Point-of-care hepatitis C screening with direct access referral to improve linkage to care among halfway house residents: a pilot randomised study.

INTRODUCTION: Linkage to care among individuals with substance misuse remains a barrier to the elimination of the hepatitis C virus (HCV). We aimed to determine whether point-of-care (PoC) education, screening and staging for liver disease with direct access to hospitals would improve linkage to care among this group. METHODS: All participants were offered PoC education and HCV screening. HCV-positive participants were randomised to standard care (controls) or direct access, which provided a direct pathway to hospitals. Linkage to care was determined by reviewing electronic medical records. Linkage of care cascade was defined as attendance at the specialist clinic, confirmation of viraemia by HCV RNA testing, discussion about HCV treatment and initiation of treatment. RESULTS: 351 halfway house residents were screened. The overall HCV prevalence was 30.5% (n = 107), with 69 residents in the control group and 38 in the direct access group. The direct access group had a significantly higher percentage of cases linked to specialist review for confirmatory RNA testing (63.2% vs. 40.6%, p = 0.025), HCV treatment discussion (p = 0.009) and treatment initiation (p = 0.01) compared to the controls. Overall, only 12.6% (n = 13) had treatment initiation during follow-up. PoC HCV screening with direct access referral had significantly higher linkage to HCV treatment initiation (adjusted odds ratio 9.13, p = 0.005) in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: PoC HCV screening with direct access improves linkage to care and simplifies the HCV care cascade, leading to improved treatment uptake. PoC education, screening, diagnosis and treatment may be an effective strategy to achieving HCV micro-elimination in this population.

Novel albumin, bilirubin and platelet criteria for the exclusion of high-risk varices in compensated advanced chronic liver disease: A validation study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Availability of transient elastography (TE) limits the application of Baveno-VI criteria. In a derivation study, the ABP criteria (Albumin >40 g/l, Bilirubin <22 µmol/l and Platelet >114,000/µl) had been shown to perform well in identifying compensated advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD) patients without high-risk varices (HRV). We aim to externally validate this novel ABP criteria for the exclusion of HRVs among cACLD patients. METHODS: Data was retrospectively collected from consecutive cACLD patients with paired TE and esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) performed between 2011 and 2017 in Changi General Hospital, Singapore. We estimate the discriminative ability of ABP criteria in validation cohort using AUROC and calibration-in-the-large. We subsequently compare the performance between ABP and Baveno-VI criteria in the validation cohort. RESULTS: Among 314 patients included in our validation cohort, 32 (10.2%) had HRV on screening EGD. Application of ABP criteria within this validation cohort has increased discriminative ability than the derivation cohort. The AUROC of validation and derivation cohort were 0.68 (0.60-0.76) and 0.66 (0.60-0.76), respectively. The mean and standard error for calibration-in-the-large and calibration slope were -0.08 (0.22) and 0.93 (0.26) respectively. The ABP criteria had excellent performance in excluding HRV and will spare more screening EGDs than the Baveno-VI criteria (39.2% vs 27.4%, p < 0.001), without missing more HRVs. CONCLUSION: We validated the performance of ABP criteria for the exclusion of HRVs in cACLD patients. ABP criteria is superior to Baveno-VI criteria by sparing more screening EGD without the need of TE.

What is required for achieving hepatitis C virus elimination in Singapore? A modeling study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The vast majority of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Singapore is among those with a history of injecting drug use (IDU), yet harm reduction is not available and what is required to achieve the World Health Organization (WHO) HCV elimination targets (80% incidence reduction and 65% mortality reduction by 2030) is unknown. We model the intervention scale-up required to achieve WHO targets in Singapore. METHODS: A dynamic model of HCV transmission and progression among those with a history of IDU was calibrated to Singapore, a setting with declining IDU and no harm reduction (~11 000 people with IDU history in 2017 and 45% HCV seropositive). We projected HCV treatment scale-up from 2019 required to achieve WHO targets with varying prioritization scenarios, with/without opiate substitution therapy scale-up (to 40% among people who inject drugs [PWID]). RESULTS: We estimated 3855 (95% confidence interval: 2635-5446) chronically HCV-infected individuals with a history of IDU and 148 (87-284) incident HCV cases in Singapore in 2019. Reaching the HCV incidence target requires 272 (187-384) treatments in 2019, totaling 2444 (1683-3452) across 2019-2030. By prioritizing PWID or PWID and cirrhotics, 60% or 30% fewer treatments are required, respectively, whereas the target cannot be achieved with cirrhosis prioritization. Opiate substitution therapy scale-up reduces treatments required by 21-24%. Achieving both WHO targets requires treating 631 (359-1047) in 2019, totaling 3816 (2664-5423) across 2019-2030. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatitis C virus elimination is achievable in Singapore but even with declining IDU requires immediate treatment scale-up among PWID. Harm reduction provision reduces treatments required and provides additional benefits.

A pilot study to examine the association between human gut microbiota and the host's central obesity.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Perturbance in the composition of human gut microbiota has been associated with metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, and insulin resistance. The objectives of this study are to examine the effects of ethnicity, central obesity, and recorded dietary components on potentially influencing the human gut microbiome. We hypothesize that these factors have an influence on the composition of the gut microbiome. METHODS: Subjects of Chinese (n = 14), Malay (n = 10), and Indian (n = 11) ancestry, with a median age of 39 years (range: 22-70 years old), provided stool samples for gut microbiome profiling using 16S rRNA sequencing and completed a dietary questionnaire. The serum samples were assayed for a panel of biomarkers (interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha, adiponectin, cleaved cytokeratin 18, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein, and limulus amebocyte lysate). Central obesity was defined by waist circumference cut-off values for Asians. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in Shannon alpha diversity for ethnicity and central obesity and no associations between levels of inflammatory cytokines and obesity. The relative abundances of Anaerofilum (P = 0.02), Gemellaceae (P = 0.02), Streptococcaceae (P = 0.03), and Rikenellaceae (P = 0.04) were significantly lower in the obese group. From principle coordinate analysis, the effects of the intake of fiber and fat/saturated fat were in contrast with each other, with clustering of obese individuals leaning toward fiber. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that there were differences in the gut microbiome in obese individuals. Certain bacterial taxa were present in lower abundance in the group with central obesity. Fiber and fat/saturated fat diets were not the key determinants of central obesity.

Proton pump inhibitor use increases mortality and hepatic decompensation in liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely prescribed, often without clear indications. There are conflicting data on its association with mortality risk and hepatic decompensation in cirrhotic patients. Furthermore, PPI users and PPI exposure in some studies have been poorly defined with many confounding factors. AIM: To examine if PPI use increases mortality and hepatic decompensation and the impact of cumulative PPI dose exposure. METHODS: Data from patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis were extracted from a hospital database between 2013 to 2017. PPI users were defined as cumulative defined daily dose (cDDD) ≥ 28 within a landmark period, after hospitalisation for hepatic decompensation. Cox regression analysis for comparison was done after propensity score adjustment. Further risk of hepatic decompensation was analysed by Poisson regression. RESULTS: Among 295 decompensated cirrhosis patients, 238 were PPI users and 57 were non-users. PPI users had higher mortality compared to non-users [adjusted HR = 2.10, (1.20-3.67); P = 0.009]. Longer PPI use with cDDD > 90 was associated with higher mortality, compared to non-users [aHR = 2.27, (1.10-5.14); P = 0.038]. PPI users had a higher incidence of hospitalization for hepatic decompensation [aRR = 1.61, (1.30-2.11); P < 0.001]. CONCLUSION: PPI use in decompensated cirrhosis is associated with increased risk of mortality and hepatic decompensation. Longer PPI exposure with cDDD > 90 increases the risk of mortality.

Economic evaluation of direct-acting antivirals for the treatment of genotype 3 hepatitis C infection in Singapore.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The prohibitively high cost of direct-acting antivirals (DAA) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a barrier to treatment access in Singapore. We aimed to evaluate whether DAA as first-line therapy would be cost-effective for genotype 3 (GT3) HCV patients compared with pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PR). METHODS: A decision tree analysis was used to compare the costs and outcomes of DAA and PR as first-line therapy. Treatment effectiveness, defined as sustained virological response, was assessed using a retrospective cohort of treated GT3 HCV patients. Direct medical costs were estimated from the payer's perspective using billing information. We obtained health utilities from published literature. We performed extensive one-way sensitivity analyses and probabilistic sensitivity analyses to account for uncertainties regarding the model parameters. RESULTS: In base case analysis, first-line therapy with DAA and PR yielded quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) of 0.69 and 0.62 at a cost of USD 54 634 and USD 23 857, respectively. The resultant incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) (USD 449 232/QALY) exceeded the willingness-to-pay threshold (USD 53 302/QALY). The ICER was robust for uncertainties regarding the model parameters. The cost of DAA is the key factor influencing the cost-effectiveness of HCV treatment. At current price, DAA as first-line therapy is not cost-effective compared with PR, with or without consideration of retreatment. Threshold analysis suggested that DAA can be cost-effective if it costs less than USD 17 002 for a 12-week treatment course. CONCLUSION: At current price, DAA as first-line therapy is not cost-effective compared with PR in GT3 HCV patients in Singapore.

Acute Pancreatitis Caused by Tamoxifen-Induced Severe Hypertriglyceridemia After 4 Years of Tamoxifen Use.

We report a case of a 55-year-old woman with hypertension and diabetes mellitus, who took tamoxifen for the past 4 years. She presented with acute pancreatitis caused by markedly elevated serum triglycerides (3,883 mg/dL). Tamoxifen is known to cause a mild increase in serum triglycerides, but it rarely increases to such high levels to cause acute pancreatitis. The patient recovered well, and tamoxifen was switched to letrozole. It is crucial to monitor serum lipids up to 4 years and beyond for patients on tamoxifen, particularly in patients with known dyslipidemia or diabetes mellitus.

Alcohol-Related Liver Disease Is Rarely Detected at Early Stages Compared With Liver Diseases of Other Etiologies Worldwide.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Despite recent advances in treatment of viral hepatitis, liver-related mortality is high, possibly owing to the large burden of advanced alcohol-related liver disease (ALD). We investigated whether patients with ALD are initially seen at later stages of disease development than patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection or other etiologies. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of 3453 consecutive patients with either early or advanced liver disease (1699 patients with early and 1754 with advanced liver disease) seen at 17 tertiary care liver or gastrointestinal units worldwide, from August 2015 through March 2017. We collected anthropometric, etiology, and clinical information, as well as and model for end-stage liver disease scores. We used unconditional logistic regression to estimate the odds ratios for evaluation at late stages of the disease progression. RESULTS: Of the patients analyzed, 81% had 1 etiology of liver disease and 17% had 2 etiologies of liver disease. Of patients seen at early stages for a single etiology, 31% had HCV infection, 21% had hepatitis B virus infection, and 17% had nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, whereas only 3.8% had ALD. In contrast, 29% of patients seen for advanced disease had ALD. Patients with ALD were more likely to be seen at specialized centers, with advanced-stage disease, compared with patients with HCV-associated liver disease (odds ratio, 14.1; 95% CI, 10.5-18.9; P < .001). Of patients with 2 etiologies of liver disease, excess alcohol use was associated with 50% of cases. These patients had significantly more visits to health care providers, with more advanced disease, compared with patients without excess alcohol use. The mean model for end-stage liver disease score for patients with advanced ALD (score, 16) was higher than for patients with advanced liver disease not associated with excess alcohol use (score, 13) (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: In a cross-sectional analysis of patients with liver disease worldwide, we found that patients with ALD are seen with more advanced-stage disease than patients with HCV-associated liver disease. Of patients with 2 etiologies of liver disease, excess alcohol use was associated with 50% of cases. Early detection and referral programs are needed for patients with ALD worldwide.

Randomized trial comparing effects of weight loss by liraglutide with lifestyle modification in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We compared the effects of weight loss induced with the glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist liraglutide, with that of lifestyle modification, followed by weight maintenance after discontinuing intervention, in obese adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: Thirty obese (mean age 40.7 ± 9.1 years, BMI 33.2 ± 3.6 kg/m2 , 90% male) adults with NAFLD defined as liver fat fraction (LFF) > 5% on magnetic resonance imaging without other causes of hepatic steatosis were randomized to a supervised programme of energy restriction plus moderate-intensity exercise to induce ≥ 5% weight loss (DE group, n = 15), or liraglutide 3 mg daily (LI group, n = 15) for 26 weeks, followed by 26 weeks with only advice to prevent weight regain. RESULTS: Diet and exercise and LI groups had significant (P < 0.01) and similar reductions in weight (-3.5 ± 3.3 vs -3.0 ± 2.2 kg), LFF (-8.1 ± 13.2 vs -7.0 ± 7.1%), serum alanine aminotransferase (-39 ± 35 vs -26 ± 33 U/L) and caspase-cleaved cytokeratin-18 (cCK-18) (-206 ± 252 vs -130 ± 158 U/L) at 26 weeks. At 52 weeks, the LI group significantly (P < 0.05) regained weight (1.8 ± 2.1 kg), LFF (4.0 ± 5.3%) and cCK-18 (72 ± 126 U/L), whereas these were unchanged in the DE group. CONCLUSIONS: Liraglutide was effective for decreasing weight, hepatic steatosis and hepatocellular apoptosis in obese adults with NAFLD, but benefits were not sustained after discontinuation, in contrast with lifestyle modification. Continuing the exercise learned in the structured programme contributed to the maintenance of liver fat reduction.

Effects of proton pump inhibitor on the human gut microbiome profile in multi-ethnic groups in Singapore.

INTRODUCTION: The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of ethnicity, gender and a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), omeprazole, on the human gut microbiome. PPIs are commonly used for the treatment of acid-related disorders. We hypothesised that PPI therapy might perturb microbial communities and alter the gut microbiome. METHODS: Healthy subjects of Chinese (n = 12), Malay (n = 12) and Indian (n = 10) ancestry, aged 21-37 years, were enrolled. They provided a baseline stool sample (Day 1) and were then given a course of omeprazole at therapeutic dose (20 mg daily) for seven days. Stool samples were collected again on Day 7 and 14 (one week after stopping omeprazole). Microbial DNA was extracted from the stool samples, followed by polymerase chain reaction, library construction, 16S rRNA sequencing using Illumina MiSeq, and statistical and bioinformatics analyses. RESULTS: The findings showed an increase in species richness (p = 0.018) after omeprazole consumption on Day 7, which reverted to baseline on Day 14. There were significant increases in the relative abundance of Streptococcus vestibularis (p = 0.0001) and Veillonella dispar (p = 0.0001) on Day 7, which diminished on Day 14. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Sutterella stercoricanis and Bacteroides denticanum were characteristic of Chinese, Malays and Indians, respectively. Lactobacillaceae and Bacteroides xylanisolvens were the signature taxa of male and female subjects, respectively. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated alterations in the gut microbiome following omeprazole treatment. This may explain the underlying pathology of increased risk of Clostridium difficile infections associated with omeprazole therapy.

Risk of Postpolypectomy Bleeding With Uninterrupted Clopidogrel Therapy in an Industry-Independent, Double-Blind, Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Guidelines recommend withholding clopidogrel 7 days before polypectomy to decrease bleeding risk, but these were written based on limited evidence. We investigated whether uninterrupted clopidogrel therapy increases the risk of delayed postpolypectomy bleeding in patients undergoing colonoscopy. METHODS: We identified patients receiving clopidogrel for cardiovascular disease undergoing elective colonoscopies in Hong Kong from February 28, 2012 through April 11, 2018. Eligible patients were instructed to stop taking clopidogrel 7 days before colonoscopy. Then, they were randomly assigned to groups given clopidogrel (75 mg) or placebo daily until the morning of colonoscopy. All patients resumed their usual prescriptions of clopidogrel after colonoscopy. The primary end point was delayed postpolypectomy bleeding that required hospitalization or intervention up to 30 days after colonoscopy. Secondary end points were immediate postpolypectomy bleeding and serious cardio-thrombotic events for as long as 6 months after colonoscopy, according to Antithrombotic Trialists' criteria. All events were adjudicated by an independent masked committee. RESULTS: In total, 387 patients underwent colonoscopy and 216 required polypectomies (106 patients in the clopidogrel group and 110 patients in the placebo group). The cumulative incidence of delayed postpolypectomy bleeding was 3.8% (95% confidence interval 1.4-9.7) in the clopidogrel group and 3.6% (95% confidence interval 1.4-9.4) in the placebo group (P = .945 by log-rank test). There were no significant differences in immediate postpolypectomy bleeding (8.5% vs 5.5%; P = .380) and cardio-thrombotic events (1.5% vs 2%; P = .713). CONCLUSIONS: In a randomized controlled trial of clopidogrel users undergoing colonoscopy, a slightly larger proportion of patients continuing clopidogrel developed delayed and immediate postpolypectomy bleeding, although this difference was not statistically significant. ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01806090.

Novel non-invasive score to predict cirrhosis in the era of hepatitis C elimination: A population study of ex-substance users in Singapore.

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis C infection is common among people with history of substance use. Liver fibrosis assessment is a barrier to linkage to care, particularly among those with history of substance users. The use of non-invasive scores can be helpful in predicting liver cirrhosis in the era of HCV elimination, especially in countries where transient elastography (TE) is not available. We compared the commonly used non-invasive scores with a novel non-invasive score in predicting liver cirrhosis in this population. METHODS: HCV patients with history of substance use between 2011 and 2016 were analyzed. All patients had TE for liver fibrosis assessment. Clinical performance of established non-invasive scores for fibrosis assessment and novel score were compared. Youden's index was used to determine optimal cut-off of the novel score. RESULTS: A total of 579 patients were included. In multivariate logistic regression, cirrhosis on TE was associated with age (P = 0.002), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (P = 0.004), and platelet count (P < 0.001), but not alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (P = 0.896). These form the components of modified AST-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) score. Modified APRI was superior to APRI in predicting cirrhosis (AUROC, 0.796 vs. 0.770, P = 0.007), but not fibrosis-4 score (FIB-4) (P = 1.00). Modified APRI at cut-off of 4 has sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value (NPV) of 94.4%, 26.9% and 92.6%, respectively, and at 19, has sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of 33.3%, 96.2% and 77.1%, respectively. FIB-4 has a NPV and PPV of 88.6%, 41.8% and 78.5%, 77.6%, at cut-off of 1.45 and 3.25, respectively. Using the cut-off of 4 and 14 for modified APRI, 32.5% of patients can be correctly classified and misses out only 5.6% of cirrhosis patients. CONCLUSIONS: Modified APRI score is superior in predicting cirrhosis in HCV population, with 32.5% of the population being correctly classified using cut-off of 4 and 14. Further studies are required to validate the findings.

Comparative effects of liraglutide 3 mg vs structured lifestyle modification on body weight, liver fat and liver function in obese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A pilot randomized trial.

We compared the effects of weight loss induced by the glucagon-like peptide 1-agonist liraglutide with a structured lifestyle intervention in obese adults with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Obese (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 , mean weight 96.0 ± 16.3 kg) non-diabetic Asian adults, with NAFLD diagnosed by liver fat fraction (LFF) ≥ 5.5% on magnetic resonance imaging without other causes of hepatic steatosis, were randomized to a supervised program of dieting (restriction by 400 kilocalories/d) plus moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (~200 min/wk; DE group, n = 12), or liraglutide at the 3 mg daily dose approved for weight loss (LI group, n = 12), for 26 weeks. Both DE and LI groups had significant (P < .01) and similar reductions in weight (-3.5 ± 3.3 vs -3.5 ± 2.1 kg, respectively, P = .72), LFF (-8.9 ± 13.4 vs -7.2% ± 7.1%, P = .70), serum alanine aminotransferase (-42 ± 46 vs -34 ± 27 U/L, P = .52) and aspartate aminotransferase (-23 ± 24 vs -18 ± 15 U/L, P = .53). In this first randomized study comparing the 2 weight-loss modalities for improving NAFLD, liraglutide was as effective as structured lifestyle modification.

Statin and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and death in a hospital-based hepatitis B-infected population: A propensity score landmark analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The use of statin in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and death prevention is still uncertain among hepatitis B infected (HBV) patients. This study aimed to examine the effect of statin on HCC and death in a HBV population. METHODS: We conducted a hospital-based population study of HBV patients, using the Hospital Authority database in Hong Kong. We defined statin use by landmark analysis to abrogate "immortal time bias" and propensity score (PS) weighting to minimize baseline confounders and "indication bias". Multiple imputations for missing data were performed. The weighted Cox regression analyses was performed for the risk of HCC (adjusting for competing mortality) and death. RESULTS: A total of 73,499 patients with a crude HCC incidence of 1.75 per 100 patient-years were entered into the 2-year landmark analysis. After landmark analysis and PS weighting of baseline covariates, statin users had a 32% risk reduction in HCC (weighted sub-hazard ratio (SHR) 0.68; 95% CI 0.48-0.97) compared to non-users. There was no decreased risk of death in statin users (weighted HR 0.92; 0.76-1.11, p=0.386). In subgroup analysis, concurrent statin and nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) use was associated with 59% risk reduction in HCC (weighted SHR 0.41; 0.19-0.89, p=0.023) compared to NA use alone. CONCLUSION: In this HBV cohort adjusted for confounders and biases, statin use is associated with reduced HCC risk by 32%. Additive HCC chemopreventive effect was seen with the concomitant use of NA and statin. Further prospective studies are warranted to investigate the potential use of statin in NA users.

The Spine Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program (Spine SCOAP): a surgeon-led approach to quality and safety.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective registry of spine surgery. OBJECTIVE: To identify variation in utilization, processes of care, and outcomes in spine surgery to improve statewide quality and safety. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Variability in the utilization and outcomes of elective spine surgery across different regions in the United States and internationally has become a growing focus of critical evaluation. In 2011, surgeons in Washington State created the Spine Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program to address variability in use, process, and outcome of spine surgery. METHODS: Prospective cohort study from consecutive spine fusion cases and 30% sampling of other spine procedures from up to 20 hospitals (2011-2013). Logistic regression models were developed using data from 10 quarters to determine factors associated with combined adverse events inclusive of index hospital death, reintervention, and adverse events not requiring intervention, and then applied to patients in the last 2 quarters. RESULTS: A total of 10,166 (58.9 ± 13.4 yr, 52.2% females) underwent surgery including 3767 (37%) lumbar and 6399 (63%) cervical procedures. Of the total, 75.3% of the cohort had a spine fusion and among those, neurological symptoms were described in 92.5% of patients, with baseline limb pain numeric rating scale (NRS) scores of 5.9 among those classified as having neurological symptoms. The NRS mean score for back pain was 5.9 with a mean Oswestry Disability Index/Neck Disability Index of 44. There was significant intersite variation in rates of cigarette smoking among patients undergoing fusion surgery (range, 0%-40%) and rates of combined adverse events with 10 hospitals having a significantly lower observed/expected ratio and 3 having a significantly greater observed to expected ratio. CONCLUSION: Spine Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program identified significant variability in the indications, process of care, and outcomes related to spine surgery. This variability indicates the need for continued surveillance initiatives and point to opportunities for quality improvement and research. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2.

Type 2 diabetes: a risk factor for liver mortality and complications in hepatitis B cirrhosis patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The effect of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) on morbidity and mortality among hepatitis B virus (HBV) cirrhosis patients is poorly defined. We assess the effect of DM on the HBV cirrhosis outcomes and survival. METHODS: A retrospective study of HBV cirrhosis patients who sought care at a sole public hospital in a geographically defined region, from year 2000 to 2012. Cirrhosis complications, liver transplantations, and mortality were reviewed. Primary outcome is the composite of liver-related and overall mortality or orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). RESULTS: Two hundred twenty-three patients entered into the final analysis; 50 patients (22.4%) have DM at cirrhosis diagnosis. Seventy-two percent of DM patients have DM for more than 5 years at cirrhosis diagnosis. The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was 25.4 and 60.5 per 1000 patient-years for non-DM and DM patients, respectively (P = 0.006). In multivariate analysis, DM was a predictor of HCC (hazard ratio [HR] 2.36, [1.14-4.85], P = 0.02), hepatic complications (HR 2.04, [1.16-3.59], P = 0.01), liver mortality or OLT (HR 2.26, [1.05-4.86], P = 0.04), and overall mortality or OLT (HR 2.25, [1.96-4.22], P = 0.01). Insulin and/or sulphonylurea use and poor diabetic control (glycosylated hemoglobin ≥ 7.0%) were predictors of HCC and cirrhosis complications (all P < 0.05). The 5-year liver-related mortality or OLT rate was 23.4% for DM patients and 9.4% for non-DM patients, respectively (P = 0.009). CONCLUSION: The presence of DM and poor diabetic control at cirrhosis diagnosis significantly increase the rate of cirrhosis complications and reduced survival in patients with HBV cirrhosis. Improving diabetic control should be essential part of the cirrhosis care in these patients.

A win for the patient: Direct patient notification improves treatment rates of active Helicobacter pylori infection.

BACKGROUND: Current international guidelines recommend the commencement of effective eradication therapy as soon as active Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is confirmed. At our institution, all positive Campylobacter-like Organism (CLO) test results were automatically communicated to general practitioners (GPs) via a standardised letter, which also advised the commencement of eradication therapy. Despite this endeavour, a clinical audit conducted in 2011 demonstrated that only 66 per cent of confirmed H. pylori-positive South Auckland patients received eradication treatment and only 83 per cent of these patients received treatment within one month. AIMS: Improve the timely initiation of H. pylori eradication therapy through direct patient notification. METHOD: A prospective clinical audit of 109 consecutive outpatients with a positive CLO test identified at gastroscopy. In addition to standard general practitioner notification, patients were also directly notified of their positive CLO test result via a standardised letter, which provided information about H. pylori and its disease associations as well as advising patients to seek consultation with their GP to commence eradication therapy. Dispensing data was examined using Test Safe electronic records to determine the total uptake and timing of treatment compared to data from a preliminary 2011 audit. RESULTS: Ninety-five per cent of H. pylori-positive patients received standard triple therapy; therefore, treatment of active H. pylori infection was significantly higher when patients were directly notified in addition to standard GP notification, when compared to GP notification alone (95 per cent vs 66 per cent, p<0.001). All patients who received eradication therapy did so within one month of notification, a significant improvement compared to data from the previous audit in 2011 (100 per cent vs. 83 per cent, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Direct patient notification using a standardised letter is a simple and economical strategy that significantly improves the timely initiation of eradication therapy for active H. pylori infection. This has since been integrated into standard practice at our District Health Board (DHB).