Acoustic radiation force impulse under clinical conditions with single infusion of ultrasound contrast agent evoking arrhythmias in rabbit heart

Journal of Medical Ultrasonics - We previously reported that acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) with concomitant administration of perfluorobutane as an ultrasound contrast agent (UCA)-induced...     

Metabolomic profiling of Saposhnikoviae Radix from Mongolia by LC–IT–TOF–MS/MS and multivariate statistical analysis

Journal of Natural Medicines - Saposhnikoviae Radix (SR) is a commonly used crude drug that is obtained from the root and rhizome of Saposhnikovia divaricata which is distributed throughout China,...     

Long-term efficacy and safety of rabeprazole in patients taking low-dose aspirin with a history of peptic ulcers: a phase 2/3, randomized,parallel-group, multicenter,extension clinical trial

A 24-week, double-blind, clinical trial of rabeprazole for the prevention of recurrent peptic ulcers caused by low-dose aspirin (LDA) has been reported, but trials for longer than 24 weeks have not been reported. The aim of this study is to assess the long-term efficacy and safety of rabeprazole for preventing peptic ulcer recurrence on LDA therapy. Eligible patients had a history of peptic ulcers on long-term LDA (81 or 100 mg/day) therapy. Patients with no recurrence of peptic ulcers at the end of the 24-week double-blind phase with rabeprazole (10- or 5-mg once daily) or teprenone (50 mg three times daily) entered the extension phase. Rabeprazole doses were maintained for a maximum of 76 weeks, including the double-blind 24-week period and the extension phase period (long-term rabeprazole 10- and 5-mg groups). Teprenone was randomly switched to rabeprazole 10 or 5 mg for a maximum of 52 weeks in the extension phase (newly-initiated rabeprazole 10- and 5-mg groups). The full analysis set consisted of 151 and 150 subjects in the long-term rabeprazole 10- and 5-mg groups, respectively, and the cumulative recurrence rates of peptic ulcers were 2.2 and 3.7%, respectively. Recurrent peptic ulcers were not observed in the newly-initiated rabeprazole 10- and 5-mg groups. No bleeding ulcers were reported. No clinically significant safety findings, including cardiovascular events, emerged. The use of long-term rabeprazole 10- and 5-mg once daily prevents the recurrence of peptic ulcers in subjects on low-dose aspirin therapy, and both were well-tolerated.     

Predictive factors in the response to interferon therapy in chronic hepatitis C

Factors predicting the efficacy of interferon therapy were statistically analyzed on 111 patients with chronic hepatitis C. Of the treated patients (total doses of interferon; 96–468 MU), 35 (31.5%) had a long-term remission. On multivariate analysis, hepatitis C virus genotype (p<0.0001), histological diagnosis (p<0.05), fibrosis score of histological activity index (p<0.01) and source of infection (p<0.05) were found useful for predicting the response to interferon therapy. Our findings suggest that the outcome of interferon therapy can be predicted to some degree from pretreatment data, and that a new therapeutic strategy is necessary for the group of patients who are predicted to be nonresponders.     

A 4-year-old girl with chronic nonspecific multiple ulcers of the small intestine diagnosed by double-balloon endoscopy

We present the youngest patient reported to date with chronic nonspecific multiple ulcers of the small intestine (CNSU) diagnosed by double-balloon endoscopy (DBE). A 3-year-old girl was referred to our department with a 2-year history of iron-deficiency anemia. Failure to thrive and hypoproteinemia were also noted, and stool occult blood tests had been persistently positive. However, the C-reactive protein level and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were not elevated. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and double-contrast enema revealed no abnormality in the colon and terminal ileum. Retrograde DBE was performed when the patient was 4 years old. Linear ulcerations arranged in an oblique or circular pattern were present at 3 sites between 55 and 65 cm from the ileocecal valve. Microscopic examination showed nonspecific inflammatory changes, and no granuloma was present. Based on the clinical and endoscopic findings, the patient was diagnosed as having CNSU. The youngest previously reported patient with CNSU was 7 years old, whereas our present patient was diagnosed at the age of 4 years. In pediatric cases of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding, it may be necessary to be aware of small bowel disease.