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Background: Renal failure presents a critical concern in patients requiring colon preparation for colonoscopy, particularly in those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In contemporary practice, polyethylene glycol (PEG) serves as a widely employed agent, while herbal alternatives like SenaGraph, standardized dry extract of Senna leaves (Cassia angustifolia L.), have demonstrated satisfactory efficacy. This study aimed to compare the quality of bowel preparation in CKD patients using low-dose PEG with and without Sena Graph. Methods: This randomized clinical trial enrolled 122 patients with CKD who underwent colonoscopies at Imam Hussein Hospital in Tehran, Iran, during 2018 and 2019. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either PEG with SenaGraph or PEG alone. Comparative assessments included the Ottawa Score and measurements of sodium, potassium, urea, and creatinine levels. Results: The study findings revealed that the mean Ottawa score was deemed acceptable (Ottawa score 0 or 1) in 90.2% of patients receiving PEG with SenaGraph and in 78.7% of patients in the PEG-only group, with statistically significant difference (P = 0.049). Alterations in sodium, potassium, urea, and creatinine levels showed no significant differences between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: This investigation suggests that, in CKD patients requiring colonoscopy, the addition of Sena Graph to PEG could improve the efficacy of PEG. Furthermore, both agents exhibit a comparable safety profile for bowel preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mechanism of cerebral dysfunction in hepatic encephalopathy is unknown, although ammonia produced by intestinal bacteria is an essential factor. This study was performed to compare the effect of polyethylene glycol with lactulose in patients with hepatic encephalopathy. Materials and Methods: In this interventional study, which was performed as a three-blind randomized clinical trial, 60 patients with hepatic encephalopathy referred to Imam Hossein Hospital in Tehran were randomly selected and divided into two groups receiving polyethylene glycol or lactulose were divided and the levels of creatinine, ammonia, platelets, hemoglobin, albumin and bilirubin and Hepatic Encephalopathy Scoring Algorithm, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease and Child-Turcotte-Pugh scores in the patients were compared in the two groups. Results: The results showed the frequency distribution of creatinine, ammonia, platelets, hemoglobin, albumin, and bilirubin and Hepatic Encephalopathy Scoring Algorithm, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, and Child-Turcotte-Pugh scores of patients in the two groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: In general, based on the results of this study, it is inferred that polyethylene glycol and lactulose have similar efficacy in patients with hepatic encephalopathy and, therefore, the use of each of them according to the condition of patients and the discretion of the treating physician Recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The current study aimed to assess and compare colon cancer dysregulated genes from the GEO and STRING databases. Background: Colorectal cancer is known as the third most common kind of cancer and the second most important reason for global cancer-related mortality rates. There have been many studies on the molecular mechanism of colon cancer Methods: From the STRING database, 100 differentially expressed proteins related to colon cancers were retrieved and analyzed by network analysis. The central nodes of the network were assessed by gene ontology. The findings were compared with a GSE from GEO. Results: Based on data from the STRING database, TP53, EGFR, HRAS, MYC, AKT1, GAPDH, KRAS, ERBB2, PTEN, and VEGFA were identified as central genes. The central nodes were not included in the significant DEGs of the analyzed GSE. Conclusion: A combination of different database sources in system biology investigations provides useful information about the studied diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the expression of genes associated to celiac disease (CD) in the target tissue and peripheral blood monocytes (PBMC) or serum to introduce possible potential biomarkers. Background: Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disease induced by gluten ingestion in genetically predisposed individuals. Despite technological progress, small intestine biopsy is still the gold standard for diagnosis of CD. Methods: CD data were collected from public databases (proteomics and microarray-based techniques documents). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in PBMC or serum as well as small intestinal biopsies from celiac patients compared to normal were collected and analyzed to introduce common individuals. Gene ontology was done to identify the involved biological terms. Results: Among 598 CD genes in biopsies and 260 genes in PBMC or serum, 32 common genes with a similar expression pattern in both sources were identified. A total of 48 biological terms were introduced which were involved in the CD via the determined DEGs. "Cytokine activity" was the most expanded one of the biological terms. Conclusion: In this analysis, it was concluded that 32 potential biomarkers of CD can be assessed by complementary research to introduce effective and available biomarkers in biopsy and blood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Various medication regimens have been used to eradicate Helicobacter pylori in dialysis patients; however, optimal response to treatment is still a challenge. This study aimed to compare response to H pylori eradication in dialysis and nonuremic patients.Materials and Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, dialysis patients with dyspepsia and confirmed positive endoscopic biopsy for H pylori were compared to nonuremic patients. Participants were randomly assigned to receive clarithromycin or levofloxacin. H pylori eradication was assessed using stool antigen test 4 weeks later.Results: Forty-four dialysis and 44 nonuremic patients participated in the study. Four dialysis patients and 2 nonuremic patients did not respond to levofloxacin (P = .35). Six dialysis patients and 4 nonuremic patients did not respond to clarithromycin (P = .47).Conclusions: Response rate to H pylori eradication by clarithromycin and levofloxacin was slightly lower in dialysis patients compare to nonuremic patients. In dialysis patients, response rate to levofloxacin was slightly higher than clarithromycin, but the results were not significantly different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver cancer is the third cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. It is primarily divides into two main types, namely hepatocellular carcinoma (HC) and cholangiocarcinoma (IC). Due to the increasing number of patients with liver cancer and the high mortality rate, early diagnosis of the disease can be helpful in treatment, but most patients are diagnosed atlate stages of HC. The aim of this study is to screen and provide an overview on candidate biomarkers related to primary liver cancer to introduce the critical ones. In this study, various biomarkers related to the diagnosis of primary liver cancer have been studied. Accordingly, biomarkers are divided into different groups as blood biomarkers classified as serum and plasma biomarkers, tissue biomarkers, microRNA biomarkers, proteomic biomarkers and altered genes. Previous researches have focused on liver cells and bile ducts, the surround cellular environment, how cells differentiate, and the types of genes expressed in liver cancer. Some even have focused on the origin of tumor cells and how they differentiate and develop. In all these studies, the expression of specific proteins and genes in liver cancer has been considered. Based on available sources, biomarkers can be considered as candidates to diagnose and prognosis of various types of primary liver cancer, from sources such as blood, tissue, mic-RNA, proteome and genes. However, more investigations are required to introduce a biomarker for precise detection of early liver cancer., (©2020 RIGLD, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases.)

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of gastrointestinal disorders in non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) Iranian patients., Background: Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most common cause of NCCP, which accounts for about one third of cases., Methods: This was a descriptive study on consecutive NCCP patients who referred to the gastroenterology clinic at the Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, Iran from 2015 to 2017. Medical history, physical examination and esophageal test including upper gastroenterology (UGI) endoscopy, esophageal manometry and 24 hour ambulatory esophageal pH monitoring were done for each participant., Results: The study included 102 patients, of which 58.9% were women, and the mean age of patients was 41.5 ± 11.2 years. The most common symptoms associated with chest pain were regurgitation in 28.4%, dysphagia in 23.5% and heartburn in 19.6% patients. UGI endoscopy was abnormal in 29.4% cases, esophageal manometry was abnormal in 61.7% cases and ambulatory pH monitoring was abnormal in 37.2% patients. Using UGI endoscopy and combined 24-h pH monitoring determined the prevalence of GERD 44.1% , and based on manometry the most frequent causes of NCCP was ineffective esophageal motility (IEM) in 19.6% patients with NCCP., Conclusion: Detecting etiology of NCCP allows healthcare providers to assure patients of the benign nature of their condition and provide appropriate treatment. It can also help prevent excessive hospital and physician visits as well as the costly and potentially risky testing which often results.