Pregnancy outcomes in women with Celiac disease in Northeast Iran: a regional retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the odds and associations of pregnancy outcomes with exposure to biopsy-confirmed celiac disease (CD) in Northeast Iran. METHODS: In this regional retrospective cohort study, pregnancy records of all women with celiac disease who visited Celiac Disease Clinic of Imam-Reza Hospital from 2017 to 2023 (exposed group) and a sample of women without CD (unexposed group) were extracted using the Electronic Health Record of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences called "Sina". The unexposed group was randomly selected of the database and matched to exposed group on age, location of residence, socioeconomic factors. Our exclusion criteria included age ≥ 45, presence of concomitant disorders, history of non-obstetric uterine surgery, induction of pregnancy through assisted reproductive technology, and any concurrently ongoing pregnancy at the time of study. Pregnancy outcomes evaluated in this study included normal delivery, miscarriage, preterm labor, preeclampsia, and stillbirth. Adjusted odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression adjusted for confounders. RESULTS: Ninety pregnancy records of women with CD and 270 pregnancies of women without CD were included in this study. Low neonatal birthweight (i.e. under 2500 g) had no significant association with CD (aOR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.92-1.06), as well as postpartum hemorrhage (aOR = 1.12, 95%CI = 0.91-1.38), fetal anomaly (aOR = 0.89, 95%CI = 0.69-1.15), miscarriage (aOR = 1.00, 95%CI = 0.91-1.10), ectopic pregnancy (aOR = 0.94, 95%CI = 0.73-1.20), preterm labor (aOR = 1.00, 95%CI = 0.92-1.10), gestational diabetes mellitus (aOR = 1.07, 95%CI = 0.98-1.16), gestational hypertension (aOR = 0.99, 95%CI = 0.89-1.11), and gestation hypothyroidism (aOR = 0.95, 95%CI = 0.82-1.11). However, we found significantly lower odds of preeclampsia in pregnancies affected by CD (aOR = 0.83, 95%CI = 0.69-0.99). CONCLUSION: Celiac disease was not associated with increased odds of low neonatal birthweight, postpartum hemorrhage, fetal anomaly, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, preterm labor, gestational diabetes mellitus, gestational hypertension and gestational hypothyroidism. Preeclampsia had significantly lower odds in pregnancies affected with CD.

Accuracy of a no-biopsy approach for the diagnosis of coeliac disease across different adult cohorts.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the predictive capacity and diagnostic yield of a 10-fold increase in serum IgA antitissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibody levels for detecting small intestinal injury diagnostic of coeliac disease (CD) in adult patients. DESIGN: The study comprised three adult cohorts. Cohort 1: 740 patients assessed in the specialist CD clinic at a UK centre; cohort 2: 532 patients with low suspicion for CD referred for upper GI endoscopy at a UK centre; cohort 3: 145 patients with raised tTG titres from multiple international sites. Marsh 3 histology was used as a reference standard against which we determined the performance characteristics of an IgA tTG titre of ≥10×ULN for a diagnosis of CD. RESULTS: Cohort 1: the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) for IgA tTG levels of ≥10×ULN at identifying individuals with Marsh 3 lesions were 54.0%, 90.0%, 98.7% and 12.5%, respectively. Cohort 2: the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for IgA tTG levels of ≥10×ULN at identifying individuals with Marsh 3 lesions were 50.0%, 100.0%, 100.0% and 98.3%, respectively. Cohort 3: the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for IgA tTG levels of ≥10×ULN at identifying individuals with Marsh 3 lesions were 30.0%, 83.0%, 95.2% and 9.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our results show that IgA tTG titres of ≥10×ULN have a strong predictive value at identifying adults with intestinal changes diagnostic of CD. This study supports the use of a no-biopsy approach for the diagnosis of adult CD.

Gastrointestinal and hepatic abnormalities in patients with confirmed COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Although not common, gastrointestinal and liver symptoms have reportedly been the initial presentation of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in a large group of patients. Therefore, knowing the frequency and characteristics of these manifestations of COVID-19 is important for both clinicians and health policy makers. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the available data on the gastrointestinal and liver manifestations of patients with COVID-19 was performed. PubMed and Scopus databases and Google Scholar search engine were searched for published and unpublished preprint articles up to 10 April 2020. Original studies providing information on clinical digestive symptoms or biomarkers of liver function in patients with polymerase chain reaction confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 were included. After quality appraisal, data were extracted. Prevalence data from individual studies were pooled using a random-effects model. Overall, 67 studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis, comprising a pooled population of 13 251 patients with confirmed COVID-19. The most common gastrointestinal symptoms were anorexia (10.2%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 6.2%-16.4%), diarrhea (8.4%, 95% CI = 6.2%-11.2%), and nausea (5.7%, 95% CI = 3.7%-8.6%), respectively. Decreased albumin levels (39.8%, 95% CI = 15.3%-70.8%), increased aspartate aminotransferase (22.8%, 95% CI = 18.1%-28.4%), and alanine aminotransferase (20.6%, 95% CI = 16.7%-25.1%) were common hepatic findings. After adjusting for preexisting gastrointestinal (5.9%) and liver diseases (4.2%), the most common gastrointestinal findings were diarrhea (8.7%, 95% CI = 5.4%-13.9%), anorexia (8.0%, 95% CI = 3.0%-19.8%), and nausea (5.1%, 95% CI = 2.2%-14.3%). Gastrointestinal and liver manifestations are not rare in patients with COVID-19, but their prevalence might be affected by preexisting diseases. Diarrhea and mild liver abnormalities seem to be relatively common in COVID-19, regardless of comorbidities.

Prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia in men and premenopausal women with celiac disease: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Celiac disease (CD) is known as a reason of metabolic osteopathy. Progression of non-invasive methods such as bone densitometry has shown that an important ratio of CD cases is faced with impaired bone mass and such cases are prone to bone fractures. Variety of low bone mineral density in CD is probably because of ignored confounding factors such as age, menopause, and drug. The aim of our study was to systematically review the osteoporosis and osteopenia incidences among premenopausal females and males with CD. METHODS: This systematic review was done based on preferred reporting items for systematic reviews (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed and Scopus and Cochran databases were searched according to the relevant medical subject headings (MeSH) of CD and bone mineral density until 2018. Prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis were used as effect size for meta-analysis. Cochrane Q (p < 0.05) and I2 index were presented to reveal the heterogeneity. RESULTS: 54 eligible full text reviews were included and nineteen selected for data extraction. Eleven articles didn't have our inclusion criteria and had ignored confounding factors like age and menopause, and we excluded; data extraction was done in eight studies. A total of 563 premenopausal women and men who were from, UK, Brazil, India, Hungary, and Poland were included. The pooled prevalence of osteoporosis was 14.4% [95%CI: 9-20.5%] (Cochrane Q = 7.889, p = 0.96, I2 = 49.29%), and osteopenia was 39.6% [31.1-48.8%] (Cochrane Q = 14.24, p = 0.07, I2 = 71.92%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that bone loss is more prevalent in celiac disease and can be associated with increased risk of fracture. However, but results are pooled prevalence and we need more case -control studies with more sample size and consideration of confounding factors.

ROC-king onwards: intraepithelial lymphocyte counts, distribution & role in coeliac disease mucosal interpretation.

OBJECTIVES: Counting intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) is central to the histological diagnosis of coeliac disease (CD), but no definitive 'normal' IEL range has ever been published. In this multicentre study, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the optimal cut-off between normal and CD (Marsh III lesion) duodenal mucosa, based on IEL counts on >400 mucosal biopsy specimens. DESIGN: The study was designed at the International Meeting on Digestive Pathology, Bucharest 2015. Investigators from 19 centres, eight countries of three continents, recruited 198 patients with Marsh III histology and 203 controls and used one agreed protocol to count IEL/100 enterocytes in well-oriented duodenal biopsies. Demographic and serological data were also collected. RESULTS: The mean ages of CD and control groups were 45.5 (neonate to 82) and 38.3 (2-88) years. Mean IEL count was 54±18/100 enterocytes in CD and 13±8 in normal controls (p=0.0001). ROC analysis indicated an optimal cut-off point of 25 IEL/100 enterocytes, with 99% sensitivity, 92% specificity and 99.5% area under the curve. Other cut-offs between 20 and 40 IEL were less discriminatory. Additionally, there was a sufficiently high number of biopsies to explore IEL counts across the subclassification of the Marsh III lesion. CONCLUSION: Our ROC curve analyses demonstrate that for Marsh III lesions, a cut-off of 25 IEL/100 enterocytes optimises discrimination between normal control and CD biopsies. No differences in IEL counts were found between Marsh III a, b and c lesions. There was an indication of a continuously graded dose-response by IEL to environmental (gluten) antigenic influence.

Correlation of visfatin level with non-alcoholic fatty liver in metabolic syndrome.

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MS) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common public health problem. Visfatin is secreted by visceral adipose tissue and is an adipocytokine. It could be a pro-inflammatory adipocytokine and is related to the metabolic syndrome and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This study evaluated the association between visfatin levels in patients with the metabolic syndrome with and without non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 120 patients with metabolic syndrome were selected. They were categorized into two groups, patients with fatty liver (n=70) and without fatty liver disease (n=50). Laboratory and anthropometric options such as age, sex, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, lipid profile, liver enzymes, uric acid, visfatin, insulin, BMI, waist circumference, and TNF-α were measured. The chi-square test, Mann-Whitney, t test, Spearman and Pearson correlations were used for the data analysis. Results: There was a significant difference between the fatty liver and non-fatty liver disease with visfatin, BMI, FBS and lipid profile (p<0.05). The mean±SD level of visfatin was 37.1±1.7 ng/dl in the non-fatty liver and was 44.4±1.5 ng/dl in fatty liver participants (p=0.02). 59% of patients with metabolic syndrome had fatty liver in ultrasonography. Conclusion: According to this study, there was a correlation between visfatin levels and fatty liver disease.

Predictive value of red blood cell distribution width for mortality in patients with acute pancreatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a quantitative measure of variability in the size of circulating erythrocytes. It has been recently identified as a prognostic marker in several diseases including acute pancreatitis (AP). In this systematic review the prognostic value of RDW in predicting mortality of AP patients will be assessed. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and ISI databases were searched until September 2016 using the following search strategy: (pancreatitis OR pancreatitides) AND (RDW OR "red cell distribution width" OR "red blood cell distribution width" OR anisocytosis). Four authors independently reviewed the retrieved articles. Studies were included if they had evaluated the association between RDW value and mortality of acute pancreatitis patients. Case reports, comments, letters to the editor, reviews, study protocols, and experimental studies were not included. Data abstraction and quality assessment for the included studies was independently performed by two authors. Quality of studies was assessed using Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine checklist for prognostic studies. Data were synthesized qualitatively, and a meta-analysis was performed on the diagnostic performance of RDW to predict mortality in AP patients. Results: Seven studies (976 patients) were included in the systematic review. Six studies reported a statistically significant association between RDW value and mortality. Meta-analysis was performed on four studies (487 patients) using a bivariate model and a summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) curve was plotted with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.757. The pooled diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), sensitivity and specificity was 19.51 (95% CI: 5.26-72.30), 67% (95% CI: 51%-80%) and 90% (95% CI: 73%-96%), respectively. Conclusion: RDW is an easy to use and an inexpensive marker with a moderate prognostic value to predict death in AP patients. Clinicians should be more alert when a patient with AP has an increased RDW. Investigation of possible combinations of other prognostic markers with RDW is recommended.

Double-balloon Enteroscopy: The results of a new experience in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Approach to the small intestine has been difficult even with newer methods. Double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) has been created for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in diseases of the small intestine. Small intestinal diseases have different etiologies in each country. The DBE has been introduced in recent years in Iran. Our aim was to study the indications and results of DBE in some academic centers in Iran. METHODS: Fifty-five patients with symptoms and signs related to small intestine without definitive diagnosis but with previous workup were enrolled in the study. The DBE was performed in three different medical universities in Iran. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients that underwent the DBE was 47.2 ± 17.3 years. Abdominal pain (54.5%) and occult gastrointestinal bleeding (23.6%) were the most common presentations. Small bowel lesions were detected in 26 patients (47.3%); the most common lesions were ulcer (46.2%) and polyps (19.2%). Crohn's disease (12.7%) was the commonest diagnosis found in DBE procedure. Patients presenting with abdominal pain orl ower hemoglobin level were more likely to be diagnosed (both p≤ 0.05). Small intestinal diseases were ultimately diagnosed in 47.3% of the patients. Twenty percent of the patients had another disease outside the small bowel. CONCLUSIONS: DBE is an effective and relatively safe diagnostic and therapeutic option for small bowel evaluations. Accurate selection of patients and more experience technicians and physicians will improve the efficacy of this procedure in Iran.

A rare differential diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease in a young male patient; a challenging case report.

Background: Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare disorder normally diagnosed in infancy. Case presentation: A 27-year-old man admitted with non-specific symptoms of CGD first underwent endoscopy, and colonoscopy procedures as primary evaluation of clinical presentation. Eighteen months after the first admission, he was referred to the emergency department for hematemesis, and critical situations, such as a severe anemic with Hgb= 2.6 mg/dl. As a result of this specific clinical presentation, urgent emergency treatment was performed, and endoscopic examination revealed ulcers and abnormalities in the duodenal bulb and jejunum. Other imaging procedures, such as sonography, and abdominal CT scans, showed splenomegaly. He underwent splenectomy, and after that, endoscopic treatment with balloon TTS dilation was scheduled, but this procedure failed. So, we decided to do a gastro-jujenostomy that alleviated the clinical symptoms. After nine months, he was referred to GOO, and endoscopic evaluation showed giant ulceration with severe stricture in the duodenum, and a polyp in the jejunostomy. Finally, Based on clinical presentation and pathologic evidence of biopsies, the patient approached CGD as the final diagnosis. Conclusion: Step-by-step, rule out of different highly suspicious diseases may result in a definite CGD diagnosis, and rapid management of these patients may increase the chance of survival.