The prevalence of NASH was 77.5% in this prospective Japanese cohort. The prevalence of NASH in Japanese morbidly obese patients was extremely high, and early intervention should be undertaken.

Background and Aim This retrospective study investigated the effect of 48‐week pemafibrate therapy in non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with hypertriglyceridemia, as evaluated by the FibroScan‐aspartate aminotransferase (FAST) score. Methods A total of 31 NAFLD patients who were treated with pemafibrate in Gunma Saiseikai Maebashi Hospital and Kusunoki Hospital from September 2018 to April 2020 were included in the current study. We used the FAST score, which is a novel index of steatohepatitis that can be calculated based on the AST value, controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), and liver stiffness measurement (LSM), to evaluate the effect of pemafibrate treatment. Results The median age was 64.0 (interquartile range [IQR] 55.0–75.0) years and 14 patients (45.2%) were male. Median body mass index was 26.8 (IQR 23.8–28.8). Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were detected in 14 (45.2%) and five (16.1%) patients, respectively. Fasting triglyceride and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly improved (P < 0.001 and 0.013, respectively) and the AST, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase, and γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase values were significantly decreased during pemafibrate treatment (P = 0.041, <0.001, <0.001, and <0.001, respectively). While the LSM value and CAP value did not differ to a statistically significant extent (P = 0.19 and 0.140, respectively), the FAST score was significantly improved during pemafibrate treatment (P = 0.029). The delta FAST score was found to be correlated with the variations of ALT (r = 0.504, P = 0.005), which represents the effect of pemafibrate. Conclusions Pemafibrate improved the FAST score due to the hepatic anti‐inflammatory effect, indicating that pemafibrate may prevent disease progression in NAFLD patients with hypertriglyceridemia.

Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive factors of objective response rate (ORR) and progression‐free survival (PFS), and the correlation of albumin‐bilirubin (ALBI) grade with decreased appetite and fatigue in hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated with lenvatinib. Methods From March 2018 to December 2018, a total of 94 patients was included in this retrospective multicenter study. Results The median age of all patients was 73 years (interquartile range 66–79.3 years), and approximately 78% patients were men. The ALBI grade was 1, 2, and 3 in 27 (28.7%), 64 (68.1%), and three patients (3.2%), respectively. The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage was early, intermediate, and advanced in one (1.1%), 22 (23.4%), and 71 patients (75.5%), respectively. Best radiological response was determined to complete response, partial response, stable disease, and progressive disease in 0 (0.0%), 24 (30.4%), 38 (48.1%), and 17 patients (21.5%), respectively, giving the ORR of 30.4%. The 3‐, 6‐, and 12‐month PFS was calculated to be 78.7% (95% CI 70.3–87.1%), 46.7% (95% CI 36.1–57.3%), and 17.4% (95% CI 6.6–28.2%). Multivariate analysis showed that the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer intermediate stage was shown to be the only significant factor affecting the ORR (odds ratio 3.78, 95% CI 1.14–12.5, P = 0.030) and PFS (hazard ratio 0.49, 95% CI 0.26–0.94, P = 0.030). The incidence of all grades of decreased appetite and fatigue was significantly less in patients with ALBI grade 1 compared with ALBI grade 2 + 3. Conclusions The Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer intermediate stage was the predictive factor affecting the ORR and PFS, and ALBI grade was a good predictive factor affecting the incidence of fatigue and decreased appetite.

LAT1 can serve as a significant prognostic marker for predicting negative prognosis after surgery.

No abstract