Morphometric features of gastric mucosa in atrophic gastritis: A different pattern between corpus and antrum.

Atrophic gastritis can cause mucosa thinning, while detailed metrological evidence is lacking. We aimed to compare the morphological features of full-thickness gastric mucosa in antrum and corpus and evaluate the diagnostic performance for atrophy. Gastric cancer patients were prospectively enrolled (N = 401). Full-thickness gastric mucosa was obtained. Foveolar length, glandular length and musculus mucosae thickness were measured. Pathological assessment was conducted using the visual analogue scale of the updated Sydney system. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were calculated for different atrophy degrees. In corpus mucosa, foveolar length and musculus mucosae thickness were positively correlated with the atrophy degree (spearman's correlation coefficient [rs] = 0.231 and 0.224, respectively, P < .05); glandular length and total mucosal thickness were negatively correlated (rs = -0.399 and -0.114, respectively, P < .05). Total mucosal thickness did not correlate with antral atrophy degree (P = .107). The AUCs of total mucosal thickness for corpus and antral atrophy were 0.570 (P < .05) and 0.592 (P < .05), respectively. The AUCs for corpus atrophy, moderate and severe, and severe atrophy were 0.570 (P < .05), 0.571 (P = .003), and 0.584 (P = .006), respectively. The corresponding AUCs for antral atrophy were 0.592 (P = .010), 0.548 (P = .140), and 0.521 (P = .533), respectively. The tendency for mucosal thickness to thin with atrophy occurred in the corpus rather than in the antrum. The diagnostic performance of corpus and antral mucosal thickness was limited for atrophy.

Risk factors associated with the detection and missed diagnosis of colorectal flat adenoma: a Chinese multicenter observational study.

OBJECTIVES: Flat colorectal adenomas have a high risk of malignancy; however, their detection is often difficult due to their flat morphology. In this retrospective, large-scale study, we investigated the prevalence and characteristics of flat adenomas in a population in China. METHODS: We analyzed the data collected for 16951 consecutive patients who underwent colonoscopy at four participating hospitals between September 2013 and September 2015. All colonoscopies were performed without magnification. RESULTS: Among the 1,6951 patients, 2938 (17.3%) had adenoma and 796 (4.7%) had flat adenomas. The detection of flat adenoma showed a weak correlation with the detection of adenoma (r = 0.666). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed the following independent factors influencing the detection of flat adenomas: patient-related factors of age, presence of warning symptoms, history of adenomas and bowel preparation as well as endoscopist-related factors of endoscopist's level of proficiency, number of colonoscopy operators and withdrawal time. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of flat adenomas in our study on Chinese patients was consistent with that reported from other countries. Factors conducive to the detection of flat adenomas were patient age of > 60 years, warning symptoms, history of adenoma, good bowel preparation, experienced endoscopist, single-operator colonoscopy and colonoscopy withdrawal time of >6 min.

Association between Diet and Lifestyle Habits and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Recent papers have highlighted the role of diet and lifestyle habits in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but very few population-based studies have evaluated this association in developing countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between diet and lifestyle habits and IBS. METHODS: A food frequency and lifestyle habits questionnaire was used to record the diet and lifestyle habits of 78 IBS subjects and 79 healthy subjects. Cross-tabulation analysis and logistic regression were used to reveal any association among lifestyle habits, eating habits, food consumption frequency, and other associated conditions. RESULTS: The results from logistic regression analysis indicated that IBS was associated with irregular eating (odds ratio [OR], 3.257), physical inactivity (OR, 3.588), and good quality sleep (OR, 0.132). IBS subjects ate fruit (OR, 3.082) vegetables (OR, 3.778), and legumes (OR, 2.111) and drank tea (OR, 2.221) significantly more frequently than the control subjects. After adjusting for age and sex, irregular eating (OR, 3.963), physical inactivity (OR, 6.297), eating vegetables (OR, 7.904), legumes (OR, 2.674), drinking tea (OR, 3.421) and good quality sleep (OR, 0.054) were independent predictors of IBS. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals a possible association between diet and lifestyle habits and IBS.

Poly[(µ5-3-carboxybenzene-1,2-dicarboxylato)lead(II)]: a helical lead(II) coordination polymer.

In the title polymer, [Pb(C9H4O6)]n, the asymmetric unit contains a monomer of a Pb(II) cation with a doubly deprotonated 3-carboxybenzene-1,2-dicarboxylate dianion (1,2,3-Hbtc(2-)). Each Pb(II) centre is seven-coordinated by seven O atoms of bridging carboxy/carboxylate groups from five 1,2,3-Hbtc(2-) ligands, forming a distorted pentagonal bipyramid. The Pb(II) cations are bridged by 1,2,3-Hbtc(2-) anions, yielding two-dimensional chiral layers. The layers are stacked above each other to generate a three-dimensional supramolecular architecture via a combination of C-H···O interactions. The thermogravimetric and optical properties are also reported.

Low molecular weight heparin relieves experimental colitis in mice by downregulating IL-1ß and inhibiting syndecan-1 shedding in the intestinal mucosa.

Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) exhibits anti-inflammatory properties, but its effect on inflammation in colitis remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of LMWH on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice, in which acute colitis progresses to chronic colitis, and to explore the potential mechanism involved in this process. C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control, DSS, and DSS plus LMWH groups (n = 18). Disease activity was scored by a disease activity index (DAI). Histological changes were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. The mRNA levels of syndecan-1, interleukin (IL)-1ß, and IL-10 were determined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Protein expression of syndecan-1 was detected by immunohistochemistry. The serum syndecan-1 level was examined by a dot immunobinding assay. LMWH ameliorated the disease activity of colitis induced by DSS administration in mice. Colon destruction with the appearance of crypt damage, goblet cell loss, and a larger ulcer was found on day 12 after DSS administration, which was greatly relieved by the treatment of LMWH. LMWH upregulated syndecan-1 expression in the intestinal mucosa and reduced the serum syndecan-1 level on days 12 and 20 after DSS administration (P<0.05 vs. DSS group). In addition, LMWH significantly decreased the expression of both IL-1ß and IL-10 mRNA on days 12 and 20 (P<0.05 vs. DSS group). LMWH has therapeutic effects on colitis by downregulating inflammatory cytokines and inhibiting syndecan-1 shedding in the intestinal mucosa.

Interaction of peptides with graphene oxide and its application for real-time monitoring of protease activity.

We have developed a novel graphene-based biosensing platform using peptides as probe biomolecules, and demonstrated its feasibility in the application of real-time monitoring of protease activity based on FRET between GO and dye-labeled peptides. This assay allows the rapid and accurate determination of enzyme kinetic parameters as well as inhibition constants.

A green approach to the synthesis of graphene nanosheets.

Graphene can be viewed as an individual atomic plane extracted from graphite, as unrolled single-walled carbon nanotube or as an extended flat fullerene molecule. In this paper, a facile approach to the synthesis of high quality graphene nanosheets in large scale through electrochemical reduction of exfoliated graphite oxide precursor at cathodic potentials (completely reduced potential: -1.5 V) is reported. This method is green and fast, and will not result in contamination of the reduced material. The electrochemically reduced graphene nanosheets have been carefully characterized by spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques in comparison to the chemically reduced graphene-based product. Particularly, FTIR spectra indicate that a variety of the oxygen-containing functional groups have been thoroughly removed from the graphite oxide plane via electrochemical reduction. The chemically converted materials are not expected to exhibit graphene's electronic properties because of residual defects. Indeed, the high quality graphene accelerates the electron transfer rate in dopamine electrochemistry (DeltaE(p) is as small as 44 mV which is much smaller than that on a glassy carbon electrode). This approach opens up the possibility for assembling graphene biocomposites for electrocatalysis and the construction of biosensors.

Multiplex genotyping and allele frequency estimation in pooled DNAs using non-gel capillary electrophoresis.

We present a novel approach of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis in which allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization is followed by non-gel capillary electrophoresis (ASOH-NGCE) in conjunction with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). This allows rapid multiplex allelotyping and allele frequency estimation. This method, based on site separation of the hybridization duplexes, retains the simplicity and specificity of ASOH and the homogeneous feature of NGCE with poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) as a sieving medium. ASOH-NGCE can be applied to multiplex SNP loci genotyping with excellent separation of hybridization mixtures. Average relative standard deviations (RSDs) were low for within-day (1.10%) and between-day (2.41%) reproducibility. Moreover, the allele frequencies in pooled DNAs were accurately determined from peak areas and equilibrium dissociation constants. Our method was highly sensitive in detecting alleles with frequency as low as 1% and in distinguishing allele frequencies differing by 1% between pools. The average value of differences between real and estimated frequencies (accuracy) was only 0.004.

[Syndecan-1 expression and its significance in colitis].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of syndecan-1 (Sdc-1) in the pathogenesis of colitis. METHODS: Thirty BALB/c mice were forced to drink 4% dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) in distilled water as the sole source of drinking fluid for 7 days, distilled water for 10 days, and 4% DSS in distilled water for another 7 days so as to establish colitis models and then were randomly divided into 3 equal groups: model groups 1, 2, and 3 to be killed 8, 18, and 25 days after the DSS drinking respectively to take their colons. Another 10 mice were fed with distilled water as control group and were killed on Day 8. Microscopy was used to evaluate the histological score of the colon. RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of Sdc-1 mRNA and IL-1 mRNA in the colon mucosa. Immunohistochemistry was conducted to detect the Sdc-1 protein level. RESULTS: The histological scores of the 3 model groups were all significantly higher than that of the control group (F = 448.717, P < 0.01) and the score was the highest in the model group 1 and then gradually decreased. There was not significant differences in the Sdc-1 mRNA expression among different groups (F = 0.822, P > 0.05). The levels of Sdc-1 protein of the 3 model groups were all significantly lower than that of the control group (F = 865.586, P < 0.01), and the Sdc-1 protein level was the lowest level in the model group1, and then increased gradually. The expression of IL-1 mRNA of the 3 model groups were all significantly higher than that of the control group (F = 103.833, P < 0.01), and the IL-1 mRNA level was the highest in the model group1 and then decreased gradually. CONCLUSION: The severity of colitis is associated with the reduction of Sdc-1 protein level, but not with the Sdc-1 mRNA level in the colon mucosa. The reduction of Sdc-1 protein level may be associated to increase of IL-1 level.