EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines: Drug-induced liver injury

THE OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY ROLE IN THE OCCURRENCE OF CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED HEPATOTOXIC REACTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA

OBJECTIVE

The aim: To investigate the frequency of development and nature of cytostatic-induced hepatotoxic reactions in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with overweight and obesity during remission induction сhemotherapy (CT).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and methods: We examined 25 patients with newly diagnosed acute leukemia (AL), of which 56% (14/25) were men, 44% (11/25) were women. Depending on the body mass index (BMI), patients were divided into groups: I (n=10) - patients with AML and BMI of 18.5-24.9 kg/m2; IІ (n=15) - patients with AML and BMI ≥25.0 kg/m2. The biochemical blood analysis was evaluated twice: before and on the 56th day of CT, which included alanine-, aspartate-aminotransferases, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein and total bilirubin.

RESULTS

Results: In patients with AML and normal BMI, CT conduction increased the risk of GGT (RR=3.00; 95% CI=1.14-7.91; p<0.05) and ALP activity impairment (RR=2.67; 95% CI=0.98-7.22; p>0.05). The presence of overweight and obesity in patients with AML of group II led to significant risk of increase the GGT (RR=3.00; 95% CI=1.46-6.14; p<0.05) and ALP activity (RR=4.00; 95% CI=1.41-11.35; p<0.05) during CT. GGT and ALP activity in the blood serum of group II patients after CT exceeded the baseline data in 2.4 times (p<0.0001) and 1.6 times (p=0.0007), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: The remission induction CT of AML is accompanied by the risk of cytostatic-induced liver injury. The presence of overweight, obesity and primary disorders of biochemical liver tests due to the oncohematological disease influence are the risk factors for hepatotoxic reactions development during CT.

Not your usual drug-drug interactions: Monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics may interact with antiseizure medications

Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have emerged as the fastest growing drug class. As such, mAbs are increasingly being co-prescribed with other drugs, including antiseizure medications (ASMs). Although mAbs do not share direct targets or mechanisms of disposition with small-molecule drugs (SMDs), combining therapeutics of both types can increase the risk of adverse effects and treatment failure. The primary goal of this literature review was identifying mAb-ASM combinations requiring the attention of professionals who are treating patients with epilepsy. Systematic PubMed and Embase searches (1980-2021) were performed for terms relating to mAbs, ASMs, drug interactions, and their combinations. Additional information was obtained from documents from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Evidence was critically appraised - key issues calling for clinicians' consideration and important knowledge gaps were identified, and practice recommendations were developed by a group of pharmacists and epileptologists. The majority of interactions were attributed to the indirect effects of cytokine-modulating antibodies on drug metabolism. Conversely, strong inhibitors or inducers of drug-metabolizing enzymes or drug transporters could potentially interact with the cytotoxic payload of antibody-drug conjugates, and ASMs could alter mAb biodistribution. In addition, mAbs could potentiate adverse ASM effects. Unfortunately, few studies involved ASMs, requiring the formulation of class-based recommendations. Based on the current literature, most mAb-ASM interactions do not warrant special precautions. However, specific combinations should preferably be avoided, whereas others require monitoring and potentially adjustment of the ASM doses. Reduced drug efficacy or adverse effects could manifest days to weeks after mAb treatment onset or discontinuation, complicating the implication of drug interactions in potentially deleterious outcomes. Prescribers who treat patients with epilepsy should be familiar with mAb pharmacology to better anticipate potential mAb-ASM interactions and avoid toxicity, loss of seizure control, or impaired efficacy of mAb treatment.

Liver-side of inflammatory bowel diseases: Hepatobiliary and drug-induced disorders

Hepatobiliary disorders are among the most common extraintestinal manifestations in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), both in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC), and therefore represent a diagnostic challenge. Immune-mediated conditions include primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) as the main form, variant forms of PSC (namely small-duct PSC, PSC-autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome and IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis) and granulomatous hepatitis. PSC is by far the most common, presenting in up to 8% of IBD patients, more frequently in UC. Several genetic foci have been identified, but environmental factors are preponderant on disease pathogenesis. The course of the two diseases is typically independent. PSC diagnosis is based mostly on typical radiological findings and exclusion of secondary cholangiopathies. Risk of cholangiocarcinoma is significantly increased in PSC, as well as the risk of colorectal cancer in patients with PSC and IBD-related colitis. No disease-modifying drugs are approved to date. Thus, PSC management is directed against symptoms and complications and includes medical therapies for pruritus, endoscopic treatment of biliary stenosis and liver transplant for end-stage liver disease. Other non-immune-mediated hepatobiliary disorders are gallstone disease, whose incidence is higher in IBD and reported in up to one third of IBD patients, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, pyogenic liver abscess and portal vein thrombosis. Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an important issue in IBD, since most IBD therapies may cause liver toxicity; however, the incidence of serious adverse events is low. Thiopurines and methotrexate are the most associated with DILI, while the risk related to anti-tumor necrosis factor-α and anti-integrins is low. Data on hepatotoxicity of newer drugs approved for IBD, like anti-interleukin 12/23 and tofacitinib, are still scarce, but the evidence from other rheumatic diseases is reassuring. Hepatitis B reactivation during immunosuppressive therapy is a major concern in IBD, and adequate screening and vaccination is warranted. On the other hand, hepatitis C reactivation does not seem to be a real risk, and hepatitis C antiviral treatment does not influence IBD natural history. The approach to an IBD patient with abnormal liver function tests is complex due to the wide range of differential diagnosis, but it is of paramount importance to make a quick and accurate diagnosis, as it may influence the therapeutic management.

Specificities of lipotoxicity of free fatty acids and cytokine profile in patients with chronic diffuse liver diseases

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is an important cause of global liver disease characterized by diffuse hepatocytes with hepatocellular ballooning, intrahepatic inflammation and progressive fibrosis. A relevant task is the study of the relationship between content of free fatty acids and serum cytokine profile in patients with chronic diffuse liver diseases. A total of 74 people with chronic diffuse liver diseases were examined, including 32 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, 22 patients with alcoholic liver disease, 20 patients with toxic hepatitis. Chromatographic examination of free fatty acids (FFA) in blood serum was carried out using a Chromatek-Crystal 5000 gas chromatography system. Patients with chronic diffuse liver diseases had a significant increase in the level of unsaturated free fatty acids (USFA) in cases of toxic hepatitis (by 2.92 times, P > 0.05) and a decrease in the level of saturated free fatty acids (SFA) in cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (by 1.52 times, P > 0.05) compared with the control group; the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 PUFA significantly changed due to increase in linoleic acid in patients with alcoholic liver disease and toxic hepatitis (by 1.91 and 2.11 times, respectively) and arachidonic acid in patients with toxic hepatitis (by 1.78 times). The level of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were determined. In patients suffering chronic diffuse liver diseases there were multidirectional changes in the composition of free fatty acids of blood serum: a significant increase in the level of USFA, levels ІL-6 in toxic hepatitis; a decrease in the level of SFA, levels ІL-6 and TNF-α during non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; increased TNF-α production, ІL-6 during alcoholic liver disease compared with the control group. Significant change occurred in the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 PUFA due to increase in linoleic acid in cases of alcoholic liver disease and toxic hepatitis and arachidonic acid in cases of toxic hepatitis. The revealed correlations support the hypothesis that inflammation and lipotoxicity of FFA of blood serum contribute to the development and progression of structural changes in the liver. However, the pathomechanism of lipid metabolism and cytokine regulation with different etiological factors have their own characteristics, which should be taken into account when treating patients of these groups. Prospects for further research: these parameters may be used for serologic biomarkers of liver disease and development and implementation of the ratio between FFA and cytokines for the differential diagnosis of chronic diffuse liver disease in medical practice.

Insight into microRNAs-Mediated Communication between Liver and Brain: A Possible Approach for Understanding Acute Liver Failure?

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a life-threatening consequence of hepatic function rapid loss without preexisting liver disease. ALF may result in a spectrum of neuropsychiatric symptoms that encompasses cognitive impairment, coma, and often death, collectively defined as acute hepatic encephalopathy. Micro RNAs are small non-coding RNAs that modulate gene expression and are extensively verified as biomarker candidates in various diseases. Our systematic literature review based on the last decade's reports involving a total of 852 ALF patients, determined 205 altered circulating miRNAs, of which 25 miRNAs were altered in the blood, regardless of study design and methodology. Selected 25 miRNAs, emerging predominantly from the analyses of samples obtained from acetaminophen overdosed patients, represent the most promising biomarker candidates for a diagnostic panel for symptomatic ALF. We discussed the role of selected miRNAs in the context of tissue-specific origin and its possible regulatory role for molecular pathways involved in blood-brain barrier function. The defined several common pathways for 15 differently altered miRNAs were relevant to cellular community processes, indicating loss of intercellular, structural, and functional components, which may result in blood-brain barrier impairment and brain dysfunction. However, a causational relationship between circulating miRNAs differential expression, and particular clinical features of ALF, has to be demonstrated in a further study.

Drug-Induced Liver Injury Induced by Bioflavonoids

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a relatively rare disease with a vast spectre of clinical manifestations. Its diagnosis is based on the exclusion of other causes of liver disease. The identification of a causal agent is based on the temporal relation between the symptoms and their resolution after stopping the suspected drug. Many drugs have been described as causative agents of DILI; however, bioflavonoids have never been implied with an idiosyncratic DILI in the literature.

Analysis of Clinical Characteristics and Chronic Factors of Drug-induced Liver Injury in Chronic Hepatitis B Infection: A Retrospective Study

Background: This study investigated clinical characteristics and chronic factors of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) among patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Methods: DILI patients were enrolled and divided into a DILI group and an HBV+DILI group. Laboratory indicators were recorded and analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to determine risk factors and the predictive value for chronic DILI. Results: Of all the 114 patients, 87 were in the DILI group and 27 were in the HBV+DILI group. Baseline total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), and incidence of chronicity were significantly higher in the HBV+DILI group than in the DILI group (P = 0.017, P = 0.037, P = 0.045, respectively). However, platelet (PLT) and prothrombin activity (PTA) were significantly lower in the HBV+DILI group than in the DILI group (P = 0.022, P = 0.013, respectively). HBV infection, baseline aspartate aminotransferase (AST) > 200 U/L, and TBIL > 34.2 μmol/L were predictors of chronic DILI (OR = 4.481 [95% CI, 1.298 - 15.470], P = 0.018; OR = 8.478 [95% CI, 2.079 - 34.566], P = 0.003; OR = 7.358 [95% CI, 2.215 - 24.446], P = 0.001). The area under ROC curve (AUC) of joint diagnosis for chronic DILI was 0.814 (95% CI, 0.704 - 0.925, P < 0.001), which was significantly higher than that of single parameter prediction. Also, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of joint diagnosis were 81.0%, 73.1%, 40.5%, and 94.4%, respectively. Conclusions: HBV infection aggravated liver injury. HBV infection, baseline AST > 200 U/L, and TBIL > 34.2 μmol/L were predictors of chronic DILI, and their joint diagnosis could be used to predict chronic DILI effectively.

Vedolizumab-Induced Liver Injury

Drug-induced liver injury is an important cause of acute liver injury. Immunomodulatory therapies, such as vedolizumab (VDZ), are being increasingly used for the treatment of several diseases, most importantly inflammatory bowel disease. Several studies have demonstrated the safety of this substance. To date, only one post-marketing study has reported a case of hepatotoxicity attributable to VDZ. The authors present the case of a 41-year-old woman followed at the gastroenterology outpatient clinic for ulcerative colitis (UC) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). This patient was being treated with low-dose glucocorticoids for AIH (prednisolone 10 mg), with adequate disease control. Additionally, she was being treated with oral salicylates (mesalamine 3 g/day) and oral budesonide (9 mg/day) for her UC. For uncontrolled UC, she was started on VDZ. Two weeks after the first infusion of VDZ, the patient developed a clinical and analytical phenotype compatible with acute hepatitis. Diagnostic workup for causes of hepatocellular liver injury retrieved no results. A liver biopsy corroborated the diagnosis of toxic hepatitis overlapping chronic liver disease. VDZ was withdrawn and the patient experienced complete recovery of liver tests over the following weeks. In this case report, we present the first post-marketing case of hepatocellular liver injury in probable relation to VDZ.

Protective effect of aqueous leaf extracts of Chromolaena odorata and Tridax procumbens on doxorubicin-induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats

Background:

The liver is one of the organs affected by doxorubicin toxicity. Therefore, in this study, the potential protective role of aqueous leaf extracts of Chromolaena odorata and Tridax procumbens against doxorubicin-induced hepatotoxicity was investigated.

Methods:

In order to achieve this, their impact on hepatic biomarkers of oxidative stress, lipid and electrolytes’ profile, and plasma biomarkers of liver functions/integrity were monitored in doxorubicin treated rats. The animals were treated with either metformin (250 mg/kg body weight orally for 14 days) or the extracts (50, 75, and 100 mg/kg orally for 14 days) and/or doxorubicin (15 mg/kg, intraperitoneal, 48 h before sacrifice).

Results:

The hepatic malondialdehyde, cholesterol, calcium, and sodium concentrations, and plasma activities of alanine and aspartate transaminases and alkaline phosphatase, as well as plasma albumin to globulin ratio of test control were significantly (P < .05) higher than those of all the other groups. However, the plasma albumin, total protein, globulin, and total bilirubin concentrations; hepatic concentrations of ascorbic acid, chloride, magnesium, and potassium; and hepatic activities of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase of test control were significantly (P < .05) lower than those of all the other groups.

Conclusions:

Pretreatment with the extracts and metformin prevented to varying degrees, doxorubicin-induced hepatic damage, as indicated by the attenuation of doxorubicin-induced adverse alterations in hepatic biomarkers of oxidative stress, lipid and electrolyte profiles, and plasma biomarkers of hepatic function/integrity, and keeping them at near-normal values.

ResNet18DNN: prediction approach of drug-induced liver injury by deep neural network with ResNet18

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) has always been the focus of clinicians and drug researchers. How to improve the performance of the DILI prediction model to accurately predict liver injury was an urgent problem for researchers in the field of medical research. In order to solve this scientific problem, this research collected a comprehensive and accurate dataset of DILI with high recognition and high quality based on clinically confirmed DILI compound datasets, including 1446 chemical compounds. Then, the residual neural network with 18-layer by using more 5-layer blocks (ResNet18) with deep neural network (ResNet18DNN) model was proposed to predict DILI, which was an improved model for DILI prediction through vectorization of compound structure image. In predicting DILI, the ResNet18DNN learned greatly and outperformed the existing state-of-the-art DILI predictors. The results of DILI prediction model based on ResNet18DNN showed that the AUC (area under the curve), accuracy, recall, precision, F1-score and specificity of the training set were 0.973, 0.992, 0.995, 0.994, 0.995 and 0.975; those of test set were, respectively, 0.958, 0.976, 0.935, 0.947, 0.926 and 0.913, which were better than the performance of previously published described DILI prediction models. This method adopted ResNet18 embedding method to vectorize molecular structure images and the evaluation indicators of Resnet18DNN were obtained after 10 000 iterations. This prediction approach will greatly improve the performance of the predictive model of DILI and provide an accurate and precise early warning method for DILI in drug development and clinical medication.

Targeted Metabolomics Analysis of Bile Acids in Patients with Idiosyncratic Drug-Induced Liver Injury

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is rare but clinically important due to a high rate of mortality. However, specific biomarkers for diagnosing and predicting the severity and prognosis of DILI are lacking. Here, we used targeted metabolomics to identify and quantify specific types of bile acids that can predict the severity of DILI. A total of 161 DILI patients were enrolled in this prospective cohort study, as well as 31 health controls. A targeted metabolomics method was used to identify 24 types of bile acids. DILI patients were divided into mild, moderate, and severe groups according to disease severity. A multivariate analysis was performed to identify characteristic bile acids. Then the patients were divided into severe and non-severe groups, and logistic regression was used to identify bile acids that could predict DILI severity. Among the enrolled DILI patients, 32 were in the mild group, 90 were in the moderate group, and 39 were in the severe group. Orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) modeling clearly discriminated among the different groups. Among the four groups, glycochenodeoxycholate (GCDCA), taurochenodeoxycholate (TCDCA), deoxycholic acid (DCA), Nor Cholic acid (NorCA), glycocholic acid (GCA), and taurocholic acid (TCA) showed significant differences in concentration between at least two groups. NorCA, GCDCA, and TCDCA were all independent risk factors that differentiated severe DILI patients from the other groups. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of GCDCA, TCDCA, and NorCA was 0.856, 0.792, and 0.753, respectively. Together, these three bile acids had an AUROC of 0.895 for predicting severe DILI patients. DILI patients with different disease severities have specific bile acid metabolomics. NorCA, GCDTA, and TCDCA were independent risk factors for differentiating severe DILI patients from less-severe patients and have the potential to predict DILI severity.

Presence of autoantibodies in serum does not impact the occurrence of immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced hepatitis in a prospective cohort of cancer patients

Purpose

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-induced hepatitis belongs to the frequently occurring immune-related adverse events (irAEs), particularly with the combination therapy involving ipilimumab and nivolumab. However, predisposing factors predicting the occurrence of ICI-induced hepatitis are barely known. We investigated the association of preexisting autoantibodies in the development of ICI-induced hepatitis in a prospective cohort of cancer patients.

Methods

Data from a prospective biomarker cohort comprising melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients were used to analyze the incidence of ICI-induced hepatitis, putatively associated factors, and outcome.

Results

40 patients with melanoma and 91 patients with NSCLC received ICI between July 2016 and May 2019. 11 patients developed ICI-induced hepatitis (8.4%). Prior to treatment, 45.5% of patients in the hepatitis cohort and 43.8% of the control cohort showed elevated titers of autoantibodies commonly associated with autoimmune liver diseases (p = 0.82). We found two nominally significant associations between the occurrence of ICI-induced hepatitis and HLA alleles associated with autoimmune liver diseases among NSCLC patients. Of note, significantly more patients with ICI-induced hepatitis developed additional irAEs in other organs (p = 0.0001). Neither overall nor progression-free survival was affected in the hepatitis group.

Conclusion

We found nominally significant associations of ICI-induced hepatitis with two HLA alleles. ICI-induced hepatitis showed no correlation with liver-specific autoantibodies, but frequently co-occurred with irAEs affecting other organs. Unlike other irAEs, ICI-induced hepatitis is not associated with a better prognosis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00432-021-03870-6.

Population Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamic Target Attainment of Isavuconazole against Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus in Adult Patients with Invasive Fungal Diseases: Should Therapeutic Drug Monitoring for Isavuconazole Be Considered as Mandatory as for the Other Mold-Active Azoles?

Isavuconazole is a newer broad-spectrum triazole approved for the treatment of invasive fungal disease. The objective of this study was to conduct a population pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analysis of isavuconazole in a retrospective cohort of hospitalized patients. A nonlinear mixed-effect approach with Monte Carlo simulations was conducted to assess the probability of target attainment (PTA) of an area under the concentration–time curve (AUC_{24 h})/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ratio of 33.4 (defined as efficacy threshold against A. fumigatus and A. flavus) associated with a maintenance dose (MD) of 100, 200 and 300 mg daily after loading. The cumulative fraction of response (CFR) against the EUCAST MIC distributions of A. fumigatus and A. flavus was calculated as well. The proportion of trough concentrations (C_trough) exceeding a defined threshold of toxicity (>5.13 mg/L) was estimated. A total of 50 patients, with a median age of 61.5 years, provided 199 plasma isavuconazole concentrations. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis was the prevalent type of infection and accounted for 80% (40/50) of cases. No clinical covariates were retained by the model. With the standard MD of 200 mg daily, CFRs were always ≥90% during the first two months of treatment. The risk of C_trough < 1.0 mg/L was around 1%, and that of C_trough > 5.13 mg/L was 27.7 and 39.2% at 28 and 60 days, respectively, due to isavuconazole accumulation over time. Our findings suggest that TDM for isavuconazole should not be considered as mandatory as for the other mold-active azoles voriconazole and posaconazole.

Hepatotoxicity reports in the FDA adverse event reporting system database: A comparison of drugs that cause injury via mitochondrial or other mechanisms

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a leading reason for preclinical safety attrition and post-market drug withdrawals. Drug-induced mitochondrial toxicity has been shown to play an essential role in various forms of DILI, especially in idiosyncratic liver injury. This study examined liver injury reports submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for drugs associated with hepatotoxicity via mitochondrial mechanisms compared with non-mitochondrial mechanisms of toxicity. The frequency of hepatotoxicity was determined at a group level and individual drug level. A reporting odds ratio (ROR) was calculated as the measure of effect. Between the two DILI groups, reports for DILI involving mitochondrial mechanisms of toxicity had a 1.43 (95% CI 1.42-1.45; P < 0.0001) times higher odds compared to drugs associated with non-mitochondrial mechanisms of toxicity. Antineoplastic, antiviral, analgesic, antibiotic, and antimycobacterial drugs were the top five drug classes with the highest ROR values. Although the top 20 drugs with the highest ROR values included drugs with both mitochondrial and non-mitochondrial injury mechanisms, the top four drugs (ROR values > 18: benzbromarone, troglitazone, isoniazid, rifampin) were associated with mitochondrial mechanisms of toxicity. The major demographic influence for DILI risk was also examined. There was a higher mean patient age among reports for drugs that were associated with mitochondrial mechanisms of toxicity [56.1 ± 18.33 (SD)] compared to non-mitochondrial mechanisms [48 ± 19.53 (SD)] (P < 0.0001), suggesting that age may play a role in susceptibility to DILI via mitochondrial mechanisms of toxicity. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that reports of liver injury were 2.2 (odds ratio: 2.2, 95% CI 2.12-2.26) times more likely to be associated with older patient age, as compared with reports involving patients less than 65 years of age. Compared to males, female patients were 37% less likely (odds ratio: 0.63, 95% CI 0.61-0.64) to be subjects of liver injury reports for drugs associated with mitochondrial toxicity mechanisms. Given the higher proportion of severe liver injury reports among drugs associated with mitochondrial mechanisms of toxicity, it is essential to understand if a drug causes mitochondrial toxicity during preclinical drug development when drug design alternatives, more clinically relevant animal models, and better clinical biomarkers may provide a better translation of drug-induced mitochondrial toxicity risk assessment from animals to humans. Our findings from this study align with mitochondrial mechanisms of toxicity being an important cause of DILI, and this should be further investigated in real-world studies with robust designs.

Immune-related cholangitis induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors: a systematic review of clinical features and management

BACKGROUND AIMS

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) improve the survival of patients with advanced tumors. However, immune-related adverse events limit the use of ICIs. Although liver toxicity has been concerned gradually, little is known about bile duct injury associated with ICIs. Hence, this review aims to describe clinicopathological features, imaging, and management of immune-mediated cholangitis (IMC) induced by ICIs.

METHODS

We retrieved the literature from the PubMed database for case reports and series of IMC induced by ICIs. IMC was then classified as small-ducts type, large-ducts type and mixed type. Biochemical parameters, pathological characteristics, imaging features, treatment and response were evaluated and compared among three patterns.

RESULTS

Fifty-three cases of IMC were enrolled. The median values of alkaline phosphatase and alanine transaminase of IMC were 1328 and 156 IU/L. The ALP level of the large-ducts type was higher than that of the small-ducts type (P = 0.021). The main pathological characteristics of small-ducts cholangitis were portal inflammation, bile duct injury and ductular reaction. The imaging features of large-duct cholangitis were bile duct dilatation, stenosis and bile duct wall thickening and irregularity. Forty-eight (90%) cases received immunosuppression therapy. Biliary enzymes reduced in 79% of cases receiving immunosuppression therapy, but only 8.5% of cases returned to normal. It took a long time for biliary enzymes to recover.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinicians should be aware of the possibility of IMC if the biliary enzymes increase significantly after the use of ICIs. The liver function can be improved partially by immunosuppressive therapy in the majority of IMC.

CROATIAN GUIDELINES FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a term describing excessive accumulation of fat in hepatocytes, and is associated with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. NAFLD prevalence is on increase and goes in parallel with the increasing prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components. That is why Croatian guidelines have been developed, which cover the screening protocol for patients with NAFLD risk factors, and the recommended diagnostic work-up and treatment of NAFLD patients. NAFLD screening should be done in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, or persons with two or more risk factors as part of metabolic screening, and is carried out by noninvasive laboratory and imaging methods used to detect fibrosis. Patient work-up should exclude the existence of other causes of liver injury and determine the stage of fibrosis as the most important factor in disease prognosis. Patients with initial stages of fibrosis continue to be monitored at the primary healthcare level with the management of metabolic risk factors, dietary measures, and increased physical activity. Patients with advanced fibrosis should be referred to a gastroenterologist/hepatologist for further treatment, monitoring, and detection and management of complications.

Klinisches Management von Patienten mit Leberzirrhose

Patientinnen und Patienten mit Leberzirrhose sind durch verschiedene Komplikationen wie Aszites, spontan-bakterielle Peritonitis, Varizenblutung, hepatische Enzephalopathie, hepatorenales Syndrom und hepatozelluläres Karzinom gefährdet. Die Übersichtsarbeit gibt einen Überblick über die Prävention und das klinische Management bei Leberzirrhose basierend auf aktuellen Richtlinien. Daneben werden Aspekte wie präoperative Risikoabschätzung, Ernährungsempfehlungen, Impfungen und Verschreibung von Medikamenten besprochen.

Preclinical models of idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (iDILI): Moving towards prediction

Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (iDILI) encompasses the unexpected harms that prescription and non-prescription drugs, herbal and dietary supplements can cause to the liver. iDILI remains a major public health problem and a major cause of drug attrition. Given the lack of biomarkers for iDILI prediction, diagnosis and prognosis, searching new models to predict and study mechanisms of iDILI is necessary. One of the major limitations of iDILI preclinical assessment has been the lack of correlation between the markers of hepatotoxicity in animal toxicological studies and clinically significant iDILI. Thus, major advances in the understanding of iDILI susceptibility and pathogenesis have come from the study of well-phenotyped iDILI patients. However, there are many gaps for explaining all the complexity of iDILI susceptibility and mechanisms. Therefore, there is a need to optimize preclinical human in vitro models to reduce the risk of iDILI during drug development. Here, the current experimental models and the future directions in iDILI modelling are thoroughly discussed, focusing on the human cellular models available to study the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease and the most used in vivo animal iDILI models. We also comment about in silico approaches and the increasing relevance of patient-derived cellular models.

Role of immune dysfunction in drug induced liver injury

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is one of the leading causes of liver failure and withdrawal of drugs from the market. A poor understanding of the precipitating event aetiology and mechanisms of disease progression has rendered the prediction and subsequent treatment intractable. Recent literature suggests that some drugs can alter the liver’s repair systems resulting in injury. The pathophysiology of DILI is complex, and immune dysfunction plays an important role in determining the course and severity of the disease. Immune dysfunction is influenced by the host response to drug toxicity. A deeper understanding of these processes may be beneficial in the management of DILI and aid in drug development. This review provides a structured framework presenting DILI in three progressive stages that summarize the interplay between drugs and the host defence networks.

Drug Induced Liver Injury: Perspective of the Adverse Drug Reaction Reports to the Portuguese Pharmacovigilance System from 2010 to 2019

BACKGROUND

Drug induced liver injury (DILI) is an adverse drug reaction that causes liver damage in a predictable (dose-dependent) or an unpredictable (idiosyncratic) fashion. We performed an assessment of DILI in Portugal, by analyzing the reports, sent to the Portuguese Pharmacovigilance System (PPS).

METHODS

A search was performed on the PPS database, in a 10-year time frame, from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2019.

RESULTS

There was not a prevalence of either sex in any age group. Most reports (n = 1120, 55.0%) belonged to patients in the age group 19-64 years old. Hepatitis (n = 626, 26.7%) was the most common adverse drug reaction in our study. Hepatotoxicity (n = 362, 15.5%) and hepatitis (n = 333, 14.2%) were more frequent in age group 19-64 years old. Cholestasis was more prevalent in adults independently of age. Hepatic fibrosis and encephalopathy were more common in the elderly. Most patients consumed between one and four suspected drugs (n = 1867, 92%). Most patients in our study evolved to "cure" (n = 796; 39%). Hepatotoxicity (n = 23; 13.8%) and hepatitis (n = 610; 25.9%) had a female predominancy while choluria (n = 8; 4.8%) and splenomegaly (n = 8; 4.8%) were of male predominance.

CONCLUSIONS

DILI is rare but can be fatal. As such, an active search of DILI is necessary.

Role of Ursodeoxycholic Acid in Treating and Preventing Idiosyncratic Drug-Induced Liver Injury. A Systematic Review

Introduction: Treatment is generally not available for drug-induced liver injury (DILI) patients except in some specific circumstances. The management of DILI is based on the withdrawal of the responsible drug and monitoring the patients and only a few patients need to be referred to a transplant center. Some studies on the role of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in DILI have been published. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the role of UDCA in the treatment and prevention of DILI.

Methods: A search was undertaken in PubMed, with the key words ursodeoxycholic acid, drug-induced liver injury and hepatotoxicity following the PRISMA guidelines.

Results: A total of 33 publications were identified: 25 case reports and 8 case series. In 18 of the 25 cases reports (22 patients), authors reported improvement of liver injury associated with UDCA therapy whereas 7 case reports did not show clinical or biochemical improvement after UDCA treatment. There were 4 studies evaluating the role of UDCA in the treatment of DILI, three prospective (one being a clinical trial) and one retrospective studies. Three studies observed liver profile improvements associated with UDCA. In addition, four studies evaluated UDCA in the prevention of DILI: one pilot study, two randomized clinical trials (RCT) and one retrospective study. Three of these studies observed a lower percentage of patients with an increase in transaminases in the groups that used UDCA for DILI prevention.

Conclusion: According to available data UDCA seems to have some benefits in the treatment and prevention of DILI. However, the design of the published studies does not allow a firm conclusion to be drawn on the efficacy of UDCA in DILI. A well designed RCT to evaluate the role of UDCA in DILI is needed.

Critical Review of Gaps in the Diagnosis and Management of Drug-Induced Liver Injury Associated with Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) encompasses the unexpected damage that drugs can cause to the liver. DILI may develop in the context of an immunoallergic syndrome with cutaneous manifestations, which are sometimes severe (SCARs). Nevirapine, allopurinol, anti-epileptics, sulfonamides, and antibiotics are the most frequent culprit drugs for DILI associated with SCARs. Interestingly, alleles HLA-B*58:01 and HLA-A*31:01 are associated with both adverse reactions. However, there is no consensus about the criteria used for the characterization of liver injury in this context, and the different thresholds for DILI definition make it difficult to gain insight into this complex disorder. Moreover, current limitations when evaluating causality in patients with DILI associated with SCARs are related to the plethora of causality assessment methods and the lack of consensual complementary tools. Finally, the management of this condition encompasses the treatment of liver and skin injury. Although the use of immunomodulant agents is accepted for SCARs, their role in treating liver injury remains controversial. Further randomized clinical trials are needed to test their efficacy and safety to address this complex entity. Therefore, this review aims to identify the current gaps in the definition, diagnosis, prognosis, and management of DILI associated with SCARs, proposing different strategies to fill in these gaps.

Palbociclib-induced severe hepatitis: A case study and literature review

Palbociclib is a selective and reversible CDK4/6 inhibitor approved for patients presenting with HR+ HER2- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Its adverse effect (AE) is mainly reported on the occurrence of leukopenia and fatigue. Even though palbociclib has an extensive hepatic metabolism, there are rare reports about significant liver toxicity. We present the case of a 61-year-old female with metastatic breast cancer treated with palbociclib and an aromatase inhibitor (letrozole). The patient developed a rare AE of severe acute drug-induced hepatitis but improved dramatically after stopping the palbociclib and receiving treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC). The treatment with NAC may be a proof of concept for the mechanism of palbociclib liver injury.

Hepatotoxicity of metronidazole in Cockayne syndrome: A clinical report

Cockayne syndrome (CS) is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by growth failure and progressive multisystem dysfunction caused by deficient nucleotide excision repair. Whereas metronidazole (MTZ) hepatotoxicity is quite rare in the general population, cases of severe hepatic reaction to MTZ have been reported in CS patients. We report here the case of a 21-year-old CS patient who presented with jaundice following one week of treatment with MTZ combined with spiramycin for dental care. This case is the first one documented with a liver biopsy. Histopathological analysis revealed portal and lobular inflammation with predominance of neutrophils, ballooning degeneration and severe cholestasis without bile duct damage. The outcome was marked by regression of jaundice over 6 weeks. Analysis of this case highlights the probable responsibility of MTZ and adds support to the recommendation to strictly avoid the prescription of this drug in CS patients.

The Immunological Mechanisms and Immune-Based Biomarkers of Drug-Induced Liver Injury

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) has become one of the major challenges of drug safety all over the word. So far, about 1,100 commonly used drugs including the medications used regularly, herbal and/or dietary supplements, have been reported to induce liver injury. Moreover, DILI is the main cause of the interruption of new drugs development and drugs withdrawn from the pharmaceutical market. Acute DILI may evolve into chronic DILI or even worse, commonly lead to life-threatening acute liver failure in Western countries. It is generally considered to have a close relationship to genetic factors, environmental risk factors, and host immunity, through the drug itself or its metabolites, leading to a series of cellular events, such as haptenization and immune response activation. Despite many researches on DILI, the specific biomarkers about it are not applicable to clinical diagnosis, which still relies on the exclusion of other causes of liver disease in clinical practice as before. Additionally, circumstantial evidence has suggested that DILI is mediated by the immune system. Here, we review the underlying mechanisms of the immune response to DILI and provide guidance for the future development of biomarkers for the early detection, prediction, and diagnosis of DILI.

Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress in Liver Transplantation and Underlying Diseases: New Insights and Therapeutics

Mitochondria are essential organelles for cellular energy and metabolism. Like with any organ, the liver highly depends on the function of these cellular powerhouses. Hepatotoxic insults often lead to an impairment of mitochondrial activity and an increase in oxidative stress, thereby compromising the metabolic and synthetic functions. Mitochondria play a critical role in ATP synthesis and the production or scavenging of free radicals. Mitochondria orchestrate many cellular signaling pathways involved in the regulation of cell death, metabolism, cell division, and progenitor cell differentiation. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are closely associated with ischemia-reperfusion injury during organ transplantation and with different liver diseases, including cholestasis, steatosis, viral hepatitis, and drug-induced liver injury. To develop novel mitochondria-targeting therapies or interventions, a better understanding of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in hepatic pathogenesis is very much needed. Therapies targeting mitochondria impairment and oxidative imbalance in liver diseases have been extensively studied in preclinical and clinical research. In this review, we provide an overview of how oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction affect liver diseases and liver transplantation. Furthermore, we summarize recent developments of antioxidant and mitochondria-targeted interventions.

Drug-induced liver injury associated with severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions: A nationwide study in Taiwan

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions (SCARs) including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) and acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) are high-mortality adverse drug reactions. The risk factors and prognosis of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) concomitant with SCAR warrant clarification. We aimed to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of DILI with SCAR.

METHODS

We analysed the database of a 10-year multi-centre prospective study in Taiwan from 2011 to 2020.

RESULTS

A total of 1415 patients with DILI were enrolled, including 81 cases combined with SJS/TEN, 74 with DRESS, 3 with AGEP and 1257 with pure DILI. Approximated 11.2% of patients had SCAR, of which allopurinol was the leading incriminated drug, followed by sulphonamides and carbamazepine. The SJS/TEN group had the highest mortality (34.6%). Jaundice, acute kidney injury and SJS/TEN were independent risk factors of mortality (odds ratio: 29.54, 4.43 and 4.86, respectively, P < .003). Chronic kidney disease with high-dose allopurinol also contributed to high mortality (78.9%) in cases of allopurinol-induced DILI with SCAR. The HLA-B*5801 was associated with a high risk and mortality of allopurinol-induced DILI with SCAR. Likewise, the HLA-B*1502 was closely related to carbamazepine-induced DILI with SCAR.

CONCLUSIONS

DILI patients combined with SCAR are common and have a high mortality in Taiwan. Allopurinol is the leading incriminated drug. Jaundice, acute kidney injury and SJS/TEN are risk factors of mortality. HLA-B*5801, chronic kidney disease and high drug dosage also contribute to high mortality in allopurinol-induced DILI with SCAR.

Biomarkers of idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) - a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an unpredictable event, and there are no specific biomarkers that can distinguish DILI from alternative explanations or predict its clinical outcomes.

AREAS COVERED

This systematic review summarizes the available evidence for all biomarkers proposed to have a role in the diagnosis or prognosis of DILI. Following a comprehensive search, we included all types of studies in humans. We included DILI cases based on any threshold criteria but excluded intrinsic DILI, commonly caused by paracetamol overdose. We classified studies into diagnostic and prognostic categories and assessed their methodological quality. After reviewing the literature, 14 studies were eligible.

EXPERT OPINION

Diagnostic studies were heterogeneous with regard to the study population and outcomes measured. Prognostic models were developed by integrating novel biomarkers, risk scores, and traditional biomarkers, which increased their prognostic ability to predict death or transplantation by 6 months. This systematic review highlights the case of need for non-genetic biomarkers that distinguish DILI from acute liver injury related to alternative etiology. Biomarkers with the potential to identify serious adverse outcomes from acute DILI should be validated in independent prospective cohorts with a substantial number of cases.

Irinotecan-Induced Steatohepatitis: Current Insights

The hepatotoxicity of irinotecan is drawing wide concern nowadays due to the widespread use of this chemotherapeutic against various solid tumors, particularly metastatic colorectal cancer. Irinotecan-induced hepatotoxicity mainly manifests as transaminase increase and steatosis with or without transaminase increase, and is accompanied by vacuolization, and lobular inflammation. Irinotecan-induced steatohepatitis (IIS) increases the risk of morbidity and mortality in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRCLM). The major risks and predisposing factors for IIS include high body mass index (BMI) or obesity, diabetes, and high-fat diet. Mitochondrial dysfunction and autophagy impairment may be involved in the pathogenesis of IIS. However, there is currently no effective preventive or therapeutic treatment for this condition. Thus, the precise mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of IIS should be deciphered for the development of therapeutic drugs. This review summarizes the current knowledge and research progress on IIS.

Elevation of Serum Transaminase Levels Due to Favipiravir Use in the Treatment of COVID-19

Background and aims: Favipiravir is a ribonucleic acid (RNA)-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) inhibitor antiviral agent used in the treatment of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we investigated the changes in serum transaminase levels of patients and the relationship between serum transaminase elevation with mortality in patients who were hospitalized with the diagnosis of COVID-19 and received favipiravir treatment.

Materials and methods: 454 patients who received favipiravir and 113 patients who did not receive favipiravir were evaluated. Serum transaminase levels of the patients were compared at baseline and after five days of treatment, and the relationship between serum transaminase elevation and mortality was investigated.

Results: No significant aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation was detected due to favipiravir treatment. AST elevation was found, respectively, as 133 (29.3%), 32 (28.3%) (p=0.100), ALT elevation as 112 (24.7%), 35 (29.3%) (p=0.100) in the groups receiving and not receiving favipiravir. High AST level was found as a risk factor for mortality in all patient groups (p=0.008).

Conclusions: There was no statistically significant elevation in serum transaminase levels due to favipiravir use in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. A high level of AST is a significant risk factor to show mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission in patients with COVID-19.

The Therapeutic Principle of Combined Strengthening Qi and Eliminating Pathogens in Treating Middle-Advanced Primary Liver Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The combination of strengthening Qi and eliminating pathogens is an available therapeutic principle in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for primary liver cancer (PLC) at middle-advanced stage. However, there is a lack of reasonable evidence to support the proper application of this therapeutic principle. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese medicinal formulas (CMFs), including two subgroup analyses of the principle of strengthening Qi and eliminating pathogens. Method: Clinical trials were obtained through searching of EMBASE, Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and two clinical trial registries. The randomized controlled trials with the combination of CMFs and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in the experiment group were acceptable, in contrast to the TACE alone in the control group. The statistics analysis was performed on Review Manager 5.4. Results: A total of eligible 24 trials were accessed in this work. Overall, CMFs could improve the survival duration of 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years, Karnofsky Performance Status, tumor objective response rate (ORR), AFP, and symptom. In the subgroup analysis, trials complying with the principle of single strengthening Qi did not show any significant difference in increasing tumor ORR. Meanwhile, the principle of combined strengthening Qi and eliminating pathogens was uncertain in improving symptoms and 1-year and 2-year survival time. In addition, the outcome indexes of ALT and AST were heterogeneous. In last, the total occurrence of adverse events could not be reduced via using CMFs. Patients treated with CMFs exhibited liver injury, fever, and white blood cell decline, with mild events occurring more frequently and severe events occurring less. Conclusion: CMFs are an effective treatment method to cure PLC at the middle-advanced stage. Adopting the principle of single strengthening Qi presents better efficacy in the long term by prolonging the survival duration. Following the principle of combined strengthening Qi and eliminating pathogens could be more beneficial to patients in short term by lessening the tumor size. CMFs have the advantage of reducing certain serious adverse events.

Development and validation of a prognostic model for leflunomide discontinuation with abnormal blood-tests during long-term treatment: cohort study using data from Clinical Practice Research Datalink Gold and Aurum

OBJECTIVE

To develop and validate a prognostic model for leflunomide discontinuation with abnormal blood-test results.

METHODS

Data from CPRD Gold and Aurum were used for model development and external validation respectively. Participants prescribed leflunomide between 01/01/2007 and 31/12/2019 were followed-up from six-months after first GP-prescription to the earliest of date of outcome, death, 5-year follow-up or 31/12/2019. Candidate prognostic factors were ascertained using theory and data driven approaches. Penalised Cox regression was performed to develop the risk equation, followed by internal validation using 500-bootstraps to correct for optimism. Multiple imputation was applied to handle missing data. Model performance was assessed in terms of calibration and discrimination.

RESULTS

Data for 1,487 and 2,329 participants contributing 3,140 and 5,246 person-years follow-up were included in the development and validation cohorts, respectively. Thirteen candidate predictors were included in the model. Epilepsy, and either cytopenia or elevated liver enzymes during first six months of shared-care leflunomide prescription were strong predictors of drug discontinuation with hazard ratio (95%CI) 4.39 (1.74 -11.06) and 3.06 (2.15 - 4.35), respectively. The unadjusted and optimism adjusted calibration slope in development data was 1.00 (95% CI 0.75-1.25) and 0.72 (95% CI 0.47-0.97), respectively. The calibration slope in validation data was 0.91 (95% CI 0.74-1.07). The model showed prognostic separation with optimism adjusted Royston D statistic of 0.73 (95% CI 0.44-1.02).

CONCLUSION

We have developed and externally validated an easy-to-use prognostic model that may be used to risk-stratify monitoring for leflunomide toxicity and to make informed choices about risks when choosing treatments.

Common Gastrointestinal Medications Implicated in Drug-Induced Liver Injury

Content available: Author Interview and Audio Recording.

The Unmet Needs of Hepatitis E Virus Diagnosis in Suspected Drug-Induced Liver Injury in Limited Resource Setting

Background: Currently, there are no specific biomarkers for drug-induced liver injury (DILI), and the diagnosis of DILI is based mainly on the exclusion of other causes of liver dysfunction and the recognition of potential causative drugs. Hepatitis E virus (HEV) diagnosis is not routinely enrolled in many countries, and HEV infection could be misdiagnosed as DILI.

Methodology: We retrospectively analyzed plasma samples (n = 80) collected from suspected DILI for HEV markers such as anti-HEV IgM, anti-HEV IgG, and HEV RNA. Anti-HEV antibodies were assessed using commercial ELISA kits. HEV RNA was tested by RT-qPCR targeting HEV ORF2/3, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted, and a putative threshold for liver function parameters was determined.

Results: Out of 80 samples, 12 samples were positive for anti-HEV IgM and anti-HEV IgG, and HEV RNA was detected in seven samples. The median viral load was 3.46 × 10³ IU/ml, and the isolated viruses belonged to HEV genotype 1. The level of liver enzymes such as alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST), but not alkaline phosphatase (ALP), was significantly higher in HEV confirmed cases than in non-HEV confirmed cases. We identified a plasma ALT level of at least 415.5 U/L and AST level of at least 332 U/L; ALT/ALP ratio of at least 5.08 could be used as a guide for the patients diagnosed as DILI to be tested for HEV infection. The previous liver function parameters showed high sensitivity and good specificity.

Conclusion: Hepatitis E virus was detected in suspected DILI cases. The diagnosis of DILI is not secure until HEV testing is done. Liver function parameters can be used as a guide for HEV testing in suspected DILI cases in countries with limited resources.

Incidence of adverse reaction of drugs used in COVID-19 management: a retrospective, observational study

Background

An urgent need for coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) treatment has resulted in off-label drug use. Although previous studies had investigated the adverse drug reaction (ADR) of the medications for COVID-19 in their respective local settings, the safety profile in a Malaysian setting remains unknown. Our study aims to establish the incidence of ADR for drugs used in COVID-19 management in a Malaysian tertiary hospital.

Methods

This retrospective observational study enrolled patients started on drugs for COVID-19 in Sungai Buloh Hospital from 1 March 2020 to 31 May 2020. The clinical staging of COVID-19 patients was decided by the treating physician in accordance with the Clinical Management of Confirmed COVID-19 Case in Adults (Annex 2E). Suspected ADRs were evaluated with a trigger tool of pre-defined laboratory values or the adverse events listed in the registered product insert. Causality assessment was conducted when an ADR was suspected using the World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre (WHO-UMC) system, and only cases classified as certain, probable and possible ADR were considered. Data analysis was completed with descriptive, univariate and multivariate analysis.

Results

The study (N = 1,080) identified 217 patients (20.1%) who experienced ADR, with 246 adverse events detected. Most events were related to the gastrointestinal (43.5%), hepatobiliary (36.2%) and cardiac (16.3%) systems. The most commonly suspected drugs were atazanavir (52.7%), chloroquine (36.8%) and lopinavir/ritonavir (34.6%). The independent risk factors of ADR were female (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.53; 95% CI 1.06–2.20; P = 0.024), diagnosis of COVID-19 stage 3 (adjusted OR: 2.58; 95% CI 1.20–5.55; P = 0.015) and stage 4 (adjusted OR: 4.17; 95% CI 1.79–9.73; P = 0.001), and the number of COVID-19 drugs (adjusted OR: 3.34; 95% CI 2.51–4.44; P < 0.001). Only 49 adverse events (19.9%) were manually reported by healthcare professionals, with hyperbilirubinaemia (65.3%) and QT prolongation (28.6%) most frequently reported.

Conclusion

Medications used in COVID-19 management had resulted in one in five patients experiencing ADR. Our study has provided an overview on incidence of ADR for off-label use of medications used in COVID-19 management, which suggests a similar safety profile when used for FDA-approved indications.

Encorafenib, binimetinib plus pembrolizumab triplet therapy in patients with advanced BRAFV600 mutant melanoma: safety and tolerability results from the phase I IMMU-TARGET trial

BACKGROUND

Combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway inhibitors (MAPKi) has been proposed to enhance the durability of anti-tumour responses induced by MAPKi. Here, we present phase I safety results from an open-label, phase I/II study of pembrolizumab (PEM), encorafenib (ENC) and binimetinib (BIN) triplet therapy in advanced, B-Raf proto-oncogene serine/threonine kinase (BRAF)V600-mutated melanoma (IMMU-TARGET, NCT02902042).

METHODS

The dose finding phase I part used a 3 + 3 design, starting with the approved doses of PEM (200 mg every three weeks), ENC (450 mg once daily [QD]) and BIN (45 mg twice daily [BID]) as dose level (DL) 0. Reduction of the ENC and BIN doses (300 mg QD and 30 mg BID at DL-1 and 200 mg QD and 30 mg BID at DL-2) was preplanned in case of ≥2 dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs). Primary objectives were to estimate the recommended phase II dose of the triplet combination, DLT and safety. As per the sponsor's decision, the study was terminated after the phase I part, as the clinical efficacy of the combination is currently being investigated in a pivotal, placebo-controlled (PEM mono), double-blinded phase III trial (STARBOARD,NCT04657991).

RESULTS

Fifteen patients were enrolled. DLTs of DL0 were creatine phosphokinase (CPK) elevation plus cytokine release syndrome (n = 1) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) increase (n = 1). No DLT was observed in further 3 + 3 patients at DL-1. One (isolated GGT elevations) DLT of DL0 was questionable, as the patient had further episodes of isolated GGT elevations after treatment discontinuation. Hence, further 6 patients were enrolled at DL0: here, no DLT occurred. In total, 13 of 15 patients (87%) experienced a treatment-related adverse event (TRAE) and 8 patients (53%), a grade ≥III TRAE; there were no TRAE-related deaths. Increases in aspartate aminotransferases, GGT (6/15 patients) and CPK elevations (4/15) were the most common grade III-IV TRAE. In median, patients received triplet therapy for 24 weeks (interquartile range [IQR], 12-45). Of the 14 patients evaluable for efficacy, the overall response rate was 64% (95% confidence interval [CI], 35-87). At a median follow-up of 25 months (IQR, 9-28), progression-free survival at 12 months was 41% (95% CI, 13-68).

CONCLUSIONS

Triplet therapy with PEM, ENC and BIN as used in the study was feasible and safe and led to clinically meaningful disease control.

Machine Learning to Identify Interaction of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms as a Risk Factor for Chronic Drug-Induced Liver Injury

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a major cause of drug development failure and drug withdrawal from the market after approval. The identification of human risk factors associated with susceptibility to DILI is of paramount importance. Increasing evidence suggests that genetic variants may lead to inter-individual differences in drug response; however, individual single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) usually have limited power to predict human phenotypes such as DILI. In this study, we aim to identify appropriate statistical methods to investigate gene-gene and/or gene-environment interactions that impact DILI susceptibility. Three machine learning approaches, including Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction (MDR), and logistic regression, were used. The simulation study suggested that all three methods were robust and could identify the known SNP-SNP interaction when up to 4% of genotypes were randomly permutated. When applied to a real-life DILI chronicity dataset, both MARS and MDR, but not logistic regression, identified combined genetic variants having better associations with DILI chronicity in comparison to the use of individual SNPs. Furthermore, a simple decision tree model using the SNPs identified by MARS and MDR was developed to predict DILI chronicity, with fair performance. Our study suggests that machine learning approaches may help identify gene-gene interactions as potential risk factors for better assessing complicated diseases such as DILI chronicity.

Signal Detection of Potential Hepatotoxic Drugs: Case-Control Study Using Both a Spontaneous Reporting System and Electronic Medical Records

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a common adverse drug event. Spontaneous reporting systems such as the Japanese Adverse Event Report Database (JADER) have been used to evaluate the association between drugs and adverse drug events. However, the association of drugs with adverse drug events may be overestimated due to reporting biases. Therefore, it is important to objectively evaluate the association using liver function test values. The aim of the present study was to predict potential hepatotoxic drugs using real-world data including electronic medical records and the JADER database. A total of 70009 (2779 with DILI and 67230 without DILI) and 438515 (10235 with DILI and 428280 without DILI) Japanese adult patients were extracted from electronic medical records and the JADER database, respectively. Drugs with ≥100 DILI patients in both of the two databases were regarded as suspected drugs for DILI. We used multivariate logistic regression to evaluate the association between the suspected drugs and increased risk of DILI. Among the suspected drugs, broad-spectrum antibiotics such as meropenem, tazobactam/piperacillin and ceftriaxone were significantly associated with an increased risk of DILI, and meropenem had a greater risk of DILI in both of the two databases. Additionally, there were significant associations of mosapride and L-carbocisteine with increased risk of DILI. In addition to well-known associations between antibiotic drugs and DILI, mosapride and L-carbocisteine were found to be new potential signals of drugs causing hepatotoxicity. This study indicates potential hepatotoxic drugs that require further causality assessment.

Current and Past Infections of HBV Do Not Increase Mortality in Patients With COVID-19

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

We compared risk of acute liver injury and mortality in patients with COVID-19 and current, past, and no HBV infection.

APPROACH AND RESULTS

This was a territory-wide retrospective cohort study in Hong Kong. Patients with COVID-19 between January 23, 2020, and January 1, 2021, were identified. Patients with hepatitis C or no HBsAg results were excluded. The primary outcome was mortality. Acute liver injury was defined as alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase ≥2 × upper limit of normal (ULN; i.e., 80 U/L), with total bilirubin ≥2 × ULN (i.e., 2.2 mg/dL) and/or international normalized ratio ≥1.7. Of 5,639 patients included, 353 (6.3%) and 359 (6.4%) had current and past HBV infection, respectively. Compared to patients without known HBV exposure, current HBV-infected patients were older and more likely to have cirrhosis. Past HBV-infected patients were the oldest, and more had diabetes and cardiovascular disease. At a median follow-up of 14 (9-20) days, 138 (2.4%) patients died; acute liver injury occurred in 58 (1.2%), 8 (2.3%), and 11 (3.1%) patients with no, current, and past HBV infection, respectively. Acute liver injury (adjusted HR [aHR], 2.45; 95% CI, 1.52-3.96; P < 0.001), but not current (aHR, 1.29; 95% CI, 0.61-2.70; P = 0.507) or past (aHR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.56-1.46; P = 0.681) HBV infection, was associated with mortality. Use of corticosteroid, antifungal, ribavirin, or lopinavir-ritonavir (adjusted OR [aOR], 2.55-5.63), but not current (aOR, 1.93; 95% CI, 0.88-4.24; P = 0.102) or past (aOR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.62-2.55; P = 0.533) HBV infection, was associated with acute liver injury.

CONCLUSION

Current or past HBV infections were not associated with more liver injury and mortality in COVID-19.

Clinical course of liver injury induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with advanced malignancies

BACKGROUND

The clinical course of liver injury induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) varies among individuals, and there were few reports on the therapeutic effects of corticosteroids based on the patterns of liver injury.

METHODS

We evaluated the characteristics and clinical course of immune-related liver injury in 1214 patients treated with ICIs for advanced malignancies except for hepatocellular carcinoma between August 2014 and May 2021.

RESULTS

During the follow-up period (median, 252 days), 58 patients (4.8%) had an immune-related liver injury (≥ Grade 3). The liver-injury patterns were hepatocellular (n = 26, 44.8%), mixed (n = 11, 19.0%), or cholestatic (n = 21, 36.2%), and the median time to onset of liver injury was 39, 81, and 53 days, respectively; the hepatocellular pattern occurred earlier than the other types (p = 0.047). Corticosteroids were administered to 30 (51.7%) patients; while liver injury was improved in almost all patients with the hepatocellular pattern (n = 13/14, 92.9%), that failed to show improvement in over half of the patients with the non-hepatocellular patterns, and three patients with mixed patterns needed secondary immunosuppression with mycophenolate mofetil. Liver biopsies performed in 13 patients mainly showed lobular injury, endothelialitis, and spotty necrosis with infiltration of T cells positive for CD3 and CD8, but not CD4 or CD20.

CONCLUSION

The incidence pattern and therapeutic response to corticosteroids in immune-related liver injury differ according to the injury type. Although corticosteroids were effective for the hepatocellular pattern, an additional strategy for refractory non-hepatocellular patterns is needed.

Managing abnormal liver tests in children with inflammatory bowel disease

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Liver test abnormalities in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are usually insidious in onset. By the time that symptoms referable to liver disease have appeared, the liver injury may be well advanced. It is, therefore, important that children with an incidental finding of abnormal liver tests are investigated in an appropriate and timely manner.

RECENT FINDINGS

The most prevalent cause of liver test elevations in paediatric IBD is immune-related liver disease, including primary sclerosing cholangitis, autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis, and autoimmune hepatitis. Although less common, drugs used in the treatment of IBD can also cause liver injury. The diagnosis of drug-induced liver injury relies largely on excluding other causes of liver injury, such as viral hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and biliary and vascular complications.

SUMMARY

This review highlights an avenue to a step-wise approach for investigating children with IBD and silent liver test elevations. Central to the timing of diagnostic actions is grading the severity of liver test elevations.

Drug-induced liver injury at a tertiary care centre in Germany: Model for end-stage liver disease is the best predictor of outcome

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Agents most frequently inducing idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) differ between countries worldwide. Besides, there is no consistent data on the best model predicting mortality or the need for liver transplantation in DILI. We here analysed the DILI cohort of our centre with regard to causative drugs and clinical outcome.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 157 consecutive severe DILI patients presenting to our tertiary care centre in Hamburg, Germany, from 2008 to 2018, was performed.

RESULTS

The most frequent putatively causative drugs were phenprocoumon (n = 21), metamizole (n = 17) and flupirtine (n = 6). The mean values of ALT, bilirubin and Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score at the time of hospitalisation were 1201 U/L (SD: 1169 U/L), 6.8 mg/dL (SD: 7 mg/dL) and 17 (SD: 8). About 71% of all cases were treated with steroids or steroids combined with n-acetylcysteine. About 12.1% of all DILI cases had a poor outcome (liver transplantation and/or death). At the time of admission, MELD score performed better than Hy's law, the ratio (R) or the new ratio (nR) on their own or combined with bilirubin, regarding sensitivity or specificity for poor outcome. MELD score had a c-statistic of 0.847 (95% CI: 0.731-0.964). Furthermore, the cut-off of 18 MELD points had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 72% for poor outcome.

CONCLUSION

Phenprocoumon and metamizole are frequent causative drugs for DILI in Germany. In comparison to other prognostic scores, MELD score ≥18 at the time of admission performed best in our cohort for the prediction of poor outcome in DILI.

Inhibition of Drug-Induced Liver Injury in Mice Using a Positively Charged Peptide That Binds DNA

Hepatic cell death occurs in response to diverse stimuli such as chemical and physical damage. The exposure of intracellular contents such as DNA during necrosis induces a severe inflammatory response that has yet to be fully explored therapeutically. Here, we sought means to neutralize the ability of extracellular DNA to induce deleterious tissue inflammation when drug-induced liver injury had already ensued. DNA exposure and inflammation were investigated in vivo in drug-induced liver injury using intravital microscopy. The necrotic DNA debris was studied in murine livers in vivo and in DNA debris models in vitro by using a positively charged chemokine-derived peptide (MIG30; CXCL9[74-103]). Acetaminophen-induced liver necrosis was associated with massive DNA accumulation, production of CXC chemokines, and neutrophil activation inside the injured tissue. The MIG30 peptide bound the healthy liver vasculature and, to a much greater extent, to DNA-rich necrotic tissue. Moreover, MIG30 bound extracellular DNA directly in vivo in a charge-dependent manner and independently of glycosaminoglycans and chemokines. Post-treatment of mice with MIG30 reduced mortality, liver damage, and inflammation significantly. These effects were not observed with a control peptide that does not bind DNA. Mechanistically, MIG30 inhibited the interaction between DNA and histones, and promoted the dissociation of histones from necrotic debris. MIG30 also inhibited the pro-inflammatory effect of CpG DNA, as measured by a reduction in CXCL8 production, indicating that MIG30 disturbs the ability of DNA to induce hepatic inflammation. Conclusion: The use of DNA-binding peptides reduces necrotic liver injury and inflammation, even at late timepoints.

Pancreatic damage in COVID-19: Why? How?

OBJECT

We aimed to evaluate the elevation of amylase and lipase enzymes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and their relationship with the severity of COVID-19.

METHOD

In this study, 1378 patients with COVID-19 infection were included. Relation of elevated amylase and lipase levels and comorbidities with the severity of COVID-19 was analysed. The effects of haemodynamic parameters and organ failure on pancreatic enzymes and their relations with prognosis were statistically analysed.

RESULTS

The 1378 patients comprised of 700 (51.8%) men and 678 (%49.2) women. Of all patients, 687 (49.9%) had mild and 691 (50.1%) patients had severe COVID-19 infection. Amylase elevation at different levels occurred in 316 (%23) out of 1378 patients. In these patients, the amylase levels increased one to three times in 261 and three times in 55 patients. Pancreatitis was detected in only six (%1.89) of these patients according to the Atlanta criteria. According to univariate and multivariate analyses, elevated amylase levels were significantly associated with the severity of COVID-19 (odds ratio [OR]: 4.37; P < .001). Moreover, diabetes mellitus (DM; OR: 1.82; P = .001), kidney failure (OR: 5.18; P < .001), liver damage (OR: 6.63; P < .001), hypotension (OR: 6.86; P < .001) and sepsis (OR: 6.20; P = .008) were found to be associated with mortality from COVID-19.

CONCLUSION

Elevated pancreatic enzyme levels in COVID-19 infections are related to the severity of COVID-19 infection and haemodynamic instability. In a similar way to other organs, the pancreas can be affected by severe COVID-19 infection.

Chemotherapy-associated steatohepatitis

Some drugs may induce hepatotoxic lesions, such as steatosis or steatohepatitis found in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Among these drugs there are some anti-tumoral molecules, such as methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan, tamoxifen and l-asparaginase. The hepatotoxic phenotype developed from treatment with such drugs is known as "CASH" for "Chemotherapy-induced Acute Steatohepatitis". The mechanism of toxicity is essentially based on mitochondrial toxicity. These lesions are chronic and often reversible when the treatment is stopped. Contributing factors related to the patient, the disease or the treatment play a major role in the emergence of CASH. It is important to identify chemotherapies with steatosis or steatohepatitis as risk factors in order to improve control of the metabolic risk factors associated with the patient and to reinforce monitoring during treatment. In the particular context of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer, a short duration of chemotherapy and a few-weeks delay between chemotherapy and surgery could reduce postoperative morbidity and mortality.

A Retrospective Cohort Study: Safety and Effectiveness of Elbasvir/Grazoprevir ± Ribavirin Compared With Ombitasvir/Paritaprevir/Ritonavir/Dasabuvir ± Ribavirin in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Genotype 1 Infection

Background: The direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents are widely used to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype (GT) 1 infection, while it may cause severe liver damage. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the incidence of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), sustained virologic response at post-treatment week 12 (SVR12), and recurrence rates in HCV GT 1 infection. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study that included patients diagnosed with HCV GT 1 infection, who had received intervention and treatment with elbasvir/grazoprevir (EBR/GZR) ± ribavirin (RBV) versus ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir (OBV/PTV/r) + dasabuvir ± RBV (as control group) for 12 or 24 weeks at a regional hospital in southern Taiwan between April 2016 and August 2018. The primary outcome of the study was to compare the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of DILI via Poisson regression, and the secondary outcome was to evaluate the effectiveness of two treatment regimens expressed as a percentage. Results: The study included 149 patients in the control group and 105 patients in the intervention group of which 99.33 and 98.1% patients, respectively, achieved SVR12. In the control group, one patient experienced relapse, whereas in the intervention group, two patients relapsed. Furthermore, in the control group, a total of nine patients developed DILI as determined during follow-up care. Of these patients, three were 55-84 years old. In the intervention group, six patients developed DILI. The IRR of DILI caused by EBR/GZR treatment was 2.84 times higher than that caused by the OBV/PTV/r treatment regimen. Conclusion: There was no significant difference between the studied DAA regimens regarding the incidence of DILI and effectiveness during the treatment. DILI occurrence during therapy did not affect the cure rate of medication. The present study results can provide reference data for drug selection among patients with HCV. Trial registration: The study was approved by DMF-CYCH (CYCH IRB No: 2018067).

Late hepatic toxicity surveillance for survivors of childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer: Recommendations from the international late effects of childhood cancer guideline harmonization group

BACKGROUND

Survivors of childhood, adolescent and young adult (CAYA) cancer may develop treatment-induced chronic liver disease. Surveillance guidelines can improve survivors' health outcomes. However, current recommendations vary, leading to uncertainty about optimal screening. The International Late Effects of Childhood Cancer Guideline Harmonization Group has developed recommendations for the surveillance of late hepatotoxicity after CAYA cancer.

METHODS

Evidence-based methods based on the GRADE framework were used in guideline development. A multidisciplinary guideline panel performed systematic literature reviews, developed evidence summaries, appraised the evidence, and formulated recommendations on the basis of evidence, clinical judgement, and consideration of benefits versus the harms of the surveillance while allowing for flexibility in implementation across different health care systems.

RESULTS

The guideline strongly recommends a physical examination and measurement of serum liver enzyme concentrations (ALT, AST, gGT, ALP) once at entry into long-term follow-up for survivors treated with radiotherapy potentially exposing the liver (moderate- to high-quality evidence). For survivors treated with busulfan, thioguanine, mercaptopurine, methotrexate, dactinomycin, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), or hepatic surgery, or with a history of chronic viral hepatitis or sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, similar surveillance for late hepatotoxicity once at entry into LTFU is reasonable (low-quality evidence/expert opinion, moderate recommendation). For survivors who have undergone HSCT and/or received multiple red blood cell transfusions, surveillance for iron overload with serum ferritin is strongly recommended once at long-term follow-up entry.

CONCLUSIONS

These evidence-based, internationally-harmonized recommendations for the surveillance of late hepatic toxicity in cancer survivors can inform clinical care and guide future research of health outcomes for CAYA cancer survivors.