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Introduction: The sofosbuvir-velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) combination is a direct-acting antiviral therapy that is authorized and available in Mexico, making the performance of a real-world multicenter study that evaluates the sustained virologic response at 12 weeks post-treatment a relevant undertaking. Methods: A retrospective review of the case records of 241 patients seen at 20 hospitals in Mexico was conducted to assess hepatitis C treatment with the SOF/VEL combination (n = 231) and the sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/ribavirin (SOF/VEL/RBV) combination (n = 10). The primary efficacy endpoint was the percentage of patients that achieved SVR at 12 weeks after the end of treatment. Results: Overall SVR was 98.8% (95% CI 97.35–100%). Only three patients did not achieve SVR, two of whom had cirrhosis and a history of previous treatment with peg-IFN. Of the subgroups analyzed, all the patients with HIV coinfection, three patients with genotype 3, and the patients treated with the SOF/VEL/RBV combination achieved SVR. The subgroups with the lower success rates were patients that were treatment-experienced (96.8%) and patients with F1 fibrosis (95.5%). The most frequent adverse events were fatigue, headache, and insomnia. No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Treatments with SOF/VEL and SOF/VEL/RBV were highly safe and effective, results coinciding with those of other international real-world studies. Resumen: Introducción: La combinación de sofosbuvir-velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) es una terapia antiviral de acción directa que está autorizada y disponible en México. Esto hace que la evaluación de la respuesta virológica sostenida (RVS) 12 semanas después del tratamiento, por medio de la realización de una revisión multicentro en el mundo real, sea una tarea relevante. Métodos: Se efectuó una revisión retrospectiva de los registros de 241 casos de pacientes atendidos en 20 hospitales en México para evaluar el tratamiento contra la hepatitis C con la combinación SOF/VEL (n = 231) y sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/ribavirin (SOF/VEL/RBV) (n = 10). El objetivo de eficacia primario fue el porcentaje de pacientes que lograron la RVS 12 semanas posterior a la finalización del tratamiento. Resultados: En general, la RVS fue de 98.8% (IC 95% 97.35 a 100%). Solo tres pacientes no lograron la RVS, de los cuales dos padecían cirrosis y una tenía historia previa de tratamiento con interferón pegilado (peg-IFN). De los subgrupos analizados, todos los casos con infección de virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH), tres con genotipo 3 y aquellos tratados con la combinación SOF/VEL/RBV, lograron RVS. Los subgrupos con tasas menores de éxito fueron los pacientes que tenían experiencia con tratamiento (96.8%) y pacientes con fibrosis F1 (95.5%). Los eventos adversos más frecuentes fueron fatiga, cefalea e insomnio. No se reportaron eventos adversos graves. Conclusión: Los tratamientos con SOF/VEL y SOF/VEL/RBV fueron altamente seguros y efectivos y los resultados coinciden con los de otros estudios internacionales realizados en el mundo real.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection continues to be a worldwide public health problem. In Mexico, at least three million adults are estimated to have acquired hepatitis B (total hepatitis B core antibody [anti-HBc]-positive), and of those, 300,000 active carriers (hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg]-positive) could require treatment. Because HBV is preventable through vaccination, its universal application should be emphasized. HBV infection is a major risk factor for developing hepatocellular carcinoma. Semi-annual liver ultrasound and serum alpha-fetoprotein testing favor early detection of that cancer and should be carried out in all patients with chronic HBV infection, regardless of the presence of advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis. Currently, nucleoside/nucleotide analogues that have a high barrier to resistance are the first-line therapies. Resumen: La infección por el virus de hepatitis B (VHB) continúa siendo un problema de salud pública mundial, en México se estima que podría haber por lo menos tres millones de personas adultas que han adquirido hepatitis B (anticuerpo anti-antígeno central del VHB [anti-HBc] positivo), de ellos cerca de 300,000 portadores activos (antígeno de superficie del VHB [HBsAg] positivo) podrían requerir tratamiento. Al ser prevenible por vacunación, debe enfatizarse la vacunación universal. Esta infección es un factor de riesgo mayor para el desarrollo de carcinoma hepatocelular, el estudio semestral con ultrasonido hepático y alfafetoproteína sérica favorece la detección temprana de esta neoplasia y debe realizarse en todo paciente con infección crónica por VHB, independientemente de la presencia de fibrosis avanzada o cirrosis. En la actualidad, la terapia de primera línea, son análogos nucleós(t)idos con alta barrera a la resistencia.

Resumen: La infección por el virus de la hepatitis B (VHB) continúa siendo un problema de salud pública mundial, en México se estima que podría haber por lo menos tres millones de personas adultas que han adquirido la hepatitis B (anticuerpo anti-antígeno central del VHB [anti-HBc] positivo), de ellos cerca de 300,000 portadores activos (antígeno de superficie del VHB [HBsAg] positivo) podrían requerir tratamiento. Al ser prevenible por vacunación, debe enfatizarse la vacunación universal. Esta infección es un factor de riesgo mayor para el desarrollo de carcinoma hepatocelular, el estudio semestral con ultrasonido hepático y alfafetoproteína sérica favorece la detección temprana de esta neoplasia y debe realizarse en todo paciente con infección crónica por VHB, independientemente de la presencia de fibrosis avanzada o cirrosis. En la actualidad, la terapia de primera línea, son análogos nucleós(t)idos con alta barrera a la resistencia. Abstract: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection continues to be a worldwide public health problem. In Mexico, at least three million adults are estimated to have acquired hepatitis B (total hepatitis B core antibody [anti-HBc]-positive), and of those, 300,000 active carriers (hepatitis B surface antigen [HBsAg]-positive) could require treatment. Because HBV is preventable through vaccination, its universal application should be emphasized. HBV infection is a major risk factor for developing hepatocellular carcinoma. Semi-annual liver ultrasound and serum alpha-fetoprotein testing favor early detection of that cancer and should be carried out in all patients with chronic HBV infection, regardless of the presence of advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis. Currently, nucleoside/nucleotide analogues that have a high barrier to resistance are the first-line therapies.

Background: It is considered that globally, 71 million people have chronic infection caused by the virus of Hepatitis C (HCV). It is estimated that in 2016 approximately 399,000 people died due to it. Among the infected people 70% develop a chronic infection caused by HCV. In Mexico, it was reported that 6% of them is type C, and the most common genotype is 1. Interferon and ribavirin, hardly ever used in developed countries, are still recommended in Mexico for treating this infection. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of direct acting antivirals (DAA) in Mexican population with HC. Methods: In a retrospective, multicenter study in 20 hospitals in Mexico, information of patients with HC and treated with DAA was gathered. Results: A total of 913 patients were included. The gender distribution was 599 women and 314 men, the mean age was 58.88 ± 12.10 years old. The most frequent genotype was genotype 1. It was found that there is 99% of sustained viral response in genotype 1. Presented side effects were slight. Conclusion: We found a very high SVR rate, 99%, which is why applying DAA immediately after a patient is diagnosed with Hepatitis C to avoid further complications is recommended.Core tip: In Mexico, a large sample of patients was documented, where it was concluded that DAA should be used without the fear of adverse events, and to be certain about an SVR to the most frequent genotype in our population. However, the use of pangenomic DAA must be considered.

The aim of the Mexican Consensus on the Treatment of Hepatitis C was to develop clinical practice guidelines applicable to Mexico. The expert opinion of specialists in the following areas was taken into account: gastroenterology, IFNectious diseases, and hepatology. A search of the medical literature was carried out on the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases through keywords related to hepatitis C treatment. The quality of evidence was subsequently evaluated using the GRADE system and the consensus statements were formulated. The statements were then voted upon, using the modified Delphi system, and reviewed and corrected by a panel of 34 voting participants. Finally, the level of agreement was classified for each statement. The present guidelines provide recommendations with an emphasis on the new direct-acting antivirals, to facilitate their use in clinical practice. Each case must be individualized according to the comorbidities involved and patient management must always be multidisciplinary.

Introduction Non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) is mainly related to oesophageal disease, and in spite of being a common condition in Mexico, information regarding it is scarce. Aim To assess the clinical characteristics and health-related quality of life of patients with NCCP of presumed oesophageal origin. Material and methods Patients with NCCP of presumed oesophageal origin with no previous treatment were included in the study. Associated symptoms were assessed and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and 24-hour oesophageal pH monitoring were performed to diagnose gastroesophageal reflux disease, while oesophageal manometry was used to determine oesophageal motility disorders. The SF-36 Health-Related Quality of Life (HR-QoL) questionnaire was completed and its results compared to a control group without oesophageal symptoms. Results The study included 33 patients, of which 61% were women, and the mean age was 46.1 (± 11.6) years. Causes of NCCP were gastroesophageal reflux disease in 48%, achalasia in 34%, and functional chest pain in 18%. The average progression time for chest pain was 24 (2-240) months, with ≤3 events/week in 52% of the patients. The most frequent accompanying symptoms were: regurgitation (81%), dysphagia (72%) and heartburn (66%). Patients with NCCP show deterioration in HR-QoL compared to the control group ( P = .01), regardless of chest pain aetiology. The most affected areas were general perception of health, emotional issues, and mental health sub-scale ( P > 0 .05). Conclusions In our population, patients with NCCP show deterioration in HR-QoL regardless of the aetiology, frequency, and accompanying symptoms.

In recent years there has been a significant increase in the consumption of dietary energy supplements (DES) associated with the parallel advertising against obesity and favoring high physical performance. We present the case and outcome of a young patient who developed acute mixed liver injury (hepatocellular and cholestatic) after ingestion of various “over the counter” products to increase muscle mass and physical performance (NO Xplode®, creatine, L-carnitine, and Growth Factor ATN®). The diagnosis was based on the exclusion of other diseases and liver biopsy findings. The dietary supplement and herbal multivitamins industry is one with the highest growth rates in the market, with annual revenues amounting to billions and constantly lacking scientific or reproducible evidence about the efficacy and/or safety of the offered products. Furthermore, and contrary to popular belief, different forms of injury associated with these natural substances have been documented particularly in the liver, supporting the need of a more strict regulation.

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) is a potential complication of immunosuppression. Crohn's disease (CD) is an immune granulomatous disorder characterized by transmural inflammation that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract. Its treatment is based on steroids and immunosuppressants but in non-responders, biologic compounds such as anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) antibodies have been used. Neutralization of TNF causes a decrease in the inflammatory response but increases susceptibility to opportunistic infections such as fungal infections. We report a young male with chronic diarrhea, fever and weight loss who was diagnosed with CD and began conventional treatment with immunosuppressants, but due to lack of response after several weeks, biologic therapy with adalimumab was initiated. Seven weeks later he developed persistent fever and upper respiratory symptoms. After chest CT, bronchoscopy and bronchial lavage, P. jirovecii was identified by silver staining and confirmed by immunofluorescence. To our knowledge this is the second case of pneumocystosis associated with the use of adalimumab in CD and the first reported Mexican case confirmed by microbiological and immunological studies in this setting.

Background. It has been suggested that liver cirrhosis (LC), regardless of etiology, may be associated with anatomical cardiac alterations. Objective. To describe the frequency and type of macroscopical anatomic cardiac abnormalities present in alcoholic and non-alcoholic cirrhotic patients in an autopsy series. Material and methods. The autopsy records performed at our institution during a 12-year period (1990-2002) were reviewed. All cases with final diagnosis of LC were included, their demographic characteristics as well as cirrhosis etiology and macroscopic anatomical cardiac abnormalities (MACA) analyzed. Patients with any known history of heart disease prior to diagnosis of cirrhosis were excluded. Results. A total of 1,176 autopsies were performed, of which 135 cases (11.5%) were patients with LC. Two patients with cardiac cirrhosis were excluded. Chronic alcohol abuse (29%) and chronic hepatitis due to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (20%) were the most common causes of cirrhosis. The etiology was not identified in 35% of the cases, even after exhaustive clinical, serological and/or radiological assessment. In the postmortem analysis, 43% of the cases were informed to have MACA (47% in the group of patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and 41% in other types of cirrhosis); this rate increased to 62% in patients with ascites. The most frequent alterations were cardiomegaly and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Conclusion. The results confirm the high frequency of cardiac abnormalities in patients with cirrhosis, regardless of cirrhosis etiology.

We present two cases of acute liver injury resulting from consumption of wild mushrooms. The first case was a male who developed acute hepatitis after ingestion of diverse mushrooms including Amanita species. His clinical course was favorable with complete recovery of liver function. The second case was a male who developed acute liver failure (ALF) after ingestion of Amanita bisporigera. He required MARS therapy as a bridge to liver transplantation but transplantation was not performed because he succumbed to multiorgan failure. There are few trials demonstrating the efficacy of the different treatments for mushroom poisoning. These cases demonstrate that the consumption of wild mushrooms without proper knowledge of toxic species represents a serious and under recognized health problem.

With only a third of Latinos achieving sustained virologic response (SVR), there is a need for enhanced HCV treatment. Amantadine has been proposed to improve response rates in addition to standard therapy with peginterferon α and ribavirin. Our objective is to evaluate whether triple therapy with amantadine improves SVR rates in this special population. Treatment-naive Latino subjects with HCV genotype 1 infection were randomized to receive peginterferon α-2a plus weight-based ribavirin for 48 weeks (double therapy) or the same regimen plus amantadine 200 mg daily (triple therapy). The primary endpoint was SVR. Predictors of liver fibrosis using APRI and Forns indices were also evaluated. We enrolled 124 patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1. Sixty-three received conventional therapy and 61 patients had triple therapy with amantadine. SVR at week 72 was achieved in 25 patients (39.7%) vs. 26 patients (42.6%) in the double and triple regimen, respectively (p = 0.561). After multivariate analysis, advanced fibrosis, obesity, and low pretreatment ALT levels were associated with non-response in both groups (p = 0.0234, p = 0.0012, p = 0.0249, respectively). APRI values delimited an area under the ROC curve (AUROC) of 0.724 and Forns index with AUROC of 0.733. There was no difference between both indices in predicting significant fibrosis (Knodell index: F3–F4). Our study demonstrates that the addition of amantadine to standard treatment of chronic HCV does not improve SVR rates in Latino patients with genotype 1. Further research to improve response rates in this special population is needed.

Hepatitis B and C virus infections constitute a significant health problem in Latin America. Approximately 400,000 new cases of hepatitis B per year and 10 million people infected with hepatitis C are estimated to occur. HBV and HCV genotype distribution may reflect the different patterns of migration to the Americas: Genotype F and H of HBV correspond to the Amerindian genotype. Overall, Genotype 1 is the most prevalent HCV genotype in the Caribbean and in South and Central America. Hepatitis B and C epidemiology needs to be considered in the context of dissimilar social and economic aspects among the countries of the region. Behaviors, cultural and ethical aspects, as well as environmental and organizational processes affect directly the way these diseases are approached in their diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

Treatment with polyethylene glycol-modified interferon alfa-2a (peginterferon) alone produces significantly higher sustained antiviral responses than treatment with interferon alfa-2a alone in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We compared the efficacy and safety of peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin, interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin, and peginterferon alfa-2a alone in the initial treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Thirty-two patients were randomly assigned to treatment, and received at least one dose of medication consisting of 180 microg of peginterferon alfa-2a once weekly plus daily ribavirin (1,000 or 1,200 mg, depending on body weight) (n = 14), weekly peginterferon alfa-2a plus daily placebo (n = 6), or three million units of interferon alfa-2b thrice weekly plus daily ribavirin for 48 weeks (n = 12). More patients who received peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin had a sustained virologic response (defined as the absence of detectable HCV RNA 24 weeks after cessation of therapy) than patients who received interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin (7/14 vs. 4/12) or peginterferon alfa-2a plus placebo (0/6). The overall safety profiles of the three treatment regimens were similar. In conclusion, for patients with chronic hepatitis C, once-weekly peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin was tolerated as well as interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin and produced significant improvements in the rate of sustained viral reduction compared with interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin or peginterferon alfa-2a alone.