Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide is higher in liver transplant recipients than in controls from the general population: a cohort study.

Background: Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide with an expiratory flow of 50 mL/s (FENO50) is a biomarker of eosinophilic airway inflammation. Liver transplant recipients have an increased risk of pulmonary infections, but little is known about the burden of chronic pulmonary diseases in this group. We aimed to assess the prevalence of elevated FENO50 in liver transplant recipients and compare it to controls from the general population. Methods: FENO50 was measured in 271 liver transplant recipients from The Danish Comorbidity in Liver Transplant Recipients (DACOLT) study and 1,018 age- and sex-matched controls from The Copenhagen General Population Study (CGPS). Elevated FENO50 was defined as ≥25 or ≥50 parts per billion (ppb). The analyses were adjusted for known and suspected confounders. Results: The median age of the liver transplant recipients was 55 years (interquartile range (IQR) 46-64), and 58% were men. The liver transplant recipients had a higher median FENO50 than the controls [16 ppb (IQR 10-26) vs. 13 ppb (IQR 8-18.), p < 0.001]. Furthermore, the liver transplant recipients had a higher prevalence of elevated FENO50 (for FENO50 ≥25 ppb 27% vs. 11%, p < 0.001 and ≥50 ppb 4% vs. 2%, p = 0.02). The results were similar after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, use of airway medication, and blood eosinophil counts [the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for FENO50 ≥25 ppb was 3.58 (95% CI: 2.50-5.15, p < 0.0001) and the adjusted OR for FENO50 ≥50 ppb was 3.14 (95% CI: 1.37-7.20, p = 0.007)]. Conclusion: The liver transplant recipients had elevated FENO50, implying increased eosinophilic airway inflammation. The clinical impact of this finding needs further investigation.

European Reference Network for Rare Vascular Diseases (VASCERN): When and how to use intravenous bevacizumab in Hereditary Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT)?

Hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is a rare vascular multisystemic disease that leads to epistaxis, anaemia due to blood loss, and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in organs such as the lungs, liver and brain. HHT prevalence is estimated at 1/6000, i.e. around 85,000 European citizens, and is served by the European Reference Network for Rare Multisystemic Vascular Diseases (VASCERN). HHT treatments depend on clinical manifestations, and span multiple different medical, surgical and interventional disciplines. Separate to local treatments in the nose, in severe settings, intravenous bevacizumab has been proposed as treatment option, and the purpose of the current article is to assess the use of intravenous bevacizumab in patients with HHT in 2022 according to available data.

High output cardiac failure in 3 patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and hepatic vascular malformations, evaluation of treatment.

BACKGROUND: This report addresses how patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) and high output cardiac failure (HOCF) due to hepatic vascular malformations, should be evaluated and could be treated. HHT is a genetic disorder, leading to vascular abnormalities with potentially serious clinical implications. In the liver, arteriovenous malformations occur in more than 70% of patients, but only about 8% present clinical symptoms such as HOCF with pulmonary hypertension and less commonly portal hypertension, biliary ischemia and hepatic encephalopathy. RESULTS: Three female patients with HHT type 2 and HOCF caused by severe arteriovenous malformations in the liver are presented in this case series. The patients were seen at the HHT-Centre at Odense University Hospital. Treatment with either orthotopic liver transplantation (one patient) or bevacizumab (two patients) was initiated. All patients experienced marked symptom relief and objective improvement. New York Heart Association-class were improved, ascites, peripheral edema and hence diuretic treatment was markedly reduced or discontinued in all three patients. Bevacizumab also resulted in notable effects on epistaxis and anemia. CONCLUSION: Our findings substantiate the importance of identification of symptomatic arteriovenous malformations in the liver in patients with HHT. Bevacizumab may possibly, as suggested in this case series and supported by previous case studies, postpone the time to orthotopic liver transplantation or even make it unnecessary. Bevacizumab represents a promising new treatment option, which should be investigated further in clinical trials.

Nutritional therapy in cirrhosis or alcoholic hepatitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Patients with cirrhosis and alcoholic hepatitis are often malnourished and have a superimposed stress metabolism, which increases nutritional demands. We performed a systematic review on the effects of nutritional therapy vs. no intervention for patients with cirrhosis or alcoholic hepatitis. METHODS: We included trials on nutritional therapy designed to fulfil at least 75% of daily nutritional demand. Authors extracted data in an independent manner. Random-effects and fixed-effect meta-analyses were performed and the results expressed as risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Sequential analyses were performed to evaluate the risk of spurious findings because of random and systematic errors. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the risk of bias and sources of between trial heterogeneity. RESULTS: Thirteen randomized controlled trials with 329 allocated to enteral (nine trials) or intravenous (four trials) nutrition and 334 controls. All trials were classed as having a high risk of bias. Random-effects meta-analysis showed that nutritional therapy reduced mortality 0.80 (95% CI, 0.64 to 0.99). The result was not confirmed in sequential analysis. Fixed-effect analysis suggested that nutrition prevented overt hepatic encephalopathy (0.73; 95% CI, 0.55 to 0.96) and infection (0.66; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.98, respectively), but the results were not confirmed in random-effects analyses. CONCLUSION: Our review suggests that nutritional therapy may have beneficial effects on clinical outcomes in cirrhosis and alcoholic hepatitis. High-quality trials are needed to verify our findings.