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Gut microbiota dysbiosis is intimately associated with development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Nevertheless, the gut microbial community during the course of NAFLD and NASH is yet to be comprehensively profiled. This study evaluated alterations in fecal microbiota composition in Iranian patients with NAFLD and NASH compared with healthy individuals. This cross-sectional study enrolled 15 NAFLD, 15 NASH patients, and 20 healthy controls, and their clinical parameters were examined. The taxonomic composition of the fecal microbiota was determined by sequencing the V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA genes of stool samples. Compared to the healthy controls, NAFLD and NASH patients presented reduced bacterial diversity and richness. We noticed a reduction in the relative abundance of Bacteroidota and a promotion in the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in NAFLD and NASH patients. L-histidine degradation I pathway, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate biosynthesis I pathway, and superpathway of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate biosynthesis and salvage were more abundant in NAFLD patients than in healthy individuals. This study examined fecal microbiota dysbiosis in NAFLD and NASH patients and presented consistent results to European countries. These condition- and ethnicity-specific data could provide different diagnostic signatures and therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of cagPAI genes in the Helicobacter pylori genome are considered the most evolved genes under a diversifying selection and evolutionary pressure. Among them, cagI and cagN are described as a part of the two different-operon of cagPAI that are involved in the T4SS machinery, but the definite association of these factors with clinical manifestations is still unclear. A total of 70 H. pylori isolates were obtained from different gastroduodenal patients. All isolates were examined for the presence of primary H. pylori virulence genes by PCR analysis. Direct DNA sequence analysis was performed for the cagI and cagN genes. The results were compared with the reference strain. The cagI, cagN, cagA, cagL, vacA s1m1, vacA s1m2, vacA s2m2, babA2, sabA, and dupA genotypes were detected in 80, 91.4, 84, 91.4, 32.8, 42.8, 24.4, 97.1, 84.3, and 84.3% of the total isolates, respectively. The most variable codon usage in cagI was observed at residues 20–25, 55–60, 94, 181–199, 213–221, 241–268, and 319–320, while the most variable codon usage in CagN hypervariable motif (CagNHM) was observed at residues 53 to 63. Sequencing data analysis of cagN revealed a hypothetical hexapeptide motif (EAKDEN/K) in residues of 278–283 among six H. pylori isolates, which needs further studies to evaluate its putative function. The present study demonstrated a high prevalence of cagI and cagN genes among Iranian H. pylori isolates with gastroduodenal diseases. Furthermore, no significant correlation between cagI and cagN variants and clinical diseases was observed in the present study. However, all patients had a high prevalence of cagPAI genes including cagI, cagN, cagA, and cagL, which indicates more potential role of these genes in disease outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]