Effect of Strong Enforcement of 160-acre Limitation in 1902 Reclamation Law in the Altus-lugert Irrigation Project Area

Agricultural Economic

Investment Programming Model for Rural Community Water Systems

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Efficacy and Long-Term Follow Up of Combination Therapy with Interferon Alpha and Ribavirin for Chronic Hepatitis C in Korea

Combination therapy with interferon alpha (IFN-α) and ribavirin for 24 or 48 weeks according to HCV genotype has improved the overall sustained virological response (SVR) rates to approximately 40%. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term efficacy of combination therapy with IFN-α and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C in Koreans. One hundred thirty-eight patients with chronic hepatitis C who received this combination therapy between 1995 and 2003 were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were treated with IFN-α 3-6 million units three times weekly in combination with 900-1200 mg/day of ribavirin for 24 weeks. The overall SVR rate was 41.3%. Patients were followed up for a median of 41 months (range, 12-105 months) after completion of therapy. In all of the SVR patients (57 patients), SVR was conserved during the follow-up period. None of the patients progressed to decompensated liver disease or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, 5 of the 81 non-SVR patients (6.2%) progressed to decompensated liver disease or HCC. In conclusion, combination therapy with IFN-α and ribavirin shows good long-term efficacy in patients with chronic hepatitis C in Korea, one of the highest endemic areas of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection

Comparison of Rifaximin and Lactulose for the Treatment of Hepatic Encephalopathy: A Prospective Randomized Study

Rifaximin has been reported to be effective for the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in Europe. However, it is unknown whether Rifaximin is effective for the treatment of HE in Koreans, therefore we conducted a open-label prospective randomized study to evaluate the efficacy of rifaximin versus lactulose in Korean patients. Fifty-four patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy were enrolled. Thirty-two patients were randomized to receive rifaximin and 22 to receive lactulose both over a 7-day periods. Before and at the end of treatment, gradation of blood ammonia, flapping tremor, mental status, number connection test (NCT) were performed and estimation of HE indexes determined. Both rifaximin and lactulose were effective in the majority of patients (84.4% and 95.4%, respectively, p=0.315). Blood NH3, flapping tremor, mental status, and NCT was significantly improved by rifaximin and lactulose, and the posttreatment levels of these measures were similar for the rifaximin and lactulose-treated groups, as was the HE index (rifaximin group (10.0→4.2, p=0.000); lactulose group (11.3→5.0, p=0.000)). One patient treated with rifaximin complained of abdominal pain, which was easily controlled. There was no episode of renal function impairment in either treatment group. Rifaximin proved to be as safe and as effective as lactulose for the treatment of Korean patients with hepatic encephalopathy