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*

Current experimental and computational methods have limitations in accurately and efficiently classifying ion channels within vast protein spaces. Here we have developed a deep learning algorithm, GPT2 Ion Channel Classifier (GPT2-ICC), which effectively distinguishing ion channels from a test set containing approximately 239 times more non-ion-channel proteins. GPT2-ICC integrates representation learning with a large language model (LLM)-based classifier, enabling highly accurate identification of potential ion channels. Several potential ion channels were predicated from the unannotated human proteome, further demonstrating GPT2-ICC's generalization ability. This study marks a significant advancement in artificial-intelligence-driven ion channel research, highlighting the adaptability and effectiveness of combining representation learning with LLMs to address the challenges of imbalanced protein sequence data. Moreover, it provides a valuable computational tool for uncovering previously uncharacterized ion channels.

Tricuspid regurgitation(TR) is a malocclusion of the tricuspid lobes during systole, resulting in blood returning from the right ventricle to the right atrium during systole. Functional TR is not associated with clear tricuspid valve disease, but is secondary to left heart disease and is often accompanied by dilation of the tricuspid ring. The main treatment for TR is to reduce the enlarged ring with tricuspid valvuloplasty or to replace the diseased valve with tricuspid valve replacement. Tricuspid valvuloplasty is the most common and safest surgical method for functional TR, but the specific treatment strategies for TR are still controversial. This article reviews the diagnostic evaluation, surgical strategy and prognosis of TR treated by tricuspid valvuloplasty.

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and bone metastasis (BM) suffer from greatly reduced life quality and a dismal prognosis. However, BM in HCC has long been overlooked possibly due to its relatively low prevalence in previous decades. To date, no consensus or guidelines have been reached or formulated for the prevention and management of HCC BM. Our narrative review manifests the increasing incidence of HCC BM to sound the alarm for additional attention. The risk factors, diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic approaches of HCC BM are detailed to provide a panoramic view of this disease to clinicians and specialists. We further delineate an informative cancer bone metastatic cascade based on evidence from recent studies and point out the main factors responsible for the tumor-associated disruption of bone homeostasis and the formation of skeletal cancer lesions. We also present the advances in the pathological and molecular mechanisms of HCC BM to shed light on translational opportunities. Dilemmas and challenges in the treatment and investigation of HCC BM are outlined and discussed to encourage further endeavors in the exploration of underlying pathogenic and molecular mechanisms, as well as the development of novel effective therapies for HCC patients with BM.
Bone Neoplasms/secondary* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/therapy* ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/therapy* ; Prognosis

Objective To investigate the characteristics of gut microbiota in patients with schizophrenia. Methods The composition of the fecal microbiota in 16 schizophrenia patients and 20 healthy controls was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Results At the phylum level, TM7 was increased in the patients (P<0.05). At the class level, the abundance of Peptostreptococcaceae, Lactobacillaceae and Actinomycetaceae in the patients increased (P<0.05), whereas the abundance of Tissierellaceae decreased relative to health controls (P<0.05). At the genus level, Actinomyces, Scardovia, Atopobium, Moryella, G07 and Lactobacillus were increased in the patients relative to healthy controls (P<0.05). Prediction of functional properties of bacterial flora showed that the metabolic pathways of fatty acids and pyruvate were different between the patients and healthy controls (P<0.05). Conclusion The present study reveals an alteration in the characteristics of gut microbiota in schizophrenia patients which may be an auxiliary diagnosis marker for clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVEScreening for special genes of matrix proteins of dentin and enamel of mouse dental germ.

METHODSA cDNA library of dental germ of mouse was screened by differential display. The interesting clones were sequenced.

RESULTSSix positive clones were isolated from the cDNA library. The sequence of one of the six positive clones was homologous with the ameloblastin sequence of rat. There are 497 homologous base pairs between the 526 base pairs sequenced by pTriplEX 3' primer of this clone and the 32-580 sequence of the rat ameloblastin gene; and there are 533 homologous base pairs between the 567 base pairs sequenced by pTriplEX 5' primer of this clone and the 1285-1854 sequence of the rat ameloblastin gene.

CONCLUSIONSThe full length cDNA sequence of the mouse ameloblastin was cloned.

Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Complementary ; Gene Library ; Mice ; Molecular Sequence Data