Validity, reliability, and feasibility of durometer measurements of scleroderma skin disease in a multicenter treatment trial.

Objective: To determine the validity, reliability, and feasibility of durometer measurements of skin hardness as an outcome measure in clinical trials of scleroderma.

Methods: Skin hardness was measured during a multicenter treatment trial for scleroderma using handheld digital durometers with a continuous scale. Skin thickness was measured by modified Rodnan skin score (MRSS).

Risk factors for Helicobacter pylori resistance in the United States: the surveillance of H. pylori antimicrobial resistance partnership (SHARP) study, 1993-1999.

Background: Pretreatment antimicrobial resistance has an important impact on the efficacy of many Helicobacter pylori treatment regimens.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of H. pylori resistance to antimicrobials in the United States, to characterize risk factors associated with H.