Chinese Consensus Report on Family-Based Helicobacter pylori Infection Control and Management (2021 Edition).

OBJECTIVE: Helicobacter pylori infection is mostly a family-based infectious disease. To facilitate its prevention and management, a national consensus meeting was held to review current evidence and propose strategies for population-wide and family-based H. pylori infection control and management to reduce the related disease burden. METHODS: Fifty-seven experts from 41 major universities and institutions in 20 provinces/regions of mainland China were invited to review evidence and modify statements using Delphi process and grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation system. The consensus level was defined as ≥80% for agreement on the proposed statements. RESULTS: Experts discussed and modified the original 23 statements on family-based H. pylori infection transmission, control and management, and reached consensus on 16 statements. The final report consists of three parts: (1) H. pylori infection and transmission among family members, (2) prevention and management of H. pylori infection in children and elderly people within households, and (3) strategies for prevention and management of H. pylori infection for family members. In addition to the 'test-and-treat' and 'screen-and-treat' strategies, this consensus also introduced a novel third 'family-based H. pylori infection control and management' strategy to prevent its intrafamilial transmission and development of related diseases. CONCLUSION: H. pylori is transmissible from person to person, and among family members. A family-based H. pylori prevention and eradication strategy would be a suitable approach to prevent its intra-familial transmission and related diseases. The notion and practice would be beneficial not only for Chinese residents but also valuable as a reference for other highly infected areas.

Quantitative assessment of AD markers using naked eyes: point-of-care testing with paper-based lateral flow immunoassay.

Aß42 is one of the most extensively studied blood and Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for the diagnosis of symptomatic and prodromal Alzheimer's disease (AD). Because of the heterogeneity and transient nature of Aß42 oligomers (Aß42Os), the development of technologies for dynamically detecting changes in the blood or CSF levels of Aß42 monomers (Aß42Ms) and Aß42Os is essential for the accurate diagnosis of AD. The currently commonly used Aß42 ELISA test kits usually mis-detected the elevated Aß42Os, leading to incomplete analysis and underestimation of soluble Aß42, resulting in a comprised performance in AD diagnosis. Herein, we developed a dual-target lateral flow immunoassay (dLFI) using anti-Aß42 monoclonal antibodies 1F12 and 2C6 for the rapid and point-of-care detection of Aß42Ms and Aß42Os in blood samples within 30 min for AD diagnosis. By naked eye observation, the visual detection limit of Aß42Ms or/and Aß42Os in dLFI was 154 pg/mL. The test results for dLFI were similar to those observed in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Therefore, this paper-based dLFI provides a practical and rapid method for the on-site detection of two biomarkers in blood or CSF samples without the need for additional expertise or equipment.

Clarithromycin versus furazolidone for naïve Helicobacter pylori infected patients in a high clarithromycin resistance area.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The increase in antibiotic resistance makes the eradication of Helicobacter pylori more difficult. Considering the limitations of the application of susceptibility-guided therapy, it is important to find an effective empirical regimen. The aim of the study is to compare the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of clarithromycin-based bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (C-BQT) and furazolidone-based bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (F-BQT) in naïve H. pylori positive patients. METHODS: This was an open-label, randomized controlled, crossover trial. The trial comprised two phases. In C-F group, patients received C-BQT in the first phase; those who were still positive for H. pylori infection after the first phase entered the second phase to receive F-BQT as rescue treatment. In F-C group, patients were treated with F-BQT firstly and rescued with C-BQT. RESULTS: As first-line treatments, the eradication rates of C-BQT and F-BQT were 89.7% (157/175) and 92.0% (161/175) (P = 0.458) in intention-to-treat analysis and 93.4% (156/167) and 95.8% (161/168) (P = 0.327) in per-protocol analysis, respectively. The cumulative eradication rates of the C-F group and the F-C group were both 94.3% in intention-to-treat analysis (P = 1.000). Cost-effectiveness indexes of F-BQT and C-BQT were 0.54 and 1.24 in first-line treatments. Frequencies of adverse events in F-BQT and C-BQT had no differences (36.0% in C-BQT vs 32.6% in F-BQT, P = 0.499). CONCLUSIONS: Furazolidone-based bismuth-containing quadruple therapy should be preferred for its excellent cost-effectiveness and acceptable safety.

[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.

Extremely Low-Cost and Green Cellulose Passivating Perovskites for Stable and High-Performance Solar Cells.

The fast evolution of metal halide perovskite solar cells has opened a new chapter in the field of renewable energy. High-quality perovskite films as the active layers are essential for both high efficiency and long-term stability. Here, the perovskite films with enlarged crystal grain size and decreased defect density are fabricated by introducing the extremely low-cost and green polymer, ethyl cellulose (EC), into the perovskite layer. The addition of EC triggers hydrogen bonding interactions between EC and the perovskite, passivating the charge defect traps at the grain boundaries. The long chain of EC further acts as a scaffold for the perovskite structure, eliminating the annealing-induced lattice strain during the film fabrication process. The resulting devices with the EC additive exhibit a remarkably enhanced average power conversion efficiency from 17.11 to 19.27% and an improvement of all device parameters. The hysteresis index is found to decrease by three times from 0.081 to 0.027, which is attributed to suppressed ion migration and surface charge trapping. In addition, the defect passivation by EC significantly improves the environmental stability of the perovskite films, yielding devices that retain 80% of their initial efficiency after 30 days in ambient air at 45% relative humidity, whereas the pristine devices without EC fully degrade. This work provides a low-cost and green avenue for passivating defects that improves both the efficiency and operational stability of perovskite solar cells.

Assessment of Serum sTREM-1 as a Marker of Subclinical Inflammation in Diarrhea-Predominant Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel disease (IBS) is viewed upon as a functional disorder of subclinical inflammatory changes in recent years, and there is no reliable biomarker. Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1), also produced in a soluble form (sTREM-1), is involved in the activation of inflammatory cascades of intracellular events and may play a role in pathogenesis of IBS. AIM: To investigate whether serum sTREM-1 level can be used as a marker of subclinical inflammation in D-IBS. METHODS: Abdominal pain was quantified by a validated questionnaire. Expression level of TREM-1 in colonic mucosa as well as sTREM-1 level in serum was also detected. Furthermore, we investigated the involvement of TREM-1-associated macrophage activation in IBS-like visceral hypersensitivity. RESULTS: No evidence for obvious inflammation was found in D-IBS patients. Serum sTREM-1 level in D-IBS patients was significantly higher than that in HCs, which was also significantly correlated with abdominal pain scores. We showed a marked increase in the proportion of TREM-1-expressing macrophages in D-IBS, which was significantly correlated with abdominal pain scores. Functionally, gadolinium chloride (GdCl3), a macrophage selective inhibitor, or LP17, the TREM-1-specific peptide, significantly suppressed the visceral hypersensitivity in trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-treated mice with IBS-like visceral hypersensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: Serum sTREM-1 level is significantly higher in D-IBS patients and positively correlates with abdominal pain, which may be initiated by TREM-1-associated macrophage activation, indicating the existence of subclinical inflammation in D-IBS. Therefore, serum sTREM-1 is a potential marker of subclinical inflammation in D-IBS.

Individual Health Management - A Comprehensive Lifestyle Counselling Programme for Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Patient Education.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological data shows globally increasing numbers of obesity and stress-related diseases. In this article, a comprehensive medical lifestyle modification programme - called Individual Health Management (IHM) - is described in detail and discussed as a promising tool to individually manage and reverse such negative health trends in patients. METHODS: The IHM programme is based on a blended learning concept. It comprises a 12-week basic training phase, followed by a 9-month maintenance phase, and includes the following key features: 1) web-based and physician-led health screenings; 2) a structured 12-week basic training with a core curriculum providing tuition in behavioural self-management strategies for weight loss and stress reduction; 3) weekly supervised group sessions during the core curriculum; 4) tailoring of materials, strategies and lifestyle goals; 5) continuous self-monitoring and feedback of the achieved progress; 6) regular contact with physicians or health professionals based on either face-to-face or distant lifestyle counselling; 7) recurrent one-day health seminars to ensure the sustainability of obtained results. CONCLUSIONS: IHM is a multi-component lifestyle intervention programme to increase physical activity, to reduce calorie intake and to practice both self and stress management. Individual care, group support and a tailored web-based programme blend to achieve the desired goals. A randomised control study to evaluate IHM's effects on weight control is currently being conducted.

[The isolation and assessment of Golgi apparatus from gastric cancer cells SGC7901].

The Golgi complex is the central organelle of the secretory pathway and has many complicate functions. The endeavours to isolate and purify the Golgi apparatus from cultured cells will benefit further investigation of Golgi. A large number of gastric cancer cells SGC7901 were cultivated in vitro, then Golgi apparatus were isolated from the cells by differential centrifugation combined with sucrose density gradient ultra-centrifugation. Its purity was characterized biochemically by enzymatic assays, morphologically by electron microscopy (EM) and neutral red supravital staining. Finally the Golgi complex was successfully fractionated from gastric cancer cells SGC7901. The first successful isolation of Golgi apparatus from gastric cancer cells SGC7901 by using ultra-centrifugation will lead to research into the function of Golgi apparatus.