In our single-centre experience the CLIF-SOFA and the EASL-CLIF Consortium definition of ACLF proved to be strong predictors of short-term mortality in cirrhotic patients admitted for AD.

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Introduction: Autoantibodies are often produced during infection with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV), but it remains controversial whether they influence the biochemical profile and histological features of this disease. Therefore, this current study sought to describe these autoantibodies and evaluate their impact on the clinical and histological presentation of hepatitis C. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study assessed patients with HCV (RNA+) from October 2011 to July 2012. Results: This study included 66 patients, with a mean age of 53.2±10.5 years. Of these patients, 60.6% were male, and 54.3% presented with genotype 1. Non-organ-specific autoantibodies (NOSA) were detected in 24% of the patients; of these, 7.6% were anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA+), 26.7% were anti-smooth muscle antibodies (SMA+) and 6.8% were liver kidney microsomal type 1 antibodies (LKM1+). With respect to the thyroid autoantibodies, 7.4% were anti-peroxidase (ATPO+) antibodies, and none were anti-thyroglobulin (ATG+) antibodies. Regarding celiac disease autoantibodies, 5.8% were endomysial antibodies (EMA+), and no transglutaminase (TTG+) antibodies were detected. Cryoglobulins were found in 2.1% of patients. When NOSA+ individuals were compared to patients without the presence of NOSAs, they exhibited higher median alkaline phosphatase (0.7 vs. 0.6 xULN; p=0.041), lower median platelet counts (141,500.0 vs. 180,500.0/mm 3 ; p=0.036), lower mean prothrombin activity (72.6±11.5% vs. 82.2±16.0%; p=0.012) and an increased prevalence of significant fibrosis (E≥2) (45.5% vs. 18.2%; p=0.012). There was also a tendency for a greater proportion of NOSA+ cases to have marked periportal activity (APP≥3) (44.5% vs. 15.6%; p=0.087). Conclusions: In addition to the high prevalence of autoantibodies associated with HCV infection, it was observed that NOSA positivity was associated with a more severe histological and biochemical profile of hepatitis C infection.

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a rare disease that is characterized by eosinophil infiltration in one or multiple segments of the gastrointestinal tract. The etiology of this condition remains unknown. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis has heterogeneous clinical manifestations that depend upon the location and depth of infiltration in the gastrointestinal tract, and eosinophilia may or may not be present. This article reports two cases of eosinophilic gastroenteritis. The first is that of a 49-year-old woman with abdominal pain, ascites, eosinophilia, and a history of asthma. The second case is that of a 69-year-old male with a history of loss of appetite, belching, postprandial fullness, heartburn, and a 5-kilogram weight loss over a period of 9 months; ultimately, the patient was diagnosed with a gastric outlet obstruction due to pyloric stenosis. The rare character of eosinophilic gastroenteritis and its varied clinical presentations often lead to delayed diagnoses and complications. Case reports may help to disseminate knowledge about the disease, thereby increasing the likelihood of early diagnosis and intervention to prevent complications.

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