Increased levels of TC and LDL-C were found in patients infected with H. pylori, and updated Sydney System score showed a positive correlation with LDL-C and TC levels. These findings may explain why H. pylori infection is associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis.

It is shown that there are strong associations between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and endothelial dysfunction. The aim of our study was to reveal whether steatosis or fibrosis score is more important in the development of endothelial dysfunction in patients with NAFLD in a prospective manner.This cross-sectional study included 266 subjects. These subjects were divided into 2 groups depending on presence of hepatosteatosis sonographically. Patients with hepatosteatosis were also divided into 3 subgroups depending on degree of steatosis: grade 1, 2, and 3. In all patients, Aspartate aminotransferase-to-Platelet Ratio Index and Fibrosis-4 (FIB4) scores were calculated. In addition, flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) measurements were recorded.There was NAFLD in 176 (66.2%) of 266 patients included. There were no significant differences in sex and age distributions between patients with NAFLD (group 1) and controls without NAFLD (group 2) (P = 0.05). Mean Aspartate aminotransferase-to-Platelet Ratio Index score was significantly higher in group 1 compared with the control group (P = 0.001), whereas no significant difference was detected regarding FIB4 scores between groups (P = 0.4). Mean FMD value was found to be significantly lower in group 1 (P = 0.008). Patients with grade 3 hepatosteatosis had significantly lower FMD values than those with grade 1 steatosis and controls (P = 0.001). In univariate and multivariate analyses in group 1, no significant difference was detected regarding mean FMD measurements (P = 0.03). Again, no significant difference was detected in mean FMD measurement between FIB4 subgroups among patients with NAFLD and the whole study group (P = 0.09).The endothelial dysfunction is associated with steatosis in patients with NAFLD.

IntroductionWhether Helicobacter pylori triggers celiac disease (CD) or protects against CD is currently the subject of research. In the literature, there are epidemiologic studies that have reported conflicting results regarding the association between H. pylori and CD.AimTo compare the prevalence of CD autoantibody positivity and the levels of CD autoantibodies between H. pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative subjects.Material and methodsThis study was prospectively designed and included 240 dyspeptic patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with gastric and duodenal biopsies. The patients were divided into two groups according to presence of H. pylori infection. The serum levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) A, tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTGA; IgA and IgG classes), and anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA; IgA and IgG classes) were measured for all participants by a blinded biochemistry expert.ResultsThere were no significant differences in the serum levels of CD autoantibodies or IgA between the two groups. There were also no significant differences in the percentages of subjects with positive CD serologies or subjects with IgA deficiencies between the groups.ConclusionsHelicobacter pylori remains one of the bacterial species that is most likely to trigger autoimmunity. However, studies have failed to reveal a relationship between H. pylori and CD; thus, additional basic work on the immunological aspects of the microbial-host interactions and longitudinal studies enrolling patients at very early stages of the disease may help us to address this issue.

Context: Xanthelasmas, also known as "xanthomas" and "lipid islands" are yellow plaque-like lesions characterized by the presence of lipid-containing histiocytes. Evidence Acquisition: Xanthomas are most commonly found in the stomach within the gastrointestinal tract, and at this location they are called Gastric Xanthoma (GX). Clinical significance of GX is still unknown. It has been suggested that GX could be related to gastric injury. Here we reviewed five decades of studies on GX in the literature. Results: Since, GXs was reported to be associated with potentially serious conditions of the stomach, the whole gastric mucosa should be examined carefully and biopsy should be taken from the lesion during the upper gastrointestinal endoscopy for diagnosis and rulling out gastric malignity. Conclusions: Gastric xanthomas should not be ignored and concomitant conditions should be treated.

Colorectal neoplasm (CRN) and coronary heart disease (CHD) share common risk factors. We aimed to assess the risk for CRN in patients who are at high risk for developing CHD determined by measurements, which are independent from the risk factors for CRN.This study was conducted on individuals who underwent total colonoscopic examination and were without history of CHD. Two-hundred thirty-five subjects (82 with CRN and 153 with normal colonoscopic findings) participated in the study. Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) was defined as the presence of adenocarcinoma. We measured carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and calculated Framingham risk score (FRS) for all participants. An increased CIMT (≥1.0 mm), a decreased FMD (<10%), and a high FRS (>20%) were defined as high risks for developing CHD. The risk and the prevalence of CRN were analyzed in relation to the risk for developing CHD.The ratio of the patients with overall-CRN and CRC was significantly higher in individuals who are at high risk for developing CHD compared with individuals who are at low risk for developing CHD by each 3 risk estimation method (P < 0.05 for all). An increased CIMT, a decreased FMD, and a high FRS score were significantly associated with the high risk for the presence of CRC (odds ratio [OR]: 6.018, OR: 3.699, and OR: 4.120, respectively). An increased CIMT, a decreased FMD, and an intermediate FRS were significantly associated with the risk for the presence of overall-CRN (OR: 3.607, OR: 1.866 and OR: 2.889, respectively).The risk for CRN increases as the risk for developing CHD increases. It can be suggested that screening for CRN can be recommended for individuals who are at high risk for developing CHD.

Karaciğer sirozu sebepleri yönünden önlenebilir bir hastalık olduğu için epidemiyolojisinin araştırılması önemlidir. Biz bu tek merkezli çalışmada, Türkiye'nin Orta Anadolu bölgesinde, karaciğer sirozunun etyolojik nedenlerini ve epidemiyolojik özelliklerini belirlemeyi amaçladık.Yöntemler: 1 Ocak 2011 ve 31 Eylül 2014 tarihleri arasında sağlık merkezimizdeki yataklı ve ayaktan kliniklere başvurmuş olan karaciğer sirozu tanılı hastalar kaydedildi.Bulgular: Toplam 135 hasta çalışmaya dahil edildi: ortalama yaşı 63±14.3 (minimum:15 ve maksimum:87 yaş) olan 91 erkek hasta (%67,4) ve 44 kadın hasta (%33). Sirozun temel nedenleri: Kronik hepatit B (KHB), (n:52, %38,5) ve kriptojenik, (n:33, %24,4) idi. Sirozun en sık nedeni erkeklerde KHB (%49,5) ve kadınlarda kriptojenik karaciğer sirozuydu (%40,9). Alkolik sirozu olan hastaların tamamı erkekti. Otoimmün hepatiti olan hastaların oranı kadınlarda anlamlı olarak yüksekti (%70). 50 yaş altındaki ve üstündeki sirotik hastalar arasında KHB'li hastaların oranı benzerdi (sırasıyla;%31,6 ve %39,7), ancak 50 yaş altındakilerde hepatit C virüsü olan hastaların oranı, 50 yaş üstündekilere göre anlamlı olarak daha azdı (%5,3 ve %14,7). 50 yaş altında genetik bozukluğa bağlı sirotik hasta yoktu.Sonuç: Hepatit B virüsüne karşı Ulusal aşılama programı, etkin tedavi önlemleri ve artırılmış tarama tetkiklerine rağmen, KHB halen ülkemizde en sık siroz nedenidir.

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Objectives Obesity and related diseases have become one of the most important health problems in the modern age. In addition to its clinical use in the treatment of obesity, bariatric surgery reduces obesity-induced inflammation. Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a cheap and easily attainable inflammatory marker. The purpose of this study is to show the effect of bariatric surgery on NLR at preoperative and postoperative 3rd, 6th, and 12th months after SG. Methods 298 patients, who underwent sleeve gastrectomy (SG) in general surgery clinic between 2015 and 2017, were included in the study. We excluded the patients younger than 18 years old, and did not have any inflammatory, infectious, hematological, and comorbide diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, renal insufficiency, cancer, and respiratory problems like asthma, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. We evaluated the levels of NLR at preoperative and postoperative 3rd, 6th, and 12th months visits. Results There were a total of 298 adult patients (age: mean 38.6, minimum 18, maximum 69 years old). Of whom 247 were female (82.9%) and 51 were male (17.1%). We found that NLR levels decreased significantly at 3rd, 6th, and 12th month visits after SG (p<0.001). Conclusions We concluded that NLR levels decrease after surgery in a proportional reduction in adipose tissue. The decrease in NLR levels may also be associated with the protective effects of sleeve gastrectomy against low-grade inflammation-related diseases.