, in the merging galaxy cluster Abell 3376 (redshift 0.0461).

Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy versus Sorafenib in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Prior to the approval of sorafenib, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) was offered to patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in East Asia, particularly Japan. According to the Japanese guidelines, HAIC is recommended as one of the treatment options in patients without extrahepatic metastasis (EHM).

Methods: The present cohort study compared the use of HAIC and sorafenib on outcomes of patients with advanced HCC.

[A Case of Locally Advanced Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Successfully Treated by Conversion Surgery after Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy].

The patient was a 63-year-old man. Computed tomography(CT)showed a 99mm in diameter low-density mass in hepatic segments 4 and 8 as the main locus. This tumor was diagnosed as intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and was suspected to invade to left and right Gleason's sheath, and radical cure was judged impossible.

Safety of Sofosbuvir and Ribavirin Combination Therapy in a Patient Who Developed Anemia due to Ribavirin.

Interferon (IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy was previously the standard of care for treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 infection. But, it often induced hemolytic anemia. In 2014, sofosbuvir (SOF) was approved for the treatment of chronic HCV genotype 2 in Japan.

Analysis of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) using high-sensitivity HBsAg assays in hepatitis B virus carriers in whom HBsAg seroclearance was confirmed by conventional assays.

Aim: We investigated the utility of high-sensitivity hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) assays compared with conventional HBsAg assays.

Methods: Using serum samples from 114 hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers in whom HBsAg seroclearance was confirmed by conventional HBsAg assays (cut-off value, 0.05 IU/mL), the amount of HBsAg was re-examined by high-sensitivity HBsAg assays (cut-off value, 0.

Successful achievement of sustained virological response to triple combination therapy containing simeprevir in two patients with chronic hepatitis C who had failed asunaprevir:Daclatasvir combination therapy.

Patients 1 and 2 were treatment-naive women who had genotype 1b chronic hepatitis C. Both had IL-28B genotype TT, and amino acid substitutions of core 70 and 91 were both wild type. Search for the presence of resistance-associated variants (RAV) in non-structural (NS)3 and NS5A regions confirmed wild-type D168 and L31, along with Y93H, in both patients.

ZEB1 expression is associated with prognosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Background/aim: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is one of the most aggressive malignant tumours, so the identification of molecular targets for ICC is an important issue. Zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) is a key inducer of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The aim of the present study was to clarify the clinical significance of ZEB1 in ICC and the associations between ZEB1 expression and EMT-related proteins.

Spontaneous hemoperitoneum due to rupture of the paraumbilical vein successfully treated with balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration.

Spontaneous hemoperitoneum is an uncommon condition, which may be critical even if treated appropriately. The paraumbilical vein is a portosystemic collateral vein that develops in patients with portal hypertension, and is rarely found to be a source of bleeding. Here we present a case report of spontaneous hemoperitoneum due to rupture of the paraumbilical vein successfully treated with balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO).

[Antiviral therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis B with multi-drug resistance to nucleoside analogues].

In 18 of 547 patients who had received nucleoside analogue preparations for 1 year or more, multi-drug resistance was detected, after a median follow-up of 53 months. No patient showed liver failure related to multi-drug resistance acquisition. Multi-drug resistance was associated with entecavir (ETV) therapy in 7 lamivudine (LAM) -resistant patients, combination therapy with adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) in 8 LAM-resistant patients, LAM switching to ETV in 2 patients, and initial ETV administration in 1.

Clinicopathological features and treatment of ectopic varices with portal hypertension.

Bleeding from ectopic varices, which is rare in patients with portal hypertension, is generally massive and life-threatening. Forty-three patients were hospitalized in our ward for gastrointestinal bleeding from ectopic varices. The frequency of ectopic varices was 43/1218 (3.

Antiviral effects of peginterferon alpha-2b and ribavirin following 24-week monotherapy of telaprevir in Japanese hepatitis C patients.

Background/aims: Anemia is commonly observed as a side effect in a treatment with protease inhibitors combined with peginterferon alpha and ribavirin for hepatitis C virus infection. This study assessed the safety, tolerability, viral kinetics, and selection of variants in telaprevir monotherapy for 24 weeks, and outcomes of the off-study treatment with peginterferon alpha-2b and ribavirin among Japanese female patients at a median age of 54 years who were difficult to treat with the standard therapy (peginterferon alpha-2b and ribavirin) alone in Japan.

Methods: Four treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C virus subtype 1b infection received telaprevir (750 mg every 8 h) alone for 24 weeks.

Endoscopic band ligation for refractory gastric antral vascular ectasia associated with liver cirrhosis.

An 84-year-old woman with unknown liver cirrhosis was admitted to our hospital in October 2008 with anemia due to recurrent gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE). At 78 years of age, argon plasma coagulation (APC) was performed for GAVE, and between 79 and 83 years of age, APC was carried out five times for recurrent episodes of GAVE presenting as anemia. Upon hospitalization, she was found to have anemic conjunctivae and the laboratory findings were red blood cells 245 × 10(4)/mm(3) and hemoglobin 7.

Clinical experience with newer electronic radial-type endoscopic color Doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of esophageal varices.

Purpose: Endoscopic color Doppler ultrasonography (ECDUS) is a method for obtaining color images of flow in blood vessels. In this study, we report the utility of a newer electronic radial ECDUS for evaluating cases with esophageal varices.

Methods: Nineteen patients with esophageal varices were selected.

Retrospective analysis of endoscopic injection sclerotherapy for rectal varices compared with band ligation.

Background And Aims: The study's aim was to evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) compared with endoscopic band ligation (EBL) in treating rectal varices.

Methods: Data from 34 consecutive patients who underwent endoscopic treatments for rectal varices were analyzed. The clinical outcomes, including complications, related to EIS or EBL retrospectively.

Evaluation of therapeutic effects on rectal varices using percutaneous color Doppler ultrasonography.

Aim: We report the usefulness of percutaneous color Doppler ultrasonography (CDU) for evaluating therapeutic effects on rectal varices.

Methods: Ultrasonographic examination and color flow imaging were performed using a color Doppler unit (Aplio 50 or XV, Toshiba, Tokyo, Japan) with a 3.5 MHz convex probe.

Ileal Varices Treated with Balloon-Occluded Retrograde Transvenous Obliteration.

A 55-year-old man with hepatitis B virus antigen-positive liver cirrhosis was admitted to our hospital with anal bleeding. Colonoscopy revealed blood retention in the entire colon, but no bleeding lesion was found. Computed tomography images showed that vessels in the ileum were connected to the right testicular vein, and we suspected ileal varices to be the most probable cause of bleeding.

Endoscopic ultrasonographic evaluation of hemodynamics related to variceal relapse in esophageal variceal patients.

Aim: To evaluate retrospectively the hemodynamics of esophageal varices before and after endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) using endoscopic color Doppler ultrasonography (ECDUS).

Methods: The study included 306 patients whose esophageal varices had been treated with EIS. The underlying pathologies of portal hypertension in these 306 patients included liver cirrhosis (193), cirrhosis associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (102), primary biliary cirrhosis (6), idiopathic portal hypertension (4) and extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (1).

Transverse colonic varices successfully treated with endoscopic procedure.

A 75-year-old woman with hepatitis C virus antibody-positive liver cirrhosis was admitted to our hospital with anal bleeding. Colonoscopy revealed red color-positive tortuous transverse colonic varices near the splenic flexure. Colonic varices were considered to be the most probable cause of bleeding, although the precise site could not be determined.

Clinical and endoscopic features of gastric varices secondary to splenic vein occlusion.

Aim: This study provides a retrospective evaluation of cases with gastric varices secondary to splenic vein occlusion.

Methods: Our study group consisted of 14 patients. The clinical manifestations, diagnostic methods and therapeutic modalities were analyzed retrospectively.

Hemodynamic evaluation by endoscopic ultrasonography of esophageal varices resistant to injection sclerotherapy.

Purpose: Some esophageal variceal cases are resistant to endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) using 5% ethanolamine oleate (5% EO). We evaluated the hemodynamics of esophageal varices that were resistant to EIS using 5% EO.

Methods: Selected for this study were 290 consecutive patients who underwent hemodynamic evaluation using endoscopic color Doppler ultrasonography (ECDUS) and an ultrasonic microprobe (UMP) before EIS.

Observation of gastric variceal flow characteristics by endoscopic ultrasonography using color Doppler.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the endoscopic color Doppler ultrasonography (ECDUS) findings of gastric varices and to determine the role of ECDUS in the diagnosis of gastric varices.

Methods: Using ECDUS, we evaluated 114 patients with gastric varices found consecutively by routine upper endoscopy. We monitored the color flow images of gastric varices and perigastric collateral veins.

Diagnosis of rectal varices via color Doppler ultrasonography.

Objectives: There has been no report on the hemodynamic evaluation of rectal varices by percutaneous color Doppler ultrasonography. Here, we report the usefulness of color Doppler ultrasonography for this purpose.

Methods: Color Doppler ultrasonography was performed in 44 patients: 31 patients with portal hypertension, 7 with liver cirrhosis (LC) without portal hypertension, and 6 non-LC patients.