A systematic review and meta-analysis of genotypic methods for detecting antibiotic resistance in Helicobacter pylori.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic susceptibility testing is essential for tailored treatments to cure Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. However, phenotypic methods have some limitations. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility of genotypic detection methods compared with phenotypic detection methods using samples taken from H. pylori-infected patients. METHODS: Literature searches were conducted in the following databases (from January 2000 to November 2016): PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. A meta-analysis and systematic review was performed for studies that compared genotypic methods with phenotypic methods for the detection of H. pylori antibiotic susceptibility. RESULTS: This meta-analysis showed that the pooled sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) for the A2142G/C and/or A2143G combination for the detection of clarithromycin resistance in the strain samples were 0.97 (95% CI: 0.94-0.99), 1.00 (95% CI: 0.99-1.00), and 13 742 (95% CI: 1708-110 554), respectively. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, and DOR for the A2142G/C and/or A2143G combination for the detection of clarithromycin resistance in biopsy samples were 0.96 (95% CI: 0.90-0.99), 0.96 (95% CI: 0.91-0.99), and 722 (95% CI: 117-4443), respectively. The summarized sensitivity, specificity, and DOR value for the ability of the genotypic methods to detect quinolone resistance in biopsy specimens were 0.97 (95% CI: 0.87-0.99), 0.99 (95% CI: 0.92-1.00), and 6042 (95% CI: 486-75 143), respectively. CONCLUSION: The genotypic detection methods were reliable for the diagnosis of clarithromycin and quinolone resistance in the strain and biopsy specimens. The A2142G/C and/or A2143G combination had the best sensitivity and specificity for the detection of clarithromycin resistance.

Unveiling key impact parameters and mechanistic insights towards activated biochar performance for carbon dioxide reduction.

Chemically activated biochar is effective in supercapacitors and water splitting, but low conductivity hinders its application as a carbon support in carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR). Based on the observed CO2RR performance from potassium hydroxide (KOH)-activated biochar, increased microporosity was hypothesized to enhance the performance, leading to selection of potassium carbonate (K2CO3) for activation. K2CO3 activation at 600℃ increased microporosity significantly, yielding a total Faradaic efficiency of 72%, compared to 60% with KOH at 800℃. Further refinement of thermal ramping rate enriched micropore content, directly boosting FEC to 82%. Additionally, K2CO3's lower activation temperature could preserve hydroxyl groups to improve ethylene selectivity. These findings demonstrate that optimizing microporosity and surface chemistry is critical for designing activated biochar-based CO2RR electrocatalysts. Despite lower electrical conductivity of activated biochar, selecting the appropriate activating agents and conditions can make it a viable alternative to carbon black-based electrocatalysts.

Detection of the cell viability and proliferation using two-signal electrochemical method.

Two electrochemical signals of the MCF-7 cell were simultaneously detected by using multiwall carbon nanotubes and room temperature ionic liquid composite film modified electrode. The signal at +0.726 V due to the oxidation of xanthine and guanine, was obviously improved. And the signal at +1.053 V due to the oxidation of hypoxanthine and adenine was found for the first time. This two-signal electrochemical method is credible to detect cell viability and proliferation.

Stabilization of lead in incineration fly ash by moderate thermal treatment with sodium hydroxide addition.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration fly ash (IFA) can be potentially reused as a substitute for some raw materials, but treatment for detoxification is indispensable owing to high contents of heavy metals in fly ash. In the present work, due to excessive leaching concentration of lead (Pb), a moderate thermal treatment with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) addition was employed to stabilize Pb in IFA. The moderate thermal treatment was performed under relatively low temperature ranging from 300 to 500°C and at retention time from 1 to 3 h with NaOH addition in a range of 1 to 9%. Leaching results showed that leaching concentrations of Pb in IFA leachates decreased below the standard for hazardous waste identification (5 mg/L) in China under all treatment scenarios. With the increase of temperature, retention time and the amount of NaOH, the concentration of Pb were further suppressed in IFA leachates. Especially, at 500°C for 3 h with 9% NaOH addition, the concentration of Pb dropped to 0.18 mg/L, which was below the standard for sanitary landfill (0.25 mg/L) in China. In thermal process, needle-like crystallites melted to form granules and clumps with compacter structure and less pores. After the thermal treatment, water-soluble and exchangeable fractions of Pb significantly decreased. Therefore, the thermal treatment coupled with NaOH could be applied to realize the environmentally sound management of MSW IFA.

Effects of pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational weight gain on neonatal birth weight.

To evaluate the effects of maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (pre-BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) on neonatal birth weight (NBW) in the population of Chinese healthy pregnant women, attempting to guide weight control in pregnancy. A retrospective cohort study of 3772 Chinese women was conducted. The population was stratified by maternal pre-BMI categories as underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5-23.9 kg/m2), overweight (24.0-27.9 kg/m2), and obesity (≥28.0 kg/m2). The NBW differences were tested among the four groups, and then deeper associations among maternal pre-BMI, GWG, and NBW were investigated by multivariate analysis. NBW increased significantly with the increase of maternal pre-BMI level (P<0.05), except overweight to obesity (P>0.05). The multivariate analysis showed that both pre-BMI and GWG were positively correlated with NBW (P<0.05). Compared with normal pre-BMI, underweight predicted an increased odds ratio of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and decreased odds ratio for macrosomia and large-for-gestational-age (LGA), and the results were opposite for overweight. With the increase of GWG, the risk of SGA decreased and the risks of macrosomia and LGA increased. In addition, in different pre-BMI categories, the effects of weight gain in the first trimester on NBW were different (P<0.05). NBW is positively affected by both maternal pre-BMI and GWG, extreme pre-BMI and GWG are both associated with increased risks of abnormal birth weight, and maternal pre-BMI may modify the effect of weight gain in each trimester on NBW. A valid GWG guideline for Chinese women is an urgent requirement, whereas existing recommendations seem to be not very suitable for the Chinese.

Advanced development in phytochemicals analysis of medicine and food dual purposes plants used in China (2011-2014).

In 2011, we wrote a review for summarizing the phytochemical analysis (2006-2010) of medicine and food dual purposes plants used in China (Zhao et al., J. Chromatogr. A 1218 (2011) 7453-7475). Since then, more than 750 articles related to their phytochemical analysis have been published. Therefore, an updated review for the advanced development (2011-2014) in this topic is necessary for well understanding the quality control and health beneficial phytochemicals in these materials, as well as their research trends.