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Background and Aims: Alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) poses significant short-term mortality. Existing prognostic models lack precision for 90-day mortality. Utilizing artificial intelligence in a global cohort, we sought to derive and validate an enhanced prognostic model., Approach and Results: The Global AlcHep initiative, a retrospective study across 23 centers in 12 countries, enrolled patients with AH per National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criteria. Centers were partitioned into derivation (11 centers, 860 patients) and validation cohorts (12 centers, 859 patients). Focusing on 30 and 90-day postadmission mortality, 3 artificial intelligence algorithms (Random Forest, Gradient Boosting Machines, and eXtreme Gradient Boosting) informed an ensemble model, subsequently refined through Bayesian updating, integrating the derivation cohort's average 90-day mortality with each center's approximate mortality rate to produce posttest probabilities. The ALCoholic Hepatitis Artificial INtelligence Ensemble score integrated age, gender, cirrhosis, and 9 laboratory values, with center-specific mortality rates. Mortality was 18.7% (30 d) and 27.9% (90 d) in the derivation cohort versus 21.7% and 32.5% in the validation cohort. Validation cohort 30 and 90-day AUCs were 0.811 (0.779-0.844) and 0.799 (0.769-0.830), significantly surpassing legacy models like Maddrey's Discriminant Function, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease variations, age-serum bilirubin-international normalized ratio-serum Creatinine score, Glasgow, and modified Glasgow Scores ( p < 0.001). ALCoholic Hepatitis Artificial INtelligence Ensemble score also showcased superior calibration against MELD and its variants. Steroid use improved 30-day survival for those with an ALCoholic Hepatitis Artificial INtelligence Ensemble score > 0.20 in both derivation and validation cohorts., Conclusions: Harnessing artificial intelligence within a global consortium, we pioneered a scoring system excelling over traditional models for 30 and 90-day AH mortality predictions. Beneficial for clinical trials, steroid therapy, and transplant indications, it's accessible at: https://aihepatology.shinyapps.io/ALCHAIN/ ., (Copyright © 2024 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.)

Background: Individuals diagnosed with liver cirrhosis typically experience a variety of symptoms. Decompensation, a critical stage in the disease's progression, is characterized by the emergence of prominent clinical signs. These signs typically include ascites, bleeding tendencies, hepatic encephalopathy, and jaundice. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that regions in the sensorimotor cortex responsible for practical and gnostic functions are closely situated within the parieto-occipital part of the cortex. Liver cirrhosis may also have an impact on this aspect of human motor function., Objectives: The main objective of the study is to compare the gnostic function and stereognostic function in individuals with liver cirrhosis and those in a healthy population., Methods: The patients included in our registry, known as RH7, were enrolled in our study. The first group consisted of 74 liver cirrhosis patients (including 25 women and 49 men). The control group consisted of a 63 healthy population (including 23 women and 40 and men). Both groups underwent both the Petrie and kinaesthesia tests., Results: The results of the Petrie test, which compared healthy participants with those with liver cirrhosis, indicate that the healthy population achieved a significant difference in both right and left upper limb compared to those with liver cirrhosis patients (p< 0.05). The healthy population showed a significant difference compared to liver cirrhosis patients in the kinesthesia test (p< 0.05), except for the second attempt with the left upper limb (p= 0.267). According to the LFI, there was no significant difference in either upper limb during both the initial and second attempts of Petrie test (p> 0.05)., Conclusion: Patients with liver cirrhosis exhibited significantly poorer gnostic functions compared to the healthy population. This condition also leads to notable impairments in motor functions, affecting both the precision and coordination of movements. Despite these deficits, frailty alone does not appear to be an indicator of worsened gnostic or stereognostic functions. Therefore, while liver cirrhosis has a clear negative impact on motor and cognitive abilities, the presence of frailty does not necessarily exacerbate these specific cognitive deficits. This distinction is crucial for clinical assessments and interventions targeting motor and cognitive rehabilitation in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score better predicts mortality in alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) but could underestimate severity in women and malnourished patients. Using a global cohort, we assessed the ability of the MELD 3.0 score to predict short-term mortality in AH., Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to hospital with AH from 2009 to 2019. The main outcome was all-cause 30-day mortality. We compared the AUC using DeLong's method and also performed a time-dependent AUC with competing risks analysis., Results: A total of 2,124 patients were included from 28 centres from 10 countries on three continents (median age 47.2 ± 11.2 years, 29.9% women, 71.3% with underlying cirrhosis). The median MELD 3.0 score at admission was 25 (20-33), with an estimated survival of 73.7% at 30 days. The MELD 3.0 score had a better performance in predicting 30-day mortality (AUC:0.761, 95%CI:0.732-0.791) compared with MELD sodium (MELD-Na; AUC: 0.744, 95% CI: 0.713-0.775; p  = 0.042) and Maddrey's discriminant function (mDF) (AUC: 0.724, 95% CI: 0.691-0.757; p  = 0.013). However, MELD 3.0 did not perform better than traditional MELD (AUC: 0.753, 95% CI: 0.723-0.783; p  = 0.300) and Age-Bilirubin-International Normalised Ratio-Creatinine (ABIC) (AUC:0.757, 95% CI: 0.727-0.788; p  = 0.765). These results were consistent in competing-risk analysis, where MELD 3.0 (AUC: 0.757, 95% CI: 0.724-0.790) predicted better 30-day mortality compared with MELD-Na (AUC: 0.739, 95% CI: 0.708-0.770; p  = 0.028) and mDF (AUC:0.717, 95% CI: 0.687-0.748; p  = 0.042). The MELD 3.0 score was significantly better in predicting renal replacement therapy requirements during admission compared with the other scores (AUC: 0.844, 95% CI: 0.805-0.883)., Conclusions: MELD 3.0 demonstrated better performance compared with MELD-Na and mDF in predicting 30-day and 90-day mortality, and was the best predictor of renal replacement therapy requirements during admission for AH. However, further prospective studies are needed to validate its extensive use in AH., Impact and Implications: Severe AH has high short-term mortality. The establishment of treatments and liver transplantation depends on mortality prediction. We evaluated the performance of the new MELD 3.0 score to predict short-term mortality in AH in a large global cohort. MELD 3.0 performed better in predicting 30- and 90-day mortality compared with MELD-Na and mDF, but was similar to MELD and ABIC scores. MELD 3.0 was the best predictor of renal replacement therapy requirements. Thus, further prospective studies are needed to support the wide use of MELD 3.0 in AH., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Background & Aims: Corticosteroids are the only effective therapy for severe alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), defined by a model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score >20. However, there are patients who may be too sick to benefit from therapy. Herein, we aimed to identify the range of MELD scores within which steroids are effective for AH., Methods: We performed a retrospective, international multicenter cohort study across 4 continents, including 3,380 adults with a clinical and/or histological diagnosis of AH. The main outcome was mortality at 30 days. We used a discrete-time survival analysis model, and MELD cut-offs were established using the transform-the-endpoints method., Results: In our cohort, median age was 49 (40-56) years, 76.5% were male, and 79% had underlying cirrhosis. Median MELD at admission was 24 (19-29). Survival was 88% (87-89) at 30 days, 77% (76-78) at 90 days, and 72% (72-74) at 180 days. A total of 1,225 patients received corticosteroids. In an adjusted-survival-model, corticosteroid use decreased 30-day mortality by 41% (hazard ratio [HR] 0.59; 0.47-0.74; p <0.001). Steroids only improved survival in patients with MELD scores between 21 (HR 0.61; 0.39-0.95; p = 0.027) and 51 (HR 0.72; 0.52-0.99; p = 0.041). The maximum effect of corticosteroid treatment (21-30% survival benefit) was observed with MELD scores between 25 (HR 0.58; 0.42-0.77; p <0.001) and 39 (HR 0.57; 0.41-0.79; p <0.001). No corticosteroid benefit was seen in patients with MELD >51. The type of corticosteroids used (prednisone, prednisolone, or methylprednisolone) was not associated with survival benefit (p = 0.247)., Conclusion: Corticosteroids improve 30-day survival only among patients with severe AH, especially with MELD scores between 25 and 39., Lay Summary: Alcohol-associated hepatitis is a condition where the liver is severely inflamed as a result of excess alcohol use. It is associated with high mortality and it is not clear whether the most commonly used treatments (corticosteroids) are effective, particularly in patients with very severe liver disease. In this worldwide study, the use of corticosteroids was associated with increased 30-day, but not 90- or 180-day, survival. The maximal benefit was observed in patients with an MELD score (a marker of severity of liver disease; higher scores signify worse disease) between 25-39. However, this benefit was lost in patients with the most severe liver disease (MELD score higher than 51)., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest that pertain to this work. Please refer to the accompanying ICMJE disclosure forms for further details., (Copyright © 2021 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The MOSAIC study gathered data on chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and its treatment in various countries worldwide. Here we summarise patient and HCV characteristics in the Czech Republic and Slovakia., Methods: MOSAIC was an observational study that included patients with chronic HCV infection untreated at the time of enrolment. Study collected and descriptively analysed patient demographics, disease stage and viral characteristics. Data were collected between February 2014 to October 2014., Results: Among 220 patients enrolled, 51.4% were treatment-naïve. The most prevalent HCV genotype was G1 (78.4%), followed by G3 (19.7%). Higher prevalence of G1 was found in treatment-experienced patients (94.3%) compared to treatment-naïve (63.4%). Most participants (67.7%) presented viral RNA load of ≥ 800,000 IU/mL. Liver cirrhosis was reported in 24.5% of patients. Higher HCV RNA load and duration of HCV infection correlated with the degree of liver fibrosis. Anti-HCV interferon-based treatments were initiated in 88.2% of participants., Conclusions: The study confirmed significant changes in the HCV genotypes partition with G3 genotype rapidly increasing in both countries, with possible impact on the WHO eradication initiative and treatment selection.

Introduction: The study introduces the first international, Czech and Slovak Domino Transplantation performed based on a tight cooperation between the Czech and Slovak transplant centres., Material and Methods: The donor of the cadaveric graft was a young Slovak man with Familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy. The livers of these patients are the predominant source of circulating transthyretin, and liver transplantation is the only treatment available for the disease. The graft was obtained from heart beating deceased donor with brain death. The domino graft was then transplanted to Czech sixty-three years old man with hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis based on HCV., Results: Both recipients had an uneventful immediate postoperative course with early graft function. The Czech patient faced early HCV recurrence in a graft which necessitated the reduction of immunosuppressives., Conclusion: The domino liver transplantation represents a suitable way for addressing graft shortage and reducing waiting list time. A well-organized cooperation between the two international centres is required to complete successful domino transplantation.

Introduction: Fibrogenesis is a typical reaction of the liver to injury. In the case of overstimulation of fibrogenesis clinically significant fibrosis and, eventually, cirrhosis occur. Treatment of liver cirrhosis is limited, therefore it is important to screen and monitor patients at risk of cirrhosis. Noninvasive parameters are ideal for this purpose due to their risk profile and repeatability., Methods: Systematic review of literature., Results: Among large number of proposed biomarkers, there is a distinct difference between two groups or classes. Class I biomarkers are associated with the process of fibrogenesis, their presence in the serum is the result of the increased turnover of extracellular matrix. Class II biomarkers and their combinations are mostly markers of liver function or structural damage. We have identified 27 Class I and 13 Class II biomarkers that have been proposed in the literature. We have evaluated in detail those which reached limited clinical application., Conclusion: General clinical acceptance of these biomarkers is low because of various drawbacks. Simple and readily available biomarkers have low accuracy in predicting liver fibrosis and more advanced markers have low cost-benefit ratio. Therefore liver biopsy remains the "gold standard" for diagnosis of fibrosis. However potential noninvasive alternatives exist and their implementation could be valuable., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Patients treated with renal replacement therapy (RRT) are considered to be at higher risk for infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Immunoprophylaxis is therefore deemed a standard of care. Active immunization in RRT patients leads to a lower incidence of protective titers of HBV antibodies (HBAbs) than the titers seen in healthy counterparts. Our hypothesis is that, for complex reasons, active immunization is more effective in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) than in patients on hemodialysis (HD), and that the effectiveness of immunization depends on dialysis adequacy (Kt/V). We carried out a prospective multicenter study with an enrollment period that ran from January 1998 to December 2004. Follow-up data were analyzed as of August 2004. Inclusion criteria were an age of 18 years or older and newly indicated RRT Exclusion criteria were a history of HBV or the presence of either HBV antigen (HBAg) or HBAbs in the protective range. The choice of RRT modality (HD or PD) was based on patient preference (preceded by thorough counseling). Active immunization followed accepted guidelines for RRT patients and began after clinical and laboratory steady state had been achieved. The endpoints were the number of patients with a protective HBAb titer and the number with newly diagnosed hepatitis B. In PD patients, we calculated Kt/V on regular basis. We enrolled 211 patients, 171 of whom chose HD treatment, and 40 of whom chose PD. Positive response to immunization (defined as a serum level of HBAbs above 10 mIU/mL) was achieved in 58 HD patients (34%) and 21 PD patients (53%, p = 0.03). In subgroup of PD patients with a weekly Kt/Vgreater than 1.7 (n=28), the response rate rose to 71%--as compared with just 8% in patients with a weekly Kt/V below 1.7 (p = 0.0003). In the PD cohort as a whole, the level of HBAbs correlated with Kt/V No new cases of hepatitis B or HBAg positivity occurred in either group. From the viewpoint of successful HBV immunoprophylaxis in RRT patients, PD is the better modality choice. In PD patients, the success rate of immunoprophylaxis depends on weekly Kt/V, which we propose should be 1.7 or higher

Introduction: Liver biopsy is the most specific diagnostic modality in hepatology, but information about its application in Slovakia is rather obscure., Methods: The authors performed a correspondence study with the aim to find out how many biopsy examinations has been done in Slovakia in 2001, for which indications, what kind of techniques have been applied and which small or great complications were encountered., Results: It was established that in the year 2001, 400 biopsies for diffuse liver diseases were performed. There were 296 percutaneous biopsies, 82 laparoscopic biopsies and 22 trans-jugular biopsies forming the survey. Acute viral hepatitis was the most frequent indication, whereas non-alcohol steatohepatitis was a rare indication in spite of the high prevalence. The frequency of great complications was 0.00025%. No death associated with this procedure was reported., Conclusion: Liver biopsy has been done in Slovakia in indications, ways and with the frequency of complications, which were comparable with data from literature.

Percutaneous liver biopsy represents the most specific examination of the nature and severity of liver diseases. P. Ehrlich was the first physician in history having done the intervention in 1880. The new history begins with the Menghini's publication on s.c. one-second biopsy in 1957. The present paper deals exclusively with diffuse diseases of the liver including the most frequent ones--virus hepatitis, alcohol and non-alcohol steatohepatitis. The contraindications include mainly coagulation disorders and non-cooperative patients. The percutaneous biopsy is mostly executed after ultrasonographic examination or under the control of various image-forming techniques and by means of various types of needles; the authors analyze advantages and disadvantages of individual techniques. If the contraindications are respected, the percutaneous biopsy is a safe method of examination, which may be done on out-patient basis. A large series of complications exists, but their frequency is generally low. Morbidity is referred in 0.2% of patients, the most frequent complications being pain and hypotension from vaso-vagal reactions, extensive intraperitoneal bleeding and hemobilia. Mortality is extremely low, the mean in large studies being 0.001%.

Infection with the virus of hepatitis B is found in haemodialyzed patients many times more frequently than in the normal population and it participates in their morbidity and mortality. It is also an important issue in patients after transplantation of the kidney. With regard to the alarmingly high prevalence of this infection in their haemodialyzation centre the authors analyzed retrospectively the effectiveness of the most successful preventive measure--active immunization--in 84 patients immunized with Engerix B according to the protocol recommended for haemodialyses. They found that: i) active immunization started after the onset of haemodialyzation has a low effectiveness and in patients who do lack protective antibodies anti-HBs before the onset of haemodialysis it is important to look for other preventive measures; ii) a certain effectiveness is achieved only by administration of more than three doses of vaccine.

Transjugular liver biopsy is an alternative of percutaneous biopsy in collection of hepatic tissue for histological examination. It is used when percutaneous biopsy is contraindicated, or involves great risk, i.e. in particular in patients with severe ascites and severely impaired blood coagulation. According to worldwide statistics it occurs in about one third of hepatological patients. The authors present a group of 16 patients who had transjugular biopsy and report on the high yield and low risk of the method. A representative histological sample was obtained in 100%, there were no complications in the investigated group. The authors give an account of the indications and description of the method, its possible complications. They compare their results with data in the literature. Their initial experience confirms that the inclusion of transjugular biopsy among hepatological examination methods is justified.