The relationship between portal hypertension and portal hypertensive gastropathy.

Background And Aim: Portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) most commonly occurs in the setting of increased portal pressure in patients with cirrhosis. Here, we aimed to understand the correlation between hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) and the presence and severity of PHG in patients with cirrhosis.

Methods: We examined patients with cirrhosis who underwent HVPG measurement at the Medical University of South Carolina between 2014 and 2020.

Glutamine supplementation can reduce some atherosclerosis markers after exhaustive exercise in young healthy males.

Objectives: Glutamine can be beneficial to athletes for its antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of glutamine supplementation on some atherosclerosis markers after exhaustive exercise in young healthy males.

Methods: In an intervention study, 30 healthy males (case = 15 and control = 15) were randomly assigned into two groups.

Prevalence, Pattern, and Correlates of Polypharmacy among Iranian Type II Diabetic Patients: Results from Pars Cohort Study.

Background: Polypharmacy can negatively affect the life of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients. There is little evidence on the associated factors of, and patterns of polypharmacy among T2DM patients in developing regions. The aim of this study is to determine the population-based prevalence of polypharmacy, its associated factors, and pattern in southern Iran.

Urinary estrogen metabolites and gastric cancer risk among postmenopausal women.

Background: The overall incidence of gastric cancer in women is half that in men for most global populations. Sex hormone pathways may be involved in carcinogenesis and estrogens have been postulated to protect women against gastric cancer.

Aim: To evaluate associations of gastric cancer with estrogen metabolites in postmenopausal women.

Identifying the Profile of -Negative Gastric Cancers: A Case-Only Analysis within the Stomach Cancer Pooling (StoP) Project.

Background: The prevalence of -negative gastric cancer (HpNGC) can be as low as 1%, when infection is assessed using more sensitive tests or considering the presence of gastric atrophy. HpNGC may share a high-risk profile contributing to the occurrence of cancer in the absence of infection. We estimated the proportion of HpNGC, using different criteria to define infection status, and compared HpNGC and positive cases regarding gastric cancer risk factors.

The effect of glutamine supplementation on serum levels of some inflammatory factors, oxidative stress, and appetite in COVID-19 patients: a case-control study.

Background: Malnutrition is seen in COVID-19 patients, and reducing malnutrition with appropriate therapies may improve these patients' health. This case-control study aimed to assess and compare serum levels of some inflammatory factors, oxidative stress, and appetite in COVID-19 patients with respiratory infections that receive glutamine treatment with a control group.

Methods: In this study, patients who consented to use glutamine were considered as the case group and other patients who did not use glutamine were considered as a control group.

Single-Cell Transcriptomics Reveals a Conserved Metaplasia Program in Pancreatic Injury.

Background & Aims: Acinar to ductal metaplasia (ADM) occurs in the pancreas in response to tissue injury and is a potential precursor for adenocarcinoma. The goal of these studies was to define the populations arising from ADM, the associated transcriptional changes, and markers of disease progression.

Methods: Acinar cells were lineage-traced with enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) to follow their fate post-injury.

A case of COVID-19 with concomitant infection with hepatitis A.

Symptoms of COVID-19 ranging from mild to severe and pulmonary manifestations are the most common. However, liver injury is not rare as there might be a reciprocal influence between COVID-19 and hepatic disease. While high levels of liver enzymes are associated with an increased prevalence of severe complications, the search for other etiologies of hepatic disease should be not be ignored.

The healthy behaviours and COVID-19 mortality among Iranian women: a case-control study.

Background: Women are among the susceptible groups to Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) in Ardabil, north-west of Iran, despite the current global status. The underlying causes of high incidence and fatality rate of women in Ardabil are not fully understood. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the healthy behaviours in women of Ardabil and its relationship with COVID-19 mortality.

PPAR-gamma agonists: Potential modulators of autophagy in obesity.

Autophagy pathways are involved in the pathogenesis of some obesity related health problems. As obesity is a nutrient sufficiency condition, autophagy process can be altered in obesity through AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK) inhibition. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) as the main modulator of adipogenesis process can be effective in the regulation of obesity related phenotypes.

Normal or near normal aminotransferase levels in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.

Background: Alcoholic liver disease is caused by excessive alcohol consumption that results in an inflammatory response and fibrosis. We have recognized that patients with alcoholic cirrhosis often have unremarkable liver enzyme values.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort analysis, we identified consecutive patients with documented alcoholic cirrhosis at an academic medical center who were admitted between January 1 2016 and December 1 2018.

Nationwide Prevalence of Diabetes and Prediabetes and Associated Risk Factors Among Iranian Adults: Analysis of Data from PERSIAN Cohort Study.

Introduction: Over the past decades prevalence of diabetes has increased in Iran and other countries. This study aimed to update the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes in Iran and to determine associated sociodemographic risk factors, as well as diabetes awareness and control.

Methods: This is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey that included 163,770 Iranian adults aged 35-70 years, from different ethnic backgrounds, between 2014 and 2020.

Profiling inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers following taurine supplementation: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of controlled trials.

Taurine (Tau) has modulatory effects on inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers; however, the results of clinical studies are not comprehensive enough to determine the effect of different durations and doses of Tau supplementation on inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers. The current study was conducted based on the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. For this purpose, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Embase databases were systematically searched to obtain the relevant studies published before 30th March 2021.

A Pilot Randomized, Clinical Trial of the Anti-pruritus Effect of Melatonin in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease.

Pruritus is one of the disturbing complications induced by chronic liver disease (CLD), bearing a negative impact on patient quality of life and potentially resulting in early liver transplants. Given the main role of the autotaxin enzyme in pruritus induced by CLD and the suppressive effects of melatonin on the expression of the autotaxin gene, this study was designed to evaluate the antipruritic effect of melatonin in patients with CLD. A double-blind, cross-over, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial was conducted on patients with CLD -induced pruritis.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Iranian population: A population-based study in northwestern of Iran.

Background: Overweight and obesity and its problems are the most important health and nutrition issues of adolescents in developed and developing countries. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the studied population.

Design And Methods: This Persian Cohort Study is a population-based study of 10,000 men and women, aged 35-70 years in northwest of Iran.

Cigarette Smoking and Opium Use in Relation to the Oral Microbiota in Iran.

Cigarettes and opium contain chemicals and particulate matter that may modify the oral microbiota. This study aimed to investigate the association between cigarette and opium use with the oral microbiota. A total of 558 participants were recruited from Iran between 2011 and 2015.

The emerging role of miR-200 family in metastasis: focus on EMT, CSCs, angiogenesis, and anoikis.

Introduction: Cancer is the second major threat to human society and one of the main challenges facing healthcare systems. One of the main problems of cancer care is the metastases of cancer cells that cause 90% of deaths due to cancer. Multiple molecular mechanisms are involved in cancer cell metastasis.

Crosstalk between lncRNAs and miRNAs in gastrointestinal cancer drug resistance.

Gastrointestinal cancers are one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide. Dysregulation of lncRNAs by epigenetic alteration is crucial in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis. Epigenetic alteration includes DNA methylation, chromatin remodeling, histone modifications, and deregulated-gene expression by miRNAs.

Burden of Transport-Related Injuries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.

Background: Transport-related injuries (TIs) are a substantial public health concern for all regions of the world. The present study quantified the burden of TIs and deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR) in 2017 by sex and age.

Methods: TIs and deaths were estimated by age, sex, country, and year using Cause of Death Ensemble modelling (CODEm) and DisMod-MR 2.

Acute Liver Injury in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19.

Introduction: The prevalence and significance of acute liver injury in patients with COVID-19 are poorly characterized.

Methods: Patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were hospitalized in geographically diverse medical centers in North America were included. Demographics, symptoms, laboratory data results, and outcomes were recorded.

The Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) Polymorphisms in Gastric Cancer: a Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is an inflammatory cytokine which may play a role in the development of gastric cancer (GC). This study aimed to investigate the association of five TNF-α polymorphisms including TNF-α-857, TNF-α-1031, TNF-α-863, TNF-α-308, and TNF-α-238 polymorphisms with GC risk.

Methods: All eligible case-control studies were collected by searching PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science.

Clinical Phenotype and Disease Course of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Comparison Between Sporadic and Familial Cases.

Background: The role of genetic and environmental factors in inflammatory bowel disease's (IBD) clinical course is not fully clear. We aimed to assess the clinical phenotype, disease course, and prognosis of familial IBD in comparison with sporadic cases.

Methods: We conducted a prospective national matched case-control study of registered IBD patients in the Iranian Registry of Crohn's and Colitis (IRCC) recruited from 2017 until 2020.