Search

Objective: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is highly prevalent among people living with HIV (PLWH) due to comorbidities and factors related to HIV infection. This study aimed to identify clinical predictors of significant fibrosis among PLWH with MASLD. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted with PLWH having CD4 counts ≥200, enrolled between April and October 2023 at two tertiary hospitals. The primary outcome was identifying the clinical predictors of significant fibrosis (F≥2) defined by TE≥8 kPa. Secondary outcomes included MASLD prevalence and characteristics. Results: Among 96 PLWH, 52 (54.2%) had MASLD. The mean age was 49.7±8.0 years, 63.5% were male, and the mean BMI was 25.8±4.1 kg/m². Obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia were present in 17.3%, 19.2%, and 46.2% of participants, respectively. The mean CAP and TE were 285±36 dB/m and 8.7±7.8 kPa, respectively. Significant fibrosis was present in 24 patients (46.2%). Fibrosis scoring systems (FIB-4, APRI, NFS) demonstrated good accuracy (AUROCs: 0.84, 0.85, 0.76, respectively). Multivariate analysis identified predictors of significant fibrosis: higher BMI (aOR 1.24, p=0.042), dyslipidemia (aOR 3.96, p=0.038), and higher AST (aOR 1.19, p=0.011). The AGA pathway using two steps (FIB-4 and TE) improved reclassification of significant fibrosis risk, reducing the number of individuals at indeterminate risk, 12 out of 52 in the first step to 7 out of 52 in the second step. Conclusion: MASLD is highly prevalent in PLWH, with about half experiencing significant fibrosis. Predictors of significant fibrosis include dyslipidemia, higher BMI, and elevated AST levels. Fibrosis scoring systems accurately predict significant fibrosis.

Abstract Liver fibrosis is a pathological condition characterized by the abnormal proliferation of liver tissue, subsequently able to progress to cirrhosis or possibly hepatocellular carcinoma. The development of artificial intelligence and deep learning have begun to play a significant role in fibrosis detection. This study aimed to develop SMART AI‐PATHO, a fully automated assessment method combining quantification of histopathological architectural features, to analyze steatosis and fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) core biopsies and employ Metavir fibrosis staging as standard references and fat assessment grading measurement for comparison with the pathologist interpretations. There were 146 participants enrolled in our study. The correlation of Metavir scoring system interpretation between pathologists and SMART AI‐PATHO was significantly correlated (Agreement = 68%, Kappa = 0.59, p‐value

Objective: To determine impact of urine liver-type fatty acid binding protein (uL-FABP) and urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL), which were biomarkers linked to acute kidney injury (AKI), in AKI diagnosis and prediction of 28-day mortality among hospitalized cirrhotic patients. Materials and Methods: We prospectively enrolled hospitalized cirrhotic patients at a tertiary care university hospital between June 2018 and November 2019. The uL-FABP, uNGAL, and plasma NGAL (pNGAL) were collected within 48 hours of admission. Cutoff values of biomarkers for diagnosing AKI derived from receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent factors for 28-day mortality. Results: We enrolled 109 cirrhotic patients in derivative cohort, 41.3% had AKI. Median uL-FABP, uNGAL, and pNGAL levels in AKI group were higher than non-AKI group: 8.1 vs. 2.8 ng/mL (p=0.002), 40.5 vs. 10.1 ng/mL (p

Abstract Aims Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are common diseases worldwide. Reports of a high prevalence of CKD in NAFLD patients have been documented. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a reliable biomarker for renal dysfunction, and it is recommended for early detection of acute kidney injury (AKI) in cirrhotic patients. Currently, there is no evidence for using urine NGAL to predict CKD in NAFLD patients. We aim to determine the proportion of CKD and identify the predictive value of NGAL and other factors associated with CKD in these patients. Methods A single‐center, cross‐sectional study was conducted between July 2018 and December 2019 in consecutive NAFLD patients diagnosed by transient elastography (TE) or liver biopsy at a tertiary care university hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. Advanced liver fibrosis is defined as fibrosis stages 3–4. The definition of CKD is estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)

Abstract Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been shown as a surrogate for cancer progression and prognostication. We aimed to determine an association between CTCs and survival of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Peripheral blood was obtained from 73 HCC patients to enumerate for epithelial CTCs/8 mL blood. CTCs were detected by immunoaffinity-based method using epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and mucin1 (MUC1). The CTCs detection rates of BCLC stages A, B, and C patients were 65.4% (17/26), 77.3% (17/22), and 96% (24/25), respectively, p = 0.018. Patients with CTCs 36 vs. 4.6 months, p

Abstract Background Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is one of the most impactful complications in patients hospitalized from COVID-19 infection. Limited study has focused on patients with upper GI bleeding (UGIB). This study aimed to identify the risk factors of patients who were hospitalized from COVID-19 infection and developed UGIB as well as the effectiveness of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) prophylaxis in those patients. Methods This study was comprised of two phases. The first phase was the retrospective enrollment of patients who were admitted due to COVID-19 infection and developed UGIB between April and August 2021 to evaluate the associated factors of active UGIB. The second phase was a retrospective analysis after PPI prophylaxis protocol from September – October 2021 to assess the benefit of PPI use in those patients. Results Of 6,373 patients hospitalized, 43 patients (0.7%) had evidence of UGIB. The majority were male 28 (65.1%) with a mean age of 69.1 ± 11.8 years. Twenty-four of 43 patients (55.8%) needed mechanical ventilation, 35 patients (81.4%) received systemic corticosteroids, and 10 patients (23.3%) were taking anticoagulants for venous thromboembolic prophylaxis. Seven of 43 patients (16%) had active UGIB. There was no significant difference in the number of patients taking antiplatelets, anticoagulants, or steroids and the severity of COVID-19 infection between the two groups. An emergency endoscopy or endoscopic hemostasis were performed in 6/7 (85.7%) patients. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed two significant factors associated with active UGIB including higher of Glasgow-Blatchford score (GBS) per point (OR = 7.89; 95%CI 1.03–72.87; p = 0.04) and an absence of PPI use (OR 4.29; 95%CI 1.04–19.51; p = 0.04). After prescribing PPI as a prophylaxis, there was a slightly lower incidence of UGIB (0.6% vs 0.7%) in addition to an absence of active UGIB (0% vs 16%). Conclusion Our study demonstrated that the absence of PPI and higher GBS were significant risk factors for active UGIB which required therapeutic endoscopy in patients with COVID-19 infection. We suggest that short-term PPI prophylaxis should be prescribed in those patients once they need hospitalization regardless of the severity of COVID-19 infection to minimize the severity of UGIB.

Abstract Background Individuals with end-stage renal disease have a higher risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) acquisition during long-term hemodialysis (HD). Our report was designed to investigate HCV prevalence and genotype, in addition to the clinical use of HCV core antigen (HCVcAg), within multiple HD facilities in Thailand. Methods This cross‐sectional report was investigated between January and June 2019. HCV infection was assessed by anti-HCV and confirmed active infection by measuring HCV RNA and HCVcAg. HCV genotype was determined by phylogenetic analysis using nucleotide sequences of NS5B region. Results Overall, 140 of 3,305 (4.2%) patients in 15 dialysis centers had anti-HCV positive. Among them, HCV RNA was further assessed in 93 patients and was detectable in 59 (63.4%) persons. Considering HCV viremia, HCVcAg measurement exhibited high accuracy (96.8%), sensitivity (94.9%) and specificity (100%) in comparison with HCV RNA testing. Moreover, individuals infected with HCV received a longer duration of dialysis vintage when compared to anti-HCV negative controls. The major sub-genotypes were 1a, 1b, 3a, 3b, 6f and 6n. Regarding phylogenetic analysis, there were 7 clusters of isolates with high sequence homology affecting 17 individuals, indicating possible HCV transmission within the same HD centers. Conclusions HCV frequency and common sub-genotypes in HD centers were different from those found in the Thai general population. HCVcAg might be an alternate testing for viremia within resource-limited countries. Enhanced preventive practices, dialyzer reuse policy and better access to antiviral therapy are crucial for HCV micro-elimination within HD facilities.

Abstract Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is able to cause a spectrum of illnesses ranging from no symptom to fulminant hepatitis which may lead to acute kidney injury. Although hepatitis A vaccine is recommended in non-immune solid organ transplant recipients who live in or travel to endemic areas, the standard 2-dose vaccination regimen demonstrated less favorable immunogenicity among these population. The 3-dose regimen showed higher response rate and immune durability in patients with human immunodeficiency virus. However, this strategy has never been studied in solid organ transplant recipients. A single-center, open-labeled, computer-based randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a 2:1 allocation ratio was conducted from August 2017 to December 2018. The study compared the seroconversion rate after receiving 2- or 3-dose regimen of hepatitis A vaccine at 0, 6 and 0, 1, 6 months, respectively, in non-immune kidney transplant recipients. A total of 401 adult kidney transplant recipients were screened for anti-HAV IgG and 285 subjects had positive results so the seroprevalence was 71.1%. Of 116 seronegative recipients, 93 (80.2%) completed vaccination; 60 and 33 participants completed 2- and 3-dose vaccination, respectively. The baseline characteristics were comparable between both groups. The seroconversion rate at 1 month after vaccination was 51.7% in the standard 2-dose regimen and 48.5% in the 3-dose regimen (p = 0.769). Overall, the seroconversion rate appeared to be associated with high estimated glomerular infiltration rate, high serum albumin, and low intensity immunosuppressive regimen. Seroconversion rate after hepatitis A vaccination in kidney transplant recipients was less favorable than healthy population. Three-dose regimen did not show superior benefit over the standard 2-dose regimen. Other strategies of immunization may increase immunogenicity among kidney transplant recipients.

Abstract A 73‐year‐old man, post‐liver transplantation, was scheduled for ERCP to evaluate anastomotic biliary stricture. The patient developed massive bleeding from hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm. Angiography via femoral artery could not identified feeding artery of the pseudoaneurysm. Thus, trans‐abdominal ultrasonography was performed and percutaneous transhepatic glue embolization successfully.

Lenvatinib, an oral small-molecule multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), has been approved for first-line therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Proteinuria is one of the most common adverse events associated with lenvatinib treatment. We reported a 67-year-old Thai female was diagnosed with NASH cirrhosis and HCC BCLC B with TACE refractoriness. She received 8 mg of lenvatinib for 2 weeks and began to experience worsening hypertension, bilateral pleural effusion, pedal edema, hypoalbuminemia, hypercholesterolemia, and proteinuria. After exclusion of all possible causes, lenvatinib-induced nephrotic syndrome (NS) was diagnosed. One week after discontinuing the drug, her symptoms gradually improved. To date, there have been only a handful of reported cases of lenvatinib-induced nephrotoxicity. We report herein the case of lenvatinib-induced NS in a cirrhotic patient with HCC with resolution of symptoms in a short period after drug discontinuation. In addition, we reviewed all reported cases of lenvatinib-induced nephrotoxicity.

Background. Tetanus has rarely been reported in Thailand since 1982 due to 100% tetanus vaccination coverage during the neonatal period of life. However, the reemergence of tetanus has been observed in our country during the past decade, mainly due to the increasing number of migrants traveling from neighboring countries in search of work. Acupuncture has become an essential part of alternative and complementary medicine. To our knowledge, acupuncture-associated Mycobacterium abscessus and Scedosporium infections superimposed by tetanus have never been reported. Case Presentation. A 55-year-old Thai female with schizophrenia was hospitalized due to a 4-day course of trismus, dysphagia, and back muscle spasms. Upon admission, a clinical diagnosis of tetanus was made, which included muscle rigidity and reflex muscle spasms, despite a recent history of diphtheria-tetanus (dT) vaccination for tetanus prophylaxis after 2 episodes of falling complicated by two lacerations on the left shoulder and head. Endotracheal intubation for airway protection was given, in addition to tetanus immunoglobulin, metronidazole, and diazepam which were prescribed to the patient. Incision and drainage of the wound on the left shoulder yielded 40 mL of pus, which subsequently grew Clostridium species, Mycobacterium massiliense, and Scedosporium on anaerobic bacterial, mycobacterial, and fungal cultures, respectively. An incision of an acupuncture wound on the abdominal wall yielded 1 mL of pus, which exhibited positive acid-fast bacilli (AFB) on AFB stain. Mycobacterial culture finally grew M. massiliense. The organism was susceptible to amikacin and clarithromycin. Amikacin, clarithromycin, ciprofloxacin, and voriconazole were then added. The patient gradually improved and was discharged after one month of hospitalization. The patient was reported to be doing well, with no neurological sequelae, when last seen one month after discharge. Conclusions. To our knowledge, this is the first case of acupuncture-associated M. massiliense and Scedosporium infections superimposed by tetanus. In Thailand, the occurrence of acupuncture by nonqualified individuals and the reemergence of tetanus remain prevalent. Hence, it is not uncommon to see tetanus in association with acupuncture-related nontuberculous mycobacterial/fungal infection.

Background: Lymphoid interstitial pneumonia (LIP) is categorized as a rare form of interstitial lung disease. Most cases are associated with autoimmune disease. Case report: A 78-year-old male with Crohn's disease, presented with progressive dyspnea and dry cough for few weeks. The pathology of transbronchial lung biopsy was compatible with LIP and positive cells on EBER in situ hybridization. Blood EBV viral load was 85,715 copies/mL, compatible with EBV-associated LIP. All immunosuppressive agents were discontinued, but unfortunately the patient died due to hospital-acquired infections. In addition, we reviewed all reported cases of EBV-associated LIP in literature. Conclusions: To our knowledge, we report herein the first case of EBV-associated LIP in an IBD patient. We postulate that LIP was the consequence from EBV reactivation, probably due to immunosuppressive agents and/or IBD itself. The physician should aware of this disease when taking care of immunosuppressive patients who present with acute interstitial pneumonitis.

Esophagitis dissecans superficialis (EDS), a rare desquamative esophageal disease of uncertain etiology, is characterized by sloughing of fragments of esophageal mucosa. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no reported case of EDS in an HIV-infected patient. We report the first case of EDS in an adult HIV-infected male, who was hospitalized due to dysphagia. Esophagogastroscopy was performed, and the endoscopic findings together with the histopathologic findings of esophageal tissues were consistent with EDS. However, his symptom of dysphagia was not explained by EDS, but was the early symptoms of muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) myasthenia gravis (MG) that we finally diagnosed later by progression of the symptoms and electrophysiologic study. His symptoms had gradually improved after a course of intravenous immunoglobulin treatment. This is the first case of EDS and MuSK myasthenia gravis in an HIV-infected patient. A high index of suspicion of EDS should be made when taking care of the patients with desquamative or sloughing esophagitis especially with unknown etiology.