Highlights The prevalence of IBD is increasing in many societies. The need for an appropriate biomarker for the diagnosis and management of IBD is felt. Fecal Calprotectin is helpful biomarker in discrimination between IBD and IBS. Fecal calprotectin showed significant correlation with some endoscopic activity indices. In COVID-19 pandemic, fecal calprotectin can be helpful for IBD non-invasive management. In interpreting the results of fecal calprotectin test, test limitations should be considered.

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BackgroundPatients with ≥ 3 recurrent spontaneous miscarriages are classified as having RSM. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with insulin resistance (IR). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association of IR and RMS.MethodsPresent case- control prospective study was performed on 100 women in control group (with a history of at a live birth and no history of one more abortion) and study group (with a history of ≥ 3 RMS) who were not diabetes and PCOS. Two groups matched in base of age and body mass index. Blood was withdrawn from the case and control patients for the determination of the fasting blood glucose (FG), fasting insulin (FI) levels and ultrasonography was performed on all the patients.ResultsThe observed differences between age, FG and FG to FI ratio levels in case and control groups were not significant (p > 0.05) but it was significant about fasting insulin (p = 0.0119). FI of < 20 μu/ml or ≥ 20 μu/ml in case and control group was significant (Chi-square: 4.083, p: 0.0433, odds ratio: 4.4386, CI95% = 1.1541 to 17.0701), whereas the difference between absolute and proportional frequency of patients with FG to FI ratio of < 4.5 and ≥ 4.5 in case and control groups was not significant (Chi-square: 2.374, p = 0.123).ConclusionCurrent study showed that in women with RPL, in Iranian race like Americans, frequency of insulin resistance in high, therefore there is a probability of the degree of insulin resistance in women with RPL.

To clarify host and environmental factors for gastric carcinogenesis, we obtained information about gastric cancer mortality in Babol, in the North of Iran, and recruited 130 participants aged 30-80 years from the general population of Babol in 2004. A urea breath test, assessment of IgG antibodies to Helicobacter pylori, a pepsinogen test, a marker of chronic atrophic gastritis, and determination of urinary excretions of sodium and potassium were performed. Diet and lifestyle information was also obtained using a questionnaire. The stomach cancer mortality rate for men in Babol (38.2/10(5)) was found to be somewhat lower than that for Japanese men (45.1/10(5)), while the mortality for women (26.9/10(5)) was higher than for Japanese women (20.9/10(5)). Positive rates for the urea breath test were 77.5 and 81.8% for Iranian men and women, respectively. Helicobacter pylori IgG antibodies were present in 68.7 and 73.7% of Iranian men and women, respectively, both values being marginally higher than for Japanese. We also found 51.0 and 52.8% to be positive for a pepsinogen test, significantly higher than the Japanese values. Urinary excretions of salt and potassium in this population appeared approximately the same as the consumption in Japanese. The elevated gastric cancer mortality in both men and women in Babol seems, by and large, to be related to higher H. pylori infection rates and prevalence of chronic atrophic gastritis. Certain factors, including H. pylori DNA diversity, host factors and their interactions, together with the level of medical practice, prevalence of and access to secondary prevention of stomach cancer, may also be associated with the relatively high mortality.

Objective: Helicobacter Pylori (H.pylori) is one of the most important causes of dyspepsia and diagnosis can be made by invasive or non-invasive methods. One of the non-invasive methods, H.pylori stool antigen test (HpSA) is simple, fast and relatively inexpensive. According to this view with regard to gastric biopsy as a gold standard the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of this method were calculated. Methodology: Stool samples of 61 patients who underwent upper endoscopy and gastric biopsy due to dyspepsia were evaluated for H. Pylori stool antigen using sandwich ELISA method. Results: From the 61 patients who participated in this study, H.pylori was diagnosed in 38 (62.3%) gastric biopsies, 25(66%) of these had positive HpSA test. Also, of 27 (37.7%) positive HpSA cases, H.pylori was seen in 25 gastric biopsies. For this method, sensitivity of 66% with 93% positive predictive value was calculated. Also, 91% specificity with 62% negative predictive value was estimated. Conclusion: High positive HpSA indicates high risk of H.pylori infection and high specificity shows that the likelihood of false positive is low. Therefore, physicians can trust on this method and start patient`s treatment.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the miscarriage rates and the factors associated with cases of spontaneous abortion observed in women offered intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled women who became pregnant with the aid of ICSI treated at the Babol Infertility Center (Iran) within a period of five years (2010-2015). Data were collected from patient charts and, in some cases, through phone calls. The study looked into the incidence of spontaneous abortion in women offered ICSI and the factors associated with miscarriage. The chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and the t-test were used to analyze the data. Results: From a total of 145 pregnant women, 120 were included in our study. The prevalence of miscarriage was 20%. Galactorrhea was significantly more present in patients who had miscarriages (25% vs. 9.37%, p =0.04). There was a marked difference in the duration of infertility of miscarriage and non-miscarriage patients offered ICSI (6.6±8.3 vs. 4.9±7.3 years, p =0.05). No association was found between maternal age, BMI, cause of infertility, hormonal pattern, type of infertility, history of surgery, polycystic ovary syndrome, number of oocytes, or day of retrieval with miscarriage.

Background: Ulcerative colitis is a common type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between lipid profile, especially high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in patients with ulcerative colitis. Methods: In this study, 45 patients with ulcerative colitis were selected, 25 of whom were diagnosed with active disease and 20 were in clinical remission. Moreover, 45 healthy subjects were selected as the controls. The status of serum lipid profile and MDA level were measured via precise photometric methods. The obtained data were analyzed, using independent t-test and correlation coefficient test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The serum level of HDL-C decreased, while the serum level of MDA significantly increased in patients with ulcerative colitis in comparison with the healthy controls (P < 0.05). No significant correlation was observed between the MDA level and triglyceride, cholesterol, and LDL-C levels in patients with ulcerative colitis. However, a significant inverse correlation was observed between HDL-C and MDA levels (r, -0.306; P < 0.05). Conclusions:The inverse correlation between HDL-C and MDA levels can be regarded as an indicator of the protective role of HDL-C against lipid peroxidation in ulcerative colitis. In patients with ulcerative colitis, the serum level of HDL-C decreased in comparison with healthy subjects. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the HDL-C level in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Background Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder. Objective This study aimed to evaluate red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV) as laboratory markers to discriminate IBS patients from both healthy controls and patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods This case-control study enrolled patients referred to Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital, Endoscopy Department, Babol, Iran, for colonoscopy examination from 2015 to 2017. Fifty IBS patients were selected from among patients who had undergone a normal colonoscopy and showed symptoms matching the Rome III criteria. Fifty healthy participants and 50 IBD patients, matched for sex and age, were also enrolled in this study. Both RDW and MPV were measured and analysed by independent sample t -test and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. A p -value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results While RDW was higher and MPV was lower among IBS patients compared to healthy controls ( p = 0.047 and p = 0.001), there were no significant differences in RDW or MPV levels between IBS and IBD patients. The area under the curve of RDW in the discrimination between IBS and IBD was 0.620 ( p = 0.039), and the area under the curve of MPV in the discrimination between healthy controls and IBS patients was 0.801 ( p = 0.001). Conclusion Mean platelet volume is potentially a useful laboratory marker for distinguishing between IBS patients and healthy individuals. Red blood cell distribution width should be considered as a potential marker to distinguish among IBS and IBD patients.