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Sustained virological response (SVR) to the treatment of recurrent HCV in liver transplant recipients has excellent clinical outcomes; however, little is known about the effects on allograft histology. The study aimed to assess the histology of the allograft liver. In this single-center, retrospective cohort study, patients with recurrent hepatitis C (HCV) in allograft liver who were cured with antiviral therapy between 2010 and 2016 were identified. Biopsies were reviewed by two liver pathologists blinded to the treatment and SVR status. Paired analysis was performed to compare pre- and post-treatment histological features. Of the 62 patients analyzed, 22 patients received PEGylated interferon/ribavirin (IFN) therapy, while 40 patients received direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA). The mean age was 57 years, 24% were female, and 79% were Caucasian. RNA in situ hybridization testing for HCV and HEV was negative in all the tested patients. Significant reduction in the inflammatory grade of post-treatment biopsy specimens was noted in all subjects (n = 57; p

Elastic sheets offer a path to encapsulating a droplet of one fluid in another that is different from that of traditional molecular or particulate surfactants. In wrappings of fluids by sheets of moderate thickness with petals designed to curl into closed shapes, capillarity balances bending forces. Here, we show that, by using much thinner sheets, the constraints of this balance can be lifted to access a regime of high sheet bendability that brings three major advantages: ultrathin sheets automatically achieve optimally efficient shapes that maximize the enclosed volume of liquid for a fixed area of sheet; interfacial energies and mechanical properties of the sheet are irrelevant within this regime, thus allowing for further functionality; and complete coverage of the fluid can be achieved without special sheet designs. We propose and validate a general geometric model that captures the entire range of this new class of wrapped and partially wrapped shapes.

Sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor targeting angiogenesis, cell survival, and proliferation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a standard therapy for advanced stage disease. However, its utilization as neoadjuvant therapy is under investigation and remains an off label indication. The use of sorafenib in pre-liver transplant setting raises caveats associated with risk of bleeding, wound healing deficiencies, and hepatic decompensation. Herein, we report the case of a patient who after exhibiting HCC relapse post-hepatic resection underwent sorafenib therapy and subsequent transplantation. Sorafenib was well tolerated, and no adverse events were noticed. The use of sorafenib as neoadjuvant therapy in pre-transplant patients is feasible and deserves investigation in large clinical settings.

We use diffusing-wave spectroscopy (DWS) to study microscopic dynamics in the interior of 3-dimensional granular systems. We study two granular systems where particle motions are excited by different driving mechanisms – gravity-driven channel flow and a gas-fluidized bed. In both instances we obtain detailed information about short-time collisional dynamics such as rms velocity fluctuations, mean free paths, and collision frequencies. We also observe a slow crossover from short-time ballistic motions to long-time, grain-scale diffusive motions.