Objective To investigate the distribution characteristics of serum pepsinogen (PG) in healthy people and its reference interval establishment .Methods 3 753 healthy people were enrolled and divided into <45-year old ,45- <60-year old and ≥60-year old group according to their ages .Double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect PG Ⅰ ,Ⅱ . Results Detection results of serum PG Ⅰ ,PGⅡ and PGⅠ /PGⅡ of male and female healthy people in different age group showed a skewed distribution(P<0 .05) .Serum PGⅠ and PGⅠ /PGⅡlevels of females were significantly higher than males(P<0 .01) .In the same age group ,difference of serum PGⅡ levels between males and females was not statistically significant (P>0 .05) .In the same gender ,pairwise comparison of PGⅠlevels was conducted in different age groups ,and the difference showed no statistical sig-nificance(P>0 .05) .PGⅡlevel increased with age increasing (P<0 .01) while PGⅠ /PGⅡlevel increased with age reducing (P<0 .05) .Percentile method was adopted to determine the 95% reference interval ,the bilateral reference intervals (P2 .5 - P97 .5 ) was taken for PGⅠ ,unilateral upper limit(≤ P95 ) for PGⅡ and unilateral limit (≥ P5 ) for PGⅠ /PGⅡ .Conclusion The establishment of serum PG Ⅰ ,PG Ⅱ ,PG Ⅰ /PG Ⅱ reference intervals of healthy people provides a basis for the prevention and treatment for stomach disease .

Objective To investigate the prevalence of parasitic infections in human stool samples from a hospital in Chenzhou City, Hunan Province, so as to provide insights into the management of intestinal parasitic diseases. Methods Stool samples were collected from patients admitted to a hospital in Chenzhou City from September 2020 to March 2021, subjected to physiological saline smearing and microscopy for detection of intestinal parasites. The prevalence of parasitic infections and the species of parasites were descriptively analyzed. Results The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was 1.61% in the 10 728 stool samples, and there were 3 samples with mixed infections of two parasite species. A total of seven parasite species were identified, including Blastocystis hominis (162 cases, 1.55%), Giardia lamblia (5 cases, 0.05%), Dientamoeba fragilis (5 cases, 0.05%), Endolimax nana (one case, 0.01%), Iodamoeba bütschlii (one case, 0.01%), Strongyloides stercoralis (one case, 0.01%) and Trichomonas hominis (one case, 0.01%). The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was significantly higher among women than in men (2.14% vs. 1.25%; χ² = 13.01, P < 0.01), and a high prevalence rate was seen among patients at ages of 20 to 30 years (2.99%) and 80 years and older (2.86%); however, no age-specific prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was detected (χ² = 12.45, P > 0.05). Conclusions The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was low among patients admitted to a hospital in Chenzhou City, and gender-specific prevalence was found. Food-borne and opportunistic parasites were predominant intestinal parasites, including B. hominis, G. lamblia and D. fragilis.

Cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, aneurysm, thrombosis, and hypertension, are a great economic burden and threat to human health and are the major cause of death worldwide. Recently, researchers have begun to appreciate the role of microbial ecosystems within the human body in contributing to metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that the gut microbiota is closely associated with the occurrence and development of cardiovascular diseases. The gut microbiota functions as an endocrine organ that secretes bioactive metabolites that participate in the maintenance of cardiovascular homeostasis, and their dysfunction can directly influence the progression of cardiovascular disease. This review summarizes the current literature demonstrating the role of the gut microbiota in the development of cardiovascular diseases. We also highlight the mechanism by which well-documented gut microbiota-derived metabolites, especially trimethylamine N-oxide, short-chain fatty acids, and phenylacetylglutamine, promote or inhibit the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. We also discuss the therapeutic potential of altering the gut microbiota and microbiota-derived metabolites to improve or prevent cardiovascular diseases.