BACKGROUND: Chronic viral hepatitis is the most important public health problems and main cause of liver fibrosis. Progressive hepatic fibrosis will gradually lead to liver cirrhosis, hepato-cellular carcinoma and liver failure and deaths. Study of liver fibrosis is becomes an essential issue of prevention, prognosis and radical treatment plan. The evaluation of liver fibrosis using ultrasound based-electrographic shear wave elastography (SWE) with elastography point quantification (ElastPQ) is a modern non-invasive method. This study is aimed to evaluate diagnostic value of SWE with ElastPQ feature of liver fibrosis. MATERIAL: A total of 110 patients with chronic viral (B, C and D) infection and 50 healthy controls were involved. Quantitative evaluation of LS was performed by Philips iU 22 ultrasound system with ElastPQ using convex transducer C5-1. RESULTS: In HBV patients: no fibrosis F0 score 7, mean liver stiffness was 3.1±0.28 kPa, mild liver fibrosis F1 score 26, mean LS was 4.9±0.90 kPa, F2 score 4, mean LS was 8.0±0.56 kPa, F3 score 3, mean LS was 11.0±0.83 kPa, and F4 score or liver cirrhosis 2, mean LS was 17±4.3 kPa, respectively. In patients HCV; F0 score -5, mean LS was 3.2±0,08 kPa, F1-36, mean LS was 5.0±0.94 kPa, F2 score-10, mean LS was 8.1±0.90 kPa, F3-10, mean LS was 10.9±1.03kPa, and F4 score 5, mean LS 15.9±2.8kPa, respectively. In patients with HBV, HDV; F0 score-1, liver stiffness was 3.2kPa, F1-13, mean LS was 4.9±0.72 kPa, F2 score 2, mean LS was 8.0±0.56kPa, F3 score, LS was 10.8kPa, F4 score 1, LS was 20.1kPa, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Shear wave elastography with elastography point quantification technique is a reliable that can to detect of the earlier fibrosis stage in chronic viral hepatitis patients. ElastPQ SWE method is an optimal to monitor liver tissue stiffness in patients with chronic liver diseases.

Objective: In this study it was aimed to demonstrate the hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic potentials of Agrypum extract on alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Materials and methods: Eighteen male Wistar rats of weights between 140 g were used for the study and divided into three groups of six rats each. The rats of the non-diabetic control group were given 1 ml of distilled water daily. Two other groups induced with diabetes using alloxan by a single dose administration of 120 mg/kg body weight (BW); one of these diabetic rat groups were treated with seeds of this plant (Agrypum) extract daily at 1.5 ml/100 g BW for 4 weeks while the other group was left untreated. Blood samples were collected and total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL) and glucose levels were assayed. Results: After four weeks of treatment, data indicated significant reductions in BW, blood glucose, TG, TC and LDL levels of diabetic rats treated with seeds of this plant (Agrypum) extract compared to the non-treated group. The treated diabetic rats also indicated significantly higher HDL levels compared to the non-treated group. Conclusion: Treatment of diabetic rats with the seeds of this plant (Agrypum) extract lowered blood glucose, TG, TC and LDL levels and increased the HDL level. This shows that the extract has both hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects.