BackgroundInfection with Helicobacter pylori is considered a potential risk of developing gastric cancer in association with contributing host genetic factor. IL-1β and IL-1RN polymorphisms appear to maintain and promote Helicobacter pylori infection and to stimulate neoplastic growth of the gastric mucosa.Objective and methodsIn order to elucidate the effect of these polymorphisms in combination with gastric cancer in a population from northwestern Algeria, a case-control study was carried out on 79 patients infected with H. pylori with chronic atrophic gastritis and/or gastric carcinoma, and 32 subjects were recruited as case-control. IL-1β-31 bi-allelic and IL-1β-511 bi-allelic polymorphisms and IL-1RN penta-allelic were genotyped.ResultsIL-1β-31C was associated with an increased risk of developing gastric carcinoma (OR=4.614 [1.43−14.81], p=0.01). However, IL-1RN2 heterozygous allele type was significantly associated with chronic atrophic gastritis (OR=4.2 [1.23−3.61], p=0.022). IL-1β-511T was associated with an increased risk of development of chronic atrophic gastritis (OR=4.286 [1.54−11.89], p=0.005).ConclusionIL-1β and IL-1RN polymorphisms associated with H. pylori infection contribute to the development of chronic atrophic gastritis and gastric carcinomas in an Algerian population. The alleles IL-1β-31C and IL-1RN were associated with an increased risk of developing gastric carcinoma, and IL-1β-511T with an increased risk of developing chronic atrophic gastritis with no significant association of developing gastric carcinoma.

No abstract

Many heavy metals and metalloids (e.g., Pb, Cd, and Ni) can contaminate the environment and cause severe health problems. Through this study, investigated the possible corrective effects of Ficus carica extract (FCE) against nickel (Ni) induced stress response and damage on the liver of rats. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups (8 rats per group) and co-treated with FCE (350 mg/kg) and exposed to Nickel chloride (10 mg/kg) for 4-weeks. The volatile compounds of FCE were characterized by solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) coupled with GC-MS, and the biochemical parameters of stress were determined. The SPME-GC/MS analysis of FCE indicated the presence of thirty (30) phyto-bioactive compounds including alcohols, aldehydes, organic acids, ketones, furans, terpenes, ester and others. The best capacity for scavenging DPPH free radicals and metal chelating were found with the IC 50 values of 0.49 and 2.91 mg/mL, respectively. Ni induced damage to various macromolecules. Malondialdehyde, protein carbonyls, alanine aminotransferase and gamma glutamyl transferarse levels were significantly increased in Ni exposed group compared to control group and co-treatment with FCE reduced the levels of these parameters. In conclusion, current findings showed that Ni-induced oxidative damage and the administration of FCE can improve correct and restore the alteration in the rat liver.

No abstract

Female infertility is considered as a real obstacle to the development of a couple who cannot conceive in a natural way. The aim of this study is to evaluate female infertility using two complementary methods of exploration: hystero-laparoscopy and endometrial biopsy, to compare histopathological data with those of hystero-laparoscopy findings in the same patients, and finally assess the interest to couple both methods to detect a greater number of pathologies. Our prospective study included 64 patients aged 20 -43 years with primary or secondary infertility for a period of 3 years ranging from 2012 to 2015 at obstetrics and gynecology department in which all patients were admitted to a hysteroscopy followed by laparoscopy. Endometrial biopsy curettage was performed and sent to the Pathological Anatomy Department for a histopathological study. On 64 infertile women explored, no pathologies were findings in 20 patients (31.3%) to the biopsy and 27 patients (42.2%) by hysteroscopy-laparoscopy. Histopathological study was in favor of dysfunctional endometrium (50%) followed by hyperplasia (10.9%). The lesions findings in the hystero-laparoscopy were in the first place uterine (18.8%) followed by equally between tubal and endometrial pathologies (10.9%). Associated diseases affecting the same organs or more were recorded with a percentage of 7.8%. The two methods have been shown effective and the most of common pathologies findings were uterine and endometrial. We concluded that the endometrial biopsy was more decisive in the exploration of endometrium pathologies while hystero-laparos-* Corresponding author. N. Cheheb et al. 211copy is more sensitive for the exploration of uterine, tubal and ovarian pathologies. Each method taken individually was revealed incomplete. It is more interesting to systematically couple the histology with endoscopic examination in order to detect a greater number of pathologies.