Hepatitis delta virus infection in Turkey: A meta-analysis of prevalence

Objectives

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection has been granted orphan disease status by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency owing to its rarity and relatively limited research and treatment options. Turkey is considered an endemic country for the virus. We aimed to provide a current and updated country- and region-specific HDV infection prevalence.

Methods

In this meta-analysis, we searched databases, including MEDLINE, PUBMED, EMBASE, and UlakBim (Turkish Medical Index) published between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2022. We included blood donor studies, outpatient clinic studies that comprised patients without cirrhosis, and inpatient clinical studies that comprised patients with cirrhosis. Turkey was divided into three regions: West, Central, and East Turkey.

Results

After a systematic assessment, 41 studies were included. Using a random-effects model, the estimated HDV prevalence among hepatitis B surface antigen-positive blood donors, outpatient clinic, and inpatient clinic patients were 3.37% (confidence interval [CI] 1.99-6.11), 5.05% (CI 4.00-6.23), and 29.06% (CI 10.45-51.79), respectively. The HDV prevalence among outpatient clinic patients in Western, Central, and Eastern regions were 3.38% (CI 2.47-4.44), 2.15% (CI 1.37-3.09), and 9.81% (CI 6.61-13.55), respectively.

Conclusions

East Turkey continues to have a high burden of HDV. Public health efforts, such as screening, should be targeted accordingly.

Determination of Turkish norms of psychometric tests for diagnosing minimal hepatic encephalopathy and proposal of a high sensitive screening test battery

BACKGROUND

Psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) needs local standardization.

AIMS

This study aimed at standardizing PHES for Turkish patients and compare them with German norms; to determine minimal hepatic encephalopathy (mHE) prevalence with two different methods [PHES battery and Critical Flicker Frequency (CFF)] and to assess whether sub-tests of the battery can be used for screening for mHE.

METHODS

Healthy volunteers (n = 816; 400 male) and cirrhotics (n = 124; 58 male) were included. For mHE diagnosis PHES score threshold was set at ≤ - 5 points and that of CFF at < 39 Hz. For comparing German and Turkish norms, datasets were combined. Multiple backward procedure was applied to assess effects of age, sex and education on single tests of the battery. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were created for assessing diagnostic capabilities of subtests of the battery.

RESULTS

PHES norms for Turks were developed. MHE prevalence in compensated cirrhotics was 29.8% and 27.4% with PHES and CFF tests, respectively, with low compatibility (kappa coefficient 0.389); mHE prevalence decreased to 16% when both tests were combined. Turks performed worse vs Germans in the digit symbol (DS) and serial dotting (SD) subtests but performed better in other subtests. In ROC analyzes of subtests, the combination of DS + SD tests achieved an AUROC of 0.974 versus PHES.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of two methods for diagnosing mHE is important for research purposes. From a clinical perspective, sensitivity with acceptable specificity may suffice for screening instruments for mHE. Combined use of DS and SD subtests of the PHES battery appears suitable for this purpose.

Assessment of sleep pattern and quality before and after liver transplantation using different methods

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Sleep disorders (SDs) are frequently seen in patients with liver cirrhosis. Polysomnography (PSG), actigraphy, and electroencephalogram (EEG) are the common objective methods to diagnose SDs. The most commonly used subjective methods are the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS). We aimed to evaluate the effect of liver transplantation (LTx) on SDs using a combination of objective (PSG and EEG) and subjective (PSQI and ESS) methods.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 18 patients with cirrhosis on an LTx waiting list were included in this study. Patient clinical status and biochemical parameters were evaluated. All patients completed the validated Turkish forms of the PSQI and ESS before and 9 months after LTx. All patients underwent EEG and PSG before and 9 months after LTx.

RESULTS

In total, 18 patients with liver cirrhosis (men: 12; 66.7%, mean age: 53.22±10.43 years) were included in this study. Pretransplant mean PSQI and ESS scores were 8.4±3.11 and 7.28±3.89, respectively; 9-month posttransplant mean PSQI and ESS scores were 4.5±2.8 and 4.72±2.91 (p<0.01), respectively. Before transplantation, metabolic encephalopathy was detected in 6 patients by EEG, whereas metabolic encephalopathy was detected in only 1 patient posttransplant. Posttransplantation PSG sleep duration (all stages) increased relative to pretransplant PSG values. Sleep latency and rapid eye movement latency were found to be reduced compared to the pretransplant values.

CONCLUSION

This pilot study compared SDs in patients with pre- and post-LTx by combining the subjective and objective methods. Significant SD improvements were found at the 9th month.

A Single-Center Experience: The Diagnostic Role of Peritoneoscopy in Patients with Exudative Ascites

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The causes of exudative and transudative ascites can be detected through noninvasive methods nowadays. In selected cases, peritoneoscopy could be necessary for definitive diagnosis. In this retrospective study, we aimed to present the peritoneal biopsy results of patients who had exudative ascites with unclear etiology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed in 86 patients who had exudative ascites of unclear etiology. All the patients showed abnormalities of the peritoneum or greater omentum as determined by abdominal ultrasonography and underwent peritoneoscopy between January 2012 and December 2015. Patient data were obtained from hospital records.

RESULTS

Eighty-six patients (male: 22; 25.6%, mean age ± standard deviation: 57.97 ± 15.97) who had exudative ascites of unclear etiology were included to the study. The success rate of the procedures was 100% (86/86). A specific histopathological diagnosis was made in all patients, with an overall diagnostic accuracy of 100%. Among the 86 diagnosed patients, 43 (50%) were peritonitis carcinomatosa, 21 (24.4%) were tuberculous peritonitis, 14 (16.3%) were mesothelioma, 4 (4.7%) were chronical inflammation, and 1 (1.2%) was lymphoma. Three (3.5%) patients had normal peritoneal biopsy findings.

DISCUSSION

Peritoneoscopy is a safe and efficient alternative method due to its high diagnostic capacity in selected patients who have exudative ascites of unclear etiology.

Correlation between neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and Ranson score in acute pancreatitis

BACKGROUND

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is characterized by inflammation of the pancreas, elevated pancreatic enzymes, and abdominal pain. The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is used as a marker of inflammation. In this retrospective study, we aimed to investigate novel early prognostic predictors of AP, such as NLR and its correlation with the Ranson score.

METHODS

A total 435 patients (Male: 152; 34.9%, Age: 63.53 ± 17.22 years) were included in the study. Data were collected by two clinicians scanning the registered hospital records.

RESULTS

Classification of the patients according to the aetiologies revealed gallstone(s) 58.6% (n = 255), hyperlipidaemia 2.2% (n = 9), viruses 0.7% (n = 3), malignancies 0.5% (n = 2), and alcohol 0.2% (n = 1). No reason was discovered in 37.9% (n = 165) of patients. Age, duration in the intensive care unit, serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, and the NLR were greater in the group with a Ranson score ≥3 than the group with a Ranson score <3.

DISCUSSION

Quick diagnosis is essential in AP. Current scoring systems for AP diagnosis are complicated, whereas NLP is a simple, practical, and effective marker.

Association of LCT-13910 C/T Polymorphism and Colorectal Cancer

Purpose

The activity of epithelial lactase (LCT) is associated with a polymorphism 13910 bp upstream in the lactase encoding gene. Because the association between the LCT-13910 polymorphism and the risk for colorectal cancer is not clear, we investigated the role of the LCT-13910 polymorphism as a potential risk factor for colorectal cancer and colorectal polyps in the Turkish population.

Methods

One hundred sixty-six subjects (74 with polyps, 44 with colorectal cancer, 48 controls), who had undergone a total colonoscopy between January 2012 and November 2012 in our endoscopy unit were genotyped for the LCT-13910 polymorphism by using the polymerase chain reaction and minisequencing.

Results

The CC genotype in the lactose gene 13910 locus, which is accepted as the genetic indicator of lactase deficiency, was determined as 83.7%. The CC genotype rate was determined as 89.1% in patients who had a history of lactose intolerance and 81.5% in those without a history of lactose intolerance (P = 0.236). No difference was detected between the patients who had colorectal polyp(s) and/or cancer and the controls with regard to the LCT-13910 polymorphism. No differences were determined between groups when they were compared with regard to the C or the T allele.

Conclusion

No differences were detected between the patients who had colorectal polyp(s) and/or cancer and those with normal colonoscopy findings with regard to lactase gene polymorphisms. No differences were determined between the groups when they were compared with regard to the C or the T allele.