Browsing by Author "Afdhal, Nezam"

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    Ledipasvir and Sofosbuvir Plus Ribavirin for Treatment of HCV Infection in Patients With Advanced Liver Disease
    (Elsevier, 2015-09) Charlton, Michael; Everson, Gregory T.; Flamm, Steven L.; Kumar, Princy; Landis, Charles; Brown, Robert S., Jr.; Fried, Michael W.; Terrault, Norah A.; O'Leary, Jacqueline G.; Vargas, Hugo E.; Kuo, Alexander; Schiff, Eugene; Sulkowski, Mark S.; Gilroy, Richard; Watt, Kymberly D.; Brown, Kimberly; Kwo, Paul; Pungpapong, Surakit; Korenblat, Kevin M.; Muir, Andrew J.; Teperman, Lewis; Fontana, Robert J.; Denning, Jill; Arterburn, Sarah; Dvory-Sobol, Hadas; Brandt-Sarif, Theo; Pang, Phillip S.; McHutchison, John G.; Reddy, K. Rajender; Afdhal, Nezam; Department of Medicine, IU School of Medicine
    Background & Aims There are no effective and safe treatments for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection of patients who have advanced liver disease. Methods In this phase 2, open-label study, we assessed treatment with the NS5A inhibitor ledipasvir, the nucleotide polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir, and ribavirin in patients infected with HCV genotypes 1 or 4. Cohort A enrolled patients with cirrhosis and moderate or severe hepatic impairment who had not undergone liver transplantation. Cohort B enrolled patients who had undergone liver transplantation: those without cirrhosis; those with cirrhosis and mild, moderate, or severe hepatic impairment; and those with fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis. Patients were assigned randomly (1:1) to receive 12 or 24 weeks of a fixed-dose combination tablet containing ledipasvir and sofosbuvir, once daily, plus ribavirin. The primary end point was sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12). Results We enrolled 337 patients, 332 (99%) with HCV genotype 1 infection and 5 (1%) with HCV genotype 4 infection. In cohort A (nontransplant), SVR12 was achieved by 86%–89% of patients. In cohort B (transplant recipients), SVR12 was achieved by 96%–98% of patients without cirrhosis or with compensated cirrhosis, by 85%−88% of patients with moderate hepatic impairment, by 60%–75% of patients with severe hepatic impairment, and by all 6 patients with fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis. Response rates in the 12- and 24-week groups were similar. Thirteen patients (4%) discontinued the ledipasvir and sofosbuvir combination prematurely because of adverse events; 10 patients died, mainly from complications related to hepatic decompensation. Conclusion The combination of ledipasvir, sofosbuvir, and ribavirin for 12 weeks produced high rates of SVR12 in patients with advanced liver disease, including those with decompensated cirrhosis before and after liver transplantation.
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    Lipoprotein Z, a hepatotoxic lipoprotein, predicts outcome in alcohol-associated hepatitis
    (Wiley, 2022) Hu, Kunpeng; Perez-Matos, Maria C.; Argemi, Josepmaria; Vilar-Gomez, Eduardo; Shalaurova, Irina; Bullitt, Esther; Landeen, Lee; Sugahara, Go; Deng, Huiyan; Mathur, Karan; Tran, Stephanie; Cai, Huimei; He, Hanchang; Yalcin, Yusuf; Barbosa, Joana Vieira; Ventura-Cots, Meritxell; Marx, Katherine; Gad, Aniket P.; Niezen, Sebastian; Barba, Sofia Izunza; Ang, Lay-Hong; Popov, Yury V.; Fricker, Zachary; Lai, Michelle; Curry, Michael; Afdhal, Nezam; Szabo, Gyongyi; Mukamal, Kenneth J.; Sanyal, Arun J.; Otvos, James D.; Malik, Raza; Saito, Takeshi; Connelly, Margery A.; Chalasani, Naga P.; Bataller, Ramon; Jiang, Z. Gordon; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Background and aims: Lipoprotein Z (LP-Z) is an abnormal free cholesterol (FC)-enriched LDL-like particle discovered from patients with cholestatic liver disease. This study aims to define the diagnostic value of LP-Z in alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH) and interrogate the biology behind its formation. Approach and results: We measured serum levels of LP-Z using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a well-established clinical assay. Serum levels of LP-Z were significantly elevated in four AH cohorts compared with control groups, including heavy drinkers and patients with cirrhosis. We defined a Z-index, calculated by the ratio of LP-Z to total apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins, representing the degree of deviation from normal VLDL metabolism. A high Z-index was associated with 90-day mortality independent from the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) and provided added prognosticative value. Both a Z-index ≤ 0.6 and a decline of Z-index by ≥0.1 in 2 weeks predicted 90-day survival. RNA-sequencing analyses of liver tissues demonstrated an inverse association in the expression of enzymes responsible for the extrahepatic conversion of VLDL to LDL and AH disease severity, which was further confirmed by the measurement of serum enzyme activity. To evaluate whether the FC in LP-Z could contribute to the pathogenesis of AH, we found significantly altered FC levels in liver explant of patients with AH. Furthermore, FC in reconstituted LP-Z particles caused direct toxicity to human hepatocytes in a concentration-dependent manner, supporting a pathogenic role of FC in LP-Z. Conclusions: Impaired lipoprotein metabolism in AH leads to the accumulation of LP-Z in the circulation, which is hepatotoxic from excessive FC. A Z-index ≤ 0.6 predicts 90-day survival independent from conventional biomarkers for disease prognostication.