Evoked Potentials in Patients With Wilson Disease.

Introduction: Wilson disease (WD) is an inherited disorder of copper metabolism presenting with a variety of symptoms but commonly as a liver or neuropsychiatric disease. Abnormal evoked responses are constantly found among patients with neurologic manifestations and sometimes in patients with hepatic presentation or in presymptomatic siblings. The aim of our study was to assess visual and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) in patients with various presentation of WD.

Chronic Hepatitis Due to Gluten Enteropathy - a Case Report.

Background: Celiac disease is an immune-mediated enteropathy precipitated by exposure to dietary gluten in genetically predisposed individuals.

Case Description: A 45-year-old Caucasian woman presented with severe iron-deficient anemia and mild elevation of liver enzymes. Upper endoscopy was done in the context of evaluation of anemia, which revealed reduced duodenal folds and mosaic pattern of the mucosa, but also grade II esophageal varices and portal hypertensive gastropathy.

Telbivudine tenofovir in hepatitis B e antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B patients: OPTIMA roadmap study.

Aim: To make efficacy and safety comparison of telbivudine-raodmap and tenofovir-roadmap in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.

Methods: This was the first prospective, randomised, two-arm, open-label, non-inferiority study in HBeAg-negative CHB patients that compared telbivudine and tenofovir administered as per roadmap concept. Patients were treated up to 24 wk and, depending on virologic response, continued the same therapy or received add-on therapy up to 104 wk.

Wilson's disease in association with anetoderma.

Background: Wilson's disease is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper homeostasis with predominantly hepatic and neuropsychiatric involvement. Anetoderma is a rare benign condition with focal damage of dermal elastic tissue. Previous reports described this skin disorder in association with prolonged D-Penicillamine therapy.

Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in Bulgarian patients with chronic hepatitis C viral infection.

Aims: The present pilot study aimed to determine vitamin D status in Bulgarian patients with chronic HCV infection in respect to the severity of liver disease and response to interferon-ribavirin therapy.

Methods: The study encompassed 296 patients: 161 males (54.4%) aged 42.

Three-year efficacy and safety of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate treatment for chronic hepatitis B.

Background & Aims: Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), a nucleotide analogue and potent inhibitor of hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase, showed superior efficacy to adefovir dipivoxil in treatment of chronic hepatitis B through 48 weeks. We evaluated long-term efficacy and safety of TDF monotherapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B who were positive or negative for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg(+) or HBeAg(-)).

Methods: After 48 weeks of double-blind comparison of TDF to adefovir dipivoxil, patients who underwent liver biopsy were eligible to continue the study on open-label TDF for 7 additional years; data presented were collected up to 3 years (week 144) from 85% of participants.

DNA methylation in patients with colorectal cancer--correlation with some clinical and morphological features and with local tumour invasion.

Aim: To study quantitatively the promoter methylation of hMLH1, p16INK, TIMP3 and TPEF genes in patients with colorectal cancer and synchronous polyps, and correlate it with some clinicomorphological features.

Methods: DNA was extracted from all studied tumours and the corresponding normal mucosa. Microsatellite instability was analysed using two mononucleotide (BAT 25 and BAT 26) and three dinucleotide markers (D2S123, D5S356, D17S250) and automated DNA sequencing.

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate versus adefovir dipivoxil for chronic hepatitis B.

Background: Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (DF) is a nucleotide analogue and a potent inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase and hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase.

Methods: In two double-blind, phase 3 studies, we randomly assigned patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative or HBeAg-positive chronic HBV infection to receive tenofovir DF or adefovir dipivoxil (ratio, 2:1) once daily for 48 weeks. The primary efficacy end point was a plasma HBV DNA level of less than 400 copies per milliliter (69 IU per milliliter) and histologic improvement (i.

Randomized, double-blind study of emtricitabine (FTC) plus clevudine versus FTC alone in treatment of chronic hepatitis B.

Emtricitabine (FTC) is approved for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus. FTC and clevudine (CLV) have activity against hepatitis B virus (HBV). This report summarizes the results of a double-blind, multicenter study of patients with chronic hepatitis B who had completed a phase 3 study of FTC and were randomized 1:1 to 200 mg FTC once daily (QD) plus 10 mg CLV QD or 200 mg FTC QD plus placebo for 24 weeks with 24 weeks of follow-up.

High initial dose combination regimen with interferon-alpha and ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C.

Background/aims: Combination of interferon-alpha and ribavirin becomes the antiviral therapy of choice for chronic hepatitis C. The aim of this trial was to assess the efficacy of two combination treatment strategies: standard regimen Interferon-alpha 3 MU three times per week (group A) and initial high dose Interferon 6 MU daily for 2 weeks followed by intermittent administration 3 MU three times per week (group B), plus Ribavirin in naive and relapsed patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Methodology: Twenty-four patients (group A, 6; group B, 18) received medication for median 6 months (range, 5-12) and followed for 6 months.