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Background: Sarcopenia in cirrhotic patients has a serious effect on their outcome. Although several modalities are used for diagnosing sarcopenia by measuring skeletal muscle mass, they are expensive and may not be available. The objective of the present study is to assess the utility of gait speed for diagnosing sarcopenia in cirrhosis as compared with computed tomography skeletal muscle index (CT-SMI). Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study recruited 331 adult patients with hepatitis C-related cirrhosis. Clinical assessment, gait speed, and CT-SMI in the third lumbar vertebra were determined. Sarcopenia was defined when CT-SMI < 52.4 cm2/m2 in men and when < 38.5 cm²/m² in women. Diagnostic performance of gait speed at a cut-off value <0.8 m/s for diagnosing sarcopenia in cirrhosis was assessed. Results: Sarcopenia by CT-SMI was detected in 52.6% of patients. A significant correlation was found between CT-SMI and gait speed with slightly higher in women. Using the existing cut-off value of gait speed lower than 0.8 m/s, we detected sarcopenia in 146 (44.1%) patients, and when compared with CT-SMI for diagnosing sarcopenia, the specificity, sensitivity and overall accuracy were 91.7%, 84.5%, and 87.9%, respectively. Better performance was observed in women; 82.5% sensitivity, 96.1% specificity and 91.4% accuracy. Conclusion: Gait speed could be used as a marker of sarcopenia for cirrhotic patients in areas where modalities of diagnosing skeletal muscle index are deficient. Although gait speed is not the only method for diagnosing sarcopenia, it has the potential to be a helpful clinical tool for identifying sarcopenic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The increasing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a challenging health problem worldwide with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. The association between metabolic factors and HCC has been documented, however, there is a shortage of data about this association in our locality. Therefore, we aimed to determine the pattern of lipid profile in cirrhotic patients with HCC and investigate the association between dyslipidemia and HCC. Method: In this case-control hospital-based study, serum lipid profile [total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)] was determined in 100 patients with cirrhosis and 100 patients with cirrhosis and HCC. Multivariate analysis of HCC risk factors was done. Results: Metabolic syndrome, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, high LDL, and combined dyslipidemia were significantly more frequent in HCC patients than non-HCC patients. Low HDL and dyslipidemia were significantly associated with the late HCC stages and LDL levels were significantly correlated with α- fetoprotein levels. There was a tendency towards increasing the values of the other lipid parameters in advanced stages. Metabolic syndrome and combined dyslipidemia were associated with HCC risk. Conclusion: Deranged lipid profiles were common in HCC patients. Metabolic syndrome and combined dyslipidemia could be potential risk factors for HCC and may offer a useful strategy for risk stratification; thus, their control can reduce the HCC burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to investigate whether plasma miR-21 and miR-92a levels may be used to differentiate between patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis (UC), and colorectal cancer (CRC). Background: miRNA expression profiles are well characterized in CRC, but these expression profiles in UC and IBS remain promising. Screening of high-risk individuals for these diseases has substantial clinical benefits. Methods: This was a case-control study. We quantified plasma miR-21 and miR-92a expression levels in 100 samples (37 with active UC, 33 with CRC, and 30 with IBS as well as 30 healthy controls) using real-time PCR. Their diagnostic performance for discriminating these diseases was assessed using receiver-operation characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). Results: The studied miRNAs were differentially expressed among all participated groups. Plasma miR-21 and miR-92a levels exhibited significant upregulation in CRC as compared to IBS, UC, and healthy subjects. Both miRNAs were upregulated in the UC group as compared to IBS and healthy subjects. ROC analysis revealed promising diagnostic performance for miR-21 and miR-92a in discriminating UC from non-UC groups (IBS and healthy subjects) with AUCs of 0.844 and 0.979 respectively. It also distinguished between CRC and UC with AUCs of 0.968 and 0.887 respectively and with reasonable sensitivities and specificities. Conclusion: Circulating miR-21 and miR-92a can be exploited not only as potential noninvasive biomarkers for detection of CRC, but also for differentiation between functional and organic colorectal disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C virus is a hepatotropic virus that is transmitted parenterally. Viral infections are usually associated with modulations of the immune cells, leading to enhanced viral survival and spreading, and accordingly, life-threatening complications. Recently, it has been proposed that a new subset of T-helper, named T-helper 9, is involved in the pathogenesis of different immunopathological conditions, such as allergies, tumors, and viral infections. Some studies reported a protective role, and others described a pathogenic potential for the T-helper 9 cells. Here, we present evidence that T-helper 9 cells are dynamically increased with increasing the pathogenic strategy for hepatitis C virus (HCV). Furthermore, viral clearance is associated with a decrease in T-helper 9. The increase in T-helper 9 was paralleled with an increase in its receptor expression. Taken together, our data suggest that T-helper 9 cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of HCV, and is directly associated with HCV-related complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]