Hepatitis Monthly
Year:2014 | Volume:14 | Issue:4|Papers Count:10

Background: Nowadays attention to use herbs such as cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) is increasing, which contains high levels of antioxidants and anthocyanins. Cornus mas fruits have been used for gastrointestinal and excretory disorders for many years in traditional medicine, also may improve liver and kidney functions, and have protective effects such as anti-allergic, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antihistamine and antimalarial properties.Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate protective effects of Cornus mas fruits extract on serum biomarkers in CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in male rats.Materials and Methods: Hepatotoxicity was induced by administration of carbon tetrachloride (1 mL/kg i.p.) in 1: 1 dilution with olive oil. To evaluate the effect of Cornus mas fruits extract on disease progression, serum marker enzymes, serum total protein and albumin and liver lipid peroxidation were determined in CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity.Results: Oral administration of Cornus mas fruits extract to rats for 14 days provided a significant (P<0.05) hepatoprotection by decreasing elevated serum level of enzymes, total serum protein, albumin and liver lipid peroxidation content.Conclusions: Cornus mas fruit extract effect may be due to including some antioxidant components, which caused membrane stabilizing and normalization of fluctuated biochemical profiles induced by CCl4 exposure. Our results validated the traditional use of Cornus mas in the treatment of liver disorders.

Background: Previous studies have suggested hepatitis B splice-generated protein (HBSP), when expressed, is involved in the pathogenesis of HBV infection.Objectives: We aimed to evaluate anti-HBSP incidence and association with several HBV infection parameters in a group of Syrian chronic hepatitis B patients.Patients and Methods: Eighty treatment-naïve HBsAg-positive adult chronic hepatitis B patients' sera were included in our prospective targeted study. Liver function, virological and histological tests results were obtained from patients’ medical files. Three variants of a 20-mer HBSP-derived peptide were designed based on HBV genome sequences obtained from Syrian patients' sera (GenBank Accession No. JN257148-JN257217). Microtiter plate wells were coated with the synthetic peptides and used to detect anti-HBSP antibodies by an optimized indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Samples were considered positive when showed optical density (OD) values higher than the cut-off value for at least one peptide variant.Results: Seven out of eighty (9%) CHB patients were positive for anti-HBSP antibodies. Mean OD values were not significantly different between HBeAg-positive and -negative patients (P>0.05). OD values showed weak positive correlation with ALT and AST values (P<0.05), and weak to moderate positive correlation with liver biopsy staging ranks (P<0.05). No significant correlation was revealed with viral load values or liver biopsy grading ranks (P>0.05).Conclusions: We introduced an anti-HBSP antibodies ELISA, designed for locally circulating HBV strains. Correlation observed of Anti-HBSP with liver fibrosis staging regardless of viral replication and liver inflammation suggests anti-HBSP antibodies as possible indicator for HBV-associated liver fibrosis.

Background: Chronic hepatitis B is one of the world's major health concern. The etiological agent of this infection is hepatitis B virus (HBV), which can evade the immune system response. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF- b1) can act against HBV by suppressing the viral replication. The TGF-b1 also plays an important role in preventing liver damage in chronically HBV infected patients.Objectives: In this study, the association of TGF-b1+915G/C and -509C/T gene polymorphisms with chronic hepatitis B was evaluated in Iranian patients.Materials and Methods: A population-based case–control study was conducted in Taleghani Hospital, Tehran. A number of 220 patients with chronic hepatitis B and the same number of healthy control subjects were designated the case and the control groups. The PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Method (PCR-RFLP) method was used for genotyping both polymorphisms. Ten percent of the control samples were sequenced to confirm the results.Results: No statically significant differences in genotype distribution and allele frequency were observed for both polymorphisms between healthy controls and patients with chronic hepatitis B.Conclusions: There was no association between TGF- b1 -509C/T and+915G/C polymorphisms with chronic hepatitis B and it seems that these changes don not play a significant role in increasing the risk of chronic infection in Iranian patients.

Background: The hepatitis B virus is an important healthcare problem. According to current clinical practice, a liver biopsy is required for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic liver disease. However, a liver biopsy is an invasive, inconvenient procedure, which requires an expert pathologist opinion. Therefore requirement of biochemical tests, which are considered to indicate hepatic fibrosis and may be repeated easily, increases gradually today.Objectives: This study evaluated the correlation between hepatic fibrosis and routine laboratory values in patients with chronic hepatitis B.Patients and Methods: The files of 456 patients with CHB (chronic hepatitis B) who were referred to the infectious diseases and clinical microbiology clinic between January 2009 and March 2012 were screened retrospectively. Liver biopsy samples were examined according to Ishak scoring. Laboratory parameters and histopathology reports were recorded, and correlations between the fibrosis grade and laboratory parameters were analyzed.Results: There were 320 male and 136 female patients, with a mean age 36.7±12.1 years. According to liver biopsy results, a low fibrosis score (stage 0-2) was detected in 281 patients (61.6%), and a high fibrosis score (stage 3-5) was detected in 175 patients (38.4%). Patients with a high fibrosis score had significantly higher ALT (alanine amino transferase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase), and HBV-DNA values and a significantly lower platelet count compared with those with a low fibrosis score (P=0.001, 0.001, 0.025, and 0.001, respectively). A positive correlation was detected between the fibrosis score and age, BMI, HAI, ALT, and AST values, and a negative correlation was detected between the fibrosis score and albumin and platelet counts. In the regression analysis performed to evaluate the factors associated with high-stage fibrosis, fibrosis was determined to be associated with thrombosis, ALT, and gender. The results of the regression analysis demonstrated that the risk of fibrosis was 4.6 fold higher in men.Conclusions: According to the results obtained in our study, advanced age, higher BMI, AST, ALT, and HBV-DNA levels, and low albumin and platelet levels are correlated with advanced fibrosis in patients with CHB.

Background: Liver transplant is the only definitive treatment for many patients with end stage liver disease. Presence and severity of preoperative pulmonary disease directly affect the rate of postoperative complications of the liver transplantation. Arterial blood gas (ABG) measurement, performed in many transplant centers, is considered as a traditional method to diagnose hypoxemia. Because ABG measurement is invasive and painful, pulse oximetry, a bedside, noninvasive and inexpensive technique, has been recommended as an alternative source for the ABG measurement.Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of pulse oximetry as a screening tool in hypoxemia detection in liver transplant candidates and to compare the results with ABGs.Patients and Methods: Three hundred and ninety transplant candidates (237 males and 153 females) participated in this study. Arterial blood gas oxyhemoglobin saturation (SaO2) was recorded and compared with pulse oximetry oxyhemoglobin saturation (SpO2) results for each participants. The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves was calculated by means of nonparametric methods to evaluate the efficacy of pulse oximetry to detect hypoxemia.Results: Roc-derived SpO2 threshold of ≤94% can predict hypoxemia (PaO2<60 mmHg) with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 95%. Furthermore, there are associations between the ROC-derived SpO2 threshold of ≤97% and detection of hypoxemia (PaO2<70 mmHg) with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 46%. The accuracy of pulse oximetry was not affected by the severity of liver disease in detection of hypoxemia.Conclusions: Provided that SpO2 is equal to or greater than 94%, attained from pulse oximetry can be used as a reliable and accurate substitute for the ABG measurements to evaluate hypoxemia in patients with end stage liver disease.

Context: Viral hepatitis diagnosis is an important issue in the treatment procedure of this infection. Late diagnosis and delayed treatment of viral hepatitis infections can lead to irreversible liver damages and occurrence of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. A variety of laboratory methods including old and new technologies are being applied to detect hepatitis viruses. Here we have tried to review, categorize, compare and illustrate the classical and modern approaches used for diagnosis of viral hepatitis.Evidence Acquisition: In order to achieve a comprehensive aspect in viral hepatitis detection methods, an extensive search using related keywords was done in major medical library and data were collected, categorized and summarized in different sections.Results: Analyzing of collected data resulted in the wrapping up the hepatitis virus detection methods in separate sections including 1) immunological methods such as enzyme immunoassay (EIA), radio-immunoassay (RIA) immuno-chromatographic assay (ICA), and immuno-chemiluminescence 2) molecular approaches including non-amplification and amplification based methods, and finally 3) advanced biosensors such as mass-sensitive, electrical, electrochemical and optical based biosensors and also new generation of detection methods.Conclusions: Detection procedures in the clinical laboratories possess a large diversity; each has their individual advantages and facilities' differences.

Background: Elevated aminotransferases serve as surrogate markers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a feature commonly associated with the metabolic syndrome. Studies on the prevalence of fatty liver disease in obese children comprise small patient samples or focus on those patients with liver enzyme elevation.Objectives: We have prospectively analyzed liver enzymes in all overweight and obese children coming to our tertiary care centre.Patients and Methods: In a prospective study 224 healthy, overweight or obese children aged 1 - 12 years were examined. Body Mass Index-Standard Deviation Score, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase were measured.Results: Elevated alanine aminotransferase was observed in 29% of children.26 % of obese and 30 % of overweight children had liver enzyme elevations. Obese children had significantly higher alanine aminotransferase levels than overweight children (0.9 vs.0.7 times the Upper Limit of Normal; P=0.04).Conclusions: Elevation of liver enzymes appears in 29 % obese children in a tertiary care centre. Absolute alanine aminotransferase levels are significantly higher in obese than in overweight children. Even obese children with normal liver enzymes show signs of fatty liver disease as demonstrated by liver enzymes at the upper limit of normal.

Background: Telomerase activity is closely associated with the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA; although it can be induced in hepatocytes during liver regeneration, its dynamic change in patients with liver failure has remained unclear.Objectives: We investigated the variation and significance of hTERT mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of the patients with liver failure.Patients and Methods: In this clinical experimental study, 76 Chinese patients were enrolled in the study between 2010 and 2012. The level of PBMCs hTERT mRNA was detected by relative quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the samples taken before treatment and at seven-day intervals during a 28-day treatment period. The patients were divided into survivor and non-survivor groups according to the 3-months mortality after treatment. The dynamic variation of PBMCs hTERT mRNA was analyzed and its association with prognosis was assessed by the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve.Results: The median level of PBMCs hTERT mRNA in survivors increased with treatment time and was significantly higher than the corresponding level in non-survivors after 14 days of treatment (P<0.001). Subgroup analyses showed that the levels of PBMCs hTERT mRNA were remarkably higher in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure than in those with chronic liver failure (P<0.05). In patients with the same clinical type of liver failure, the level was markedly higher in survivors than in non-survivors after 14 days of treatment (P<0.05); however, the levels were not significantly different between subgroups with different clinical type but the same prognosis. The sensitivity and specificity of PBMCs hTERT mRNA was high in evaluating the prognosis at day 14 and became much higher at days 21 and 28 post treatment. The expression of PBMCs hTERT mRNA had high sensitivity and specificity in evaluating the prognosis as early as day 14 post treatment and was significantly superior to the prognostic value of serum alpha-fetoprotein.Conclusions: The expression of PBMCs hTERT mRNA is closely associated with patient outcome, which indicates that hTERT mRNA in PBMCs might be useful as a prognostic biomarker of liver failure.

Background: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is an important neuropsychiatry complication of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). PPI therapy may increase the intestinal bacterial overgrowth and infections.Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess whether PPI use in ACLF is associated with HE.Patients and Methods: A retrospective case-control study was performed. Fifty five admitted patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) -related ACLF complicated by Stage II-IV HE developed after admission between January 2008 and December 2012 were matched (by sex, age, and MELD score) with comparable HBV-related ACLF patients (n=110) who did not develop this complication during hospitalization. We excluded combined HE upon admission and other neurological disorders in patients with ACLF. Univariate and multivariate analyses of 30 variables (laboratory examination, predisposition, treatment, etc.) before the occurrence of HE were carried out to identify the factors predictive of HE.Results: In univariate analysis, patients with HE in ACLF had a significantly higher rate of PPI use (89.1%) compared with non-HE (63.6%, P=0.001). In addition, clinical and standard laboratory variables were significantly different between the two groups regarding the infection rate, hyponatremia, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), Arginine Hydrochloride use and Lactulose use. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the combined effects of the variables with HE as the outcome. HE in ACLF was associated with hyponatremia (odds ratio (OR) =6.318, 95% confidence interval (CI) =2.803-14.241; P=0.000), PPI use was independently associated with HE (OR=4.392, CI=1.604-12.031; P=0.004), and lactulose use was protective (OR=0.294, CI=0.136-0.675; P=0.003).Conclusions: The occurrence of HE is associated with hyponatremia and PPI use in patients with ACLF.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease, with around 130 million infected people worldwide. HCV is recognized by Toll-like receptors (TLRs), which are key mediators of innate immune response. Up on activation of TLRs, anti-viral cytokines and pre-inflammatory are produced.Objectives: In this study, we compared the expression levels of two members of the TLR family (TLR3 and TLR7) that recognize viral RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) of patients with chronic HCV infection and healthy controls.Patients and Methods: In this case-control study, blood samples were collected from patients admitted to Blood Transfusion Research Center, Tehran, Iran. PBMC was isolated from blood of chronic HCV patients (n=25) and age and sex-matched healthy controls (n=25). RNA was extracted from PBMC and cDNA was synthesized from total RNA templates using reverse transcriptase. The relative level of expression was quantified by real-time PCR using Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as reference gene and the results were compared by Pfaffl method. Data were analyzed using non-parametric Wilcoxon test. P<0.05 was considered significant.Results: In both groups, we had 13 males and 12 females with a mean age of 48.7±16. TLR3 (6.23±0.91 vs.3.89±0.85, P<0.001) and TLR7 (1.48±0.82 vs-1.33±1.18, P<0.001) expressions were significantly lower in patients with chronic HCV infection when compared with healthy controls.Conclusions: This study suggests that decrease in levels of TLR3 and TLR7 expression is a mechanism that may enable HCV to evade the host innate immune response.