Fontan-Associated Liver Disease: Predictors of Elevated Liver Stiffness and the Role of Transient Elastography in Long-Term Follow-Up.

Aim: Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) is common after the Fontan procedure; however, no established non-invasive screening method exists. We aimed to evaluate the utility of transient elastography (TE) for FALD and identify clinical predictors of increased liver stiffness in post-Fontan patients.

Methods: This was a single-center retrospective study of 37 adult patients (≥18 years) who had undergone Fontan procedure and received TE during routine follow-up between February 2019 and June 2024 at Kagoshima University Hospital in Kagoshima, Japan.

Posttreatment serum CXCL10 level stratifies survival in compensated and decompensated cirrhotic patients due to chronic hepatitis C virus infection after direct-acting antiviral therapy.

Aim: We investigated the usefulness of serum CXCL10 levels for predicting prognosis in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients with compensated and decompensated cirrhosis (cLC and dLC) after direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy.

Methods: This nationwide multicenter study enrolled 212 HCV-associated LC patients, consisting of 113 cLC and 99 dLC patients, receiving DAA therapy, who had preserved serum samples. Serum CXCL10 levels were measured at pretreatment (pre-CXCL10) and posttreatment (12 or 24 weeks after the end of treatment: EOT12W or EOT24W) (post-CXCL10).

Pretreatment serum angiopoietin-2 predicts prognosis and liver functional reserve after successful HCV eradication with sofosbuvir and velpatasvir in patients with HCV-related decompensated cirrhosis.

Background: Direct-acting-antivirals (DAAs) achieve high sustained-virologic response (SVR) rates, even in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related decompensated liver cirrhosis (LC). However, predictors of post-treatment liver function improvement and survival remain unclear. This study evaluated pretreatment angiopoietin-2 (Ang2) levels as a predictor of prognosis and liver functional reserve after DAA treatment.

Continuous Intravenous Infusion of Hepatocyte Growth Factor Promotes the Development of a Fibrolytic Phenotype in Hepatic Macrophages and Stellate Cells in a Rat Model of Bile Duct Ligation.

Aim: Liver cirrhosis is a severe condition that often progresses to the decompensated phase, highlighting the global urgency for the development of antifibrotic agents. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) strongly promotes liver regeneration and attenuates fibrosis. However, HGF has not been clinically applied to treat patients with liver cirrhosis.

Comparison Analysis of Lenvatinib Plus Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization Versus Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab as First-Line Therapy for Intermediate-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma Beyond the Up-to-Seven Criteria.

Background And Aim: This study aimed to compare the therapeutic effects and safety of lenvatinib (LEN) plus transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (LEN-TACE) and atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez/Bev) as the first-line therapies in patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) beyond the up-to-seven criteria.

Methods: We enrolled 768 patients with HCC treated with first-line systemic therapy, and 154 patients were enrolled and categorized into either the LEN-TACE therapy (n = 42) or Atez/Bev (n = 112) groups. After propensity score matching (PSM), 72 patients (LEN-TACE group, n = 36; Atez/Bev group, n = 36) were analyzed.

[Thyrotoxicosis induced by immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma:a case report].

A 65-year-old woman was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in February 20XX-1. Following three cycles of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for recurrent HCC, combination therapy with atezolizumab and bevacizumab (Atezo+Beva) was initiated in February Y, 20XX. Eight days after treatment initiation (Y+8), the patient developed a fever and generalized malaise.

Blood pressure elevations post-lenvatinib treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma: a potential marker for better prognosis.

Lenvatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that effectively inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor signaling and is used for treating hepatocellular carcinoma. However, angiogenesis inhibitors often cause hypertension. Although lenvatinib-induced hypertension has been proposed as a potential surrogate marker for better prognosis, studies on blood pressure elevations and outcomes following lenvatinib initiation are limited.

Magnetic resonance imaging-based risk factors of hepatocellular carcinoma after direct-acting antiviral therapy: A multicenter observational study.

Aim: To determine risk factors associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development following direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy.

Methods: We enrolled patients with chronic hepatitis C who underwent direct-acting antiviral therapy and achieved sustained virologic response at 12 weeks between 2012 and 2018. Subsequently, patients were followed up.

Usefulness of the aldehyde breath test for predicting metachronous recurrence in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: The rate of metachronous recurrence after endoscopic submucosal dissection for early-stage esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma is as high (10-15%). The acetaldehyde breath test may detect acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 gene polymorphisms. Therefore, we evaluated its usefulness in assessing metachronous recurrence in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma.

Development of a risk prediction score and equation for chronic kidney disease: a retrospective cohort study.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a risk factor for end-stage renal disease and contributes to increased risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. We aimed to develop a risk prediction score and equation for future CKD using health checkup data. This study included 58,423 Japanese participants aged 30-69 years, who were randomly assigned to derivation and validation cohorts at a ratio of 2:1.

Clinical Effect of Lenvatinib Re-Administration after Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization in Patients with Intermediate Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

The present study clarified the prognosis of intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who received lenvatinib (LEN) followed by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on demand. We retrospectively evaluated 88 intermediate-stage HCC patients who received LEN. The median age was 74 (range: 47-92) years old, 67 patients were male, and 82 were classified as Child-Pugh A.

Successful Percutaneous Transhepatic Obliteration Plus Sengstaken-Blakemore Tube Combination Therapy for Recurrent Gastroesophageal Variceal Bleeding.

We treated a case of gastroesophageal varices due to decompensated liver cirrhosis associated with Wilson's disease. The varicose veins penetrated the paraesophageal vein. We performed endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) on the perforating vein and endoscopic injection sclerotherapy distally.

Early-phase prothrombin time-international normalized ratio in acute liver injury indicates the timing of therapeutic intervention and predicts prognostic improvement.

Aim: We investigated whether an early-phase prothrombin time-international normalized ratio (PT-INR) is an interventional prognostic indicator for patients with acute liver injury, including acute liver failure.

Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective observational study. We included 595 patients with alanine aminotransferase levels ≥300 U/L due to acute liver injury who were admitted to Kagoshima University Hospital or other collaborative investigation organizations between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2015.

A case of autoimmune hepatitis with thymoma and myasthenia gravis.

A 44-year-old woman presented with cough, facial edema, and progressive fatigue. Computed tomography (CT) showed an anterior mediastinal mass, and laboratory findings showed liver injury. She was diagnosed with thymoma and scheduled for thymectomy after radiation and chemotherapy.

Serine palmitoyltransferase long chain subunit 3 is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with NAFLD.

The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is continuously increasing, with the proportion of patients with liver carcinogenesis due to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) rising accordingly. Although it is important to identify individuals with hepatic carcinogenesis among patients with NAFLD, useful biomarkers have not yet been established. Previously, in a mouse model of diabetes mellitus without genetic modifications, we reported that a high-fat diet increases serine palmitoyltransferase long chain subunit 3 (SPTLC3) expression in liver tissue, accompanied by high frequency of liver carcinogenesis.

Features of patients who developed hepatocellular carcinoma after direct-acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C Virus.

Background: The features of hepatitis C virus patients with a sustained virologic response (SVR) who developed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy are unclear.

Methods: The study population included 1494 DAA-SVR patients without a history of HCC. The cumulative carcinogenesis rate after the end of treatment (EOT) and factors related to HCC were analyzed.

Highly sensitive agglutinin-reactive fraction of α-fetoprotein is a predictive marker for hepatocarcinogenesis in long-term observation of patients with chronic liver disease.

Highly sensitive agglutinin-reactive fraction of α-fetoprotein (hs-AFP-L3) is a specific marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and has been reliable in cases with a low serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level. However, the biomarkers that contribute to hepatocarcinogenesis during the long-term observation are not yet clear. The present study reported the clinical utility of hs-AFP-L3 in the long-term observation of patients with chronic liver disease.

Changes in body composition and low blood urea nitrogen level related to an increase in the prevalence of fatty liver over 20 years: A cross-sectional study.

Aim: Qualitative body composition (BC) change, characterized by the combination of visceral fat gain and muscle loss, is drawing attention as a risk factor for fatty liver (FL). The present study aimed to describe trends in BC change and its association with FL in the Japanese population.

Methods: Data from medical checkups carried out on 56 639 Japanese participants every 5 years from 1997 to 2017 were analyzed.