The prospective multiple-centre randomized controlled clinical study of high-dose amoxicillin-proton pump inhibitor dual therapy for H. pylori infection in Sichuan areas.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of high-dose amoxicillin-proton pump inhibitor dual therapy, and to provide a new eradication regimen as a first-line option for patients with H. pylori infection. METHODS: A total of 971 H. pylori positive patients who received initial treatment were recruited from March to August 2020, and randomly divided into treatment group and control group. The treatment group received of 20 mg esomeprazole four times daily and 750 mg amoxicillin four times daily for 14 days. Control group received of 220 mg bismuth potassium citrate twice daily, 20 mg esomeprazole twice daily, 1000 mg amoxicillin twice daily and 250 mg clarithromycin capsule twice daily for 14 days. Four weeks after the end of treatment, the urea breath test was reviewed to detect whether H. pylori was eradicated. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in age, gender, the total clinical symptom scores before and after initial treatment, the compliance, and the degree of remission of symptoms before and after initial treatment between the two groups. The eradication rates of H. pylori between dual therapy and quadruple therapy were 88.31% and 85.26% (p=.158) by intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, 88.66% and 85.44% (p=.186) by modified intention-to-treat (mITT) analysis, and 91.63% and 90.60% (p=.116) by PP analysis, respectively. Adverse events in dual therapy group were significantly lower than quadruple therapy group (13.3% vs. 28.2% (p<.01)). CONCLUSIONS: For the initial treatment of H. pylori infection, the high-dose dual therapy regimen has the same efficacy as the bismuth-containing quadruple therapy regimen, good compliance, less adverse reactions and high safety, so it can be recommended as the empirical first-line treatment regimen for the eradication of H. pylori (KY2019173).

Effects of sodium butyrate supplementation on inflammation, gut microbiota, and short-chain fatty acids in Helicobacter pylori-infected mice.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation induced by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is the basis for the pathogenesis of H. pylori. Butyric acid, a diet-related microbial-associated metabolite, is connected to inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and other diseases. Several studies have indicated the effects of sodium butyrate (SB) against bacteria; however, the effects of SB on the main virulence factors of H. pylori, H. pylori-induced inflammation, and gut microbiota composition remain unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SB was supplemented in H. pylori coculture and administered to mice infected with H. pylori. The effects of SB intake on inflammation, gut microbiota composition, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in H. pylori-infected mice were assessed. RESULTS: The in vitro experiments demonstrated that SB not only inhibited the growth of H. pylori but also decreased the mRNA expression of CagA and VacA. SB intake reduced the production of virulence factors in H. pylori-infected mice, inhibited the IκBα/NF-κB pathway by reducing the expression of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), and reduced the production of TNF-α and IL-8. Further analysis demonstrated that H. pylori infection altered the relative abundance of the intestinal microbial community in mice. The level of SCFAs in the feces of H. pylori-infected mice was changed, although the intake of SB did not obviously change the level of SCFAs. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that SB may decrease H. pylori-induced inflammation by inhibiting the viability and virulence of H. pylori and may reduce inflammation in association with the gut microbiota in H. pylori-infected mice. This study may provide novel insights into the mechanisms by which SB, a diet-related microbial-associated metabolite, affects H. pylori-induced disease development.

Effect of curcumin on visfatin and zinc-α2-glycoprotein in a rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

PURPOSE:: To investigate the effect of curcumin on visfatin and zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG) expression levels in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS:: Fifty-six male rats were randomly divided into a control group (n=16) and model group (n=40) and were fed on a normal diet or a high-fat diet, respectively. Equal volumes of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were intragastrically administered to the control group for 4 weeks. At the end of the 12th week, visfatin and ZAG protein expression levels were examined by immunohistochemistry. Visfatin mRNA levels were measured by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS:: Compared with the control group, the model group showed significantly increased expression of visfatin in liver tissue (P < 0.01) and significantly decreased expression of ZAG (P < 0.01). These effects were ameliorated by curcumin treatment. CONCLUSIONS:: Visfatin and zinc-α2-glycoprotein may be involved in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Treatment of NAFLD in rats by curcumin may be mediated by the decrease of visfatin and the increase of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Effect of curcumin on visfatin and zinc-α2-glycoprotein in a rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

ABSTRACT PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of curcumin on visfatin and zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG) expression levels in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: Fifty-six male rats were randomly divided into a control group (n=16) and model group (n=40) and were fed on a normal diet or a high-fat diet, respectively. Equal volumes of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were intragastrically administered to the control group for 4 weeks. At the end of the 12th week, visfatin and ZAG protein expression levels were examined by immunohistochemistry. Visfatin mRNA levels were measured by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the model group showed significantly increased expression of visfatin in liver tissue (P < 0.01) and significantly decreased expression of ZAG (P < 0.01). These effects were ameliorated by curcumin treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Visfatin and zinc-α2-glycoprotein may be involved in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Treatment of NAFLD in rats by curcumin may be mediated by the decrease of visfatin and the increase of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Long-term Tai Chi training is related to depressive symptoms among Tai Chi practitioners.

BACKGROUND: Due to the close association with physical and psychological health and quality of life, mood disorders, especially depressive symptoms, are an important global public-health issue. It is hypothesized that long-term physical training and mood adjustment may have a beneficial effect on the prevention of the onset of depressive symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between long-term Tai Chi training and depressive symptoms among Tai Chi practitioners. METHODS: This study analyzed a cross-sectional survey including 529 Japanese Tai Chi practitioners. Tai Chi training information, including total training time and a Tai Chi grade, was assessed using a structured questionnaire, and depressive symptoms were evaluated using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) for subjects aged ≥65 and the 20-item Self-rating Depressive Scale (SDS) for subjects aged <65 with cut-off points: GDS ≥5 and SDS ≥11. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 15.9%. After adjustments for potential confounding factors, the odds ratios of having depressive symptoms by increasing levels of Tai Chi training time were 1.00, 0.64 (0.37-1.11), 0.65 (0.37-1.13), 0.34 (0.18-0.65) (P for trend <0.01). LIMITATIONS: This is a cross-sectional study, and not for making a clinical diagnosis of depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that long-term Tai Chi training is independently related to a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms. These results suggest that long-term Tai Chi training may have a beneficial effect on the prevention of depressive symptoms. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

[A meta-analysis on effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion for chronic pelvic inflammatory disease].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effect of acupuncture and moxibustion therapies for chronic pelvic inflammatory disease (CPID) by Meta-analysis. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of CPID were searched from Databases of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Scientific and Technological Journals (VIP), WanFang, China Biomedicine (CBM) and PubMed up to 15 October, 2012. Two researchers independently selected the eligible literature according to the designed selection and exclusion criteria, extracted data and made an evaluation on the quality of the included studies by using the Jadad 5-point scale. The Meta-analysis was carried out using software Stata 11.0. RESULTS: A total of 26 studies involving 2 280 patients were included. Results of Meta-analysis showed significant differences between acupuncture-moxibustion intervention group and control group in terms of total effective rate [OR = 5.63, 95% CI (4.24, 7.47), P < 0.0001], cure rate [OR = 3.18, 95% CI (2.59, 3.89), P < 0.0001], and recurrence rate [OR = 0.11, 95% CI (0.03, 0.47), P < 0.05]. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture-moxibustion is effective in the treatment of CPID. Due to the Jadad scores of these included studies are low, high quality studies are definitely needed to confirm the conclusion.

Kanglaite attenuates UVB-induced down-regulation of aquaporin-3 in cultured human skin keratinocytes.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of skin photoaging. Depending on the wavelength of UV, the epidermis is affected primarily by UVB. One major characteristic of photoaging is the dehydration of the skin. Membrane-inserted water channels (aquaporins) are involved in this process. In this study we demonstrated that UVB radiation induced aquaporin-3 (AQP3) down-regulation in cultured human skin keratinocytes. Kanglaite is a mixture consisting of extractions of Coix Seed, which is an effective anti-neoplastic agent and can inhibit the activities of protein kinase C and NF-κB. We demonstrated that Kanglaite inhibited UVB-induced AQP3 down-regulation of cultured human skin keratinocytes. Our findings provide a potential new agent for anti-photoaging. The related molecular mechanisms remain to be further elucidated.

[Progress of research on Chinese material medica serum and hepatic stellate cells].

The activation and proliferation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is the central link in the formation and progression of liver fibrosis. From the research of serum pharmacological method of Chinese material medica, we found Chinese material medica serum could interfere in the formation and progression of liver fibrosis. This paper reviewed the progress on Chinese material medica serum and HSCs. The authors pointed out Chinese material medica serum could effect on the activation, proliferation, contraction and apoptosis of HSCs, which probably is an effective therapy for liver fibrosis.