European journal of gastroenterology & hepatology
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Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol · Dec 2014
Comparative StudySustained participation, colonoscopy uptake and adenoma detection rates over two rounds of the Tallaght-Trinity College colorectal cancer screening programme with the faecal immunological test.
Studies to date support the use of the faecal immunological test (FIT) in colorectal cancer screening programmes, and it has been widely adopted across Europe, Canada, Australia, and the USA. Successive screening rounds are necessary to detect and prevent colorectal cancer. The overall success of FIT screening will depend on several factors, the most important probably being the acceptability of repeated screening rounds. Being a newer form of occult blood testing, there is little data available on its overall efficacy over time. ⋯ Repeated rounds of FIT screening in the Tallaght-Trinity College cohort achieved stable participation and neoplasia detection rates, suggesting that this mode of screening is both effective and acceptable to patients in the long term.
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Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol · Dec 2014
Multicenter StudyAssociation of markers of bacterial translocation with immune activation in decompensated cirrhosis.
Bacterial translocation (BT) may cause infections, in particular, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP). In the absence of overt infection, BT may further stimulate the immune system and contribute to haemodynamic alterations and complications. Bacterial DNA (bDNA) is claimed to be a promising surrogate marker for BT, although its clinical relevance has been questioned. ⋯ bDNA as assessed by this PCR method was largely unrelated to markers of inflammation and does not seem to be of clinical value in the diagnosis of SBP. According to our results, bDNA is not a reliable marker of BT.
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Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol · Dec 2014
Clinical usefulness of mean platelet volume and red blood cell distribution width to platelet ratio for predicting the severity of hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B virus patients.
Hepatitis B virus infection is still one of the leading causes of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Liver biopsy is the gold-standard method to assess the severity of liver fibrosis, but the invasive nature of this method limits its usage. Currently, noninvasive parameters are utilized to estimate liver histology. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between the severity of fibrosis and red blood cell distribution width (RDW), platelet distribution width (PDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), and MPV and red blood cell distribution width to platelet ratio (RPR) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). ⋯ MPV and RDW values are significantly higher in hepatitis B virus-infected patients, associated with severity, and can be defined as independent predicting factors in hepatic fibrosis. Further studies are required to determine the associations between MPV and the severity of fibrosis in hepatitis B patients.