SUMMARY BackgroundVitamin D has immune-regulatory functions in experimental colitis, and low vitamin D levels are present in Crohn's disease.

Patients with eosinophilic oesophagitis are hypersensitive to acid perfused in the oesophagus, and pathophysiologic findings are likely confined to the peripheral tissue. Reflux from physiological acid may play a role in the symptoms of eosinophilic oesophagitis.

BACKGROUND The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems and it may have heavily impacted patients with liver cancer (LC). This project has evaluated if the schedule of LC screening or procedures has been interrupted /delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS An international survey evaluated the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on clinical practice and clinical trials from March 2020 to June 2020, as the first phase of a multicentre, international and observational project. The focus was on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, cared for around the world during the first COVID-19 pandemic wave. RESULTS Ninety-one centres expressed interest to participate and 76 were included in the analysis, from Europe, South America, North America, Asia and Africa (73.7%, 17.1%, 5.3%, 2.6% and 1.3% per continent, respectively). Eighty-seven per cent of the centres modified their clinical practice: 40.8% the diagnostic procedures, 80.9% the screening program, 50% cancelled curative and/or palliative treatments for LC, and 44.0% cancelled the liver transplantation program. Forty-five out 69 (65.2%) centres in which clinical trials were running modified their treatments in that setting, but 58.1% were able to recruit new patients. The phone call service was modified in 51.4% of centres which had this service prior to COVID-19 pandemic (n=19/37). CONCLUSION The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on the routine care of patients with LC. Modifications in screening, diagnostic and treatment algorithms may have significantly impaired the outcome of patients. Ongoing data collection and future analyses will report the benefits and disadvantages of the strategies implemented, aiding future decision making.

M.I.) and mreig1@clinic.cat (M.R.) Funding informationInstituto de Salud Carlos III, Grant/Award Regorafenib is one option for second-line treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), improving overall survival (OS) of sorafenib-tolerant patients who develop progression. We aim to evaluate the safety and outcomes of regorafenib as second-line treatment for HCC recurrence after liver transplantation (LT). This is a | 3177 IAVARONE Et Al.

Background & Aims There is a clinical need for methods that can quantify regional hepatic function noninvasively in patients with cirrhosis. Here we validate the use of 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-galactose (FDGal) PET/CT for measuring regional metabolic function for this purpose and apply the method to test the hypothesis of increased intrahepatic metabolic heterogeneity in cirrhosis. Methods Nine cirrhotic patients underwent dynamic liver FDGal PET/CT with blood samples from a radial artery and liver vein. Hepatic blood flow was measured by indocyanine green infusion/Fick’s principle. From blood measurements, hepatic systemic clearance (Ksyst, l blood/min) and hepatic intrinsic clearance (Vmax/Km, l blood/min) of FDGal were calculated. From PET data, hepatic systemic clearance of FDGal in liver parenchyma (Kmet, ml blood/ml liver tissue/min) was calculated. Intrahepatic metabolic heterogeneity was evaluated in terms of coefficient of variation (CoV, %) using parametric images of Kmet. Results Mean approximation of Ksyst to Vmax/Km was 86% which validates the use of FDGal as PET tracer of hepatic metabolic function. Mean Kmet was 0.157 ml blood/ml liver tissue/min, which was lower than 0.274 ml blood/ml liver tissue/min previously found in healthy subjects (p <0.001) in accordance with decreased metabolic function in cirrhotic livers. Mean CoV for Kmet in liver tissue was 24.4% in patients and 14.4% in healthy subjects (p <0.0001). The degree of intrahepatic metabolic heterogeneity correlated positively with HVPG (p <0.05). Conclusions A 20 min dynamic FDGal PET/CT with arterial sampling provides an accurate measure of regional hepatic metabolic function in patients with cirrhosis. This is likely to have clinical implications for assessment of patients with liver disease as well as treatment planning and monitoring.

The aim of the present study was to correlate the severity of oesophageal motor dysfunction with the severity of cutaneous disease in systemic sclerosis (SS). Patients were divided into three groups based on the degree of skin involvement: type I, acrosclerosis distal to the wrist; type II, scleroderma extending above the wrist in proximal direction; type III, diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis. Impedance planimetry employing distensions with pressures up to 5 kPa with the concomitant measurement of oesophageal cross-sectional area (CSA) was used in combination with standard oesophageal manometry. Measurements were made at 7 and 15 cm above the lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS). Thirty patients (16 type I, six type II and eight type III patients) and 23 normal controls were included. LOS pressure was lower in SS patients than in normal patients, with the lowest values in type III. The CSAs were higher in SS patients than in controls at both sites (P < 0.001). The CSAs at the distal site were highest in type III, as compared to type I and II (P < 0.03). The CSA at the highest induced pressure (5.0 kPa) was 613 +/- 45, 719 +/- 79, and 808 +/- 115 mm2 in types I, II and III, respectively. No differences in CSA were found at the proximal site between the three types of SS. The distensibility did not differ between SS and normal patients at the distal site. The distensibility was lowest in SS patients (P < 0.001) at the proximal distension site. The distensibility did not vary with the type of SS at either site. Significant differences in contraction frequency of the secondary peristalsis as function of wall tension were demonstrated between the SS patients and controls at the distal site (P < 0.05). No differences were found at the proximal site. The contraction frequency and amplitude at the distal and proximal sites did not differ among the three types. In conclusion for most parameters studied, SS patients differed from normal patients. Among SS types, the most pronounced changes were found in type III.

Small intestinal obstruction is a frequently encountered clinical problem. To understand the mechanisms behind obstruction and the clinical consequences, data are needed on the relation between the morphologic and biomechanical remodeling that takes place in the intestinal wall during chronic obstruction. We sought to determine the effect of partial obstruction on mechanical and morphologic properties of the guinea pig small intestine. Partial obstruction was created surgically in 2 groups of animals living for 2 and 4 weeks. Controls were sham operated and lived for 4 weeks. A combined impedance planimetry-high-frequency ultrasound system was designed to measure the luminal cross-sectional area and wall thickness. These measures were used to compute the circumferential stress and strain of the excised intestinal segments. The incremental elastic modulus was obtained by using nonlinear fitting of the stress-strain curve. Histologic analysis and the measurements of total wall collagen were also performed. The luminal cross-sectional area, wall thickness, and elastic modulus in circumferential direction increased in a time-dependent manner proximal to the obstruction site (P < 0.01), whereas no differences in these parameters were found distal to the obstruction site (P > 0.25). The circumferential stress-strain curves of the proximal segments in 2- and 4-week groups shifted to the left, indicating the intestinal wall became stiffer. Histologic examination revealed a massive increase in the thickness of the muscle layer especially the circular smooth muscle layer (P < 0.05). The collagen content proximal to the obstruction site was significantly larger in the partially obstructed animals compared to controls (P < 0.05). No difference was found distal to the obstruction site. Strong correlation was found between the collagen content and the elastic modulus at stress levels of 70 kPa stress (P < 0.01) and 10 kPa (P < 0.05) proximal to the obstruction site suggesting that the alteration of collagen has great impact on the mechanical remodeling. The morphologic and biomechanical remodeling likely influence the function of the intestine affected by partial obstructed intestine.

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