Timp 1

Serum 4COL7S levels were measured using the radioimmunoassay two-antibody method (Lumipulse Presto^®; Fujirebio Inc., Tokyo, Japan; with a lower limit of quantification of 0.270 ng/mL; reference level for normal adults, < 6.0 ng/mL). This measurement was clinically approved and available using this commercial kit in Japan, and the clinical applications of serum 4COL7S levels derived clinically have been reported in other clinical observations of various acute or chronic liver diseases [21 (link)–23 (link)]. Non-invasive fibrosis scores, which included aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio index (APRI, cutoff for METAVIR F4 cirrhosis, > 2.0), FIB-4 (cutoff for METAVIR F3-F4 advanced fibrosis, > 3.25), and Forns index (cutoff for METAVIR F0-F1, < 4.2), were calculated as described previously [24 (link)–26 (link)]. In the exploratory sub-cohort analysis 1, 23 patients who achieved SVR by taking IFN-free DAAs were included. Sera collected immediately before (Pre) and at end-of-treatment (EOT) were analyzed for the levels of MMP-2 (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN, USA), MMP-9 (R&D Systems), and TIMP-1 (Enzo Biochem, New York, NY, USA) via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).