Rapid diagnosis of Wilson disease by a 28-mutation panel: real-time amplification refractory mutation system in diagnosing acute Wilsonian liver failure.

Background: Wilson disease is one of the commonest inherited and potentially fatal yet treatable liver disorders. About 5-27% patients present with acute liver failure and require prompt chelation therapy and life-saving liver transplantation. Diagnosis during acute liver failure is particularly difficult with short time allowance.

EUS in the management of uninvestigated dyspepsia.

Background: Management of dyspepsia often involves multiple diagnostic tests. By virtue of luminal and extraluminal imaging, EUS may be a satisfactory single test for the evaluation of patients with dyspepsia.

Methods: Patients with uninvestigated dyspepsia of more than 4 weeks duration were recruited.

Occult HBV infection in cryptogenic liver cirrhosis in an area with high prevalence of HBV infection.

Objectives: Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is often used as the serological marker to screen for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the investigation of liver cirrhosis. In Hong Kong, where HBV infection is endemic, some patients may have persistent viral infection after the loss of HBsAg. We aimed to investigate 1) the prevalence of occult HBV infection in cryptogenic liver cirrhosis in Hong Kong and 2) the role of HBV "a" determinant mutations among these patients.