Search

Objective: The current study was conducted to investigate the roles of ICAM-4, IFN-γ, and vitamin D3 markers among benign and malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs)., Methodology: Eighty-eight participants, admitted to the Babylon GIT Center, Merjan Medical City, Iraq from April to December 2020, were recruited for the study. Blood samples were collected from the participants, who were divided into four groups: malignant GIT tumor (N = 42), benign GIT tumor (N = 29), irritable bowel disease as a positive control (N = 10), and healthy individuals as a negative control (N = 7). Serum ICAM-4, IFN-γ, and vitamin D3 levels were determined using the blood samples., Results: The younger males were more affected by malignant GIT tumors at a mean age of 53.39 years than benign GIT tumors, IBD, and healthy individuals. There is also an increase in ICAM-4, IFN-γ, and a decrease in vitamin D3 levels compared to healthy individuals. The vitamin D3 level decreased progressively with age and rose in ICAM-4 with a decrease in vitamin D3 level in patients, increasing the probability of infection with GIT tumor. ICAM-4 levels may grow and increase as interferon levels rise., Conclusion: The younger males are more prone to malignant GIT and the serum levels of ICAM-4, vitamin D3, and IFN-γ are high in malignant patients compared with benign GIT tumors and lower than the control.

Background: Hepatitis B can be defined as one of the dangerous diseases caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), which infects the liver and causes liver failure, cirrhosis, and death., Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the D-dimer, C-reactive protein (CRP), and autoantibodies markers among HBV-infected patients in Babylon province, Iraq, compared to a healthy control group., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all patients referred to GIT and liver centers in Merjan Medical City, Babylon, Iraq from January 2016 to January 2018 were screened for HBV infection by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Antinuclear antibody (ANA), dsDNA, D-dimer, and CRP markers were examined using fluorescence technique in randomly selected patients and some healthy individuals as control group. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS program., Results: In this study, 424 HBV patients from different areas of Babylon province, Iraq were enrolled. A total of 40 patients and 15 healthy participants were selected for evaluation of D-dimer, CRP, ANA, and dsDNA levels. The results of the distribution of HBV-infected patient by gender per area revealed that males accounted for a higher percentage than females in all parts of Babylon provinces. Also, a highly significant increase in serum levels was observed in the patients compared to the control subjects for all the studied parameters D-dimer, ANA, dsDNA, and CRP. Overall, 5.5% of HBV patients (3/40) had a positive ANA titer. None of the HBV patients had a positive dsDNA titer., Conclusion: This study showed that, HBV-infected patients had elevated levels of D-dimer and CRP compared to the control group. Also, the seropositivity titers of ANA and anti-dsDNA autoantibodies were low in Iraqi HBV patients., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (© the Author(s).)