Intensive interferon therapy does not increase virological response rates in African Americans with chronic hepatitis C.

To determine if an intensive regimen of daily, high-dose interferon would improve the initial response rates to therapy for hepatitis C genotype 1 among African American and Caucasian patients, we conducted a retrospective analysis of a treatment trial conducted between October 1995 and June 1997. Patients were randomized to 24 weeks of therapy with interferon--alpha-2b at either 5 MU daily or 3 MU three times a week. On the standard interferon regimen (3 MU three times a week) African Americans and Caucasians had similar initial response rates.

Temporal trends over ten years in formal inpatient gastroenterology consultations at an inner city hospital.

Goals: Inpatient consultation is an important, but poorly understood, component of medical subspecialty practices. In a time when all services strive for cost-effective and efficient treatments, little is known about the epidemiology of inpatient subspecialty consultation. This study is designed to describe the nature and trends of formal inpatient gastroenterology consultations during the past decade.