Prevalence of influenza A infection in the Middle-East: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to determine the prevalence rate of influenza virus from different parts of Middle East region, and present an overall relative frequency (RF) for this region. Methods: The authors performed a systematic literature review from several reliable databases such as PubMed, ISI Web of Science and Scopus during 2000�2016. Furthermore, the keywords of this research were �Influenza�, �Subtype�, �Seroprevalence�, �Incidence�, �Seroepidemiology�, �H1N1�, �H3N2�, �H5N1�, �H9N2�, �Middle-East� and �Meta-analysis�. The reported data were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: The authors selected 71 studies out of 1147 for the present review. The overall estimation of the prevalence of influenza virus was 10.2 95% confidence interval (CI): 10.1%�10.3%. However, based on our records, the evident heterogeneity of influenza virus was observed among the studies (Cochran Q test, P value <.001 and I-squared = 100%). It should be noted that influenza virus infection's RF varied from 0.5% in Qatar to 70% in Syria. Conclusions: The results of this review are remarkable, they show that influenza infection RF is variable due to several factors. Thus, further researches should be taken to minimize the emergence and transmission of influenza virus. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Lt

Prevalence of influenza A infection in the Middle-East: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to determine the prevalence rate of influenza virus from different parts of Middle East region, and present an overall relative frequency (RF) for this region. Methods: The authors performed a systematic literature review from several reliable databases such as PubMed, ISI Web of Science and Scopus during 2000�2016. Furthermore, the keywords of this research were �Influenza�, �Subtype�, �Seroprevalence�, �Incidence�, �Seroepidemiology�, �H1N1�, �H3N2�, �H5N1�, �H9N2�, �Middle-East� and �Meta-analysis�. The reported data were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: The authors selected 71 studies out of 1147 for the present review. The overall estimation of the prevalence of influenza virus was 10.2 95% confidence interval (CI): 10.1%�10.3%. However, based on our records, the evident heterogeneity of influenza virus was observed among the studies (Cochran Q test, P value <.001 and I-squared = 100%). It should be noted that influenza virus infection's RF varied from 0.5% in Qatar to 70% in Syria. Conclusions: The results of this review are remarkable, they show that influenza infection RF is variable due to several factors. Thus, further researches should be taken to minimize the emergence and transmission of influenza virus. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Lt

Epstein�Barr virus and thyroid cancer: The role of viral expressed proteins

Background: Thyroid cancer is a common endocrine malignancy whose incidence has increased in recent years. Several internal and external risk factors are involved in the development of this cancer, such as infectious agents. Evidence supporting the role of viral infection as an etiology for the invasiveness of thyroid cancer is increasing. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of the Epstein�Barr virus (EBV) and the association between viral gene products and thyroid tumor development. Methods: Fifty-seven thyroid cancer specimens were collected from the same number of patients as well as 18 samples from healthy controls. The presence of the EBV genome and the genotyping was examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Also, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time PCR were used to measure the expression levels of viral and cellular genes. Results: The EBV DNA was detected in 71.9 of the samples, and it was also found that the presence of the EBV was associated with increasing development of thyroid tumor. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that EBV infection may play a role in the development of thyroid tumor. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Epstein–Barr virus and thyroid cancer: The role of viral expressed proteins

Background: Thyroid cancer is a common endocrine malignancy whose incidence has increased in recent years. Several internal and external risk factors are involved in the development of this cancer, such as infectious agents. Evidence supporting the role of viral infection as an etiology for the invasiveness of thyroid cancer is increasing. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and the association between viral gene products and thyroid tumor development. Methods: Fifty-seven thyroid cancer specimens were collected from the same number of patients as well as 18 samples from healthy controls. The presence of the EBV genome and the genotyping was examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Also, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time PCR were used to measure the expression levels of viral and cellular genes. Results: The EBV DNA was detected in 71.9% of the samples, and it was also found that the presence of the EBV was associated with increasing development of thyroid tumor. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that EBV infection may play a role in the development of thyroid tumo

In Vivo Venous Assessment of Red Blood Cell Aggregate Sizes in Diabetic Patients with a Quantitative Cellular Ultrasound Imaging Method: Proof of Concept

Diabetic patients present higher level of red blood cell (RBC) aggregation contributing to the development of vascular complications. While it has been suggested that this hematology/rheology parameter could bring additional prognostic information for the management of those patients, RBC aggregation screening is not included as a clinical practice. Most medical centers are not equipped to measure properly this parameter, although sedimentation tests can bring some indication. Here, we aimed at evaluating the feasibility of using ultrasound to assess in-vivo hyper-aggregation in type 2 diabetic patients.Seventeen diabetic patients and 15 control subjects underwent ultrasound measurements of RBC aggregation in both cephalic and great saphenous veins. Non-invasive in-vivo ultrasound measurements were performed using a newly developed cellular imaging technique, the structure factor size and attenuation estimator (SFSAE). Comparisons with an ex-vivo gold standard rheometry technique were done, along with measurements of pro-aggregating plasma molecule concentrations.In-vivo RBC aggregation was significantly higher in diabetic patients compared with controls for cephalic vein measurements, while a trend (p = 0.055) was noticed in the great saphenous vein. SFSAE measurements were correlated with gold standard in-vitro measures, fibrinogen and C-reactive protein plasma concentrations.RBC aggregation can be measured in-vivo in diabetic patients using ultrasound. Prospective studies are needed to determine whether the SFSAE method could help clinicians in the early management of vascular complications in this patient population