Evaluation of Hepatitis B Infection Prevalence in Institutionalized Intellectually Disabled Children

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes chronic infection in human population, with high mortality. One of the high risk communities is mentally retarded children, who are institutionalized. Special conditions in these centers predispose children for HBV infection and transmission to healthy people. In this study our objective was to determine the prevalence of HBV infection among institutionalized mentally retarded children and study its associated risk factors.Materials and Methods: In this study, 250 mentally retarded children (younger than 14 years old) were included. They were living in 5 nursing institutions, located in different parts of Tehran. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was measured in the sera of these patients by ELISA method.Results: Among 250 children, 20 children (8%) were HBsAg positive. HBV infection in girls was more than boys (11% to 5.6%). Among the types of mental retardation, children with cerebral palsy had the highest positive result for HBsAg. The most HBV infection (28.5%) was seen in children with longest duration of being institutionalized (10 to 11 years). Vaccinated children were more HBsAg positive (8.7%) than non-vaccinated children (5.3%). However, no significant relationship was observed between any of these factors and HBsAg positivity.Conclusion: Despite improvement of people’s health condition and implementation of HBV vaccination, the prevalence of HBV infection is increased in institutionalized mentally retarded children, which highlights the need for active measures to reduce this infection among this high risk populatio

A Comparative Study of 25 (OH) Vitamin D Serum Levels in Patients with metabolic syndrome and healthy individuals

Background: The incidence of metabolic syndrome has been rising in the Iran population. In parallel, vitamin D deficiency has also been increasing in Iran. This study aims to explore the association of vitamin D serum concentrations with metabolic syndrome and its components in the Iranian population.  Materials and Methods: A case-control study was managed. We enrolled 110 metabolic syndrome patients, according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria as a case group and 130 healthy individuals as a control group. The serum level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25 (OH)D), lipid profile, and fasting blood glucose(FBS) status were determined using a commercially available ELISA method. Enzymatic methods determined total cholesterol (Chol), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglyceride (TG) levels.  Results: In case group, the prevalence rate of 25 (OH)D deficiency (<10 ng/mL) was 10%, 25 (OH)D insufficiency (10–29 ng/mL) was 71.0%, and 25 (OH)D sufficiency (>30 ng/mL) was 19.0%. A non-significant association between Chol level and age was noted (p=0.46, p=0.124). The levels of FBS and TG were significantly higher, and the levels of 25 (OH)D, LDL, and HDL were significantly lower in the case of the group compared to the control group. Conclusion: We found that the serum level of 25 (OH)D in patients with metabolic syndrome is lower than in the healthy group, and a low level of 25 (OH)D is related to increased risk of metabolic syndrome and its components. &nbsp

Reference Interval for Fasting Blood Sugar, Triglycerides, Total Cholesterol, Low-Density Lipoprotein, and High-Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol in Healthy Babolian Individuals

Background and Aim: Sugar and Lipid disorders are the main risk factors for vascular abnormalities. Due to the gender and age, other variables can influence serum Fasting blood sugar and lipid levels, certifying the determination of population-specific reference interval. This study was designed to investigate the age- and gender-specific reference values for serum Fasting blood sugar (FBS), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL) in healthy Babolian adults. Methods: FBS, TC, TG, and HDL were calculating applying the colorimetric method. The Friedewald equation (LDL=TC−HDL−TG/5) was used to calculate LDL concentrations in individuals. After using the exclusion parameters, 519 participants (199 men and 320 women) aged ≥23 years were included. The Clinical Chemistry guidelines of the International Federation applied for characterizing the reference values for samples. Results: Reference values for serum FBS, TG, TC, LDL, HDL were 77.01-107.69 mg/dL, 35.34-204.38 mg/dL, 117.97-242.81 mg/dL, 47.6-137.16 mg/dL and 33.29-67.13 mg/dL in men. In women, reference values for serum FBS, TG, TC, LDL, HDL were 75.03-107.99, 27.49-192.33 mg/dL, 125.84-244.32 mg/dL, 44.08-139.48 mg/dL and 36.66-81.1 mg/dL. FBS, TG, and LDL parameters were higher in men, and TC and HDL parameters were higher in women. Conclusion: Reference values for serum FBS, TC, TG, LDL, HDL in healthy Babolian adults were specified, and these data could supply a clear pathway for better decision making in both clinical settings and prevention. *Corresponding Author: Negar Yavari; Email: [email protected] Please cite this article as: Gholami Bahnemiri M, Amiri M, Khanicheragh M, Safizadeh F, Mohammadi Tahroodi F, Akbari Javar A, Aram H, Mir SM, Yavari N. Reference Interval for Fasting Blood Sugar, Triglycerides, Total Cholesterol, Low-density Lipoprotein, and High-density Lipoprotein-cholesterol in Healthy Babolian Individuals. Arch Med Lab Sci. 2019;5(4):14-20. https://doi.org/10.22037/amls.v5i4.2992