Search

The article's abstract is no available.

Introduction: Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is a common type of cancer with a rising prevalence worldwide. Morbidity and mortality of CRC can be reduced by screening programs and early diagnosis. Currently used screening tests include fecalbased methods are non-invasive and inexpensive, however the sensitivity and specificity of these tests are not high enough. Aim: To evaluat hypermethylation of Bone Morphogenic Protein 3 (BMP3) as a biomarker in early diagnosis of CRC. Materials and Methods: A total of 96 individuals were enrolled in the present case-control study (59 CRC patients versus 37 healthy controls) and Methylation-Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used to evaluate methylation status of the BMP3 gene in plasma samples and colonoscopy tissue biopsies. Results: In plasma samples, 75% of CRC patients showed hypermethylation in the BMP3 gene versus only 30% of the controls. In colonoscopy tissue biopsies, BMP3 showed hypermethylation in 81.6% of CRC patients. Specificity and sensitivity of this gene in CRC diagnosis were found to be 76% and 66% respectively. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that BMP3 in combination with other genes could be used as a noninvasive and promising biomarker in screening and diagnosis of CRC.

Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent metabolic disorder both in industrialized and developing countries that makes a large health and financial burden to the patients and the society. In the current article, we review the existing literature to find evidence for interactions between these two conditions. Methodology: A comprehensive review of the literature has been performed to find associations between HCV infection and NAFLD disease, Pubmed database was our primary search source, and then related citations were found through Google Scholar search. Discussion and Conclusion: The literature suggest that in NAFLD patients with HCV, attention

Aims: The number of reports on HCV positive PTLD patients in non-liver transplantation setting as well as our knowledge on the issue is extremely limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of HCV infection on non-liver transplant recipients regarding PTLD development. Study Design: The study is designed as a comprehensive review of the literature. Place and Duration of Study: The review of the literature was performed at the Department of Internal Medicine, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Methodology: A comprehensive search was performed for finding the available data by Pubmed and Google scholar search engines for reports of lymphoproliferative disorders occurring in non liver organ transplant patients with regard to their HCV test results. P value of 0.05 was considered Original Research Article Khedmat et al.; BJMMR, 6(9): 899-907, 2015; Article no.BJMMR.2015.266 900 significant. Results: Data of overall 61 patients was entered into analysis. 9 PTLD patients were HCV positive and the remaining were HCV negative. HCV positive patients were significantly younger at the time of transplantation (p=0.04). The same patient group had relatively shorter time from transplantation to PTLD development, but significant level has not been achieved (74±57 vs. 46±38, respectively; p=0.06). No other difference was found. Conclusion: HCV positivity can reduce the time interval between transplantation and PTLD development which can be interpreted as HCV can enhance the rate of PTLD in non-liver transplant recipients. Our study presents a significant evidence for HCV relationship with PTLD in non-liver transplantation setting. Further studies with prospective designations are needed to confirm our results.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) encodes two non-polyadenylated RNAs termed EBV-encoded RNAs (EBERs). In this study, we tried to find series in which data of EBER and onset time of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) for patients have been documented to conduct a meta-analysis. A comprehensive search of the literature was performed by Pubmed and Google scholar to find reports indicating test results for EBER and PTLD onset in transplant patients. PTLD was considered "early onset" when it develops within the first post-transplant year. Finally, 265 patients from 15 studies have been included in the meta-analysis. The overall meta-analysis also showed a significant relation between EBER test positivity and early-onset PTLD development [relative risk (RR): 1.36; 95% CI: 1.16-1.59; P

To explore demographic and metabolic factors associated with increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity in non-diabetic non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients.Overall 372 patients who consecutively attended to Gastroenterology Clinic of Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran awere diagnosed as NAFLD entered into analysis. Exclusion criteria were having diabetes mellitus and fasting blood glucose over 126 mg/dL, active hepatitis B virus infection, having hepatitis C virus positive serology, and to be under corticosteroid therapy. ALT levels were considered pathologically high when it was over 30 IU/L for men and over 19 IU/L for women.Bivariate analyses using t test and chi-square test showed that patients with pathologically augmented ALT levels had significantly higher NAFLD grades in their ultrasonographic evaluations (P=0.003). Moreover, these patients represented significantly higher homeostatic model assessment levels (P=0.003), levels of serum insulin (P=0.002), fasting blood glucose (P0.001), and uric acid (P=0.02). The prevalence of insulin resistance was also higher in patients with increased serum ALT concentrations. Multifactorial logistic regression models showed that ultrasonographic grading of NAFLD (P=0.027) and insulin resistance (P=0.013) were the only variables significantly associated with abnormal ALT levels.This study shows that the associations of increased ALT serum levels in NAFLD patients are different from what are supposed before. By excluding diabetic patients from our population, we find that increased ALT levels are not associated with dyslipidemias but are independently associated with insulin resistance and NAFLD grading on ultrasonographic evaluations. Further studies are needed to confirm our results.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) vertical transmission is considered the main route of HCV infection in children. Some authors have stated that cesarean section (C/S) can reduce perinatal HCV transmission. However, the study findings are heterogeneous and high-quality studies are lacking. To evaluate the effect of mode of delivery on the risk of perinatal mother-to-infant transmission of HCV. Only the peer-reviewed published studies that compared perinatal transmission rate of HCV in elective or emergency cesarean section with vaginal delivery in HCV-RNA+/HIV− mothers were included. We applied the random effect model of DerSimonian and Laird method with heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses. We identified 8 studies that involved 641 unique mother–infant pairs which fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Aggregation of study results did not show a significant decrease in HCV vertical transmission among study (mothers who underwent C/S) versus control (mothers who gave birth vaginally) patients [pooled odds ratio, 1.1 (95% CI 0.45–2.67)]. The P value was 0.35 for our test of heterogeneity. Our meta-analysis suggests that C/S does not decrease perinatal HCV transmission from HCV-RNA+/HIV− mothers to infants.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has different prevalence rates in various parts of the world and is a risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease that could progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver failure. Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of Aerobic Training (AT) and resistance training (RT) on hepatic fat content and liver enzyme levels in Iranian men. Patients and Methods: In a randomized clinical trial study, 30 men with clinically defined NAFLD were allocated into three groups (aerobic, resistance and control). An aerobic group program consisted of 45 minutes of aerobic exercise at 60% - 75% maximum heart rate intensity, a resistance group performed seven resistance exercises at intensity of 50% - 70% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM ) and the control group had no exercise training program during the study. Before and after training, anthropometry, insulin sensitivity, liver enzymes and hepatic fat were elevated. Results: After training, hepatic fat content was markedly reduced, to a similar extent, in both the aerobic and resistance exercise training groups (P ≤ 0.05). In the two exercise training groups, alanine amino transferase and aspartate amino transferase serum levels were significantly decreased compared to the control group (P = 0.002) and (P = 0.02), respectively. Moreover, body fat (%), fat mass (kg), homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMI-IR) were all improved in the AT and RT. These changes in the AT group were independent of weight loss. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that RT and AT are equally effective in reducing hepatic fat content and liver enzyme levels among patients with NAFLD. However, aerobic exercise specifically improves NAFLD independent of any change in body weight.

Context Despite the high frequency of liver transplants in infants, few data are available on the characteristics of posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders in liver transplant patients (PTLD). Objective To analyze special features and behavior of PTLD arising after liver transplant in infants. Methods A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted for the available data on PTLD in infant liver transplant recipients through PubMed and Google scholar. An infant was defined as a liver recipient who was less than 2 years old at the time of transplant. Overall, 205 cases of PTLD were found in 24 reports, and the 100 infants with PTLD were compared with children and adults with PTLD. Results PTLD lesions in infants were more likely to be polymorphic whereas monomorphic lesions were more prevalent among older patients ( P= .05). Remission rates, metastasis frequency, and organ involvement did not differ significantly between the groups. Survival analysis showed that the infants had a significantly better outcome than did older patients ( P = .05). Conclusion PTLD is more benign and may have a better outcome in infant liver transplant recipients than in older recipients. A prospective multicenter approach is needed for future research studies.

We examined the effect of potential interfering factors that play major roles in the outcome of our patients with stomach cancer. 100 consecutive patients diagnosed with gastric cancers were prospectively observed, treated and followed from November 2009 to January. Absence of Helicobacter pylori infection (P=0.027), absence of vascularisation (P

Introduction: Dyslipidemias are well-documented disorders in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients; and have been implicated as an etiology and prognosis factor for the disease, as well. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of various antihyperlipidemic regimens on the serum cholesterol levels. Method and material: A longitudinally study was conducted and 98 NAFLD patients were consecutively entered into analysis. Five types of antihyperlipidemic regimens were used: Ezetimibe alone (10mg/day; 3 patients); Ezetimibe (10mg/day) plus gemfibrozil (600mg/day) (28 patients); Gemfibrozil alone (600mg/day; 26 patients); Atorvastatin (20mg/day; 15 patients); and Simvastatin (20mg/day; 26 patients). Results: patients were followed for 138±83 days after drugs administered. Serum total cholesterol levels experiences highest fall by atorvastatin therapy (p=0.006). Serum LDL levels also decreased most significantly through antihyperlipidemic therapy with atorvastatin or simvastatin (p 0.1 for all). Conclusion: Ezetimibe therapy alone cannot improve hyperlipidemias in NAFLD patients, while statins, especially atorvastatin is highly potent for this purpose; and is recommended for hyperlipidemic NAFLD patients. For NAFLD patients who have unfavorable reactions to statins and are subjected to use ezetimibe, we recommend its co-administration with gemfibrozil. Future studies with randomized and blind approaches are needed.

Acute pancreatitis is a rare, but fatal, manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. Only 10 systemic lupus erythematosus-associated pancreatitis cases were found in a search of published articles. We report a 24-year-old woman without significant medical history, who was admitted with abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, which was diagnosed as pancreatitis. It was discovered to be the initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus. The first time she was admitted, she recovered with conservative management and steroid therapy. Two months later, she was readmitted to our hospital with symptoms and signs of acute abdomen, which was attributed to her discontinuation of the therapeutic regimen with corticosteroids just after her previous discharge. She underwent laparotomy twice for signs of peritonitis. Despite administration of a monoclonal antibody, rituximab, she died due to the progression of systemic lupus erythematosus activity.

In the present study, we examined the relationship between family history of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes with laboratorial abnormalities and syndromes in Iranian patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A total of 332 NAFLD patients from our outpatient clinic were consecutively entered into analysis. Exclusion criteria were having diabetes mellitus and fasting blood glucose over 126, active hepatitis B virus infection, having HCV positive serology, and to be under corticosteroid therapy. Family history of CVD, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension were taken from patients and related to the study variables. Family history of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) was associated with low HDL levels (P=0.05). Patients with positive family history of diabetes mellitus were significantly more likely to have AST/ALT levels proportion of higher than one (P=0.044). Family history of dyslipidemia was a predictor for hypertriglyceridemia (P=0.02), higher prothrombin time levels (P=0.013), lower albumin (P=0.024) and T4 (P=0.043) levels. Family history of hypertension was associated with dysglycemia/diabetes (P=0.038), high ALT (P=0.008), and low TIBC (P=0.007) and albumin levels (P=0.001). Family history for CVD, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension were of clinical importance in the Iranian patients with NAFLD. We therefore recommend that physicians should precisely get family history of main disorders in all NAFLD patients; and to pay more attention to those having the mentioned family histories. Further studies with larger patient population and prospective approach are needed for confirming our findings.