SUMMARYThis study was designed to test whether three sequential stool specimens are necessary for reliable detection of intestinal parasites in routine laboratory examinations. There were 175 patients in whom a single species of intestinal parasite or ova was identified on at least one occasion when three stool specimens were examined over a period of 14 days from the first recorded specimen. Examination of a first stool specimen detected parasites and/or ova in 102/175 patients (58.3%); examination of a second specimen identified an additional 36 positive patients (20.6%) and examination of a third specimen yielded a final 37 previously undetected patients (21.1%).These findings indicate that at least three stool specimens should be examined to confirm the presence of intestinal parasites. Even with such practice, it is not possible to guarantee that there is no infestation, but examination of fewer specimens would run a definite risk of false negative results.

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BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is described as one of the most significant risk factors for developing NAFLD, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and advanced cirrhosis. The high incidence of NAFLD in T2DM patients, as well as its serious clinical consequences, is both reasons for concern. Therefore, it is becoming critically needed to develop simple, low-cost, and noninvasive test for diagnosis and management of NFLD. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to examine the diagnostic value of acyl ghrelin (AG) for detecting NAFLD in T2D patients. AIM: The aim of this study is to examine the accuracy of AG as a non-invasive biomarker to effectively diagnose diabetic patients with NAFLD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 61 patients with T2D were selected from internal medicine outpatient clinic in National Research Centre, Egypt. 29 diabetic patients were free of NAFLD while the other 32 were diagnosed with NAFLD. Measurements of Lipid profile, fasting glucose, liver enzyme activities, and AG levels were collected. Data management and analysis were performed using SPSS version 20. RESULTS: A comparison between diabetic subjects with and without NAFLD showed some metabolic abnormalities including central obesity, significant increases in waist circumference, body weight, fasting blood sugar, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, liver enzymes levels, and a significant decrease in high-density lipoprotein in diabetic with NAFLD patients. Increases in total cholesterol and AG levels were observed; however, none of these differences were significant when compared with control diabetic subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The association between elevated AG level and NAFLD is clearly supported by the current findings. However, more studies are needed to consider it as diagnostic marker in NAFLD patients with T2D.

Background interactions between the heart and the liver have been described. The presence and severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was found to be associated with increased QTc interval and subclinical cardiac abnormalities. Aim of the work is to evaluate the electrocardiographic (ECG) and echocardiographic changes in patients with NAFLD and its correlation with disease severity. Patients and Methods this study was conducted on 50 NAFLD patients and 50 controls. Clinical, laboratory, ultrasonographic examinations were done for all included subjects together with liver biopsies. ECG and ECHO were also performed. Results longer corrected QT was found in the NAFLD group in comparison to controls (406.6±26.8 msec and 380.0±24.5 msec respectively). Significant correlation between QTc and liver size, grade of steatosis and NAFLD activity score (NAS) was found. 16% and 8% of NAFLD patients had diastolic and valvular dysfunctions respectively. Conclusion NAFLD is associated with significant QTc prolongation and structural heart changes with significant correlation between QTc and disease severity.

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