Prenatal noninvasive trio-WES in a case of pregnancy-related liver disorder

Liver disease in pregnancy may present as an acute condition related to the gestational period, characterized by pruritus, jaundice, and abnormal liver function. The disease may be misdiagnosed with other liver diseases, some of which may have consequences for fetal health. It is therefore advisable to implement rapid diagnostic strategies to provide information for the management of pregnancy in these conditions. We report the case of a healthy woman with a twin pregnancy from homologous in vitro fertilization (IVF), who in the third trimester presented jaundice and malaise. Biochemical investigations and liver hyperechogenicity raised the suspicion of acute fatty liver disease of pregnancy (AFLP). Non-invasive prenatal whole-exome sequencing (WES) in the trio identified the Phe305Ile heterozygous variant in the ATP8B1 gene. Considering the twin pregnancy, the percentage of the variant versus the wild allele was of 31%, suggesting heterozygosity present in the mother alone. This analysis showed that the mother was affected by benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP1: # 147480) and indicated the opportunity to anticipate childbirth to avoid worsening of the mother’s health. WES after the birth of the twins confirmed the molecular data

Interleukin 28 polymorphisms and hepatocellular carcinoma development after direct acting antiviral therapy for chronihepatitis c

Background & Aims: Cirrhotic patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remain at risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) even after the sustained virologic response (SVR). We aimed to evaluate whether the IL28 (rs12979860) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) may constitute a predisposing genetic factor and to identify the SVR patients at risk of HCC. Methods: Two hundred patients undergoing DAAs treatment for chronic hepatitis C with advanced fibrosis (F3-F4) were consecutively enrolled. Besides normal routine laboratory testing for HCV, patients’ sera were evaluated also for retinol, retinol-binding protein 4 and the following SNPs: PNPLA3 (rs738409), TM6SF2 (rs58542926), MBOAT7 (rs641738), IL28B (rs12979860), TIMP-1 (rs4898), TIMP-2 (rs8179090), NF-kB promoter (rs28362491). Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata/SE 14.2 statistical software (Stata Corp, College Station, TX). Results: Almost all patients (197/200) obtained SVR24. Seventeen patients had a previous history of treated HCC before DAAs. Six patients developed HCC recurrence and five patients developed de novo HCC after a mean period of 18 months since EOT. All these patients had SVR. A significant association between IL28B – TT genotype and HCC development after DAAs therapy was observed (OR 4.728, CI 95% 1.222 – 18.297, p=0.024). Conclusion: IL28B rs12979860 polymorphism was significantly associated with HCC development after DAAs. Assessment of this SNP may better identify patients at risk of developing HCC after treatment. Further prospective studies are required to confirm these hypotheses

High Doses of Ursodeoxycholic Acid Up-Regulate the Expression of Placental Breast Cancer Resistance Protein in Patients Affected by Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy

BACKGROUND: Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) administration in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) induces bile acids (BA) efflux from the foetal compartment, but the molecular basis of this transplacental transport is only partially defined. AIM: To determine if placental breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), able to transport BA, is regulated by UDCA in ICP. METHODS: 32 pregnant women with ICP (14 untreated, 34.9\ub15.17 years; 18 treated with UDCA--25 mg/Kg/day, 32.7\ub14.62 years,) and 12 healthy controls (33.4\ub13.32 years) agreed to participate in the study. Placentas were obtained at delivery and processed for membrane extraction. BCRP protein expression was evaluated by immunoblotting techniques and chemiluminescence quantified with a luminograph measuring emitted photons; mRNA expression with real time PCR. Statistical differences between groups were evaluated by ANOVA with Dunn's Multiple Comparison test. RESULTS: BCRP was expressed only on the apical membrane of the syncytiotrophoblast. A significant difference was observed among the three groups both for mRNA (ANOVA, p\u200a=\u200a0.0074) and protein (ANOVA, p<0.0001) expression. BCRP expression was similar in controls and in the untreated ICP group. UDCA induced a significant increase in placental BCRP mRNA and protein expression compared to controls (350.7\ub1106.3 vs 100\ub118.68% of controls, p<0.05 and 397.8\ub156.02 vs 100\ub111.44% of controls, p<0.001, respectively) and untreated ICP (90.29\ub117.59% of controls, p<0.05 and 155.0\ub113.87%, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Our results confirm that BCRP is expressed only on the apical membrane of the syncytiotrophoblast and show that ICP treatment with high dose UDCA significantly upregulates placental BCRP expression favouring BA efflux from the foetal compartment

Mammifères pleistocènes de Algoz, en Algarve: une revision

At Algoz, Algarve, some mammals were found. The fauna, as revised here, corresponds to lowermost Middle Pleistocene (Biharian), just before the first glacial advance of Gunz glaciation. It is much older than it was previously regarded (Riss-Wurm interglacial). Evidence indicates an humid, swampy, riparian environment rich in plant life, and a nearby forest. Climate seems to have been rather warm (see ANTUNES et al., 1985). Age and ecology suggest that Algoz and Morgadinho, also in Algarve, are correlative (Morgadinho's age is from Villanyian to Biharian, and is thus compatible with that from Algoz). Lithology and palynological analysis corroborate this view. Algoz is the first locality of this age known in Portugal. Morgadinho and perhaps lacustrine limestones at Ponte das Lavadeiras (Faro) are more or less the same age

Utility of Doppler-Ultrasound and Liver Elastography in the Evaluation of Patients with Suspected Pregnancy-Related Liver Disease

Grayscale abdomen ultrasound (US) is routinely performed in pregnant women with suspected pregnancy-related liver dysfunction, but its diagnostic yield is very low. We aimed to investigate the association between Doppler-US findings, liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and different causes of pregnancy-related liver dysfunction. This is a prospective cohort study of pregnant women referred to our tertiary center for any suspected gastrointestinal disease between 2017 and 2019 and undergoing Doppler-US and liver elastography. Patients with previous liver disease were excluded from the analysis. For group comparisons of categorical and continuous variables, the chi-square test or Mann-Whitney test, and the McNemar test were used, as appropriate. A total of 112 patients were included in the final analysis, of whom 41 (36.6%) presented with suspected liver disease: 23 intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), six with gestational hypertensive disorders and 12 cases with undetermined causes of elevated liver enzymes. Values of LSM were higher and significantly associated with a diagnosis of gestational hypertensive disorder (AUROC = 0.815). No significant differences at Doppler-US or LSM were found between ICP patients and controls. Patients with undetermined causes of hypertransaminasemia showed higher hepatic and splenic resistive indexes than controls, suggesting splanchnic congestion. The evaluation of Doppler-US and liver elastography is clinically useful in patients with suspected liver dysfunction during pregnancy. Liver stiffness represents a promising non-invasive tool for the assessment of patients with gestational hypertensive disorders

Size and location of spontaneous portosystemic shunts predict the risk of decompensation in cirrhotic patients

Background: The prognostic role of spontaneous portosystemic shunts (SPSS) has been poorly investigated. / Aims: To evaluate the impact of the presence of SPSS, as well as their characteristics, on the risk of decompensation. / Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 235 advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD) patients with available imaging examination, transient elastography, and upper endoscopy. ACLD was defined as liver stiffness measurement (LSM) >10 kPa. Competitive risk analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with the main outcome. / Results: SPSS were reported in 141 (60%) of the patients. Non-viral etiology was independently associated with SPSS presence [Odds-Ratio (OR): 2.743;95%-Interval-of-Confidence (IC):1.129–6.664]. During a follow-up of 37 (20–63) months, SPSS were found predictors of any decompensation type [Subhazard Ratio (SHR):2.264; 95%-IC:1.259–4.071], independently from a history of decompensation or high-risk-varices presence. The risk of complications was higher in patients with large (SHR: 3.775; 95%-IC: 2.016–7.070) and multiple (SHR:3.832; 95%-IC: 2.004–7.330) shunts, and in those with gastrorenal shunts (SHR:2.636; 95%-IC:1.521–4.569). / Conclusions: The presence, size, and number of SPSS predict not only the risk of hepatic encephalopathy but that of any type of decompensation across all stages of cirrhosis. Future studies should explore the possibility of treating shunts to prevent decompensation

Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Clinical Practice: Temporal Trends and Survival Outcomes of an Iterative Treatment

Background: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is one of the most frequently applied treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. In this study, we aimed at evaluating whether and how TACE application and repetition, as well as the related outcome, have changed over the last three decades in Italy. Methods: Data of 7,184 patients with HCC were retrieved from the Italian Liver Cancer (ITA.LI.CA) database. Patients were divided according to the period of diagnosis in six cohorts: P1 (1988–1993), P2 (1994–1998), P3 (1999–2004), P4 (2005–2009), P5 (2010–2014), and P6 (2015–2019). All the analyses were repeated in the overall patient population and in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) B patients, who are the subgroup of HCC patients originally supposed to receive TACE according to guidelines. TACE was defined as either the first or the main (more effective) treatment. Results: The proportion of patients receiving TACE as first or main therapy declined over time, and less than 50% of BCLC B patients were treated with chemoembolization from P3 onward. Conversely, TACE was widely used even outside the intermediate stage. Survival of TACE-treated patients progressively increased from P1 to P6. Although TACE was performed only once in the majority of patients, there was an increasing proportion of those receiving 2 or ≥3 treatments sessions over time. The overall survival (OS) of patients undergoing repeated treatments was significantly higher compared to those managed with a single TACE (median OS 40.0 vs. 65.0 vs. 71.8 months in 1, 2, and ≥3 TACE groups, respectively; p &lt; 0.0001). However, after a first-line TACE, the adoption of curative therapies provided longer survival than repeating TACE (83.0 vs. 42.0 months; p &lt; 0.0001), which in turn was associated with better outcomes compared to systemic therapies or best supportive care (BSC). Conclusions: Despite a decline in the percentage of treated patients over time, TACE has still an important role in the management of HCC patients. The survival of TACE-treated patients gradually improved over time, probably due to a better patient selection. Iterative TACE is effective, but an upward shift to curative therapies provides better outcomes while transition to systemic therapies and BSC leads to a worse prognosis

Hepatic encephalopathy increases the risk for mortality and hospital readmission in decompensated cirrhotic patients: a prospective multicenter study

Introduction: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) affects the survival and quality of life of patients with cirrhosis. However, longitudinal data on the clinical course after hospitalization for HE are lacking. The aim was to estimate mortality and risk for hospital readmission of cirrhotic patients hospitalized for HE. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 112 consecutive cirrhotic patients hospitalized for HE (HE group) at 25 Italian referral centers. A cohort of 256 patients hospitalized for decompensated cirrhosis without HE served as controls (no HE group). After hospitalization for HE, patients were followed-up for 12 months until death or liver transplant (LT). Results: During follow-up, 34 patients (30.4%) died and 15 patients (13.4%) underwent LT in the HE group, while 60 patients (23.4%) died and 50 patients (19.5%) underwent LT in the no HE group. In the whole cohort, age (HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.06), HE (HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.08–2.56), ascites (HR 2.56, 95% CI 1.55–4.23), and sodium levels (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.90–0.99) were significant risk factors for mortality. In the HE group, ascites (HR 5.07, 95% CI 1.39–18.49) and BMI (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.75–0.98) were risk factors for mortality, and HE recurrence was the first cause of hospital readmission. Conclusion: In patients hospitalized for decompensated cirrhosis, HE is an independent risk factor for mortality and the most common cause of hospital readmission compared with other decompensation events. Patients hospitalized for HE should be evaluated as candidates for LT

BIOCHRONOLOGY OF SELECTED MAMMALS, MOLLUSCS AND OSTRACODS FROM THE MIDDLE PLIOCENE TO THE LATE PLEISTOCENE IN ITALY. THE STATE OF THE ART

The Authors have elaborated four range charts of mammalian (large and micro), molluscs and fresh-water and brackish ostracodes faunas, for the selected Plio-Pleistocene fossiliferous localities of the Italy. A new Mammal Age (Aurelian) correlatable to late Middle and Late Pleistocene has been defined. Inside this age two Faunal Units (Torre in Pietra and Vitinia) have been defined as characteristic for Early and Middle Aurelian, while no gisements have been chosen for the late Aurelian. Biochronological units are calibrated on magnetostratigraphic and isotopic scales and by radiometric datings.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp

BIOCHRONOLOGY OF SELECTED MAMMALS, MOLLUSCS AND OSTRACODS FROM THE MIDDLE PLIOCENE TO THE LATE PLEISTOCENE IN ITALY. THE STATE OF THE ART

The Authors have elaborated four range charts of mammalian (large and micro), molluscs and fresh-water and brackish ostracodes faunas, for the selected Plio-Pleistocene fossiliferous localities of the Italy. A new Mammal Age (Aurelian) correlatable to late Middle and Late Pleistocene has been defined. Inside this age two Faunal Units (Torre in Pietra and Vitinia) have been defined as characteristic for Early and Middle Aurelian, while no gisements have been chosen for the late Aurelian. Biochronological units are calibrated on magnetostratigraphic and isotopic scales and by radiometric datings.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp