Background A novel transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF) procedure using the EsophyX system with SerosaFuse fasteners was designed to reconstruct a full-thickness valve at the gastroesophageal junction through tailored delivery of multiple fasteners during a single-device insertion. The safety and efficacy of TIF for treating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) were evaluated in a prospective multicenter trial. Methods Patients (n = 86) with chronic GERD treated with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were enrolled. Exclusion criteria included an irreducible hiatal hernia [ 2 cm. Results The TIF procedure (n = 84) reduced all hiatal hernias (n = 49) and constructed valves measuring 4 cm (2-6 cm) and 230°(160°-300°). Serious adverse events consisted of two esophageal perforations upon device insertion and one case of postoperative intraluminal bleeding. Other adverse events were mild and transient. At 12 months, aggregate (n = 79) and stratified Hill grade I tight (n = 21) results showed 73% and 86% of patients with C50% improvement in GERD health-related quality of life (HRQL) scores, 85% discontinuation of daily PPI use, and 81% complete cessation of PPIs; 37% and 48% normalization of esophageal acid exposure; 60% and 89% hiatal hernia reduction; and 62% and 80% esophagitis reduction, respectively. More than 50% of patients with Hill grade I tight valves had a normalized cardia circumference. Resting pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) was improved significantly (p \ 0.001), by 53%. EsophyX-TIF cured GERD in 56% of patients based on their symptom reduction and PPI discontinuation. Conclusion The 12-month results showed that EsophyX-TIF was safe and effective in improving quality of life and for reducing symptoms, PPI use, hiatal hernia, and G.

In a randomized trial of patients with severe AH treated with corticosteroids, we found that intensive enteral nutrition was difficult to implement and did not increase survival. However, low daily energy intake was associated with greater mortality, so adequate nutritional intake should be a main goal for treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT01801332.

SUMMARYAim: To evaluate the efficacy of early interferon a-2b in non-post-transfusion acute hepatitis C virus: a prospective study with historical comparison. Patients: Group A: 28 patients prospectively treated for acute hepatitis C virus with daily regimen of interferon 5 million units for 2 months. Group B: historical series of 16 patients with untreated acute hepatitis C virus. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to gender, age, icterus, alanine aminotransferase, or genotypes. In group B, hepatitis spontaneously resolved in three of 16 (19%) patients (follow-up 1-7 years). In group A, 21 of 25 patients became sustained viral responders (75%; P ¼ 0.0003 vs. group B). Factors include not predictive of sustained viral response: age, gender, sources of infection, presence of icterus, alanine aminotransferase peak, bilirubin peak, incubation period, presence of hepatitis C virus antibodies at presentation, or genotypes. The time from presentation to the start of therapy was, however, significantly shorter in sustained viral responders (43 ± 31 days) than in relapsers or non-responders (88 ± 52 days) (P ¼ 0.016). Conclusions: Early treatment of acute hepatitis C virus with interferon prevents chronicity. A short waiting time from presentation to treatment appears as the most relevant predictive factor for sustained response.

The clinical outcomes at 3 years following TIF, patient satisfaction, healing of erosive esophagitis, and cessation of PPI medication support long-term safety and durability of the TIF procedure for those with initial treatment success. Although complete normalization of pH studies occurred in a minority of patients, successful cases showed long-term durability.

In order to evaluate the future burden of hepatitis C, there is a need to quantify the evolution with time of some crucial parameters such as disease frequency and age, modes of infection and infecting genotypes of patients presenting for the first time at consultation. The yearly evolution of these parameters was analyzed retrospectively in a cohort of 1,726 patients living in Belgium, who were diagnosed as hepatitis C virus (HCV) carriers by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) between 1992 and 2002. The epidemiological profile of HCV patients showed significant changes during this period. The number of new patients increased with time. The proportion of patients under 50 increased linearly at a rate of 3% per year. The rate of newly presenting patients infected by transfusion before 1990 decreased, but only by 2.7% per year. The proportion of intravenous (IV) drug users increased by 2.5% per year. Patients presenting “undefined” risk factors increased by 2.1% per year. Nosocomial acquisition of HCV infection exhibited a disturbing relative stability in time whereas dialysis tended to disappear as a cause of infection. There was a significant linear annual decrease of 2.3% in the frequency of genotype 1b, which was counterbalanced by a significant increase of 0.7% for genotype 1a and 1.1% for genotype 4. Genotypes 2 and 3 did not vary significantly with time. Such figures are useful for evaluating the epidemiological changes of C virus infection and for anticipating the future economical cost of hepatitis C treatment in the next few years. J. Med. Virol. 76:503–510, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.