Efficacy, safety and drug survival of thioguanine as maintenance treatment for inflammatory bowel disease: a retrospective multi-centre study in the United Kingdom.

Background: Thioguanine (TG) is a thiopurine which has been used for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), who have failed azathioprine (AZA) or mercaptopurine (MP) due to adverse events or suboptimal response. Its widespread use has been hampered due to concerns about nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH) of the liver. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term efficacy and safety of low-dose TG therapy in IBD patients failing AZA and MP.

The contribution of deleterious DPYD gene sequence variants to fluoropyrimidine toxicity in British cancer patients.

Purpose: The fluoropyrimidines have been extensively used for almost five decade worldwide for the treatment of solid cancers. However, severe toxicity is a major clinical problem and has been reported in association with deleterious sequence variants in dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) coding-gene (DPYD), causing DPD deficiency. Genetic DPD deficiency has previously been considered to be insignificant in the British population.

Midazolam with meperidine or fentanyl for colonoscopy: results of a randomized trial.

Background: A combination of midazolam and opioid is usually used to achieve sedation and analgesia during colonoscopy. Two commonly used opioids are meperidine and fentanyl, but few studies have compared their efficacy.

Objective: This randomized trial aimed to compare the efficacy and recovery time of 2 sedation regimens consisting of midazolam in combination with either meperidine or fentanyl.

Overprescribing proton pump inhibitors.

Is expensive and not evidence based