Short‐Duration AL‐335, Odalasvir, With or Without Simeprevir, in Patients With HCV GT1 or 3 Infection Without Cirrhosis

Edward J. Gane, Catherine A. Stedman, Christian Schwabe, Leen Vijgen, Sushmita Chanda, Thomas N. Kakuda, John Fry, Lawrence M. Blatt, Matthew W. McClure – 2 August 2018 – This open‐label, phase IIa study assessed the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of direct‐acting antiviral agent (DAA) regimens in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Multiple 6‐12‐week oral regimens of 400‐800 mg once daily (QD) AL‐335 + 50 mg QD/every other day odalasvir ± 75‐150 mg QD simeprevir were evaluated in treatment‐naïve, HCV genotype (GT)1/3‐infected patients without cirrhosis.

Impact of the Treating Hospital on Care Outcomes for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Ronald T. Cotton, Hop S. Tran Cao, Abbas A. Rana, Yvonne H. Sada, David A. Axelrod, John A. Goss, Mark A. Wilson, Steven A. Curley, Nader N. Massarweh – 2 August 2018 – Multidisciplinary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment is associated with optimal outcomes. There are few data analyzing the impact of treating hospitals' therapeutic offerings on survival. We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients aged 18‐70 years with HCC in the National Cancer Database (2004‐2012).

Global DNA 5‐Hydroxymethylcytosine and 5‐Formylcytosine Contents Are Decreased in the Early Stage of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Jiao Liu, Jinhua Jiang, Jiezhen Mo, Dan Liu, Dan Cao, Hailin Wang, Yufei He, Hongyang Wang – 2 August 2018 – Methylation of the fifth position of cytosine (5mC) is an important epigenetic modification of DNA. It has been shown that the oxidized derivatives of 5mC, namely 5‐hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5‐formylcytosine (5fC), and 5‐carboxylcytosine (5caC), are in dynamic existence and have distinct regulatory functions.

Androgen Receptor Enhances Hepatic Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Gene Transcription After Hepatitis B Virus Integration or Point Mutation in Promoter Region

Chiao‐Ling Li, Chen‐Yu Li, You‐Yu Lin, Ming‐Chih Ho, Ding‐Shinn Chen, Pei‐Jer Chen, Shiou‐Hwei Yeh – 2 August 2018 – The gender disparity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is most striking in hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐related cases. The majority of such HCC cases contain integrated HBV, and some hotspot integrations, such as those in the telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (TERT) promoter, activate gene expression to drive carcinogenesis.

HSP90 Inhibition Drives Degradation of FGFR2 Fusion Proteins: Implications for Treatment of Cholangiocarcinoma

Dante Lamberti, Giulia Cristinziano, Manuela Porru, Carlo Leonetti, Jan B. Egan, Chang‐Xin Shi, Simonetta Buglioni, Carla A. Amoreo, Loriana Castellani, Mitesh J. Borad, Stefano Alemà, Sergio Anastasi, Oreste Segatto – 1 August 2018 – About 15% of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (ICCs) express constitutively active fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) fusion proteins (FFs) generated by chromosomal translocations.

Increasing Liver Transplantation Wait‐List Dropout for Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Widening Geographical Disparities: Implications for Organ Allocation

Neil Mehta, Jennifer L. Dodge, Ryutaro Hirose, John P. Roberts, Francis Y. Yao – 1 August 2018 – Given the increasing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and regional variation in liver transplantation (LT) rates for HCC, we investigated temporal and geographic disparities in LT and wait‐list dropout. LT candidates receiving Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) exception from 2005 to 2014 were identified from the United Network for Organ Sharing database (n = 14,320). Temporal differences were compared across 2 eras (2005‐2009 and 2010‐2014).

Plasma From Patients Undergoing Liver Transplantation Is Resistant to Anticoagulant Activity of Soluble Thrombomodulin

Laura C. Burlage, Sarah Bos, Jelle Adelmeijer, Takumi Sakai, Robert J. Porte, Ton Lisman – 1 August 2018 – Recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin (ART‐123) is an anticoagulant and anti‐inflammatory agent clinically used for treatment of disseminated intravascular coagulation. Preclinical studies have shown that ART‐123 reduces hepatic ischemia/reperfusion. Although ART‐123 may therefore have clinical benefit in orthotopic liver transplantation, the substantial alterations in the hemostatic system may complicate its use in this setting.

Treatment Barriers in Portopulmonary Hypertension

Batool AbuHalimeh, Michael J. Krowka, Adriano R. Tonelli – 31 July 2018 – Portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) is a form of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) that can develop as a complication of portal hypertension. Treatment of PoPH includes PAH‐specific therapies, and in certain cases, such therapies are necessary to facilitate a successful liver transplantation. A significant number of barriers may limit the adequate treatment of patients with PoPH and explain the poorer survival of these patients when compared to patients with other types of PAH.

Subscribe to