The American journal of gastroenterology
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Jun 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyPerformance of the hepatic encephalopathy scoring algorithm in a clinical trial of patients with cirrhosis and severe hepatic encephalopathy.
The grading of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is based on a combination of indicators that reflect the state of consciousness, intellectual function, changes in behavior, and neuromuscular alterations seen in patients with liver failure. ⋯ HESA extends the traditional WHC for grading HE. In the absence of a "gold" standard, the most useful indicators noted in this trial should be further validated.
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · May 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyComparison of two adalimumab treatment schedule strategies for moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease: results from the CHARM trial.
To compare outcomes of induction dosing followed by continuous adalimumab treatment with those of induction dosing with reinitiation of adalimumab (in the event of clinical deterioration) for patients with moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease (CD) who participated in the Crohn's Trial of the Fully Human Antibody Adalimumab for Remission Maintenance (CHARM). ⋯ For patients with active CD, continuous treatment with adalimumab was more effective than a strategy of induction dosing followed by reinitiation of adalimumab with clinical deterioration for maintenance of clinical remission, improved quality-of life outcomes, reduced flares, and a decrease in number of surgeries and risk of hospitalization.
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Dec 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyEffects of adalimumab maintenance therapy on health-related quality of life of patients with Crohn's disease: patient-reported outcomes of the CHARM trial.
We evaluated the effects of adalimumab maintenance therapy on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease. ⋯ Adalimumab maintenance therapy provided sustained improvements in HRQOL for patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease through week 56.
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · Jun 2008
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Controlled Clinical TrialComparison of an established simple office-based immunological FOBT with fecal tumor pyruvate kinase type M2 (M2-PK) for colorectal cancer screening: prospective multicenter study.
The immunological fecal occult blood test (IFOBT) has established itself as a more precise marker for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening than traditional guaiac-based FOBT. The simpler, cheaper, and more convenient newer office-based IFOBTs have been validated for diagnosing CRC. Dimeric isoenzyme of pyruvate kinase, M2-PK, expressed by tumor cells, has as well been proposed as a screening tool for CRC. This is the first study comparing fecal M2-PK as a screening biomarker for CRC against previously evaluated office-based IFOBT and colonoscopy. ⋯ This office-based IFOBT was found to have significantly higher specificity, PPV, and positive LR as compared with M2-PK. IFOBT proved to be a convenient, noncumbersome, quick, and cheap tool in patients with above-average risk for detection of CRN.
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Am. J. Gastroenterol. · May 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyA novel intravenous iron formulation for treatment of anemia in inflammatory bowel disease: the ferric carboxymaltose (FERINJECT) randomized controlled trial.
Anemia is a common complication of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) This multicenter study tested the noninferiority and safety of a new intravenous iron preparation, ferric carboxymaltose (FeCarb), in comparison with oral ferrous sulfate (FeSulf) in reducing iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in IBD. ⋯ FeCarb is effective and safe in IBD-associated anemia. It is noninferior to FeSulf in terms of Hb change over 12 wk, and provides a fast Hb increase and a sufficient refill of iron stores.