Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Infliximab in Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is a useful strategy in ulcerative colitis (UC). Nearly a quarter of UC patients will experience acute severe UC (ASUC) in their lifetime, including 30% who will fail first-line corticosteroid therapy. Steroid-refractory ASUC patients require salvage therapy with infliximab, cyclosporine, or colectomy.

Prevalence and factors associated with vitamin C deficiency in inflammatory bowel disease.

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are prone to several nutritional deficiencies. However, data are lacking on vitamin C deficiency in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, as well as the impact of clinical, biomarker and endoscopic disease severity on the development of vitamin C deficiency.

Aim: To determine proportions and factors associated with vitamin C deficiency in CD and UC patients.

Vitamin C Deficiency: An Under-Recognized Condition in Crohn's Disease.

Although many nutritional deficiencies are associated with Crohn's disease (CD), vitamin C deficiency is less frequently diagnosed and reported despite its prevalence. Vitamin C deficiency may be more difficult to diagnose in patients with CD because symptoms from active CD may overlap with scurvy. Identification of the deficiency is vital, however, because treatment can lead to swift, marked resolution of symptoms.

Elbow Kinematics During Gait Improve With Age in Children With Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy.

Background: Children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (hCP) exhibit a typical posture of elbow flexion during gait. However, the change in elbow kinematics and symmetry during gait across age span in both hCP and typically developing (TD) children is not well described. The aim of this study was to quantify the change in elbow kinematics and symmetry across age span in hCP children compared with TD children.

More art than science: impedance analysis prone to interpretation error.

Background: Impedance monitoring for reflux evaluation does not have standardized scoring, which can confound interpretation between observers. We investigated the variability of impedance testing interpretation between physicians and computer software.

Methods: Raw impedance data from 38 patients that underwent impedance monitoring at a tertiary referral center between 2008 and 2013 were collected.

Aldosteronoma resolution score predicts long-term resolution of hypertension.

Background: The Aldosteronoma Resolution Score (ARS) takes into consideration four, readily available, preoperative clinical parameters in predicting the likelihood of resolution of hypertension in patients 6 months after undergoing unilateral adrenalectomy for aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA). We sought to determine the durability of this predictive model after 1 year.

Methods: Sixty patients who underwent unilateral adrenalectomy for APA at a single institution between 2004 and 2013 were reviewed retrospectively.

Genomic medicine for cancer diagnosis.

Genomic diagnostics in cancer has evolved since the completion of the Human Genome Project and the advancements made in diagnosis and therapy in chronic myelogenous leukemia. Among the diseases to achieve limited success or potentially benefit from diagnostic genetic testing are thyroid cancer, Burkitt's lymphoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumors, adrenocortical carcinoma, and colorectal cancer. With increased understanding of genomics, genetic tests should improve diagnosis and help guide medical and surgical management.