Objective To evaluate the efficacy of levofloxacin-based triple therapy and bismuthbased quadruple therapy in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection as rescue regimens.Methods Related randomized controlled trials assessing the efficacy and safety of levofloxacin-based triple therapy eradicating Hp as salvage treatment were retrieved from Pubmed,Cochrane Library,SPRINGER,VIP database,WanFang database and CKNI database.The literature quality was evaluated by the improved Jadad criterion.RevMan5.3 sofeware was applied to data analysis.The mergment model was chosen on the basis of the outcome of the heterogeneity tests and original data was pooled for meta-analysis.Publication bias assessed with funnel plots.Results Ultimately seventeen literatures were included for meta-analysis,the analysis showed that the eradication rate of levofloxacin-based triple therapy was higher comparing to the bismuth-based quadruple therapy but the difference was not statistically significant (77.0％ vs 68.7％,OR =1.52,95％ CI 0.96-2.42,P =0.34).In European countries,levofloxacin-based triple therapy was more effective than quadruple therapy(80.6％ vs 68.5％,OR =2.18,95％ CI 1.25-3.81,P ＜ 0.05),while eradication rates of two groups in Asian countries were similar.The 7-day levofloxacin-based triple therapy and quadruple therapy showed comparable efficacy,whereas the 10-day levofloxacin-based triple therapy was significantly more effective than quadruple therapy (87.7％ vs 61.3％,OR =4.92,95％ CI 3.09-7.82,P ＜ 0.05).The efficacy was not influenced by the dose of levofloxacin.The adverse effects were significantly lesser(19.1％ vs 29.5％,OR =0.47,95％ CI 0.26-0.82,P ＜ 0.05),whereas the compliance rate was significantly higher in levofloxacin group (96.0％ vs 89.9％,OR =2.27,95％ CI 1.33-3.87,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Comparing with bismuth-based quadruple therapy,levofloxacinbased triple therapy has higher eradication rate,compliance rate and lesser side effects,so we recommend it as a second-line rescue therapy after front-line Hp eradication failure.The optimal second-line alternative scheme might differ among countries depending on quinolone resistance.

Objective To systematically evaluate whether eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) is associated with the development of endoscopic gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and reflux symptoms.Methods PubMed,CENTRAL,Embase,CNKI and Wanfang Database from April 1978 to April 2015 were retrieved to collect the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the incidence of reflux symptoms or reflux esophagitis in patients receiving H.pylori eradication treatment and those without treatment.The quality of trials was evaluated by the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias and Jadad scoring.A Meta-analysis was conducted by using RevMan 5.20 software.Results Twenty RCTs involving 6 575 cases were included.Meta-analysis showed that:(1) There was a positive link between H.pylori eradication and endoscopic reflux esophagitis.The diagnostic rate of endoscopic reflux esophagitis after H.pylori eradication therapy was higher than that of control group(7.25％ vs 4.20％;OR =1.62,95 ％ CI 1.20-2.19,P =0.002).Subgroup analysis found that Asian patients,40 to 50 years old,followup time more than 1 year,and peptic ulcer had higher incidence of endoscopic reflux esophagitis;(2) The incidence of reflux symptoms was not significantly different between H.pylori eradication group and control group (25.2％ vs 24.6％;OR =1.03,95％ CI 0.87-1.21,P =0.76).Further analysis indicated that reflux symptoms were not related to some relevant factors,such as races,age at diagnosis,follow-up time and underlying diseases.Conclusions The eradication of H.pylori is considered as one of risk factors for GERD,especially in Asian populations,long time follow-up,40 to 50 years old and patients with peptic ulcer.Meanwhile,the eradication of H.pylori does not suggest the correlation with reflux symptoms.H.pylori eradication therapy should be administrated according to patients' individual conditions.

The efficacy of standard triple therapy for Helicobacter pylori (Hp) eradication has been significantly decreased, or even less than 80%.Abroad studies have shown that Hp eradication rate of sequential therapy is significantly higher than that of triple therapy.At home, we lack a large sample of data analysis to clarify the efficacy of sequential therapy.Aims: To systematically review the efficacy of sequential therapy and triple therapy in Hp eradication at home and abroad.Methods: PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and CBMdisc were retrieved to collect the randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing sequential therapy and triple therapy in the treatment of Hp infection in last 7 years.Article selection, data extraction and quality evaluation were conducted independently by two reviewers.Meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.3 software.Results: A total of 31 RCT involving 8 371 subjects were included.Meta-analysis showed that Hp eradication rate of sequential therapy was significantly higher than that of triple therapy (83.3% vs.74.7%;RR=1.13, 95% CI: 1.09-1.16).Sixteen domestic studies showed that Hp eradication rate of sequential therapy was significantly higher than that of triple therapy (88.1% vs.78.0%;RR=1.13, 95% CI: 1.10-1.16), fifteen abroad studies showed that Hp eradication rate of sequential therapy was significantly higher than that of triple therapy (79.0% vs.71.8%;RR=1.13, 95% CI: 1.06-1.20).No significant difference in incidence of adverse reactions was found between sequential therapy and triple therapy (20.7% vs.22.0%;RR=0.94, 95% CI: 0.86-1.03).Conclusions: Sequential therapy achieves higher Hp eradication rate than standard triple therapy, and no significant difference in incidence of adverse reactions is found between sequential therapy and triple therapy.Hp eradication rate of sequential therapy is significantly higher than that of triple therapy and is higher than 80% in China, which can be recommended as a Hp eradication supplement of bismuth quadruple therapy.

Intestinal barrier is formed by intestinal mucous layer,epithelial cells,cellular tight junction,enterocyte membrane,submucosal lamina propria and immunologic factors,and plays a pivotal role in maintaining gastrointestinal function. Different types of stress can induce intestinal barrier dysfunction and increased intestinal permeability,leading to a series of gastrointestinal diseases. This article reviewed the progress of research on pathological changes and mechanism of stress-related intestinal barrier dysfunction.

Objective To investigate the expression of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and its receptors including CRFR1 and CRFR2 on mouse mesenteric lymph nodes dendritic cells (MLNDC), and to analyze their effects on the biological phenotypes of intestinal dendritic cells .Methods The MLNDCs were isolated from C57BL/6 mice by using magnetic bead sorting .The purity of CD11c+DCs was identified by flow cytometry .The double-labeling immunofluorescence and the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were performed to detect the expression of CRF , CRFR1 and CRFR2 on MLNDCs.The MLNDCs were exposed to CRF with or without the interference of CRFR 1 and CRFR2 antagonists .Flow cy-tometry was used to measure the changes of surface molecules ( MHCⅠ and MHCⅡ) and co-stimulatory molecules (CD80 and CD86).Results The CD11c+DCs accounted for (80.12±6.34)% of the isolate cells with a high cell viability of more than 90%.The expression of CRF , CRFR1 and CRFR2 at mRNA lev-el were detected in MLNDCs by RT-PCR.Results of the immunofluorescent staining assay indicated that both CRFR1 and CRFR2 were expressed on the surface of MLNDCs .The expression of CD86 on MLNDCs was inhibited by the treatment of MLNDCs with CRFR 1 antagonist , but enhanced by the treatment with CRFR2 antagonist .Conclusion Both CRF and CRFRs were detected in the MLNDCs isolated from the C57BL/6 mice.The CRF could alter the biological phenotypes of MLNDCs through binding to different CRFRs (CRFR1 and CRFR2), which affected the phenotypes of MLNDCs in opposite ways .

A total of 101 honey samples that originated from 20 different unifloral honey and other multifloral honey samples were collected from China.FT-NIR spectrometer were applied to determinate the content of fructose and glucose of honey with two different modes: transflectance (800-2500 nm, 2 mm optical path length) and transmittance (800-1370 nm, 20 mm optical path length).It was found that the prediction accuracy of fructose and glucose had significant difference with the two modes.In order to analyze the reason of this difference, support vector machine (SVM) was used to analyze the non-linear information, and genetic algorithm (GA) was used to analyze the characteristic wavelengths.The result indicated that the detection difference of fructose and glucose was originated from their different characteristic wavelengths.Through the optimization of detection method, it was found that for the determination of glucose, short wavelength and long optical path length should be used, on the other side, the whole wavelength region and short wavelength, with selecting the characteristic wavelength to avoid the disturb of water can also be used.For the determination of fructose, whole wavelength region and short optical path length should be used.Linear regression methods such as PLSR could obtain good results, and non-linear methods such as SVM did not improve the model performance.

Objective To analyze the antioxidant activities of extracts from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. by different solvents, and to determine the contents of total flavonoids. Methods By employing colorimetric method, contents of total flavonoids in different extracts were determined. The free radical scavenging activity of each extract was measured by DPPH method. Results Different extracts from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. by different solvents were provided with DPPH free radical scavenging activities, of which the ethyl alcohol extracts were the highest in scavenging activities. In addition, total flavonoids content of ethyl alcohol extracts was significantly higher than that of others. Conclusion The antioxidant activity of extracts from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi. was related to the content of total flavonoids in it.

Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) have attracted increasing research interests for the purpose of biomedical application because they provide not only nanostructured topography, but also chemical composition of pure carbon atoms, as well as ultra high strength and excellent flexibility. Regarding the interactions of nanomaterials to biological systems, non-specific adsorption of plasma proteins is one of the most important issues to be concerned, which plays a crucial role that would determine how biological systems response to the biomaterials. Motivated by application of SWNT materials in biomedical fields, in this study, the adsorption behaviors of plasma proteins on the surface of SWNT nonwoven, prepared directly by floating chemical vapor observation and energy deposition method were investigated by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM), dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and ELISA. Results indicated the SWNT non-woven showed a clear adsorption preference of fibrinogen over albumin. There was no human serum albumin detected using above analysis methods on the SWNT nonwoven even incubated in the albumin solution of 4 mg/ml. While more than 0.15 microg of human fibrinogen was detected by ELISA on the SWNT nonwoven with area of 40 mm x 40 mm incubated in the fibrinogen solution of 5 microg/ml. In addition, IgG of sheep-anti-human serum fibrinogen exhibited strong nonspecific adsorption on the surface of SWNT nonwoven. The adsorption behaviors are different significantly from those of other carbon materials and conventional biomaterials. The unique interaction of SWNT nonwoven to plasma proteins is of significance to further studies of blood cells responses.
Adsorption ; Biocompatible Materials ; chemistry ; Blood Proteins ; chemistry ; Nanotubes, Carbon ; chemistry ; Surface Properties

Objective: To investigate the association between adherens junction proteins E-cadherin and β-catenin and tight junction protein claudin-2 and clinical symptoms in patients with diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). Methods: Cecal biopsy tissues were collected from IBS-D patients (n=26) according to Rome Ⅲ criterion and healthy controls (n=26). The duration of symptoms, abdominal pain score and mean weekly bowel movements were recorded. Colorectal dilatation combined with restraint stress were applied to establish visceral hypersensitivity rat model. Abdominal contraction reflex (AWR) was applied to assess the visceral sensitivity in rats. The stool frequency within 1 hour was recorded after establishing the rat model. The expression of E-cadherin、β-catenin and claudin-2 were assessed by Western blot and immunofluorescence microscopy. Intercellular ultrastructure was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Results: Compared with the healthy controls, the protein expression of E-cadherin and β-catenin in cecal epithelium in IBS-D patients were significantly lower (P=0.015 and P=0.005, respectively), while claudin-2 was significantly higher (P=0.000). Reduced E-cadherin and β-catenin expression was associated high abdominal pain score (r=-0.463, P=0.017 and r=-0.407, P=0.039). The lower expression of β-catenin was associated with longer duration of symptoms (r=-0.458, P=0.019). The protein expression of E-cadherin and ß-catenin in the cecal epithelium of the visceral hypersensitivity rats were significantly lower (P=0.004 and P=0.003, respectively), while claudin-2 was significantly higher (P=0.008). Reduced E-cadherin and ß-catenin expression was associated high visceral sensitivity in IBS-D rats (r=-0.639, P=0.047 and r=-0.888, P=0.001). Conclusions Intercellular ultrastructure alterations well as cecal β-catenin and E-cadherin protein expression decrease and are associated with high abdominal pain score in IBS-D patients and hypersensitivity rats. β-catenin is further associated with prolonged duration of symptoms in IBS-D patients. The expression of E-cadherin and β-catenin may play a vital role in visceral sensitivity and intestinal barrier dysfunction in IBS-D.

MarR family transcription regulators are ubiquitous among bacteria and archaea. They extensively control multiple cellular processes and elaborately regulate the expression of genes involved in virulence, stress response and antibiotics at translational level. In Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, insertional inactivation of MarR family transcription regulator HpaR (XC2827) resulted in significantly decrease in virulence and increase in the production of the extracellular proteases. Here, we reported that the genome of Xcc 8004 encodes nine MarR family transcription regulators. The MarR family transcription regulators, HpaR (XC2827) and XC0449, were heterologous expressed and purified. In vitro MST and Pull-down assay confirmed the physical interaction between HpaR and XC0449. Phenotypical assay determined that deletion of XC0449 resulted in substantial virulence attenuation. In vitro EMSA, in vivo qRT-PCR and GUS activity assay identified that HpaR and XC0449 coordinately act as the transcriptional activator to regulate the expression of the virulence-associated gene XC0705, and eventually control the bacterial virulence and the production of extracellular proteases.
Bacterial Proteins ; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial ; Transcription Factors ; Virulence ; Xanthomonas campestris