Search

The genome sequence of a novel circular DNA virus related to members of the genus Badnavirus was identified in diseased jujube trees by high-throughput sequencing and verified by conventional Sanger sequencing of cloned PCR products. The name "jujube badnavirus WS" (JuBWS) is proposed for this virus. Diseased jujube leaves showed yellow mosaic and malformation symptoms, with round chlorotic spots found on diseased fruit. The genome of this virus has a length of 6450 nt and has a typical badnavirus genomic structure with three open reading frames (ORFs). JuBWS was identified as a novel badnavirus based on nucleotide differences in the RNase (RT + RNase H) coding region of ORF3. The JuBWS sequence showed 70.48–76.41% nucleotide sequence identity to other known badnaviruses, thus meeting the taxonomic criterion for establishing a new species within the genus Badnavirus. This study suggested that the novel badnavirus might be a pathogen associated with jujube mosaic disease, and this will be investigated in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plants Feicai (Sedum aizoon L.) and dandelion(Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz.) have good salt tolerance, and can improve soil quality and the micro-ecological environment. Coastal saline-soil plots planted with S. aizoon and T. mongolicum and bare plots were used to explore their effects on the microbial community structure of coastal saline soil. The diversity and function of soil bacterial communities were analyzed using Illumina MiSeq high-throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that the α-diversity of soil bacterial communities were higher in planted than in bare plots, in the following order: T. mongolicum plot > S. aizoon plot > bare plot. The soil bacterial communities also changed after planting S. aizoon and T. mongolicum. The LDA effect size analysis showed that there were 37 indicator species among the three plot types. Correlation analysis of environmental factors showed that EC, AP, and OM were the main factors influencing bacterial community composition in this coastal saline soil. The PICRUSt functional prediction showed that the numbers of metabolic functions of bacterial communities were in the following order: T. mongolicum plot > S. aizoon plot > bare plot. The results provide a theoretical basis and plant species for developing salt-tolerant bacterial resources and phytoremediation of coastal saline soil. This study investigated the changes of soil bacterial α-diversity and community structures in coastal saline soil after planting the medicinal and edible plants coastal feicai (Sedum aizoon L.)and dandelion "Binpu No. 1" (Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz.). It also identified the biomarkers and differential metabolic functions of soils among different plots. Our findings revealed that planting S. aizoon and T. mongolicum significantly improved bacterial diversity, and altered composition and metabolic function in coastal saline soils. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature because it offers an insight into novel strategies for vegetation restoration and ecological reconstruction of saline soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the current state of knowledge and practice of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection management in China. Materials and Methods: This nationwide, multicenter, cross‐sectional questionnaire survey was conducted between March and April 2021 with respect to the diagnosis and treatment of H. pylori infection in 31 provinces, encompassing over 1000 hospitals in mainland China. General physician information, diagnostic and detection status, eradication treatment, reexamination and follow‐up after treatment, and basic knowledge of physicians were collected and compared with the Fifth Chinese National Consensus Report on Management of H. pylori infection and the 2016 Maastricht V/Florence guidelines. The subgroup analysis was also performed. Results: Of the 6873 questionnaire respondents, 48.8% were males, and 51.2% were females. Approximately, 26.5% of respondents indicated that their hospitals had dedicated clinics for managing H. pylori infection. Moreover, 88.0% of respondents prescribed a bismuth‐containing quadruple regimen as the initial eradication treatment, and 92.7% deemed the gastric acid suppression critical. Furthermore, 91.0% of respondents routinely recommended a reexamination 1–2 months after eradication therapy, and 95.1% advised patients to stop PPI treatment at least 2 weeks before reexamination. The detail of following (the choice of target population/methods; the choice/availability of drugs/regimens, indications for eradication, factors influencing eradication efficacy/improvement methods and factors influencing adherence, management options/factors influencing relapse; the timing and methods, awareness of reinfection rates/prevention measures, and the approach to continuing education, awareness of guidelines, and acceptance of current core concepts of management) was also described. Subgroup analysis further revealed that significant differences were existed in being gastroenterologist or not, different education level, professional title, years of working, and provincial administrative regions. Conclusions: Chinese physicians' skills and knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment of H. pylori infection could be improved. More works on education are needed in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: The efficacy of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication has steadily declined, primarily because of antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of furazolidone eradication therapies as initial treatments for H. pylori infection. Methods: A national, multicenter, open‐label, randomized controlled trial was performed at 16 sites across 13 provinces in China to evaluate the efficacy and safety of furazolidone‐containing therapies for H. pylori infection. Treatment naïve patients were randomly assigned to: esomeprazole 20 mg, bismuth 220 mg, amoxicillin 1000 mg, and furazolidone 100 mg twice daily for 10 and 7 days (FAB 10 and FAB 7; the same therapy without bismuth (FA 10 and FA 7). The primary and secondary outcomes were the eradication rate and regimen safety, respectively. Treatment success was assessed by the 13C urea breath test at least 4 weeks after treatment completion. Results: Overall, according to intention‐to‐treat (ITT) analysis, the eradication rates for FAB 10 and FAB 7 were 86.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 79.9%‐93.2%) and 83.6% (95% CI, 76.3%‐90.9%) and for FA 10 and FA 7 were 82.4% (95% CI, 74.9%‐89.8%) and 77.6% (95% CI, 69.4%‐85.8%), respectively. According to per‐protocol analysis, the overall eradication rates for FAB 10 and FAB 7 were 94.7% (95% CI, 90.3%‐99.1%) and 90.8% (95% CI, 85.1%‐96.5%) and for FA 10 and FA 7 were 90.6% (95% CI, 84.9%‐96.3%) and 85.1% (95% CI, 78.2%‐92.1%), respectively. The overall prevalence of side effects was 8.1%. Conclusions: Furazolidone‐containing therapies, particularly the tested 10‐day quadruple therapy, exhibited satisfactory efficacy and safety. This 10‐day quadruple therapy represents a promising initial treatment strategy for Chinese patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Omadacycline and eravacycline are newly approved tetracycline analogues with excellent activity against a broad spectrum of Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms; however, no data are available regarding Helicobacter pylori. The susceptibility of 201 clinical isolates of H. pylori collected in China to omadacycline, eravacycline, and the comparator tetracycline was determined by an agar dilution method. They showed greater activity than tetracycline. The MIC 50/90 values of omadacycline, eravacycline, and tetracycline were 0.125/0.25 μg/mL, 0.063/0.125 μg/mL, and 0.25/1 μg/mL, respectively. Omadacycline and eravacycline were potent in vitro against all the isolates tested, including tetracycline-resistant strains, and warrant further investigation as potential antibiotics for H. pylori treatment. • Omadacycline and eravacycline demonstrate enhanced in vitro activity against H. pylori than tetracycline. • Omadacycline and eravacycline may overcome the 16S rRNA mutations conferring tetracycline resistance in H. pylori. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the importance of combining digital finance with conventional finance and information technology (IT) to bring new opportunities for green technology innovation and transformation within polluting industries. This study builds a theoretical framework "digital finance → financing constraints → R&D investment → green technology innovation" to demonstrate the causal mechanism between digital finance and firms' green innovation by using the serial two-mediator model. The study shows that digital finance could reduce financial constraints and increase R&D investments, thereby improving enterprises' green technology innovation in the long run. Moreover, based on the moderating effect model, we find that digital transformation in a polluting firm tends to strengthen the linkage between digital finance and green technology innovation through supervising the use of loans, reviewing green technology innovation projects, and reducing managers' short-sighted behaviors to avoid agency problems. Furthermore, the heterogeneity analysis shows that the effects of digital finance on green innovation are more apparent in state-owned enterprises and the regions with lower financial development and with higher financial supervision., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Powdery mildew is a key airborne foliar disease of barley in southeastern and southwestern China. Barley varieties usually partially or wholly lose resistance to the pathogen Blumeria graminis (DC.) f. sp. hordei 3 to 5 years after release due to the frequent acquirements of new virulences in the pathogen population. However, no B. graminis f. sp. hordei virulence detection has been carried out in the recent decade and, thus, no information is available on the present virulence components and major pathotypes in epidemic regions. Twenty-one near-isogenic lines of Pallas were selected to detect B. graminis f. sp. hordei virulence variation, with 97 pathotypes identified from the isolates collected from 2015 to 2019. The virulence complexities ranged from 1 to 12, with 1.5 isolates on average assigned per pathotype, suggesting a natural trait of high pathotype diversity and low virulence complexity in the Chinese B. graminis f. sp. hordei populations. Eleven high-virulence pathotypes were detected in the traditional barley-growing regions in Yunnan and Zhejiang. Six virulent pathotypes to resistance gene mlo-5 were detected only in the two traditional epidemic regions, with a virulence frequency (VF) of 4.8% (7 of 147). Compared with the results from a decade ago, VFs for resistance alleles Mla3 , mlo-5 , Mla6 + Mla14 , Mla7 + Mlk , Mlg + MlCP , and Mla13 + MlRu3 + MlaRu4 increased from 0 to 0.7 to 25.8%. Isolates from Yunnan and Zhejiang had similar virulence profiles, which differed from those identified in Tibet. In addition, genetic diversities differed in the isolate groups collected from Tibet, Yunnan, and Zhejiang.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is adversely affecting sleep quality and mental health, especially in individuals with chronic disease such as Parkinson's disease (PD)., Methods: We conducted a quantitative study, which included 119 Chinese PD patients who had been treated in an outpatient neurology clinic in Wuhan and 169 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The questionnaire survey focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep, mental status, symptoms, and daily life and medical treatment of PD patients., Results: Compared to healthy controls, PD patients had significantly higher scores in both the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (8.13 vs 5.36, p < 0.001) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) -Depression (4.89 vs 3.82, p = 0.022), as well as a higher prevalence of sleep disturbances with PSQI > 5 points (68.9% vs 44.4%, p < 0.001). Sleep disturbance was identified in 68.9% of PD patients. A logistic regression analysis showed that sleep disturbance of PD patients was independently associated with exacerbation of PD symptoms (OR = 3.616, 95%CI= (1.479, 8.844), p = 0.005) and anxiety (OR = 1.379, 95%CI= (1.157, 1.642), p < 0.001). Compared to male PD patients, female ones had higher PSQI scores (9.28 ± 4.41 vs 7.03 ± 4.01, p = 0.009) and anxiety (32.8% vs 0.1%, p = 0.002) and depression prevalence (34.5% vs 11.5%, p = 0.003)., Conclusion: The findings of the present study emphasize the importance of mental and sleep health interventions in PD patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional attention should be paid to the difficulty encountered by PD patients in seeking medical treatment., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Symptomatic epiphrenic diverticula are mostly treated with laparoscopic diverticulectomy. Our study aimed to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of submucosal tunneling endoscopic septum division (STESD) for treatment of symptomatic epiphrenic diverticula., Methods: Data from patients with epiphrenic diverticula who had undergone STESD were retrospectively reviewed. The parameters analyzed were the modified Eckardt score, total procedure time, length of hospital stay (LOS), number of clips used, adverse events, and patient satisfaction., Results: A total of eight patients (5 men; mean [standard deviation (SD)] age 66.25 [7.17] years) were enrolled in our study. The mean (SD) size of epiphrenic diverticula was 3.68 (1.59) cm. The mean (SD) procedure time was 52.87 (22.47) minutes, with a median number of six clips being applied. The modified Eckardt score significantly decreased post-procedure ( P  < 0.001). The mean (SD) LOS was 5.87 (0.83) days. No adverse events or symptom recurrences were reported., Conclusion: STESD is a safe and effective technique to be performed in the submucosal tunnel for the management of patients with epiphrenic diverticula., Competing Interests: None, (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Background & Aims: Developing countries are making efforts to improve health management. Practice deviating from the guideline means inefficient control. The study aims to investigate the management of Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection from a developing country perspective., Methods: An authoritative survey was conducted in 14th (2014) and 17th (2017) Congress of Gastroenterology China, respectively. The Maastricht V/Florence consensus report was invoked as the evaluation criterion., Results: A total of 4182 valid samples were included in this study. Most of the respondents (94%) updated knowledge by lectures. Respondents had a different awareness rate of H pylori-related diseases, ranging from 45% to 95%. Up to 40% of the respondents did not follow the recommendations for the diagnosis. Choice accuracy of eradication regimens and antibiotic combinations was <70%. About 20% of the respondents did not pay attention to the confirmation after the eradication. The situation had been improved in 2017 when compared with that in 2014 (all P < .05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that influencing factors including nongastroenterologists, bachelor degree and below, the primary professional title, hospital location, and a small proportion of H pylori infection in daily practice related to the deviation of consensus (all P < .05)., Conclusions: Although the management of H pylori infection has been improved in a developing country, there is still a gap between the real-world practices and the consensus. Influencing factors should be taken into account in decision-making, and the corresponding population should be strengthened with precision training during the promotion of the guideline., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Many features are shared between esophageal cancer (EC) and gastric cancer (GC). This study aimed to explore whether known EC susceptibility loci are also important in the development of GC. A total of 21 genetic variants associated with EC in genome-wide association studies were evaluated with association of GC risk in 2631 cases and 4373 controls of Chinese ancestry. Single variant and weighted genetic scores (WGS) for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), and overall EC were analyzed with GC risk, respectively. Genetic variants of rs2274223 in PLCE1 at 10q23.33 (per G allele: odds ratio (OR) = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.16-1.38, P = 6.51 × 10 -8 ), rs10052657 in PDE4D at 5q11.2 (per C allele: OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.01-1.25, P = 3.28 × 10 -2 ) and rs671 in ALDH2 at 12q24.12 (per A-allele: OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.75-0.91, P = 1.14 × 10 -4 ) were significantly associated with GC risk. The combined effect of those three variants had stronger influence on GC risk (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.19-1.44, P = 2.34 × 10 -8 ). High WGS of ESCC was also associated with increased risk of GC (P = 5.52 × 10 -4 as a continuous variable) (trend test P = 2.71 × 10 -4 ), whereas no statistically significant associations were observed between the WGS of EAC and GC risk (P = 0.66 as a continuous variable) (trend test P = 0.70). ESCC rather than EAC may share genetic susceptibility with GC. Genetic variants at 10q23.33, 5q11.2, and 12q24.12 may be useful as biomarkers to identify individuals with high risk for both ESCC and GC.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy and safety of omeprazole given with the new single capsule of bismuth, metronidazole and tetracycline (OBMT) compared with quadruple treatment consisting of omeprazole, bismuth, amoxicillin and clarithromycin (OBAC) for Helicobacter pylori eradication in duodenal ulcer patients., Methods: This single-blind, randomized multicentre trial was conducted in 10 tertiary hospitals in China between January 2013 and April 2014. Patients were randomized to receive 10 days of OBMT therapy or 10 days of OBAC therapy. Our primary outcome was the H. pylori eradication rate, confirmed by negative [13C]urea breath tests 20-25 days after the end of omeprazole maintenance. Antibiotic resistance was determined by Etest. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number ChiCTR-TRC-13003143., Results: One hundred and ninety-two patients received OBMT therapy and 192 received OBAC therapy. There was no significant difference between the eradication rates achieved by OBMT and OBAC in either the ITT analysis (86.46% versus 87.50%, P = 0.762) or the PP analysis (94.58% versus 93.06%, P = 0.563). The efficacies of OBMT and OBAC were not affected by metronidazole or clarithromycin resistance. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) for both treatments were similar; gastrointestinal and CNS symptoms were the most commonly reported., Conclusions: The new single-capsule OBMT quadruple therapy is as effective and well tolerated as the widely used OBAC therapy for treatment of H. pylori in clinical practice in China. In addition, this OBMT therapy largely overcomes H. pylori metronidazole and clarithromycin resistance.

Objective: To explore the effect of regional synergistic treatment system on the treatment time and short-term prognosis of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI)., Methods: A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of STEMI patients who admitted to emergency center of Suzhou Kowloon Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) from January 2013 to January 2017 were conducted. All patients were divided into two groups, group A was the patients who underwent the PPCI before the establishment of the acute chest pain area co-treatment system (from January 2013 to December 2014), and group B was the patients who received the treatment after the establishment of the area co-treatment system (from January 2015 to January 2017). The length of time from onset of symptoms to the balloon dilatation (S2B), the length of time from the first medical contact to the balloon dilatation (FMC2B), the length of time from entering the gate of hospital to the balloon dilatation (D2B), and the incidence of 90-day end point events (including heart failure, all-cause death, and other related adverse events) were collected. The relations of the establishment of the acute chest pain area co-treatment system and the incidence of 90-day end point events were analyzed by multivariable Logistic regression analysis., Results: Among the 221 enrolled patients with STEMI, 83 patients were in group A and 138 patients were in group B respectively. Compared with group A, S2B time [minutes: 180 (140, 210) vs. 201 (154, 225)], FMC2B time [minutes: 89 (78, 100) vs. 94 (83, 107)] and D2B time [minutes: 66 (62, 70) vs. 85 (72, 99)] were significantly shortened in group B (all P < 0.05), the incidence of 90-day end point events were significantly decreased (heart failure: 20.3% vs. 32.5%, all-cause death: 1.4% vs. 7.2%, other related adverse events: 23.2% vs. 36.1%, all P < 0.05). It was shown by multivariable Logistic regression analysis that the establishment of the acute chest pain area co-treatment system could lower the incidence of 90-day end point events [heart failure: odds ratio (OR) = 1.904, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 0.968-1.004, P = 0.048; all-cause death: OR = 11.724, 95%CI = 0.955-1.048, P = 0.013; other related adverse events: OR = 1.925, 95%CI = 1.049-3.530, P = 0.034]., Conclusions: The construction of regional synergistic treatment system can shorten the emergency treatment time of STEMI patients and reduce the incidence of 90-day end point events including heart failure and death.

Background: Recent reports have indicated that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) might have an effect on gastrointestinal flora; moreover, gastric commensual bacteria have been observed in the development of duodenal ulcer (DU)., Aims: In our study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of H. pylori eradication on gastrointestinal flora in DU patients., Methods: A case-control study was performed at Jiangsu Shengze Hospital between December, 2013 and April, 2014. The patients received antibiotic eradication therapy if H. pylori testing was positive. At least four weeks after cessation of the eradication therapy, a repeat gastroscopy was performed to collect biopsies again in the same position. Gastric mucosa samples and feces specimens were collected to extract bacteria DNA and then to quantify by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)., Results: After the eradication of H. pylori, an increase of Lactobacillus group, Clostridium leptum subgroup, Enterobacteria and a decrease of Clostridium coccoides subgroup were found in the antrum. In the corpus, the number of bacteria in the Lactobacillus group was increased and the expression of Clostridium coccoides subgroup was significantly down-regulated. In the feces samples, only the number in the Lactobacillus group was increased. Moreover, the distribution was significantly different between female and the male patients., Conclusions: The presence of H. pylori in the stomach suppressed the colonization with Lactobacillus group, Clostridium leptum subgroup and Enterobacteria. Gender might affect the distribution and/or recolonization of the bacteria in DU patients.