The functional identification and evaluation of endophytic bacteria sourced from the roots of tolerant Achyranthes bidentata to overcome monoculture problems of Rehmannia glutinosa.

The isolation and identification of plant growth-promoting endophytic bacteria (PGPEB) from Achyranthes bidentata roots have profound theoretical and practical implications in ecological agriculture, particularly as bio-inoculants to address challenges associated with continuous monoculture. Our research revealed a significant increase in the abundance of these beneficial bacteria in A. bidentata rhizosphere soil under prolonged monoculture conditions, as shown by bioinformatics analysis. Subsequently, we isolated 563 strains of endophytic bacteria from A. bidentata roots. Functional characterization highlighted diverse plant growth-promoting traits among these bacteria, including the secretion of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) ranging from 68.01 to 73.25 mg/L, phosphorus and potassium solubilization capacities, and antagonistic activity against pathogenic fungi (21.54%-50.81%). Through 16S rDNA sequencing, we identified nine strains exhibiting biocontrol and growth-promoting potential. Introduction of a synthetic microbial consortium (SMC) in pot experiments significantly increased root biomass by 48.19% in A. bidentata and 27.01% in replanted Rehmannia glutinosa. These findings provide innovative insights and strategies for addressing continuous cropping challenges, highlighting the practical promise of PGPEB from A. bidentata in ecological agriculture to overcome replanting obstacles for non-host plants like R. glutinosa, thereby promoting robust growth in medicinal plants.

A Programmable Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Device for Simultaneous Colorimetric and Photothermal Visual Sensing of Multiple Enzyme Activities.

New strategies for the simultaneous and portable detection of multiple enzyme activities are highly desirable for clinical diagnosis and home care. However, the methods developed thus far generally suffer from high costs, cumbersome procedures, and heavy reliance on large-scale instruments. To satisfy the actual requirements of rapid, accurate, and on-site detection of multiple enzyme activities, we report herein a smartphone-assisted programmable microfluidic paper-based analytical device (µPAD) that utilizes colorimetric and photothermal signals for simultaneous, accurate, and visual quantitative detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). Specifically, the operation of this µPAD sensing platform is based on two sequential steps. Cobalt-doped mesoporous cerium oxide (Co-m-CeO2) with remarkable peroxidase-like activities under neutral conditions first catalytically decomposes H2O2 for effectively converting colorless 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) into blue oxidized TMB (oxTMB). The subsequent addition of ALP or BChE to their respective substrates produces a reducing substance that can somewhat inhibit the oxTMB transformation for compromised colorimetric and photothermal signals of oxTMB. Notably, these two-step bioenzyme-nanozyme cascade reactions strongly support the straightforward and excellent processability of this platform, which exhibit lower detection limits for ALP and BChE with a detection limit for BChE an order of magnitude lower than those of the other reported paper-based detection methods. The practicability and efficiency of this platform are further demonstrated through the analysis of clinical serum samples. This innovative platform exhibits great potential as a facile yet robust approach for simultaneous, accurate, and on-site visual detection of multiple enzyme activities in authentic samples.

CAPG is a novel biomarker for early gastric cancer and is involved in the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

Past studies have shown that the Gelsolin-like actin-capping protein (CAPG) regulates cell migration and proliferation and is strongly associated with tumor progression. We present the first study of the mechanism of action of CAPG in early gastric cancer (EGC). We demonstrate that CAPG expression is upregulated in gastric cancer (GC) especially EGC. CAPG promotes GC proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis in vivo and in vitro. More importantly, CAPG plays a role in GC by involving the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Our findings suggest that CAPG may function as a novel biomarker for EGC.

Industrial structure, high-quality development of logistics industry and the economy.

The logistics industry is closely related to the high-quality economic development. At different levels of industrial structure, the relationship between high-quality development of the logistics industry and the high-quality economic development will vary, resulting in different roles and paths in promoting economic development. However, there is still a lack of research on the relationship between high-quality development of the logistics industry and high-quality economic development at different levels of industrial structure, and further empirical research is needed. It used the benchmark regression model to analyze the impact of the high-quality development of the logistics industry on high-quality economic development, and the panel threshold model was used to analyze the impact of the logistics industry on high-quality economic development at different levels of industrial structure development. The results show that the high-quality development of the logistics industry has a positive role in promoting the high-quality economic development, and in different levels of industrial structure development, the impact of high-quality development level of logistics industry on the high-quality economic development is different. Therefore, it is necessary to further optimize the industrial structure, promote the deep integration and development of logistics and related industries, and continue to promote the high-quality development of the logistics industry. And when formulating development strategies for the logistics industry, governments and enterprises need to consider factors such as changes in industrial structure, the overall goals of national economy, people's livelihood, and social development, in order to provide solid support for achieving high-quality economic development. This paper demonstrates the importance of high-quality development of the logistics industry in high-quality economic development, and it encourages the adoption of different strategies at different stages of industrial structure development to promote high-quality development of the logistics industry, and achieve high-quality economic development.

A gene pathway enrichment method based on improved TF-IDF algorithm.

Gene pathway enrichment analysis is a widely used method to analyze whether a gene set is statistically enriched on certain biological pathway network. Current gene pathway enrichment methods commonly consider local importance of genes in pathways without considering the interactions between genes. In this paper, we propose a gene pathway enrichment method (GIGSEA) based on improved TF-IDF algorithm. This method employs gene interaction data to calculate the influence of genes based on the local importance in a pathway as well as the global specificity. Computational experiment result shows that, compared with traditional gene set enrichment analysis method, our proposed method in this paper can find more specific enriched pathways related to phenotype with higher efficiency.

Hsa_circ_0072309 is a prognostic biomarker and is correlated with immune infiltration in gastric cancer.

Background: Hsa_circ_0072309 has been identified as a tumor suppressor in several carcinomas. However, its precise role in gastric cancer (GC) remains largely unknown. This study was aimed to explore the precise role of Hsa_circ_0072309 in GC. Methods: The transcriptional and clinical data of stomach adenocarcinoma were downloaded using the University of California SantaCruz (UCSC) Xena browser. The circular RNA (circRNA) datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The expression profile and survival analysis of differentially expressed micro RNAs (DEMIs) and differentially expressed messenger RNAs (DEMs) were performed. Correlations between the expression and immune infiltration of the DEMS were studied. Additionally, the expression of hsa_circ_0072309 in GC tissues and cell lines were validated, and the relationship between its expression and clinical features was investigated. Gain- and loss-of function experiments and molecular interaction experiments were also conducted. Results: Overall, 7 differentially expressed circRNAs, 13 DEMIs, and 17 DEMs were screened. Two DEMIs (hsa_miR-34a-3p and hsa_miR-326) and five DEMs (C7, MARCKSL1, UBE2T, OLR1, and HOXC11) showed significant differences in the high- and low-risk groups. The most significantly enriched Gene Ontology terms were the circadian regulation of gene expression and protein binding. The most significantly enriched Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways were the PI3K-Akt and Ras signal pathways. Additionally, six genes were significantly correlated with immune infiltration. The real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) results revealed a significant downregulation of hsa_circ_0072309 in GC tissues related to tumor size, vascular invasion, and lymph node metastasis. A hsa_circ_0072309 overexpression suppressed whereas a hsa_circ_0072309 knockdown promoted GC cells proliferation and migration in vitro; in addition, hsa_circ_0072309 could directly bind to has-miR-34a-3p and has-miR-330-5p. Conclusions: Hsa_circ_0072309 is a potential diagnostic biomarker for GC, and complement component 7 may be a tumor suppressor. These may potentially predict the prognosis of patients with GC and may become new therapeutic targets.

Long-term social isolation increases visceral pain in rats.

Long-term social isolation can alter the sensitivity to somatic pain, however, its impact on visceral pain sensitivity remains unknown. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of long-term social isolation on visceral pain sensitivity in rats. 4-week social isolation rearing significantly increased CRD-induced AWR score and decreased pain threshold as compared to group rearing. There was no significant difference in the number of spontaneous visceral pain behaviors between group and isolation rearing rats. The number of fecal bolus produced by isolation rearing rats was comparable to that produced by group rearing rats. Consistent with 4-week isolation, CRD-induced AWR score in 8-week isolation rearing rats was higher than that in group rearing rats. While, pain threshold was lower in 8-week isolation rearing rats than in group rearing rats. There was no significant difference in the number of spontaneous visceral pain behaviors and fecal bolus between 8-week isolation and group rearing rats. There results indicated that long-term social isolation induces visceral hypersensitivity in rats, but this effect is unrelated to an increase in stress levels.

Effect of Acute Brief Social Isolation on Visceral Pain.

Objective: The sensitivity of somatic pain could be affected by social isolation; however, few studies have examined the impact of social isolation on visceral pain. In the present study, the effect of acute brief social isolation on visceral pain response was investigated. Methods: Adult male rats were either reared individually or grouped for 2 hours or 24 hours. Colorectal distention (CRD)-induced abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) score and pain threshold were used to assess visceral pain sensitivity. The amount of fecal bolus was used to determine the stress level. Results: Acute brief isolation rearing for 2 hours significantly increased AWR score and reduced visceral pain threshold in rats when compared to group rearing. Similarly, acute isolation for 24 hours resulted in visceral hypersensitivity, as indicated by an increase in the AWR score and a decrease in the visceral pain threshold. Furthermore, the amount of fecal bolus in acute isolation rearing (2 or 24 hours) rats was considerably higher than in the control group rearing rats. Conclusion: Acute short-term social isolation enhances visceral pain sensitivity, which could be related to an increase in stress levels.

Clinical Impact of X-Ray Repair Cross-Complementary 1 (XRCC1) and the Immune Environment in Colorectal Adenoma-Carcinoma Pathway Progression.

PURPOSE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) can develop via a hypermutagenic pathway characterized by frequent somatic DNA base-pair mutations. Alternatively, the immunogenicity of tumor cells themselves may influence the anticancer activity of the immune effector cells. Impaired DNA repair mechanisms drive mutagenicity, which then increase the neoantigen load and immunogenicity. However, no studies have analyzed immune checkpoint protein expression, particularly programmed death-1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), in adenoma-carcinoma progression and its relationship with the emergence of other DNA repair gene mutation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated mutations of 10 genes involved in DNA repair function: XRCC1, TP53, MLH1, MSH, KRAS, GSTP, UMP, MTHF, DPYD, and ABCC2. We performed sequencing to determine mutations and immunohistochemistry of immune checkpoints in clinical samples and determined changes in XRCC1 expression during progression through the adenoma-carcinoma pathway. We further investigated the prognostic associations of gene XRCC1 according to the expression, mutational profile, and immune profile using The Cancer Genome Atlas-colon adenocarcinoma (TCGA-COAD) dataset. RESULTS: From clinical samples, XRCC1 mutation demonstrated the strongest association with adenomas with a mutation frequency of 56.2% in adenomas and 34% in CRCs (p =0.016). XRCC1 was abnormally expressed and altered by mutations contributing to adenoma carcinogenesis. High expression of XRCC1, CD4, FOXP3, and PD-1/PD-L1 showed an overall upward trend with increased lesion severity (all p < 0.01). PD-1/PD-L1 expression and CD4+ intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) correlated with cytological dysplasia progression, specifically in patients with wild-type XRCC1 (all p < 0.01), whereas FOXP3 expression was independently associated with adenoma-carcinoma progression. From TCGA-COAD analysis, XRCC1 expression was associated with patients survival, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and immune marker expression. CONCLUSION: Increased IEL density and PD-1/PD-L1 expression correlate with cytological dysplasia progression and specifically with the XRCC1 mutation status in CRC. Our findings support a stepwise dysplasia-carcinoma sequence of adenoma carcinogenesis and an XRCC1 hypermutated phenotypic mechanism of lesions.

Circular RNA circCOL6A3_030 is involved in the metastasis of gastric cancer by encoding polypeptide.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a serious digestive tract disease that threatens human life worldwide, and the prognosis of gastric cancer accompanied by distant lymph node or the distant metastasis organs is worse. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of circular RNA COL6A3_030 (circBase ID: hsa_circ_0006401; circRNADb ID: hsa_circ_28198; circBank ID: hsa_circCOL6A3_030) in GC metastasis. qRT-PCR analysis using back-splicing primers and Sanger sequencing of PCR products were performed to identify circCOL6A3_030 in GC tissues and cell lines; RNA-FISH assay was performed to validate the subcellular localization of circCOL6A3_030. Transwell and wound-healing assays were carried out to evaluate the migration ability of GC cells. Western blot was conducted to detect the polypeptide encoded by circCOL6A3_030 in cells. circCOL6A3_030 was down-regulated in GC tissues and cell lines, while circCOL6A3_030 was up-regulated in GC with distant lymph node metastasis. The migration of circCOL6A3_030 silenced GC cells was significantly inhibited in both SGC-7901 and BGC-823 cell lines. Importantly, in vivo assay, silencing circCOL6A3_030 could reduce liver metastases from gastric cancer cells. Meanwhile, further studies suggested that circCOL6A3_030 encoded a small peptide that had a function as a tumor-promoting metastasis factor and immunohistochemistry confirmed the presence of this polypeptide. To sum up, our study showed that circCOL6A3_030 promoted GC cell migration by encoding a small peptide called circCOL6A3_030_198aa. Therefore, our results highlight the potential role of circCOL6A3_030 for clinical diagnosis and treatment of GC with distant lymph node metastasis.

Astrocyte-neuron lactate transport in the ACC contributes to the occurrence of long-lasting inflammatory pain in male mice.

Lactate transport is an important means of communication between astrocytes and neurons and is implicated in a variety of neurobiological processes. However, the connection between astrocyte-neuron lactate transport and nociceptive modulation has not been well established. Here, we found that Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammation pain leads to a significant increase in extracellular lactate levels in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Inhibition of glycogenolysis and lactate release in the ACC disrupted the persistent, but not acute, inflammation pain induced by CFA, and this effect was reversed by exogenous L-lactate administration. Knocking down the expression of lactate transporters (MCT1, MCT4, or MCT2) also disrupted the long lasting inflammation pain induced by CFA. Moreover, glycogenolysis in the ACC is critical for the induction of molecular changes related to neuronal plasticity, including the induction of phospho- (p-) ERK, p-CREB, and Fos. Taken together, our findings indicate that astrocyte-neuron lactate transport in the ACC is critical for the occurrence of persistent inflammation pain, suggesting a novel mechanism underlying chronic pain.

Circular RNA hsa_circ_0006401 promotes proliferation and metastasis in colorectal carcinoma.

Dysregulation of circular RNA (circRNA) expression is involved in the progression of cancer. Here, we aimed to study the potential function of hsa_circ_0006401 in colorectal cancer (CRC). CircRNA hsa_circ_0006401 expression levels in CRC and adjacent nontumor tissues were analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and circRNA in situ hybridization (RNA-ISH). Then, CRC cell proliferation was assessed by cell counting. Wound-healing and transwell assays were utilized to detect the effect of hsa_circ_0006401 on CRC migration. A circRNA-ORF construct was created, and a specific antibody against the splice junction of hsa_circ_0006401 was prepared. Finally, the proteins directly binding to hsa_circ_0006401 peptides were identified by immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry. In our study, we found hsa_circ_0006401 was closely related to CRC metastasis and exhibited upregulated expression in metastatic CRC tissue samples. Proliferation and migration were inhibited in vitro when hsa_circ_0006401 expression was silenced. Downregulation of hsa_circ_0006401 expression decreased CRC proliferation and liver metastasis in vivo. A 198-aa peptide was encoded by sequences of the splice junction absent from col6a3. Hsa_circ_0006401 promoted CRC proliferation and migration by encoding the hsa_circ_0006401 peptide. Hsa_circ_0006401 peptides decreased the mRNA and protein level of the host gene col6a3 by promoting col6a3 mRNA stabilation. In conclusion, our study revealed that circRNAs generated from col6a3 that contain an open-reading frame (ORF) encode a novel 198-aa functional peptide and hsa_circ_0006401 peptides promote stability of the host gene col6a3 mRNA to promote CRC proliferation and metastasis.

Regular arrangement of collecting venules under endoscopy for predicting a Helicobacter pylori-negative stomach: A systematic review and meta-analysis / Disposición regular de vénulas colectoras con endoscopia para predecir un estómago negativo para Helicobacter pylori: revisión sistemática y metaanálisis

Background and aims: The regular arrangement of collecting venules (RAC) refers to the appearance of multiple regular tiny veins in the body of the stomach and is considered to be very effective for identifying gastric mucosa with non-Helicobacter pylori infection. This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically evaluate the value of the sign in predicting a Helicobacter pylori-negative stomach and the relevant factors that may affect the performance of this prediction. Methods: Two biomedical databases (PubMed and EMBASE) were systematically searched through April 20, 2020. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and area under the SROC curve (AUC) were calculated. Results: Fourteen articles with 4070 patients were included. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR and AUC for the RAC in predicting non-Hp infection were 0.80 (0.67–0.89), 0.97 (0.93–0.98), 24.8 (12.2–50.8), 0.21 (0.12–0.36), 120 (47–301) and 0.97 (0.19–1.00), respectively. Conclusions: The RAC is a valuable endoscopic feature for the prediction of patients without Hp infection.(AU)

Objetivos: La disposición regular de vénulas colectoras (RAC, en inglés) se refiere a la aparición de múltiples venas minúsculas regulares en el cuerpo del estómago y se considera muy eficaz para identificar la mucosa gástrica con infección no causada por Helicobacter pylori. Este metaanálisis se llevó a cabo para evaluar sistemáticamente el valor del signo en la predicción de un estómago negativo para Helicobacter pylori (Hp) y los factores relevantes que pueden afectar a la obtención de esta predicción. Métodos: Se realizaron búsquedas sistemáticas en dos bases de datos biomédicas (PubMed y EMBASE) el 20 de abril de 2020. Se calcularon la sensibilidad, la especificidad, el cociente de probabilidad positiva (PLR), el cociente de probabilidad negativa (CPN), el cociente de probabilidad de diagnóstico (NLR) y el área bajo la curva SROC (AUC) agrupados. Resultados: Se incluyeron 14 artículos con 4.070 pacientes. La sensibilidad, especificidad, PLR, NLR, DOR y AUC agrupados para la RAC en la predicción de la infección no debida a Hp fueron de 0,80 (0,67-0,89), 0,97 (0,93-0,98), 24,8 (12,2-50,8), 0,21 (0,12-0,36), 120 (47-301) y 0,97 (0,19-1,00), respectivamente. Conclusiones: La RAC es una característica endoscópica útil para la predicción de pacientes sin infección por Hp.(AU)

TGFß/cyclin D1/Smad-mediated inhibition of BMP4 promotes breast cancer stem cell self-renewal activity.

Basal-like triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) display poor prognosis, have a high risk of tumor recurrence, and exhibit high resistance to drug treatments. The TNBC aggressive features are largely due to the high proportion of cancer stem cells present within these tumors. In this study, we investigated the interplay and networking pathways occurring between TGFß family ligands in regulating stemness in TNBCs. We found that TGFß stimulation of TNBCs resulted in enhanced tumorsphere formation efficiency and an increased proportion of the highly tumorigenic CD44high/CD24low cancer stem cell population. Analysis of the TGFß transcriptome in TNBC cells revealed bone morphogenetic protein4 (BMP4) as a main TGFß-repressed target in these tumor cells. We further found that BMP4 opposed TGFß effects on stemness and potently decreased cancer stem cell numbers, thereby acting as a differentiation factor in TNBC. At the molecular level, we found that TGFß inhibition of BMP4 gene expression is mediated through the Smad pathway and cyclin D1. In addition, we also found BMP4 to act as a pro-differentiation factor in normal mammary epithelial cells and promote mammary acinar formation in 3D cell culture assays. Finally, and consistent with our in vitro results, in silico patient data analysis defined BMP4 as a potential valuable prognosis marker for TNBC patients.

The Sustained Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine Are Independent of the Lateral Habenula.

Ketamine is known to have a rapid and lasting antidepressant effect. Recent studies have shown that ketamine exerts it rapid antidepressant effect by blocking burst firing in the lateral habenula (LHb). Whether the sustained antidepressant effect of ketamine occurs through the same mechanism has not been explored. Here, using male rats, we found that local infusion of (R,S)-ketamine into the LHb resulted in a rapid antidepressant-like effect 1 h after infusion, which almost returned to baseline levels after 24 h. Intra-LHb injection of (S)-ketamine also showed a significant antidepressant-like effect 1 h after injection, which recovered at 24 h. No significant antidepressant-like effect was found at 1 or 24 h after the administration of (R)-ketamine into the LHb. Injection of (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine, a ketamine metabolite, into the LHb did not result in any obvious antidepressant-like effect 1 or 24 h after injection. Systemic administration of (R,S)-ketamine (intraperitoneally) significantly suppressed LHb bursting activity at 1 h, but the inhibitory effect was reversed 24 h after injection. No significant effect of (R,S)-ketamine on miniature excitatory postsynaptic potentials of LHb neurons was found at 1 or 24 h after systemic application. Our study demonstrated that the sustained antidepressant-like effect of ketamine may not depend on burst firing of LHb neurons.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Ketamine exerts it rapid antidepressant effect by blocking burst firing in the lateral habenula (LHb). However, whether the sustained antidepressant effect of ketamine occurs through the same mechanism has not been explored. In the present study, we demonstrated that the sustained antidepressant effect of ketamine may not depend on the burst firing of LHb neurons. This finding may lead to a novel perspective on LHb in the antidepressant effect of ketamine.

A novel nomogram for predicting survival of patients with poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma (PDGA) is a common adenocarcinoma with less glandular structure in gastric cancer. To date, the factors affecting its prognosis remain unclear. In this study, we establish a novel prognostic nomogram for PDGA. METHODS: We screened the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and downloaded data from PDGA patients who underwent surgery between 2010 and 2015. We explored their clinicopathological characteristics and important prognostic factors such as overall survival (OS), using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses, then constructed a prognostic nomogram using the resulting significant variables to predict the OS. We verified performance of the nomogram externally using a separate Chinese set, and further compared its ability as well as the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system to predict prognosis. RESULTS: A total of 3,887 patients in the SEER database met our inclusion criteria and were therefore included in the analysis. Multivariate analysis showed that age, sex, tumor size, prime site of tumor, T stage, N stage, and M stage were all independent prognostic factors for PDGA. These factors allowed successful establishment of a nomogram model with high predictive power, based on external verification using a Chinese set comprising 632 PDGA patients. The nomogram showed a better discrimination advantage than the 8th edition of the AJCC staging system in predicting OS (C-index of nomogram vs. AJCC staging for SEER set: 0.707 vs. 0.663; Chinese set: 0.788 vs. 0.713). CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram, established herein, was more accurate in predicting the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS of PDGA patients than the traditional AJCC TNA staging system. Successful establishment of a PDGA prognostic nomogram is a further step towards individualized and precise treatment of gastric cancer.

Risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma in patients with Barrett's esophagus using proton pump inhibitors: a systematic review with meta-analysis and sequential trial analysis.

BACKGROUND: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have been used to treat Barrett's esophagus (BE), but there seems to be insufficient evidence that PPIs can prevent esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and high grade dysplasia (HGD). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of PPIs in BE patients. METHODS: PubMed and EMBASE were systematically searched. Stata13 and trial sequential analysis (TSA) software were used to carry out related statistics. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. RESULTS: Using PPIs to reduce the incidence of EAC and HGD has not been confirmed (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.29-1.26). The pooled results of three cohort studies reported that PPIs use was protective (OR 0.48; 95% CI, 0.33-0.70). But the pooled results of five case-control study indicating PPIs use does not prove this protective effect (OR 0.73; 95% CI, 0.21-2.48). On pooled analysis of 4 US studies 2 Netherlands, protective effect on development of EAC and HGD was noted (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.43-0.80) and (OR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.03-0.75). CONCLUSIONS: According to the Meta analysis and TSA of existing studies, the protective effect of PPIs on the progression of BE patients to EAC and/or HGD has not been confirmed. TSA shows that more patients are needed before a clear conclusion can be reached.

Enhanced peroxymonosulfate activation on dual active sites of N vacancy modified g-C3N4 under visible-light assistance and its selective removal of organic pollutants.

Constructing highly efficient metal-free material towards peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation under photocatalytic assistance is a promising strategy for water decontamination. Herein, N vacancy modified g-C3N4 nanotube (VCN) was prepared to build a novel photo-assisted PMS activation system (PPAS), in which the unique electronic structure created by N vacancy could favor the PMS activation on VCN under visible-light irradiation. The role of N vacancy in PPAS was firstly studied through tuning its content in VCN. The results showed that the N vacancy greatly improved PMS activation on VCN PPAS towards organic pollutants removal. The VCN PPAS with moderate N vacancy modification performed best, whose kinetic constant for Rhodamine B degradation was 9.6 and 2.6 times higher than that of VCN/PMS system and pristine g-C3N4 PPAS, respectively. Moreover, the VCN PPAS performed well in wide pH range (3-12) and real water background. Selective removal of different organic pollutants was found on VCN PPAS, owing to the different interaction between pollutant and the catalyst surface with surface-bound radicals. The O2- and OH were major oxidants for pollutant removal in VCN PPAS, which were produced on dual active sites of VCN via two pathways: The N vacancy enhanced PMS adsorption and trapped photogenerated electrons for PMS reduction into OH, while the electron-deficient C atoms created by N loss promoted the PMS oxidation into O2-.

Regular arrangement of collecting venules under endoscopy for predicting a Helicobacter pylori-negative stomach: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The regular arrangement of collecting venules (RAC) refers to the appearance of multiple regular tiny veins in the body of the stomach and is considered to be very effective for identifying gastric mucosa with non-Helicobacter pylori infection. This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically evaluate the value of the sign in predicting a Helicobacter pylori-negative stomach and the relevant factors that may affect the performance of this prediction. METHODS: Two biomedical databases (PubMed and EMBASE) were systematically searched through April 20, 2020. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and area under the SROC curve (AUC) were calculated. RESULTS: Fourteen articles with 4070 patients were included. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR and AUC for the RAC in predicting non-Hp infection were 0.80 (0.67-0.89), 0.97 (0.93-0.98), 24.8 (12.2-50.8), 0.21 (0.12-0.36), 120 (47-301) and 0.97 (0.19-1.00), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The RAC is a valuable endoscopic feature for the prediction of patients without Hp infection.

Application of machine learning in the diagnosis of gastric cancer based on noninvasive characteristics.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of gastric cancer mainly relies on endoscopy, which is invasive and costly. The aim of this study is to develop a predictive model for the diagnosis of gastric cancer based on noninvasive characteristics. AIMS: To construct a predictive model for the diagnosis of gastric cancer with high accuracy based on noninvasive characteristics. METHODS: A retrospective study of 709 patients at Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital was conducted. Variables of age, gender, blood cell count, liver function, kidney function, blood lipids, tumor markers and pathological results were analyzed. We used gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), a type of machine learning method, to construct a predictive model for the diagnosis of gastric cancer and evaluate the accuracy of the model. RESULTS: Of the 709 patients, 398 were diagnosed with gastric cancer; 311 were health people or diagnosed with benign gastric disease. Multivariate analysis showed that gender, age, neutrophil lymphocyte ratio, hemoglobin, albumin, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) and carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199) were independent characteristics associated with gastric cancer. We constructed a predictive model using GBDT, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the model was 91%. For the test dataset, sensitivity was 87.0% and specificity 84.1% at the optimal threshold value of 0.56. The overall accuracy was 83.0%. Positive and negative predictive values were 83.0% and 87.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: We construct a predictive model to diagnose gastric cancer with high sensitivity and specificity. The model is noninvasive and may reduce the medical cost.