Assessment of the Prevalence of Hepatitis C and B Viruses in Patients with Hemophilia in Qom Province, (Iran)

Background and Objectives: Hemophilia is a hereditary bleeding disorder, which CFC (clotting factor concentration) method is used for prevention and treatment of about 70% of these patients. This method can play an important role in the transmission of blood-borne viruses, such as hepatitis B and C. According to studies, more than 40% of patients with hemophilia have one of the hepatitis C, B, and D, or HIV. The objective of this study was to determine prevalence of hepatitis B and C in the hemophilia population of Qom province.   Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study, was carried out on 90 patients with hemophilia Qom province, in 2017. Primary diagnosis and screening of hepatitis, were performed using serology for HBV and HCV; then, the samples were analyzed by PCR method. The data were statistically analyzed by Chi-square test.   Results: In this study, 70 subjects of the statistical population were male and 20 subjects were female, and their mean age was 27 years. In the serological survey, anti HCV, HBsAg, and HBcAb, were positive in 27.8%, 0%, and 11.1%, respectively. Moreover, the results of the PCR test for HBV was negative and for HCV was positive in 9 out of 25 individuals, who were anti-HCV positive.   Conclusion: The results of this study showed that among the blood-borne viral hepatitis in the hemophilia population, the incidence of hepatitis C is higher. Also, in recent years, monitoring the donated blood reduced the risk of the incidence of viral hepatitis in the blood recipient hemophilic populations. Accordingly, continuous testing and paying attention to the vaccination schedule seems to be necessary in this group of patients

Epidemiological, clinical, laboratory findings, and outcomes of disseminated tuberculosis in Tehran, Iran

Background: Disseminated tuberculosis (TB) accounts for 1 to 3% of all TB cases. This retrospective study reviews the clinical, radiological, laboratory findings and Outcome in patients with disseminated tuberculosis in an endemic area. Methods: Medical records were reviewed for patients with disseminated TB admitted to two tertiary centers in Tehran, Iran between 1999 and 2006. Results: Fifty patients were found to have disseminated TB. A miliary pattern was documented in the chest x-ray of 34 patients. Hematologic abnormalities including anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia were frequently observed. Death Occurred in nine of the cases. The mortality rate was significantly higher in diabetic patients, injection drug users, and patients with hematologic abnormalities; however, steroid usage and human immunodeficiency virus infection were not significantly associated with a higher mortality rate. Clinical improvement occurred in 41 patients following treatment. Conclusion: Disseminated TB could have different manifestations. Hematologic abnormalities are common and are considered poor prognostic signs in these patients

Alteration in Serum Levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha is associated with Histopathologic Progression of Gastric Cancer

International audienceBackground: The role of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis- alpha (TNF-α) and IL-8, in gastric carcinogenesis has been investigated, but their impact remains to be further elucidated.Methods: In this study, we measured the serum concentrations of these cytokines and H. pylori serostatus in dyspeptic patients, presenting with normal mucosa (NM = 53), chronic gastritis (CG = 94), and gastric cancer (GC = 82), by ELISA.Results: Moderate levels of TNF-α were detected in the NM group (19.9 ± 19.5 pg/ml), which were nearly doubled in patients with CG (35.7 ± 28.0 pg/ml) and drastically declined in GC patients (1.8 ± 5.9 pg/ml). The serum levels of IL-8, however, were not statistically different amongst these three groups.Conclusion: TNF-α serum concentration seemed to undergo up- and downregulation, when moving from NM to CG and from CG to GC, respectively. If confirmed in a prospective study, this cytokine can behave as a serum indicator of gastric inflammation and malignant transformation

Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number Variations and Serum Pepsinogen Levels for Risk Assessment in Gastric Cancer

International audienceBackground: Variations in mtDNA-CN of PBLs, as a potential biomarker for GC screening has currently been subject to controversy. Herein, we have assessed its efficiency in GC screening, in parallel and in combination with sPG I/II ratio, as an established indicator of gastric atrophy. Methods: The study population included GC (n = 53) and non-GC (n = 207) dyspeptic patients. The non-GC group was histologically categorized into CG (n = 104) and NM (n = 103) subgroups. The MtDNA-CN of PBLs was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The sPG I and II levels and anti-H. pylori serum IgG were measured by ELISA. Results: The mtDNA-CN was found significantly higher in GC vs. non-GC (OR = 3.0; 95% CI = 1.4, 6.4) subjects. Conversely, GC patients had significantly lower sPG I/II ratio than the non-GC (OR = 3.2; CI = 1.4, 7.2) subjects. The combination of these two biomarkers yielded a dramatic amplification of the odds of GC risk in double-positive (high mtDNA-CN-low sPGI/II) subjects, in reference to double-negatives (low mtDNA-CN-high sPGI/II), when assessed against non-GC (OR = 27.1; CI = 5.0, 147.3), CG (OR = 13.1; CI = 2.4, 72.6), or NM (OR = 49.5; CI = 7.9, 311.6) groups. Conclusion: The combination of these two biomarkers, namely mtDNA-CN in PBLs and serum PG I/II ratio, drastically enhanced the efficiency of GC risk assessment, which calls for further validations

Additional file 1 of Development of a gastric cancer risk calculator for questionnaire-based surveillance of Iranian dyspeptic patients

Additional file 1