Magnolol supplementation alleviates diquat-induced oxidative stress via PI3K-Akt in broiler chickens.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of magnolol on the oxidative parameters and jejunum injury induced by diquat in broiler chickens. This test adopts a 2 × 2 factors design, a total of 288 one-day-old male AA broiler chicks randomly allocated to four groups, consisting of six replicates of 12 birds each, which was then denoted as CON group, diquat (DIQ) group (16 mg/kg BW diquat was injected into birds at the age of 21 days), magnolol (MAG) group (basic bird diet supplemented with 300 mg/kg magnolol), and MAG + DIQ group. At 21 days of age, broilers in the DIQ group and the MAG + DIQ group were intraperitoneally injected with 16 mg/kg BW diquat. Results showed that diet supplementing with MAG could alleviate the decrease of ADG to a certain extent after exposure to DIQ. Addition of magnolol to the diet alleviated the decrease of ADG during injection, antioxidant enzymes, and gene expression and increased the markers of oxidative damage induced by diquat induction. Magnolol supplement reversed the increase of apoptotic cells in the diquat-induced chicken jejunum. RNA sequencing showed that PI3K-Akt, calcium, and NF-kappa B signaling pathways were the main enrichment pathways between the DIQ group and the MAG + DIQ group. Our findings revealed that magnolol may improve antioxidant enzyme activity and expression of related genes through the PI3K-Akt pathway to alleviate oxidative stress.

[Characteristic Analysis of nirS Denitrifying Bacterial Community in Lijiahe Reservoir During Stratification].

To explore the composition of the nirS denitrifying bacterial community during stratification in spring(March to May) in a drinking water reservoir and its relationship with water quality, the water quality and relative abundance and structure of the denitrifying bacterial community were analyzed using in-situ monitoring coupled with Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology in the Lijiahe Reservoir. The results showed that:① through high-throughput sequencing, 4 phyla and 13 genera were identified. The dominant bacterial phylum was Proteobacteria, and its relative abundance was between 52.5% and 70.6%. The overall trend of the relative abundance of Proteobacteria decreased on the time scale (P<0.05), and its relative abundance in the surface and middle layers was higher than that of the bottom layer on the spatial scale (P<0.05). There was no difference in the proportion of Proteobacteria between the surface and middle layers (P>0.05), and the abundance of its bottom layer was relatively stable; eight genera of bacteria with denitrification function were identified, among which the dominant bacterial genera (relative abundance>1%) were Dechloromonas and Pseudomonas. The relative abundance of Dechloromonas showed a trend of first decreasing and then increasing on the time scale, whereas the relative abundance of Pseudomonas showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing on the time scale. There were no differences on the spatial scale between these two genera (P>0.05); the changes in bacterial diversity and abundance were basically similar, with a trend of first increasing and then decreasing on the time scale. The highest diversity and abundance of the bacterial community gradually increased with increasing depth on the spatial scale. ② ρ(TN) of the reservoir during stratification was 2.35-2.91 mg·L-1, and the nitrogen pollution was more serious. In March and April, ρ(TN) on the vertical scale was basically similar and showed a decreasing trend. In May, the content of total nitrogen was higher than that in March and April, and the highest value of total nitrogen content occurred in the surface layer. ③ Redundancy analysis showed that water temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, and ammonia nitrogen were the main driving factors, and ammonia nitrogen showed a significantly negative correlation with Dechlormonas. In summary, the study of nirS-type denitrification communities and related influencing factors will contribute to analyzing the characteristics of denitrifying bacterial community changes in a micro-polluted drinking water reservoir and provide a theoretical research basis for the biological remediation of nitrogen pollution in such reservoirs in the future.

Histopathological Characteristics and Therapeutic Outcomes of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection for Gastric High-Grade Intraepithelial Neoplasia.

Background: The endoscopic resection of suspected gastric high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN) may incidentally cause the patient to suffer from early gastric cancer (EGC), complicating the subsequent clinical management. Identifying the risk factors for such misstaging may help guide the clinical management. Methods: The information obtained from 123,460 patients, who underwent conventional upper gastrointestinal endoscopy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2010 to December 2015, were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with an initial diagnosis of HGIN underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), and received a final diagnosis of EGC. The risk factors for the upgraded pathology and noncurative resection were analyzed. Results: Among the 134 patients initially diagnosed with HGIN, 35 (26.12%) patients were finally diagnosed with EGC after ESD. A lesion size of ≥2 cm (odds ratio [OR] = 5.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.04-13.05; P < .01), ≤4 biopsies taken (OR = 2.73, 95% CI = 1.15-6.48; P < .05), and the presence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB; OR = 15.64, 95% CI = 1.29-189.75; P < .05) were the independent risk factors for upgraded pathology. In addition, patients >65 years old (OR = 0.022, 95% CI = 0.901-6.549; P < .05) or with a lesion size of ≥2 cm (OR = 4.237, 95% CI = 1.650-10.878; P < .01) were more likely to endure the noncurative resection. Conclusion: For suspected gastric HGIN patients, age, lesion size, the number of biopsies, and UGIB should be taken into account before deciding on the ESD.

[Mechanism of Algal Community Dynamics Driven by the Seasonal Water Bacterial Community in a Stratified Drinking Water Reservoir].

Phytoplankton and bacteria are crucial components of aquatic food webs, playing critical roles in the structure and function of freshwater ecosystems. However, there are few studies on how the algal and bacterial communities interact and respond to changing environmental conditions in the water reservoirs. Thus, the ecological interaction relationship between the temporal succession of the phytoplankton community and the bacterial community was investigated using 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing and a co-occurrence network in the Lijiahe Reservoir. The results showed that Bacillariophyta and Chlorophyta were also dominant taxa in the phytoplankton community. In August, Cyanobacteria replaced Bacillariophyta as the second-most dominant taxa, with an average relative abundance of 30.13%. DNA sequencing showed that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes dominated throughout the year. Proteobacteria reached a maximum relative abundance of 71.68% in July. Acidobacteria and Deinococcus-Thermus, which were rare taxa, reached maximum relative abundances of 10.20% and 5.56%, respectively. The co-occurrence network showed that the association between algae and bacteria was mainly positive, indicating that the interaction between them may be dominated by mutualism. As a keystone taxa, Methylotenera was significantly and positively related to Chlorella. Scenedesmus was also a keystone taxa and was significantly and negatively correlated with various bacteria, such as Methylobacter, Solitalea, and Rhodoferax. An RDA analysis showed that the succession of algal and bacterial communities was significantly regulated by water temperature, pH, and conductivity, and the environmental factors explained 93.1% and 90% of the variation in the algal community and bacterial community, respectively. The results will provide a scientific basis for exploring the micro-ecological driving mechanism of the interaction between algae and bacteria in deep drinking water reservoir ecosystems.

[Advances in Microbe-Derived Taste and Odor Compounds in Typical Aquatic Ecosystems].

Olfactory microorganisms mainly include actinomycetes, algae, and myxobacteria, and are widely found in typical water ecosystems such as water source reservoirs, lakes, streams, and oceans. Biologically-derived taste and odor compounds can cause severe off-flavor problems at trace concentrations, threatening the safety of water supplies. Physical and chemical methods have been implemented, but they need to be improved and optimized. Microbial methods show attractive prospects due to their environmentally friendly characteristics. This article reviews the literature regarding the types, biological sources, detection methods, control measures, influencing factors, and odor-producing mechanisms of microbial methods. Future research directions and fields of investigation are discussed in order to promote the related research of taste and odor compounds and ensure the safety of urban water supplies.

[Effects of Artificial Destratification and Induced-natural Mixing on Water Quality Improvement in a Drinking Water Reservoir].

To explore the effects of water quality improvement by artificial destratification and artificially-induced mixing, as well as realize the conditions of artificial mixing and natural mixing, the Lijiahe Reservoir was selected to monitor the indexes of water quality and hydrometeorology from June 2017 to April 2019 and to analyze the characteristics of variations in water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pollutants during the natural and induced-mixing processes. The results demonstrated that:① The natural process had the features of a long period of thermal stratification and only a short period of mixing of about 2.5 months. Through the operation of water-lifting aerators (WLAs) during the induced-mixing process, the water body was completely mixed and entered the cooling period at the end of September, achieving the conditions of induced-natural mixing. The surface water temperature and average air temperature were 20.17℃ and 16.5℃, respectively, and the water body continued to be naturally mixed after the WLA system was shut down, which led to a natural mixing cycle of 5.5 months. ② During the natural-mixing process, the concentration of pollutants was relatively high in the whole period, and the concentration of surface pollutants in the mixing stage presented a trend of increasing first and then decreasing. The oxycline appeared with thermal stratification, and the anaerobic cycle in the bottom of water column reached 6 months. ③ Compared with the natural-mixing process, the hypolimnetic anaerobic condition was eliminated and the control effects of pollutants dominated during the induced-mixing process. Simultaneously, the concentrations of NH4+-N, TP, Fe, and Mn in the bottom of the water column were cut by 76.2%, 75.5%, 82.2%, and 82.1%, respectively, during the same period from October to March of the following year, and met the "Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water". This study shows that the artificially-induced mixing process contributes to water quality improvement and mixing-period prolongation.

[Succession Characteristics of Algae Functional Groups and Water Quality Assessment in a Drinking Water Reservoir].

To understand the temporal and spatial succession characteristics of algae functional communities and water quality changes in a drinking water reservoir, the Lijiahe Reservoir was selected to monitor variations in water quality and algae from September 2018 to June 2019. The algae community was classified into functional groups following the method proposed by Reynolds and Padisák. The relationship between algal functional community and water quality was discussed, and the water quality was assessed using the water quality index (WQI) method. The results showed that 56 species of algae were obtained, belonging to 4 families and 28 genera, which were divided into 15 functional groups. The dominant algae functional communities were B, D, G, J, L0, Mp, P, W1, and X1. The algae structure of Lijiahe Reservoir showed obvious seasonal characteristics. The algal density in the mixed period was significantly lower than that in the stratification period. The main functional algae in the mixed period were Chlorella and Cyclotella, but Navicula and Synedra were the dominant functional algae in the stratification period. Redundancy analysis showed that the water temperature, mixing depth, and relative water column stability index were the main factors driving algae succession. WQI analysis indicated that the water quality of Lijiahe Reservoir was "good", and the water quality during the mixed period was slightly better than that in the stratification period. This study demonstrates that water-lifting aerators can change the succession characteristics of algae functional groups, and effectively contribute to improvement in water quality in a drinking water reservoir.

[Spatial and Temporal Succession Characteristics of Aerobic Anoxygenic Photosynthesis Bacteria in a Stratified Reservoir].

Aerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis bacteria (AAPB) play a significant role in the material circulation of the hydrosphere, with diverse community structure and unique metabolic functions. To investigate the spatial and temporal succession characteristics of AAPB abundance and community structure in Jinpen Reservoir, a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technique targeting the pufM gene were applied. Furthermore, redundancy analysis was used to determine the influence of environmental factors on their community structure. The results showed that the AAPB abundance ranged from (6.70±0.43)×103 to (2.69±0.15)×104 copies·mL-1, with the maximum value appearing in October, and decreased with an increase in water depth. Samples were mainly classified into 19 genera (except for the unclassified genus); the most abundant AAPB genera were Bradyrhizobium sp. and Methylobacterium sp., which were affiliated to the α-Proteobacteria, and the proportion of the Bradyrhizobium sp. was highest in November, accounting for more than 60% (except 10 m). Furthermore, Rubrivivax sp., belonging to ß-Proteobacteria, was found to have a low proportion. There was a strong interaction relationship between AAPB genera. For example, Rhodobacter sp. was positively correlated with Rhodovulum sp., while Hydrogenophaga sp. was negatively correlated with Bradyrhizobium sp.. The community structure composition and distribution of AAPB were significantly different, mainly affected by temperature (T), total nitrogen (TN), NO3--N, and light intensity and comprehensively regulated by environmental factors. For instance, T, TN, and total phosphorus had a significant impact on the AAPB community structure of water samples at 0, 5, and 15 m in October, whereas light intensity, pH, DO, and chlorophyll-a were major structuring factors in the AAPB assemblages of water samples at 5 m in December. The results have guiding significance for parsing the spatial and temporal variability of AAPB abundance and diversity in stratified reservoirs, and simultaneously provide a theoretical basis for exploring the driving factors of AAPB population structure.

Inverse method to engineer uniform-intensity focal fields with arbitrary shape.

We present an inverse method to engineer uniform-intensity focal fields with arbitrary shape. Amplitude, phase, and polarization states, as adjustable parameters, are used to seek the desired focal fields in the non-iterative computational procedure. Our method can be applied to the cases with low and moderate numerical aperture (NA), in which case the feasibility and validity of our approach have been demonstrated in theory, simulation and experiment, respectively. For the case of higher NA, simulated results based on the Richards-Wolf diffraction integral are shown. We also made some discussions on the experiments with the higher NA. Our method should have wide applications in optical micro machining, optical trapping and so on.

[Vertical Distribution of Fungal Community Composition and Water Quality During the Deep Reservoir Thermal Stratification].

Freshwater fungal community composition plays pivotal roles in sustaining the function and health of drinking water reservoir ecosystems. To investigate the vertical evaluative characteristics of an aquatic fungal community under conditions of stable thermal stratification, water samples were collected at 0.5, 10, 25, 40, 60 and 70 m depths of Jinpen Reservoir during thermal stratification. Fungal community composition was determined using a high-throughput DNA sequencing technique and combined with water quality parameters. The results showed that the epilimnion, metalimnion, and hypolimnion water layers were formed in Jinpen Reservoir. The temperature decreased steadily from the surface at 22.33℃ to the bottom with 7.21℃ (P<0.05). The dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration decreased significantly from the surface to the bottom (P<0.05). The conductivity and the concentration total phosphorus and iron increased significantly from the surface to the bottom (P<0.05). The high-throughput DNA sequencing revealed a total of 1247 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), which were affiliated with four phylum, 14 classes, and 39 genera, including Zygomycota, Basidiomycota, Ascomycota, and Chytridiomycota. The highest Shannon diversity and Chao 1 were 3.45 and 360 at 60 m, respectively. The Shannon diversity and Chao 1 were significantly higher in the hypolimnion than in the metalimnion (P<0.05). Rhodotorula (27.23%), Alternaria (24.28%),Cladosporium (22.98%), Alternaria (32.00%), Didymella (17.47%), and Cladosporium (28.17%) were the dominant species at 0.5 m, 10 m, 25 m, 40 m, 60 m, and 70 m, respectively. There are a number of unclassified fungi at different water depths. The heat map profile indicated significant differences in the vertical distribution of the fungal community composition in Jinpen Reservoir. A principle component analysis (PCA) indicated that water temperature, DO, TP, and conductivity had dramatic influences on the vertical distribution of the fungal community composition. The results provide new insights on the relationship between water quality and fungal community composition during reservoir thermal stratified periods.

[Characteristics of Sediment Oxygen Demand in a Drinking Water Reservoir].

Depletion of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the hypolimnetic layer during stratification periods and its deleterious effects on water quality have been widely observed. However, it is still difficult to comprehend conceptually the processes of oxygen consumption at the sediment-water interface. The research presented here is, therefore, based on an areal hypolimnetic oxygen demand (AHOD) model to address three key themes related to the sediment oxygen demand (SOD):① the characteristics of sediment and its influences on SOD; ② evaluation of SOD with different turbulence levels overlying the sediment; and ③ the influence of microbial metabolic activity on SOD. Sediment samples were collected at the entrance to and over the basin area of Jinpen Reservoir, and a sediment-water experimental chamber was designed to achieve these goals. The results showed that, under quiescent conditions, the SOD5area(SOD at DO of 5 mg·L-1) were 0.13 g·(m2·d)-1 and 0.36 g·(m2·d)-1 in the arm and basin, respectively. Under dynamic conditions, the slight mixing of the water column near the sediment induced an increase in SOD and resulted in a gradual shift from first-order to zero-order DO uptake. The organic matter content in the reservoir arm and profundal sediment were 44.43 mg·g-1 and 45.12 mg·g-1, respectively. The microbial metabolic activity in the basin was stronger, and the total fluorescence intensity of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the profundal sediments was about 1.5 times that in the reservoir arm. These results suggest that SOD will be higher when microbial metabolic activity is stronger and organic matter content is higher in sediments. The oxygenation aeration techniques should be designed to meet the oxygen demand of the deep reservoir to provide a theoretical basis for improving the oxygenation efficiency.

[Denitrification Characteristics and Community Structure of Aerobic Denitrifiers from Lake and Reservoir Sediments].

The effect of aerobic denitrifying bacteria is a hot topic in the field of water environment bioremediation. Aerobic denitrifier communities, H-30, X-10, and C-30, enriched by intermittent aeration, screened with screening culture media, and treated by ultrasonic waves, could perform high denitrification performance at the higher dissolved oxygen concentration of (7.2±0.6) mg ·L-1. The total nitrogen (TN) removal rate of aerobic denitrifier communities, H-30, X-10, and C-30, reached 83.04%, 83.40%, and 82.68%, respectively. There is lower nitrite accumulation during the process of denitrification. Illumina high-throughput DNA sequencing revealed that aerobic denitrifier compositions were significantly different among the three communities. The predominant strains of aerobic denitrifier communities, H-30, X-10, and C-30, were Bacillus subtilis, Paracoccus pantotrophus, and Pseudomonas stutzeri, respectively. The proportion of P. stutzeri in aerobic denitrifier communities H-30 and X-10 was almost the same, while Pseudomonas xiamenensis was only detected in H-30. These three efficient aerobic denitrifier communities provide a bacterium source guarantee for polluted water bioremediation of lakes and reservoirs in cities.

[Denitrification Characteristics and Functional Genes of Denitrifying Bacteria Under Aerobic or Anaerobic Conditions].

An efficient aerobic denitrifying bacterium was isolated from the sediments of the Jin Pen Reservoir in Xi'an. The strain was identified by morphological features and 16S rDNA sequences as Pseudomonas stutzeri and named it KK99. The denitrification characteristics of the strain and the expression level of the functional genes narG, nirS, and nosZ in aerobic/anaerobic conditions were investigated. The results showed that the strain can carry out both anaerobic and aerobic denitrification and has a high efficiency of denitrification, which occurs under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions; after 24 h, the removal rates of total nitrogen (TN) were 85.08% and 89.05%, respectively. Under both the conditions, the expression levels of the functional genes nosZ and nirS are high. nosZ plays a vital role in denitrification in the aerobic pathway, nirS plays a vital role in denitrification in the anaerobic pathway, and narG expression is low under both the conditions. At the same time, simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) capacity of the strain was observed when nitrate and ammonium salts were the nitrogen sources, with the total nitrogen removal rate being 76% within 24 h in aerobic conditions. The P. stutzeri KK99 strain can be used for controlling eutrophication of micro-polluted water, and the application of total nitrogen reduction engineering.

Hiwi overexpression does not affect proliferation, migration or apoptosis of liver cancer cells in vitro or in vivo.

Piwi like RNA-mediated gene silencing 1 (Hiwi) is a human homolog of the Piwi gene family that has been reported to be upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study aimed to investigate the role of Hiwi in the initiation and development of HCC in vitro and in vivo. Adenovirus-mediated Hiwi overexpression was established in primary murine hepatocytes and SMMC7721 HCC cells. Cell viability and proliferation were assessed using MTT and EdU assays, respectively. Cell migration was measured using a scratch migration assay. The cell cycle was assessed using flow cytometry, and the expression of genes associated with the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) was assessed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. SMMC7721 cells that stably express Hiwi were also generated and injected subcutaneously into the nude mice, and tumor growth was examined. Recombinant adenovirus encoding green fluorescent protein or Hiwi was delivered by injection into the tail vein, and its effect on murine hepatocyte gene expression was studied. The present study revealed that the overexpression of Hiwi did not affect the proliferation or migration of liver cancer cells and failed to suppress perifosine- or doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in vitro. The tumors of mice that were injected with Hiwi-expressing SMMC7721 cells were not significantly larger compared with mice that were injected with control SMMC7721 cells. Hiwi overexpression did not noticeably alter the expression of genes involved in EMT, either in vitro or in vivo. The results of the present study indicate that although expression of Hiwi is associated with HCC development and progression in the clinic, it does not act as an oncogene in liver cancer cells.

[Water Quality and Diversity of Denitrifier Community Structure of Typical Scenic Water Bodies in Xi'an].

Six micro-polluted landscape water bodies were selected to explore the relationship between water quality and the nirS-Type denitrifier community structure and diversity with an Illumina high-throughput sequencing technique. The results of a physico-chemical analysis of the water bodies showed that the Fengqing Park (FQ) and Laodong Park (LD) water bodies were classified as inferior Ⅴ water quality, the Qujiang Park (QJ), Mutasi Park (MTS), and Xinjiyuan Park (XJY) water bodies were classified as Ⅴ water quality, and the Yongyang Park (YY) water quality was classified as Ⅳ. The TN values varied from 1.21 mg·L-1 to 6.50 mg·L-1, with the lowest value found in YY and the highest in FQ (P<0.05). TP was significantly higher in LD (0.10 mg·L-1) and significantly lower in QJ[0.02 mg·L-1 (P<0.05)]. The NH4+-N in LD was 4.44 times higher than that in QJ and FQ (P<0.01). Illumina high-throughput sequencing revealed that the denitrifier community composition was significantly different among the six water bodies, and Paracoccus sp., Pseudomonas sp., and Rubrivivax sp. were the dominant genus species. A principle component analysis (PCA) indicated that the nirS-Type denitrifier communities of XJY and MTS were mainly regulated by NH4+-N and the permanganate index, LD and FQ were significantly influenced by NO3--N, NO2--N, TN, TP, and DO, and YY was significantly influenced by pH value. Our results showed that nirS-Type denitrifier communities were regulated by different water quality indicators.

Risk factors for intestinal metaplasia in a southeastern Chinese population: an analysis of 28,745 cases.

PURPOSE: To identify risk factors for intestinal metaplasia in a southeastern Chinese population. METHODS: Subjects who underwent upper GI endoscopy and endoscopic biopsy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from 2008 to 2013 were included into this study. Various demographic, geographic, clinical and pathological data were analyzed separately to identify risk factors for intestinal metaplasia. RESULTS: The incidence of intestinal metaplasia differed significantly in 17 municipal areas ranging from 16.79 to 38.56% and was positively correlated with the age range of 40-70 years, male gender, gastric ulcer, bile reflux, Helicobacter pylori infection, atrophic gastritis, dysplasia, gastric cancer, degree of chronic and acute inflammation, and gross domestic product per capita (P < 0.01). Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that only gross domestic product per capita revealed a significant difference in the incidence of intestinal metaplasia among all factors mentioned. CONCLUSION: This study confirms age, male gender, gastric ulcer, bile reflux, H. pylori infection, severe degree of chronic and acute inflammation to be the risk factors for intestinal metaplasia. We speculate that the gross domestic product per capita of different areas may be a potential independent risk factor impacting the incidence of intestinal metaplasia.

Downward trend in the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infections and corresponding frequent upper gastrointestinal diseases profile changes in Southeastern China between 2003 and 2012.

This present study aims to determine trends in the prevalence of H. pylori infections in Southeastern China between 2003 and 2012, and investigate corresponding changes in the prevalence of upper gastrointestinal diseases. This retrospective study screened 196,442 patients with a mean age of 47.49 ± 14.47 years (age range 5-100 years) in Southeastern China, and a total of 134,812 cases of an endoscopy-referral patient population with digestive symptoms between 2003 and 2012 were enrolled. Based on esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy and pathology, patients diagnosed with chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, gastric cancer or reflux esophagitis were included in this study. Basic demographic and clinical characteristics such as H. pylori infection status and endoscopic findings were collected and analyzed. Among the 134,812 subjects, mean prevalence of H. pylori infection was 31.97 %; which demonstrated a linear downward trend from 42.40 to 23.82 % (P < 0.001) at an annual rate of 2 % from 2003 to 2012. Similarly, the prevalence of duodenal and gastric ulcer rapidly decreased from 12.65 to 6.57 % and from 7.51 to 3.78 %, respectively; while the prevalence of gastric cancer (from 3.76 to 2.34 %) did not significantly change in the same time period. In contrast, the prevalence of reflux esophagitis increased from 6.19 to 12.80 %. The progressively decreasing prevalence of H. pylori infections from 2003 to 2012 in Southeastern China appears to be linked with the decline of related upper gastrointestinal diseases and increase of some gastrointestinal motility diseases.

Anatomical predilection of intestinal metaplasia based on 78,335 endoscopic cases.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastric intestinal metaplasia (IM) is an important risk factor for intestinal-type gastric carcinoma, and successful treatment critically depends on its timely detection. In order to guide appropriate endoscopic surveillance, objective knowledge on the anatomical predilection of intestinal metaplasia development is urgently needed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 78,335 cases who underwent gastroduodenoscopy from 2008 to 2013 in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces in China, were studied. Demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as biopsy location and histological results, were analyzed. RESULTS: This study revealed that intestinal metaplasia incidence was 28.5% in angulus, 20.24% in lesser curvature of the antrum, and 25.48% in corpus; and all these were significantly higher than those observed in other sites (P < 0.01). Histological grading of intestinal metaplasia in the lesser curvature of the antrum and angulus was generally worse than the grading observed in the greater curvature of the antrum. For Helicobacter pylori-positive patients, acute inflammation was more severe in the lesser curvature of the antrum compared with the greater curvature. In the H. Pylori-negative group, both acute and chronic inflammations were more severe in the lesser curvature of the antrum. CONCLUSIONS: The angulus, lesser curvature in the antrum, and corpus are most prone to the development of intestinal metaplasia. Inflammation is most severe in the lesser curvature of the antrum, which corresponds to a higher predilection to develop intestinal metaplasia at this site. The lesser curvature of the antrum and corpus require the most attention during endoscopic biopsy surveillance.

Indoor Heating Drives Water Bacterial Growth and Community Metabolic Profile Changes in Building Tap Pipes during the Winter Season.

The growth of the bacterial community harbored in indoor drinking water taps is regulated by external environmental factors, such as indoor temperature. However, the effect of indoor heating on bacterial regrowth associated with indoor drinking water taps is poorly understood. In the present work, flow cytometry and community-level sole-carbon-source utilization techniques were combined to explore the effects of indoor heating on water bacterial cell concentrations and community carbon metabolic profiles in building tap pipes during the winter season. The results showed that the temperature of water stagnated overnight ("before") in the indoor water pipes was 15-17 °C, and the water temperature decreased to 4-6 °C after flushing for 10 min ("flushed"). The highest bacterial cell number was observed in water stagnated overnight, and was 5-11 times higher than that of flushed water. Meanwhile, a significantly higher bacterial community metabolic activity (AWCD590nm) was also found in overnight stagnation water samples. The significant "flushed" and "taps" values indicated that the AWCD590nm, and bacterial cell number varied among the taps within the flushed group (p < 0.01). Heatmap fingerprints and principle component analyses (PCA) revealed a significant discrimination bacterial community functional metabolic profiles in the water stagnated overnight and flushed water. Serine, threonine, glucose-phosphate, ketobutyric acid, phenylethylamine, glycerol, putrescine were significantly used by "before" water samples. The results suggested that water stagnated at higher temperature should be treated before drinking because of bacterial regrowth. The data from this work provides useful information on reasonable utilization of drinking water after stagnation in indoor pipes during indoor heating periods.