Insulin Sensitivity and Variability in Hepatitis C Virus Infection Using Direct Measurement

Background and Aims

Studies investigating insulin resistance (IR) in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have used surrogate measures of IR that have limited reliability. We aimed to describe the distribution and risk factors associated with IR and its change over time in HCV using direct measurement.

Methods

One hundred two non-cirrhotic, non-diabetic, HCV-infected subjects underwent clinical, histologic, and metabolic evaluation, and 27 completed repeat evaluation at 6 months. Insulin-mediated glucose uptake was measured by steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG) concentration during the insulin suppression test.

Results

Three subjects with diabetes were excluded and 95 completed all testing. SSPG ranged from 39 to 328 mg/dL (mean 135 mg/dL) and was stable over time (mean SSPG change ?0.3 mg/dL). SSPG was associated with Latino ethnicity (Coef 67, 95 % CI 37–96), BMI (Coef 19 per 5 kg/m², 95 % CI 5–32), ferritin (Coef 1.4 per 10 ng/ml, 95 % CI 0.2–2.5), male gender (Coef ?48, 95 % CI ?80 to ?16), and HDL (Coef ?16, 95 % CI ?28 to ?5 mg/dL). Current tobacco use (Coef 55, 95 % CI 19–90), steatosis (Coef ?44, 95 % CI ?86 to ?3), and increases in BMI (Coef 30 per 5 kg/m², 95 % CI 6–53) and triglyceride (Coef 3.5 per 10 mg/dL, 95 % CI 0.3–6.7) predicted change in SSPG.

Conclusions

There was a wide spectrum of insulin resistance in our HCV population. Host factors, rather than viral factors, appeared to more greatly influence insulin action and its change in HCV.     

Breast cancer in Iran: an epidemiological review

Breast cancer is one of the most frequent malignancies among Iranian women, however; the epidemiological aspects of breast cancer among Iranian patients are uncertain. A literature review of the published articles from January 1998 to December 2005 was conducted using different search engines: MEDLINE, Scientific information data base of Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, and over 2000 issues of 94 Persian medical journals. The headings "Breast Cancer,"Breast Tumor,"Breast Malignancy," and "Breast Carcinoma" were combined with the word "Iran" to execute the search. In all, 85 full papers were reviewed. These findings showed that participants ranged from 15 to 84 years old, with those 40-49 being the most prevalent. The incidence of breast cancer in women was 22 per 100,000. The prevalence in this same population was 120 per 100,000. Stage I was diagnosed in 18%, stage II in 57% and stage III in 25% of the cases. About 72% of the patients were diagnosed with a tumor over 2 cm. Sixty-three percent of the patients had lymph node involvement at the diagnostic time. Infiltrative ductal carcinoma was found to be the most common at 77% and lobular carcinoma the least at 5%. This review indicates that the epidemiological aspects of breast cancer in Iran are relatively well-studied. Shortcomings in study of its clinical aspects are evident and need to be a central part of upcoming investigations.     

Evaluation of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for detecting circulating antibodies to Candida albicans

Published studies indicate that Candida albicans antibody assays utilizing cytoplasmic antigens offer greater utility for identifying cases of systemic candidiasis when compared with assays utilizing cell wall components. We assessed the performance characteristics of a commercially available system that utilizes cytoplasmic antigens to measure C. albicans IgG, IgM, and IgA (Candida Detect ELISA reagents). Intra-assay variation was < or =5%, inter-assay variation was < or =10%, and good linearity was observed for all the three antibody isotypes. Results for specimens stored under various conditions were comparable to those obtained initially. Inter-laboratory reproducibility was excellent; qualitative concordance was > or =93% for all the three isotypes, with slopes and R(2) values approaching 1.0 in linear regression analyses. Seroprevalence in persons without apparent systemic candidiasis was evaluated using three different serum panels; seroprevalence rates ranged from 24 to 32% for IgG, 2-14% for IgM, and 15-36% for IgA. Seroprevalence rates in a panel of sera containing antibodies to other fungi were similar to rates observed in panels from individuals without systemic candidiasis. These findings demonstrate the acceptable performance of assay systems employing Candida Detect ELISA reagents.     

Third national surveillance of risk factors of non-communicable diseases (SuRFNCD-2007) in Iran: methods and results on prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, central obesity, and dyslipidemia

Background  

The burden of non-communicable diseases is rising globally. This trend seems to be faster in developing countries of the Middle East. In this study, we presented the latest prevalence rates of a number of important non-communicable diseases and their risk factors in the Iranian population.     

The role of glutathione-S-transferase polymorphisms on clinical outcome of ALI/ARDS patient treated with N-acetylcysteine

Oxidative stress has a proven role in pathophysiology of acute respiratory distress syndrome. The antioxidant drugs, especially N-acetylcysteine (NAC) have been used for years to overcome oxidative stress effects in patients. In the present study we have investigated the effects of NAC treatment (IV NAC in 150mg/kg at the first day followed by 50mg/kg/day for three days) on 27 ICU patients with ALI/ARDS considering the glutathione-S-transferase genetic variations, as an important enzyme contributing in oxidative stress pathways. The results indicated that NAC improved oxygenation (increase in PaO(2)/FiO(2)) and decreased mortality rate in treated patients compared to control group (p<0.05). Evaluation of three isoforms of glutathione-S-transferase (GST M1, P1 and T1), in these patients have showed an association between GST M1 null, and GST M1 and T1 double null polymorphisms with increased mortality in control group, suggesting antioxidant therapy critical for this group of patients.     

Crimean congo hemorrhagic fever infection simulating thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne disease that may also be transmitted through person-to-person transmission by exposure to infected body fluids. Despite its wide geographic distribution in animals, CCHF virus is rarely associated with recognized human diseases. We report the first case of CCHF in Kermanshah province, Iran. Clinical presentation was characterized by fever, myalgia, and hemorrhage. The levels of liver enzymes, creatinine phosphokinase, and lactate dehydrogenase were elevated, and bleeding markers were prolonged.     

The relationship between IL-17A and IL-22 expression and clinical severity in patients with moderate/severe persistent allergic rhinitis

Purpose

Several reactions leading to numerous effects are regulated by IL-22. However, the relationship between IL-22 and immunopathogensis of allergic rhinitis (AR) has been rarely investigated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the levels of IL-22 and IL-17A in AR patients and their association with clinical severity of persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR).