Heterogeneity of treatment response to beta-blockers in the treatment of portal hypertension: A systematic review.

Background: It has been suggested that a relevant proportion of patients do not respond to nonselective beta-blockers (NSBB)s, which raises questions regarding the need for individualized therapy. The existence of potential heterogeneity in the treatment response can be assessed using the variability ratio (VR) of the outcome measurement (in this case, HVPG) between the treated and placebo groups. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to assess the potential heterogeneity in the portal pressure response to NSBBs.

Single Topic Conference on Autoimmune Liver Disease from the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver.

Autoimmune liver disease (AILD) spans a spectrum of chronic disorders affecting the liver parenchyma and biliary system. Three main categories of AILD are autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). This review condenses the presentation and discussions of the Single Topic Conference (STC) on AILD that was held in Ottawa, Ontario, in November 2019.

The patient generated subjective global assessment short form is a useful screening tool to detect risk for malnutrition in patients with cirrhosis.

Background And Aims: Malnutrition is a modifiable risk factor for morbidity and mortality in cirrhosis. Nutrition risk screening is recommended in cirrhosis nutrition guidelines, but is not routinely completed in practice. The patient-generated subjective global assessment short form (PG-SGA SF) is a patient-completed screen that has potential to be a substitute for more time and resource intensive nutrition screens.

Noninvasive assessment oesophageal varices: impact of the Baveno VI criteria.

Purpose Of Review: In 2015, as a consequence of the high development in noninvasive tests, Baveno VI consensus recommended for the first time the use of a prediction rule (liver stiffness <20kPa and platelet count > 150000) to identify patients at low risk of having varices and that could circumvent endoscopy. These became known as the Baveno VI criteria. We review here the data validating Baveno VI criteria and we discuss the attempts of expanding these criteria.

Clinical utility and outcome analysis of faecal calprotectin in Hawkes Bay District Health Board.

Aim: An audit to review the outcome in the use of faecal calprotectin (FCP) to differentiate irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) from active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, and to detect active flares in known IBD patients in the local Hawkes Bay District Health Board (HBDHB) population from October 2013 to October 2014.

Method: Retrospective review of all FCP specimens requested in the HBDHB region from October 2013 to October 2014. Their indication, final diagnosis from clinical records, and endoscopic results are reviewed.

Type 2 diabetes: a risk factor for liver mortality and complications in hepatitis B cirrhosis patients.

Background And Aim: The effect of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) on morbidity and mortality among hepatitis B virus (HBV) cirrhosis patients is poorly defined. We assess the effect of DM on the HBV cirrhosis outcomes and survival.

Methods: A retrospective study of HBV cirrhosis patients who sought care at a sole public hospital in a geographically defined region, from year 2000 to 2012.

Symptom presentations and other characteristics of colorectal cancer patients and the diagnostic performance of the Auckland Regional Grading Criteria for Suspected Colorectal Cancer in the South Auckland population.

Aim: This study reviews the presenting symptoms of colorectal cancer in the ethnically diverse Middlemore Hospital referral population of South Auckland, New Zealand. The performance of the newly introduced Auckland Regional Grading Criteria as prediction tool for selecting colorectal cancer cases referred from primary care was evaluated in this group.

Method: Retrospective review of all colorectal cancer (CRC) cases diagnosed between January 2006 and January 2011.