Non-response to previous interferon therapy and cirrhosis are risk factors for predicting breakthrough during lamivudine therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Aims: Lamivudine is a potent oral anti-viral medicine for the treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, one of the major problems is the breakthrough (BT) followed by flare-up of hepatitis. We examined the influences of clinical background, progression of liver fibrosis, presence or absence of HBeAg and previous interferon (IFN) therapy on the occurrence of breakthrough.

Differential impact of adherence to pegylated interferon and ribavirin in the treatment of genotype 1 high viral titer chronic hepatitis C.

To clarify the impact of adherence, we treated 122 genotype 1 high viral titer chronic hepatitis C patients with pegylated interferon (peg-IFN) and ribavirin for 48 weeks at nine referral hospitals, and evaluated the prognostic factors with a focus on the adherence to the treatment. This study included 68 (55.7%) treatment-naïve patients and 54 (44.

Study of energy metabolism of skeletal muscles in alcoholic liver disease--expired gas analysis during exercise.

Background: The effects of chronic alcohol intake on skeletal muscle are clinically observed as muscle cramps with decrease in the amount of muscle. It was clarified by expired gas analysis that acute alcohol load affects disturbed energy metabolism of skeletal muscle. We studied abnormal energy metabolism of skeletal muscles in alcoholic liver diseases using expired gas analysis.

Hemophagocytic syndrome in ileum-origin B-cell lymphoma.

A 56 year-old-man was admitted due to upper abdominal tumor and was diagnosed as having stage IVb diffuse B-cell malignant lymphoma that originally developed in the terminal ileum. The first and the second administrations of CHOP (cyclophosphamide, 750 mg/m(2); adriamycin, 50 mg/m(2); vincristine, 1.4 mg/m(2); and prednisolone, 100 mg/day) therapy were effective; however, the third course of therapy was postponed because of an episode of massive hematochezia.

Influence of acute alcohol load on metabolism of skeletal muscles--expired gas analysis during exercise.

Background: The chronic intake of alcohol affects the function of skeletal muscles. To elucidate the influence of acute alcoholic load on muscular metabolism during exercise, we analyzed expired gases to measure the volume of consumed oxygen and the volume of exhaled CO2.

Methods: Healthy volunteers were enrolled for the study.