Search

Annually, more than 1.5 million preventable new hepatitis B (HBV) infections continue to occur, with an estimated global burden of 296 million individuals living with chronic hepatitis B infection. This substantial health challenge results in over 820,000 annual deaths being attributed to complications such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The HBV vaccination remains the cornerstone of public health policy to prevent chronic hepatitis B and its related complications. It serves as a crucial element in the global effort to eliminate HBV, as established by the World Health Organization (WHO), with an ambitious 90% vaccination target by 2030. However, reports on global birth dose coverage reveal substantial variability, with an overall coverage rate of only 46%. This comprehensive review thoroughly examines global trends in HBV vaccination coverage, investigating the profound impact of vaccination on HBV prevalence and its consequences across diverse populations, including both high-risk and general demographics. Additionally, the review addresses the essential formidable challenges and facilitating factors for achieving WHO's HBV vaccination coverage objectives and elimination strategies in the coming decade and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in the field of hepatology include new and effective treatments for viral hepatitis. Further effort is now being directed to other disease entities, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, with an increased need for assessment of liver function and histology. In fact, with the evolving nomenclature of fat-associated liver disease and the emergence of the term "metabolic-associated fatty liver disease" (MAFLD), new diagnostic challenges have emerged as patients with histologic absence of steatosis can still be classified under the umbrella of MAFLD. Currently, there is a growing number of endoscopic procedures that are pertinent to patients with liver disease. Indeed, interventional radiologists mostly perform interventional procedures such as percutaneous and intravascular procedures, whereas endoscopists focus on screening for and treatment of esophageal and gastric varices. EUS has proven to be of value in many areas within the realm of hepatology, including liver biopsy, assessment of liver fibrosis, measurement of portal pressure, managing variceal bleeding, and EUS-guided paracentesis. In this review article, we will address the endoscopic applications that are used to manage patients with chronic liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) has a presumable low incidence in Egypt which did not rationalize for the development of screening programs up till now. The fecal immunochemical test (FIT) can facilitate colonoscopy uptake and increase enrollment in CRC screening programs. We aimed to explore the attitude of Egyptian individuals towards screening colonoscopy and establish the accuracy of FIT to detect advanced colonic neoplasia (AN). Method: In this cross-sectional study, we offered a questionnaire to 1470 subjects with a family history of AN to establish their attitude towards the use of either direct colonoscopy (group A) or 2 step screening strategy; utilizing FIT followed by colonoscopy (Group B). Eventually, all included individuals underwent both FIT and colonoscopy. Results: A total of 547 persons of the interviewed population (37.3 %) agreed to participate in the study, and group A cohorts were more likely to accept colonoscopy invitations. A single cycle FIT had a sensitivity of 76.2% a specificity of 92.2%, a positive predictive value of 28.1.2%, and a negative predictive value of 99%. The incidence of AN among the screened population was 3.9%, and CRC was found in 2 patients (0.4%). Conclusion: Uptake of colonoscopy is more likely, if the invitation strategy was a direct colonoscopy invitation. A single-round FIT test had good sensitivity and specificity to detect AN. Egypt has a low incidence of CRC in individuals with a family history of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]