Explore the vast range of titles available.

Hydatidosis is a parasitic illness caused by larvae of the Echinococcus genus. It frequently involves the liver, and the lung is the second most common organ of implantation of  Echinococcus  larvae. Pulmonary Hydatidosis leads to life-threatening complications, including pulmonary embolism, pleural effusion, and bronchopleural fistula. Although eosinophilia is not frequently detected in patients with hydatid disease, in patients with ruptured cysts in the biliary tree, eosinophilia is often marked. Herein, we present a case of pulmonary hydatidosis (with pleural fluid and peripheral eosinophilia) complicated by hydro-pneumothorax and bronchopleural fistula.

The rate of liver fibrosis progression in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients is highly variable and affected by different factors. This study aimed to assess the role of cirrhosis risk score (CRS) based on 7 genetic variants (7 single-nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]) and host factors (age and sex) in the prediction of the rate of fibrosis progression in CHC. Duration of infection was determined in 115 patients. The fibrosis progression rate (FPR) per year was calculated as the ratio between fibrosis stage and the duration of infection. SNP genotyping were performed and CRS was determined based on it. FPR was significantly elevated in patients who acquired infection at age >40 years versus those who acquired infection at 30–40 years and those who acquired infection at <30 years. Median FPR was significantly higher in males than females (0.17 vs. 0.15) with P = 0.001. CRS value ≥0.8 is predictive of patients with high risk for cirrhosis, and CRS value <0.5 is predictive of patients with low risk for cirrhosis. There was significant positive correlation between CRS and FPR (P ≤ 0.001). CRS based on 7 SNPs at cutoff value ≥0.8, age at infection >40 years, and male sex are predictors of higher FPR.

Objective: The objective of this study is to review the multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) findings of synchronous lymphoma and other solid malignancies. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study included 18 patients confirmed with diagnosis of lymphoma and other solid malignancies. They were 8 women and 10 men (mean age, 62.5 year; range, 44-73 years). CT scanning was performed on one of the two systems: 64 MDCT in 11 patients and 6 MDCT in 7 patients. All 36 malignancies were underwent pathological evaluation. Results: All cases were confirmed pathologically. Lymphomas were Hodgkin disease ( n = 5 patients) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma ( n = 13 patients). Hepatocellular carcinoma was detected in five patients. Bronchogenic carcinoma was detected in two patients. Renal cell carcinoma was detected in two patients. Breast carcinoma was detected in two patients. Prostatic carcinoma was detected in two patients. Gastric carcinoma was detected in two patients. Endometrial carcinoma was detected in one patient. Colonic carcinoma was detected in one patient. Thyroid carcinoma was detected in one patient. Conclusions: MDCT scanning is accurately imaging modality for the evaluation of synchronous lymphoma and other solid malignancies. More reports and accumulation of such cases should help to clarify the mechanisms, contribute to a further understanding of this phenomenon, and may lead to a new treatment strategy for synchronous lymphoma and other solid malignancies.

It has been suggested that insulin resistance may play a role in pathogenesis of NASH, with hepatocyte apoptosis believed to be the main factor involved in disease progression from simple steatosis to NASH. During apoptosis, cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) is cleaved by caspases and released into serum, a finding that was shown to correlate with the existence of inflammation and fibrosis in patients with NASH. The present study aims to differentiate patients with simple steatosis from those with NASH using CK-18 assessment both in liver tissue and in serum. The present study was conducted on two groups of patients, the first including 44 patients with simple steatosis and the second comprising 106 patients with steatohepatitis. Serum fasting insulin was measured and serum CK-18 was estimated. No significant differences were found between steatohepatitis patients and patients with simple steatosis regarding fasting insulin levels, or HOMA-IR index (P > 0.05 for each). Comparison of serum CK-18 levels between simple and advanced fatty liver patients showed significantly higher concentrations in patients with steatohepatitis than in patients with simple steatosis (P < 0.001). Serum level of CK-18 demonstrated a satisfactory relationship with all pathological variables that allowed differentiation between both entities of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background and Aim Polymorphisms in some genes may influence the persistence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, clinical outcome, HCV replication, and liver damage. This study was conducted to investigate the role of the interferon gamma (IFN‐γ) gene at (+874 T/A, −764 G/C, −179 C/A) single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and its receptor (IFN‐γR2) at (rs 2786067 A/C) SNP in the susceptibility of Egyptian families to HCV infection with high‐resolution techniques. Methods In total, 517 Egyptian families, with 2246 subjects, were recruited to this study from the Upper and Lower Egypt governorates and were classified into three groups: 1034 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus, 108 subjects with spontaneous virus clearance (SVC), and 1104 subjects as a healthy control group. All subjects were genotyped for (+874 T/A, rs2430561, −764 G/C, rs2069707, −179 C/A, rs2069709, and rs 27860067, A/C) SNPs of the IFN‐γ gene using the allelic discrimination real‐time polymerase chain reaction technique and were confirmed using sequence‐based typing. Results The carriage of T allele of (+874) IFN‐γ is a risky allele and was significantly higher in chronic hepatitis C more than other two groups (odds ratio [OR]: 2.6646, P < 0.0002). On the other hand, the C allele of (−764, rs2069707) is a protective allele and was higher in SVC than the other two groups (OR: 0.2709, P < 0.0001). However, both (−179 C/A, rs 2069709) and (rs 27860067, A/C) SNPs are not polymorphic enough to be studied in the Egyptian population. Conclusions HCV infection is associated with the T allele of (+874 rs2430561), while SVC of HCV is associated with the C allele of (−764, rs2069707) of the IFN‐γ gene. This study was conducted to investigate the role of the IFN‐γ gene polymorphism and susceptibility to HCV infection. This is the first multicentre family based association study to investigate whether there is an association between IFN‐γ gene and HCV infection outcome with high‐resolution techniques.