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Objective: To compare the potential efficacy and safety of dual therapy and quadruple therapy with vonoprazan (VPZ) as well as the standard quadruple therapy of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in Hainan province. Methods: A single-centre, non-blinded, non-inferiority randomized controlled trial was conducted at the outpatient department of gastroenterology at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University from June 2022 to February 2023. 135 patients aged 18–75 years with Hp infection were enrolled and randomized into three different groups (group V1: VPZ 20 mg twice a day and amoxicillin 1.0 g three times a day for 14 days V2: vonoprazan 20 mg, amoxicillin capsules 1.0 g, furazolidone 0.1 g and bismuth potassiulm citrate 240 mg, twice daily for 14 days;; group V3: ilaprazole 5 mg, Amoxicillin 1.0 g, Furazolidone 100 mg, bismuth potassiulm citrate 240 mg, twice a day for 14 days). Four weeks after the end of treatment, Hp eradication was confirmed by rechecking 13C-urea breath test (UBT). Results: The eradication efficacy of V1 and V3 was non-inferior to that of V2, which is consistent with the results obtained from the Kruskal-Wallis H test. The eradication rate by intentional analysis was 84.4% (38/45, 95%CI 73.4%–95.5%, P>0.05) for all the three groups. If analyzed by per-protocol, the eradication rates were 88.4% (38/43, 95%CI 78.4%–98.4%), 92.7% (38/41, 95%CI 84.4%–101.0%),88.4% (38/43，95%CI 78.4%–98.4%) in groups V1, V2 and V3, respectively, which did not show a significant difference (P > 0.05). The incidence of adverse effects was significantly lower in VPZ dual therapy compared to the other two treatment regimens (P < 0.05). VPZ dual therapy or quadruple therapy was also relatively less costly than standard quadruple therapy. Conclusion: VPZ dual therapy and quadruple therapy shows promise of not being worse than the standard quadruple therapy by a clinically relevant margin. More studies might be needed to definitively determine if the new therapy is equally effective or even superior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Recurrence rate of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection after successful eradication have gained attention. This study was to assess the recurrence rate of H. pylori infection after successful eradication in the southern coastal provinces of China and to analyze its factors. Patients and Methods: 975 patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms who were diagnosed with H. pylori infection using the 13C or 14C-urea breath test (UBT) underwent eradication treatment between August 2021 and December 2022. After eight to twelve weeks, repeat UBT was performed. Besides, 824 patients with successful eradication underwent a repeat UBT by completing questionnaires after a year. The 1-year recurrence rate was calculated, and the differences were analyzed based on baseline data, sociological characteristics, and lifestyle. Results: A total of 734 patients completed the 1-year follow-up, out of which 26 (3.5%) patients experienced a recurrence of H. pylori infection. Exposure to other individuals infected with H. pylori (χ2=12.852, P< 0.001), poor hygiene conditions at dining out places (χ2=6.839, P=0.009), frequent dining out (χ2=24.315, P< 0.001), smoking (χ2=7.510, P=0.006), consumption of non-purified water (χ2=16.437, P< 0.001), consumption of pickled foods (χ2=5.682, P=0.017), irregular meal patterns (χ2=16.877, P< 0.001) and age (χ2=9.195, P=0.010) were significant factors for H. pylori infection recurrence. Exposure to other individuals infected with H. pylori, poor hygiene conditions at dining out places, consumption of non-purified water, frequent dining out and irregular meal patterns were independent risk factors (P=0.022, 0.016, 0.002, < 0.001, < 0.001; 95% CI 0.146– 0.861, 0.121– 0.806, 1.715– 10.845, 0.085– 0.521, 2.291– 14.556). Conclusion: The one-year recurrence rate of H. pylori infection post-eradication in the southern coastal provinces of China is 3.5%. Contacting with infected individuals, poor hygiene in dining places, consumption of non-purified water, frequent dining out, and irregular meal patterns were identified as significant independent factors influencing H. pylori recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the prevalence, types, and risk factors of functional gastrointestinal diseases (FGIDs) in Hainan Province, China, in order to provide insights for future prevention and treatment strategies. A questionnaire survey was conducted from July 2022 to May 2023, using stratified sampling to sample local residents in five cities (20 townships) in Hainan Province. Out of 2057 local residents surveyed, 659 individuals (32.0%) reported experiencing at least one FGID. The most prevalent FGIDs were functional dyspepsia (FD) (10.7%), functional constipation (FC) (9.3%), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (6.8%), functional bloating (2.2%), belching disorder (2.2%), functional diarrhea (FDr) (1.5%), functional heartburn (1.5%), and fecal incontinence (0.98%). The study revealed significant associations between FGIDs and factors such as age, sleep quality, anxiety, smoking, alcohol consumption, and the consumption of pickled food (P < 0.05). Older age, poor sleep quality, anxiety, and the consumption of pickled food were identified as independent risk factors for the prevalence of FGIDs (P < 0.05). In Hainan Province, the overall prevalence of FGIDs was found to be 32.0%, with higher prevalences of FC and FD. Older age, poor sleep quality, anxiety, and the consumption of pickled food were identified as risk factors for FGIDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short tandem repeats (STRs) are the most frequently used genetic markers in forensic genetics due to their high genetic diversities and abundant distributions in the human genome. Currently, the combined DNA index system is commonly incorporated into various commercial kits for forensic research. Some novel STRs that are different from the combined DNA index system were not only used to assess complex paternity cases but also could provide more genetic information and higher forensic efficiency in combination with those commonly used STRs. In this study, we validated forensic performance of a novel multiplex amplification STR panel to evaluate its sensitivity, species specificity, forensic application values, and so on. Obtained results revealed that the kit showed high sensitivity, and the complete allelic profile could be observed at 0.125 ng DNA sample. In addition, the kit possessed high species specificity, good tolerance to common inhibitors, and accurate genotyping ability. More importantly, STRs out of the kit displayed high discrimination power and probability of exclusion. To sum up, the novel kit presented in this study can be viewed as a promising tool for forensic human identification and complex paternity analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a retraction notice for an article titled "LncRNA EWSAT1 Promotes Colorectal Cancer Progression Through Sponging miR-326 to Modulate FBXL20 Expression." The retraction was issued due to concerns about the integrity of the data in the article. It was discovered that images from Figure 2D had been duplicated from unrelated articles. The authors did not respond to inquiries or provide an explanation for the duplicated images. The retracted article will remain online but will be marked as "Retracted." [Extracted from the article]

Background: Ewing sarcoma-associated transcript 1 (EWSAT1) has been reported to be a pivotal modulator in a series of cancers. However, the function of EWSAT1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) has not been elaborated. This study aimed to explore the role of EWSAT1 in CRC progression and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: The expression patterns of EWSAT1, miR-326 and FBXL20 were examined by qCRCR. Si-EWSAT1 was transfected to study the effects of EWSAT1 on cell proliferation and metastasis. Rescue experiments were performed to investigate the underlying mechanisms in vitro. Xenograft models were used to evaluate the role of EWSAT1 in vivo. Results: We found that EWSAT1 was highly expressed in CRC tissues and cell lines and associated with poor overall survival. In vitro, knockdown of EWSAT1 suppressed the cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Moreover, miR-326 was found to be a target of EWSAT1, and miR-326 inhibitor could partially reverse the effects on CRC cell progression induced by si-EWSAT1. Subsequently, we validated FBXL20 as a vital downstream target for miR-326, and EWSAT1 positively regulated FBXL20 via miR-326 in vitro. In addition, these findings were confirmed by in vivo experiments. Conclusion: Taken together, the data showed that EWSAT1 promoted CRC progression via targeting miR-326/FBXL20 pathway, which might provide a novel therapeutic target for CRC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Traumatic head injury is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. How clinicopathological features differ by age remains unclear. This epidemiological study analyzed the clinicopathological features of patients with head injury belonging to 3 age groups. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data of patients with traumatic head injury were obtained from the Department of Cerebral Surgery of the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University and the Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital in 2011-2015. Their clinicopathological parameters were assessed. The patients were divided into 3 age groups: elderly (≥65 years), middle-aged (18-64 years), and juvenile (≤17 years) individuals. RESULTS Among 3356 hospitalizations for traumatic head injury (2573 males and 783 females, 654 died (19.49%), the highest and lowest mortality rates were in the elderly and juvenile groups, respectively. Fall was the most common cause in juvenile and elderly individuals (32.79% and 43.95%, respectively), while traffic injury was most common in the elderly group (35.08%). The manners of injury differed considerably among the 3 age groups. Scalp injury, skull fracture, intracranial hematoma, and cerebral injury were the most common mechanisms in juvenile (67.32%), middle-aged (63.50%), elderly (69.56%) and middle-aged (90.44%) individuals, respectively. Scalp injury and skull fracture types differed among the groups. Epidural, subdural, and intracerebral hematomas were most common in juvenile, middle-aged, and elderly individuals, respectively. Cerebral contusion showed the highest frequency in the 3 groups, and concussion the lowest. CONCLUSIONS Patients with traumatic HI show remarkable differences in clinicopathological features among juvenile, middle-aged, and elderly individuals.