Huang, Yuting

ABSTRACT The management of hepatic adenoma in transgender individuals undergoing gender-affirming hormone therapy remains unclear, especially whether treatment should be based on sex assigned at birth or therapy patient received. We presented a transgender man, female at birth, with hepatic adenomatosis with molecular profile differed from typical adenomas in cisgender males on testosterone. Discontinuing testosterone led to autoinfarction of the adenoma, allowing the avoidance of invasive treatments and resumption of gender-affirming hormone therapy. This case underscores the necessity for personalized care in the growing transgender population and challenges current consensus of treatment based on sex assigned at birth, emphasizing a tailored approach.

AbstractEndoluminal radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a palliative treatment for patients suffering from malignant biliary obstruction (MBO). We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of RFA on stent patency, patient survival, and adverse events.Major databases were searched through December 2023 for patients who had undergone stenting with or without RFA for extrahepatic MBO. A random-effects model was used for analysis, with results expressed as relative risk ratios (RRs) with 95%CIs.Nine RCTs involving 750 subjects with MBO (374 RFA plus stent vs. 376 stent only) were included. Meta-analysis revealed similar risks of stent patency at 3 months (RR 1.01, 95%CI 0.92–1.11; I 2 = 4%) for RFA plus stenting vs. stent only. Meta-analysis showed improved survival at 6 months (RR 0.84, 95%CI 0.73–0.96; I 2 = 21%; P = 0.01) for RFA plus stenting vs. stent only. Subgroup analysis comparing plastic vs. uncovered metal stents showed that stent patency was unaffected at 3 months (RR 1.06, 95%CI 0.91–1.23; I 2 = 17%). Subgroup analysis showed that patients with cholangiocarcinoma experienced an overall survival benefit with RFA plus stenting vs. stenting alone (P < 0.001); however, stent patency remained unaffected (P = 0.08). An increased incidence of cholecystitis was noted with RFA plus stenting vs. stenting alone (5.1% [95%CI 3.1%–7.8%] vs. 0.3% [95%CI 0.01%–1.5%], respectively).Combining endoluminal RFA and stenting may improve overall survival in patients with MBO. RFA did not significantly impact stent patency.

ABSTRACT Severe acute pancreatitis can cause systemic inflammation and multiorgan failure. We present the case of a 60-year-old woman who presented with necrotizing pancreatitis and subsequently developed a sigmoid colon perforation. The perforation presumably occurred because of extravasation of pancreatic enzymes into the abdominal cavity, resulting in colonic wall injury. Our case highlights the rare colonic complications of severe acute pancreatitis.

AbstractBackground and AimEffective clinical event classification is essential for clinical research and quality improvement. The validation of artificial intelligence (AI) models like Generative Pre‐trained Transformer 4 (GPT‐4) for this task and comparison with conventional methods remains unexplored.MethodsWe evaluated the performance of the GPT‐4 model for classifying gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding episodes from 200 medical discharge summaries and compared the results with human review and an International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code‐based system. The analysis included accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity evaluation, using ground truth determined by physician reviewers.ResultsGPT‐4 exhibited an accuracy of 94.4% in identifying GI bleeding occurrences, outperforming ICD codes (accuracy 63.5%, P < 0.001). GPT‐4's accuracy was either slightly lower or statistically similar to individual human reviewers (Reviewer 1: 98.5%, P < 0.001; Reviewer 2: 90.8%, P = 0.170). For location classification, GPT‐4 achieved accuracies of 81.7% and 83.5% for confirmed and probable GI bleeding locations, respectively, with figures that were either slightly lower or comparable with those of human reviewers. GPT‐4 was highly efficient, analyzing the dataset in 12.7 min at a cost of 21.2 USD, whereas human reviewers required 8–9 h each.ConclusionOur study indicates GPT‐4 offers a reliable, cost‐efficient, and faster alternative to current clinical event classification methods, outperforming the conventional ICD coding system and performing comparably to individual expert human reviewers. Its implementation could facilitate more accurate and granular clinical research and quality audits. Future research should explore scalability, prompt and model tuning, and ethical implications of high‐performance AI models in clinical data processing.

Abstract Background An increasing incidence of pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) has been reported in many countries. However, the global burden and distribution of this disease remain less understood. We aimed to examine the global epidemiology and trends of PIBD from 1990 to 2019. Methods Data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study, covering 204 countries, were analyzed. We assessed key measures like incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) using linear regression to calculate annual percentage changes and assess trends. Results Between 1990 and 2019, the PIBD incidence rate increased and the DALY rate and mortality rate declined. The incidence rate was notably elevated in the high Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile, reaching 6.3 per 100 000 person-years, corresponding to 13 914 new cases in 2019. Incidence and prevalence of PIBD positively correlated with the SDI, while higher death and DALY burdens were observed in lower-SDI countries. In 2019, the top 5 countries with the highest PIBD incidence rates were Canada (19.9 per 100 000 population), Denmark (12.4 per 100 000 population), Hungary (8.5 per 100 000 population), Austria (8.1 per 100 000 population), and the United States (7.4 per 100 000 population). Several countries experienced significant increases in incidence rates from 1990 to 2019, led by Taiwan (annual percent change 4.2%), followed by China (2.8%), Japan (2.1%), Australia (1.8%), and Hungary (1.6%). Discussion PIBD incidence has significantly increased since 1990. High-SDI countries face higher incidence, while lower-SDI countries experience higher mortality and DALY burdens. The study underscores the need for ongoing monitoring and research to address this emerging public health issue.

INTRODUCTION: Liver disease is a significant public health problem in the United States, with notable racial disparities in mortality. This study examines liver disease mortality trends among Black and White populations during 1999–2020. METHODS: We used CDC WONDER database to ascertain liver disease age-standardized mortality rates in Black and White Americans. Annual percent change was calculated. Age-standardized absolute rate difference and rate ratios were computed by subtracting and dividing the White population's rate from that of the Black population. RESULTS: Liver diseases accounted for 171,627 Black and 1,314,903 White deaths during 1999–2020. Age-standardized mortality rates for Blacks decreased from 22.5 to 20.1 per 100,000 person-years (annual percentage change −0.4%, −0.6% to −0.2%), whereas an increase was observed for Whites, from 17.9 to 25.3 per 100,000 person-years (annual percentage change 1.4%, 1.4% to 1.7%). The rate ratio decreased from 1.26 (1.22–1.29) in 1999 to 0.79 (0.78–0.81) in 2020. This pattern was evident in all census regions, more pronounced among the younger (age 25–64 years) than older (age 65+ years) population and observed across different urbanization levels. The pattern may be attributable to increasing alcohol-related liver disease and metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease–related deaths in Whites and tapering in viral hepatitis and primary liver cancer–related deaths in Blacks. Despite notable improvement, racial disparities persist in primary liver cancer and viral hepatitis among the Black population. DISCUSSION: The rise in alcohol-related liver disease and metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease–related deaths among Whites, and enduring liver cancer and viral hepatitis disparities in the Black population, underscores the urgent need for tailored public health interventions.

Background: Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a common complication of hematopoietic cell transplantation, and its incidence is low in liver transplantation (LT). Estimating the incidence of GVHD after LT is challenging due to the paucity of available data from the United Network for Organ Sharing. This is the first national analysis of the incidence and risk factors of GVHD after LT. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used the National Readmission Database to calculate the incidence rate of GVHD within 1 year of LT using survival analysis. The predictors of GVHD were identified using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Results: From 2010 to 2020, of 88,433 LTs, 383 cases of GVHD occurred within 1 year after LT, resulting in an incidence rate of 1.0% (95% CI: 0.8%–1.3%). We observed no statistically significant change in the incidence of GVHD after LT from 2010 to 2020 (beta-coefficient, −0.07%; 95% CI: −0.17% to 0.04%, p = 0.188). Interestingly, alcohol-associated liver disease was associated with a lower risk of GVHD (adjusted HR, 0.57; 95% CI: 0.36–0.91, p = 0.018), whereas a higher risk was found to be related to a secondary diagnosis of COVID-19 on index admission. Conclusion: Our study found that the incidence rate of GVHD within 1 year of LT in the United States was 1.0% and remained stable from 2010 to 2020. The predictors associated with GVHD include alcohol-associated liver disease and COVID-19. Our study provides valuable insights into the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of GVHD after LT.

AbstractBackgroundParticipation in colonoscopies is an essential aspect of endoscopic training. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of fellow/trainee participation on colonoscopy outcomes.MethodsThis meta‐analysis was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). From database inception to July 2022, studies investigating fellow involvement and colonoscopy outcomes were searched across Cochrane library, PubMed, and other databases. The random‐effects model was applied to generate more conservative estimates. Sensitive analysis was conducted to explore whether the result would depend on a particular study. Egger's test and Begg's test were used to estimate the potential for publication bias.ResultsSeventeen studies including 30,062 participants were included. We found that fellow/trainee involvement enhanced the overall rates of adenoma detection and polyp detection (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.14–1.40, p < 0.001; OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.02–1.63, p = 0.020, respectively). The mean number of adenoma/polyps per colonoscopy was also higher with fellow/trainee participation (MD = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.08–0.17, p < 0.001; MD = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.02–0.28, p = 0.020, respectively).ConclusionIn addition to its educational purpose, fellow or trainee involvement is associated with beneficial effects on colonoscopy outcomes.

AbstractBackground and AimWe aim to systematically investigate gastrointestinal (GI) hospitalizations in the United States during the early phase of the COVID‐19 pandemic on a national level and the consequence that may inform practice and policies.MethodsA retrospective cross‐sectional analysis of adult hospitalizations with GI‐related diagnoses or procedures in the United States in 2020 was used, with hospitalizations from 2016 to 2019 used for contextual information.ResultsHospitalizations with principal and secondary GI diagnoses decreased by 13.3% and 8.2% from 2019 to 2020, respectively. Most GI diagnoses decreased in 2020, with a few exceptions including alcoholic liver disease (increased by 7.8% as a principal diagnosis) and acute liver failure (increased by 11.6% as a secondary diagnosis). The mortality rate of hospitalizations with GI disease increased in 2020 compared with 2019 (for principal diagnosis: adjusted odds ratio 1.08, 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.13, P = 0.001; for secondary diagnosis: adjusted odds ratio 1.10, 95% confidence interval 1.07–1.13, P < 0.001). Most GI procedures decreased except for a notable 8.3% increase in gastrostomy. The per‐GI‐hospitalization rate of procedures increased for hospitalizations with a principal GI diagnosis (56.4% vs 55.6%, P = 0.003) or unchanged for hospitalizations with secondary GI diagnoses (18.3% vs 18.2%, P = 0.512).ConclusionThe COVID‐19 pandemic resulted in a decrease in the volume of GI hospitalizations and procedures in 2020, but there was an increase in the mortality rate and some specific diagnoses including alcoholic liver disease and acute liver failure. These findings will likely enlighten future research and healthcare resource allocation for GI diseases.