Hepatology

The post-hoc analysis of the phase 3 ENHANCE study provides the first published evidence of a correlation between decreases in IL-31, bile acids, and pruritus symptoms in PBC following treatment with an investigational agent.

Patients with lean NAFLD had fewer metabolic comorbidities but maintained similar risk of NASH, cirrhosis, nonliver cancer, and mortality compared to their overweight and obese counterparts.

We sat down with Tatyana Kushner, MD, BSCE to discuss findings from her study comparing IVF treatment in women with and without liver disease.

Our December 2023 month in review highlights top news in HCV screening, treatment with DAAs, and MASLD risk factors.

IVF treatment and pregnancy outcomes were not significantly different between patients with and without liver disease who received assisted reproductive technology treatment.

Statistically significant reductions in serum ferritin, transferrin saturation index, and iron levels were observed after treatment, with hyperferritinemia eradicated in nearly all patients treated with DAAs achieving SVR.

Reduced fecal concentrations of short- and branched-chain fatty acids, secondary bile acids, and tryptophan metabolites were associated with compositional microbiome dysbiosis and risk of postoperative infection.

Greater selenium and lead exposure were associated with an increased risk of MASLD, with further analysis suggesting potential synergistic interactions between different metals and their joint effects on MASLD risk.

More than half of study participants were enrolled in the patient portal and 98% were classified as passive users, but only moderately active use of the patient portal was associated with a reduced risk of readmission.

Although no differences were observed in the safety and efficacy of FDA-approved combination DAA therapies, female participants reported numerically more adverse events than male participants.

Results from the systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated the positive effect of DAA therapy on overall survival, HCC-free survival, and liver function among patients with HCV decompensated cirrhosis compared to a non-DAA control group.

Specific interactions between binge drinking, genetic risk, and diabetes mellitus were found to significantly influence the risk of alcohol-related cirrhosis.

The New Drug Application submission is supported by data from a pair of phase 3 studies, a long-term open-label study, and prior phase 2 studies. Cymabay has also requested Priority Review of the NDA.

Patients with HCV who underwent automated routine screening and the addition of a clinical pharmacist to the interdisciplinary patient care model completed treatment and achieved SVR at a greater rate than patients who were not exposed to the study intervention.

Following years of concerns about the stigmatization and inaccurate etiology of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease nomenclature, 2023 finally saw revised terminology for liver disease with the implementation of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

A cohort of patients with end-stage renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis saw a 7% reduction in HCV-viremic rate and primary infection rates as low as 0.01% following implementation of the link-to-treat program.

Just 8.5% of eligible patients were screened for hepatitis C - among them, 5.9% tested positive for HCV antibody and 3.0% had an active infection.

Using data from the 2017-2020 NHANES, investigators found high copper intake and moderate iron intake were associated with a decreased risk of MAFLD.

The seroprevalence of HCV antibody among pregnant women was significantly greater among those with opioid use disorder and HIV infection, as well as in lower-middle-income countries and those with low levels of HDI.

Our November 2023 hepatology month in review spotlights data presented at The Liver Meeting 2023 from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) as well as news about hepatitis B and C.

8 weeks of treatment with glecaprevir/pibrentasvir was found to be safe and effective among patients with HCV aged 3-17 years.

The ultrasound prevalence of NAFLD was 23% among a cohort of patients with IBD, with study results further identifying several clinical characteristics associated with IBD-NAFLD including age, gender, BMI, and waist circumference.

The model uses repeated measurements of longitudinal predictors as opposed to variables collected once at baseline to assess risk of HCC after SVR.

Results from the 24-week extension period of the phase 2b ENLIVEN trial showed sustained improvements in liver fat, fibrosis, and inflammation among those treated with 30 mg weekly and 44 mg biweekly pegozafermin.

Gideon Hirschfield, PhD, MB BChir, Lily and Terry Horner Chair in Autoimmune Liver Disease Research at the University of Toronto, sat down with HCPLive Hepatology to discuss the role of the microbiome in autoimmune liver disease.

Safer discusses how symptoms and quality of life often go unaddressed in the few clinician-patient interactions about primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Lassailly discusses the role of bariatric surgery versus weight-loss treatments like semaglutide for patients with MASH.

Cynthia Levy, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Miami, provided further insight into unmet needs in PBC, the use of OCA-bezafibrate in PBC, and the significance of results from a pair of phase 2 studies presented at The Liver Meeting.

Therapy with glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (G/P) demonstrated a virologic response at posttreatment week 12 rate, which was superior to the prior efficacy threshold.

Patients with HCV-related cirrhosis remain at risk for developing liver-related and non-liver-related events after achieving sustained virologic response.