Subcellular localization of viral proteins after porcine epidemic diarrhea virus infection and their roles in the viral life cycle.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is one of the most devastating diseases affecting the pig industry globally. Due to the emergence of novel strains, no effective vaccines are available for prevention and control. Investigating the pathogenic mechanisms of PEDV may provide insights for creating clinical interventions. This study constructed and expressed eukaryotic expression vectors containing PEDV proteins (except NSP11) with a 3' HA tag in Vero cells. The subcellular localization of PEDV proteins was examined using endogenous protein antibodies to investigate their involvement in the viral life cycle, including endocytosis, intracellular trafficking, genome replication, energy metabolism, budding, and release. We systematically analyzed the potential roles of all PEDV viral proteins in the virus life cycle. We found that the endosome sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery may be involved in the replication and budding processes of PEDV. Our study provides insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying PEDV infection. IMPORTANCE: The global swine industry has suffered immense losses due to the spread of PEDV. Currently, there are no effective vaccines available for clinical protection. Exploring the pathogenic mechanisms of PEDV may provide valuable insights for clinical interventions. This study investigated the involvement of viral proteins in various stages of the PEDV lifecycle in the state of viral infection and identified several previously unreported interactions between viral and host proteins. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying PEDV infection and may serve as a basis for further research and development of therapeutic strategies.

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Shanxi Province holds an important strategic position in the overall ecological pattern of the Yellow River Basin. To investigate the changes of the ecological environment in the Shanxi section of the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2020, we selected MODIS remote sensing image data to determine the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI) based on the principal component analysis of greenness, humidity, dryness, and heat. Then, we analyzed the spatial and temporal variations of ecological quality in this region to explore the influencing factors. We further used the CA-Markov model to simulate and predict the ecological environment under different development scenarios in the Shanxi section of the Yellow River Basin in 2030. The results showed that RSEI had good applicability in the Shanxi section of the Yellow River Basin which could be used to monitor and evaluate the spatiotemporal variations in its ecological environment. From 2000 to 2020, the Shanxi section of the Yellow River Basin was dominated by low quality habitat areas, in which the ecological environment quality continued to improve from 2000 to 2010 and decreased from 2010 to 2020. The high quality habitat areas mainly located on the mountainous areas with superior natural conditions and rich biodiversity, while the low ecological quality areas were mainly in the Taiyuan Basin and the northern part of the study area, where the mining industry developed well. Climate factors were negatively correlated with ecological environment quality in the northern and central parts of the study area, and positively correlated with that in the mountainous area. Under all three development scenarios, the area of cultivated land, forest, water and construction land increased in 2030 compared to that in 2020. Compared to the natural development scenario and the cultivated land protection scenario, the ecological constraint scenario with RSEI as the limiting factor had the highest area of new forest and the lowest expansion rate of cultivated land and construction land. The results would provide a reference for land space planning and ecological environment protection in the Shanxi section of the Yellow River Basin.

A hybrid energy harvesting approach for transmission lines based on triboelectric nanogenerator and micro thermoelectric generator.

To effectively detect faults in transmission lines, monitoring the operating status of these lines is imperative. However, providing power to monitoring devices for transmission line status presents a significant challenge. In this research, a hybrid energy harvesting approach based on micro thermoelectric generator (MTEG) and triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is proposed, and a theoretical model for MTEG-TENG hybrid energy harvesting is established. This study develops an integrated energy harvesting prototype, which incorporates oscillating-TENG (O-TENGs), MTEGs, and a power management control unit. This prototype not only harvests energy from the vibrations of transmission lines but also converts the lines thermal energy into electricity. The Experiment results show that the maximum open-circuit voltages of O-TENG and MTEG reach 80.3 V and 1.094 V, respectively. Compared to a single MTEG energy harvesting device, the prototype of the MTEG-TENG hybrid energy harvesting device demonstrates a 5.36% improvement in energy harvesting and battery charging performance. Consequently, this approach achieves self-powered monitoring with excellent stability and lower manufacturing costs. It provides an efficient and durable power approach for transmission line status monitoring devices.

Disruption of the gastric epithelial barrier in Correa's cascade: Clinical evidence via confocal endomicroscopy.

BACKGROUND: Gastric epithelial barrier disruption constitutes a crucial step in gastric cancer (GC). We investigated these disruptions during the Correa's cascade timeline to correlate epithelial barrier dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted as a single-center, non-randomized clinical trial in China from May 2019 to October 2022. Patients with chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG), gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM), low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN), high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN), and intramucosal carcinoma underwent probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE). The pCLE scoring system was used to assess gastric epithelial barrier disruption semi-quantitatively. RESULTS: We enrolled 95 patients who underwent a pCLE examination. The control group consisted of 15 individuals, and the experimental group included 17 patients with CAG, 27 patients with GIM, 20 patients with LGIN, and 16 patients with early gastric cancer (EGC). Apart from CAG, which showed no significant difference compared to the control group, a significantly higher incidence of gastric epithelial barrier damage was found in the GIM, LGIN, and EGC groups compared to the control group (Kruskal-Wallis H test = 69.295, p < 0.001). There is no difference in LGIN patients between GIM and LGIN areas, and there is no difference between the two groups compared with the EGC group. The intestinal metaplasia area in LGIN patients causes more severe gastric epithelial damage compared to that in non-LGIN patients. Additionally, compared to control group, a significant difference (p < 0.001) was noted between individuals with Helicobacter pylori-positive atrophic gastritis and those with IM, whereas no significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed among individuals with H. pylori-negative atrophic gastritis. CONCLUSIONS: The gastric epithelial barrier remains dysfunctional from the initiation of H. pylori infection to GC progression. Beyond the "point of no return," subsequent carcinogenesis processes may be attributed to other mechanisms.

Exploring Bimanual Haptic Feedback for Spatial Search in Virtual Reality.

Spatial search tasks are common and crucial in many Virtual Reality (VR) applications. Traditional methods to enhance the performance of spatial search often employ sensory cues such as visual, auditory, or haptic feedback. However, the design and use of bimanual haptic feedback with two VR controllers for spatial search in VR remains largely unexplored. In this work, we explored bimanual haptic feedback with various combinations of haptic properties, where four types of bimanual haptic feedback were designed, for spatial search tasks in VR. Two experiments were designed to evaluate the effectiveness of bimanual haptic feedback on spatial direction guidance and search in VR. The results from the first experiment reveal that our proposed bimanual haptic schemes significantly enhanced the recognition of spatial directions in terms of accuracy and speed compared to spatial audio feedback. The second experiment's findings suggest that the performance of bimanual haptic feedback was comparable to or even better than the visual arrow, especially in reducing the angle of head movement and enhancing searching targets behind the participants, which was supported by subjective feedback as well. Based on these findings, we have derived a set of design recommendations for spatial search using bimanual haptic feedback in VR.

Efficacy and Safety of Cold Snare Polypectomy versus Cold Endoscopic Mucosal Resection for Resecting 3-10 mm Colorectal Polyps: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

INTRODUCTION: The safety and efficacy of cold snare polypectomy (CSP) compared to those of cold endoscopic mucosal resection (CEMR) have been reported. This meta-analysis compared the efficacy and safety of CEMR and CSP. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched to identify randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy and safety of CEMR and CSP in removing 3-10 mm polyps. The outcomes assessed included complete resection rate, intraoperative bleeding rate, delayed bleeding rate, perforation, and polyp removal time. The results are reported as risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) derived from a Mantel-Haenszel random-effects model. RESULTS: Seven studies comprising 1,911 polyps were included in the analysis. The complete resection rate of CEMR was comparable to that of CSP (RR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.99-1.04, p = 0.32). Comparable results were also demonstrated for intraoperative bleeding rate (polyp-based analysis: RR: 1.22, 95% CI: 0.33-4.43, p = 0.77), delayed bleeding rate (polyp-based analysis: RR: 1.34, 95% CI: 0.44-4.15, p = 0.61), and polyp removal time (mean difference: 28.31 s, 95% CI: -21.40-78.02, p = 0.26). No studies reported cases of perforation. CONCLUSION: CEMR has comparable efficacy and safety to CSP in removing 3-10 mm polyps. Further randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up are warranted to compare and validate efficacy.

N-doped carbon dots for the determination of Al3+ and Fe3+ using aggregation-induced emission.

New portable hydrogel sensors for Al3+ and Fe3+ detection were designed based on the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and color change of N-doped carbon dots (N-CDs). N-CDs with yellow fluorescence were prepared by a one-pot hydrothermal method from 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid and acrylamide. The fluorescence of N-CDs was enhanced by Al3+ about 20 times and quenched by Fe3+. It was interesting that although Fe3+ showed obvious quenching on the fluorescence of N-CDs it did not cause a noticeable change in the fluorescence of N-CDs + Al3+. The colorless solution of N-CDs appeared blue in the presence of Fe3+ without the influence of Al3+. Therefore, the turn-on fluorometry and colorimetry systems based on N-CDs were constructed for the simultaneous detection of Al3+ and Fe3+. Furthermore, the portable sensing of Al3+ and Fe3+ was realized with the assistance of hydrogel, filter paper, cellulose acetate, and cellulose nitrate film. The proposed approach was successfully applied to the detection of Al3+ and Fe3+ in food samples and cell imaging.

Circulating Tumor DNA Profiling Approach Based on In Silico Background Elimination Guides Chemotherapy in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis increasingly provides a promising minimally invasive alternative to tissue biopsies in precision oncology. However, there are no ctDNA analysis approaches available in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and current methods of ctDNA mutation profiling have limited resolution because of the high background noise and false-positive rate caused by benign variants in plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA), majorly generated during clonal hematopoiesis. Although personalized parallel white blood cell genome sequencing suppresses the noise of clonal hematopoiesis variances, the system cost and complexity restrict its extensive application in clinical settings. We developed Matched WBC Genome sequencing Independent CtDNA profiling (MaGIC) approaches, which synergically integrated a ctDNA capturing panel for a hybrid capture cfDNA deep sequencing, in silico background elimination, and a reliable readout measurement. We profiled the ctDNAs of 80 plasma samples from 40 patients with NPC before and during chemotherapy by MaGICs. In addition, the public cfDNA sequencing data and The Cancer Genome Atlas project data were analyzed by MaGICs to evaluate their application in other scenarios of patient classification. The MaGIC version-2 has the ability to predict the chemosensitivity of patients with NPC with high accuracy by utilizing a single sample of liquid biopsy from each patient prior to a standardized treatment regimen. Moreover, both versions of MaGICs are of ideal performance in the diagnosis of patients with prostate cancer by liquid biopsy and prognosis prediction of multiple cancers by tissue biopsy. This study has the potential to enhance the sensitivity and expand the application scope of ctDNA detection, independently of other paired genome sequencing methods. As a result, it might further increase the clinical utilization of liquid biopsy based on ctDNA.

A Novel Thermal Tactile Sensor Based on Micro Thermoelectric Generator for Underwater Flow Direction Perception.

Underwater vehicles can operate independently in the exploitation of marine resources. However, water flow disturbance is one of the challenges underwater vehicles must face. The underwater flow direction sensing method is a feasible way to overcome the challenges but faces difficulties such as integrating the existing sensors with underwater vehicles and high-cost maintenance fees. In this research, an underwater flow direction sensing method based on the thermal tactility of the micro thermoelectric generator (MTEG) is proposed, with the theoretical model established. To verify the model, a flow direction sensing prototype is fabricated to carry out experiments under three typical working conditions. The three typical flow direction conditions are: condition No. 1, in which the flow direction is parallel to the x-axis; condition No. 2, in which the flow direction is at an angle of 45° to the x-axis; and condition No. 3, which is a variable flow direction condition based on condition No. 1 and condition No. 2. According to the experimental data, the variations and orders of the prototype output voltages under three conditions fit the theoretical model, which means the prototype can identify the flow direction of three conditions. Besides, experimental data show that in the flow velocity range of 0~5 m/s and the flow direction variation range of 0~90°, the prototype can accurately identify the flow direction in 0~2 s. The first time utilizing MTEG on underwater flow direction perception, the underwater flow direction sensing method proposed in this research is cheaper and easier to be applied on the underwater vehicles than traditional underwater flow direction sensing methods, which means it has great application prospects in underwater vehicles. Besides, the MTEG can utilize the waste heat of the underwater vehicle battery as the energy source to achieve self-powered work, which greatly enhances its practical value.

CNTN1 Aggravates Neuroinflammation and Triggers Cognitive Deficits in Male Mice by Boosting Crosstalk between Microglia and Astrocytes.

A wealth of knowledge regarding glial cell-mediated neuroinflammation, which contributes to cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has emerged in recent years. Contactin 1(CNTN1), a member of the cell adhesion molecule and immunoglobulin supergene family, is centrally involved in axonal growth regulation and is also a key player in inflammation-associated disorders. However, whether CNTN1 plays a role in inflammation-related cognitive deficits and how this process is triggered and orchestrated remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, we examined postmortem brains with AD. CNTN1 immunoreactivity was markedly increased, particularly in the CA3 subregion, as compared with non-AD brains. Furthermore, by applying an adeno-associated virus-based approach to overexpress CNTN1 directly via stereotactic injection in mice, we demonstrated that hippocampal CNTN1 overexpression triggered cognitive deficits detected by novel object-recognition, novel place-recognition and social cognition tests. The mechanisms underlying these cognitive deficits could be attributed to hippocampal microglia and astrocyte activation, which led to aberrant expression of excitatory amino acid transporters (EAAT)1/EAAT2. This resulted in long-term potentiation (LTP) impairment that could be reversed by minocyline, an antibiotic and the best-known inhibitor of microglial activation. Taken together, our results identified Cntn1 as a susceptibility factor involved in regulating cognitive deficits via functional actions in the hippocampus. This factor correlated with microglial activation and triggered astrocyte activation with abnormal EAAT1/EAAT2 expression and LTP impairment. Overall, these findings may significantly advance our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the risk of neuroinflammation related cognitive deficits.

Ru(II)-modified metal organic framework as excellent electrochemiluminescence emitter for ultrasensitive nicotine detection.

The sensitive and selective nicotine detection in cigarette is necessary due to the cigarette addiction problem and the neurotoxicity of nicotine on human body. In this study, a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitter with excellent performance was prepared for nicotine analysis, by combining Zr-based metal organic framework (Zr-MOF) and branched polyethylenimine (BPEI)-coated Ru(dcbpy)32+ through electrostatic interaction. Ru(dcbpy)32+ integrated by Zr-MOF could be catalyzed by the reaction intermediates SO4•-, produced from the co-reactant S2O82-, resulting in a significant increase in ECL response. Interestingly, SO4•- with strong oxidizing ability could preferentially oxidize nicotine, leading to ECL quenching. The constructed ECL sensor based on the Ru-BPEI@Zr-MOF/S2O82- system displayed ultrasensitive determination of nicotine with a lower detection limit of 1.9 × 10-12 M (S/N = 3), which is three orders lower than previously reported ECL results and 4-5 orders lower than that of other types of method. This method puts forward a new approach for building efficient ECL system with greatly improved ECL sensitivity for nicotine detection.

Vonoprazan is noninferior to proton pump inhibitors in bismuth-containing quadruple therapy for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection: A propensity score matching analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vonoprazan (VPZ) versus proton pump inhibitor (PPI) in clarithromycin-based bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (C-BQT) for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication. METHODS: Medical records of patients in whom H. pylori was eradicated between 1 July 2018 and 31 December 2021 were retrieved retrospectively from the Outpatient Unit of Qilu Hospital. Efficacy, safety, and compliance were compared between VPZ-based and PPI-based C-BQT, containing vonoprazan 20 mg or proton pump inhibitors (lansoprazole 30 mg or esomeprazole 20 mg), bismuth 220 or 200 mg, amoxicillin 1000 mg, and clarithromycin 500 mg, twice daily for 2 weeks by 1:1 propensity score matching analysis. The trial was registed on ClinicalTrials.gov (registration no. NCT05301725). RESULTS: The H. pylori eradication rates of VPZ-based and PPI-based therapies were 88.8% (151/170) and 87.6% (149/170) in the intention-to-treat analysis, 94.1% (144/153) and 91.1% (144/158) in the per-protocol analysis, respectively. The noninferiority of VPZ to PPI was confirmed in all analyses (P < 0.001). The incidence of adverse events was 30.0% (51/170) and 27.1% (46/170) in the VPZ-based and PPI-based groups, respectively. VPZ-based and PPI-based therapies were well tolerated and showed good patient compliance without significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: VPZ-based therapy resulted in a satisfactory eradication rate and was well tolerated for H. pylori eradication, which are comparable to PPIs in C-BQT as a first-line treatment for H. pylori infection.

Vanillin-Catalyzed highly sensitive luminol chemiluminescence and its application in food detection.

Among various chemiluminescence (CL) systems, luminol-H2O2 system is used extensively due to its cheapness and sensitivity. Herein, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde, known as vanillin, was firstly found to be able to catalyze H2O2 very efficiently to produce •OH and O2•-, which can be used to enhance the CL of luminol-H2O2 as Co+. In alkaline aqueous solution, vanillin catalyzed the dissociation of H2O2 into active •OH and O2•- radicals and accelerated luminol-H2O2 reaction to emit strong CL signal. Combining the stabilizing function of ß-CD, CL intensity of luminol-H2O2 was enhanced further. Thus, dual-signal amplification of luminol-H2O2 chemiluminescence based on the catalyzing function of vanillin and the stabilizing function of ß-CD was proposed and its mechanism was explored deeply in the manuscript. Interestingly, vanillin is a highly prized flavor compound broadly used as food additive, however, the excessive intake of vanillin is harmful to human and thus the determination of vanillin is very important. On the basis of the luminol-ß-CD-H2O2/vanillin reaction, a low-cost, rapid and simple CL sensor has been established to detect vanillin. The sensor was able to detect vanillin in the range of 1.0 µM âˆ¼ 75 µM with a detection limit of 0.89 µM (S/N = 3). It can also be used for CL imaging detection with satisfactory results.

The cure rate of 10-day bismuth-containing quadruple therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication is equivalent to 14-day: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is a major cause of duodenal ulcers, gastric ulcers, and gastric cancer. However, the optimal duration for H. pylori eradication therapy remains controversial. Most studies have mainly focused on triple therapy, and there is insufficient research on bismuth-containing quadruple therapy. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical effect of the 10-day bismuth-containing quadruple treatment regimen with the 14-day regime in eradicating H. pylori. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials published in English until May 2022 according to the eligibility criteria. Summary risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for eradication rates, adverse effects, and compliance were calculated for included studies. Four studies, involving 1173 patients, were eligible for inclusion. The eradication rate was similar in the 10-day treatment group and the 14-day treatment group in the intention-to-treat analysis (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.01). Meanwhile, the incidence of adverse effects was lower in patients who received 10 days of treatment than in those who received 14 days of treatment and patients' compliance was almost the same between two groups. Compared to the 14-day bismuth-containing quadruple regimens, 10-day regimens had similar efficacy and lower incidence of adverse effects. Therefore, the 10-day regimen is safe and well-tolerated and should be recommended for H. pylori infection.

Multiple bilateral and symmetric C1-2 ganglioneuromas: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Ganglioneuromas are rare tumors of the sympathetic nervous system that originate from neural crest sympathogonia. Since the cervical spine has rarely been reported as a site for ganglioneuroma, we present a case report on this uncommon manifestation. CASE SUMMARY: A 34-year-old male presented with a 4-month history of progressive paralysis of both upper limbs along with an unsteady gait. The touch sensitivity of both hands was reduced, and there was conspicuously high muscle tonus in his upper and lower limbs, along with hyperactive physiological reflection and deep reflexes. Magnetic resonance imaging showed several nodules around the C2-7 intervertebral foramena, among which the masses lying between C1 and C2 were obviously bilaterally compressing the spinal cord. Successful posterior decompression was performed without fixation and the tumors in the upper cervical spine were removed intact, with rapid relief of symptoms. The pathological diagnosis was ganglioneuroma. CONCLUSION: Multiple and bilateral ganglioneuroams are a rare occurrence in the cervical spine. In this case report, timely resection of the neoplasms around C1 and C2 resulted in spinal cord decompression, with rapid relief of symptoms and a good prognosis. Including the current case, we are aware of only seven such cases in the literature, of which four arose from Japan, one from China, and one from Spain. We suppose that ethnicity and geographic associations with this rare disease presentation may be an aspect for future consideration and investigation.

Prime Editing: An All-Rounder for Genome Editing.

Prime editing (PE), as a "search-and-replace" genome editing technology, has shown the attractive potential of versatile genome editing ability, which is, in principle, currently superior to other well-established genome-editing technologies in the all-in-one operation scope. However, essential technological solutions of PE technology, such as the improvement of genome editing efficiency, the inhibition of potential off-targets and intended edits accounting for unexpected side-effects, and the development of effective delivery systems, are necessary to broaden its application. Since the advent of PE, many optimizations have been performed on PE systems to improve their performance, resulting in bright prospects for application in many fields. This review briefly discusses the development of PE technology, including its functional principle, noteworthy barriers restraining its application, current efforts in technical optimization, and its application directions and potential risks. This review may provide a concise and informative insight into the burgeoning field of PE, highlight the exciting prospects for this powerful tool, and provide clues for questions that may propel the field forward.

Analysis of the most influential publications on vertebral augmentation for treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture: A review.

This study aimed to analyze the most influential publications on vertebral augmentation for treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture. The Web of Science database was searched using the key words "percutaneous vertebroplasty," "percutaneous kyphoplasty," "balloon kyphoplasty," "vertebroplasty," "kyphoplasty," and "vertebral augmentation." The top 100 publications were arranged by citations per year and descriptively and visually analyzed. The top 100 publications were cited 25,482 times, with an average of 14.4 citations per paper per year. The corresponding authors of the publications represented 17 nations, with most authors being American (46 authors). Thirty-two journals were involved, with SPINE issuing the most publications (24 papers of the 100). Clinical research (73 of the 100 papers) outnumbered basic studies (14 papers) and systematic reviews (13 papers), and the most publications were published between 2000 and 2004. Co-citation analysis of the key words indicated that the top 5 focus areas were "complication," "balloon kyphoplasty," "vertebral compression fracture," "biomechanics," and "calcium phosphate cement." The top 3 keywords with the strongest citation bursts were "compression fracture," "cement," and "balloon kyphoplasty." The keywords with persistent strong citation bursts are "balloon kyphoplasty" and "augmentation." There are still contrary opinions about vertebral augmentation; new research should be conducted with more deliberate design and longer follow-up.

Clinical practice of Helicobacter pylori infection management by gastroenterologists in secondary and tertiary hospitals: A stratified sampling cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the management of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection by gastroenterologists from secondary and tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province, China, where there is a high prevalence of H. pylori infection. METHODS: A questionnaire-based, stratified sampling survey was conducted from June 1 to August 30, 2021. The ratio of secondary to tertiary hospitals was set at 2:1. An electronic questionnaire was sent to the gastroenterologists via the WeChat platform. RESULTS: A total of 89.09% (1053/1182) gastroenterologists were included. Overall, 34.19% and 60.59% of gastroenterologists recommended screening for and treating H. pylori infection in patients without any competing factors. The most preferred testing method in secondary and tertiary hospitals was the 13 C-urea breath test (53.92% and 80.48%), but the reexamination rate of results close to the cut-off value was low (55.10% and 59.48%). Gastroenterologists preferred bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (secondary and tertiary hospitals: 96.67% and 98.53%), but the antibiotic combination prescribed for patients with penicillin allergy was suboptimal in secondary hospitals. The overall post-treatment follow-up rate was 64.58%, and gastroenterologists in secondary hospitals were more proactive than those in tertiary hospitals (69.41% vs 60.04%, P = 0.001). Less than 80% of gastroenterologists emphasized the importance of post-treatment reexamination to their patients. Only a minority of gastroenterologists in secondary and tertiary hospitals (30.79% and 34.36%) achieved acceptable eradication rates (exceeding 80%). CONCLUSIONS: Deficiencies exist in gastroenterologists from secondary and tertiary hospitals, and the H. pylori eradication rate is relatively low. Training programs for gastroenterologists are warranted to strengthen their comprehension of guidelines.