Critical flicker frequency is diagnostic of minimal hepatic encephalopathy.

Minimal hepatic encephalopathy may affect up to 80% of cirrhotic patients, in the absence of overt hepatic encephalopathy. The objective of the study is to evaluate the accuracy of diagnosis of minimal hepatic encephalopathy with critical flicker frequency (CFF). The study was conducted on 180 patients with post hepatitis C liver cirrhosis and on 60 healthy subjects as control.

Low-density lipoprotein receptor genetic polymorphism in chronic hepatitis C virus Egyptian patients affects treatment response.

Aim: To correlate a genetic polymorphism of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor with antiviral responses in Egyptian chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients.

Methods: Our study included 657 HCV-infected patients with genotype 4 who received interferon-based combination therapy. Patients were divided into two groups based on their response to therapy: 356 were responders, and 301 were non-responders.

Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinase-1 and 2 and Obesity Related Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Is There a Relationship.

Background/aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a spectrum of clinical conditions, including simple steatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The aim of the study is to evaluate the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1 and 2 (TIMPs) as noninvasive predictors of NASH.

Methods: Three groups were included in the study.

Molecular identification of giardia intestinalis in patients with dyspepsia.

Background/aims: Giardia intestinalis triggers symptoms of functional dyspepsia. The aim of this study was to distinguish genotypes of G. intestinalis isolated from dyspeptic patients to evaluate their correlation with dyspeptic symptoms.

Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration versus Percutaneous Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration in Diagnosis of Focal Pancreatic Masses.

Objective: Pancreatic carcinoma is one of the leading cancer morbidity and mortality world-wide. Controversy has arisen about whether the percutaneous approach with computed tomography/ultrasonography-guidance fine needle aspiration (US-FNA) or endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is the preferred method to obtain diagnostic tissue. Our purpose of this study is to compare between the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-FNA and percutaneous US-FNA in diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

Association of interferon-γ inducible protein-10 pretreatment level and sustained virological response in HCV-positive Egyptian patients.

Background: The response to antiviral therapy in HCV infected patients depends on several predictive factors; however, the ability to achieve sustained virological response is still limited to around 60% of the patients infected with the HCV-4 genotype. Increased serum and intrahepatic interferon -γ inducible protein 10 (IP-10) levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C have been described. The aim of the work was to study the impact of pretreatment serum IP-10 level on the antiviral treatment outcome in a group of Egyptian patients infected with HCV.

Prevalence of photosensitivity in chronic hepatitis C virus patients and its relation to serum and urinary porphyrins.

Background & Aims: HCV is a major cause of chronic liver disease in Egypt. The aim was to study the prevalence of photosensitivity among asymptomatic HCV-infected patients and its possible relation to porphyrins levels and whether it can be considered an alarm for early diagnosis of the disease, which is the most important goal in the management.

Methods: This study included 100 accidentally discovered HCV positive cases and 100 HCV negative healthy controls.

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of inflammatory bowel diseases in Cairo, Egypt.

Aim: To study the natural history, patterns and clinical characteristics of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in Egypt.

Methods: We designed a case-series study in the gastroenterology centre of the Internal Medicine department of Cairo University, which is a tertiary care referral centre in Egypt. We included all patients in whom the diagnosis of ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn's disease (CD) was confirmed by clinical, laboratory, endoscopic, histological and/or radiological criteria over the 15 year period from 1995 to 2009, and we studied their sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

Noninvasive assessment of hepatic fibrosis in Egyptian patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

Aim: To evaluate the accuracy of specific biochemical markers for the assessment of hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Methods: One hundred and fifty-four patients with chronic HCV infection were included in this study; 124 patients were non-cirrhotic, and 30 were cirrhotic. The following measurements were obtained in all patients: serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), albumin, total bilirubin, prothrombin time and concentration, complete blood count, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), HCVAb, HCV-RNA by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, abdominal ultrasound and ultrasonic-guided liver biopsy.

Serum mannan-binding lectin in egyptian patients with chronic hepatitis C: its relation to disease progression and response to treatment.

Background: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major worldwide public health problem. Egypt has the highest prevalence of adult HCV infection in the world, averaging 15%-25% in rural communities. Mannan-binding lectin (MBL) is a liver-derived pluripotent serum lectin that plays a role in the innate immune system of the host.

Role of ultrasound elastography in prediction of malignancy in thyroid nodules.

Background: Ultrasonography is considered useful to distinguish between solid and cystic thyroid nodules and to stratify a nodule's risk of cancer as low, medium, or high. Ultrasound (US) elastography has been applied to study the hardness/elasticity of nodules to differentiate malignant from benign lesions. Elastography possibly can solve the dilemma in reaching an accurate diagnosis for the cytologically known as indeterminate nodules.

Can we consider the right hepatic lobe size/albumin ratio a noninvasive predictor of oesophageal varices in hepatitis C virus-related liver cirrhotic Egyptian patients?

Background: The current guidelines recommend the screening of all cirrhotic patients by endoscopy, but repeated endoscopic examinations are unpleasant for patients and have a high cost impact and burden on endoscopic units. The aim of this study is to evaluate the optimal liver lobe size/albumin ratio and to compare this ratio with spleen size, platelet count and platelet count/spleen diameter ratio as potential noninvasive predictors of oesophageal varices in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver cirrhosis in Egyptian patients.

Methods: This prospective study included one hundred patients with HCV-related liver cirrhosis.

A comparative study between three noninvasive predictors of oesophageal varices in post hepatitis C virus liver cirrhosis in Egypt.

Background And Aim: The prevention of variceal bleeding is very important. The current guide lines recommend screening of all cirrhotic patients by endoscopy, to identify patients at risk of bleeding in whom prophylactic treatment should be started. Repeated endoscopic examinations are unpleasant for patients, and carry a high cost impact and burden on endoscopic units, while only 50% of cirrhotic patients have esophageal varices, 30% of whom have large varices.

Study of serum ghrelin changes and its correlation with malnutrition in liver cirrhosis in Egypt.

Egypt has the highest prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) all over the world, with an estimated 8-10 million among a population of 68 million having been exposed to the virus and 5-7 million active infections (Frank et al., 2000). It is considered the most common aetiology of chronic liver disease (CLD) in Egypt, where prevalence of antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) is 10-fold greater than in the United States and Europe (Goldstone et al.

Long-term effect of argon plasma coagulation (APC) in the treatment of gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE).

Background And Study Aims: Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is a distinct vascular abnormality, mainly involving the gastric antrum. It is a rare but well-known cause of occult gastrointestinal bleeding. Various endoscopic treatment modalities have been tried in this condition.