Allele and haplotype frequencies for HLA-DQ in Iranian celiac disease patients

AIM: To assess the distribution of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQ2 and -DQ8 in Iranian celiac disease (CD) patients and compare them to healthy Iranian controls. METHODS: To predict the HLA-DQA1 and -DQB1 genes, we used six previously reported HLA-tagging single nucleotide polymorphism to determine HLA genotypes in 59 Iranian patients with 'biopsy-confirmed' CD and in 151 healthy Iranian individuals. To test the transferability of the method, 50 cases and controls were also typed using a commercial kit that identifies individual carriers of DQ2, DQ7 and DQ8 alleles. RESULTS: In this pilot study 97% of CD cases (n = 57) and 58% of controls (n = 87) were carriers of HLA-DQ2 and/or HLA-DQ8 heterodimers, either in the homozygous or heterozygous state. The HLA-DQ pattern of these 57 CD patients: heterozygous DQ2.2 (n = 14) and homozygous DQ2.2 (n = 1), heterozygous DQ2.5 (n = 33) and homozygous DQ2.5 (n = 8), heterozygous DQ8 (n = 13) and homozygous DQ8 (n = 2). Two CD patients were negative for both DQ2 and DQ8 (3%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of DQ8 in our CD population was higher than that reported in other populations (25.4%). As reported in other populations, our results underline the primary importance of HLA-DQ alleles in the Iranian population's susceptibility to CD. (C) 2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved

Serum omentin-1, vaspin, and apelin levels and central obesity in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Background: Omentin-1, vaspin, and apelin are novel adipokines which closely associate with obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the circulating levels of omentin-1, vaspin, and apelin in NAFLD patients and to clarify their relationship with biochemical parameters, abdominal obesity, and high sensitive C-reactive protein. Materials and Methods: In a case–control study, serum levels of omentin-1, vaspin, and apelin were measured in 41 NAFLD patients and 41 healthy volunteers. The study was performed in the outpatients' clinic of Imam-Ali Hospital in Zahedan, Iran, during February to July 2015. Fatty liver was confirmed by ultrasonography. The association of the adipokines with lipid profile and anthropometric parameters was assessed using multivariable linear regression models. In this model, those variables that showedP 0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed that the serum levels of apelin and vaspin correlated positively with waist circumference (WC) (P < 0.01 andP< 0.05, respectively) and low-density lipoprotein (P < 0.05 andP< 0.01, respectively) while serum omentin-1 was inversely correlated with WC (P < 0.01) and positively corrected with high-density lipoprotein (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings showed that among the analyzed adipokines only apelin was different in patients with NAFLD when compared to controls. Considering the multivariate regression analysis, apelin seems be more suitable diagnostic marker in predicting of NAFLD and omentin might be considered as a protective factor in occurrence of NAFLD, particularly in those with central obesity

Assessment of Behavioral Approach and Behavioral Inhibition Systems in Mood Disorders

Introduction: Psychiatric disorders could be evaluated in terms of behavioral activation and inhibition systems. Dysregulation of these systems may lead to development of manic or depressive episodes in patients with mood disorders. This study aimed to identify Behavioral Approach System (BAS) and Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) hypersensitivity as the functional brain system behaviors in patients with major depressive disorder and bipolar mood disorder I, compared to healthy individuals. Methods: This case-control study was conducted in Razi Psychiatric Hospital, a mental health referral center in Northwest of Iran. The study consisted of two groups of patients, one with major depressive and the other with bipolar mood disorders and one healthy group. Each group had 40 patients (20 men and 20 women). The study data were collected through BIS and BAS questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS version 18. Results: The findings showed a significant negative correlation between BIS, BAS and BAS subscales with the severity of depression and positive correlation with mania symptoms (P<0.05). Conclusion: BAS and BIS dysregulations may predispose people to mood disorder symptoms. BAS is hyperactive during manic phase and may predict the symptom severity of bipolar mood disorder

SD1000: High Sustained Viral Response Rate in 1361 Patients With Hepatitis C Genotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4 Using a Low-cost, Fixed-dose Combination Tablet of Generic Sofosbuvir and Daclatasvir: A Multicenter, Phase III Clinical Trial

Background. The combination of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir is a potent, pangenotypic regimen suitable for mass-scale hepatitis C treatment, especially in resource-limited countries where newer, expensive combinations are not available. This combination has been widely tested on genotype 4. However, Phase III trials of this combination in other genotypes have been cost prohibitive. With the introduction of generic, low-cost sofosbuvir and daclatasvir, large-scale studies in resource-limited countries are now possible. Methods. Sofosbuvir at 400 mg and daclatasvir at 60 mg were coformulated into a fixed-dose combination (FDC) tablet (Sovodak, Rojan Pharma, Tehran, Iran). Patients from 46 centers were dosed for 12 or 24 weeks with or without ribavirin, in line with existing guidelines. Responses to treatment were evaluated 12 weeks after the end of treatment (for a sustained virological response at Week 12; SVR12). Results. There were 1361 patients recruited. Overall, the patients were 21% female, with a mean age of 50 years; 39% were cirrhotic; 22% were treatment-experienced; 47% were genotype 1, 41% were genotype 3, and 2% were other genotypes. The genotype was not known in 10% of the patients. The intention-to-treat and per-protocol SVR12 rates were 94.7% and 98.8%, respectively. The safety profile was unremarkable, treatment was well tolerated, and compliance with the single-tablet regimen was excellent. Conclusions. The treatment with FDC of sofosbuvir and daclatasvir achieved high SVR12 rates, equivalent to those seen in Phase III trials of other pangenotypic options, and has been conducted at a similar scale in a representative, real-world population at a cost of under $100 per patient, which makes this combination suitable for elimination protocols in resource-limited countries. Keywords:sofosbuvir; daclatasvir; Hepatitis C; sustained virological response; generic drug