The impact of type 2 diabetes and obesity on the long-term outcomes of more than 85 000 liver transplant recipients in the US.

Background: Type 2 diabetes is known to negatively impact the outcome of chronic liver disease.

Aim: To evaluate the impact of diabetes on the outcomes of liver transplants (LT).

Methods: Study cohort included adults (>18 years) who received LT in the US between 1994 and 2013 (The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients).

Patients' preferences and health utility assessment with SF-6D and EQ-5D in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with sofosbuvir regimens.

Background: Health utilities measure patients' preferences for a health state.

Aim: To assess health utilities for sofosbuvir-containing therapy for chronic hepatitis C.

Methods: The SF-6D utility scores were derived from the SF-36 instrument administered at baseline, during and post-treatment to participants of the previously reported clinical trials of sofosbuvir.

Single non-invasive model to diagnose non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Background And Aim: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the progressive form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A liver biopsy is considered the "gold standard" for diagnosing/staging NASH. Identification of NAFLD/NASH using non-invasive tools is important for intervention.

Hepatitis. Chronic HCV infection, diabetes and liver-related outcomes.

There is increasing interest in the role that diabetes has in liver-related outcomes in patients with chronic HCV. Elkrief and colleagues have furthered this discussion by indicating that diabetes may be considered a prognostic factor for major liver-related outcomes in patients with chronic HCV infection, including death and transplantation.

Sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) for the treatment of hepatitis C.

Hepatitis C (HCV) remains an important cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Historically, treatment included pegylated-interferon and ribavirin with low efficacy and numerous side effects contributing to poor adherence and impairment of patients' well-being. The next step in developing better treatment regimens for HCV led to the development of the first-generation direct acting antivirals (DAAs).

Hepatitis C virus infection and coronary artery disease risk: a systematic review of the literature.

Background And Aims: While hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been implicated in increasing the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), conflicting reports exist regarding this association. We performed a systematic review to further investigate this association.

Methods: We conducted a PubMed search of original research articles from January 1, 1995 to June 30, 2013 to identify case-control and cohort studies evaluating the association between HCV and CAD using keyword terms ["hepatitis c" or "HCV"] and ["coronary artery disease" or "heart disease" or "atherosclerosis.

Clinical outcomes and resource utilisation in Medicare patients with chronic liver disease: a historical cohort study.

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess recent trends in health resource utilisation and patient outcomes of Medicare beneficiaries with chronic liver disease (CLD).

Setting: Liver-related mortality is the 10th leading cause of death in the USA, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) and obesity-related non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are the major causes of CLD. As the US population ages and becomes more obese, the impact of CLD is expected to become more prominent for the Medicare population.

Inpatient resource utilization, disease severity, mortality and insurance coverage for patients hospitalized for hepatitis C virus in the United States.

Although the incidence of new hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has fallen, HCV-related complications are on the rise. Our aim was to assess and describe the 2005-2009 national inpatient mortality and resource utilization trends for patients with HCV. Data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) and the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) between 2005 and 2009 were analyzed.

Expression of energy metabolism related genes in the gastric tissue of obese individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background: Stomach is an integral part of the energy balance regulating circuit. Studies exploring the effects of cross-system changes in the energy homeostasis in stomach tissue are scarce. The proximity of the stomach to liver--the most common secondary target affected by obesity--suggests that these two organs are exposed to each other's local secretion.

Patient-reported outcomes assessment in chronic hepatitis C treated with sofosbuvir and ribavirin: the VALENCE study.

Background & Aim: Interferon (IFN) negatively impacts patients' well-being and patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Our aim was to assess PROs during treatment with an IFN-free regimen [sofosbuvir (SOF)+ribavirin (RBV)].

Methods: Four PRO questionnaires [Short Form-36 (SF-36), Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire-HCV (CLDQ-HCV), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F), Work Productivity and Activity Index: Specific Health Problem (WPAI:SHP)] were administered at baseline, end-of-treatment and post-treatment to 334 HCV genotype 2 and 3 patients (naïve or treatment-experienced) enrolled in the VALENCE study.

Patient-reported outcomes in chronic hepatitis C patients with cirrhosis treated with sofosbuvir-containing regimens.

Unlabelled: Whether the presence of cirrhosis influences patient-reported outcomes (PROs), including health-related quality of life, during treatment with newly available anti-HCV (hepatitis C virus) regimens is unclear. Our aim was to assess the association of cirrhosis with PROs in patients treated with sofosbuvir (SOF)-containing regimens. Four PRO questionnaires (Short Form-36 [SF-36], Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue [FACIT-F], Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire-HCV (CLDQ-HCV), and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: Specific Health Problem [WPAI-SHP]) were administered to subjects receiving SOF and ribavirin (RBV; FUSION trial, N=201, 34% cirrhosis; VALENCE trial: N=333, 21% cirrhosis) and SOF, RBV, and pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN; NEUTRINO trial: N=327, 17% cirrhosis).

Adipocytokine expression associated with miRNA regulation and diagnosis of NASH in obese patients with NAFLD.

Background & Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is strongly associated with visceral adiposity. The secretion of adipocytokines from white adipose tissue (WAT) promoting necroinflammation, and/or fibrosis may play important roles in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic steatohepatits (NASH). In a previous study, reduced expression of a number of miRNA species in WAT concomitant with histological diagnosis of NASH was successfully demonstrated.

Trends in outpatient resource utilizations and outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background And Aim: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease. The objective of this study was to describe the recent trend of health care resource utilization and short-term mortality of Medicare beneficiaries with NAFLD.

Methods: This study utilized data from a random sample of national outpatient claims of Medicare beneficiaries (2005 to 2010) who sought outpatient care for NAFLD.

Work productivity among treatment-naïve patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C infection receiving telaprevir combination treatment.

Work productivity is impacted in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients and has been linked to treatment. In two Phase 3 trials, ADVANCE and ILLUMINATE, treatment-naïve genotype 1 chronic HCV-infected patients received 12-week telaprevir (T) with 24 (T12PR24)- or 48 (T12PR48)-week peginterferon alfa-2a/ribavirin. The objective of this analysis was to examine the impact of chronic HCV infection and its treatment with combination therapy on work productivity.

The impact of hepatitis C burden: an evidence-based approach.

Background: Infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been considered a major cause of mortality, morbidity and resource utilisation in the US. In addition, HCV is the main cause of hepatocellular cancer (HCC) in the US. Recent developments in the diagnosis and treatment of HCV, including new recommendations pertaining to screening for HCV by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and newer treatment regimens with high efficacy, short duration and the potential for interferon-free therapies, have energised the health care practitioners regarding HCV management.

Multiple factors predict physical performance in people with chronic liver disease.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether physical performance correlates with metabolic and inflammatory measures in research subjects with chronic liver disease.

Design: This is a prospective, descriptive cohort study correlating performance on a 6-min walk test with cardiorespiratory variables, metabolic measures (glucose [GLU], C-peptide insulin, and lipids), liver enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase), and the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-8 (IL-8).

Results: This study enrolled 51 subjects (18 women) with chronic liver disease: 41% (n = 21) with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and 59% (n = 30) with hepatitis C virus.

Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance does not seem to predict response to telaprevir in chronic hepatitis C in the REALIZE trial.

Unlabelled: Baseline homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), a marker for insulin resistance, has been associated with poor virologic response to peginterferon alpha/ribavirin (PR) in chronic hepatitis C. We evaluated the association between baseline HOMA-IR and pretreatment factors on sustained virologic response (SVR) to telaprevir (TVR) in genotype 1 patients with hepatitis C and prior peginterferon/ribavirin (PR) treatment failure. Patients were randomized to 12 weeks of TVR (750 mg q8h) plus peginterferon (180 μg/week) and ribavirin (1,000-1,200 mg/day) (with or without a 4-week lead-in) followed by PR, or PR alone (PR48), for 48 weeks.

Statin use is not associated with liver related mortality.

BACKGROUND AND AIM. Statins are commonly used medications for the treatment of dyslipidemia. Although there are reported cases of hepatotoxicity related to statins, very few are associated with severe course and liver failure.

Predictors of chronic liver disease in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

INTRODUCTION. Chronic liver disease (CLD) is becoming a major cause of mortality in patients who are positive with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Our aim was to assess the prevalence of CLD in HIV+ individuals.

Minimal impact of sofosbuvir and ribavirin on health related quality of life in chronic hepatitis C (CH-C).

Background & Aims: Treatment for CH-C contains interferon with substantial associated side effects and health-related quality of life (HRQL) impairment. Currently, there is no published data assessing the impact of interferon-free regimens on HRQL. The aim is to report the HRQL of patients who participated in clinical trials of sofosbuvir (SOF) for CH-C.

Effects of sofosbuvir-based treatment, with and without interferon, on outcome and productivity of patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Background & Aims: Interferon-based treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can negatively affect patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and work productivity (WP). We assessed these factors in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with sofosbuvir and ribavirin, with or without pegylated interferon.

Methods: The HCV-specific Quality of Life (Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire-HCV version [CLDQ-HCV]), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue, and Work Productivity and Activity Index: Specific Health Problem questionnaires were completed before, during, and after treatment of patients infected with HCV genotypes 2 or 3 who received sofosbuvir and ribavirin for 16 or 12 weeks (the FUSION study, n = 201) or patients infected with HCV genotype 1 who received pegylated interferon, sofosbuvir, and ribavirin for 12 weeks (the NEUTRINO study, n = 327).