Impact of weight reduction program on serum alanine aminotransferase activity and immunologic response in obese hepatitis B patients.

Background: Globally, chronic B viral hepatitis (HBV) is a major health problem. Obesity is a common problem among patients with HBV. Several studies have reported that obesity is an important risk factor that alters immune system response in individuals with no underlying cause of liver disease. However, there is a strong association between BMI and the human immune system among HBV patients. Objective: This study was to examine the correlation between body mass index, serum alanine aminotransferase activity (ALT) and immunologic response in obese hepatitis B patients. Material and methods: One hundred fifty male patients with chronic hepatitis B virus, their age ranged from 30 to 45 (38.64 ± 7.12) years and their BMI ranged from 30-35 kg/m2. All Subjects were included in two groups: The first group received weight reduction program in the form of treadmill aerobic exercises in addition to diet control whereas the second group received no therapeutic intervention. Parameters of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), CD3, CD4 and CD8 were quantified; Leukocyte, differential counts and body mass index (BMI) were measured before and after 3 months at the end of the study. Results: There was a 24.7%, 36.8%, 30.8%, 40.7%, 28.6%, 25.9%, 33.3% and 14.3 % reduction in mean values of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), white blood cells, total neutrophil count, monocytes, CD3, CD4 ,CD8 and BMI respectively in group (A) at the end of the study. In addition, there were significant differences between mean levels of the investigated parameters in groups. Conclusion: Based on our findings, weight loss modulates serum alanine aminotransferase and immune system parameters of patients with hepatitis B virus infection.

Role of Serum Levels of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Its Receptor in Retinopathy of Prematurity

Background: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a disorder of developing retina of low birth weight preterm infants which can lead to blindness. One theory attributes the fibrosis seen in ROP to deregulation of vascularization in the retina. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the important mediators involved in vascularization. Objectives: This study was carried out to assess the role of VEGF and its receptor in retinopathy of prematurity. Patients and Methods: Around 200 preterm infants born in SSK hospital were screened at 33 - 34 weeks. These babies were followed up according to the international classification of retinopathy of prematurity (ICROP) criteria. Those infants who developed ROP at 38 - 40 weeks were enrolled in group A while an equal number of infants who did not develop ROP were included in group B. Each group comprised of 30 subjects each. Venous sampling was carried out twice, once at 33 - 34 weeks and then again at 38 - 40 weeks. VEGF and VEGF-R2 were estimated by commercially available ELISA kits. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the levels of VEGF and VEGF-R2 in both groups at first visit as well as the follow up visit. However, the intra-group difference was significant between the first and the final visit in VEGF and VEGF-R2 levels in the cases with ROP. In the control population, the VEGF levels were significantly lower in the follow up visit as compared to the initial visit. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that a significant difference is seen in the serum VEGF and VRGF-R2 in the second visit of the infants with ROP demonstrating that VEGF might be responsible for the initiation and aggravation of ROP.