Clinical manifestation, lifestyle, and treatment patterns of chronic erosive gastritis: A multicenter real-world study in China.

BACKGROUND: Although chronic erosive gastritis (CEG) is common, its clinical characteristics have not been fully elucidated. The lack of consensus regarding its treatment has resulted in varied treatment regimens. AIM: To explore the clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and short-term outcomes in CEG patients in China. METHODS: We recruited patients with chronic non-atrophic or mild-to-moderate atrophic gastritis with erosion based on endoscopy and pathology. Patients and treating physicians completed a questionnaire regarding history, endoscopic findings, and treatment plans as well as a follow-up questionnaire to investigate changes in symptoms after 4 wk of treatment. RESULTS: Three thousand five hundred sixty-three patients from 42 centers across 24 cities in China were included. Epigastric pain (68.0%), abdominal distension (62.6%), and postprandial fullness (47.5%) were the most common presenting symptoms. Gastritis was classified as chronic non-atrophic in 69.9% of patients. Among those with erosive lesions, 72.1% of patients had lesions in the antrum, 51.0% had multiple lesions, and 67.3% had superficial flat lesions. In patients with epigastric pain, the combination of a mucosal protective agent (MPA) and proton pump inhibitor was more effective. For those with postprandial fullness, acid regurgitation, early satiety, or nausea, a MPA appeared more promising. CONCLUSION: CEG is a multifactorial disease which is common in Asian patients and has non-specific symptoms. Gastroscopy may play a major role in its detection and diagnosis. Treatment should be individualized based on symptom profile.

Planned Hybrid Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection as Alternative for Colorectal Neoplasms: A Propensity Score-Matched Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hybrid endoscopic submucosal dissection (H-ESD), a modified ESD with a snare, has become increasingly utilized to overcome the limitations of conventional ESD (C-ESD). This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of Planned H-ESD and C-ESD for colorectal lesions. METHODS: Propensity score matching was performed to control for confounding variables in this retrospective study. Outcomes included en bloc resection and complete resection (R0) rates, procedure time, adverse event rates, and local recurrence rate. RESULTS: 1286 lesions were enrolled in the study. After matching, 263 lesions were assigned to each group. The Planned H-ESD group has lower en bloc rate but similar R0 resection rate compared to the C-ESD group (90.9% vs 98.1%, P = 0.001; 77.2% vs 77.9%, P = 0.917). The median procedure time was shorter in the Planned H-ESD group (27.0 min vs 35.0 min, P = 0.001). There were no significant differences in adverse events rates or local recurrence rate. Subgroup analysis based on lesion size revealed that a significantly lower en bloc resection rate in the Planned H-ESD group compared to the C-ESD group for lesions ≥ 40 mm (71.0% vs 94.3%, P = 0.027), but there was no significant difference for lesions < 40 mm. CONCLUSION: The Planned H-ESD has a lower en bloc resection rate but a similar R0 resection rate, adverse event rates, local recurrence rate, and shorter procedure duration. Compared to C-ESD, Planned H-ESD presents advantages for managing colorectal neoplasms below 40 mm.

Microbiome changes in the gastric mucosa and gastric juice in different histological stages of Helicobacter pylori-negative gastric cancers.

BACKGROUND: The gastric microbiota in patients with gastric cancer (GC) has received increasing attention, but the profiling of the gastric microbiome through the histological stages of gastric tumorigenesis remains poorly understood, especially for patients with Helicobacter pylori-negative GC (HPNGC). AIM: To characterize microbial profiles of gastric mucosa and juice for HPNGC carcinogenesis and identify distinct taxa in precancerous lesions. METHODS: The 16S rRNA gene analysis was performed on gastric mucosa from 134 Helicobacter pylori-negative cases, including 56 superficial gastritis (SG), 9 atrophic gastritis (AG), 27 intestinal metaplasia (IM), 29 dysplasia (Dys), and 13 GC cases, to investigate differences in gastric microbial diversity and composition across the disease stages. In addition, paired gastric mucosa and juice samples from 18 SG, 18 IM, and 18 Dys samples were analyzed. α-Diversity was measured by Shannon and Chao1 indexes, and ß-diversity was calculated using partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA). Differences in the microbial composition across disease stages in different sample types were assessed using the linear discriminant analysis effect size. RESULTS: The diversity and composition of the bacterial microbiota in the gastric mucosa changed progressively across stages of gastric carcinogenesis. The diversity of the gastric mucosa microbiota was found to be significantly lower in the IM and Dys groups than in the SG group, and the patients with GC had the lowest bacterial community richness (P < 0.05). Patients with IM and those with Dys had similar gastric mucosa microbiota profiles with Ralstonia and Rhodococcus as the predominant genera. Microbial network analysis showed that there was increasing correlation strength between IM and Dys (|correlation threshold|≥ 0.5, P < 0.05). GC and its precancerous lesions have distinguishable bacterial taxa; our results identified HPNGC-associated bacteria Streptococcaceae and Lactobacillaceae (P < 0.05). Additionally, across precancerous lesion stages from AG to Dys in Helicobacter pylori-negative patients, Burkholderiaceae abundance continuously increased, while Streptococcaceae and Prevotellaceae abundance presented a continuous downward trend. Furthermore, the microbial diversity was higher in gastric juice (P < 0.001) than in the mucosa, while PLS-DA revealed a statistically significant difference between the two groups (ANOSIM, P = 0.001). A significant difference in the microbial structure was identified, with Proteobacteria being more prevalent in the gastric mucosa and Firmicutes being more abundant in gastric juice. CONCLUSION: Our results provide insights into potential taxonomic biomarkers for HPNGC and its precancerous stages and assist in predicting the prognosis of IM and Dys based on the mucosal microbiota profile.

Cellular stress and redox activity proteins are involved in gastric carcinogenesis associated with Helicobacter pylori infection expressing high levels of thioredoxin-1.

Helicobacter pylori infection is related to the development of gastric diseases. Our previous studies showed that high thioredoxin-1 (Trx1) expression in H. pylori can promote gastric carcinogenesis. To explore the underlying molecular mechanisms, we performed an isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomic analysis of stomach tissues from Mongolian gerbil infected with H. pylori expressing high and low Trx1. Differences in the profiles of the expressed proteins were analyzed by bioinformatics and verified using Western blot analysis. We found three candidate proteins, 14-3-3α/ß, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), in high Trx1 tissues compared with low Trx1 tissues and concluded that cellular stress and redox activity-related proteins were involved in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer associated with H. pylori Trx1.

Helicobacter pylori with high thioredoxin-1 expression promotes stomach carcinogenesis in Mongolian gerbils.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies by this group have shown that Helicobacter pylori with high thioredoxin-1 (Trx1) expression might be involved in stomach carcinogenesis in vitro. To study histopathological changes of the stomach mucosa in vivo, a Mongolian gerbil model infected with H. pylori with high Trx1 expression was established. METHODS: Healthy, male Mongolian gerbils (n=75) were randomly divided into 3 groups: controls (n=15), which were not infected with H. pylori, high Trx1 (n=30) which were infected with H. pylori with high Trx1 expression and low Trx1 (n=30) which were infected with low Trx1 expression H. pylori. The animals were sacrificed at 4, 20, 34, 48, 70 and 90 weeks after inoculation. RESULTS: The Mongolian gerbil model of H. pylori infection was successfully established. Three animals died during the study, leaving 72 animals (controls, n=14; low Trx1, n=29; high Trx1, n=29) examined on schedule. Histopathological analysis of the stomach mucosa showed gradually increased aggravation over time in the high and low Trx1 groups. Compared with control and low Trx1, the histopathological changes were more serious in the high Trx1 group. At 90 weeks, no abnormal changes were found in the controls, but 62.5% of the high Trx1 group and 33.3% of the low Trx1 showed adenocarcinomas. The H. pylori Trx1 level in gastric cancer tissue was significantly higher than that from gastritis tissue. Within gastric cancer cells, high Trx1 expression in H. pylori significantly upregulated cyclin D1. CONCLUSIONS: High Trx1 expression in H. pylori promoted stomach carcinogenesis. More studies are needed to confirm this finding.

Expression of three essential antioxidants of Helicobacter pylori in clinical isolates.

OBJECTIVE: Helicobacter pylori maintains long-term persistence in the host and combats oxidative stress via many antioxidant proteins, which are expected to be relevant to bacterial-associated gastric diseases. We aimed to investigate the expression of three essential antioxidants in H. pylori strains isolated from patients with different clinical outcomes. METHODS: Forty H. pylori strains were isolated from endoscopic biopsy specimens of gastric mucosa from 13 patients with gastric cancer, 13 with peptic ulcer, and 14 with gastritis. The expression of thioredoxin 1 (Trx1), arginase (RocF), and alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (AhpC) in H. pylori was measured by real-time PCR. Comparisons among multiple sample sets were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA test. Pearson's correlation test was used to assess relationships among multiple continuous variables. RESULTS: Trx1 expression of H. pylori in gastric cancer and peptic ulcer tissues was higher than that in tissues with gastritis. RocF expression of H. pylori in gastric cancer tissues was higher than that in tissues exhibiting peptic ulcer and gastritis. However, we did not find any differences in AhpC expression in samples from patients with different clinical outcomes. The expression of Trx1 and RocF had a positive, linear correlation. The expression of Trx1 and AhpC had a positive correlation without a linear trend. We found no correlation between the expression of RocF and AhpC. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations indicate that the expression of Trx1 and RocF in H. pylori might be related to gastric carcinogenesis. In H. pylori, the expression of members of the antioxidant system may be correlated and relevant to gastric cancer.

[Cloning of the Helicobacter pylori thioredoxin-1 gene and characterization].

OBJECTIVE: To clone the Helicobacter pylori (Hp) thioredoxin-1 (Trx1) gene and construct the recombinant expression vector containing the target gene, then to express and purify the protein, and detect its activity. METHODS: The cDNA gene of the Hp Trx1 was amplified by RT-PCR from the international standard strain 26695, using the specific primers containing double endonuclease digesting sites. The Hp Trx1 cDNA was then inserted into the pEASY-T1 vector to construct the pEASY-T1-Hp Trx1 recombinant vector. The next step was to double digest the pEASY-T1-Hp Trx1 recombinant vector and insert the target gene into pET-30a to construct the pET-30a-Hp Trx1 recombinant vector, which was transferred to E.coli BL21 plys S to express the Hp Trx1 protein. The recombinant protein was purified by Ni affinity chromatography, and then its activity of disulfide reductase was detected. RESULTS: By DNA sequencing, the Hp Trx1 cDNA was successfully inserted into the pET-30a vector and was in accordance with GenBank (HP0824). The E.coli containing pET-30a-Hp Trx1 recombinant vector successfully expressed Hp Trx1 protein. Through the detection of the activity, the recombinant Hp Trx1 protein was identified to have the activity of disulfide reductase. CONCLUSION: The prokaryotic expression vector pET-30a-Hp Trx1 was successfully constructed. The recombinant protein Hp Trx1 was successfully expressed and purified, which had the activity of disulfide reductase. This study lays the foundation for further research on the biological activity of Hp Trx1 and the mechanism of its function in tumor genesis.

Accuracy of diagnosing gastroesophageal reflux disease by GerdQ, esophageal impedance monitoring and histology.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the performance of self-assessment gastroesophageal reflux disease questionnaire (GerdQ), 24-h impedance monitoring, proton pump inhibitor (PPI) test and intercellular space of esophageal mucosal epithelial cells in the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). METHODS: Patients with symptoms suspected of GERD were administered the GerdQ and underwent endoscopy (measurement of intercellular space in the biopsy specimen sampling at 2 cm above the Z-line) and 24-h impedance pH monitoring, together with a 2-week experimental treatment with esomeprazole. RESULTS: A total of 636 patients were included for the final analysis, including 352 with GERD. The sensitivity and specificity of GerdQ and 24-h impedance monitoring for diagnosing GERD were 57.7% and 48.9%, and 66.4% and 43.3%, respectively. The sensitivity of 24-h impedance pH monitoring increased to 93.7%. The sensitivity and specificity of dilated intercellular spaces (DIS) (≥0.9 µm) for diagnosing GERD were 61.2% and 56.1%, respectively, whereas those for PPI test were 70.5% and 44.4%. CONCLUSIONS: GerdQ score or PPI test alone cannot accurately diagnose GERD in a Chinese population suspected of GERD. A definitive diagnosis of GERD still depends on endoscopy or 24-h pH monitoring. 24-h impedance pH monitoring may increase the sensitivity for diagnosing GERD by 20%; however, when used alone, it results in poor specificity in patients without acid suppressive therapy.

[Clinical value of endoscopic hemostasis in acute nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical value of endoscopic hemostasis in acute nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 223 patients with acute nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding and receiving endoscopic treatment who were admitted to Peking University Third Hospital between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2009. Endoscopic diagnosis, lesion location, lesion size and stigmata of recent hemorrhage were recorded. Stigmata of recent hemorrhage was evaluated by Forrest classification. All the patients were scored by Rockall for rehemorrhage and death risk. Endoscopic treatment comprised medicine aspersing, injection, thermocoagulation, clips and combination therapy. RESULTS: Hemorrhagic lesions of Forrest Ia-IIb were selected for endoscopic treatment, in which 214 patients(96.0%,214/223) underwent first endoscopic hemostasis successfully, while rehemorrhage occurred in 34 patients(15.2%,34/223). The first hemostatic achievement rate was 80.7%(180/223). And 17 patients received surgery or died because of endoscopic treatment failure. Total effective rate of endoscopic treatment was 92.4%(206/223). The total effective rates of Rockall high-risk group, moderate-risk group and low-risk group were 80%(40/50),95.7%(156/163) and 100%(10/10) respectively. The effective rates of epinephrine injection and combination therapy were 92.6%(137/148) and 77.6%(38/49) respectively. The rehemorrgagic rates of epinephrine injection and combination therapy were 14.2%(21/148) and 18.4%(9/49) respectively. The proportion of combination therapy in the second attempt at endoscopic therapy was 65.0%(13/20), and the achievement rate was 61.5%(8/13). CONCLUSION: Endoscopic hemostatic therapy is the preferred emergency treatment in acute nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Endoscopic treatment should be used for emorrhagic lesions of Forrest Ia-IIb. Endoscopic therapy could be completely hemostatic in Rockall low-risk group. Rockall score directly influences endoscopic treatment effectiveness.

[Predicative value of expression of TrkB and TRIM29 in biopsy tissues from preoperative gastroscopy in lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the expressions of TrkB and TRIM29 in biopsy tissues from preoperative gastroscopy in patients with gastric cancer and investigate the relationship between their expression and rate of lymph node metastasis. METHODS: Through immunohistochemistry, the authors analyzed the expression status of TRIM29 and TrkB in biopsy tissues from preoperative gastroscopy in 67 patients with a diagnosis of gastric cancer undergoing radical operations during 2005 - 2009 at Peking University Third Hospital. There were 39 males and 28 females. Then the relationship was explored between the expression of both proteins and lymph node metastasis and other clinical pathological factors. Image pro Plus 6.0 software was used for image analysis. The data underwent a logarithmic process and were analyzed through SPSS 17.0 statistical software. RESULTS: The expression of TrkB in lymph node metastasis (n = 42) was higher than that in without lymph node metastasis (n = 25) (lgA 4.79 ± 0.42 vs 3.98 ± 0.71, t = -5.873, P = 0.003), while the expression of TRIM29 with lymph node metastasis (n = 36) was also higher than that in without lymph node metastasis (n = 24) (5.21 ± 0.27 vs 5.02 ± 0.37, t = -2.257, P = 0.040). Logistic regression analysis showed that the TrkB expression was an independent predictor for lymph node metastasis. A discriminant was set based on the result (discriminant value = 1.705 × TrkB lgA+ 1.803 × TRIM29 lgA-16.880, cutoff value = 0). This discriminant achieved a prediction accuracy of 80.0% (48/60), a positive likelihood ratio 3.332 and a negative likelihood ratio 0.223. Patients with a high expression of TrkB showed a worse survival rate than those with a low TrkB expression [36.0% (9/25) vs 66.7% (16/24), P = 0.047). Patients with a high TRIM 29 expression showed a worse survival rate than those with a low TRIM29 expression [38.1% (8/21) vs 66.7% (14/21), P = 0.044]. CONCLUSION: The expressions of TrkB and TRIM29 are correlated with lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer, and discriminant based on the expressions of TrkB and TRIM29 had important values for preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis in gastric cancer.

[A comparison of proteomic analysis of Helicobacter pylori in patients with gastritis and gastric cancer between areas of high and low incidence of gastric cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To identify the differentially expressed proteins of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) in patients with gastritis and gastric cancer from areas of high and low incidence of gastric cancer by 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), and to discuss the role of bacterial factor in pathogenesis. METHODS: Hp in the endoscopic biopsy specimens of gastric mucosa of patients with gastritis and gastric cancer from areas of high (Xining) and low (Beijing) incidence of gastric cancer, were separated, cultured and saved at -80°C. The bacteria were recovered. Then the whole-cell protein of the Hp were extracted and characterized by 2-DE. The different protein spots were analyzed by PDQuest analysis software and identified by electrospray ionization quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-Q-TOF-MS), and searched by the Mascot database. RESULTS: Nine differentially expressed proteins were identified, and four protein spots were over expressed in the protein maps from gastric cancer in both areas, which were: Urease subunit alpha, chaperone protein dnaK, superoxide dismutase, DNA-directed RNA polymerase subunit alpha; two protein spots were over expressed in the protein maps from gastritis in both areas, which were: Probablethiol peroxidase, nucleoside diphosphate kinase; 60×10(3) chaperonin, and inorganic pyrophosphatase were over expressed only in the protein map from gastric cancer in Xining; S-ribosyl homocysteinelyase was over expressed only in the protein map from gastric cancer in Beijing. CONCLUSION: There are differences between proteomic analyses of Hp in patients with gastritis and gastric cancer in areas of high and low incidents of gastric cancer, but 2/3 of the protein spots over expressed in the areas are consistent. The protein spots over expressed from gastric cancer in the area with high incidence of gastric cancer are more than in the area with low incidence of gastric cancer. For the Hp extracted from patients with gastric cancer, the mechanism of gastric cancer may be similar, but the role of the Hp from the area with high incidence of gastric cancer may be stronger.

[Analysis of etiological and related factors responsible for acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the etiology, related factors and endoscopic characteristics of acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage. METHODS: The data including age, gender, medical and medication history, and endoscopic characteristics of patients receiving emergency treatment for acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage between February 2006 and February 2010 were collected to analyze the etiological profiles of this disorder. RESULTS: (1) A total of 1415 patients with a 2: 1 male-to-female ratio visited our hospital for acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage in the past 4 years. There was a higher mean age of disease onset in men than in women [(51 +/- 20) years old vs (61 +/- 17) years old, P = 0.000]. The numbers of patients were 399, 361, 242 and 413 for 4 respective quarters in order of sequence. (2) And 1030 patients received endoscopy. Among them, there were 897 (87.1%) with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage and 133 (12.9%) with lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Significant differences existed in the mean age of two groups [(51 +/- 20) years old vs (57 +/- 18) years old, P = 0.000]. The male-to-female ratio was 656: 241 and 65:68 for these 2 groups respectively (P = 0.000). The percentage of patient with a history of NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) treatment was 22.1% (n = 198) and 12.0% (n = 16) for these 2 groups respectively (P < 0.01). (3) The most common causative diseases of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage were peptic ulcer (n = 546, 60.8%), esophageal & gastric varices hemorrhage (n = 130, 14.5%) and gastric cancer (n = 40, 4.6%). When the patients were divided into 5 groups of < 12 h, 12-24 h, 24-48 h, 48-72 h and > or = 72 h per time window of gastroscopy, their percentages with endoscopically active hemorrhage were 24.1% (20/83), 14.9% (24/161), 9.6% (16/166), 7.5% (8/106) and 7.6% (29/381) for these groups respectively with statistically significant differences. When peptic ulcer was examined by the Forrest classification, the ratio of grade I a- II c decreased gradually while the ratio of grade III increased gradually among 5 groups (chi2 = 80.414, P = 0.040). (4) The most common causative diseases of lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage were ischemic colitis (n = 44, 33.1%), small intestinal hemorrhage (n = 26, 19.5%) and colonic polyps (n = 18, 13.5%). (5) When the patients were divided into > 65 years old group (n = 277) and < or = 65 years old group (n = 620), the ratio of gastric ulcer and cancer in upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage was higher in the former than in the latter [23.5% (n = 65) vs 8.9% (n = 55) & 9.7% (n = 27) vs 2.1% (n = 13), P < 0.01)]. While the ratio of duodenal ulcer was lower in the former than in the latter [22.4% (n = 62) vs 49.7% (n = 308), P < 0.01]. The ratio of small intestinal hemorrhage in lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage was higher in the former than in the latter (all P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: At the lowest in the third quarter, the incidence rate of acute gastrointestinal hemorrhage is higher in males than that in females at a lower age of onset. More common than lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage, upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage has a lower mean age of onset. Peptic ulcer is the most common disorder in upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Ischemic colitis is the most common disorder in lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The rate of gastric ulcer and gastric cancer in the old age group is higher than that in the young group. Emergency gastroscopy is recommended.

[The endoscopic and clinical features of Indigo Naturalis-associated ischemic lesions of colonic mucosa].

OBJECTIVE: By analysing the clinical features of Indigo Naturalis-associated ischemic lesion of colon mucosa to improve the precautionary and therapeutic level of the disease. METHODS: Thirteen patients diagnosed as Indigo Naturalis-associated ischemic lesion of colon mucosa in Peking University Third Hospital from 2005 to 2010 were reviewed. The endoscopic and clinical features were analysed. RESULTS: The 13 patients with an average age of (60.6 ± 14.1) years old were prescribed Chinese traditional medicine containing Indigo Naturalis for psoriasis or idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The ratio of males to females was 1:1.6. The typical manifestations were abdominal pain and bloody stool with watering diarrhea before bloody stool in 61.5% patients. Endoscopic and pathological characteristics were coincident with ischemic lesion and more like a chronic index. Vasodilatic medicine was effective and the average hemostatic time was (1.7 ± 0.8) days. The prognosis was well and no recurrence was found during 3 months follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Patients having psoriasis or ITP treated with Chinese traditional medicine containing Indigo Naturalis have an inclination to colon mucosa lesions, even ischemic lesion. Careful assessment and observation before prescribing are necessary in these patients.

Comparative proteome analysis of Helicobacter pylori clinical strains by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the pathogenic properties of Helicobacter pylori by comparing the proteome map of H. pylori clinical strains. METHODS: Two wild-type H. pylori strains, YN8 (isolated from biopsy tissue of a gastric cancer patient) and YN14 (isolated from biopsy tissue of a gastritis and duodenal ulcer patient), were used. Proteomic analysis, using a pH range of 3-10 and 5-8, was performed. The individual proteins were identified by quadrupole time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometer and protein database search. RESULTS: Variation in spot patterns directed towards differential protein expression levels was observed between the strains. The gel revealed prominent proteins with several protein "families". The comparison of protein expressions of the two strains reveals a high variability. Differentially present or absent spots were observed. Nine differentially expressed protein spots identified by Q-TOF included adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding protein, disulfide oxidoreductase B (DsbB)-like protein, N utilization substance A (NusA), ATP-dependent protease binding subunit/heat shock protein, hydantoin utilization protein A, seryl-tRNA synthetase, molybdenum ABC transporter ModD, and hypothetical proteins. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that H. pylori strains express/repress protein variation, not only in terms of the virulence proteins, but also in terms of physiological proteins, when they infect a human host. The difference of protein expression levels between H. pylori strains isolated from gastric cancer and gastritis may be the initiator of inflammation, and result in the different clinical presentation. In this preliminary study, we report seven differential proteins between strains, with molecule weights from approximately 10 kDa to approximately 40 kDa. Further studies are needed to investigate those proteins and their function associated with H. pylori colonization and adaptation to host environment stress.

[Spatial and temporal variation of Fe and Mn in the stormwater wetland].

To study the purification mechanism and biogeochemical cycle of wetlands, the concentration of Fe/Mn and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) in the pore water were monitored in situ on the Wuhan Zoo stormwater wetland from 2004 to 2006. The results showed that the water level of the wetland was changed from -10 cm to 30 cm, and the range of ORP was-120-220 mV. The elements of sulfur, iron and manganese were the main oxidation and reduction systems in the wetland. The ranges of total Fe, Mn and Fe2+ concentration were 0.60-2.35, 0.75-1.89 and 0.20-1.25 mg x L(-1), respectively. The concentrations of total Fe, Mn and Fe2+ were higher in spring and summer than that in autumn and winter, while the sulfate concentration was on the contrary and the ratio of Fe2+/Fe was slightly various in different seasons. From the surface of 10 cm to 50 cm underground, ORP and pH was decreased, whereas the concentrations of total Fe, Mn and Fe2+ were increased (except for the surface water). Through the correlation analysis, it was showed that the correlation of ORP and total Mn and Fe2+ was negative and significant, while there was no significant correlation between ORP and total Fe (R = -0.169, p < 0.0001). The order of the correlation coefficient was total Mn, Fe and Fe2+ in turn. Therefore, the systems of sulfur, iron and manganese were the important component of the oxidation and reduction system for stormwater wetland.

The intrinsic fluorescence spectrum of dilute gastric juice as a novel diagnostic tool for gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the intrinsic fluorescence spectrum of gastric juice as a diagnostic method for gastric cancer. METHODS: We collected gastric juice by gastroscopy in 1,870 patients from May 2001 to March 2006, of whom 202 were involved in a preliminary test, 162 in experimental optimization and 1,506 in clinical verification. The best dilution and pH value were chosen in the experimental optimization phase. Clinical verification was based on optimized samples. Intrinsic fluorescence spectra were measured in all samples with a fluorescence spectrophotometer using an excitation wavelength of 288 nm. RESULTS: The first peak of fluorescence intensity (P(1) FI) of the intrinsic fluorescence spectrum was significantly higher in gastric juice from patients with gastric cancer than from those with benign lesions. There was no significant difference in the P(1) FI differences between patients with benign and malignant lesions with samples diluted by 20-fold to 80-fold and from pH 9 to pH 11. Clinical verification in 1,506 patients showed that P(1) FI ≥ 76.5 was the optimal cut-off on the receiver operating characteristic curve for diagnosing gastric cancers: sensitivity was 83.2%, specificity 80.7% and accuracy 82.0%. CONCLUSIONS: P(1) FI of the intrinsic fluorescence at 288 nm is significantly higher in patients with gastric cancers than in individuals with benign lesions. As a clinical indicator of gastric cancer, its sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were high.

[Sequence analysis of two different subtypes of thioredoxin gene of Helicobacter pylori].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the gene sequences of Trx1 and Trx2 of Helicobacter pylori (HP) from different gastric diseases, define the amino acid sequences and investigate the relationship with these diseases. METHODS: The HP strains were isolated from gastric mucosa of 25 patients with chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric cancer respectively and cultured on solid blood agar medium. The primers of Trx1 and Trx2 were designed according to the sequences of GenBank. The Trx1 and Trx2 were respectively amplified by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and were sequenced by the bioinformatics method. The sequences were compared with those of the international standard HP strains. RESULTS: The whole sequence of Trx1 and the first 295 bp of Trx2 were successfully amplified to allow for sequence comparison by BioEdit. The Trx1 from different HP strains contained 321 bp encoding 106 amino acids. The mutation ratio was 13.4% (43/321). All amino acids contained the same active motif Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys. The homology of Trx1 amino acids from 25 strains was 97.2% (103/106). The mutation ratio for first 295 bp of Trx2 was 18.6% (55/295). All amino acids encoded by Trx2 contained one CXXC zone while the Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys motif was not found. The homology of Trx2 amino acids was 84.7% (83/98). CONCLUSION: Two different subtypes of Trx from clinically isolated Hp strains have mutation sites. But the homology of encoded amino acids is relatively high because of invalid mutations. Trx1 of HP strains from different diseases all contains a redox active motif Cys-Gly-Pro-Cys while Trx2 contains only a CXXC zone. The above results will provide valuable rationales for future studies of the biological function and pathogenic mechanisms of HP Trx1 and Trx2.

[Risk factors associated with failure from endoscopic therapy in acute non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding].

OBJECTIVE: To determine risk factors associated with failure of endoscopic therapy in acute non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (ANVUGIB ). METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of 223 patients admitted to Peking University Third Hospital between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2009, with acute non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Data on clinical presentation, laboratory test, endoscopic findings, and treatment outcomes were collected. Risk factors for treatment failure were identified using multivariable Logistic regression with backward selection. RESULTS: Therapeutic failure rate was 19.3%(43/223). In univariate analysis, the two groups had significant difference in age, history of gastrointestinal bleeding, ASA, shock, haemoglobin level, Hct, PLT, time of endoscopic treatment, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, lesion size and active spurting of blood. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that shock [odds ratio (OR) 3.058, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.295-7.221], history of gastrointestinal bleeding (OR 2.809, 95% CI 1.207-6.539), PLT>100×109/L (OR 0.067, 95% CI 0.009-0.497), active spurting of blood (OR 10.390, 95% CI 2.835-38.080) and lesion size≥2.0 cm (OR 7.111, 95% CI 1.628-31.069) were risk factors associated with failure of endoscopic therapy. The number of comorbidities>1 (OR 9.580,95%CI 1.383-66.390) and active spurting of blood (OR 9.971, 95% CI 1.820-54.621) were factors related with need for surgical intervention or death. CONCLUSION: Patients with shock, history of gastrointestinal bleeding, PLT<100×109/L, active spurting of blood and large lesion size, have high risks for continued bleeding or rebleeding after endoscopic treatment. These patients may be more likely to benefit from aggressive post-hemostasis care.