Clevudine is a pyrimidine analogue with potent and sustained antiviral activity against HBV. The present study evaluated the safety and efficacy of 30 mg clevudine once daily for 24 weeks and assessed the durable antiviral response for 24 weeks after cessation of dosing. A total of 243 hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B patients were randomized (3:1) to receive clevudine 30 mg once daily (n ‫؍‬ 182) or placebo (n ‫؍‬ 61) for 24 weeks. Patients were followed for a further 24 weeks off therapy. Median serum HBV DNA reductions from baseline at week 24 were 5.10 and 0.27 log 10 copies/mL in the clevudine and placebo groups, respectively (P < 0.0001). Viral suppression in the clevudine group was sustained off therapy, with 3.73 log 10 reduction at week 34 and 2.02 log 10 reduction at week 48. At week 24, 59.0% of patients in the clevudine group had undetectable serum HBV DNA levels by Amplicor PCR assay (less than 300 copies/mL). The proportion of patients who achieved normalization of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels was 68.2% in the clevudine group and 17.5% in the placebo group at week 24 (P < 0.0001). ALT normalization in the clevudine group was well maintained during post-treatment follow-up period. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) was similar between the clevudine group and the placebo group. No resistance to clevudine was detected with 24 weeks of administration of drug. Conclusion: A 24-week clevudine therapy was well tolerated and showed potent and sustained antiviral effect without evidence of viral resistance during treatment period in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B. (

A 24-week clevudine therapy was well-tolerated and showed potent and sustained antiviral effect without evidence of viral resistance in e-CHB patients. However, treatment for longer than 24 weeks would be needed to achieve durable remission.

The complications of HIFU develop mainly around the targeted lesions or along the ultrasound beam pathway. It is essential to have awareness of the possible complications related to HIFU and its imaging features for to avoiding serious complications.

High-intensity focused ultrasound is safe and effective, which induced excellent local tumor control in most patients with advanced PC.

Clevudine is a nucleoside analog with an unnatural ␤-L configuration. In a phase I/II clinical trial, once daily doses ranging from 10 to 200 mg for 28 days were well tolerated, and produced significant antiviral activity. The present study was conducted to assess the degree and durability of the antiviral response to 12 weeks of clevudine treatment, and to investigate its safety and tolerability. A total of 98 patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B were randomized to placebo (n ‫؍‬ 32), 30-mg clevudine (n ‫؍‬ 32), and 50-mg clevudine (n ‫؍‬ 34) groups. Patients were followed up after 12 weeks of treatment for a further 24 weeks off-therapy. Median serum hepatitis B virus DNA reductions from baseline at week 12 were 0.20, 4.49, and 4.45 log 10 copies/mL in the placebo, 30-mg clevudine, and 50-mg clevudine groups, respectively (P < .0001). Posttreatment antiviral activities were sustained, with 3.32 and 2.99 log 10 reductions at week 12 off-therapy and 2.28 and 1.40 log 10 reductions at week 24 off-therapies in the 30-and 50-mg clevudine groups, respectively. Median serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels decreased markedly from baseline during clevudine treatment and were maintained below the upper limit of normal throughout the 24 weeks off-therapy in the two clevudine-treated groups. The incidences of adverse events and treatment-emergent grade 3 or 4 laboratory abnormalities were similar for the three groups. In conclusion, clevudine showed potent antiviral activity during therapy and induced a sustained posttreatment antiviral effect for 6 months after a 12-week treatment period, and this was associated with a sustained normalization of ALT levels. (HEPATOLOGY 2006;43:982-988.)

Considerable discrepancies were observed in histological findings between the EFB and the resected specimens. Therefore, complete removal of the entire polyp is recommended to confirm the diagnosis, to remove precancerous lesions, and to develop an optimal management plan.

AIM:To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome. METHODS:The clinical courses of patients that visited St. Mary's Hospital with abdominal pain from January 2005 to December 2006 and were diagnosed with Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome were examined. RESULTS: Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome was identified in 22 female patients of childbearing age; their mean age was 31.0 ± 8.1 years. Fourteen of these cases presented with pain in the upper right abdomen alone or together with pain in the lower abdomen, and six patients presented with pain only in the lower abdomen. The first impression at the time of visit was acute cholecystitis or cholangitis in 10 patients and acute appendicitis or pelvic inflammatory disease in eight patients. Twenty-one patients were diagnosed by abdominal computer tomography (CT), and the results of abdominal sonography were normal for 10 of these patients. Chlamydia trichomatis was isolated from 18 patients. Two patients underwent laparoscopic adhesiotomy and 20 patients were completely cured by antibiotic treatment. CONCLUSION:For women of childbearing age with acute pain in the upper right abdomen alone or together with pain in the lower abdomen, Fitz-HughCurtis syndrome should be considered during differential diagnosis. Moreover, in cases suspected to be Fitz-HughCurtis syndrome, abdominal CT, rather than abdominal sonography, assists in the diagnosis.

Spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare phenomenon. This case of a 65-year-old Korean man with HCC and metastatic frontal bone mass that regressed after radiotherapy for frontal bone mass without any other therapeutic modalities is described. The clinical diagnosis of HCC was made because of the presence of a liver mass on abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan, high serum alpha-fetoprotein value and tissue diagnosis on frontal bone biopsy. The patient refused any other recommended treatments, but accepted the radiation therapy due to a painful frontal bone mass, and ingested mushroom called Phellinus linteus for one and a half years. Ten months after radiation therapy, he experienced a reduction in size of the frontal bone mass and improvement of lesions in the liver, sternum and ribs. The patient is alive and in good condition without any symptoms or tumor aggravation in August 2002. It was concluded that a rare case of spontaneous regression of HCC had occurred.