ABSTRACT
Hepatic fibrosis is the final common pathway for liver injury caused by various chronic liver diseases.Noninvasive assessments of liver fibrosis are valuable in clinical use since they are easy to apply and monitor disease progression.Serologic biomarkers for liver fibrosis consist of direct markers which reflect ECM turnover and indirect markers which show liver function of synthesis,metabolism and reservation.A number of assessment models can identify significant fibrosis and cirrhosis,and avoid unnecessary liver biopsy.They can be used for disease staging,prognosis prediction,and treatment surveillance.Variation of analytical performances exists among diverse analyzers and assays.The standardization of these tests will enhance their comparability.Large scale and multicenter clinical verification studies are needed for the clinical utility of these assessment models based on Chinese population of chronic hepatic diseases.
ABSTRACT
Objective To report three cases of fulminant ulcerative colitis (FUC) treated with infliximab (IFX) and the positive result for clinical purpose. Methods Three patients with FUC were infused with IFX (5 mg/kg) at interval of 0, 2, 6 wk. Sulfasalazine or probiotics was used for the maintanance of remission. The mucosal healing was evaluated by endoscopy and patholoic examination. ResultsComplete remission was found in 3 patients with FUC. Eight weeks after IFX withdraw, complete remission was found in two of three cases demonstrated by endoscopy, except for one case died from refractory ventricular tachycardia. The remaing 2 cases showed no active manifestation during 8 months' follow-up. Conclusion IFX therapy results in complete remission in 3 cases with FUC. However, further randomized control study is warranted for concrete evaluation on salty and application clinically.