Vonoprazan-amoxicillin dual therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Vonoprazan-amoxicillin (VA) dual therapy has recently been proposed to eradicate Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) with controversial results. We, therefore, conducted a meta-analysis to assess the effect of this therapy for H. pylori eradication. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science database from inception until November 2022, collecting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing VA dual therapy with other regimens for H. pylori eradication. Pooled relative risks (RRs) were calculated using random effects model. Results: Five RCTs were ultimately included. Compared with the vonoprazan-amoxicillin-clarithromycin (VAC) triple therapy, the eradication rate of VA dual therapy was lower in intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis (n = 3 RCTs, RR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.88-0.99, P = 0.03), but there was no significant difference between them in the per-protocol (PP) analysis (RR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.91-1.01, P = 0.11). For clarithromycin-resistant H. pylori strains, the eradication rate of VA dual therapy was significantly higher than that of the VAC triple therapy (n = 2 RCTs, RR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.03-1.39, P = 0.02). Compared with the PPI-based triple therapy (PAC), VA dual therapy had a superior eradication rate (n = 2 RCTs, ITT analysis: RR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.04-1.23, P = 0.003; PP analysis: pooled RR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.06-1.22, P = 0.0004). Compared with VAC or PAC triple therapy, VA dual therapy has a similar incidence of total adverse events and compliance. Conclusions: VA dual therapy had a similar effect compared to VAC triple therapy and was superior to PAC triple therapy. Future RCTs are needed to ascertain the optimal dosage and duration of vonoprazan and amoxicillin, and the effect of VA dual therapy compared with the mainstream regimens recommended by current guidelines.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies on the potential association between NAFLD/MAFLD and risk of incident atrial fibrillation.

Background and objective: The association between atrial fibrillation (AF) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has been explored in recent cohort studies, however, the results have been controversial and inconclusive. This meta-analysis aimed to explore this potential association. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases to identify all relevant cohort studies investigating the association between NAFLD/MAFLD and AF published from database inception to October 30, 2022. Random-effects models were utilized to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for summary purposes. Additionally, subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Results: A total of 13 cohort studies with 14 272 735 participants were included. Among these, 12 cohort studies with 14 213 289 participants (median follow-up of 7.8 years) showed a significant association between NAFLD and an increased risk of incident AF (HR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.12-1.23, P < 0.00001). Our subgroup analyses mostly yielded similar results, and the results of sensitivity analyses remained unchanged. However, meta-analysis of data from 2 cohort studies with 59 896 participants (median follow-up of 2.15 years) showed that MAFLD was not linked to incident AF (HR = 1.36, 95% CI: 0.63-2.92, P = 0.44). Conclusion: Current evidence shows that NAFLD may be linked to a slightly higher risk of developing AF, particularly among Asian populations and those diagnosed with NAFLD using FLI criteria. Nevertheless, there is not enough evidence to support the proposed association between MAFLD and an increased risk of AF. To better understand this relationship, future studies should consider factors such as specific population, the severity of NAFLD/MAFLD, diagnostic methods of NAFLD and AF, and cardiometabolic risk factors. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero, identifier CRD42022371503.

Association between inflammatory bowel disease and risk of incident prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Numerous observational studies have been conducted to investigate the potential association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and prostate cancer (PCa). However, a definitive conclusion has yet to be established. We therefore performed a meta-analysis to explore the relationship between these two conditions. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched to identify all relevant cohort studies that investigated the association between IBD and risk of incident PCa published from inception to February 2023. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated as effect size for the outcome based on random-effects model meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 18 cohort studies with 592,853 participants were included. The meta-analysis revealed that IBD was linked to an elevated risk of incident PCa (HR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.06-1.37, P = 0.004). Further subgroup analyses revealed that ulcerative colitis (UC) was linked to an increased risk of incident PCa (HR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.06-1.38, P = 0.006), while Crohn's disease (CD) is not significantly associated with a higher risk of PCa (HR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.91-1.17, P = 0.65). There was a significant correlation between IBD and an elevated risk of incident PCa in the European population, but such a correlation was not observed in the Asian and North American populations. Sensitivity analyses indicated that our results were robust. CONCLUSIONS: Our latest evidence indicates that IBD was linked to an elevated risk of incident PCa, especially in UC patients and the European population.

Is Helicobacter pylori infection associated with pancreatic cancer? A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

Background and Objectives: Recent observational studies have investigated the association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and pancreatic cancer with conflicting data. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the potential association. Design: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: We searched three databases (PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science) from inception to 30 August 2022. The summary results as odds ratio (OR) or hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled by generic inverse variance method based on random-effects model. Results: A total of 20 observational studies involving 67,718 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of data from 12 case-control studies and 5 nested case-control studies showed that there was no significant association between H. pylori infection and the risk of pancreatic cancer (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.95-1.51, p = 0.13). Similarly, we also did not find significant association between cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) positive strains, CagA negative strains, vacuolating cytotoxin gene A (VacA) positive strains H. pylori infection, and the risk of pancreatic cancer. Meta-analysis of data from three cohort studies showed that H. pylori infection was not significantly associated with an increased risk of incident pancreatic cancer (HR = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.65-2.42, p = 0.50). Conclusion: We found insufficient evidence to support the proposed association between H. pylori infection and increased risk of pancreatic cancer. To better understand any association, future evidence from large, well-designed, high-quality prospective cohort studies that accounts for diverse ethnic populations, certain H. pylori strains, and confounding factors would be useful to settle this controversy.

High-dose dual therapy versus bismuth-containing quadruple therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication: a systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis.

Background and objective: Recently, a large number of trials on proton pump inhibitor-amoxicillin-containing high-dose dual therapy (HDDT) versus bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (BQT) for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication have been published with controversial and inconsistent conclusions. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine the effects of HDDT for H. pylori eradication compared to BQT. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library database were searched to collect all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effects of HDDT versus BQT to H. pylori eradication from inception to September 2022. Meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random-effects model. Quality of evidence was appraised using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was performed to determine the reliability and conclusiveness. Results: A total of 14 RCTs with 5121 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that there was no statistical significance in the eradication rate between HDDT and BQT (intention-to-treat analysis: 86.7% versus 85.1%, RR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.98-1.04; per-protocol analysis: 89.9% versus 89.4%, RR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.98-1.03; moderate-quality evidence). The incidence of total adverse effects in HDDT group was significantly lower than in BQT group (5.9% versus 34.1%, RR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.34-0.50; low-quality evidence). No statistical significance was observed in compliance between HDDT and BQT (RR = 1.01, 95% CI, 1.00-1.03, p = 0.07; low-quality evidence). The TSA result for H. pylori eradication rate indicated that the effect was conclusive. Conclusions: Evidence from our updated meta-analysis suggests that HDDT is as effective as BQT in eradicating H. pylori, with fewer adverse effects and similar compliance. Registration: Open Science Framework registries (No: osf.io/th4vd).

Expression and cellular function of long non－coding ＲNA SFTA1P in non－small cell lung cancer / 中华疾病控制杂志

@#Objective To investigate the expression of long non－coding ＲNA SFTA1P in non small cell lung cancer ( NSCLC) and its biological function in NSCLC cell lines． Methods Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction( qＲT－PCＲ) was used to detect the expression of SFTA1P in 18 pairs of NSCLC tissues and adjacent normal tissues． The expression of SFTA1P was detected by qＲT－PCＲ in five different NSCLC cell lines ( A549，SPCA1，H460，H1975 and H1299) and one normal lung epithelial cell line ( HBE) ． The overexpression vector of SFTA1P was designed and constructed． The overex- pressed cell line was constructed by transfection，the effects of overexpression of SFTA1P on proliferation， invasion and migration of NSCLC cells were detected by CCK－8 assay and transwell assay． Ｒesults The expression of SFTA1P in NSCLC tissues was lower than that of adjacent normal tissues ( t = 2. 158，P = 0. 043) ． SFTA1P expression was detected in 5 strains of NSCLC cell lines and normal lung epithelial cell line． The expression of SFTA1P was the lowest in A549 and H460 cell lines ( t = 5. 769，P = 0. 004; t = 5. 772，P= 0. 004) ，and the highest in H1299 and H1975 cell lines ( t = 22. 248，P＜0. 001; t = 11. 814，P ＜0. 001) ． SFTA1P overexpression cell models were successfully constructed using A549 and H460 cell lines( all P＜0．05) ． The overexpression of SFTA1P could inhibit proliferation，invasion and migration of H460 and A549 cells ( ( all P ＜ 0． 05) ． Conclusions SFTA1P can affect the biological functions of NSCLC cells by inhibiting the proliferation，migration and invasion． SFTA1P may play a role as a tumor suppressor gene in tumorigenesis and development．

Establishment of a multiple myeloma local tumor model in mice / 中国实验血液学杂志

This study was purposed to establish a multiple myeloma local tumor model in the BLAB/c mice. Healthy BLAB/c mice were injected subcutaneously with 6 x 10(5) MPC-11 cells. In the peak time of the subcutaneous nodules observed, five mice were randomized selected to be executed and the subcutaneous nodules of these mice executed were used to detect the CD138 and kappa light chain by means of HE staining and the immunohistochemistry methods. The serum immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) of tumor-bearing mice were performed at 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 35 and 65 days after the initial MPC-11 cell injection. Hemoglobin level was assayed at 15 and 30 days after the initial MPC-11 cell injection. The serum levels of IL-6 were also assayed at 35 and 65 days after the initial MPC-11 cell injection. The tumor volume was monitored twice a week and their body weights were measured once a week. The results showed that the peak of the subcutaneous nodules appeared at 12 to 15 days after the initial MPC-11 cell injection. The serum monoclonal immunoglobulin could be detected at 12 days after MPC-11 cell injection. The results of HE staining and immuno-histochemistry assay for detection of CD138 and kappa light chain positive expressions proved that the subcutaneous tumor nodules originated from MPC-11 plasmacytes. The serum monoclonal protein (M protein) of the tumor-bearing mice was detected at 12 days after bearing tumor which manifested thick bands of IgG and kappa light chain. The peak time of mortality was at 20 to 40 days after the initial MPC-11 cell injection, and the median survival time was 31 days. Anemia in mice appeared at 15 days. There was a significant difference of Hb level between the tumor-bearing group and the normal group at 15 and 30 days respectively (p < 0.05). The serum level of IL-6 in tumor-bearing mice was higher than that in the normal group. It is concluded that to establish the multiple myeloma local tumor model in mice by using subcutaneous injection of MPC-11 cells has various advantages, such as simple method of model established, relative high success of bearing tumor, easy observation of tumor growth change and so on. This model can be useful for studying and evaluating the therapeutic efficacy for multiple myeloma through monitoring the changes of tumor size, serum IL-6 level and serum immunofixation electrophoresis.