An optimized clarithromycin-free 14-day triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication achieves high cure rates in Uruguay.

Background: Strong acid inhibition increases cure rates with triple therapy and 14-day are more effective than 7-day treatments. The combination of amoxicillin plus metronidazole at full doses has been shown to overcome metronidazole resistance and to achieve good eradication rates even in patients harboring resistant strains. No previous studies have been reported in Latin-America with this optimized triple-therapy scheme.

Systematic review and meta-analysis: triple therapy combining a proton-pump inhibitor, amoxicillin and metronidazole for Helicobacter pylori first-line treatment.

Background: Due to clarithromycin resistance, the current efficacy of Helicobacter pylori first-line triple therapies including clarithromycin is low. It seems reasonable to explore alternative clarithromycin-free therapies.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of triple therapy including a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI), amoxicillin and metronidazole (PAM) as first-line H.

[Evolution of the response to the first-line therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection in Uruguay].

Introduction: The eradication rate of the Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection using standard triple therapy has dropped globally in recent years, primarily due to the occurrence of antibiotic resistance.

Methods: Several therapy regimens were assessed in 823 patients treated the first time for H pylori infection in Uruguay, during the 1997 to 2011 period, divided into five-year groups. All patients underwent 13C isotope-urea breath testing, between the 8th and 24th weeks after therapy.

[Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease in Uruguay].

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common condition, with wide geographical differences worldwide. There are no epidemiological data on this disease for Uruguay.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of GERD in two adult populations in Uruguay (urban and hospital) through the Gastroesophageal reflux disease Questionnaire (GerdQ) questionnaire and evaluation of typical symptoms.

[Hepatotoxicity, a global problem with local features: toward the creation of a Pan-American Hepatotoxicity Network].

Drug-induced liver damage is one of the most complex liver diseases due to its similar presentation to other acute or chronic liver processes, its potential severity and the absence of specific biomarkers to confirm diagnosis, which is based on clinical suspicion and exclusion of alternative causes. Because the drug development process fails to completely screen out hepatotoxic molecules and identify susceptible individuals, postmarketing pharmacovigilance remains essential. Hepatotoxicity registries are the ideal instrument for systematic and continual data collection, using preestablished criteria based on consensus.