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.
[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of whole body vibration
(WBV) on static balance, spinal curvature, pain, and the disability of patients with
chronic lower back pain. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were of 40 patients, who were
randomly assigned to WBV and control groups. Twenty-five minutes of lumbar stability
training and 5 minutes of WBV were conducted for the WBV group, and 30 minutes of lumbar
stability training was conducted for the control group. The training was conducted three
times per week for a total of 6 weeks. Static balance, spinal curvature, pain, and
disability were measured before and after the intervention. [Results] After the
intervention, the WBV group showed a significant differences in static balance, spinal
curvature, pain, and disability. The control group presented significant differences in
pain, and disability. In the comparison of the two groups, the WBV group showed more
significant improvements in the fall index and pain. [Conclusion] WBV can be recommended
for the improvement of the balance ability and pain of chronic lower back pain
patients.
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