Body Composition in Cases with Normal Alanine Aminotransferase Values in Medical Health Checkups.

Background And Aims: We aimed to clarify the relationship between alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level and body composition in Japanese medical health checkups, especially in cases with ALT ≤ 30 IU/L (7569 men and 9497 women).

Methods: We categorized our study cohort into four groups: type A (ALT value ≤ 10 IU/L), type B (11 ≤ ALT value ≤ 20 IU/L), type C (21 ≤ ALT value ≤ 30 IU/L) and type D (ALT value > 30 IU/L (ALT over 30)). We retrospectively compared body composition-related parameters (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fat (F) index, fatty liver index (FLI), fat-free (FF) index and F-FF ratio) among the four types.

Fatty liver index and somatic composition in subjects receiving medical health checkup.

Aims: To elucidate the relationship between fatty liver index (FLI) and somatic composition among health checkup recipients (4533 men and 4877 women).

Methods: Fat (F) index, fat-free (FF) index, and fat mass to fat-free mass (F-FF) ratio was measured by bioimpedance analysis. Skeletal muscle mass (SMM) loss was defined as FF index <18 kg/m in men and FF index <15 kg/m in women.

Body Composition in Patients With Metabolic Dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease: Impact of Body Surface Area.

Background/aim: To examine the relationship between the body surface area (BSA) and body composition in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, 2,141 men and 986 women).

Materials And Methods: BSA and body composition parameters were examined.

Results: The median body mass index (BMI) was 25.

Changes in alanine aminotransferase and body composition and metabolic factors among individuals receiving medical health checkups.

Aim: To examine the relationship between changes in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and those in body composition and metabolic factors in participants receiving medical health checkups (4350 men [mean age 52.5 years] and 5398 women [mean age 50.5 years]) METHODS: We divided the participants into four types based on their ALT value at baseline and 1 year: A, ALT ≤30 (baseline) and ≤30 (1 year); B, ALT ≥31 (baseline) and ≤30 (1 year); C, ALT ≤30 (baseline) and ≥31 (1 year); and D, ALT ≥31 (baseline) and ≥31 (1 year).

Long-Term Outcomes after Switching to Tenofovir Alafenamide in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B.

We sought to determine the long-term outcomes of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) cases switching to tenofovir alafenamide (TAF, = 104, median age = 63.5 years). Data at switching to TAF (baseline) and those at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years from switching to TAF were compared.

Body Composition in Chronic Liver Disease.

Body composition has recently been attracting people's attention, not only from a cosmetic standpoint but also from the perspective of health and longevity. The body is classified into three components: fat, bone, and lean soft tissue, and it is common to see an increase in body fat and a decrease in total body muscle mass with aging. Aging-related loss of muscle mass and muscle function is referred to as primary sarcopenia, while sarcopenia caused by disease-specific conditions is referred to as secondary sarcopenia.

Prognostic Nutritional Index Correlates with Liver Function and Prognosis in Chronic Liver Disease Patients.

The Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) is widely recognized as a screening tool for nutrition. We retrospectively examined the impact of PNI in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD, = 319, median age = 71 years, 153 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients) as an observational study. Factors associated with PNI < 40 were also examined.

Association between the Suita Score and Body Composition in Japanese Adults: A Large Cross-Sectional Study.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the Suita score (a prediction model for the development of cardiovascular disease) and body composition in Japanese health check-up subjects (6873 men and 8685 women). The Suita score includes 8 items (age, gender, smoking, diabetes, blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, and chronic kidney disease). Factors associated with the Suita score within body composition-related parameters (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fat mass index, fat-free mass index, fat mass to fat-free mass ratio (F-FF ratio), and water mass index) as assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis were examined.

Insulin Resistance: A Marker for Fat-to-Lean Body Composition in Japanese Adults.

We sought to investigate the relationship between insulin resistance (IR) and body composition as assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis in Japanese health check-up recipients (1186 men and 1441 women). IR was defined as a Homeostasis Model Assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) ≥ 2.5.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Hepatitis: Advanced Diagnosis and Management with a Focus on the Prevention of Hepatitis B-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Though the world-wide hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination program has been well completed for almost thirty years in many nations, almost HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurs in unvaccinated middle-aged and elderly adults. Apparently, treating 80% of qualified subjects could decrease HBV-related mortality by 65% in a short period. Nevertheless, globally, only 2.

Body Composition Analysis in Patients with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease.

We sought to examine body composition using bioimpedance analysis in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD, 2014 males and 949 females). Factors linked to the fat-free mass index (FF index) were examined using univariate and multivariate analysis. An FF index < 18 kg/m in males and an FF index < 15 kg/m in females were defined as having decreased skeletal muscle mass.

Hepatic Inflammatory Pseudotumor-Focusing on Its Heterogeneity.

Hepatic inflammatory pseudotumors (IPTs) are defined as benign, non-malignant, non-metastasizing tumors characterized by the presence of myofibroblastic spindle cells, hetorogenous populations of inflammatory cells, particularly plasma cells, lymphocytes and macrophages, as well as locations of fibrosis and necrosis without cellular anaplasia or atypical mitoses. Despite subsequent reports in the references, hepatic IPT remains difficult to diagnose; while posing major issues specifically for its differential diagnosis compared with that of other various benign diseases and malignant hepatic tumors. Histopathological findings are always a requisite for confirming the diagnosis, particularly given that the pathogenesis of IPT remains ambiguous to date.

Factors associated with the response to atezolizumab/bevacizumab combination therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Aim: The purpose of this study was to analyze factors associated with the overall survival (OS) of atezolizumab/bevacizumab combination therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). We also assessed the OS of patients with ineffective therapy and those who discontinued treatment owing to adverse events (AEs).

Methods: This retrospective multicenter study involved 139 patients with aHCC who received atezolizumab/bevacizumab combination therapy between November 2020 and September 2022.

Accurate SARC-F Score in Patients with Liver Disease.

SARC-F is a well-accepted screening tool for sarcopenia. A SARC-F value of 1 point is reported to be more discriminating in identifying sarcopenia than 4 points (recommended cutoff point). The prognostic impact of the SARC-F score was investigated in patients with liver disease (LD, = 269, median age = 71 years, 96 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases).

HB Surface Antigen Level as a Useful Predictor for the Treatment Response to Tenofovir Alafenamide in Nucleoside Analogue Naïve Chronic Hepatitis B.

Aim: To elucidate factors contributing to hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA clearance following tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) therapy in nucleoside analogue (NA) naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) (n=92, 11 cirrhotic cases).

Patients And Methods: The time interval between the start of TAF therapy and first confirmed undetectable HBV-DNA after TAF therapy was calculated. Univariate and multivariate analyses of factors related to undetectable HBV-DNA after TAF therapy were performed.

Drug-induced sarcoidosis-like reaction three months after BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination: A case report and review of literature.

Background: A 70-year-old man with hepatitis C virus-related recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma was admitted for further diagnosis of a 1 cm iso-hyperechoic nodule in segment (S) 5.

Case Summary: Gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (EOB-MRI) revealed the nodule in S5 with a defect at the hepatobiliary phase, hyperintensity on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and hypointensity on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed hypervascularity at the early phase, and delayed contrast-enhancement was observed at the late phase.

Hepatitis B Virus Treatment and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Controversies and Approaches to Consensus.

Background: Long-term therapy with nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) such as entecavir (ETV) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) favorably affects the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on the basis of data from randomized or matched control studies. Recent data suggest a lower HCC incidence after 5 years of ETV or TDF therapy in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, especially those with baseline cirrhosis.

Summary: Three controversial issues remain to be resolved regarding hepatitis B virus (HBV) treatment and HCC.

Significance of post-progression therapy after tyrosine kinase inhibitors for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Aim: Molecular-targeted therapies such as sorafenib and lenvatinib have long been used as first-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). However, adverse events or limited therapeutic effects may necessitate the change to another therapeutic option, known as post-progression therapy. To investigate the significance of post-progression therapy, we analyzed the outcomes of aHCC patients following first-line molecular-targeted therapy in a real-world study.

Ultrasound-guided lung biopsy with coaxial technique: pleural contact length affects the occurrence of pneumothorax after first puncture.

Purpose: To assess prebiopsy characteristics influencing the occurrence of pneumothorax after first puncture of ultrasound (US)-guided lung biopsy with coaxial technique.

Materials And Methods: From January 2007 to September 2018, 180 peripheral lung lesions in 174 patients who underwent B-mode US-guided lung biopsy with coaxial technique at single institution were included in this study. Technical success was defined as the ability to make a diagnosis using the acquired sample with/without an adverse event of pneumothorax.

Distant metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma to Meckel's cave and cranial nerves: A case report and review of literature.

Background: Metastasis occurs as a late event in the natural history of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and most patients die of liver failure attributed to the tumor supplanting the liver. Conversely, the brain is a less common metastatic site.

Case Summary: We describe a rare case of hepatitis C virus-related multiple HCC metastasizing to the cavernous sinus, Meckel's cave, and the petrous bone involving multiple cranial nerves in an 82-year-old woman.

Real-World Virological Efficacy and Safety of Ledipasvir and Sofosbuvir in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Genotype 2 Infection: A Multicenter Study.

Introduction: The real-world virological efficacy and safety of interferon-free direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy with ledipasvir (LDV) plus sofosbuvir (SOF) were assessed in patients who were chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2.

Methods: A total of 126 patients with chronic hepatitis C due to HCV genotype 2 infection who were treated with the LDV/SOF regimen were enrolled. The sustained virological response (SVR) rate and safety were analyzed.

Lifestyle of Patients with Alcoholic Liver Disease and Factors Leading to Hospital Readmission: A Prospective Observational Study.

The objective of this study was to clarify the lifestyle characteristics of patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD) who were readmitted to the hospital, and to identify the background factors associated with these characteristics. This was a prospective observational study. Over a period of 3 months following hospital discharge, we conducted structured interviews to investigate the following five lifestyle characteristics based on our previous research: dietary intake, alcohol consumption or abstinence, psycho-emotional status, regularity of life habits, adherence to treatment.

[Overview of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Management].

The number of patients with chronic liver diseases is expected to decline due to progress in antivirus therapy, including direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C and nucleot(s)ide analogues for hepatitis B. On the other hand, the number of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NAFLD/NASH) in the setting of metabolic syndrome has been increasing worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) arises in the setting of chronic hepatic inflammation and liver cirrhosis associated with NAFLD/NASH.