A sedentary lifestyle associated with unregulated diets rich in high-calorie foods have contributed to the great prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) ...latterly, with up to 60% in the high-risk population and 25% in the general population. The absence of specific pharmacological strategies for this syndrome represents one of the major problems in the management of MASLD patients. Lifestyle interventions and adherence to a healthy diet are the main cornerstones of current therapies. The identification of nutraceuticals useful in the treatment of MASLD appears to be one of the most promising strategies for the development of new effective and safe treatments for this disease. The onion, one of the most widely studied foods in the field of nutraceuticals, serves as an inexhaustible reservoir of potent compounds with various beneficial effects. The following preliminary study analyzes, mediating in silico studies, the iteration of a library of typical onion compounds with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, liver receptors X α and β, as well as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors α and γ. In this study, for the first time promising smart molecules from the onion that could have a beneficial action in MASLD patients were identified.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary liver carcinoma, accounting for about 80% of cases. In spite of advances in modern oncology, this neoplasia still holds the second place in ...overall cancer mortality. HCC is a multifactor disease: it results from accumulated oncogenic potentials made up of several groups of risk factors, the most significant of which is an infection with hepatotropic viruses. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the primary causes of morbidity and mortality across the world and affects 1.1% of worldwide population. It has been calculated that on average 2.5% of patients affected by chronic HCV infection develops HCC. Hepatocarcinogenesis is the result of the combination of superposing virus specific factors, immunological mechanisms, environmental factors and factors related to the individuals genetic background. Host-related factors include male gender, age of at least 50 years, family predisposition, obesity, advanced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis and coinfection with other hepatotropic viruses and human immunodeficiency virus. Environmental factors include heavy alcohol abuse, cigarette smoking, and exposure to aflatoxin. In the era of interferon (IFN)-based therapy, the risk of HCC development after established sustained virological response (SVR) was 1% yearly. Data reported in patients with SVR about the increase of HCC prevalence have appeared, after the initial enthusiasm on the efficacy of HCV direct acting antiviral drugs (DAA) protocols. Actually, these data are controversial, but they certainly suggest the need to undertake large, multicenter studies and caution in everyday clinical practice.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a progressive, systemic disease which leads to the development of end-stage liver disease. In 70% of patients, HCV infection is followed by the development of ...extrahepatic manifestations (EHM). A common EHM is HCV associated neurocognitive disorder (HCV-AND), characterized by neuropsychological changes in attention, working memory, psychomotor speed, executive function, verbal learning, and recall. The aim of this study is to examine the correlation between the neurocognitive profile and routine, available laboratory parameters of inflammation, liver function tests, grade of liver fibrosis, and clinical and laboratory parameters of mixed cryoglobulinemia in treatment naïve non-cirrhotic HCV patients. This is a single-center exploratory study in which we examined 38 HCV + treatment naïve patients. The complete blood count and hematological parameters of systemic inflammation, liver function tests, biopsy confirmed grade of liver fibrosis, and clinical and laboratory parameters of mixed cryoglobulinemia caused by chronic HCV infection were observed. In the study, we used a battery of neuropsychological tests assessing multiple cognitive domains: executive functions, verbal fluency, delayed memory, working memory and learning, and one measure for visuo-constructive performance. Before the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, the results show significant correlations between the scores in the neurocognitive variables and the single measures of inflammation, liver function parameters, and mixed cryoglobulinemia. It has not found a statistically significant correlation between systemic inflammation and neurocognitive variables. After the Bonferroni adjustment, no correlations remained significant. Certainly, the obtained results can be a recommendation for additional validation through future research.
Background/Aim. Quantitative hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (qHBsAg) has become increasingly wide-spread in the last few years in both diagnostic and therapeutic protocols for HBV infection. ...Numerous studies have proposed it as a surrogate marker for covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA). The aim of the study was to determine the correlation between qHBsAg and HBV DNA viremia in untreated patients. Methods. The study included 112 untreated patients diagnosed with chronic HBV infection. Demographic and other data from medical records and laboratory analyses, taken as part of routine chronic HBV infection diagnosis with the determination of qHBsAg and HBV DNA viremia, were recorded for all patients. Results. The average age of the patients included in the study was 48.27 ? 15.14 years; males (58%) were more represented. qHBsAg levels had a high-intensity positive correlation with HBV DNA viremia. The concentration of qHBsAg, HBV DNA viremia, and the concentrations of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase showed statistically significantly higher values in HBV e antigen (HBeAg)-positive than in HBeAg-negative patients. Conclusion. Our study showed that qHBsAg has a high-intensity positive correlation with HBV DNA viremia. The use of qHBsAg is essential for determining the phase of chronic HBV infection, assessment of the success and length of treatment, as well as for safe discontinuation of antiviral therapy with a lower risk of relapse.
The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depression and anxiety among patients with chronic hepatitis C and how depression and anxiety correlate with respective health-related ...quality of life (HRQoL) domains, sociodemographic factors, and clinico-epidemiological characteristics. This prospective study involved 150 patients with chronic hepatitis C awaiting interferon treatment for hepatitis C and 150 healthy subjects. All individuals enrolled in the study completed the Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale. The symptoms showed greater severity/score among patients with chronic hepatitis C for both depression (t=3.37; p<0.01) and anxiety (t=2.35; p<0.05). Regression analysis was used for estimating the relationship between depression and the set of predictors (domains of the SF-36 questionnaire). Three HRQoL domains (Physical Functioning, Vitality, and Mental Health) were found to have the strongest predictive contribution to the occurrence of depression. A series of Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests showed a significant difference in depression level between marital status categories (χ
2
(2)=7.86, p<0.05). Divorced participants had significantly higher scores compared to married participants (Z=-2.40, p<0.05) and single participants (Z=-2.75, p<0.01). Unemployment was associated with a higher degree of depression and anxiety. There was no association identified between duration of the disease, route of hepatitis C virus transmission, existence of cirrhosis, and depression or anxiety. The findings of this study can assist in developing a standard protocol for the management of chronic hepatitis C that will include psychological assessment and support.
Background: Hepatitis C and B virus infections significantly contribute to global chronic liver disease mortality. Objectives: This study explores the role of serum markers (AST/ALT ratio, APRI ...Score, FIB-4 Score, and Forns index) in non-invasively assessing liver damage in patients with chronic hepatitis C and B. Methods: In this single-center, retrospective, observational study, we analyzed data from 327 patients to establish correlations between serological markers and fibrosis grade using Spearman's correlation. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis evaluated the ability of these markers to predict advanced fibrosis. Results: In hepatitis B and C cohorts, all markers show significant positive correlations with liver fibrosis (P < 0.001). FIB-4 and the Forns index exhibit moderate correlation (Spearman’s rho 0.48), while AST/ALT and APRI score show mild correlation (Spearman’s rho 0.21 and 0.31). In hepatitis C, the Forns index (0.814) and FIB-4 (0.80) outperform other markers. In hepatitis B, Forns (AUC = 0.73), APRI (AUC = 0.68), and FIB-4 (AUC = 0.68) demonstrate significant predictive ability. Conclusions: FIB-4 and the Forns index hold clinical significance as fibrosis biomarkers in the management of chronic viral hepatitis. FIB-4 is a universal marker, while the interpretation of the Forns index requires consideration of the etiology of chronic viral hepatitis.
Background/Aim. Chronic hepatitis C and liver steatosis often appear simultaneously in the same person, and steatosis can lead to worsening of liver disease and reducing the success of the treatment ...of chronic hepatitis C. Treatment of one disease can influence and cause favorable impact on treatment of other diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of liver steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C and to examine the impact of steatosis of the liver and other predictors on the success of antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C. Methods. The study included 123 patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with pegylated interferon alfa 2a in combination with ribavirin. The patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of cirrhosis: the group I consisted of 43 (34.9%) patients with steatosis and the group II consisted of 80 (65.1%) patients without liver steatosis. The success of the treatment was evaluated on the basis of the stable virological response. Results. The presence of steatosis was determined in 34.96% of the patients. The overall success of antiviral therapy was found in 74.79% of the patients. The success of antiviral therapy was present in 62.79% of the patients with hepatic steatosis, and in 81.25% the patients without steatosis (p < 0.05). The success of antiviral treatments was seen in 80.95% of the patients with hepatic steatosis and the genotype of hepatitis C virus 3. The predictors of antiviral therapy success for chronic hepatitis C in our study were patient's age, duration of infection, genotype 3, steatosis and severe fibrosis or cirrhosis. Conclusion. Liver steatosis is often present in patients with chronic hepatitis C. It has negative impact on the efficacy of antiviral therapy in patients with infection with genotype non-3 hepatitis C virus. Therefore, hepatic steatosis in these patients must be eliminated or treated prior to application of antiviral therapy.
nema
Introduction. We are aware of the risk of late virological relapse (LVR) years after sustained viral response (SVR) by pegylated interferon and ribavirin alfa (PegIFN? + RBV) of chronic hepatitis C ...viral (HCV) infection. We presented three patients with LVR, treated by PegIFN? and ribavirin 5 years after the SVR was established. Case report. We analysed 129 (38.8% female, 61.2% male, mean age 37.02 ? SD 11.99) patients treated for chronic HCV with PegIFN? + RBV, with at least 5 years from the establishment of SVR. In addition to the biochemical parameters of liver function, the qualitative HCV RNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the quantitative PCR HCV RNA test were made. Five years after establishing SVR in 2.3% (3/129) of patients, the relapse of HCV infection was registered by qualitative and quantitative PCR HCV RNA assay and all of these patients had additional autoimmune diseases: vasculitis, autoimmune hepatitis, and vasculitis of central nervous system. Conclusion. The existence, but low rate of LVR HCV infection was confirmed, dominantly in patients with additional autoimmune diseases. Due to this SVR after therapy by PegIFN? + RBV should be considered as an indicator of successful HCV suppresion, not its complete eradication.
nema
PDF
