Frequency of Anti-HBc & HBV DNA detection in blood donors of Kerman province, Iran

Hepatitis B is a serious global infection disease and a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. However, data on Occult Hepatitis B in Iran are scare. The current study assessed the frequency of Anti-HBc and HBV DNA in serum sample of healthy blood donors negative for HBsAg stratified by sex and age; and also investigated the relationship between detection of HBV-DNA and anti-HBc positivity. Since anti-HBc screening is not performed in Iranian Blood Bank, we assessed whether anti-HBc could be adopted as a screening assay for the donated blood. The study included a total of 1525 blood samples of blood donors negative for hepatitis B virus surface antigen ( 87% male with a mean age &plusmn; SD: of 31&plusmn;8yr; and 13% female with a mean age &plusmn; SD of 30&plusmn;6yr). Eight percent (121 out of 1525) of the blood samples with negative HBs-Ag were positive for Anti-HBc and were all from males. HBV-DNA was detected in 36 out of 121 anti-HBc+ specimens (29.7%). The study found a positive relation between anti-HBc positivity and detection of HBV-DNA in serum samples of HBs-Ag negative blood donors. Findings from this study suggest that, introducing anti HBc screening in Iran maybe very practical in order to limit the transmission risk of Occult Hepatitis B virus through blood transfusion.<br /

Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in Tehran province: a population-based study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To determine the prevalence and characteristics of diabetic retinopathy (DR) among Iranian patients with diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Design: population-based cross-sectional study.</p> <p>Participants: patients with diabetes aged 25 to 64 years in Tehran province, Iran. This survey was conducted from April to October 2007. The study sample was derived from the first national survey of risk factors for non-communicable disease. Diabetes mellitus was defined as a fasting plasma glucose of ≥ 7.0 mmol/l (126 mg/dl) or more, use of diabetic medications, or a physician's diagnosis of diabetes. All patients known to have diabetes underwent an eye examination by bio-microscope and indirect ophthalmoscope to check for any signs of DR through dilated pupils by + 78 lens. Participants were also interviewed and examined to determine their demographic characteristics, medical conditions and the regularity of their eye visits.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among 7989 screened patients, 759 (9.5%) had diabetes. Of them, 639 patients (84.2%) underwent eye examination. Five patients (0.7%) with media opacity were excluded. Of 634 examined patients with diabetes, 240 had some degree of diabetic retinopathy, and the overall standardized prevalence of any retinopathy was 37.0% (95% CI: 33.2-40.8), including 27.3% (95% CI: 23.7-30.8) (n = 175) with non-proliferative and 9.6% (95% CI: 7.3-11.9) (n = 65) with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Clinically significant macular edema and vision-threatening retinopathy were detected in 5.8% (95% CI: 4.0-7.7) (n = 38) and 14.0% (95% CI: 11.3-16.7) (n = 95) of patients, respectively. Only 143 patients (22.6%) with diabetes had a history of regular eye examination.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study demonstrated a high prevalence and poor control of DR in Tehran province. This suggests the need for adequate prevention and treatment in patients with diabetes.</p

Peak Bone Mass Measurement in Iranian Healthy Population

Background: Osteoporosis is a disabling disease characterized by compromised bone strength, which predisposes a patient to increased risk of fracture. The aim of this study was evaluation the pattern of bone mass in Iranian healthy population. Methods: The study was performed between December 2000 and May 2001 on one thousand three healthy Iranian sub¬jects who currently live in Tehran. They were selected randomly by cluster random sampling among men and women of 10-76 yr from 50 clusters. The volunteer people were referred to the Bone Mineral Density BMD unit of EMRC. The partici¬pants were recalled for three times and the response rate was 83%. BMD was measured by DXA using Lunar DPX-MD device. Results: Females achieved maximum lumbar BMD up to 25-35. Femur BMD maximized in 30 to 35 and after 45 the inten¬sity of bone loss increased. Female peak bone mass in lumbar region was 1.19 ± 0.12 g/cm2and in femur was 1.02±0.12 g/cm2. Male peak bone mass in lumbar region occurred between ages 25-40 yr, Male&apos;s femur BMD maximized in 20-30. In male peak lumbar bone mass was 1.22±0.16 g/cm2 and femur was 1.08±0.15 g/cm2. Osteopenia was recog¬nized in 50% and 48.8% of women above 50 in spine and total femur, respectively, however these percentages were 37.1% and 34.8% among male subjects. Conclusion: Iranian BMD values sufficiently different from other countries to warrant a separate reference sample with which to compare individuals for the purpose of diagnosing osteoporosis and osteopenia according to the WHO criteria