Marie, M. S., H. I. Shousha, W. AbdelRazek, M. Hassany, H. Dabees, and R. Abdelghafour, "Prediction of hepatic decompensation and hepatocellular carcinoma after direct-acting antiviral therapy in patients with hepatitis C-related liver cirrhosis: a cohort study", egyptian liver journal, vol. 13, issue 1, 2023.
Elshaarawy, O., R. A. ELaziz, N. Zayed, A. Hany, Z. Hammam, S. Mueller, A. Yosry, and H. I. Shousha, "Acoustic radiation force impulse to measure liver stiffness and predict hepatic decompensation in pregnancy with cirrhosis: A cohort study.", Arab journal of gastroenterology : the official publication of the Pan-Arab Association of Gastroenterology, vol. 23, issue 2, pp. 89-94, 2022. Abstract

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Pregnancy in association with cirrhosis is a rather uncommon and highly risky situation for both mother and child. We aim to study all factors and the utility of liver stiffness (LS) measurement by Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse elastography (ARFI) to predict hepatic decompensation in pregnant cirrhotic patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We prospectively recruited 224 pregnant women at the multidisciplinary clinic of liver disease with pregnancy, Cairo University. LS was measured using ARFI (Siemens ACUSON S3000 ultrasound system) during the second trimester and 8-12 weeks post-delivery. The outcome of pregnancy and the incidence of hepatic decompensation were assessed.

RESULTS: Our cohort comprised 128 normal pregnancies, 37 patients with pregnancy-related liver disease (Intrahepatic cholestasis (n = 6), preeclampsia (n = 23), and hyperemesis gravidarum (n = 8)) and 59 patients with an established chronic liver disease not related to pregnancy. In all patients, LS significantly decreased after delivery from 1.19 m/s to 0.94 m/s (P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, LS was an independent predictor for the outcome of pregnancy in all patients (odds ratio (OR) = 5.442 (3.01-6.82), cut-off = 1.21 m/s). Patients with cirrhosis, mean LS was 1.57 ± 0.66 m/s and 26 (44%) patients had hepatic decompensation (hepatocellular jaundice (n = 8), ascites (n = 9) and variceal bleeding (n = 6)). In multivariate analysis; LS, platelets, albumin, and bilirubin were independent predictors of decompensation post-delivery and the OR for LS was 6.141(4.32-7.98). The optimal cut off value of LS to predict decompensation was 1.46 m/s (8.4 kPa) with AUROC of 0.827.

CONCLUSION: LS can be used to predict hepatic decompensation after delivery in pregnant women with manifest cirrhosis.

Nabeel, M. M., R. K. Darwish, W. Al Akel, R. Maher, H. Mostafa, A. Hashem, M. E. Beshlawy, A. Abul-Fotouh, H. I. Shousha, and M. S. Marie, "Changes in Serum Interferon Gamma and Interleukin-10 in Relation to Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy of Chronic Hepatitis C Genotype 4: A Pilot Study.", Journal of clinical and experimental hepatology, vol. 12, issue 2, pp. 428-434, 2022. Abstract

INTRODUCTION: This study analyzes the changing levels of circulating inflammatory cytokines Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin (IL)-10 (as the main cytokines of T-helper-1 and T-helper-2 immune responses) in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection undergoing therapy with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) and to correlate them with laboratory markers.

METHODS: This Pilot study included 50 HCV monoinfected patients who received DAAs for 12 or 24 weeks. They were followed up monthly during therapy and 3 months after the end of the treatment. Liver disease was determined by transient elastography, in addition to FIB-4 indices. Analysis of IFN-gamma and IL-10 was carried out using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS: All patients carried HCV genotype 4. The Sustained virological response was 100% and 92% in cirrhotics and noncirrhotics, respectively. There was no significant difference between groups in baseline IL-10 or IFN-gamma. In noncirrhotics, IL-10 showed a significant reduction at Week 4 after treatment start. In cirrhotics, IL-10 showed a significant reduction at Week 4 after treatment starts and a significant reduction at Week 12 after the end of the treatment. At Week 12 after the end of the treatment, serum IL-10 levels were significantly lower in cirrhotics. IFN-γ showed nonsignificant changes in noncirrhotics. A significant increase of IFN-γ occurred in cirrhotics from Week 4 after treatment starts to 12 weeks after the end of the treatment. IFN-γ was significantly higher in cirrhotics at Week 12 after the end of the treatment. IFN-γ and IL-10 showed different correlations with laboratory markers.

CONCLUSION: Viral eradication induced by DAAs caused a significant change in IL-10 and IFN-gamma.

Said, E. M., A. A. Salem, H. I. Shousha, E. S. Ahmad, M. A. Alazzouny, I. A. Ahmed, H. M. Elfeky, and F. M. Abdelsalam, "RECK gene polymorphisms in hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma: A case-control study.", Arab journal of gastroenterology : the official publication of the Pan-Arab Association of Gastroenterology, vol. 23, issue 3, pp. 201-205, 2022. Abstract

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection is a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The RECK gene is a critical tumor suppressor gene. This study aimed to assess the association between RECK gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the development of HCC in Egyptian patients with chronic hepatitis B.

PATIENTS AND METHOD: In this case-control study, we enrolled patients with CHB from the Gastroenterology Department, Benha University, from June 2016 to February 2018. The RECK gene SNP rs10814325 was identified using real-time PCR allelic discrimination via TaqMan SNP genotyping assays (Applied Biosystems, USA).

RESULTS: We enrolled 140 participants in this study. The participants were divided into Group I, which comprised 50 participants with CHB only, Group II, which comprised 50 participants with CHB and HCC, and Group III, which comprised 40 healthy participants. A significantly higher hepatitis B virus DNA viremia level was found in patients with HCC. The predominant RECK genotype was the T/T allele, followed by the T/C allele; however, no significant difference in the distribution of RECK gene SNPs was found between the study groups. No statistically significant difference in RECK gene SNPs was reported among patients with HCC of different Child classes or based on the number, site, size of HCC, and lymph node involvement. Receiver operating characteristic curves showed that a serum alpha-fetoprotein level of 92 ng/ml was 96 % sensitive and 100 % specific for the detection of HCC, with an area under the operating characteristic curve of 0.98.

CONCLUSION: RECK gene SNPs have no significant association with the development and characteristics of hepatitis B-related HCC in Egyptian patients.

Dawood, R. M., M. A. El-Meguid, H. I. Shousha, A. ElSayed, M. M. Nabeel, A. Yosry, A. Abdelaziz, and G. M. Salum, "Seven gene signature explores the impact of DAAs on the appearance of hepatocellular carcinoma in HCV infected patients.", Heliyon, vol. 8, issue 8, pp. e10119, 2022. Abstract

UNLABELLED: HCV damages the hepatocytes ending with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) treatment has raised hopes for reducing the incidence of HCC. However, several scientific debate regarding the impact of DAAs on the occurrence of HCC in patients with cirrhosis. We aimed to study the Cirrhosis Risk Score (CRS), several clinical factors and tumor characteristics between patients who developed HCC either with or without DAAs treatment "DAA-exposed HCC patients" and "DAA-unexposed HCC patients".

METHODS: CRS was assessed via genotyping by allelic discrimination assays in HCV patients who developed de novo HCC (with DAAs (DAA-exposed HCC patients, n = 50), and without DAAs treatment (DAA-unexposed HCC patients, n = 40)). APRI, FIB-4 scores, and tumor characteristics were assessed.

RESULTS: Around 60% and 48% of DAA-exposed HCC patients and DAA-unexposed HCC patients; respectively had high CRS scores without significant difference. DAA-exposed HCC patients showed elevated Albumin, Hemoglobin and decreased ALT, AST compared with DAA-unexposed HCC patients (P = 0.002, 0.04, <0.001 and 0.006; respectively). FIB4 and APRI didn't reach the statistical difference between the studied groups. DAA-exposed HCC patients have higher overall survival (OS) than DAA-unexposed HCC patients (median: 30 & 15 months; respectively (p = 0.019)). Moreover, no significant differences were observed between the two groups in their focal lesion characteristics.

CONCLUSION: All studied patients are genetically predisposed to develop HCC. Moreover, DAAs significantly improved the OS and the biochemical parameters. No differences between the two groups were detected regarding their tumor characteristics. Accordingly, the appearance of HCC after treatment is attributed to the natural course of cirrhosis.

Shousha, H. I., R. Abdelghafour, H. Dabees, W. AbdelRazek, and M. Said, "Three regimens for re-treatment failure of Sofosbuvir-based therapy for chronic hepatitis-C genotype-4: a cohort study.", Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo, vol. 64, pp. e50, 2022. Abstract

Despite the high sustained virologic response (SVR) rates of direct-acting antiviral (DAAs) therapy, a small number of patients does not eradicate the virus, and these patients represent a challenge. This study aims to compare the outcomes of three second-line regimens for DAAs-experienced patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). This prospective observational study was conducted at the Damanhur Viral Hepatitis Center from January 2017 to February 2020. We included patients with CHC who did not achieve SVR after the complete course of Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir±Ribavirin (SOF/DAC±RBV). The primary endpoint was SVR-12 after re-treatment. This study included 360 patients (with a mean age of 51.53±11.38 years). Approximately 51.1% of the patients were males, and 65.5% had liver cirrhosis. All patients of group 1 (45 patients) received SOF/VEL/VOX over 12-weeks; SVR-12 was achieved in 44 patients (97.8%). Group 2 (28 patients) received SOF/DAC/RBV over 24-weeks; (one patient was lost during follow-ups and one patient discontinued treatment due to hepatic decompensation). SVR-12 was achieved in 25 patients (96.2%). Group 3 (287 patients) received SOF/Ombitasvir/Paritaprevir/Ritonavir/RBV) over 12-weeks. Eight patients were lost during follow-ups, and one patient discontinued treatment due to grade 4 adverse events. SVR-12 was achieved in 276 patients (99.3%). There was no difference between the groups regarding their age, gender distribution, baseline viral load or comorbidities. Adverse events (thrombocytopenia, anemia, hyperbilirubinaemia and prolonged INR) were significantly higher in group 3, while group 1 did not experience any. The three studied retreatment regimens can be used for DAAs treatment-experienced patients considering availability. The SOF/VEL/VOX combination had the least adverse events.

Youssef, S. S., A. Elfiky, M. M. Nabeel, H. I. Shousha, T. Elbaz, D. Omran, M. S. Marie, M. A. ELZAHRY, A. Abul-Fotouh, A. Hashem, et al., "Assessment of circulating levels of microRNA-326, microRNA-424, and microRNA-511 as biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma in Egyptians.", World journal of hepatology, vol. 14, issue 8, pp. 1562-1575, 2022. Abstract

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer. Differential expression of microRNAs (miRNAs)-326, miRNA-424, and miRNA-511 has been associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC in different populations. However, limited information is available regarding their expression in Egyptian HCC patients.

AIM: To assess the role of circulating miRNAs-326, miRNA-424, and miRNA-511 in Egyptian HCC patients.

METHODS: This prospective observational study included 70 HCC patients and 25 healthy controls. The circulating levels of these three miRNAs were evaluated by real-time PCR. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to test the diagnostic accuracy of microRNA expression levels.

RESULTS: All miRNAs were differentially expressed in HCC patients; miRNAs326 and miRNA-424 were upregulated, while miRNA-511 was downregulated. Both miRNA-326 and miRNA-424 showed sensitivity and specificity of 97%, 71.4%, and 52%, 60%, respectively, to differentiate HCC from controls. Moreover, miRNA-326 was associated with survival and could differentiate between Child grades (A B); miRNA-424 significantly differentiated early intermediate stages of HCC; while miRNA-511 was significantly correlated with response to modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST).

CONCLUSION: We conclude that miRNA-326, miRNA-424, and miRNA-511 have diagnostic and prognostic roles in Egyptian patients with hepatitis C virus-related HCC and should be considered for better disease management.

Etreby, R. E., R. A. ELaziz, H. I. Shousha, Z. Hammam, A. Hany, D. Sabry, B. Elawady, N. Zayed, A. Yosry, and S. A. Alem, "Screening for maternal cytomegalovirus infection during pregnancy and pregnancy outcome in patients with liver disease: an observational study.", BMC infectious diseases, vol. 23, issue 1, pp. 210, 2023. Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection among pregnant females could induce CMV hepatitis with possible changes in liver stiffness measurement (LSM) which could be reversibly increased during normal pregnancies, particularly in the third trimester. This study aimed to detect the prevalence of CMV infection among pregnant females with and without chronic liver disease and to evaluate the effects of CMV infection on LSM and pregnancy outcomes in comparison to non-CMV-infected pregnant females.

METHODS: This is an observational prospective study that included 201 pregnant ladies presented to the liver disease with pregnancy clinic, Cairo University from March 2018 to April 2019. We assessed the laboratory results, abdominal ultrasonography, LSM using ARFI elastography, and pregnancy outcomes.

RESULTS: Two hundred and one pregnant ladies were divided into ; group 1: pregnant ladies with normal pregnancy (n = 128), group 2: pregnant ladies with chronic liver diseases not related to pregnancy (n = 35), and group 3: pregnant ladies with pregnancy-related liver diseases (n = 38). Positive CMV serology (either/or, +ve CMV-IgM, IgG) was detected in 106/201 patients (52.74%), and fifteen of them had an active infection (IgG +, IgM+, PCR+). Pregnant females with chronic liver diseases not related to pregnancy had significantly higher serum levels of CMV IgM, IgG, and PCR. Moreover, LSM had a significant correlation with CMV IgG and CM_PCR in normal pregnant ladies. Maternal mortality occurred only in pregnant females with chronic liver diseases in 5.7% (2/35).

CONCLUSION: Maternal CMV infection carries a significant risk to pregnant females with chronic liver disease. Routine CMV screening for women planning to be pregnant, especially those with chronic liver disease could help to avoid bad maternal and fetal outcomes.

Kamal, M. A., H. A. Badary, D. Omran, H. I. Shousha, A. O. Abdelaziz, H. M. El Tayebi, and Y. M. Mandour, "Virtual Screening and Biological Evaluation of Potential PD-1/PD-L1 Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors as Anti-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Agents.", ACS omega, vol. 8, issue 37, pp. 33242-33254, 2023. Abstract

Blockade of the programmed cell death-1/programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) immune checkpoint pathway is an efficient immunotherapeutic modality that provided significant advances in cancer treatment especially in solid tumors highly resistant to traditional therapy. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and small-molecule inhibitors are the two main strategies used to block this axis with mAbs suffering from many limitations. Accordingly, the current alternative is the development of small-molecule PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. Here, we present a sequential virtual screening (VS) protocol involving pharmacophore screening followed by molecular docking for the discovery of novel PD-L1 inhibitors. The VS protocol resulted in the discovery of eight novel compounds. A 100 ns MD simulation showed two compounds, and , exhibiting a stable binding mode at the PD-L1 dimer interface. Upon evaluation of their immunological activities, the two compounds induced higher cytokines levels (IL-2, IL-6, and INF-γ) relative to BMS-202, 72 h post treatment of PBMCs of HCC patients. Thus, the discovered hits represent potential leads for the development of novel classes targeting the PD-L1 receptor as anti-hepatocellular carcinoma agents.

Sapena, V., M. Enea, F. Torres, C. Celsa, J. Rios, G. E. M. Rizzo, P. Nahon, Z. Mariño, R. Tateishi, T. Minami, et al., "Hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after direct-acting antiviral therapy: an individual patient data meta-analysis.", Gut, vol. 71, issue 3, pp. 593-604, 2022. Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The benefit of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) against HCV following successful treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial. This meta-analysis of individual patient data assessed HCC recurrence risk following DAA administration.

DESIGN: We pooled the data of 977 consecutive patients from 21 studies of HCV-related cirrhosis and HCC, who achieved complete radiological response after surgical/locoregional treatments and received DAAs (DAA group). Recurrence or death risk was expressed as HCC recurrence or death per 100 person-years (100PY). Propensity score-matched patients from the ITA.LI.CA. cohort (n=328) served as DAA-unexposed controls (no-DAA group). Risk factors for HCC recurrence were identified using random-effects Poisson.

RESULTS: Recurrence rate and death risk per 100PY in DAA-treated patients were 20 (95% CI 13.9 to 29.8, I=74.6%) and 5.7 (2.5 to 15.3, I=54.3), respectively. Predictive factors for recurrence were alpha-fetoprotein logarithm (relative risk (RR)=1.11, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.19; p=0.01, per 1 log of ng/mL), HCC recurrence history pre-DAA initiation (RR=1.11, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.16; p<0.001), performance status (2 vs 0, RR=4.35, 95% CI 1.54 to 11.11; 2 vs 1, RR=3.7, 95% CI 1.3 to 11.11; p=0.01) and tumour burden pre-HCC treatment (multifocal vs solitary nodule, RR=1.75, 95% CI 1.25 to 2.43; p<0.001). No significant difference was observed in RR between the DAA-exposed and DAA-unexposed groups in propensity score-matched patients (RR=0.64, 95% CI 0.37 to 1.1; p=0.1).

CONCLUSION: Effects of DAA exposure on HCC recurrence risk remain inconclusive. Active clinical and radiological follow-up of patients with HCC after HCV eradication with DAA is justified.

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