The Influence of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease and Body Mass Index on the Incidence of Alzheimer Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Background/aims: This study aimed to investigate the influence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and body mass index (BMI) on the incidence of Alzheimer disease (AD) in the general South Korean population.

Methods: The National Screening Program for Transitional Ages collected data from 66-year-old dementia-free Koreans in 2010 and 2011. MASLD was diagnosed based on the fatty liver index (≥30) and the presence of metabolic components, and overweight/obese status was defined as a BMI ≥23 kg/m.

Head-to-Head Comparison of Long-Term HCC Risk of Antivirals-Treated Versus Untreated Low-Level Viremia in HBV-Compensated Cirrhosis.

Background: Among patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected compensated cirrhosis and low-level viremia, there are limited data for comparative outcomes between those treated with oral nucleos(t)ide analogs versus those not. We conducted a large, multi-ethnic, multi-center study to examine the impact of antiviral treatment (AVT) on long-term hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk for compensated cirrhosis and low-level viremia.

Methods: Patients with compensated cirrhosis and low-level viremia (serum HBV-DNA 20-2000 IU/mL) at baseline or before AVT were screened for eligibility from 19 hospitals in South Korea, Singapore, and Japan.

Association Between Handgrip Strength and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in MASLD: A Prospective Study From UK Biobank.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between handgrip strength (HGS) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in individuals with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) using data from the UK Biobank cohort.

Methods: A total of 201 563 participants were enrolled in this study. The HGS was measured using a Jamar J00105 hydraulic hand dynamometer.

Fibrotic Burden in the Liver Differs Across Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease Subtypes.

Background/aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is categorized into three subtypes: overweight/obese (OW), lean/normal weight with metabolic abnormalities, and diabetes mellitus (DM). We investigated whether fibrotic burden in liver differs across subtypes of MAFLD patients.

Methods: This cross-sectional multicenter study was done in cohorts of subjects who underwent a comprehensive medical health checkup between January 2014 and December 2020.

Outcome of untreated low-level viremia versus antiviral therapy-induced or spontaneous undetectable HBV-DNA in compensated cirrhosis.

Background: Comparative outcomes of HBV-infected compensated cirrhosis with low-level viremia (LLV) versus maintained virological response (MVR) are unclear. We conducted a large, multiethnic, multicenter study to examine the natural history of LLV versus MVR in compensated cirrhosis.

Patients And Methods: We enrolled patients with HBV-infected compensated cirrhosis (n=2316) from 19 hospitals in South Korea, Singapore, and Japan.

Suboptimal Performance of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Prediction Models in Patients with Hepatitis B Virus-Related Cirrhosis.

This study aimed to evaluate the predictive performance of pre-existing well-validated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prediction models, established in patients with HBV-related cirrhosis who started potent antiviral therapy (AVT). We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 1339 treatment-naïve patients with HBV-related cirrhosis who started AVT (median period, 56.8 months).

Long-term cardiovascular outcomes differ across metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease subtypes among middle-aged population.

Background And Aims: The new metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) criteria include the following three distinct subtypes: MAFLD with diabetes mellitus (DM), overweight/obese (OW), or lean/normal weight with metabolic dysfunction. We investigated whether long-term cardiovascular disease outcomes differ across the MAFLD subtypes.

Methods: From a nationwide health screening database, we included 8,412,730 participants (48.

External Validation of the FSAC Model Using On-Therapy Changes in Noninvasive Fibrosis Markers in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B: A Multicenter Study.

Antiviral therapy (AVT) induces the regression of non-invasive fibrosis markers (NFMs) and reduces hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk among chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. We externally validated the predictive performance of the FSAC prediction model for HCC using on-therapy NFM responses. Our multicenter study consecutively recruited treatment-naïve CHB patients ( = 3026; median age, 50.

Novel Liver Stiffness-Based Nomogram for Predicting Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection Initiating Antiviral Therapy.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk prediction is important to developing individualized surveillance approaches. We designed a novel HCC prediction model using liver stiffness on transient elastography for patients receiving antiviral therapy against hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We recruited 2037 patients receiving entecavir or tenofovir as first-line antivirals and used the Cox regression analysis to determine key variables for model construction.

Risk assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma and liver-related events using ultrasonography and transient elastography in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Cirrhosis has prognostic value. We investigated whether the combined use of ultrasonography (US) and transient elastography (TE) to diagnose cirrhosis is beneficial for the risk assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver-related events in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). A total of 9300 patients with CHB who underwent US and TE in two institutions between 2006 and 2018 were enrolled.

Predictive score for hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatitis B e antigen loss in patients treated with entecavir or tenofovir.

The risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatitis B e antigen seroclearance (ESC) remains unclear. We established and validated a new risk prediction model for HCC development after ESC in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) receiving antiviral therapy (AVT). Between 2006 and 2016, 769 patients (training cohort) and 1,061 patients (validation cohort) with CHB who experienced ESC during AVT using entecavir (ETV) or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) were recruited.

Sarcopenia Is Independently Associated with the Degree of Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background/aims: Sarcopenia is associated with liver fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and chronic hepatitis B. We investigated the association between sarcopenia and hepatic fibrotic burden in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: Patients with T2DM who had received a comprehensive medical health checkup were recruited.

Establishment and validation of a risk prediction model in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with transarterial radioembolization.

Background/aims: Few studies have reported the treatment outcomes of transarterial radioembolization (TARE) using yttrium-90 (Y) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We established and validated a new risk prediction model for patients with HCC treated with TARE.

Methods: Between 2010 and 2017, 113 and 35 patients with intrahepatic HCC treated with TARE were selected for the training and validation cohorts, respectively.

An observational study on long-term renal outcome in patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate.

In patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), long-term effects of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) on renal function have been controversial. This study aimed to analyse the real-world long-term effects of TDF on renal function in Korean patients with CHB. We analysed a cohort of 640 treatment-naïve patients with CHB who were treated with TDF between May 2012 and December 2015 at Severance Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Alpha-Fetoprotein, Des-Gamma-Carboxy Prothrombin, and Modified RECIST Response as Predictors of Survival after Transarterial Radioembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic role of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), des-gamma-carboxy protein (DCP), and modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after transarterial radioembolization (TARE).

Materials And Methods: During 2009-2016, 63 patients with AFP >20 ng/mL, DCP >20 mAU/mL, and Child-Pugh class A who were treated with TARE were evaluated using landmark and risk-of-death method after TARE. Both resin microspheres (n = 46) and glass microspheres (n = 17) were used.

Transarterial Chemoembolization in Treatment-Naïve and Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Propensity-Matched Outcome Analysis.

Objectives: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) improves the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, TACE treatment outcomes of patients with treatment-naïve HCC (TN-HCC) and those with recurrent HCC after curative resection (R-HCC) have not yet been compared.

Methods: We recruited 448 patients with TN-HCC, and 275 patients with R-HCC treated with TACE as first-line anti-cancer treatment.

Results: At first TACE, patients with TN-HCC showed a significantly lower proportion of male gender (74.

Refractoriness to transarterial chemoembolization in patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after curative resection.

Background/aims: It is important to identify patients who are refractory to transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), which is performed for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We investigated the predictors of poor treatment outcomes in patients with recurrent HCC treated who were treated with TACE after curative resection.

Methods: 428 patients with recurrent HCC after curative resection who were treated with TACE were enrolled.

Predictors of Discordance in the Assessment of Skeletal Muscle Mass between Computed Tomography and Bioimpedance Analysis.

Computed tomography (CT) and bioimpedance analysis (BIA) can assess skeletal muscle mass (SMM). Our objective was to identify the predictors of discordance between CT and BIA in assessing SMM. Participants who received a comprehensive medical health check-up between 2010 and 2018 were recruited.

Conditional Survival Estimates Improve Over Time for Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Analysis for Nationwide Korea Cancer Registry Database.

Purpose: Conditional survival estimates (CSE) can provide additional useful prognostic information on the period of survival after diagnosis, which helps in counseling patients with cancer on their individual prognoses. This study aimed to analyze conditional survival (CS) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using a Korean national registry.

Materials And Methods: Patients with HCC, registered in the Korean cancer registry database, were retrospectively reviewed.

Multicenter retrospective analysis of the safety and efficacy of regorafenib after progression on sorafenib in Korean patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background The pivotal RESORCE trial showed that regorafenib was effective as second-line therapy for patients with advanced HCC who progressed on first-line sorafenib. Real-world data are needed to assess clinical outcomes and adverse events in the setting of daily practice. Methods Between April 2017 and August 2017, the Named Patient Program (NPP) was activated to provide controlled, pre-approval access of regorafenib in Korea.

Exploring cultural differences in women's body weight perception: The impact of self-construal on perceived overweight and engagement in health activities.

We examined the cultural influence on perceived body weight and the level of health practices at a national and individual level. At a national level, we found that Japanese women (n = 80) overestimate body weight more than Korean (n = 82) and American (n = 63) women. At an individual level, individuals with interdependent self-construal were more prone to overestimate weight than those with independent self-construal (N = 182; American women).

Combined use of AFP, PIVKA-II, and AFP-L3 as tumor markers enhances diagnostic accuracy for hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients.

Objective: As data on the effectiveness of tumor markers in detecting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhotic patients are limited, we investigated the diagnostic accuracy of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II), and Lens culinaris agglutinin-reactive fraction of AFP (AFP-L3).

Material And Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 361 cirrhotic patients with HCC, and 276 cirrhotic patients without HCC occurrence.

Results: Most patients were men (n = 431, 67.