No abstract

BackgroundNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide with no specific treatment. Weight loss is the most effective therapeutic strategy in its management; however, there is no consensus on its specifics. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of weight loss on liver enzymes, markers of inflammation, oxidative stress and CK18-M30 (cytokeratin 18) as a biomarker of hepatocellular apoptosis.ObjectivesTo study the effect of weight reduction diet as an exclusive treatment for NAFLD.Patients and MethodsForty four patients with NAFLD received a diet including a 500 to 1000 kcal per day intake reduction as30% fat, 15% protein, and 55% carbohydrate for six months. Anthropometric parameters, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), lipid profile, malondialdehyde (MDA), TNF-α, IL-6, CK18-M30 were measured at baseline and at the end of the study. At the end of follow up, patients were classified as adherent or nonadherent to treatment according to a weight loss of ≥ 5%, or < 5% of initial body weight, respectively.ResultsTwenty five patients were classified as adherent group and nineteen as nonadherent group (9.7% vs. 1.9% total body weight loss after 6 months, respectively). After 6 months, changes in adherent and nonadherent groups were as follows: reduction in body weight from 93.7 ± 15.8 kg to 84.2 ± 13.4 kg vs. 94 ± 16.6 kg to 92.2 ± 16.2 kg (P < 0.05), BMI from 32.7 ± 3.9 to 29.5 ± 3.2 vs.31.8 ± 5.4 to 31.1 ± 5.3 (P < 0.001), and waist circumference from 105.1 ± 12.6 cm to 97.4 ± 9.8 cm vs.106.8 ± 14.2 cm to 103.7 ± 14 cm (P < 0.001), respectively. Diastolic blood pressure was significantly decreased in adherent group (from 80.2 ± 5.1 mmHg to 76.9 ± 5 mmHg; P < 0.001). Also, total cholesterol, LDL, triglyceride, ALT, AST, GGT and CK18-M30 levels were significantly decreased in the adherent group compared to nonadherent group (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThis intervention offers a practical approach for treatment of patients with NAFLD with diet therapy.

These results suggest that carrying one or more G-197A polymorphisms at position -197 in the IL-17 promoter region significantly increases gastric cancer risk in this patient population.

While several distinct virulence factors of Helicobacter pylori have been shown to be associated with different clinical outcomes, there is still much to learn about the role of different bacterial factors in gastric carcinogenesis. This study looked at the distribution of the cagA, homA, and homB genes in strains isolated from patients suffering from gastroduodenal diseases in Iran and assessed if there was any association between disease state and the presence of the aforementioned virulence factors. Genomic DNA from 138 H. pylori strains was isolated and genotyped via PCR. Strains were obtained from dyspeptic patients (35 from gastritis patients, 62 from peptic ulcer patients, and 41 from gastric cancer patients) at the Teaching Touba Clinic and Imam Hospital of the Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in Sari, Iran. The overall prevalence rates of cagA, homA, and homB were 58%, 54%, and 43%, respectively. Stratification of patients showed a significant difference in the prevalence of H. pylori virulence genes across the disease states. The frequency of homB was statistically significantly higher in gastric cancer patients (78%) than in patients suffering from peptic ulcers (20%) or gastritis (43%) (P < 0.0001). The presence of homB was also associated with the presence of cagA (r ‫؍‬ 0.243). These data suggest that in this population the presence of homB may be a predictor of more virulent strains of H. pylori and influence the severity of disease manifestation.

Regulatory T (Treg) cells take part in immune homeostasis and play a pivotal role in maintaining peripheral tolerance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and function of Treg cells in active and untreated ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. Thirty-two subjects with newly diagnosed UC and 31 age-matched healthy controls were included in this survey. The frequency of Tregs was analyzed with flow cytometry using CD4, CD25, CD127 and FoxP3 markers. We used surface expression of CD4(+), CD25(+) and CD127(low) markers for isolation of a relatively pure Treg population. Suppressive activity of Tregs was determined by measuring their ability to inhibit the proliferation of T responder cells. UC patients had a lower frequency of CD4(+) CD25(+) CD127(low) FoxP3(+) Treg cells. Additionally, Treg cell-mediated suppression was lower in UC patients compared to controls. The frequency and suppressive capacity of Tregs and MFI of FoxP3 were inversely correlated with disease activity. These results suggest that CD4(+) CD25(+) CD127(low) FoxP3(+) Treg cells may contribute to immunopathogenesis of UC, and assessment of Treg cell frequency and function may have clinical value.

In native tissues, cellular organization is predominantly anisotropic. Yet, it remains a challenge to engineer anisotropic scaffolds that promote anisotropic cellular organization at macroscopic length scales. To overcome this challenge, an innovative, cheap and easy method to align clinically approved non-woven surgical microfibrillar scaffolds is presented. The method involves a three-step process of coating, unidirectional stretching of scaffolds after heating them above glass transition temperature, and cooling back to room temperature. Briefly, a polymer coating is applied to a non-woven mesh that results in a partial welding of randomly oriented microfibers at their intersection points. The coated scaffold is then heated above the glass transition temperature of the coating and the scaffold polymer. Subsequently, the coated scaffold is stretched to produce aligned and three dimentional (3D) porous fibrillar scaffolds. In a proof of concept study, a polyglycolic acid (PGA) micro-fibrillar scaffold was coated with poly(4-hydroxybutirate) (P4HB) acid and subsequently aligned. Fibroblasts were cultured in vitro within the scaffold and results showed an increase in cellular alignment along the direction of the PGA fibers. This method can be scaled up easily for industrial production of polymeric meshes or directly applied to small pieces of scaffolds at the point of care.

A CT or TT polymorphism at position 150 in the iNOS gene significantly increases the risk of GC and may be a marker for GC susceptibility.

With the emergence of COVID‐19, it is important to address the possible scenarios of SARS‐CoV‐2 virulence. Although several researchers have addressed the possible mechanisms of enveloped virus transfection, for example, influenza, here, the relationship between exhaled virus laden‐particles, the climate, and transfection probability is discussed by interpreting the findings of prior studies. Importantly, the higher probability of viral transfection in cold and dry public spaces such as near cold shelves of groceries is illustrated. Thus, additional protective measures in such spaces are recommended.