Lifestyle-based nomogram for identifying the Chaoshan inhabitants of China at high risk of Helicobacter pylori infection.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection is associated with various diseases. Early detection can prevent the onset of illness. We constructed a nomogram to predict groups at high risk of HP infection. METHODS: Patients who underwent regular medical check-ups at hospital in Chaoshan, China from March to September 2022 were randomly allocated to the training and validation cohorts. Risk factors including basic characteristics and lifestyle habits associated with HP infection were analyzed by logistic regression analyses. The independent varieties were calculated and plotted into a nomogram. The nomogram was internally validated by receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration, and decision curve analyses (DCAs). RESULTS: Of the 945 patients, 680 were included in the training cohort and 265 in the validation cohort. 356 patients in training cohort with positive 13 C-UBT results served as the infected group, and 324 without infection were the control group. The multivariate regression analyses showed that the risk factors for HP infection included alcohol consumption (OR = 1.29, 95%CI = 0.78-2.13, P = 0.03), family history of gastric disease (OR = 4.35, 95%CI = 1.47-12.84, P = 0.01), living with an HP-positive individual (OR = 18.09, 95%CI = 10.29-31.82, P < 0.0001), drinking hot tea (OR = 1.58, 95%CI = 1.05-2.48, P = 0.04), and infection status of co-drinkers unknown (OR = 2.29, 95%CI = 1.04-5.06, P = 0.04). However, drinking tea > 3 times per day (OR = 0.56, 95%CI = 0.33-0.95, P = 0.03), using serving chopsticks (OR = 0.30, 95%CI = 0.12-0.49, P < 0.0001) were protective factors for HP infection. The nomogram had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.85 in the training cohort. The DCA was above the reference line within a large threshold range, indicating that the model was better. The calibration analyses showed the actual occurrence rate was basically consistent with the predicted occurrence rate. The model was validated in the validation cohort, and had a good AUC (0.80), DCA and calibration curve results. CONCLUSIONS: This nomogram, which incorporates basic characteristics and lifestyle habits, is an efficient model for predicting those at high risk of HP infection in the Chaoshan region.

Janus "nano-bullets" for magnetic targeting liver cancer chemotherapy.

Tumor-targeted delivery of anti-cancer drugs with controlled drug release function has been recognized as a promising strategy for pursuit of increased chemotherapeutic efficacy and reduced adverse effects. Development of magnetic nanoparticulates as delivery carriers to accommodate cytotoxic drugs for liver cancer treatment has evoked immense interest with respect to their convenience in biomedical application. Herein, we engineered multifunctional Janus nanocomposites, characterized by a head of magnetic Fe3O4 and a body of mesoporous SiO2 containing doxorubicin (DOX) as "nano-bullets" (M-MSNs-DOX). This nanodrug formulation possessed nanosize with controlled aspect-ratio, defined abundance in pore structures, and superior magnetic properties. M-MSN-DOX was determined to induce selective growth inhibition to the cancer cell under magnetic field rather than human normal cells due to its preferable endocytosis by the tumor cells and pH-promoted DOX release in the interior of cancer cells. Ultimately, both subcutaneous and orthotropic liver tumor models in mice have demonstrated that the proposed Janus nano-bullets imposed remarkable suppression of the tumor growth and significantly reduced systematic toxicity. Taken together, this study demonstrates an intriguing targeting strategy for liver cancer treatment based on a novel Janus nano-bullet, aiming for utilization of nanotechnology to obtain safe and efficient treatment of liver cancer.

[Effects of pregnancy on the ROS, NO, cytokine levels and lymphocytes activation from mouse peripheral blood].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of pregnancy on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from mouse peripheral blood neutrophils (PMN), the levels of NO and cytokines from serum, the activation of T lymphocytes, and initially find the immune regulation effects of pregnancy on the mouse peripheral blood lymphocytes. METHODS: Take the BALB/c mice which were at the mid trimester of pregnancy (day 14) as the object, full blood staining using ROS probe 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (H2DCFDA) combing with flow cytometry was used to test the levels of ROS from PMN. The production of NO from peripheral blood serum were analyzed by Griess kit while the soluble cytokines interleukin (IL) 6, IL-10, monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), interferon γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and IL-12 were detected by liquid protein quantitative technology cytometric bead array (CBA) using flow cytometry. The activation of peripheral blood lymphocytes at early, middle and later phases which marked with CD69, CD25 and CD71 respectively were tested by flow cytometry and two-color fluorescent staining. RESULTS: Comparing to the normal non-pregnant mouse, pregnancy obviously promoted the production of ROS from PMN (101.1±2.2 versus 134.5±10.3, P<0.05). Comparing to the normal non-pregnant mouse, pregnancy obviously promoted the secretion of NO [(22.7±0.7) versus (36.3±1.2) µmol/L, P<0.01]. In normal non-pregnant mouse, the serum levels of IL-6, IL-10, MCP-1, IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-12 were (9.3±0.5), (26.7±0.9), (21.2±1.6), (14.5±1.8), (22.6±1.6) and (8.4±1.2) pg/ml, while in pregnancy group the levels were (26.5±1.0), (40.4±2.5), (25.1±0.7), (457.4±17.9), (93.2±4.3) and (7.5±0.9) pg/ml correspondingly; the levels of IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α from peripheral blood serum (P<0.01), while had no effects on the production of IL-10 and MCP-1 (P>0.05). About the CD+3 T lymphocytes activation, in normal non-pregnant mouse, the CD69, CD25 and CD71 expression rate were (0.43±0.15)%, (5.13±0.25)% and (0.37±0.11)%, while in pregnancy group the CD69, CD25 and CD71 expression rate were (0.40±0.10)%, (6.17±0.40)% and (6.10±0.31)%. The levels of middle and later phases markers as CD25 and CD71 were highly up-regulated (P<0.05), while the early phase action CD69 had no obvious variation (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The mid trimester of pregnancy promoted the production of ROS from PMN, the levels of NO, IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α from peripheral blood serum, and the middle- and later-phase activation of T lymphocytes.