incidence of HCV infection among type-II diabetic patients, is there an association?

To study the relationship between diabetes mellitus [DM] and hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection, this study included: 200 diabetic patients of type 2 and 185 apparently healthy blood donors as their controls. It included also 50 diabetic patients of type 1 and 42 blood donors as their controls. All patients and their controls were age and sex matched. Patients were attendants of Diabetic Out-Patients Clinic, Faculty of Medicine Menoufiya University. Fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels, glycosylated haemoglobin [Hb Al[c]], kidney function tests, liver function tests, viral hepatitis markers [hepatitis B surface antigen, HBs Ag and anti-HCV antibodies] were performed for all studied subjects. All anti-HCV positive cases were evaluated for HCV viraemia by RT-PCR for HCV-RNA. On comparing results of type 2 diabetic patients with their controls, results revealed a significant high prevalence of anti-HCV seropositivity in patients group as 67 out of 200 patients [33.5%] were anti-HCV seropositive vs. 32/185 [17.3%] in their controls [p<0.01]. It was found that 55/67 [82.1%] of anti-HCV positive cases were also HCV-RNA positive. HBs Ag seropositivity was significantly higher among type 2 DM [15.5% of 200 patients vs. 4.3% of 185 controls, p<0.01]. Statistically significant differences [p<0.01] in the levels of ALT and AST were observed between HCV-seropositive and HCV-seronegative patients with type 2 DM. Blood urea and serum creatinine showed significant elevated values [p<0.01] among type 2 diabetic patients. No significant correlation was observed between HCV-seropositivity and glycaemic control [Hb Alc]. In type 1 DM there was a significant high prevalence of anti-HCV seropositivity [42% of 50 patients vs. 19.04% of 42 controls, p<0.01]. It could be concluded that both HBV and HCV infections are equally frequent in diabetes; therefore, diabetes mellitus is considered as an important risk factor for acquiring chronic liver disease. These findings, although suggestive, don't establish a cause and effect relationship and are not consistent with the conjecture that diabetes leads to HCV infection, but instead favor hypothesis suggesting that persistent HCV infection is associated with the subsequent development of diabetes

Circulating mage-1 andmage-3 transcripts as tumour-specific markers for hepatocellular carcinoma

The members of human Melanoma Associated Antigen [MAGE] gene family are highly expressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]. The present study aimed to detect tumour cells in the peripheral blood of HCC patients by using mRNA of the MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 genes as specific tumour markers. This study was carried out on 100 subjects included in three groups; group I: HCC patients [n=50], group II: cirrhotic patients [n=25] and group III: apparently healthy subjects as controls [n=25]. Patients of groups I and II were attendants of the Out Patient Clinics of National Liver Institute, Menoufiya University. The mRNA of the MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMC] was detected by using nested RT-PCR. Results revealed that of the 50 HCC patients, MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 mRNA were positive in 56% [28/50] and 46% [23/50] of PBMC respectively and 64% [32/50] of HCC samples were detected to express at least one type of MAGE mRNA. The detection of MAGE transcripts in PBMC was correlated with the advanced stages and the tumour size of HCC as 92.9% [26/28] and 100% [23/23] of positive MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 transcripts respectively were detected in HCC cases in stages III and VI. Also, 100% of positive MAGE-1 and MAGE-3 mRNA detected were related to HCC cases having sizes > 4cm. In addition, expression of MAGE-3 was correlated to the evidences of metastasis. On the other hand, detection of MAGE-1 and/or MAGE-3 transcripts was not detected in the PBMC of cirrhotic patients or in the PBMC of healthy controls. No statistical significant correlation was observed between the expression of MAGE genes and the increased levels of alphafoeto protein [AFP], the presence of liver cirrhosis or viral hepatitis. Therefore, these tumour specific antigens can be used as molecular markers for early diagnosis and possible targets for immunotherapy for patients with HCC

prostingen gene is up-regulated by androgens through androgen receptors in breast cancer cell lines

In order to explore the possible involvement of prostinogen in the pathogenesis of cancer, the expression of prostinogen, at the mRNA level, was studied by real time quantitative RT-PCR in three different breast cancer cell lines with different receptor contents and activity. Prostinogen is up-regulated by androgens in breast cancer cell lines. Time course experiments were done as early as two hours. In addition, blocking experiments showed a significant decrease in the expression levels after adding receptor blockers. This evidence suggested that this regulation is directly mediated through the androgen receptor

Urinary retinol binding protein, albumin, total protein concentrations and blood electrolytes in term and preterm neonates

Fifty neonates were included in this study, divided into two groups. Group 1[control group] consisted of 22 healthy neonates. Group 1A included 12 full term, 3 females and 9 males. Their gestational ages ranged between 37-39 weeks [mean 37.58 +/- 0.76 weeks]. Group 1B included 10 preterm neonates, 4 females and 6 males. Their gestational ages ranged between 28-34 weeks [mean 30.8 +/- 2.44 weeks]. Group II included 28 sick neonates admitted to the neonatal care unit of the pediatric department of El-Menoufiya University hospital and El-Menshawy general hospital. 10 had asphyxia, 5 had pneumonia, 7 had hyaline membrane disease and 6 had acute hemolysis. All the neonates were under antibiotic therapy. Group IIA consisted of 14 full term neonates, 2 females and 12 males. Their gestational ages ranged between 37-40 weeks [mean 37.64 +/- 0.81 weeks]. Group IIB consisted of 14 preterm neonates, 3 females and 11 males. Their gestational ages ranged between 27-35 weeks [mean 30.5 +/- 2.44 weeks]. All the neonates were subjected to thorough clinical history and examination, as well as measurement of serum sodium and potassium, blood urea, serum creatinine, urinary creatinine, total protein excretion, and measurement of urinary excretion of microalbumin and retinol binding protein [RBP] in untimed urine samples by ELIZA technique. The blood urea, microalbuminuria and total proteins were significantly elevated in sick neonates [Group II] compared to healthy neonates [Group I], however the difference was not influenced by the gestational age. No significant difference could be detected in serum sodium, potassium, serum creatinine and urinary creatinine between both groups. Measurement of RBP revealed that the healthy preterm neonates [Group IB] had a significantly higher level of RBP compared to the healthy full term [Group IA, P <0.05]. Also, the sick neonates [Group II] had a significantly higher level compared to the healthy ones [Group I, P<0.01]. RBP showed a significant negative correlation with the gestational age and the Apgar score at 1 and 5 minutes, and a significant positive correlation with blood urea and microalbuminuria. Evaluating the renal function by the excretion of RBP and microalbuminuria, showed that RBP was positive in 84% of the cases while microalbuminuria was detected in 30% of the cases only. It can be concluded that Retinol binding protein is an early and specific non-invasive marker of tubular functions. It has the advantage of being able to unmask even subtle cases of kidney injury when other parameters of kidney functions are still within the normal range

Epidemiologic and diagnostic profiles of hepatitis C infection among rural blood donors in Menoufiya, Egypt

Studies have shown a high prevalence of hepatitis [C] virus [HCV] infection in Egypt, particularly among blood donors and rural populations, Between January and July 1993, we conducted a study of 125 rural blood donors in Menoufiya, Egypt, to test the combined effect of blood donation and rural residence on HCV. We also investigated the risk factors for infection and tested the sensitivity and specificity of the serum markers; serum alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and serum aspartate aminotransferase [AST], in detecting anti-HCV antibodies. The blood donors were interviewed about sociodemographic, occupational, and medical characteristics that might relate to HCV infection. Blood samples were drawn and analyzed for ALT, AST, hepatitis B antigens, and anti-HCV antibodies using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] and recombinant immunoblot assay [RIBA]. The seroprevalenace of anti-HCV antibodies was 34.4% using ELISA and 27.2% using RIBA. Age older than 30 years and dentist visits during the five years prior to the study were the most important risk factors for testing positive for anti-HCV antibodies in the muItiple logistic regression analysis models, with odds ratios and confidence intervals of 3.9 [3.1-4. 7] and 3.0 [2.2-3.8] respectively. The sensitivity of ALT was 27.9% using ELlSA as the reference test and 35.2% using RIBA. When ALT was combined with hepatits B core antigen, the sensitivity was 69.8% using ELISA as the reference test and 61.7% using RIBA. RIBA testing usually confirmed the ELISA diagnosis of HCV. RIBA was positive in 79.1%, indeterminate in 16.3%, and negative in only 4.6% of ELISA-positive cases. More studies are needed to investigate the routes of transmission of HCV infection. RIBA should be considered in cases whose results of ELISA are not conclusive