Digestive System Diseases Commons^™

How Safe And Effective Is Infliximab In The Treatment Of Children With Moderate To Severe Crohn’S Disease?, Jackie Linh

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this systematic review is to determine whether or not “how safe and effective is infliximab in treatment of children with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease?”

Does A Diet That Consists Of High Fiber Prevent The Recurrence Of Colorectal Adenomas In Patients Who Have Previously Had At Least One Adenoma Detected Via Colonoscopy?, Conor Luskin

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether ingesting a diet high in fiber will decrease the incidence of colorectal adenoma recurrence in a person who has previously had colorectal adenomas.

Is Acupuncture An Effective Treatment For Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome?, Amy Leber

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this systematic review is to determine whether or not acupuncture is an effective treatment for patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Pegylated Interferon Α-2b Up-Regulates Specific Cd8+ T Cells In Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B, Ji Chen, Yan Wang, Jun Li, Feng-Qin Hou, Gui-Qiang Wang

Pharmacology and Toxicology Faculty Publications

AIM: To investigate the effect of pegylated interferon (IFN) α-2b on specific CD8+ T lymphocytes in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: Twenty-one patients with CHB were treated with pegylated IFN α-2b. Periphery blood mononuclear cells were isolated from fresh heparinized blood by Ficoll-Hypaque density gradient centrifugation (density: 1.077 g/L, Pharmingen) at weeks 0, 4, 8, 12, and 24, respectively. Frequency of circulating hepatitis B virus (HBV) epitope-specific CD8 T cells was detected by flow cytometry. Cytokines were detected by cytometric bead assay. RESULTS: The frequency of circulating HBV core or env-specific CD8 T cells was higher (P …

Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns Of Helicobacter Pylori And Triple Therapy In A High-Prevalence Area, Javed Yakoob, Shahab Abid, Z. Abbas, S. N. W. Jafri

Department of Medicine

This study aims to determine primary Helicobacter pylori resistance and its effect on eradication of the organism. Ninety-two Patients with dyspeptic symptoms were enrolled. H. pylori was cultured and antibiotic sensitivity was determined by the Epsilometer test (Etest) for clarithromycin (CLR), amoxicillin (AMX) and metronidazole (MTR). 23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) point mutations associated with clarithromycin resistance were also detected. Patients were treated with omeprazole (40 mg daily), CLR (500 mg) and AMX (1g twice a day) for 14 days. A (14)C-urea breath test ((14)C-UBT) was repeated four weeks after completion of treatment to confirm eradication. Triple therapy failure was seen …

Prevalences Of Giardia Lamblia And Cryptosporidium Parvum Infection In Adults Presenting With Chronic Diarrhoea, Javed Yakoob, Zaigham Abbas, M. Asim Beg, Shagufta Naz, Rustam Khan, Muhammad Islam, Wasim Jafri

Section of Gastroenterology

iardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum are both waterborne pathogens associated with diarrhoea in developing countries. In a recent study based at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, 334 adults aged 16–83 years (178 patients with chronic diarrhoea and 156 diarrhoea-free volunteers who acted as controls) were checked for infection with these parasites, using stool microscopy and/or PCR. Overall, 21 (6.3%) and 29 (8.7%) of the subjects were found positive for G. lamblia by microscopy and PCR, respectively, while the corresponding values for C. parvum were 13 (3.9%) and 14 (4.2%). Although, compared with the diarrhoea-free controls, the patients with diarrhoea …

Precipitating Factors And The Outcome Of Hepatic Encephalopathy In Liver Cirrhosis, Khalid Mumtaz, Umair Syed Ahmed, Shahab Abid, Noshaba Baig, Saeed Hamid, Wasim Jafri

Section of Gastroenterology

Objective: To determine precipitants of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and their impact on hospital stay and mortality.

Study Design: Cross-sectional, analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: The Aga Khan University Hospital, from January 2005 to December 2007.

Methodology: Consecutive patients admitted with different grades of HE were evaluated between January 2005 and December 2007. The precipitants of HE were correlated with the different grades of HE, and length of hospital stay and mortality. Chi-square test was used to compare the proportion of precipitating factors versus hospital stay and grade with significance at p < 0.05.

Results: Of the 404 patients 252 (62%) …

Is There An Association Of Giardiasis With Beta-Thalassemia Minor?, Javed Yakoob, Wasim Jafri, Hizbullah Shaikh

Section of Gastroenterology

Beta–thalassemia minor is a symptomless carrier state of a hemoglobinopathy which predisposes to bacterial infections. We report three cases presenting with giardiasis, a parasitic infection of gastrointestinal tract caused by Giardia lamblia. Patients presented with recurrent diarrhea and abdominal pain for over a year. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy finding varied from normal to acute duodenitis. Duodenal biopsy demonstrated changes consistent with mild chronic non-specific inflammation with G. lamblia trophozoites. All three patients were diagnosed as β -thalassemia minor hemoglobin electrophoresis. They were treated with Diloxanide furoate 500 mg and Metronidazole 400mg three times daily for five days. Their symptoms resolved and a …