The role of serum ferritin in the diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Objectives: To determine the diagnostic values of serum ferritin and other conventional laboratory tests in the diagnosis of iron deficiency anaemia in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Design: Cross-sectional study for diagnostic tests.

Setting: University hospital.

Anemias in Thai patients with cirrhosis.

Anemia is a frequent complication in patients with cirrhosis. Only one study has been previously reported regarding the etiology of anemias in Thai cirrhotic patients. The diagnosis of iron deficiency in the study however was not based on standard criteria.

Cytomorphologic and DNA cytometric features of hepatocellular carcinoma in fine needle aspirates.

Objective: To classify hepatocellular carcinoma according to DNA ploidy patterns and to evaluate distinct cytomorphologic features of hepatocellular carcinoma that correlate with DNA ploidy patterns.

Study Design: Fine needle aspiration smears of 36 histologically proven hepatocellular carcinomas were performed for DNA measurement by image analysis after Feulgen restaining of the specimens. Nuclear features-prominent nucleoli, nuclear cleavage, nuclear area and nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio-were correlated with the DNA ploidy patterns.

Caffeine clearance by two point analysis: a measure of liver function in chronic liver disease.

This study attempted to compare the pharmacokinetic parameters of caffeine in patients with chronic liver disease and in normal subjects and to define the two sampling times which are suitable for determining caffeine clearance in these patients. Ten decompensated and eight compensated cirrhotic patients, and nine patients with chronic hepatitis were given a 3.5 mg/kg single oral dose of caffeine, followed by measurement of serum caffeine concentrations at 0, 30, 60, 90 minutes and 3, 5, 10, 24 and 36 hours using the HPLC technique.

The influence of dissemination of information on the changes of knowledge, attitude and acceptance of hepatitis B vaccination among hospital personnel in Chulalongkorn Hospital.

Lack of knowledge and negative attitudes were the main reasons for refusal, in a vaccination programme against hepatitis B using plasma-derived vaccine which was offered to the hospital personnel of Chulalongkorn University Hospital, Bangkok. Therefore, to ascertain whether an educational intervention among hospital personnel is effective in modifying acceptance of the vaccine, a quasi-experimental design (using a before and after approach) was used to compare the knowledge, attitudes and acceptance rate of hepatitis B vaccination among 1,915 hospital personnel. After dissemination of information, knowledge and attitudes improved significantly, and acceptance rates were increased from 56.