Biomedical Research and Therapy

Evaluating serum C-reactive protein level in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and its correlation with disease severity

2018-11-15T07:28:51+00:00

Background: It has been proven that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at risk for increased atherothrombotic events. Studies have demonstrated that C-reactive protein (CRP) and COPD are risk factors for heart disease. The present study aimed to evaluate the serum level of CRP in patients with COPD and compare it with those of the control group.

Method: The present case-control study was conducted on 40 patients with COPD and 51 asymptomatic individuals (control subjects). High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), blood gases, and spirometry were evaluated in patients with COPD and compared with those of the control group.

Results: Patients with COPD had a higher hsCRP than the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (7.6 mg/L compared to 4.2 mg/L, P<0.001). A negative correlation was found between hsCRP and the predicted percentage of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1%) (P=0.03; r=0.32). There was also a positive correlation between hsCRP and the severity of COPD based on the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria (P=0.04; r=0.3).

Conclusion: Serum hsCRP is higher in the COPD group than the control group matched based on age, and hsCRP is correlated with the severity of COPD. Further studies with larger sample sizes are required for evaluating this correlation in patients with COPD.

Survival analysis of liver cirrhosis patients after transplantation using accelerated failure time models

2018-11-15T07:28:50+00:00

Introduction: Liver transplantation is known as the only treatment for advanced liver cirrhosis. Considering the importance of identifying the factors affecting the survival of cirrhosis patients after transplantation in order to improve the health of these patients and increase their longevity, this study was conducted to fit the best accelerated failure time model for survival analysis of cirrhosis patients.

Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted by collecting the information about 563 patients with liver cirrhosis who underwent liver transplantation in Imam Khomeini Hospital during 2002-2013 and were followed up for at least 5 years. The data were analyzed using Chisquare test, ANOVA, and Kaplan-Meier non-parametric method as well as exponential Accelerated Failure Time, Weibull, Log-Normal, and Log-Logistic survival models.

Results: During the study, 92 (16.3%) of the 563 patients under study died and 165 (29.3%) of them suffered liver transplant rejection. The one-year, three-year, and five-year survival of the patients after transplantation was 0.804, 0.653, and 0.420, respectively. Among the fitted Accelerated Failure Time models, the fitted log-logistic model was the most effective (P-value < 0.001). The effective variables in the Multiple regression log-logistic model included bilirubin (P-value < 0.001), INR (P-value < 0.001), creatinine (P-value < 0.001), and white blood cell (P-value = 0.011) logarithms.

Conclusion: Regarding the results of the study, bilirubin, INR, creatinine, and white blood cell logarithmic variables were effective in the survival analysis of the patients after liver transplantation. The survival of these patients can be enhanced through necessary care to maximally control these variables.

Mesenchymal stem cells accelerate liver regeneration in acute liver failure animal model

2018-11-15T07:36:30+00:00

Introduction: The massive hepatic necrosis of acute liver failure (ALF) results in a sudden loss of hepatic cells. Although most hepatocyte cells of ALF are completely lost, stem cell-derived circulating cells and endogenous progenitor cells rapidly regenerate them. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a critical role in the regeneration of liver injury through regulating platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels. However, their fluctuating levels in the healing process and correlation to the decrease of liver function markers remain unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of MSCs in accelerating liver regeneration of ALF by measuring VEGF and PDGF levels on day 2 and 7, as well as SGPT and SGOT levels, and assessing histopathology appearance.

Methods: Using an ALF rat model, 12 animals were randomly assigned into two groups: umbilical cord (UC)-MSC injection (T1) and vehicle control (Veh). ELISA assay was employed to measure PDGF and VEGF levels, an automatic analyzer was used to assess serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was used to evaluate morphological appearance.

Results: The study showed an significant (P<0.001) increase of PDGF and VEGF levels on the 2^nd day, followed by a decrease on the 7^th day, along with a decrease of SGPT and SGOT levels as well as the normality of histology appearance.

Conclusion: In conclusion, administration of MSCs may accelerate liver regeneration of ALF through PDGF and VEGF regulation.

Non-syndromic multiple impacted teeth: two case reports

2018-11-15T07:28:47+00:00

Multiple impacted permanent teeth is a rare finding and often associated with systemic diseases or some rare syndromes. This article reports two Iranian cases with multiple impacted teeth without systemic disease or syndromes. The first patient, a 17-year-old male, had 18 unerupted teeth and 9 unerupted supernumerary teeth. The second patient, a 16-year-old female, had 14 unerupted teeth. In these cases, an interdisciplinary approach between orthodontist, oral surgeon and prosthodontist is required to achieve optimum facial aesthetics and functional occlusion.

Correction to: Insertion / Deletion Polymorphism of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Gene Does Not Contribute to Chronic Kidney Disease in Palestine

2018-11-15T07:28:49+00:00

CORRECTION

In the publication of this article, the figure 1 contained the mistake. This has now been updated as the new figure as below in the original article. The authors declare that the correction does not change the results or conclusion of this paper.