Seroprevalence of hepatitis B before marriage: a study on marriage candidates in the Southeast of Iran; is it worthy of consideration?

OBJECTIVES: Hepatitis B virus infection is one of the most common causes of acute and chronic hepatitis worldwide. Furthermore, since most people with hepatitis B virus are asymptomatic, timely diagnosis is important for prevention. This study has evaluated the prevalence of Hepatitis B seromarkers in marriage candidates. DESIGN: In this Cross-sectional study, 370 marriage volunteers selected by the simple sampling method were investigated in 2011 - 2012. RESULTS: A total of 185 men and 185 women were investigated. Mean Age of participants was 24.7 years. The prevalence rates of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) and anti-hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) were 1.1%, 47.6% and 8.9% respectively. Frequency of HBsAg was 0.5% and 1.6% in men and women respectively. The prevalence of anti-HBs was 43.8% in men and 51.45% in women. Anti-HBs was more common in young people and those with higher levels of education and positive history of vaccination. The prevalence of anti-HBc was 8.1% and 9.7% in men and women respectively. CONCLUSION: Although Kerman is a low endemic area, due to the high risk of transmission to the spouse and offspring, screening for HBV study before marriage is recommended.

The association of deep vein thrombosis with cancer treatment modality: chemotherapy or surgery?

BACKGROUND: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a well-recognized complication in patients with cancer. Chemotherapy and cancer surgery increase the risk of DVT in these patients. There are a few reports about the prevalence of DVT in patients with cancer regarding different managing modalities. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of DVT in patients with cancer, who were hospitalized in teaching hospitals, according to their treatment intervention. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted on 602 patients with cancer in Kerman, Iran, during years 2006-2007. Among the subjects, 301 had been operated and the rest had received chemotherapy. The prevalence of DVT was determined based on patients' variables, cancer factors, and therapeutic modalities. RESULTS: Totally, 349 subjects (58%) were male. DVT incidence was 19.9%, most of the cases were over 40 years of age (82.2%), and 21.2% of males and 18.2% of females had developed DVT. The prevalence of DVT in chemotherapy group was higher than that in surgery group (21.9% and 17.9%, respectively); however, this difference was statistically insignificant. DVT developed more frequently in lung cancer (42%) with small cell carcinoma being the most common pathologic finding (42.9%) in those with lung cancer (P = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: DVT occurs frequently in patients with malignancies. In this study, there was no association between DVT prevalence and age as well as sex; nonetheless, the prevalence was significantly higher in some sites and in patients with certain pathologies. Although DVT prevalence was higher in chemotherapy than in surgery, the difference was insignificant. Informing patients with cancer about symptoms of DVT and prophylactic interventions are warranted.