[Problems in treating patients with chronic HCV infection due to the COVID-19 pandemic and during the lockdown phase in Germany].

Background:  Healthcare services were faced with unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdown regulations. In order to analyse the influence of the pandemic on the healthcare of patients with chronic hepatitis C in Germany, we carried out a structured questionnaire among all centres participating in the German Hepatitis C-Registry (DHC-R).

Methods:  320 centres of the DHC-R were invited to participate in an online survey.

Risk of recurrent hepatic encephalopathy in patients with liver cirrhosis: a German registry study.

Background And Aims: Patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) show low quality of life, recurrent hospitalizations and an increased mortality. We aimed to assess the natural course of patients after a recent episode of overt HE and to identify risk factors for HE recurrence in Germany.

Methods: Fifteen sites took part in a prospective, observational study including patients with liver cirrhosis who had been hospitalized for HE within 3 months before recruitment.

Real-world clinical effectiveness and safety of vedolizumab and anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha treatment in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease patients: a German retrospective chart review.

Background: Real-world comparisons of biologic treatment outcomes for ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD) patients are limited. We sought to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of vedolizumab (VDZ) and anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNFα) in UC and CD patients in Germany.

Methods: A retrospective chart review (15 sites) investigated UC and CD patients who were biologic-treatment naïve (biologic-naïve) or had received no more than one prior anti-TNFα before initiating treatment with VDZ or anti-TNFα between 15 July 2014 and 20 October 2015.

[Inflammatory Bowel Disease Competence Network].

The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Competence Network is a network of more than 500 physicians and scientists from university clinics, hospitals and gastroenterology practices. The focus extends from the two major forms of inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, into other chronic inflammatory conditions affecting the intestine, including coeliac disease and microscopic colitis. The network translates basic science discoveries (in particular in the molecular epidemiology research) into innovative diagnostics and therapy.

Effectiveness and Safety of Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate in Chronic Hepatitis B: A 3-Year Prospective Field Practice Study in Germany.

Background And Aims: Multiple clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, long-term efficacy and safety data for TDF in real-life clinical practice are limited.

Methods: Prospective German field practice study in CHB-mono-infected patients.

Variant of hepatitis B virus with primary resistance to adefovir.

The reverse-transcriptase inhibitor lamivudine (Zeffix, GlaxoSmithKline) is often used to treat chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) until resistance develops. Treatment may then be switched to the reverse-transcriptase inhibitor adefovir (Hepsera, Gilead), which has a lower frequency of resistance. Here, we describe three cases of primary adefovir resistance that were sensitive to tenofovir (Viread, Gilead).

Relief of cholestatic pruritus by a novel class of drugs: 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonists: effectiveness of ondansetron.

The objective of the present study was to determine whether ondansetron, a specific serotonin type 3 receptor antagonist (5-HT3), relieves cholestatic pruritus in patients resistant to conventional antipruritic therapy (antihistamines and cholestyramine). In a placebo-controlled study the acute effect of an intravenous injection of ondansetron (4 mg, 8 mg) or placebo (NaCl solution) was tested in 10 patients (41-66 years of age; 4 men, 6 women) with cholestatic itch. A successful treatment was assessed when the intensity of itch was reduced by 50% or more within 2 h after injection of ondansetron.