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Background &Aims Liver transplant (LT) recipients or other immunocompromised patients were not included in the registration trials of vaccine studies against SARS-CoV-2. Although clinical efficacy of COVID vaccines in immunocompromised patients was unknown, many societies had recommended vaccination of this highly vulnerable patient population. Methods In this prospective study, we determined antibody (Ab) response to spike protein, 4 weeks after the 2nd dose of mRNA vaccines or after the single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, in LT recipients and those with chronic liver diseases (CLD) with and without cirrhosis. Results Of the 233 patients enrolled so far, 62 had LT, 79 had cirrhosis (10 decompensated) and 92 had CLD without cirrhosis. Ab titers were defined as undetectable (250 U/mL). Of the 62 patients who had LT, Ab levels were undetectable in 11 patients and suboptimal (median titer 17.6, range 0.47 - 212 U/mL) in 27 patients. Among 79 patients with cirrhosis, 3 had undetectable Ab and 15 had suboptimal (median titer 41.3, range 0.49 - 221 U/L) response. Of the 92 patients without cirrhosis, four had undetectable Ab and 19 had suboptimal (median titer 95.5, range 4.9 - 234 U/L) Ab response. Liver transplantation, use of 2 or more immunosuppression medications and vaccination with a single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine were associated with poor immune response on multivariable analysis. No patient had any serious adverse events. Conclusions Poor antibody response after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was seen in 61% of LT recipients and 24% of those with CLD. Lay summary The clinical efficacy of COVID vaccines in immunocompromised patients is unknown. We did a prospective study to evaluate immune responses to COVID vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson) in 62 liver transplant recipients, 79 subjects with cirrhosis and 92 subjects with chronic liver diseases without cirrhosis. We found that 17.8% of liver transplant recipients, 3.8% of those with cirrhosis and 4.3% of those with chronic liver diseases without cirrhosis had undetectable antibody levels. In total, 61.3% of liver transplant recipients and 24% of those with chronic liver diseases (with or without cirrhosis) had poor antibody response (undetectable or suboptimal). Liver transplantation, use of immunosuppressive medications and vaccination with a single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine were associated with poor antibody response when adjusted for other factors., Graphical abstract

In this study, our objective was to determine gender differences in the outcomes of patients with PLD undergoing liver (LT) or liver/kidney transplantation (SLK). We analyzed the UNOS datasets of all adults who had transplanted for PLD between 1988 and 2018. During the study period, 663 LT/SLK (51% LT only and 49% SLK) were done for PLD patients and of these 500 (75%) were in women. Women were younger (52.8 vs. 56.7 years, p

Alkaline phosphatase (AP) is a membrane bound enzyme and when it is elevated in blood, it is mostly due to either hepatobiliary or bone diseases. We report isolated intestinal hyperphosphatasemia (IAP) in two sisters. Both sisters presented with identical trends of isolated AP elevation. Both underwent extensive workup for liver diseases including cholangiograms, and none was identified. Subsequent isoenzyme electrophoresis showed that 45%-56% of the elevated AP was due to IAP. This elevation of the intestinal AP is consistent with a rare hereditary biochemical abnormality, benign familial intestinal hyperphosphatemia. This condition should be considered in the differential diagnosis of otherwise isolated serum AP levels to avoid unnecessary investigations.

Werner syndrome (WS) is rare adult-onset progeria characterized by premature aging and early death. Patients develop normally until adolescence and usually present in early adulthood. Our case highlights a common presentation of this uncommon disease, wherein a 29-year-old non-obese male with no known risk factors developed uncontrolled diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, and rapidly progressive atherosclerotic vascular disease. Careful observation with attention to the presence of characteristic physical features and subsequent genetic testing helped diagnose the patient with this uncommon progeroid syndrome. Our case adds to the literature about this rare disease especially in patients of middle-eastern descent and also highlights the importance of having a high index of suspicion for WS when the initial clinical presentation is atypical.

Lynch syndrome (LS) is the most common inherited colorectal cancer (CRC) syndrome with lifetime CRC risks of up to 70%.1 Conventionally, CRC specimens are screened for LS postoperatively but preoperative diagnosis of LS could impact decisions, such as the extent of resection and the need for additional risk-reducing surgeries for uterine and ovarian cancers. Few studies have addressed this issue2-5 and surveys indicate that most gastroenterologists are unsure that LS can be screened for preoperatively.6 We compared the yield of preoperative versus postoperative screening of LS by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and microsatellite instability (MSI) in unselected patients with newly diagnosed CRC who underwent testing under real-life laboratory conditions to mimic clinical practice.