BACKGROUND: The effect of the interval between previous Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication and rescue treatment on therapeutic outcomes remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between eradication rates and treatment interval durations in H. pylori infections. METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted from December 2021 to February 2023 at six tertiary hospitals in Shandong, China. We recruited patients who were positive for H. pylori infection and required rescue treatment. Demographic information, previous times of eradication therapy, last eradication therapy date, and history of antibiotic use data were collected. The patients were divided into four groups based on the rescue treatment interval length: Group A, ≥4 weeks and ≤3 months; Group B, >3 and ≤6 months; Group C, >6 and ≤12 months; and Group D, >12 months. The primary outcome was the eradication rate of H. pylori . Drug compliance and adverse events (AEs) were also assessed. Pearson's χ2 test or Fisher's exact test was used to compare eradication rates between groups. RESULTS: A total of 670 patients were enrolled in this study. The intention-to-treat (ITT) eradication rates were 88.3% (158/179) in Group A, 89.6% (120/134) in Group B, 89.1% (123/138) in Group C, and 87.7% (192/219) in Group D. The per-protocol (PP) eradication rates were 92.9% (156/168) in Group A, 94.5% (120/127) in Group B, 94.5% (121/128) in Group C, and 93.6% (190/203) in Group D. There was no statistically significant difference in the eradication rates between groups in either the ITT ( P = 0.949) or PP analysis ( P = 0.921). No significant differences were observed in the incidence of AEs ( P = 0.934) or drug compliance ( P = 0.849) between groups. CONCLUSION: The interval duration of rescue treatment had no significant effect on H. pylori eradication rates or the incidence of AEs. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT05173493.
Humans ; Helicobacter Infections/drug therapy* ; Helicobacter pylori/pathogenicity* ; Male ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/adverse effects* ; Adult ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Proton Pump Inhibitors/therapeutic use*

Objective:To investigate the relationship between intramuscular adipose tissue index (IATI) calculated from computed tomography images at transverse process of the first lumbar and all-cause mortality in maintenance dialysis patients, and to provide a reference for improving the prognosis in these patients.Methods:It was a multicenter retrospective cohort study. The clinical data of patients who received maintenance hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis treatment from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019 in 4 grade Ⅲ hospitals including Zhongda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University, Taizhou People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University, and the Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were retrospectively collected. IATI was calculated by low attenuation muscle (LAM) density/skeletal muscle density. The receiver-operating characteristic curve was used to determine the optimal cut-off value of IATI, and the patients were divided into high IATI group and low IATI group according to the optimal cut-off value. The differences of baseline clinical data and measurement parameters of the first lumbar level between the two groups were compared. The follow-up ended on December 23, 2022. The endpoint event was defined as all-cause mortality within 3 years. Kaplan-Meier survival curve and log-rank test were used to analyze the survival rates and the differences between the two groups. Multivariate Cox regression analysis models were used to analyze the association between IATI and the risk of all-cause mortality in maintenance dialysis patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis model was used to analyze the influencing factors of high IATI.Results:A total of 478 patients were eligibly recruited in this study, with age of (53.55±13.19) years old and 319 (66.7%) males, including 365 (76.4%) hemodialysis patients and 113 (23.6%) peritoneal dialysis patients. There were 376 (78.7%) patients in low IATI (<0.42) group and 102 (21.3%) patients in high IATI (≥0.42) group. The proportion of age ≥ 60 years old ( χ2=24.746, P<0.001), proportion of diabetes mellitus ( χ2=5.570, P=0.018), fasting blood glucose ( t=-2.145, P=0.032), LAM density ( t=-3.735, P<0.001), LAM index ( t=-7.072, P<0.001), and LAM area/skeletal muscle area ratio ( Z=-9.630, P<0.001) in high IATI group were all higher than those in low IATI group, while proportion of males ( χ2=11.116, P<0.001), serum albumin ( Z=2.708, P=0.007) and skeletal muscle density ( t=12.380, P<0.001) were lower than those in low IATI group. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the 3-years overall survival rate of low IATI group was significantly higher than that in high IATI group (Log-rank χ2=19.188, P<0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that IATI<0.42 [<0.42/≥0.42, HR(95% CI): 0.50 (0.31-0.83), P=0.007] was an independent protective factor of all-cause mortality, and age ≥60 years old [ HR (95% CI): 2.61 (1.60-4.23), P<0.001], diabetes mellitus [ HR (95% CI): 1.71 (1.06-2.78), P=0.029] and high blood neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio [ HR (95% CI): 1.04 (1.00-1.07), P=0.049] were the independent risk factors of all-cause mortality in maintenance dialysis patients. Stepwise Cox regression analysis showed that IATI<0.42 was still an independent protective factor of all-cause mortality in maintenance dialysis patients [<0.42/≥0.42, HR (95% CI): 0.45 (0.27-0.76), P=0.003]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that low skeletal muscle density [ OR (95% CI): 0.84 (0.81-0.88), P<0.001] and high serum triglyceride [ OR (95% CI): 1.39 (1.07-1.82), P=0.015] were the independent influencing factors of IATI≥0.42. Conclusion:IATI<0.42 of the first lumbar level is an independent protective factor of all-cause mortality in maintenance dialysis patients. Localized myosteatosis within high-quality skeletal muscle may reduce the risk of all-cause mortality in these patients.

Lung cancer is the top cause of cancer deaths globally.Advances in immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)have transformed cancer treatment,but their use in lung cancer has led to more side effects.This study examined if past pulmonary tuberculosis(TB)affects ICIs'effectiveness and safety in lung cancer treatment.We reviewed lung cancer patients treated with ICIs at Beijing Chest Hospital from January 2019 to August 2022.We compared outcomes and side effects between patients with and without prior TB.Of 116 patients(40 with TB history,76 without),prior TB didn't reduce treatment effectiveness but did increase severe side effects.Notably,older patients(≥65 years)faced a higher risk of severe side effects.Detailed cases of two patients with severe side effects underscored TB as a risk factor in lung cancer patients receiving ICIs,stressing the need for careful monitoring and personalized care.

Clinical undergraduates generally have the following problems during their radiology internship: short internship period, low motivation, teachers using traditional teaching mode, and insufficient hardware and software facilities for image reading. In this study, RadiAnt DICOM Viewer and case-based learning (CBL) model were applied in online practice teaching for clinical undergraduates in the radiology department, which achieved good results. The results showed that the clinical undergraduates had a pass rate of 91.18% (124/136) in the image reading quiz and a mean score of (85.71±10.99) in the in-class quiz, with a pass rate of 91.91% (125/136). The satisfaction survey showed that 84.56% (115/136) of the students were more satisfied with the application of RadiAnt DICOM Viewer in image reading teaching; 80.88% (110/136) of the students expressed more interest in radiology after this training course; 90.44% (123/136) of the students thought that online practice teaching of radiology is feasible.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of cedilanid in the treatment of severe pneumonia in infants and the value of preventing heart failure.Methods:A total of 80 children with severe pneumonia admitted to Dezhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January 2019 to December 2020 were selected and randomly divided into the control group and the observation group, with 40 cases in each group. The control group received comprehensive treatment, while the observation group was treated with cedilanid (0.01 mg/kg, one-time intravenous injection) on the basis of the control group. The efficacy of both groups was observed after 5 d of treatment. The incidence of heart failure, correction time of heart failure, improvement time of symptoms and signs, and length of hospitalization time were compared between the two groups; the inflammatory markers, myocardial markers and arterial blood gas indexes were compared between the two groups before and after the treatment.Results:The total effective rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, and the incidence of heart failure in the observation group was lower than that in the control group: 90.0% (36/40) vs. 72.5% (29/40), 32.5%(13/40) vs. 10.0%(4/40), the differences were statistically significant ( χ2 = 4.02, 4.10, P<0.05). The improvement time of symptoms and signs (restlessness elimination, respiratory improvement, heart rate improvement and disappearance of rhonchus in lung) in the observation group were less than those in the control group ( P<0.05). The levels of procalcitonin (PCT) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-ProBNP), myocardial troponin I(cTnI), and creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) in the observation group after treatment were lower than those in the control group: (6.15 ± 1.03) μg/L vs. (10.85 ± 2.12) μg/L, (112.02 ± 30.09) ng/L vs. (215.39 ± 55.08) ng/L, (0.68 ± 0.17) μg/L vs. (1.12 ± 0.34) μg/L, (19.05 ± 6.11) U/L vs. (28.97 ± 7.82) U/L, P<0.05. The levels of oxygen partial pressure (PaO 2), blood oxygen saturation (SaO 2) and oxygenation index (PaO 2/FiO 2) in the observation group after treatment were higher than those in the control group: (6.15 ± 1.03) μg/L vs. (10.85 ± 2.12) μg/L, (112.02 ± 30.09) ng/L vs. (215.39 ± 55.08) ng/L, (0.68 ± 0.17) μg/L vs. (1.12 ± 0.34) μg/L, (19.05 ± 6.11) U/L vs. (28.97 ± 7.82) U/L, P<0.05. Conclusions:Early application of small dose of cedilanid in infants with severe pneumonia can effectively reduce the occurrence of heart failure, improve the clinical symptoms and blood gas indicators, with significant curative effect, which is worthy of promotion.

Objective:To investigate the main clinical characteristics, imaging features, diagnosis, and treatment of meningiomas initially manifesting as spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage.Methods:The clinical characteristics, imaging features, treatment, and follow-up data of 19 patients with meningiomas initially manifesting as spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage who received treatment in The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College from January 2011 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Among the 19 patients, there were 6 males and 13 females, with an average age of (53 ± 14) years. The onset manifestations were sudden and severe headache and vomiting in 6 cases, progressive coma in 4 cases, and hemiplegia in 9 cases. Among the 19 patients, 15 patients showed irregular tumor shape and mixed hyperintense signal in CT, and 4 patients showed a homogeneous hyperintense signal. Eighteen patients showed peritumoral edema. Three patients showed intratumoral calcification. One patient showed an intratumoral fluid level. Fourteen patients showed isointense to hypointense signals on T1WI images and isointense to hyperintense signals on T 2WI images. Five patients showed mixed isointense and hyperintense signals on T 1WI images and mixed hypointense and hyperintense signals on T 2WI images. Heterogeneous enhancement was found in 18 patients, intratumoral cystic necrosis was found in 15 patients, and the meningeal tail sign was found in 16 patients. Preoperative imaging misdiagnosis occurred in 4 patients. Before surgery, all patients underwent surgery to resect the tumor and remove the hematoma. No patients died because of surgery. After surgery, muscle strength was improved compared with that before surgery. The average follow-up time was (46.5 ± 28.4) months. Tumor recurrence occurred in two patients. The Karnofsky Performance Scale score at the last follow-up, at discharge, and before surgery was (73.7 ± 3.4) points, (61.1 ± 5.5) points, and (49.5 ± 5.6) points, respectively ( F = 21.06, P < 0.01). The Karnofsky Performance Scale score at the last follow-up was significantly increased compared with that at discharge and before surgery ( F = 13.13, P < 0.01). Conclusion:Spontaneous hemorrhagic meningioma is rare and has a sudden onset. It is easily misdiagnosed before surgery. Skull CT, skull CT angiography, and enhanced magnetic resonance imaging examination in combination can increase the preoperative diagnosis rate. Early surgical resection of tumors and removal of hematoma can acquire good clinical efficacy.

Animals ; CRISPR-Cas Systems/genetics* ; Gene Knockout Techniques ; Mice ; Plasmids ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; RNA, Guide

[Abstract] Objective: To investigate the effect of HMGB1 gene on the growth of human epithelial ovarian cancer xenografts in nude mice, and to lay a foundation for finding new targets for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Methods: Human epithelial ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells in logarithmic growth phase were selected to establish a human epithelial ovarian cancer xenograft model in nude mice. Nude mice with successful model establishment were randomly divided into control group and HMGB1-siRNA group. On the 7th, 9th, 11th, 14th, and 16th days after cell inoculation, the same amount of saline and HMGB1-siRNA were respectively injected into two groups of mice under the armpit.After 3 weeks, the nude mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation, the tumor tissues were separated, and the volume of the tumor was measured. The apoptosis of transplanted tumor cells was detected by Tunnel staining. The expressions of HMGB1, STAT3 and p-STAT3 were detected by Western blotting. The expression of vascular endothelial growth factorA(VEGF-A) and microvascularization were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: Compared with the control group, the growth of tumor volume slowed down in HMGB1 siRNA group, and on the 21st day, the tumor volume of HMGB1-siRNA group was significantly smaller than that of the control group (P<0.05). HMGB1-siRNA successfully knocked down the expression of HMGB1 mRNA in transplanted tumor tissue. The apoptosis rate of tissue cells in HMGB1-siRNA group was significantly increased ([34±8]% vs [6±2]%, P=0.04), and the expressions of HMGB1 and p-STAT3 were significantly reduced (P<0.05). The expression of VEGF-Aand the number of microvessels were significantly lower than those of the control group (both P<0.05). Conclusion: Knockdown of HMGB1 gene reduces the expression of VEGF-A and microvessel formation possibly by inhibiting the HMGB1/STAT3 signaling pathway, thereby promoting the apoptosis of tumor tissues and slowing the growth of xenografts.

Objective To report the clinical features, myopathological changes, and gene mutations in five Chinese patients with mitochondrial diseases caused by POLG gene mutations. Methods Clinical materials of five unrelated patients who were referred to Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital from April 2012 to January 2018, carrying POLG gene mutations, were retrospectively analyzed. Muscle/nerve biopsies and targeted second-generation gene sequencing were performed on the patients. Results Among the five patients, three were male and two were female. Two cases were dominant inheritance and three were sporadic or recessive inheritance. The ages of onset were from 15 to 40 years with disease course of one to 26 years. One of them showed atypical SANDO (sensory ataxic neuropathy, dysarthria, and ophthalmoparesis) syndrome accompanied by cardiac preexcitation syndrome. There were two cases with autosomal dominant and one case with recessive progressive external ophthalmoplegia plus syndrome. One case presented with cognitive delay and sensory neuropathy. The pathological changes of mitochondrial myopathy were observed in all four patients with muscle involvement. Sural nerve biopsy in the patient with cognitive delay and sensory ataxia revealed chronic axonal pathological changes. POLG gene mutations were found in all five patients by targeted next generation sequencing, including single heterozygous mutations in two dominant inherited patients (c. 914 G＞A and c. 2864A＞G, respectively), and compound heterozygous POLG gene mutations in the other three sporadic/recessive inherited patients (c. 2591 A＞G/c. 1790 G＞A, c. 924G＞T/c. 3002delG and c. 1613A＞T/c. 1612 G＞T, respectively). There were six novel mutations not reported before, i.e., c.914G＞A(p.S305N), c.924G＞T(p.Q308H), c.1613A＞T(p.E538V), c.1612G＞T(p.E538*), c.1790 G＞A(p.R597Q) and c.3002delG. Conclusions POLG gene mutations can lead to different clinical spectrums. Progressive external ophthalmoplegia, limb weakness and axonal sensory neuropathy are common presentations in this group of patients with POLG gene related mitochondrial neuromuscular diseases. Novel mutations found in this study expand the mutational spectrum of POLG gene.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in elderly patients in severe illness and its relationship with severity of disease and prognosis.Methods Totally 325 inpatients admitted to geriatric intensive care unit were included in this study.Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25-(OH)D] was examined.Main laboratory findings,the incidence of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS),Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE Ⅱ) score and mortality rate of 30-day were compared among patients with different serum 25 (OH) D levels.Potential risk factors for mortality were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression analysis.Results 25 (OH)D deficiency was identified in 113 (34.77％).Compared to 25(OH) D sufficiency group,25 (OH)D deficiency group has significantly higher plasma lactic acid,APACHE Ⅱ score,the incidence of MODS and mortality rate of 30-day,P ＜0.05.Analysis by multiple logistic regression suggested that 25 (OH) D deficiency was independent risk factor for mortality.Conclusions Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent among elderly patients with severe illness,and may be an independent risk factor for mortality.