THE DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF EXPERIMENTS. By Oscar Kempthorne. New York, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1952. 631 pp. $8.50. This book by a teacher of statistics (as well as a consultant for \"experimenters\") is a comprehensive study of the philosophical background for the statistical design of experiment. It is necessary to have some facility with algebraic notation and manipulation to be able to use the volume intelligently. The problems are presented from the theoretical point of view, without such practical examples as would be helpful for those not acquainted with mathematics. The mathematical justification for the techniques is given. As a somewhat advanced treatment of the design and analysis of experiments, this volume will be interesting and helpful for many who approach statistics theoretically as well as practically. With emphasis on the \"why,\" and with description given broadly, the author relates the subject matter to the general theory of statistics and to the general problem of experimental inference. MARGARET J. ROBERTSON

The Design and Analysis of Experiments

Background Only 15 to 20 percent of patients with chronic hepatitis C have a sustained virologic response to interferon therapy. We compared the efficacy and safety of recombinant interferon alfa-2b alone with those of a combination of interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin for the initial treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C. Methods We randomly assigned 912 patients with chronic hepatitis C to receive standard-dose interferon alfa-2b alone or in combination with ribavirin (1000 or 1200 mg orally per day, depending on body weight) for 24 or 48 weeks. Efficacy was assessed by measurements of serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA and serum aminotransferases and by liver biopsy. Results The rate of sustained virologic response (defined as an undetectable serum HCV RNA level 24 weeks after treatment was completed) was higher among patients who received combination therapy for either 24 weeks (70 of 228 patients, 31 percent) or 48 weeks (87 of 228 patients, 38 percent) than among patients who received interfe...

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Interferon Alfa-2b Alone or in Combination with Ribavirin as Initial Treatment for Chronic Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects an estimated 170 million persons worldwide and thus represents a viral pandemic, one that is five times as widespread as infection with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The institution of blood-screening measures in developed countries has decreased the risk of transfusion-associated hepatitis to a negligible level, but new cases continue to occur mainly as a result of injection-drug use and, to a lesser degree, through other means of percutaneous or mucous-membrane exposure. Progression to chronic disease occurs in the majority of HCV-infected persons, and infection with the virus has become the main indication . . .

https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJM200107053450107?listPDF=true

Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Although treatment of hepatitis C has improved,up to 50% do not respond to standard therapy with interferonregimes or cannot tolerate the treatment due to side effects.The purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate thesafety and effectiveness of the antiviral drug amantadine forthe treatment of hepatitis C in those who had either previouslyfailed interferon therapy or were not candidates for interferon.

A Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial

The hepatitis B virus (HBV), discovered in 1966, infects more than 350 million people worldwide.1 Hepatitis B is a leading cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, accounting for 1 million deaths annually. Knowledge of the intricacies of viral infection and of the molecular biology of this fascinating virus has led to the successful development of a vaccine and to treatment sometimes capable of eradicating chronic infection. This review addresses many aspects of HBV infection, including the role of the immune system in determining the outcome of clinical infection, recent developments in molecular studies of the virus, and new . . .

Hepatitis B virus infection.

Infection with the hepatitis C virus may result in chronic liver disease for which no effective therapy is now available. We studied the effects of recombinant human interferon alfa in a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients with well-documented chronic hepatitis C. Forty-one patients were enrolled in the trial, 37 of whom were later found to have antibody to hepatitis C virus. Twenty-one patients received interferon alfa (2 million units) subcutaneously three times weekly for six months, and 20 received placebo. The mean serum aminotransferase levels and the histologic features of the liver improved significantly in the patients treated with interferon but not in the patients given placebo. Ten patients treated with interferon (48 percent) had a complete response, defined as a decline in mean serum aminotransferase levels to the normal range during therapy; three others had a decrease in mean aminotransferase levels of more than 50 percent. After treatment e...

Recombinant interferon alfa therapy for chronic hepatitis C. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background and Methods. Gaucher's disease, the most prevalent of the sphingolipid storage disorders, is caused by a deficiency of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase (glucosylceramidase). Enzyme replacement was proposed as a therapeutic strategy for this disorder in 1966. To assess the clinical effectiveness of this approach, we infused macrophage-targeted human placental glucocerebrosidase (60 IU per kilogram of body weight every 2 weeks for 9 to 12 months) into 12 patients with type 1 Gaucher's disease who had intact spleens. The frequency of infusions was increased to once a week in two patients (children) during part of the trial because they had clinically aggressive disease. Results. The hemoglobin concentration increased in all 12 patients, and the platelet count in 7. Serum acid phosphatase activity decreased in 10 patients during the trial, and the plasma glucocerebroside level in 9. Splenic volume decreased in all patients after six months of treatment, and hepatic volume in five. Early signs...

https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJM199105233242104

Replacement Therapy for Inherited Enzyme Deficiency — Macrophage-Targeted Glucocerebrosidase for Gaucher's Disease

Objective: To evaluate whether remissions of chronic hepatitis B induced by alpha-interferon therapy are of long duration. Design: Cohort study. Setting: Clinical Center of the National Institutes ...

Long-term remission of chronic hepatitis B after alpha-interferon therapy.

▪Objective:To assess the effect of alpha-interferon therapy on hepatitis C viral RNA in serum of patients with chronic hepatitis C. ▪Design:Retrospective testing for hepatitis C viral (HCV...

Decrease in serum hepatitis C viral RNA during alpha-interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C

Increasing hepatitis C virus RNA levels in hemophiliacs: relationship to human immunodeficiency virus infection and liver disease. Multicenter Hemophilia Cohort Study

A. M. Di Bisceglie

Papers

Recombinant interferon alfa therapy for chronic hepatitis C. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Replacement Therapy for Inherited Enzyme Deficiency — Macrophage-Targeted Glucocerebrosidase for Gaucher's Disease

Long-term remission of chronic hepatitis B after alpha-interferon therapy.

Decrease in serum hepatitis C viral RNA during alpha-interferon therapy for chronic hepatitis C

Increasing hepatitis C virus RNA levels in hemophiliacs: relationship to human immunodeficiency virus infection and liver disease. Multicenter Hemophilia Cohort Study