Initial experience of a large, self-expanding, and fully recapturable transcatheter aortic valve: The UK & Ireland Implanters' registry.

OBJECTIVES: The UK & Ireland Implanters' registry is a multicenter registry which reports on real-world experience with novel transcatheter heart valves. BACKGROUND: The 34 mm Evolut R transcatheter aortic valve is a self-expanding and fully recapturable transcatheter aortic valve, designed to treat patients with a large aortic annulus. METHODS: Between January 2017 and April 2018, clinical, procedural and 30-day outcome data were prospectively collected from all patients receiving the 34 mm Evolut R valve across 17 participating centers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The primary efficacy outcome was the Valve Academic Research Consortium-2(VARC-2)-defined endpoint of device success. The primary safety outcome was the VARC-2-defined composite endpoint of early safety at 30 days. RESULTS: A total of 217 patients underwent attempted implant. Mean age was 79.5 ± 8.8 years and Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality Score 5.2% ± 3.4%. Iliofemoral access was used in 91.2% of patients. Device success was 79.7%. Mean gradient was 7.0 ± 4.6 mmHg and effective orifice area 2.0 ± 0.6 cm2 . Paravalvular regurgitation was more than mild in 7.2%. A new permanent pacemaker was implanted in 15.7%. Early safety was demonstrated in 91.2%. At 30 days, all-cause mortality was 3.2%, stroke 3.7%, and major vascular complication 2.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Real-world experience of the 34 mm Evolut R transcatheter aortic valve demonstrated acceptable procedural success, safety, valve function, and incidence of new permanent pacemaker implantation

Efficacy of pegylated interferon-α treatment for 24 months in chronic delta hepatitis and predictors of response.

Background: To determine the efficacy of pegylated interferon-alpha (PEG-IFN-alpha) therapy for 24 months in chronic delta hepatitis (CDH)

Treatment failure may lead to accelerated fibrosis progression in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients with treatment failure (TF) remain at risk of continuing fibrosis progression. However, it has not been investigated whether there is an increased risk of accelerated fibrosis progression after failed interferon-based therapy. We aimed to investigate long-term influence of TF on fibrosis progression compared with untreated patients with CHC. We studied 125 patients with CHC who underwent paired liver biopsies from 1994 to 2012. Patients with advanced fibrosis were excluded from the analysis. Sixty-three patients had TF, and 62 patients were treatment-naive (TN). Annual fibrosis progression rate (FPR) was calculated, and significant fibrosis progression (SFP) was defined as 2 stage increase in fibrosis during follow-up. Multiple regression analyses were performed to find out independent predictors of FPR and SFP. Demographic characteristics and duration between paired liver biopsies were similar in TF and TN groups. Baseline alanine aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels (71 +/- 31 vs 47 +/- 22, P<0.001 and 49 +/- 39 vs 36 +/- 28, P=0.027, respectively), baseline mean fibrosis stage (2.2 +/- 0.7 vs 1.9 +/- 0.7, P=0.018) and histologic activity index (6.3 +/- 1.9 vs 4.3 +/- 1.6, P<0.001) were higher in the TF group compared with the TN group. In regression analyses, the strongest independent predictor of fibrosis progression was the GGT level (OR: 1.03, 95%CI 1.01-1.5, P<0.001). Treatment experience (OR: 5.97, 95%CI 1.81-19.7, P=0.003) also appeared as an independent predictor of both FPR and SFP. Failed interferon-based CHC treatment may lead to accelerated FPR in the long-term compared with the natural course

Effect of cytochrome P450 2C19 polymorphisms on the Helicobacter pylori eradication rate following two-week triple therapy with pantoprazole or rabeprazole.

OBJECTIVE: Cytochrome P450 2C19 (CYP2C19) polymorphisms play an important role in the metabolism of proton pump inhibitors. Rabeprazole is primarily metabolized via non-enzymatic pathways. In this study, we determined whether rabeprazole- and pantoprazole-based eradication treatments were influenced by CYP2C19 polymorphisms

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate has a substantial efficacy against multidrug-resistant strains of hepatitis B virus.

Background & AimsTo evaluate the efficacy of tenofovir in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with adefovir resistance (ADF-R) and suboptimal response to adefovir (ADF-S)

Effects of polymorphisms in interferon λ 3 (interleukin 28B) on sustained virologic response to therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis D virus infection.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We investigated the association between interferon lambda 3 (IFNL3) genotype (also known as interleukin 28B) and response to IFN alpha therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection