9 research outputs found
Bone mineral density and cytokine levels during interferon therapy in children with chronic hepatitis B: does interferon therapy prevent from osteoporosis?
BACKGROUND: Our aim was to determinate bone mineral density (BMD), levels of biochemical markers and cytokines in children with chronic hepatitis B treated with interferon (IFN)-alpha and to investigate effect of IFN-alpha therapy on these variables. To the best of our knowledge, this is first study carried out about BMD and cytokine levels in pediatric patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with IFN-alpha. METHODS: BMD, levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH), osteocalcin, C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX), calcium, alkaline phosphates (ALP), cytokines as TNF-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1(β), IL-2r, IL-6, and IL-8 were studied in 54 children with chronic hepatitis B (4–15 years old) treated with interferon alone (n = 19) or in combination with lamivudine (n = 35) for six months and as controls in 50 age-matched healthy children. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in respect to serum IL-1(β), TNF-α and osteocalcin levels while serum IL-2r (p = 0.002), IL-6 (p = 0.001), IL-8 (p = 0.013), PTH (p = 0.029), and CTX (p = 0.021) levels were higher in children with chronic hepatitis B than in healthy controls. BMD of femur neck (p = 0.012) and trochanter (p = 0.046) in patients were higher than in healthy controls. There was a statistically significant correlation between serum IL-1(β )and osteocalcin (r = -0.355, p < 0.01); between serum IL-8 and CTX levels (r = 0.372, p = 0.01), and ALP (r = 0.361, p = 0.01); between serum ALP and femur neck BMD (r = 0.303, p = 0.05), and trochanter BMD (r = 0.365, p = 0.01); between spine BMD and IL-2R (r = -0.330, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our study suggest that BMD of femur, serum IL-2r, IL-6, IL-8, PTH, and CTX levels were higher in children with chronic hepatitis B treated with IFN-alpha alone or combination with lamivudine than in healthy children. High femur BMD measurements found in patients may suggest that IFN-alpha therapy in children with chronic hepatitis B could contribute indirectly to prevent from hip osteoporosis. Additionally, further investigations on effects of IFN-alpha for bone structure in children should be performed in the future
Effect of vitamin B6 on the serum concentration of pituitary hormones in normal humans and under pathologic conditions
Odonata larvae as a bioindicator of metal contamination in aquatic environments: application to ecologically important wetlands in Iran
In: Traumatic Brain Injury
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), comprising 70–80% of all TBIs, is the commonest form of TBI, representing those injuries deemed to be at the lower end of the severity spectrum. In the general population, mTBI may occur as a result of a fall, work-related injury, sport or recreational activity, assault, motor vehicle accident, or any other activity that results in an impact to the head, but in military service, members’ blast-related and combat injuries are a further source of such injuries. There are various classification criteria for determining severity of TBI. mTBI is indicated by a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 13–15 at the time of assessment, a duration of loss of consciousness (LOC) of less than 30 minutes, and/or a duration of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) of less than 24 hours. In terms of the clinical pathology, mTBI is characterized by a diverse range of clinical features, demonstrating tremendous heterogeneity of the underlying pathology. Individuals suffering from mTBI may report a range of enduring1+ symptoms for weeks, months, and even years post-injury. In over 90% of mTBI cases, computed tomography (CT) and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) investigation are unremarkable; however, with the more sophisticated brain function-related techniques abnormalities may be detected. While many mTBIs tend to result in a recovery period of days or weeks, this is not the case for all mTBIs. In some instances, the use of the classification “mild” is a misnomer, particularly for the group of patients that experience a prolonged recovery and meet criteria for persistent concussional symptoms/post-concussion syndrome (PCS). This review will focus on the post-injury cognitive sequelae and neuropsychological assessment in the management of mTBI, in the context of pre-injury characteristics and other post-injury sequelae