Craig DG, Ford AC, Hayes PC, Simpson KJ Systematic review: prognostic tests of paracetamol-induced acute liver failure. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2010 May;31(10):1064-76. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2010.04279.x. Epub 2010 Feb 24. Review.
de Franchis R Updating consensus in portal hypertension: report of the Baveno III Consensus Workshop on definitions, methodology and therapeutic strategies in portal hypertension. J Hepatol. 2000 Nov;33(5):846-52.
Goetze O, Selzner N, Fruehauf H, Fried M, Gerlach T, Mullhaupt B 13C-methacetin breath test as a quantitative liver function test in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection: continuous automatic molecular correlation spectroscopy compared to isotopic ratio mass spectrometry. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2007 Jul 15;26(2):305-11.
Lalazar G, Adar T, Ilan Y Point-of-care continuous (13)C-methacetin breath test improves decision making in acute liver disease: results of a pilot clinical trial. World J Gastroenterol. 2009 Feb 28;15(8):966-72.
Lalazar G, Mullhaupt, B , Margalit M. Point of care non-invasive 13C methacetin breath testing accurately identifies significant liver inflammation and fibrosis: a novel method for assessing liver damage. Gastroenterology; 2007 abstract
Lalazar G, Pappo O, Hershcovici T, Hadjaj T, Shubi M, Ohana H, Hemed N, Ilan Y A continuous 13C methacetin breath test for noninvasive assessment of intrahepatic inflammation and fibrosis in patients with chronic HCV infection and normal ALT. J Viral Hepat. 2008 Oct;15(10):716-28. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2893.2008.01007.x. Epub 2008 Jul 11.
Lee WM, James L, Wendon J, Stravitz RT, Pop OT, Audimoolam VK Does Methacetin breath testing increase acetaminophen hepatotoxicity in the setting of acute liver failure? Hepatology 2015: Accepted for poster presentation at the AASLD Liver Meeting held in San Francisco from November 13-17, 2015.
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
