[Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and risk factors among family members in Qinghai Province, China].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection among family members, and analyze associated risk factors. Methods: The current investigation was a cross-sectional study. The Qinghai region was stratified into urban areas, agricultural areas, and pastoral areas. The urban areas of Xining City, the agricultural areas of Haidong City, and the pastoral areas of Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture were selected. A total of 396 resident families (1 131 people) who underwent health checkups from 2021 to 2022 in the above areas were included in the survey study. Questionnaires were administered and H. pylori infection was detected using the 13C-urea breath test. Numerical data were expressed as cases and percentages, and the Chi-square test was used to compare differences in H. pylori infection rates in the populations and families in each group. Multifactorial logistic regression was used to analyze risk factors for H. pylori infection, and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of H. pylori infection in Qinghai province was 52.8% (597/1 131) and the prevalence of H. pylori infection in households was 80.6% (319/396). In H. pylori-positive households with at least 1 infected spouse, 40.4% (36/89) had only 1 infected spouse, and in 59.6% (53/89) both spouses were infected. In analysis of children infected by parents with H. pylori, 20.0% (9/45) of households had fathers and children infected, 48.9% (22/45) had mothers and children infected, and 31.1% (14/45) had both parents and children infected. In univariate analysis there was a statistically significant difference in the overall comparison of H. pylori infection rates among families with different numbers of people living together (χ2=11.12, P=0.004), and between-group comparisons suggested that H. pylori infection rates were higher in families with 4 or 5 people and more than 5 people living together than in families with 2 or 3 people living together. The H. pylori infection rate was higher in families that did not use serving chopsticks and spoons during family meals than in families that did use serving chopsticks and spoons (χ2=6.12, P=0.013). In multifactorial logistic regression analyses the number of people living together in a family and whether or not serving chopsticks and spoons were used at family meals were associated with H. pylori infection (P<0.05). Conclusion: The H. pylori infection rate in families in Qinghai Province is high, and there is a clear association with family aggregation. It is more common for both members of a couple to be infected, and H. pylori infection of a mother has a greater effect on the children's infection status than H. pylori infection of a father. The infection rate of H. pylori was lower in families that used serving chopsticks and spoons during dinner gatherings, and the fewer the number of people living together in the family, the lower the H. pylori infection rate.

[Prognostic factors of patients with T2N0M0 upper tract urothelial carcinoma: a single-center retrospective study of 235 patients].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impacts of the prognostic factors of T2N0M0 upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) for Chinese patients. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted including 235 patients who were diagnosed with T2N0M0 UTUC in our hospital and received radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) or partial ureterectomy during January 2000 and December 2013. The 3 and 5-year cancer-specific survival rates and bladder recurrence-free survival rates of all the patients were valued using Kaplan-Meier method, and the survival curves with statistical significance between the two were compared using the Log-rank test. Variables with significant differences in the univariate analysis were subjected to the multivariate analysis by Cox regression model. RESULTS: A total of 235 patients were included in this study, including 95 (40.4%) male patients and 140 (59.6%) female patients. The mean age was 66.73±10.49 years.The median follow-up time was 53 (rang: 3-142) months, and during the follow-up, 74 (31.5%) patients died of UTUC after a median of 35 months,and 96 (40.9%) patients developed intravesical recurrence after a median of 19.5 months. The 3 and 5-year cancer-specific survival rates of all the patients were 89.1% and 85.9%, respectively; the bladder recurrence-free survival rates were 85.5% and 80.2%, respectively. The independent prognostic factors of cancer-specific mortality were tumor age elder than 55 years (HR=3.138, 95%CI: 1.348-7.306, P=0.008) and diameter larger than 5 cm (HR=3.320, 95%CI: 1.882-5.857, P<0.001). The independent prognostic factors of bladder recurrence-free survival were ureter tumor (HR=1.757, 95%CI: 1.159-2.664, P=0.008) and lower tumor grade (HR=1.760, 95% CI: 1.151-2.692, P=0.009). CONCLUSION: T2N0M0 UTUC has a better cancer-specific survival. The intravesical recurrence was equivalent to non-muscle invasive UTUC but earlier. The tumor diameter larger than 5 cm and the patient age elder than 55 years were independently associated with cancer-specific mortality; the primary tumor located in ureter and lower tumor grade were more likely to develop intravesical recurrence.

ApoG2 as the most potent gossypol derivatives inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis on gastric cancer cells.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common types of malignancies and proteins from the Bcl-2 family are highly expressed in human gastric cancer. Apogossypolone (ApoG2), the most potent gossypol derivative, has been defined as a novel small-molecule inhibitor of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins. However, whether or not it can inhibit the growth and proliferation of gastric cancer cell lines has not been demonstrated to date. Here, we assessed the effects of anti-growth of ApoG2 on gastric cancer cell lines in vitro and explored the possible molecular mechanisms of ApoG2. Using the MTT assay and flow cytometry, we found that ApoG2 has the significant anti-growth effect on MKN28, MKN45 and AGS cell lines in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Compared to (-)-gossypol, MTT assay and flow cytometry results showed that anti-growth effect of ApoG2 is inferior, but the colony formation ability of ApoG2 is superior. Furthermore, western blot results revealed that ApoG2 inhibits the growth and proliferation of gastric cancer cells by down-regulating of Bcl-2 protein expression, up-regulating of Bax and activating of Caspase-3. Taken together, albeit the ApoG2 inferior to (-)-gossypol in many ways on gastric cancer in vitro, our results suggest that ApoG2 could effectively inhibit the growth and proliferation of gastric cancer cell lines through the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis.

Two new steroidal alkaloids from bulbs of Fritillaria lichuanensis.

Two new steroidal alkaloids, lichuanine (1) and lichuanisinine (2), were isolated from the bulbs of FritillariaLichuanensis P. Li et C.P. Yang. Their structures were determined to be (20S,25R)-5alpha, 14alpha-cevanine-3beta, 6beta-diol (1) and (20S,25S)-5alpha,14alpha-cevanine-3beta,6beta-diol-N-oxide (2) by means of spectral analysis and chemical evidence.