Hepatitis C-related Diabetes Mellitus: A Health Dilemma Too Necessary to Consider

The suggestion of a possible association between diabetes mellitus and chronic HCV infection has revolutionized our recent understanding of non-communicable diseases. The initial idea behind this association was higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus among patients with cirrhosis due to chronic HCV infection compared to those with non-HCV-related cirrhosis (Gane, 2012). However, this was not always true, as some studies did not find an excess prevalence of diabetes mellitus in HCV-infected patients (Marmo, 1998., Imazeki, 2008). This discrepancy is not unexpected, since the prevalence of diabetes in patients with chronic HCV infection may be influenced by several factors such as HCV genotypes, viral load, the severity and duration of liver disease as well as interferon (IFN) therapy (Fenakel, 2000., Ferraz, 2002., Alaei, 2009).

Incorporation of antigens from whole cell lysates and purified virions from MP12 into fluorescence microsphere immunoassays for the detection of antibodies against Rift Valley fever virus

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a zoonotic virus belonging to the genus Phlebovirus and one of the five genera in the family Bunyaviridae. In ruminants, the disease is characterized by abortions, fetal deformities, and high mortality rates. Humans are also readily infected through aerosols from infected animals or by exposure to infected animal tissues, aborted foetuses, and from infected mosquitoes. 

RVFV is transmitted among ruminants and humans by direct contact with infectious tissues or by the bites of infected mosquito species of the Aedes and Culex genuses. Global warming has certainly had a great impact on the transmission patterns of RVF. Since the first outbreak in 1930, the geographical distribution of the virus has been expanded to several countries of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Now, there are growing concerns of the continued spread of RVF to other parts of the world, including the United States and European Union.