Predictors of hepatic flares after nucleos(t)ide analogue cessation - Results of a global cohort study (RETRACT-B study).

Background & Aims: Flares after nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) cessation are common and potentially harmful. Predictors of flares are required for risk stratification and to guide off-treatment follow-up.

Method: This multicenter cohort study included virally suppressed patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) who were hepatitis B e antigen negative at NA cessation.

Changes in Serum Rheumatoid Factor Following Eradication of Hepatitis C Virus Infection With Interferon or Direct Antiviral Therapy.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with a myriad of extrahepatic manifestations (EHM), as well as the production of autoantibodies, including rheumatoid factor (RF). This study aims to elucidate whether serum levels of RF change before and after HCV eradication, and whether these changes differ according to the type of therapy used. This is a retrospective cohort study of adults with chronic HCV infection treated with interferon-free or interferon-based regimens.

Automatic localization and deep convolutional generative adversarial network-based classification of focal liver lesions in computed tomography images: A preliminary study.

Background And Aim: Computed tomography of the abdomen exhibits subtle and complex features of liver lesions, subjectively interpreted by physicians. We developed a deep learning-based localization and classification (DLLC) system for focal liver lesions (FLLs) in computed tomography imaging that could assist physicians in more robust clinical decision-making.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study (approval no.

The Prognostic Significance of Plasma Beta2-Glycoprotein I Levels in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients.

Background/aim: Beta2-glycoprotein I (β2-GPI) is a plasma glycoprotein with multiple physiological functions, but its relationship with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still poorly understood. HCC is one of the most common forms of liver cancer and is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the association between β2-GPI and liver cancer and further validate its potential as a biomarker for HCC.

Liver cancer in 2021: Global burden of disease study.

Background & Aims: The epidemiology of adult primary liver cancer continues to evolve, owing to the increasing prevalence of metabolic disease, rising alcohol consumption, advances in vaccination for HBV, and antiviral therapy for HCV. Disparities in care and the burden of liver cancer between populations persist. We assess trends in the burden of liver cancer and contributions by various etiologies across 204 countries and territories from 2010 to 2021.

Antiviral Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis B with Mildly Elevated Aminotransferase: A Rollover Study from the TORCH-B Trial.

Background & Aims: Treatment indications for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remain contentious, particularly for patients with mild alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation. We aimed to evaluate treatment effects in this patient population.

Methods: This rollover study extended a placebo-controlled trial that enrolled non-cirrhotic patients with CHB and ALT levels below two times the upper limit of normal.

Effects of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate on intrahepatic viral burden and liver immune microenvironment in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Background: The impact of nucleos(t)ide analogues on intrahepatic viral burden and immune microenvironment in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is not clear.

Objective: We aimed to characterise the effects of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) on intrahepatic viral burden and the liver immune microenvironment in patients with CHB.

Design: Core liver biopsies were collected at baseline and year 3 from patients with CHB with minimally raised serum alanine aminotransferase in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial (NCT01522625).

Liver diseases and hepatocellular carcinoma in the Asia-Pacific region: burden, trends, challenges and future directions.

Globally, nearly half of deaths from cirrhosis and chronic liver diseases (CLD) and three-quarters of deaths from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occur in the Asia-Pacific region. Chronic hepatitis B is responsible for the vast majority of liver-related deaths in the region. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common form of CLD, affecting an estimated 30% of the adult population.

Causal Mediation Analyses for the Natural Course of Hepatitis C: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a systemic disease. However, the relative contribution of intrahepatic and extrahepatic diseases to mediating HCV-induced mortality is unclear, albeit critical in resource allocation for reducing preventable deaths. To this end, this study comprehensively quantified the extent to which intrahepatic and extrahepatic diseases mediate HCV-induced mortality.

Naringin Induces ROS-Stimulated G Cell-Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells.

Naringin, a bioflavonoid compound from grapefruit or citrus, exerts anticancer activities on cervical, thyroid, colon, brain, liver, lung, thyroid, and breast cancers. The present investigation addressed exploring the anticancer effects of naringin on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. Naringin exhibits a cytotoxic effect on NPC-TW 039 and NPC-TW 076 cells with IC 372/328 and 394/307 μM for 24 or 48 h, respectively, while causing little toxicity toward normal gingival epithelial (SG) cells (>500/500 μM).

Incense-burning smoke ingredient Auramine enhances lincRNA-p21 expression for chemosensitization in p53-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.

Incense-burning smoke is a deleterious air pollutant that initiates cytotoxic effects by inducing apoptosis in lung epithelial cells and also acts as a risk factor for lung cancers. Auramine, an ingredient of incense smoke, has been implicated in tumor progression and cellular sensitivity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) towards anti-cancer agents through unclear mechanisms. Tumor protein p53 (TP53)-activated long intergenic non-coding RNA-p21 (lincRNA-p21) undertakes a pivotal role in regulating cell apoptosis and chemosensitivity.

Clinical guidelines for early hepatocellular carcinoma treatment options: a systematic review and bibliometric analysis.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma remains a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with treatment options including radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and surgical resection. This study evaluates the evolving guidelines for these treatments to identify the current consensus and divergences.

Method: The authors conducted a systematic review following PRISMA 2020 guidelines of documents from 2017 to 2024 by major liver societies.

Hepatocellular carcinoma among patients with chronic hepatitis B in the indeterminate phase.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a dynamic disease where patients progress through several stages defined by HBV e-antigen (HBeAg) status, HBV-DNA levels and transaminase elevations, with antiviral therapy indicated only in specific stages. However, some patients cannot be classified into one of the stages and are said to fall into an 'indeterminate phase' or 'grey zone'. Exact definitions of the indeterminate phase vary from guideline to guideline as a result of different cut-off values for biomarker measurements.

Phase 1 trial of the safety, pharmacokinetics, and antiviral activity of EDP-514 in untreated viremic chronic hepatitis B patients.

Background/aims: Oral EDP-514 is a potent core protein inhibitor of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication, which produced a >4-log viral load reduction in HBV-infected chimeric mice with human liver cells. This study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and antiviral activity of three doses of EDP-514 in treatment-naive viremic patients with HBeAgpositive or -negative chronic HBV infection.

Methods: Patients with HBsAg detectable at screening and at least 6 months previously were eligible.

Limited Sustained Remission After Nucleos(t)ide Analog Withdrawal: Results From a Large, Global, Multiethnic Cohort of Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B (RETRACT-B Study).

Introduction: Complete viral suppression with nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) has led to a profound reduction in hepatocellular carcinoma and mortality among patients with chronic hepatitis B. Finite therapy yields higher rates of functional cure; however, initial hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevations are almost certain after treatment interruption. We aimed to analyze off-treatment outcomes beyond 12 months after NA cessation.

Association between Cholecystectomy and the Incidence of Pancreaticobiliary Cancer after Endoscopic Choledocholithiasis Management.

(1) Background: Previous studies have raised concerns about a potential increase in pancreaticobiliary cancer risk after cholecystectomy, but few studies have focused on patients who undergo cholecystectomy after receiving endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for choledocholithiasis. This study aims to clarify cancer risks in these patients, who usually require cholecystectomy, to reduce recurrent biliary events. (2) Methods: We conducted a nationwide cohort study linked to the National Health Insurance Research Database, the Cancer Registry Database, and the Death Registry Records to evaluate the risk of pancreaticobiliary cancers.