ABSTRACT
Aim: This study was intended to explore the effect of various drugs used to treat fatty liver on intimal-media thickness in patients with NAFLD
Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD] is an indicator of a broad spectrum of pathologic disorders, which is characterized with macro vesicular steatosis in the absent of alcohol use. It has a wide range of laboratory, clinical and pathological presentations such as simple steatosis to the diseases like non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer
Methods: In this cross - sectional study, as a part of a 10-year cohort study [from 2007-2017] at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, a group of 100 patients with NAFLD were studied. They were examined by color doppler sonography of the carotid arteries to detect any carotid intima- media thickness, before and one year after treatment with various drugs. The effect of treatment on right and left carotid intima- media thickness [IMT] was examined by using SPSS. V21
Results: Over all, 36 [36%] patients were male and 64 [64%] were female. The mean age of the patients was a 43.5±10.3 year, ranging from 16 to 64. The decrease in patients' intima- media thickness in both right and left carotids was statistically significant [P<0.0001]
Conclusion: Treatment of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver has a significant role in reduction of their carotid intima -media thickness and consequently in reducing cerebrovascular events such as stroke
ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives: right ventricle failure and massive pulmonary artery occlusion are the main causes of mortality in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. Although pulmonary CT angiography could be helpful in these patients there are some controversies. In current study we want to investigate correlation between pulmonary artery obstruction score and right ventricular dysfunction with mortality rate in patients with acute pulmonary embolism
Methods and Materials: pulmonary CT angiography of 76 patients with acute pulmonary embolism and no previous comorbidity were reviewed at this prospective study. Maximum short axis dimensions of the right ventricle [RVD] and the left ventricle [LVD] and their ratio were measured. The pulmonary artery obstruction score [PAOS] was determined according to Qanadli. At the end the correlation between these findings and mortality at first 60 days were evaluated
Results: the 60-days mortality rate was 19.7%. The expired and survived groups were comparable for PAOS, whereas both the median age and RVD/LVD ratio were significantly higher in the first group. In multivariate analysis, however, age was the only significant, independent predictor of 60-day mortality [p=0.02]
Conclusion: without pre-existing morbidities, neither the RVD/LVD ratio nor PAOS is not an independent predictor of mortality in hemodynamically stable patients with acute PE
ABSTRACT
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of NAFLD on CIMT as a risk factor for atherosclerosis
Background: The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD] is increasing worldwide due to rise of obesity and diabetes mellitus [DM] prevalence. Non-invasive assessment of carotid intima-media thickness [CIMT] by high-resolution carotid B-mode ultrasonography is widely used for determining the atherosclerosis
Patients and Methods: In this case-control setting, 151 subjects were categorized in three groups: group I including 49 patients with NAFLD and DM; group II including 50 non-diabetic NAFLD patients; and the control including 52 normal subjects as group III. The right and left CIMTs and its maximum reading [CIMT[max]] were measured by a skilled sonographist blind to the groups. The sonographic grading of the NAFLD was determined in group I and II
Results: Median CIMT[max] was significantly higher in group I comparing with group II and control group [p<0.001]. This difference between group I and group II was not significant after adjusting for age and history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia [p=0.089]. After controlling the confounders, there was statistical significant between group I and group II with the control group [p<0.05]. There was no significant difference in median maximal thickness of intima-media in the carotid of group I compare to group II in patients with and without elevated liver enzymes [in both groups, 0.6 mm, p= 0.402]
Conclusion: Based on our findings, there is a significant association between the presence of NAFLD and atherosclerosis. This association was independent to the DM presence. The grade of NAFLD and elevated liver function tests had no effect on severity of atherosclerosis
ABSTRACT
Percutaneous Ethanol Injection [PEI] is a simple effective procedure especially in the treatment of autonomous and cystic thyroid nodules. In this study, we investigated the effect of PEI in volume reduction of nonfunctioning benign solid thyroid nodules. In a prospective study, 62 euthyroid patients with benign thyroid nodules were selected consecutively by endocrinologist from those being visited at endocrinology clinics of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran during January 2007 to January 2008. The injection volume was set as two third of the nodule total size in cm3 according to the ultrasonographic measurements with an upper limit volume of 10cc. The patients were followed up one week after injection for possible complications, and then 3 and 6 months later for evaluation of efficacy of intervention by ultrasound. Student t and Chi-square tests were used for statistical analysis and a P-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant The data of 57 patients was used in the final analysis among which 5[8.8%] were male and 52[91.2%] were female. After six months of follow-up, the reduction in nodule size was < 30% in 15[26.3%] patients, between 31% and 50% in 14[24.6%] patients, and more than 50% in 28[49.1%] patients which was statistically significant [P = 0.001]. Local pain in first week after injection was the main complication. Percutaneous Ethanol Injection [PEI] therapy can be a safe and effective method in the treatment of benign solid nonfunctioning thyroid nodules