Eun Sun Jang

AFP was the most useful single biomarker for HCC diagnosis, and the combined measurement of AFP and DKK-1 could maximize the diagnostic yield. Clinical decision should be based on the consideration of various factors affecting the diagnostic performance of each biomarker. Efforts to seek novel HCC biomarkers should be continued.

BACKGROUND: Liver function tests (LFTs) can be affected by many factors and the proposed effects of coffee on LFT require a comprehensive evaluation. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether drinking coffee, smoking, or drinking alcohol have independent effects on LFTs in Korean health-check examinees. METHODS: We used the responses of 500 health-check examinees, who had participated in a self-administered questionnaire survey about coffee, alcohol drinking, and smoking habits. RESULTS: Co

ElastPQ exhibited better diagnostic performance-without the influence of confounding factors-for assessing hepatic fibrosis in AILD patients than serum fibrosis markers.

HRQoL in Korean patients with chronic HCV infection was low and was affected by cirrhosis severity, SVR, and comorbidity as well as income, which had the strongest effect. Therefore, HRQoL may be improved by antiviral therapy with reasonable costs to prevent cirrhosis progression.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Coffee consumption is inversely related to the risk of cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the protective effect of coffee drinking against the risk of HCC was not established in HBV-prevalent region. To elucidate the relationship between lifetime coffee consumption and the risk of HCC development under the consideration of replication status of HBV. METHODS: A hospital-based case-control study was performed in 1364 subjects. A total of 258 HCC patients, 480

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Whether older patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) have a better clinical course than younger patients is unclear. We compared the clinical characteristics between older and younger age groups in South Korea to elucidate the impact of age on relapse in UC. METHODOLOGY: Patients between 18 and 85 years old who were diagnosed with UC at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital between 1 May 2003 and 31 Oct 2007 were enrolled. It was reviewed their symptoms, endoscopic and patho

BACKGROUND & AIMS: This multicenter cohort study aimed to compare the real-world biochemical response rates during tenofovir alafenamide (TAF), tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), and entecavir (ETV) treatment in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection patients. METHODS: Overall, 1282 treatment-naïve patients with CHB who commenced TAF (n = 270), TDF (n = 617), or ETV (n = 395) were analysed for biochemical response rates during the antiviral treatment using a time-dependent Cox proportional

The presence of adenoma ≥10 mm or ≥4 adenomas at baseline colonoscopy were significant predictors of recurrent adenoma.

Oral taurine therapy for 4 weeks improved muscle cramps safely in cirrhotic patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aims of this study were to evaluate the effect of antiviral therapy on serum total cholesterol (TC) levels and to investigate the factors related to serum TC changes in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. METHODS: A total of 94 CHC patients, the majority of whom were infected with genotype 1 or 2 and were receiving antiviral therapy, were consecutively enrolled. TC levels before treatment, at week 4, at the end of treatment (EOT), and at 24 weeks after the EOT were analyzed,

SOF-based therapy showed high real-life efficacy and tolerability in Korean patients with genotype 2 chronic HCV infection, regardless of previous antiviral treatment experience and fibrosis score. A reduced ribavirin dose can be considered in this patient cohort.