Background: There are also reports from other parts of the world indicating the presence of significant association of H. pylori infection and hyperemesis gravidarum, a bothersome condition that affects pregnant women. Objective: To test the hypothesis that whether H. pylori infection is associated with hyperemesis gravidarum among Iranian H.P carriers. Methods: From November 1999 to February 2001, we enrolled 54 pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum and 53 asymptomatic pregnant women (control group) in a prospective study. Using a specific serum IgG against H. pylori, the seroprevalence of H. pylori infection was determined in both study and control groups. Results: Serologically positive H. pylori infection was detected in 44 (82%) out of 54 patients with hyperemesis gravidarum and 29 (55%) out of 53 asymptomatic pregnant women. The prevalence was significantly (p<0.01) higher in those with hyperemesis gravidarum than those in the control group. The mean±SD of the IgG titer in the study group (69.7±77.5) was significantly (p<0.01) more than that of the control group (34.5±47.8). Conclusion: H. pylori infection may cause hyperemesis gravidarum.

Severe nausea and vomiting associated with weight loss, ketonemia, and electrolyte imbalance in pregnancy is called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). Its cause is unknown but there are some hypotheses like hormonal mechanisms, psychological and emotional factors and Helicobacter pylori infection. The aim of this study was to find an association between (HG) and H. pylori infection. For this purpose in a prospective study from Aug. 2001 to Feb. 2002, the serum antibodies against H. pylori in 39 patients with HG was compared with IgG titers of 55 asymptomatic pregnant women at the same gestational age as controls. Venous blood was taken after the patients had given their written consent. Specific serum antibodies (immunoglobulin IgG) directed against H. pylori was measured by fluorescent enzyme-immunoassay. IgG titers less than 15 was considered negative, IgG titers more than 20 were regarded positive and IgG titers between 15-20 were considered as suspicious and required repeating the test after 2-4 weeks. Chi square, Mann Whitney and Student t test were used for statistical analysis of the data. Positive serum IgG concentrations were found in 26 of the 39 hyperemesis patients (66.7%) compared with 23 of 55 controls (41.8%). The difference was statistically significant(P<0.015). The mean IgG titers in hyperemesis group were 25 compared to 10.5 in control group(P<0.05). It seems that H. pylori infection is significantly associated with HG.

Background and Objectives: Obesity is a major health issue linked to conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Infectobesity suggests that certain microorganisms may contribute to obesity. Human adenovirus serotypes, particularly Human adenovirus type-36 (HAdV-36), Human adenovirus type-5 (HAdV-5), and Human adenovirus type-37 (HAdV-37), are thought to influence body fat regulation. This study investigates the relationship between Immunoglobulin G (IgG) positivity for HAdV-5 and HAdV-37 and obesity, aiming to provide data on the infectious etiology of obesity. Materials and Methods: Blood samples separated into serums from obese (BMI ≥30) and non-obese (BMI 18.5-25) individuals were tested for HAdV-5 and HAdV-37 seropositivity using ELISA kits and seropositivity rates between the groups were compared. Results: HAdV-37 antibody positivity was significantly higher in obese patients (39/48) compared to the control group (24/42) (p=0.011). For HAdV-5, antibody positivity was similar in both groups (26 individuals each) with no significant difference (p=0.461). No significant gender-related differences were found for either serotype. Conclusion: The study suggests HAdV-37 may be associated with obesity, while no such relationship was found for HAdV-5. There was no gender association for either serotype. These results align with existing literature on HAdV-37, but further research is needed to confirm the link between adenoviruses and obesity and explore potential treatment options.

Background: Some evidence has shown a relationship between human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and pregnancy loss. However, whether recurrent or latent CMV infection or altered immune response to CMV is related to recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is unclear. We evaluated CMV infection and avidity of antibodies to CMV in women with RPL.Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 43 women with RPL referred to a clinical immunology out-patient clinic in Isfahan (Iran), and 43 age-matched multiparous women without history of abortion as control subjects. Patients and controls were evaluated for anti- CMV IgG and IgM antibodies and IgG avidity index (AI) using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay method. Student’s t-test and Chi-square test were used to analyze the data.Results: One case (2.3%) of positive anti-CMV IgM was detected in each group. Anti-CMV IgG positivity was more frequent in patients than in controls (90.6% vs. 69.8%, P=0.014), but there was no difference between the two groups in anti-CMV IgG AI (79.4±11.4 vs. 80.1±10.2, P=0.781). IgG titer was significantly higher in seropositive cases with RPL than seropositive controls (5.18±1.99 vs. 2.00±0.81, P<0.001).Conclusion: We found that previous exposure to CMV was significantly higher in patients with RPL than the control group. However, no association was found between IgG AI and RPL. Further investigations are needed to find whether latent CMV infection starts an indirect process of autoimmune etiology in RPL or women with RPL have recurrent or reactivation of CMV infection.

We aimed to investigate IgG antibody levels specific to Toxocara canis (T. canis), a parasite which subsists in dog’s intestine, on serum samples obtained from patients with chronic urticaria (CU) to evaluate effective risk in CU etiopathogenesis. In this study, 73 patients diagnosed with CU and 109 healthy individuals as control group, were included. Various factors such as sex, age, education and income, daily hand washing habits, history of dog owning and soil eating were questioned in patient anamnesis. T. canis IgG antibodies were detected using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit prepared with T. canis larval excretory-secretory antigens. Positive results were confirmed with western blot (WB) WB test. We found T. canis IgG positivity in 17.8% (n=13) of patients (n=73) with CU. But we did not observe any T. canis IgG positivity in healthy controls (n=109). Low molecular weight bands (24-35 kDa) were observed in 11 samples in WB analyses while two of the samples were weakly positive. It is revealed that dog owning history increases T. canis seropositivity 12.9 times while insufficient daily hand washing habit (less than six times a day) increases seropositivity 20.7 times. Our study showed that T. canis may trigger CU since we found 17.8% seropositivity in 73 patients with CU and none in 109 healthy individuals. Moreover, various socio-demographic characteristics have been shown to affect T. canis seropositivity in patients with CU.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in children with anxiety disorders.Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between Sep 2012 and May 2013 in Pediatrics Clinic of Baqiyatallah Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Children were assessed clinically. Diagnosis of patients with anxiety disorders was based on DSM-4 system, performed by child psychiatrist. Then their anti-Toxoplasma antibodies were measured. A questionnaire was verbally administered to all individuals’ parents including demographic information and questions about life style, family history, medical history, economic situation, residence, nutritional patterns and contact with animals.Results: Ninety-six male and female cases with a mean age of 8.56±2.5 and 8.42±1.9 yr underwent analysis. Anti- T. gondii IgG antibody was found in one case of each group. There was no significant difference between case and control groups for serum Toxoplasma IgG antibody (P=0.14). No case individuals had Anti- T. gondii IgM antibody, while it was found in one control individual. No significant difference was seen between case and control groups for Toxoplasma IgM antibody (P=0.27).Conclusion: Toxoplasmosis has no direct effect on the incidence of anxiety disorders. More studies are needed with a larger volume of individuals in future.