ObjectiveTo investigate the association of alpha-fetoprotein （AFP） and prealbumin （PAB） with the 90-day prognosis of patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure （HBV-ACLF）， as well as the difference in 90-day prognosis between the patients with different levels of AFP and PAB. MethodsA total of 371 HBV-ACLF patients who were hospitalized in The General Hospital of Western Theater Command from January 2018 to January 2023 were enrolled， and according to the follow-up results on day 90 after discharge， they were divided into survival group with 216 patients and death group with 155 patients. The medical record system was used to collect general data， AFP， PAB， and other related laboratory markers. The t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups； a one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for comparison between two groups. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison between multiple groups and further comparison between two groups. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the influencing factors for the prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was plotted for AFP and PAB to determine their cut-off values. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves， and the Log-rank test was used for comparison. ResultsCompared with the death group， the survival group had significantly higher levels of hemoglobin （Hb）， PAB， AFP， and platelet count （PLT） （all P<0.05） and significantly lower age， total bilirubin （TBil）， white blood cell count （WBC）， cystatin， creatinine， urea， international normalized ratio （INR）， Model for End-Stage Liver Disease （MELD） score， proportion of patients with Child-Pugh class C， and incidence rates of ascites and hepatic encephalopathy （all P<0.05）. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that PAB （odds ratio ［OR］=0.985， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 0.972‍ ‍—‍ ‍0.998， P=0.024）， AFP （OR=0.998， 95%CI： 0.996‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.000， P=0.028）， PLT （OR=0.989， 95%CI： 0.982‍ ‍—‍ ‍0.996， P=0.003）， age （OR=1.046， 95%CI： 1.018‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.075， P=0.001）， TBil （OR=1.004， 95%CI： 1.002‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.006， P<0.001）， and WBC （OR=1.237， 95%CI： 1.110‍ ‍—‍ ‍1.379， P<0.001） were independent influencing factors for 90-day prognosis in HBV-ACLF patients. According to the cut-off values of AFP and PAB on ROC curves， the patients were divided into group A with 102 patients （AFP≥73.19 ng/mL and PAB≥22.55 mg/L）， group B with 170 patients （AFP≥73.19 ng/mL and PAB<22.55 mg/L； AFP<73.19 ng/mL and PAB≥22.55 mg/L）， and group C with 99 patients （AFP<73.19 ng/mL and PAB<22.55 mg/L）. There were significant differences between these three groups in age， Hb， INR， MELD score， and Child-Pugh class （all P<0.05）. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that group A had a significantly higher 90-day cumulative survival rate than groups B and C （χ²=19.825， P<0.001）. ConclusionAFP combined with PAB can better predict the 90-day prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients， and patients with high levels of AFP and PAB tend to have a lower mortality rate on day 90.

Objective To investigate the influencing factors for overt hepatic encephalopathy(OHE)in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt(TIPS),and to construct an individualized risk prediction model.Methods A total of 302 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis who underwent TIPS in Department of Gastroenterology,The General Hospital of Western Theater Command,from January 2017 to December 2021 were enrolled,and according to the presence or absence of OHE after surgery,they were divided into non-OHE group with 237 patients and OHE group with 65 patients.The two groups were compared in terms of general data,laboratory markers,Child-Turcotte-Pugh(CTP)score,MELD combined with serum sodium concentration(MELD-Na)score,and albumin-bilirubin(ALBI)score before surgery.The independent-samples t test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups,and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups.The univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the influencing factors for OHE after TIPS in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis,and independent influencing factors were used to construct a nomogram model.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis and the calibration curve analysis were used to evaluate the discriminatory ability and calibration of the model,and the decision curve analysis and the clinical impact curve(CIC)were used to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the model.Results Age(odds ratio[OR]=1.035,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.004-1.066,P＜0.05),white blood cell count(WBC)/platelet count(PLT)ratio(OR=33.725,95%CI:1.220-932.377,P＜0.05),international normalized ratio(INR)(OR=5.149,95%CI:1.052-25.207,P＜0.05),and pre-albumin(PAB)(OR=0.992,95%CI:0.983-1.000,P＜0.05)were independent predictive factors for OHE after TIPS in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis.The nomogram model constructed based on age,WBC/PLT ratio,INR,and PAB had an area under the ROC curve of 0.716(95%CI:0.649-0.781),with a sensitivity of 78.5%and a specificity of 56.1%.Conclusion The nomogram model constructed based on age,WBC/PLT ratio,INR,and PAB can help to predict the risk of OHE after TIPS in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis.

Objective To investigate the clinical features of elderly patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure(HBV-ACLF)and the risk factors affecting the short-term prognosis of patients.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for 417 patients with HBV-ACLF who were admitted to The General Hospital of Western Theater Command from January 2015 to January 2023,and related clinical data were collected,including general status,routine blood test results,biochemical parameters,and conditions of liver cirrhosis and decompensated events(ascites,hepatic encephalopathy,and their severities).The patients were followed up to observe 90-day survival.According to the age,the patients were divided into elderly group(with 106 patients aged≥60 years)and non-elderly group(with 311 patients aged＜60 years),and according to the 90-day survival,the elderly group were further divided into survival group with 41 patients and death/transplantation group with 65 patients.The independent-samples t test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of quantitative data between two groups,and the chi-square test was used for comparison of qualitative data between two groups.The binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent influencing factors for the risk of death within 90 days in elderly patients with HBV-ACLF,and a nomogram model was constructed for predicting the risk of death.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to investigate the value of the model in predicting the prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients in both the training set and the validation set.Calibration curve and decision curve were plotted for the models constructed in the training set and the validation set,and the model was assessed in terms of the degree of fitness and predicting benefits.Results The elderly patients had a significantly higher 90-day mortality rate than the non-elderly patients(P＜0.05),and compared with the non-elderly group,the elderly group had significantly higher incidence rate in female individuals,basic incidence rate of liver cirrhosis,incidence rate and grade of hepatic encephalopathy,incidence rate of ascites,and liver fibrosis markers(aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index and fibrosis-4)(all P＜0.05),as well as significantly lower total cholesterol,high-density lipoprotein,albumin,alpha-fetoprotein,and lymphocytes(all P＜0.05).As for the elderly patients with HBV-ACLF,there were significant differences between the survival group and the death/transplantation group in total cholesterol,total bilirubin,international normalized ratio(INR),alpha-fetoprotein,platelet,creatinine,serum sodium,monocytes,and the incidence rate and grade of hepatic encephalopathy(all P＜0.05).In addition,the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that INR(odds ratio[OR]=11.351,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.942-66.362,P＜0.05),monocyte count(OR=23.636,95%CI:1.388-402.529,P＜0.05),total bilirubin(OR=1.007,95%CI:1.001-1.013,P＜0.05),and platelet count(OR=0.968,95%CI:0.945-0.993,P＜0.05)were independent influencing factors for the 90-day prognosis of elderly patients with HBV-ACLF,and the nomogram model constructed based on these factors had a relatively high predictive value,with an area under the ROC curve of 0.915,a sensitivity of 88.0%,and a specificity of 86.7%.The nomogram model showed relatively high efficiency and degree of fitness in the verification set,and the decision curve suggested that the model had good benefits,with a higher prediction efficiency compared with the commonly used prediction models such as MELD score and COSSH-ACLF Ⅱ score.Conclusion Elderly HBV-ACLF patients may have a high short-term mortality rate due to the reductions in liver synthesis,reserve function,and regenerative ability and immune dysfunction.INR,monocyte count,total bilirubin,and platelet count have a relatively high value in predicting the risk of death in elderly HBV-ACLF patients,and the nomogram model constructed based on these factors has a relatively high prediction efficiency.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association of the dynamic changes of serum total bilirubin （ΔTBil） and alpha-fetoprotein （AFP） with the short-term prognosis of patients with hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure （HBV-ACLF）， to establish a new scoring model， and to investigate the value of this model in evaluating the short-term prognosis of HBV-ACLF through comparison with Model for End-Stage Liver Disease （MELD） score and other scoring systems. MethodsThe patients with HBV-ACLF who were hospitalized and treated in Department of Gastroenterology， The General Hospital of Western Theater Command， from January 2015 to December 2022 were enrolled as the retrospective study cohort. Clinical data within 24 hours after admission were collected from all patients， and the patients were divided into survival group and death group according to the survival after 90 days of follow-up. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups； the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data with skewed distribution between groups； the chi-square test or the corrected chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. A multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors for the prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients and establish a predictive model for prognosis， and the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was used to investigate the value of the new model in predicting the short-term prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients. ResultsA total of 361 patients were included in the analysis， with a 90-day survival rate of 67.3% （243/361）. Compared with the survival group （n=243）， the death group （n=118） had significantly higher age， incidence rates of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and hepatic encephalopathy， international normalized ratio， prothrombin time （PT）， leukocytes， monocytes， neutrophils， creatinine， ΔTBil， MELD score， and ALBI score （all P<0.05）， as well as significantly lower levels of total cholesterol， high-density lipoprotein， low-density lipoprotein， albumin， AFP， platelet count， lymphocytes， and Na⁺ （all P<0.05）. The multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that AFP， PT， Na⁺， and ΔTBil were independent influencing factors for the 90-day prognosis of patients with HBV-ACLF （all P<0.05）. The new ΔTBil-AFP scoring model was established as 11.987+1.168×ΔTBil （%）－0.095×Na⁺ （mmol/L）+0.25×PT （s）－0.002×AFP （ng/mL）， which had a relatively high predictive value， with an area under the ROC curve of 0.796， a sensitivity of 0.766， and a specificity of 0.723， and the decision curve showed good benefits. ConclusionCompared with the commonly used prediction models such as MELD score and ALBI score， the ΔTBil-AFP scoring model has a better prediction performance.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF)is generally accepted as a clinical syndrome characterized by an acute hepatic insult and rapid deterioration of liver function in patients with pre-existing chronic liver disease in combination with multi-organ failure with high short-term mortality.Because of the differences in etiology and inducement,there are different definitions and diagnostic criteria of ACLF in the East and West.Attempting to cover all ACLF diagnosed,WGO defined ACLF into three categories in 2014:patients with CLD but no cirrhosis(type A),compensated cirrhosis(type B),and decompensated cirrhosis(type C).However,different types of ACLF have different pathophysiology,which leads to obvious differences in predisposition,injury,response,organ failure and mortality among different types of ACLF.The concept of PIRO,which is similar to that used in determining outcomes of sepsis,is contribute to comprehensively understand different types of HBV-ACLF,improve management.Therefore,it is of great significance to improve the survival rate of ACLF.

Objective To investigate the association between platelet count (PLT) and the prognosis of hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF), to establish a new PLT-related scoring model, and to assess its value in predicting the short-term prognosis of HBV-ACLF. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted among the patients with HBV-ACLF who were hospitalized and treated in Department of Gastroenterology, The General Hospital of Western Theater Command, from January 2018 to January 2022. Clinical data within 24 hours after admission were collected from all patients, and according to the survival after 180 days of follow-up, the patients were divided into survival group and death group. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to investigate the correlation between different indicators, and the logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors for prognosis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the predictive value of the prognostic model, and the Kaplan-Meier curve analysis was used to investigate the survival condition of the high AIP group and the low AIP group. Results A total of 236 patients were enrolled, with a 180-day survival rate of 75.85% (179/236). Compared with the survival group, the death group had significantly higher age (53.98±10.45 vs 47.44±12.46, P =0.001), international normalized ratio (INR) [1.78 (1.46-2.04) vs 1.47 (1.23-1.68), P < 0.001], total bilirubin [275.60 (165.00-451.45) vs 230.60 (154.90-323.70), P =0.035], Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score [21.47 (18.14-24.76) vs 18.67 (15.70-21.62), P < 0.001], and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score [-1.06 (-1.64~-0.86) vs-1.32 (-1.73~-1.01), P =0.034], as well as significantly lower PLT [80.00 (50.00~124.50) vs 115.00 (82.00~143.00), P =0.001] and platelet-to-white blood cell ratio (PWR) [13.40 (9.54~20.70) vs 18.49 (13.95~24.74), P =0.001]. The Pearson correlation analysis showed that PLT was negatively correlated with liver cirrhosis and INR ( r =-0.332 and -0.194, P < 0.001 and P =0.003). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (odds ratio [ OR ]=1.045, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 1.015-1.076), PLT ( OR =0.990, 95% CI : 0.983-0.998), and INR ( OR =2.591, 95% CI : 1.363-4.925) were independent risk factors for the 180-day prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients. The new predictive model was established as follows: AIP=0.006×age+0.187×INR-0.001×PLT. The AIP scoring model had an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.718 in predicting the 180-day prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients, with a sensitivity of 81.1% and a specificity of 54.1%, while PLT, PWR, LPACLF score, MELD score, and ALBI score had an AUC of 0.673, 0.659, 0.588, 0.647, and 0.578, respectively. The AIP scoring model had an optimal cut-off value of 0.48. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the high AIP group had a significantly lower survival rate than the low AIP group ( P < 0.001). Conclusion The PLT-related scoring model has a better value than other models in predicting the prognosis of HBV-ACLF, and HBV-ACLF patients with a relatively high PLT level tend to have a high overall survival rate.

Objective To investigate the difference in blood lipid parameters between acute-on-chronic pre-liver failure (pre-ACLF) and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and the risk factors for disease progression. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the related data of 118 patients with ACLF (ACLF group) and 44 patients with pre-ACLF (pre-ACLF group) who were treated in The General Hospital of Western Theater Command from January 2012 to December 2020, including baseline age, albumin, creatinine, routine blood test results, and blood lipids. The independent samples t -test was used for comparison between normally distributed continuous data; and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison between non-normally distributed continuous data; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. A binary logistic regression analysis was used for multivariate analysis to identify independent predictive factors. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of related indicators, and Youden index was used to calculate cut-off values. Results Compared with the pre-ACLF group, the ACLF group had significantly lower levels of total cholesterol (TC)[2.02(1.56-2.37) mmol/L vs 3.01(2.57-3.66) mmol/L, Z =5.411, P < 0.001], high-density lipoprotein [0.40(0.25-0.49) mmol/L vs 0.62(0.47-0.75) mmol/L, Z =4.781, P < 0.001], and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) [1.52(1.22-1.84) mmol/L vs 1.93(1.49-2.36) mmol/L, Z =3.146, P =0.002] and significantly higher levels of total bilirubin [352.13(284.32-451.19) μmol/L vs 135.80(112.80-154.68) μmol/L, Z =-9.775, P < 0.001], international normalized ratio [1.96(1.71-2.51) vs 1.39(1.33-1.44), Z =-9.776, P < 0.001], white blood cell count (WBC) [6.74(5.07-9.19)×10 9 /L vs 5.04(4.13-7.09)×10 9 /L, Z =-3.985, P < 0.001], and neutrophils [4.67(3.40-7.06)×10 9 /L vs 3.30(2.72-5.01)×10 9 /L, Z =-3.676, P < 0.001], while there were no significant differences between the two groups in age, creatinine, albumin, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and triglyceride (all P > 0.05). The logistic regression analysis showed that TC (odds ratio [ OR ]=0.003, 95% confidence interval [ CI ]: 0.000-0.068, P < 0.05), LDL ( OR =61.901, 95% CI : 3.354-1142.558, P < 0.05), and WBC ( OR =3.175, 95% CI : 1.097-9.185, P < 0.05) had an independent predictive value, and the ROC analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve of TC was 0.852, the sensitivity of LDL was 0.887, and TC had the best specificity of TC was 0.840. Conclusion There are reductions in blood lipid parameters in the progression from pre-ACLF to ACLF, suggesting that clinicians should pay attention to the changes in lipids in the pre-ACLF stage and adjust the nutritional regimen in a timely manner.

Hepatic encephalopathy is a serious complication of liver cirrhosis and can cause neuropsychiatric symptoms such as cognitive impairment and motor impairment. More than 30% of patients with liver cirrhosis may develop hepatic encephalopathy， posing a huge economic burden to the health of patients and bringing many challenges to clinical diagnosis and treatment. Therefore， early identification， diagnosis， and treatment are the key to improving patient prognosis. Based on the clinical experience of our center， this article elaborates on hepatic encephalopathy from the aspects of pathogenesis， time dimension， minimal hepatic encephalopathy， and non-organic brain lesions， in order to provide new ideas or strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy in liver cirrhosis.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in pancreatic duct stones.Methods:The clinicopathologic data of 204 patients undergoing EUS for symptoms such as abdominal pain, abdominal distension and jaundice suspected of pancreatic duct stones, who were admitted to the General Hospital of Western Theater Command from January 2019 to April 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Of 159 patients were finally enrolled, including 47 females and 112 males, aged (51.8±13.9) years. Surgery or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is considered the " gold standard" for the diagnosis of pancreatic duct stones. Of 38 patients (23.9%) had abdominal ultrasound, 143 (89.9%) had CT scan and 93 (58.5%) had magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) at the same time. The diagnostic accuracy of imaging examinations in pancreatic duct stones was compared.Results:In 159 patients, 61 (38.4%) were diagnosed of pancreatic duct stones. In the 159 patients, 61 (38.4%) were diagnosed of pancreatic duct stones by EUS. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, Youden index and accuracy of EUS for pancreatic duct stones were 98.4%, 99.0%, 98.4%, 99.0%, 97.3% and 98.7%, respectively. The accuracy of EUS in diagnosing pancreatic duct stones was higher than that of percutaneous ultrasound, CT and MRCP (χ 2=7.71, 13.76, and 5.70, P=0.012, <0.001, 0.033). The diagnostic accuracy of EUS is comparable with operation and ERCP (Kappa=0.854, P<0.001). Conclusion:EUS could be a superior imaging approach to diagnose the pancreatic duct stone.

Sarcopenia is one of the most common complications of end-stage liver disease (ESLD) and is an independent risk factor for mortality in ESLD patients. Increasing evidence has indicated that nutritional intervention plays an important role in improving the prognosis of ESLD complicated with sarcopenia. Timely identification and early treatment of sarcopenia in ESLD are indispensable for improving patient outcome and quality of life. Accumulating in-depth researches on the pathogenesis and metabolic characteristics of sarcopenia in ESLD patients have provided increasing evidence for the nutritional treatment of sarcopenia in ESLD. Here we reviewed and summarized the research progress regarding the early identification, nutritional risk screening, assessment, and intervention of sarcopenia in ESLD.