Helicobacter pylori and corpus gastric pathology are associated with lower serum ghrelin.

AIM: To evaluate the association of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), cagA genotype, and type of gastric pathology with ghrelin, leptin and nutritional status. METHODS: Fasted dyspeptic adults (18-70 years) referred for an upper digestive endoscopy were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Height and weight were assessed for body mass index (BMI) calculation. A sociodemographic survey was administered and nutrient intake was evaluated with 24 h dietary recalls. Serum total ghrelin and leptin levels were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. 13C-Urea Breath Test was performed and four gastric biopsies were obtained during endoscopy for histopathology and H. pylori DNA amplification and genotyping. Data analysis was performed using χ2, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis tests, Spearman's correlation and linear regression. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-three patients (40.8 ± 14.0 years), 98/65 females/males, were included. Overall, persistent H. pylori prevalence was 53.4% (95%CI: 45.7%-65.8%). Neither nutrient intake nor BMI differed significantly between H. pylori positive and negative groups. Serum ghrelin was significantly lower in infected patients [median 311.0 pg/mL (IQR 230.0-385.5)] than in uninfected ones [median 355.0 pg/mL (IQR 253.8-547.8)] (P = 0.025), even after adjusting for BMI and gender (P = 0.03). Ghrelin levels tended to be lower in patients carrying cagA positive strains both in the antrum and the corpus; however, differences with those carrying cagA negative strains did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.50 and P = 0.49, respectively). In addition, the type and severity of gastric pathology in the corpus was associated with lower serum ghrelin (P = 0.04), independently of H. pylori status. Conversely, leptin levels did not differ significantly between infected and uninfected patients [median 1.84 ng/mL (0.80-4.85) vs 1.84 ng/mL (0.50-5.09), (P = 0.51)]. CONCLUSION: H. pylori infection and severity of gastric corpus pathology are associated with lower serum ghrelin. Further studies could confirm a lower ghrelin prevalence in cagA-positive patients.

Dengue y fiebre hemorrágica dengue: su historia y su resurgimiento como problema de salud pública global: progresos y desafíos / Dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever: its history and resurgence as a global public health problem: progress and challenges

El primer brote conocido de epidemias de dengue o enfermedad símil dengue ocurrió en 1779 y 1780 en Egipto e Indonesia y en 1780 en los EE.UU (Filadelfia). Está claro que el dengue y otros arbovirus con ecología similar han tenido una distribución extensa en zonas tropicales en los últimos 200 años. Históricamente, Asia ha sido el érea de endemicidad más alto, con los cuatro serotipos del virus dengue circulando en los grandes centros urbanos de la mayoría de los países...La Fiebre Hemorrágica por Dengue (FHD) y el Síndrome de Choque por Dengue (SCD), son las manifestaciones severas y/o fatales de la fiebre por dengue. Las epidemias de FHD/SCD ocurren sobre todo en países del sudeste asiático, donde afectan principalmente a los niños y se asocian con altas tasas de letalidad. El advenimiento del transporte aéreo comercial del jet en los años '60 promovió el mecanismo ideal para que el virus del dengue fuera transportado por las personas que habian visitado áreas endémicas y viajaban durante el período de incubación. La incidencia de dengue ha aumentado marcadamente desde los años '60, primero en Asia, luego en el Pacífico y las Américas y finalmente en Africa. Es notorio la mayor parte del mundo tropical, con una población estimada de 2,5 mil millones, está en peligro de la infección dengue...El uso de larvicidas y de insecticidas durante brotes tiene algunas limitaciones. Los esfuerzos ahora se están centrando en la educación sanitaria y la participación de la comunidad en un intento por controlar los vectores eliminando o reducienddo los sitios de cría. En la ausencia de una vacuna para protegerse de la infección dengue, la prevención y la contención de los brotes del dengue requerirán un control del vector con eficacia a largo plazo, con la participación de la comunidad y la vigilancia epidemiológica agresiva.

The first reported epidemics of dengue or dengue-like disease occurred in 1779 and 1780 in Egypt and Indonesia and in 1780 in the USA (Philadelphia). It is clear that dengue and other arboviruses with similar ecology had a widespread distribution in the tropics as long as 200 years ago. Historically, Asia has been the area of highest endemicity, with all four dengue serotypes circulating in the large urban centres in most countries... Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) and Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) are the severe and/or fatal clinical manifestations of dengue fever. Epidemics of DHF/DSS occur mainly in the southeast Asian countries where children are seriously affected and high case-fatality ratio is annually reported. The advent of commercial jet air transport in the 1960s promoted the ideal mechanism for the carriage of dengue virus by persons who had visited endemic areas and were travelling during the incubation period. The incidence of dengue infection has increased markedly since the 1960s, first in Asia then in the Pacific and Americas and finally in Africa. It appears that most of the tropical world, with an estimated population of 2.5 billion, is at risk of infection with dengue...The use of larvicides and insecticides during aoutbreaks has some limitations. Efforts are now focusing on health education and community participation in an attempt to control the vector(s) by eliminating or reducing the breeding sites. In the absence of a dengue vaccine for public health use at present, prevention and containment of dengue autbreaks will require an effective long-term vector control with community participation and aggressive epidemiological surveillance.

Dengue y fiebre hemorrágica dengue: su historia y su resurgimiento como problema de salud pública global: progresos y desafíos / Dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever: its history and resurgence as a global public health problem: progress and challenges

El primer brote conocido de epidemias de dengue o enfermedad símil dengue ocurrió en 1779 y 1780 en Egipto e Indonesia y en 1780 en los EE.UU (Filadelfia). Está claro que el dengue y otros arbovirus con ecología similar han tenido una distribución extensa en zonas tropicales en los últimos 200 años. Históricamente, Asia ha sido el érea de endemicidad más alto, con los cuatro serotipos del virus dengue circulando en los grandes centros urbanos de la mayoría de los países...La Fiebre Hemorrágica por Dengue (FHD) y el Síndrome de Choque por Dengue (SCD), son las manifestaciones severas y/o fatales de la fiebre por dengue. Las epidemias de FHD/SCD ocurren sobre todo en países del sudeste asiático, donde afectan principalmente a los niños y se asocian con altas tasas de letalidad. El advenimiento del transporte aéreo comercial del jet en los años 60 promovió el mecanismo ideal para que el virus del dengue fuera transportado por las personas que habian visitado áreas endémicas y viajaban durante el período de incubación. La incidencia de dengue ha aumentado marcadamente desde los años 60, primero en Asia, luego en el Pacífico y las Américas y finalmente en Africa. Es notorio la mayor parte del mundo tropical, con una población estimada de 2,5 mil millones, está en peligro de la infección dengue...El uso de larvicidas y de insecticidas durante brotes tiene algunas limitaciones. Los esfuerzos ahora se están centrando en la educación sanitaria y la participación de la comunidad en un intento por controlar los vectores eliminando o reducienddo los sitios de cría. En la ausencia de una vacuna para protegerse de la infección dengue, la prevención y la contención de los brotes del dengue requerirán un control del vector con eficacia a largo plazo, con la participación de la comunidad y la vigilancia epidemiológica agresiva.(AU)

The first reported epidemics of dengue or dengue-like disease occurred in 1779 and 1780 in Egypt and Indonesia and in 1780 in the USA (Philadelphia). It is clear that dengue and other arboviruses with similar ecology had a widespread distribution in the tropics as long as 200 years ago. Historically, Asia has been the area of highest endemicity, with all four dengue serotypes circulating in the large urban centres in most countries... Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) and Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) are the severe and/or fatal clinical manifestations of dengue fever. Epidemics of DHF/DSS occur mainly in the southeast Asian countries where children are seriously affected and high case-fatality ratio is annually reported. The advent of commercial jet air transport in the 1960s promoted the ideal mechanism for the carriage of dengue virus by persons who had visited endemic areas and were travelling during the incubation period. The incidence of dengue infection has increased markedly since the 1960s, first in Asia then in the Pacific and Americas and finally in Africa. It appears that most of the tropical world, with an estimated population of 2.5 billion, is at risk of infection with dengue...The use of larvicides and insecticides during aoutbreaks has some limitations. Efforts are now focusing on health education and community participation in an attempt to control the vector(s) by eliminating or reducing the breeding sites. In the absence of a dengue vaccine for public health use at present, prevention and containment of dengue autbreaks will require an effective long-term vector control with community participation and aggressive epidemiological surveillance.(AU)