Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in children in eastern Turkey and molecular typing of isolates

The objectives of the present study were to determine Helicobacter pylori via culture, polymerase chain reaction and histopathological diagnosis in 101 children ranging in age from 4 to 18 years, to identify the association among restriction fragment length polymorphism types and clinical disease and to investigate the relationships among different isolates of H. pylori in different age groups. We observed a high prevalence of H. pylori infections in children between the ages of 13 and 18 (75.8%), while children aged 4 to 6 years had the lowest prevalence of infection (40%). H. pylori was detected in 30.7% (31 of 101), 66.3% (67 of 101) and 63.2% (60 of 95) of children as determined by culture methods, PCR and histological examination, respectively. H. pylori isolates with RFLP types I and III were the most common among children with antral nodularity, whereas RFLP types II and IV were the least detected types. Interestingly, all isolates from peptic ulcer patients were type III. Although our results show a high prevalence of H. pylori infections in the pediatric population in eastern Turkey, no association was identified between H. pylori infection with antral nodularity and recurring abdominal pain. In addition, we found low genetic variation among H. pylori isolates from children and no association between RFLP types and antral nodularity (p > 0.05). Additionally, we found that H. pylori isolates with specific RFLP types were predominant in different age groups.

Microalbuminuria in Chronic Hepatitis B Infection.

We examined for microalbuminuria in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and the effect of antiviral treatment. Group I consisted of 38 patients who were inactive HbsAg carriers; group II included 21 HBeAg positive patients with chronic HBV infection who responded to antiviral treatment at 6 months; group III consisted of 24 patients with chronic HBV infection who did not respond to treatment at the end of 6 months; and group IV consisted of healthy controls. Initial level of microalbuminuria was significantly higher in group II compared to the levels measured at 3, 6, and 9 months (P<0.001). Although, there was a significant difference in microalbuminuria at initial and 3 months between group I and group II (P<0.001), no differences were found at 6 and 9 months. There was no significant difference betweeen group II and group III in terms of urine microalbuminuria at the beginning of the study, but statistically significant differences were determined at 3, 6, and 9 months (P<0.001). The measurement of microalbuminuria may indicate a preclinical renal damage, associated with chronic HBV infection. It may also be used to determine the response to treatment with interferon and lamivudine in children with HBV infection.

Interleukin-8 levels in children with bacterial, tuberculous and aseptic meningitis.

OBJECTIVE: lnterleukin-8 (IL-8) is produced in monocytes and vascular endothelial cells in response to stimulation with bacteria or lipopolysaccharides, and is released from these cells into blood stream or tissue fluid. METHODS: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of interleukin-8 in 56 children with nonbacterial, bacterial and tuberculous meningitis (TBM), and in 15 control subjects were analyzed to evaluate the involvement of this cytokine in the pathogenesis acute bacterial meningitis and their discriminative value between different etiologies of meningitis. The kinetics of IL-8 concentrations during the course of bacterial meningitis was also evaluated in patients. IL-8 levels were significantly higher in bacterial and TBM than in aseptic meningitis and in control subjects (p < 0.0001). RESULTS: There was no difference in the levels of IL-8 between the non-bacterial meningitis and control groups. The analysis of the kinetics of production of IL-8 in patients with bacterial meningitis showed that the SSF concentrations of this cytokine decreased to undetectable values in recovery stage. Conversely in patients with TBM the concentrations of IL-8 were elevated in two weeks after beginning the specific treatment. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that determining IL-8 levels may be useful in the differential diagnosis.