Methods: The medical records of patients with see more active UC who were initially treated with the time-dependent release formulation of mesalamine (4.0 g/day)

and were later switched to the pH-dependent release formulation (3.6 g/day) because of inadequate response to the former were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were treated at the IBD Center, Sapporo Kosei General Hospital from January 2010 to June 2010. The efficacy of the pH-dependent release formulation was evaluated on the basis of the decrease in Lichtiger’s Clinical Activity Index (CAI) score, which was calculated at baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after treatment initiation, respectively. Remission and response were confirmed by a decrease in CAI score of ≤4 and ≥3 points, respectively. Results: Of the 22 patients (mean age, 37.2 years), 11 were females. The mean duration of disease was 9.4 years and the mean baseline CAI score was 7.9. Eight selleck products patients had total colitis, 11 had left-sided colitis, and 3 had proctitis-type colitis. Concomitant treatment with azathioprine and local mesalamine was administered to 9 and 9 subjects, respectively. CAI scores at 4 weeks after treatment initiation significantly decreased to 5.0 (P < 0.001). The response rate at 4 weeks was 54.5%, while the remission rate at 4 weeks and 8 weeks was

45.5% and 68.2%, respectively. Conclusion: The pH-dependent release formulation of mesalamine (3.6 g/day) can prove effective in patients with UC that fails to respond adequately to the MRIP time-dependent

formulation (4.0 g/day). Key Word(s): 1. ulcerative colitis; 2. mesalamine; Presenting Author: SATOSHI MOTOYA Additional Authors: MASAKI YAMASHITA, MASANAO NASUNO, MANABU ISHII, HIROKI TANAKA, AKIMICHI IMAMURA Corresponding Author: HIROKI TANAKA Affiliations: IBD Center, Sapporo Kosei General Hospital Objective: Infliximab (IFX) has been established as a useful treatment option for patients diagnosed with refractory ulcerative colitis (UC). However, the details of IFX treatment in Japanese patients with refractory UC remain unclear. We analyzed the long-term outcomes of IFX treatment for refractory UC and the related prognostic factors in a Japanese cohort. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 77 patients with refractory UC who received IFX treatment at the IBD Center, Sapporo Kosei General Hospital from July 2005 to January 2012. The cumulative colectomy rate following IFX administration was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. The background factors that influenced the cumulative colectomy rate were evaluated using multivariate Cox regression analysis. Results: Of the 77 patients (mean age, 36.2 years), 35 were females. The mean duration of disease was 5.7 years, the mean C-reactive protein level was 1.2 mg/dl, and the mean clinical activity index (Lichtiger index) score was 9.5 at baseline.