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Hepatology 2022 May 21. Epub 2022 May 21.

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

Background: Cholestasis is associated with disease severity and worse outcome in coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). Cases of secondary sclerosing cholangitis (SSC) after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection have been described.

Methods: Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 between 03/2020 and 07/2021 were included. Read More

Gastroenterology 2022 May 17. Epub 2022 May 17.

Xingtai Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Liver Cirrhosis and Portal Hypertension, Xingtai People's Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Xingtai, Hebei, China.

Hepatol Commun 2022 May 20. Epub 2022 May 20.

Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.

Splanchnic vasodilatation contributes to the development and aggravation of portal hypertension (PHT). We previously demonstrated that in cirrhosis, angiotensin- mediates splanchnic vasodilatation through the mitochondrial assembly (Mas) receptor (MasR). In this study, we investigated whether the recently characterized second receptor for angiotensin-(1-7), Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor type D (MrgD), contributes to splanchnic vasodilatation in cirrhotic and noncirrhotic PHT. Read More

Acta Radiol 2022 May 20:2841851221101356. Epub 2022 May 20.

Department of Interventional Oncology, Renji Hospital, 71140Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, PR China.

Background: Iodine concentrations measured using dual-energy spectral CT (DESCT) have been recently proposed as providing good performance for examining tissues hemodynamics.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of DESCT-derived parameters in evaluating portal venous pressure in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Material And Methods: A total of 71 patients with liver cirrhosis who underwent percutaneous transhepatic portal vein puncture procedures were included in this study. Read More

Liver Int 2022 May 20. Epub 2022 May 20.

Department of Liver Diseases and Interventional Radiology, Digestive Diseases Hospital, Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.

Liver diseases are major causes of illness and death worldwide. In China, liver diseases, primarily viral hepatitis, affect approximately 300 million people, thus having a major impact on the global burden of liver diseases. Portal hypertension is the most severe complications of chronic liver diseases, including ascites, hepatic encephalopathy and bleeding from gastroesophageal varices. Read More

J Hepatol 2022 Jun;76(6):1362-1378

NAFLD Research Center, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States; Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States. Electronic address:

Over the last two decades, there have been tremendous advances in the non-invasive diagnosis and risk stratification of chronic liver diseases (CLDs). Non-invasive approaches are based on the quantification of biomarkers in serum samples or on the measurement of liver stiffness, using either ultrasound- or magnetic resonance-based elastography techniques. The fibrosis-4 index (non-patented) and enhanced liver fibrosis test (patented) are the most widely adopted serum markers, whereas vibration-controlled transient elastography is the most widely adopted elastography technique. Read More

J Interv Med 2021 Nov 23;4(4):190-196. Epub 2021 Dec 23.

Gansu Province People's Hospital, Lanzhou, 730000, People's Republic of China.

Background And Aim: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a technique successfully used to treat portal hypertension and its complications. However, the choice of the branch, left (L) or right (R), of the portal vein resulting in a better outcome is still under debate. Therefore, this meta-analysis aims to evaluate which branch has a better curative effect on patients treated with TIPS. Read More

Hepatol Int 2022 May 18. Epub 2022 May 18.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, 389 Xincun Road, Shanghai, 200092, China.

Background And Aims: This study aimed to establish a non-invasive model based on the virtual portal pressure gradient (vPPG) to predict the first variceal hemorrhage (VH) in patients with cirrhosis.

Methods: This single-center study prospectively enrolled cirrhotic patients as the training and validation cohorts during different time periods. The PPG-detection software (PPGS 1. Read More

Sci Rep 2022 May 18;12(1):8297. Epub 2022 May 18.

Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Quantitative Imaging Lab Bonn (QILaB), University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany.

Although CT and MRI are standard procedures in cirrhosis diagnosis, differentiation of etiology based on imaging is not established. This proof-of-concept study explores the potential of deep learning (DL) to support imaging-based differentiation of the etiology of liver cirrhosis. This retrospective, monocentric study included 465 patients with confirmed diagnosis of (a) alcoholic (n = 221) and (b) other-than-alcoholic (n = 244) cirrhosis. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2022 May 2;5(5):e2211973. Epub 2022 May 2.

Intelligent Critical Care Center, University of Florida, Gainesville.

Importance: Predicting postoperative complications has the potential to inform shared decisions regarding the appropriateness of surgical procedures, targeted risk-reduction strategies, and postoperative resource use. Realizing these advantages requires that accurate real-time predictions be integrated with clinical and digital workflows; artificial intelligence predictive analytic platforms using automated electronic health record (EHR) data inputs offer an intriguing possibility for achieving this, but there is a lack of high-level evidence from prospective studies supporting their use.

Objective: To examine whether the MySurgeryRisk artificial intelligence system has stable predictive performance between development and prospective validation phases and whether it is feasible to provide automated outputs directly to surgeons' mobile devices. Read More

Front Med (Lausanne) 2022 27;9:872881. Epub 2022 Apr 27.

Department of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy, The Fifth Affiliated Zhuhai Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zhuhai, China.

Background And Aims: Emergency endoscopy is recommended for patients with acute esophageal variceal bleeding (EVB) and their prognosis has improved markedly over past decades due to the increased specialization of endoscopic practice. The study aimed to compare outcomes following emergency endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) and endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) in cirrhotic patients with acute EVB.

Methods: Cirrhotic patients with acute EVB who underwent emergency endoscopy were retrospectively enrolled from 2013 to 2020 across 34 university hospitals from 30 cities. Read More

Gastroenterology Res 2022 Apr 12;15(2):82-90. Epub 2022 Apr 12.

Department of Internal Medicine, The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging extraintestinal manifestation (EIM) of Crohn's disease (CD). We aimed to investigate the prevalence and comorbid predictors of NAFLD in patients with CD.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study to determine the prevalence, characteristics, comorbidities, and hospitalization outcomes associated with NAFLD in patients with CD. Read More

Dis Markers 2022 6;2022:2940578. Epub 2022 May 6.

Department of Vascular Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Taian 271000, China.

Esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB) is one of the main complications of portal hypertension, especially in patients with liver cirrhosis, and has a very high fatality rate. At present, the treatment methods for rupture and bleeding of gastroesophageal varices (GV) include drug therapy, compression hemostasis with three-lumen and two-balloon tube, endoscopic therapy, and interventional and surgical operations. Endoscopy and intervention or their combined application is the mainstream treatment modes in clinical practice, especially their combined application has been increasingly recognized by front-line clinicians. Read More

JHEP Rep 2022 Jun 5;4(6):100483. Epub 2022 Apr 5.

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Background & Aims: Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is caused by mutations in , most commonly homozygosity for the Pi∗Z variant, and can present as liver disease. While heterozygosity for Pi∗Z (Pi∗MZ) is linked to increased risk of cirrhosis, whether the Pi∗MZ genotype is associated with an increased rate of decompensation among patients who already have compensated cirrhosis is not known.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of Michigan Genomics Initiative participants with baseline compensated cirrhosis. Read More

Ann Transl Med 2022 Apr;10(8):494

Department of Nephrology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Background: Immunoglobulin (Ig) A nephropathy (IgAN) with a membranoproliferative pattern of injury that manifests as nephrotic syndrome (NS) is rarely reported in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced cirrhosis. It is not known whether eradication of HCV by direct-acting antiviral (DAA) drugs can lead to remission of proteinuria and improve the long-term prognosis.

Case Description: We report the case of a 52-year-old woman with HCV cirrhosis for 10 years. Read More

BMC Gastroenterol 2022 May 15;22(1):245. Epub 2022 May 15.

Department of Medical Imaging Center, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, No. 39 Chaoyang Middle Road, Shiyan, 442000, Hubei, China.

Background: Calcification of abdominal lymph node is a common clinical phenomenon, but it is extremely rare to cause serious adverse clinical outcomes. In the present case, the ruptured hemorrhage of the oesophagogastric fundic varices occurred as a result of portal hypertension due to compression of the portal vein by calcified lymph nodes. The patient was treated with medication, interventional therapy, endoscopic therapy, and surgery, respectively and the four different treatment options for the bleeding are worth summarizing. Read More

J Clin Med 2022 Apr 28;11(9). Epub 2022 Apr 28.

Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Campus Virchow Klinikum (CVK) and Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany.

The soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) has evolved as a useful biomarker for different entities of chronic liver disease. However, its role in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is obscure. We analyzed plasma levels of suPAR in 84 patients with PSC and compared them to 68 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) without PSC and to 40 healthy controls. Read More

J Gastrointest Oncol 2022 Apr;13(2):780-786

Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Background: The efficacy of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is limited. There are insufficient data on TACE-lenvatinib sequential therapy for HCC with PVTT. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of TACE-lenvatinib sequential therapy for the treatment of HCC and PVTT. Read More

Ann Hepatol 2022 May 9:100708. Epub 2022 May 9.

Metabolic Unit, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición "Salvador Zubirán" ["Salvador Zubirán" National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition], Mexico City, Mexico. Electronic address:

Cirrhosis is characterized by a prolonged asymptomatic period in which the inflammation persists, increasing as the disease progresses. Proinflammatory cytokines and pro-oxidant molecules are key in the development of organ dysfunction. Cirrhosis progression and worsening of portal hypertension bring about bacterial translocation and systemic dissemination via portal circulation of bacterial products, and molecular patterns associated with damage, which exacerbate the systemic Inflammation. Read More

BMC Med Imaging 2022 May 12;22(1):85. Epub 2022 May 12.

Department of Ultrasound Diagnosis, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xin Si Road, Ba Qiao District, Xi'an, China.

Background: Acoustic structure quantification (ASQ) has been applied to evaluate liver histologic changes by analyzing the speckle pattern seen on B-mode ultrasound. We aimed to assess the severity of portal hypertension (PHT) through hepatic ultrasonography.

Methods: Sixty patients diagnosed with PHT and underwent surgical treatment with portosystemic shunts were enrolled. Read More

Expert Rev Med Devices 2022 May 19:1-9. Epub 2022 May 19.

Department of Ultrasound, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, Fujian, China.

Purpose: Two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) has recently been proposed to detect clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH), we aimed to perform a meta-analysis based on the published data to assess the diagnostic accuracy of 2D-SWE for detecting CSPH.

Method: Literature databases were searched up until 1 August 2021. The summary area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC), the summary diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and the summary sensitivity and specificity were used to examine the accuracy of 2D-SWE for evaluating CSPH. Read More

Diagn Interv Radiol 2022 Mar;28(2):138-148

Department of Gastroenterology, Zhuji People's Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Zhuji Affiliated Hospital of Shaoxing University, Zhejiang, China.

PURPOSE The aim of this meta-analysis is to summarize the diagnostic accuracies of point shear wave elas- tography (pSWE) and two-dimensional (2D) SWE for esophageal varices (EV) and varices needing treatment (VNT). METHODS We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies. We searched for studies reporting the EV and VNT diagnostic accuracy of pSWE and 2D SWE using PubMed Cen- tral, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Read More

Cureus 2022 May 9;14(5):e24858. Epub 2022 May 9.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, USA.

A 65-year-old male with a 25-year history of chronic alcoholism presented to the emergency department for a two-week history of non-radiating right upper quadrant abdominal pain associated with pruritus, nausea, coffee-ground emesis, and clay-colored stools. The exam was notable for icteric sclera, right upper quadrant abdominal tenderness, ascites, and hepatomegaly. Initial workup revealed new-onset unexplained elevated liver enzyme. Read More

Front Pediatr 2022 25;10:868582. Epub 2022 Apr 25.

Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, United States.

In pediatric patients with extrahepatic portal vein obstruction and complications of portal hypertension, but with normal liver function, a meso-Rex bypass (MRB) connecting the superior mesenteric vein to the intrahepatic left portal is the favored surgical management. Pediatric patients with a history of a partial liver transplant (LT), especially living donors, are at greater risk for portal vein complications. Hence, an adequate knowledge of this technique and its additional challenges in the post-LT patient setting is crucial. Read More

Cureus 2022 Apr 8;14(4):e23956. Epub 2022 Apr 8.

Department of Radiology, Medical Imaging Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IRN.

Background: The CT findings of cirrhosis caused by primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) differ from cryptogenic cirrhosis. PSC could become complicated with biliary cirrhosis and cholangiocarcinoma. This study aimed at augmenting the information on the role of the three-phasic-abdominopelvic CT scan in PSC. Read More

J Coll Physicians Surg Pak 2022 May;32(5):586-590

Department of Digestive Internal Medicine, Funan County People's Hospital, Anhui, China.

Objective: To establish and verify a nomogram for individualized prediction of patients with oesophageal and gastric variceal rupture and haemorrhage in cirrhosis.

Study Design: Descriptive study.

Place And Duration Of Study: Department of Digestive Internal Medicine, Funan County People's Hospital, Anhui, China, from June 2017 to June 2020. Read More

Zhonghua Gan Zang Bing Za Zhi 2022 Apr;30(4):407-412

Liver Cirrhosis Diagnosis and Treatment Center, Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital of China, Beijing 100039, China.

To investigate the effects of primary preventive treatment under endoscope for esophageal and gastric varices on bleeding rate and its relevant factors. 127 cases with liver cirrhosis accompanied with esophageal and gastric varices without bleeding history were included in the endoscopic and non-endoscopic treatment group, respectively. Informed consent was obtained from both groups. Read More

Zhonghua Gan Zang Bing Za Zhi 2022 Apr;30(4):347-351

Liver Research Center, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University; Beijing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine on Liver Cirrhosis & National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases, Beijing 100050, China.

Liver involvement is often observed in hematological disorders, resulting in liver abnormality, including unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia, monoclonal hyperglobulinemia, portal vein, or hepatic vein thrombosis or portal hypertension, hepatosplenomegaly, or iron accumulation in the liver. Here we summarize the major hematological diseases that often affect the liver: hemolytic anemia, defect in coagulation or anti-coagulation factors, myeloproliferative neoplasm, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, multiple myeloma, leukemia, and lymphoma. We hope this review will help clinicians diagnose and manage the patients with liver involvement by hematological disorders. Read More

Zhonghua Gan Zang Bing Za Zhi 2022 Apr;30(4):345-346

Liver Research Center, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University; Beijing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine on Liver Cirrhosis & National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases, Beijing 100050, China.

Liver have complex functions with a high workload. Various liver diseases are the result of the interaction of diverse genetic and environmental factors. Moreover, other systemic diseases may also affect liver, producing corresponding manifestations, such as abnormal liver function tests, portal vein or hepatic vein thrombosis, portal hypertension, hepatosplenomegaly and liver space-occupying lesions. Read More

Curr Drug Saf 2022 May 10. Epub 2022 May 10.

Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, October 6 University, Giza 12573, Egypt.

Background: Chronic infection with HCV is a progressive worldwide health problem and the core reason for liver cirrhosis, portal hypertension, or hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV-G4 represents the most common threat for transplantation of the liver in Egypt. New interferon-free regimens have been started consuming direct-acting antiviral oral tablets for HCV cure. Read More