OBJECTIVE Chronic viral hepatitis B and C cause liver fibrosis, leading to cirrhosis. Fibrosis assessment is essential to establish prognosis and treatment indication. We compared seven non-invasive tests, separately and in combination, in chronic hepatitis patients to detect early stages of fibrosis according to the Metavir score in liver biopsy. MATERIAL AND METHODS Galactose and methacetin...

BACKGROUND Evaluation of advanced fibrosis in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is used to facilitate decisions on treatment strategy and to initiate additional screening measures. Unfortunately, most studies have predominately Caucasian (Cau) patients and may not be as relevant for African Americans (AA). AIMS This study specifically addresses the issue of defining minimal vs. ...

AIMS We sought to compare the effects of FIB-4 index and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients undergoing entecavir (ETV) therapy. PATIENT AND METHODS A total of 338 nucleosides analogue therapy naïve CHB patients initially treated with ETV were analyzed. The optimal cutoff points in each con...

AIM To determine the predictive performance of cholinesterase compared to existing prognostic models in evaluating liver function in patients with chronic hepatitis D. METHODS In an observational, cross-sectional and retrospective study, consecutive patients with hepatitis D cirrhosis were evaluated. Demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters were recorded. Serum cholinesterase levels we...

BACKGROUND Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II genotype is associated with clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, but little is known regarding its relation with HCV viral load or risk of liver disease in patients with persistent HCV infection. METHODS High-resolution HLA class I and II genotyping was conducted in a prospective cohort of 519 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV...

Staging fibrosis is crucial for the prognosis and to determine the rapid need of treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and C (CHC). The expression of 13 fibrosis-related microRNAs (miRNAs) (miR-20a, miR-21, miR-27a, miR-27b, miR-29a, miR-29c, miR-92a, miR-122, miR-146a, miR-155, miR-221, miR-222, and miR-224) was analyzed in 194 serums and 177 liver biopsies of patients with eith...

We determined the diagnostic accuracy and optimal cut off of three indirect fibrosis biomarkers (APRI, FIB-4, Forns) compared with liver stiffness (LS) for the detection of liver cirrhosis in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients. An observational retrospective study on HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with concomitant LS measurement and APRI, FIB-4 and Forns was performed. The presence of liver cirrhosis was...

Background Non-invasive fibrosis scores are not yet validated in the newly defined metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). Aim To evaluate diagnostic performance of four non-invasive including aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), fibrosis-4 (FIB-4), body mass index, aminotransferase/alanine ratio, diabetes score (BARD), and nonalcoholic (NFS) patients with MAFLD....

As the most important resource for life, water has been a central issue in international agenda several decades. Yet, world’s clean freshwater supply is steadily decreasing due to climate change and extensive agricultural demand irrigated lands. Therefore, addition rational use, we should use non-traditional resources like Reclaimed Wastewater (RW). The present experiment was carried out China ...

Dear Editor, We read with great interest the recently published article by Tapper et al. [1]. In this study, the authors’ intention was to describe the clinical predictors of advanced histology in a tertiary referral centre population, and to describe the rate of advanced histology in patients with ‘normal’ ultrasound findings in a cohort of liver-biopsy-proven, non-alcoholic fatty liver diseas...