Impact of rifaximin on cirrhosis complications and gastric microbiota in patients with gastroesophageal variceal bleeding: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: The application of rifaximin, a non-absorbable antibiotic, in hepatic encephalopathy (HE) has been well established; however, its effect on other complications in cirrhotic patients with previous gastroesophageal variceal bleeding (GEVB) remains unclear. Therefore, we performed a pilot randomized controlled trial aiming to evaluate the impact of rifaximin on cirrhosis-related complications and changes in gastric microbiota.

Methods: Eighty cirrhotic patients who received prophylactic endoscopic treatment for variceal rebleeding were randomly assigned to the control or rifaximin treatment group (rifaximin 400 mg twice daily for 8 weeks).

Antibody Levels and Infection Status of Pertussis in the Population under Pertussis Resurgence in Guangxi in 2018: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Objective: Pertussis cases have increased markedly since 2018 in Guangxi. The aim of this study was to evaluate antibody levels and the infection status of pertussis in the resident population.

Method: A total of 10,215 serum samples from residents were collected from August-November 2018 and tested for anti-pertussis IgG and toxin IgG using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Prevalence and risk factors of covert hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients: A multicenter study in China.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE) in cirrhotic patients in China and its risk factors.

Methods: A multicenter prospective observational study was conducted from January 2021 to March 2022 at 16 medical centers across China to investigate the risk factors of CHE and establish a prediction model for CHE episodes.

Results: A total of 528 patients were enrolled in the study.

Physiological responses to acute hypoxia in the liver of largemouth bass by alteration of mitochondrial function and Ca exchange.

Oxygen is a critical factor for most organisms and this is especially true for aquatic animals. Unfortunately, high-density aquaculture farming practices and environmental degradation will inevitably lead to hypoxic stress in fishes such as largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Thus, characterizing the physiological responses during acute hypoxia exposure is extremely important for understanding the adaptation mechanisms of largemouth bass to hypoxia.

Prognostic importance of interleukin 2 receptor for patients with a history of cirrhotic variceal bleeding.

Objectives: Variceal hemorrhage is a fatal complication of cirrhosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of serum interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) as a predictive indicator in patients with a previous history of cirrhosis-related variceal bleeding.

Methods: A total of 340 cirrhotic patients who had experienced variceal bleeding from December 2016 to December 2018 were enrolled, and were randomly assigned to the modeling group and the validation group.

Practice patterns in endoscopic treatment for gastric varices: A Chinese survey.

Objectives: Gastric varices (GV), a common complication of liver cirrhosis, often cause serious consequences. However, the management of GV remains debated. In this study we aimed to explore the practice patterns of Chinese practitioners in GV treatment and discuss whether these patterns conform to the guidelines in China and around the world.

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt in patients treated with a balloon tamponade for variceal hemorrhage without response to high doses of vasoactive drugs: A real-world multicenter retrospective study.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) and non-TIPS therapy (endoscopy and/or nonselective beta-blockers [NSBB]) in patients with cirrhosis and active variceal hemorrhage who did not respond to high-dose vasoactive drugs and required balloon tamponade for hemostasis.

Methods: Medical records of cirrhotic patients who did not respond to high-dose vasoactive drugs and required balloon tamponade for hemostasis at five university hospitals in China between January 2011 and December 2018 were reviewed. Treatment outcomes were compared between the TIPS and the non-TIPS groups.

Analysis of gene expression profiles at different stages during preadipocyte differentiation in rabbits.

Excessive accumulation of fat is harmful to human health. The preadipocyte differentiation is a critical process of fat development. Studying the expression profiles of genes related to preadipocyte differentiation contributes to understanding of the mechanism of fat accumulation.

[Electroacupuncture improved learning-memory ability by reducing hippocampal apoptosis and suppressing JNK signaling in rats with vascular dementia].

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation on the expression of c-Jun terminal kinase(JNK)signaling pathway-related proteins in the hippocampus of vascular dementia (VD) rats, so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of VD.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham operation, model and EA groups (＝10 rats per group). The VD model was prepared by repeated occlusion of the bilateral common carotid arteries for 10 min and reperfusion for 10 min (3 times in total).

Variations of mean sensitivity of tree rings in Asia and their influencing factors.

Mean sensitivity (MS) of tree ring is a key index representing the sensitivity of tree rings to climate. Understanding the variation of MS and its influencing factors at a large area is helpful to understand the interaction between tree growth and climate. We used 573 tree-ring width chronologies in Asia from the International Tree Ring Date Bank (ITRDB) to examine the variation of tree-ring sensitivity and potential influencing factors.

[Effects of different disturbance patterns on stand structure of infected pure Pinus massoniana plantation].

To explore the effects of different disturbance patterns on restoring the health of an infected stand, concentrated disturbance of not cutting trees before 10 years after infection, mode-rate disturbance of cutting infected pine trees, and strong distrubance of cutting infected pine trees, the neighboring trees and poorly growing pine trees were compared in a pure Pinus massomiana plantation infected by Bursaphelenchus xylophlius in Anji, Zhejiang, China. After 16 years, the importance values of P. massoniana in the three treatments were: concentrated disturbance > mode-rate disturbance > strong disturbance.

Cervical Screening by Pap Test and Visual Inspection Enabling Same-Day Biopsy in Low-Resource, High-Risk Communities.

Objective: To develop an effective, low-cost, single-visit cervical screening strategy incorporating a modified Pap test and visual inspection with acetic acid and Lugol's iodine for low-income settings.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort trial. Two low-income Muslim Uyghur communities in China's far western Kashi Prefecture served as pilot and validation study sites, respectively, and 4,049 women (aged 30-59 years) were screened.

Clinical outcomes of endoscopic submucosal dissection for large colorectal laterally spreading tumors in older adults.

Background And Aims: The colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) remains technically challenging, especially for older patients who frequently encounter complex chronic diseases and have a loose colon. However, only limited number of studies are available for the safety of ESD in older patients with especially large laterally spreading tumors. Therefore, in this retrospective study, we compared the outcomes of ESD for laterally spreading tumors (LST) ≥3cm(cm) in older patients to that in younger patients.

Sulforaphane induces adipocyte browning and promotes glucose and lipid utilization.

Scope: Obesity is closely related to the imbalance of white adipose tissue storing excess calories, and brown adipose tissue dissipating energy to produce heat in mammals. Recent studies revealed that acquisition of brown characteristics by white adipocytes, termed "browning," may positively contribute to cellular bioenergetics and metabolism homeostasis. The goal was to investigate the putative effects of natural antioxidant sulforaphane (1-isothiocyanate-4-methyl-sulfonyl butane; SFN) on browning of white adipocytes.

Long-term efficacy of endoscopic ligation plus cyanoacrylate injection with or without sclerotherapy for variceal bleeding.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes and efficacy of continued ligation plus cyanoacrylate injection compared with those of combined ligation and sclerotherapy plus cyanoacrylate injection for secondary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding in cirrhotic patients with concomitant esophageal and gastric varices.

Methods: Medical records of the patients who were admitted for variceal bleeding due to liver cirrhosis were retrospectively reviewed and their related data was collected. The patients were divided into two groups, including the continued ligation plus cyanoacrylate injection group [the sclerotherapy (-) group] and the combined ligation and sclerotherapy plus cyanoacrylate injection group [the sclerotherapy (+) group].

Endoscopic balloon dilatation for benign esophageal stricture after endoscopic submucosal dissection for early esophageal neoplasms.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic balloon dilatation (EBD) for benign esophageal strictures after ESD for early esophageal neoplasms.

Methods: Data of 335 patients who were treated with ESD for early esophageal neoplasms from October 2006 to August 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. The characteristics of the patients who underwent EBD for post-ESD stricture were analyzed.

Comparison of survival and tumor recurrence rates in patients undergoing liver transplantation for hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma using Milan, Shanghai Fudan and Hangzhou criteria.

Objectives: To assess the performance of the Milan, Shanghai Fudan and Hangzhou criteria based on a preoperative evaluation in patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) for hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Using a prospectively collected database, the data of consecutive patients with hepatitis B-related HCC undergoing LT at the Department of Liver Surgery of Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University from January 2005 to December 2009 were reviewed. Overall survival and tumor recurrence rates of patients fulfilling the Milan, Shanghai Fudan and Hangzhou criteria were compared using log-rank test.

Linearly arranged polytypic CZTSSe nanocrystals.

Even colloidal polytypic nanostructures show promising future in band-gap tuning and alignment, researches on them have been much less reported than the standard nano-heterostructures because of the difficulties involved in synthesis. Up to now, controlled synthesis of colloidal polytypic nanocrsytals has been only realized in II-VI tetrapod and octopod nanocrystals with branched configurations. Herein, we report a colloidal approach for synthesizing non-branched but linearly arranged polytypic I(2)-II-IV-VI(4) nanocrystals, with a focus on polytypic non-stoichiometric Cu(2)ZnSnS(x)Se(4-x) nanocrystals.

Differentiation between pancreatic carcinoma and mass-forming chronic pancreatitis: usefulness of high b value diffusion-weighted imaging.

Objective: To investigate the value of high b value diffusion-weighted (DW) imaging in differentiating between pancreatic carcinoma and mass-forming chronic pancreatitis (MFCP).

Methods: Fifty-one consecutive patients with pathology-proven pancreatic carcinoma (n = 37) or MFCP (n = 14) were evaluated with DW imaging (b value, 0 and 1000 s/mm(2)) at a 3-T MR system. Overall 20 healthy volunteers were evaluated as the control group.

The change of asthma-associated immunological parameters in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.

Background: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae), an atypical pathogen, is increasingly recognized as a common and important pathogen. Previous studies showed that M.

The efficacy of Combizym in the treatment of Chinese patients with dyspepsia: a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled and cross-over study: Shanghai Combizym Clinical Cooperative Group.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Combizym treatment in Chinese patients with dyspepsia.

Methods: In this multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled cross-over study, a total of 151 patients (76 men and 75 women, mean age: 44.67 +/- 6.

Ovarian capillary hemangioma presenting as pseudo-Meigs' syndrome: a case report.

We report a case of pseudo-Meigs' syndrome, consisting of bilateral ovarian hemangiomas, hydrothorax, ascites, and an elevated CA 125 level, which was resolved after laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.

[Epidemiological survey of prevalence of fatty liver and its risk factors in a general adult population of Shanghai].

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and major risk factors of fatty liver among adult residents in Shanghai.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey with multiple-stage stratified cluster and random sampling was performed. All residents aged 16 and above were invited to participate in the survey; they came from four communities of Yangpu District and Pudong New District.