On 11th July, 2020 Dr. Michael P. Johnston hosted the session and discussed Randomized Clinical Trial: Standard of Care Versus Early Trans jugular Intrahepatic Porto-systemic Shunt (TIPSS) in Patients with Cirrhosis and esophageal Variceal Bleeding. Around 700 people from all over Pakistan joined this session.
Dr. Zaigham Abbas and Dr. Tariq Siddiqi provided details about the current situation of Hepatic Cellular Carcinoma (HCC) in Pakistan and what developments have taken place and the recommendations on how to eliminate this disease from Pakistan. It was conducted on 27th June, 2020. It was a great conference attended by the 1800 participants, reflecting the growing concern of experts in this chronic disease.
KAMRAN ALA BIRMINGHAM was the second host for the second PSSLD Journal Club on 20th June, 2020. More than 900 people joined this session.
Another series for PSSLD Journal Club began in the month of June after the first successful round of these discussions in the month of May. On 11th June, 2020, the first round was initiated by the speaker KEITH SIAU BIRMINGHAM. Around 800 participants became a part of this significant session.
COVID-19 AND LIVER TRANSPLANTATION was organized by the Pakistan Society for the Liver Diseases (PSSLD) on 6th June, 2020. It was a virtual meeting, moderated by Prof. Faisal Saud Dar, who is associated with Quaid-e-Azam Hospital in Islamabad. In the webinar, eminent Liver Transplant & HPB Surgeon from different countries were invited to present their views on the current outbreak of Covid-19 its impact on liver transplant. Prof. Ruben Ciria from the University Hospital Reina Sofia, Cordoba, Spain discussed in detail WORLDWIDE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON LIVER TRANSPLANT ACTIVITY. Besides, Prof. Paolo Muiesan from Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Uk highlighted the issue of DONORS AND RECEPIENT IN COVID PANDEMIC. LDTL: EMERGING OUT O CURRENT SITUATION was the topic of Prof. Muhammad Rela who belongs to Dr Rela Institute & Medical Centre in India.
Pakistan Society for the Study of Liver Diseases (PSSLD) organized a webinar on 30th May in collaboration with WGO to commemorate WDHD 2020. The title of the webinar was “The Gut Liver Axis”. Prof. Saeed Hamid, from Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan who is also Chair, Hepatology Interest Group WGO, moderated the Webinar. Prof. Zaigham Abbas from the Ziauddin University Karachi and current President of PSSLD, gave the first presentation on the topic. Several factors affect the development and alteration of the gut microbiome including birthing and infant feeding method, exposure to physical, metabolic, and psychological stress, environment, diet, medications, and stage of the lifecycle, and comorbid diseases.
The interaction of gut with the host is mostly indirect and is mediated by their metabolic products, also called postbiotics, “The Gut-Liver Axis is a bidirectional relationship between the gut micro biota and the liver. This reciprocal interaction is established by the portal vein which transports gut-derived products directly to the liver and the liver feedback route of bile and antibody secretion to the intestine”, Dr. Abbas added. Prof. Wasim Jafri, from Aga Khan University and Director WGO Karachi Training Center introduced the next key speaker, Prof. Eamonn Quigley. Professor Quigley is Co- Chair, WDHD 2020 Campaign. He spoke on ‘Gut Microbiome and Liver Disease’ and mentioned vascular, lymphatic, and liver firewalls that captures gut bacteria entering the blood stream. He also shed light on the role of gut micro biota in chronic liver disease, hepatic encephalopathy, acute liver injury, hepatocellular carcinoma, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and non-alcoholic and alcoholic fatty liver disease. Professor Masood Siddiq, former president PSSLD introduced the next speaker, Professor Jasmohan Bajaj. He is a member of the WDHD 2020 Steering Committee. He discussed ‘Therapies Targeting the Gut-Liver Axis’ and concluded that micro biota can be managed in several ways to benefit liver disease. This online seminar had a good turnout of participants from different parts of the world.
On 16th May, 2020, another PSSLD Journal Club session was organized by Dr. Ghulam Fareed, a specialist in gastroenterology at Agha Khan University.
The second PSSLD Journal Club was held by the Dr. Muhammad Akram, a well-known Gastroenterologist in Multan, and Assistant Professor at Multan Medical College. This webinar was conducted on 9th May, 2020 and nearly 600 participants joined this online session on Hepatology and liver diseases. The main topic of this session was “WHAT IS NEW IN FATTY LIVER DISEASE: SAY MAFLD; NOT NAFLD”.
PSSLD Journal Club is a series of webinars hosted by Pakistan society for the Liver Diseases (PSSLD). The first PSSLD Journal Club was initiated on 2nd May, 2020. The first session was hosted by the Dr. Yousuf Shah from Peshawar. He’s an expert in Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist based in Peshawar.
PSSLD hosted a webinar on covid-19 on 19 April, 2020 to increase the awareness about the covid-19 and its critical effects on the liver and digestive system in human body. The virtual meeting was moderated by the Dr. Zahid Azam, Head of Department at Dow University of Health Sciences. Dr. Zaigham Abbas, chairperson of PSSLD and Head of Department of Gastroenterology at Dr. Ziauddin Hospital, Clifton Karachi were also a part of this crucial online session. On the other hand, Dr. Wasim Jafri, professor & associate Dean at Agha Khan University, Dr. Amna Subhan, who is consultant at Agha Khan University, and Dr. Saeed Hamid, Professor, Department of Medicine and Director of the Clinical Trials Unit at The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan also joined the meeting. This event provided guidelines for hepatic diseases in the context of novel Covid-19. Moreover, the precautions and the possible treatments were discussed at a great length, creating the awareness among liver patients and hepatitis patients.