Comparison of HBs-antibody serum levels between patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and controls following vaccination against hepatitis B

Diabetic patients are at risk to viral hepatitis. It is reported that vaccination with routine doses is not sufficient for diabetic patients especially those with type I, but there is some controversies. The aim of this study was to the assessment and compare of HBs-Ab titer in type II diabetics and controls after vaccination against hepatitis B. In a semi-experimental study, 91 patients with type II diabetes mellitus and 55 non diabetic healthy individuals matched in age, sex, body mass index and smoking were selected by simple non-random sampling. The positive cases for HBs-Ag, HBs-Ab and HBc-Ab were excluded. Vaccination against hepatitis B was carried in 3 times [0, 1, 6 month] with a dose of 20 microg. Then, 3 and 6 months after the last dose, Hb-A1C and HBs-Ab were tested. HBs-Ab titers were compared between two groups using Mann-Whitney U test and the correlation between HBs-Ab and Hb-A1C in two groups. Three months after vaccination, both in diabetics and controls, the mean HBs-Ab level was 335.8 +/- 275.7 and 420.1 +/- 348.4 mIU/ml, and 6 months after vaccination it was 530.7 +/- 387.9 and 552.5 +/- 410.7 mIU/ml respectively [p > 0.05]. There was an inverse but non-significant correlation between HB A1C and HBs-Ab in diabetics. The findings of the current study confirm that the routine vaccination is sufficient for patients with type II diabetes

[Short-term Vs long-term systemic corticosteroid in ocular toxoplasmosis]

To compare the effects of short-tem and long-term systemic corticosteroids in the treatment of confirmed ocular toxoplasmosis. This randomized comparative clinical trial was performed on 69 patients with confirmed active ocular toxoplasmosis with typical clinical manifestations. The subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 10 days [group A, 33 cases] or 4-6 weeks [group B, 36 cases] of systemic corticosteroids in addition to classic antibiotic. All patients were visited and followed weekly until complete improvement of vision. Mean visual acuity, inflammatory cell count in the vitreous, lesion size and severity of the condition were compared between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the two group, regarding mean values of visual acuity in LogMAR [before; group A: 0.24 +/- 0.6, group B: 0.28 +/- 0.07, P=0.43 and after; group A: 0.11 +/- 0.08, group B: 0.60 +/- 0.07, P=0.09], vitreal inflammatory cell count [before; group A: 1.8 +/- 0.56, group B: 1.9 +/- 0.06, P=0.45 and after; group A: 1.5 +/- 0.65, group B: 1.5 +/- 0.5, P=0.94], and size of the lesion in disc diameter [before; group A: 0.94 +/- 0.37, group B: 1.03 +/- 0.37, P= 0.49 and after; group A: 0.94 +/- 0.44, group B: 1.12 +/- 0.38, P=0.4]. The study revealed that there is no significant difference between the effects of short-term and long- term systemic corticosteroid therapy in the treatment of ocular toxoplasmosis. It is reasonable to perform an equivalence trial study on this issue

Survey of hepatitis B risk factors in blood donors at Isfahan province

Viral hepatitis B is a dangerous disease with high mortality and morbidity rate in the world. It has been prevalence in different areas depends on risk behaviors and people's awareness level. This paper was prepared to detect the risk factors of hepatitis B in blood donors in Isfahan province. In cross-sectional study, 39 seropsitive blood donors and 261 seronegeative ones in 2004 were studied. HBsAg was examined via ELISA. Standard hepatitis B risk factor questionnaires were completed for all of the samples and the prevalence of each risk factor in case and control subjects was compared through X[2] test, using SPSS-10 software with p<0.05. This study indicated that history of surgeries, use of shared razors, jaundice of mother, presence of HBsAg+ patients and drug addicts in families were statistically significant in the two groups. There was not any heamodialysis history, accident of needle sticks and needle sharing by drug addicts. Since the relative frequency of surgery history in the two groups was significant different, attending to hospital and operation room hygine seems to be important. Moreover, since hepatitis B can be prevented with education and vaccination, the families of HBsAg+ patients and drug addicts should be encouraged to use education and vaccination. Using the results of this study, it is necessary to pay attention to hospitals and raise people awareness about hepatitis B transmission routes vaccination of high risk individuals