ABSTRACT
Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a common cause of progressive hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Despite the availability of effective direct-acting antivirals, patients often have significant hepatic fibrosis at the time of diagnosis due to delay in diagnosis and comorbidities which promote fibrogenesis. Thus, antifibrotic agents represent an attractive adjunctive therapy. Fuzheng Huayu (FZHY), a traditional Chinese medicine botanical formulation, has been used as an antifibrotic agent in chronic HBV infection. Our aim was to assess FZHY in patients with HCV infection and active viremia. Method: We randomized 118 patients with active viremia from 8 liver centers in the U.S. to receive oral FZHY (n = 59) or placebo (n = 59) for 48 weeks. Efficacy was assessed by histopathologic changes at the end of therapy. A subset of biopsies was further analyzed using qFibrosis to detect subtle changes in fibrosis in different zones of the hepatic lobules. Results: FZHY was well tolerated and safe. Patients with baseline Ishak fibrosis stages F3 and F4 had better response rates to FZHY than patients with baseline F0-F2 (p=0.03). qFibrosis zonal analysis showed significant improvement in fibrosis in all zones in patients with regression of the fibrosis stage. Conclusions: FZHY produced antifibrotic effects in patients with baseline Ishak F3 and F4 fibrosis stages. Reduction in fibrosis severity was zonal and correlated with the severity of inflammation. Based on its tolerability, safety, and efficacy, FZHY should be further investigated as a therapy in chronic liver diseases because of its dual anti-inflammatory and antiibrotic properties. Lay Summary. This is the first US-based, multicenter and placebo-controlled clinical trial that shows statistically significant reduction in fibrosis in patients with active HCV using an antifibrotic botanical formula. This has important implications as there is an immediate need for effective antifibrotic agents in treating many chronic diseases including NASH that lead to scarring of the liver. With artificial intelligence-based methodology, qFibrosis, we may provide a more reliable way to assess the FZHY as a therapy in chronic liver diseases because of its dual anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic properties.
ABSTRACT
Our knowledge of the disease burden and symptoms with age in COVID-19 patients is limited. Therefore, it is of interest to document the clinical aspect of this association with respect to the disease. We used the data of 3363 patients enrolled with an urgent care clinic in Volusia county, Florida for this study. Data shows difference in age among COVID-19 antibody (Ab) - positive patients (48.3 years, 95% CI = 46.9,49.7 years) and Ab-negative patients (46.1 years, 95% CI = 45.4, 46.8 years). However, disease burden by age is not significant on average. Nonetheless, COVID-19 positive patients between 40-69-years of age experienced the highest burden of disease and highest average number of symptoms. Thus, COVID-19 disease burden and number of symptoms experienced were highest among the 40-69-year-old patients. Those above the populations mean age of 46.4 years old were more likely to test positive for COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND Primary malignant ameloblastoma is a very rare tumor of the dental lamina epithelium. Similar to the benign ameloblastoma, the mass is without significant histological atypia, but the malignant type may present with metastases, most commonly to the lungs. The average age of diagnosis is 34 years, and the malignancy affects men and women equally. The tumors often present with an insidious growth and have a median survival from time of diagnosis of 17.6 years. Due to the rarity of this lesion, a standard of care has not yet been established. CASE REPORT A 38-year-old Haitian woman, who initially presented with a large primary malignant ameloblastoma of the angle of the mandible, experienced a recurrence in the floor of the mouth 30 months after surgical resection. In 2018, 2 years after the removal of the recurrent tumor, the patient presented with ascites, right-sided abdominal pain, weight loss, and a palpable liver mass. Laparoscopic exploration demonstrated a complex lateral right liver lobe cyst, suspicious for parasitic infection. Cytological analysis showed positive staining for cytokeratin 5/6, P63, and CD56, indicative of metastatic ameloblastoma of the liver. Consistent cell morphology from the primary tumor and liver cyst was also noted. Following drainage of the cyst, the patient returned to Haiti, where she died in 2020. In Haiti, she lacked appropriate local medical care, leading to the severe progression of her initial primary ameloblastoma and disease recurrence. CONCLUSIONS Malignant ameloblastoma accounts for less than 2% of all odontogenic tumors, as the benign variant is much more common. Distant metastases of these lesions are rare; to date, few cases have presented with hepatic metastases.
