Classical interferon-alpha has been shown to be correlated with the development of a variety of autoimmune disorders. A 38 year-old female patient developed simultaneously diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperthyroidism 5 m...Classical interferon-alpha has been shown to be correlated with the development of a variety of autoimmune disorders. A 38 year-old female patient developed simultaneously diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperthyroidism 5 mo following initiation of treatment with pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C. High titers of glutamic acid decarboxylase, antinuclear and thyroid (thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin) antibodies were detected. Antiviral treatment was withdrawn and the patient was treated with insulin for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and propranolol for hyperthyroidism. Twelve months after cessation of pegylated interferon-α therapy the patient was euthyroid without any medication but remained insulin-dependent.展开更多
The optimal approach to the management of several marginal cases with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is controversial. Serum HBV DNA and ami-notransferase levels, and the degree of necroinflammation and fib...The optimal approach to the management of several marginal cases with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is controversial. Serum HBV DNA and ami-notransferase levels, and the degree of necroinflammation and fibrosis determine the therapeutic decisions. All patients with elevated aminotransferase (> twice the upper limit of normal) and serum HBV DNA above 20 000 IU/mL should be treated. Liver biopsy is important for therapeutic decisions in cases with mild aminotransferase elevations and serum HBV DNA below 20 000 IU/mL. Chronic HBV patients who do not receive treatment should be followed for life. There are seven agents licensed for chronic hepatitis B: standard and pegylated interferon-alpha, lamivudine, adefovir, entecavir, telbivudine and tenofovir. One-year courses with pegylated interferon-alpha induce sustained off-therapy remission in 30%-32% of patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B and in a smaller proportion of patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B. Oral antivirals achieve initial on-therapy responses in the majority of patients, but are intended as long-term therapies. Viral suppression has favourable effects on patients' outcome and modifies the natural course of the disease. Viral resistance, however, is the major drawback of long-term oral antiviral therapy. Lamivudine monotherapy is associated with the highest and ente-cavir monotherapy with the lowest resistance rate so far. There has been no resistance to tenofovir, but afteronly 18 mo of treatment to date. The optimal first-line anti-HBV therapy with the best long-term cost/benefit ratio remains unclear. If oral antiviral agents are used, compliance should always be ascertained and HBV DNA levels should be regularly tested.展开更多
AIM: To evaluate survival rate and clinical outcome of cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: The medical records of 34 patients with cholangiocarcinoma, seen at a single hospital between the years 1999-2006, were retrospecti...AIM: To evaluate survival rate and clinical outcome of cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: The medical records of 34 patients with cholangiocarcinoma, seen at a single hospital between the years 1999-2006, were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients with a median age of 75 years were included. Seventeen (50%) had painless jaundice at presentation. Sixteen (47.1%) were perihilar, 15 (44.1%) extrahepatic and three (8.8%) intrahepatic. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERCP) and/or magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRCP) were used for the diagnosis. Pathologic confirmation was obtained in seven and positive cytological examination in three. Thirteen patients had co-morbidities (38.2%). Four cases were managed with complete surgical resection. All the rest of the cases (30) were characterized as non-resectable due to advanced stage of the disease. Palliative biliary drainage was performed in 26/30 (86.6%). The mean follow-up was 32 mo (95% CI, 20-43 too). Overall median survival was 8.7 mo (95% CI, 2-16 mo). The probability of 1-year, 2-year and 3-year survival was 46%, 20% and 7%, respectively. The survival was slightly longer in patients who underwent resection compared to those who did not, but this difference failed to reach statistical significance. Patients who underwent biliary drainage had an advantage in survival compared to those who did not (probability of survival 53% vs 0% at 1 year, respectively, P = 0.038). CONCLUSION: Patients with cholangiocarcinoma were usually elderly with co-morbidities and/oradvanced disease at presentation. Even though a slight amelioration in survival with palliative biliary drainage was observed, patients had dismal outcome without resection of the tumor.展开更多
AIM: To validate the statistic utility of both the Maddrey Discriminant Function score and the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease as predictors of short term (30 d and 90 d) mortality in patients with alcoholic hepa...AIM: To validate the statistic utility of both the Maddrey Discriminant Function score and the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease as predictors of short term (30 d and 90 d) mortality in patients with alcoholic hepatitis and to assess prognostic factors among clinical characteristics and laboratory variables of patients with alcoholic hepatitis. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with the diagnosis of alcoholic hepatitis admitted to Hippokration University Hospital of Athens from 2000 to 2005 were assessed in the current retrospective study and a statistical analysis was conducted. RESULTS: 30- and 90-d mortality rates were reported at 5.9% (2/34) and 14.7% (5/34), respectively. Significant correlation was demonstrated for the Model for End- Stage Liver Disease (P30 = 0.094, P90 = 0.046) and the Maddrey Discriminant Function score (P30 = 0.033, P90 = 0.038) with 30- and 90-d mortality whereas a significant association was also established for alanine aminotrans- ferase (P = 0.057), fibrin degradation products (P = 0.048) and C-reactive protein (P = 0.067) with 90-d mortality. For 30-d mortality the Area Under the Curve was 0.969 (95%CI: 0.902-1.036, P = 0.028) for the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score and 0.984 (95%CI: 0.942-1.027, P = 0.023) for the Maddrey Discriminant Function score with the optimal cut off point of 30.5 (sensitivity 1, specificity 0.937) and 108.68 (sensitivity 1, specificity 0.969), respectively. Accordingly, for 90-d mortality the Area Under the Curve was 0.762 (95%CI: 0.559-0.965, P = 0.065) for the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score and 0.752 (95%CI: 0.465-1.038, P = 0.076) for the Maddrey Discriminant Function score with the optimal cut off point of 19 (sensitivity 0.6, specificity 0.6) and 92 (sensitivity 0.6, specificity 0.946), respectively. The observed Kaplan Meier survival rates for different score-categories were compared with logrank tests and higher score values were correlated with a lower survival. CONCLUSION: Equivalency of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease and the Maddrey Discriminant Function score is implied by the current study, verified by the plotted Receiver Operative Curves and the estimated survival rates. A statistically significant utility of C-reactive protein, fibrin degradation products and alanine aminotransferase as independent predictors of 90-d mortality has also been verified.展开更多
摘要Classical interferon-alpha has been shown to be correlated with the development of a variety of autoimmune disorders. A 38 year-old female patient developed simultaneously diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperthyroidism 5 mo following initiation of treatment with pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C. High titers of glutamic acid decarboxylase, antinuclear and thyroid (thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin) antibodies were detected. Antiviral treatment was withdrawn and the patient was treated with insulin for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and propranolol for hyperthyroidism. Twelve months after cessation of pegylated interferon-α therapy the patient was euthyroid without any medication but remained insulin-dependent.
摘要The optimal approach to the management of several marginal cases with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is controversial. Serum HBV DNA and ami-notransferase levels, and the degree of necroinflammation and fibrosis determine the therapeutic decisions. All patients with elevated aminotransferase (> twice the upper limit of normal) and serum HBV DNA above 20 000 IU/mL should be treated. Liver biopsy is important for therapeutic decisions in cases with mild aminotransferase elevations and serum HBV DNA below 20 000 IU/mL. Chronic HBV patients who do not receive treatment should be followed for life. There are seven agents licensed for chronic hepatitis B: standard and pegylated interferon-alpha, lamivudine, adefovir, entecavir, telbivudine and tenofovir. One-year courses with pegylated interferon-alpha induce sustained off-therapy remission in 30%-32% of patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B and in a smaller proportion of patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B. Oral antivirals achieve initial on-therapy responses in the majority of patients, but are intended as long-term therapies. Viral suppression has favourable effects on patients' outcome and modifies the natural course of the disease. Viral resistance, however, is the major drawback of long-term oral antiviral therapy. Lamivudine monotherapy is associated with the highest and ente-cavir monotherapy with the lowest resistance rate so far. There has been no resistance to tenofovir, but afteronly 18 mo of treatment to date. The optimal first-line anti-HBV therapy with the best long-term cost/benefit ratio remains unclear. If oral antiviral agents are used, compliance should always be ascertained and HBV DNA levels should be regularly tested.
摘要AIM: To evaluate survival rate and clinical outcome of cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: The medical records of 34 patients with cholangiocarcinoma, seen at a single hospital between the years 1999-2006, were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients with a median age of 75 years were included. Seventeen (50%) had painless jaundice at presentation. Sixteen (47.1%) were perihilar, 15 (44.1%) extrahepatic and three (8.8%) intrahepatic. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERCP) and/or magnetic resonance cholangiography (MRCP) were used for the diagnosis. Pathologic confirmation was obtained in seven and positive cytological examination in three. Thirteen patients had co-morbidities (38.2%). Four cases were managed with complete surgical resection. All the rest of the cases (30) were characterized as non-resectable due to advanced stage of the disease. Palliative biliary drainage was performed in 26/30 (86.6%). The mean follow-up was 32 mo (95% CI, 20-43 too). Overall median survival was 8.7 mo (95% CI, 2-16 mo). The probability of 1-year, 2-year and 3-year survival was 46%, 20% and 7%, respectively. The survival was slightly longer in patients who underwent resection compared to those who did not, but this difference failed to reach statistical significance. Patients who underwent biliary drainage had an advantage in survival compared to those who did not (probability of survival 53% vs 0% at 1 year, respectively, P = 0.038). CONCLUSION: Patients with cholangiocarcinoma were usually elderly with co-morbidities and/oradvanced disease at presentation. Even though a slight amelioration in survival with palliative biliary drainage was observed, patients had dismal outcome without resection of the tumor.
摘要AIM: To validate the statistic utility of both the Maddrey Discriminant Function score and the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease as predictors of short term (30 d and 90 d) mortality in patients with alcoholic hepatitis and to assess prognostic factors among clinical characteristics and laboratory variables of patients with alcoholic hepatitis. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with the diagnosis of alcoholic hepatitis admitted to Hippokration University Hospital of Athens from 2000 to 2005 were assessed in the current retrospective study and a statistical analysis was conducted. RESULTS: 30- and 90-d mortality rates were reported at 5.9% (2/34) and 14.7% (5/34), respectively. Significant correlation was demonstrated for the Model for End- Stage Liver Disease (P30 = 0.094, P90 = 0.046) and the Maddrey Discriminant Function score (P30 = 0.033, P90 = 0.038) with 30- and 90-d mortality whereas a significant association was also established for alanine aminotrans- ferase (P = 0.057), fibrin degradation products (P = 0.048) and C-reactive protein (P = 0.067) with 90-d mortality. For 30-d mortality the Area Under the Curve was 0.969 (95%CI: 0.902-1.036, P = 0.028) for the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score and 0.984 (95%CI: 0.942-1.027, P = 0.023) for the Maddrey Discriminant Function score with the optimal cut off point of 30.5 (sensitivity 1, specificity 0.937) and 108.68 (sensitivity 1, specificity 0.969), respectively. Accordingly, for 90-d mortality the Area Under the Curve was 0.762 (95%CI: 0.559-0.965, P = 0.065) for the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score and 0.752 (95%CI: 0.465-1.038, P = 0.076) for the Maddrey Discriminant Function score with the optimal cut off point of 19 (sensitivity 0.6, specificity 0.6) and 92 (sensitivity 0.6, specificity 0.946), respectively. The observed Kaplan Meier survival rates for different score-categories were compared with logrank tests and higher score values were correlated with a lower survival. CONCLUSION: Equivalency of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease and the Maddrey Discriminant Function score is implied by the current study, verified by the plotted Receiver Operative Curves and the estimated survival rates. A statistically significant utility of C-reactive protein, fibrin degradation products and alanine aminotransferase as independent predictors of 90-d mortality has also been verified.