Serum Concentrations of 15 Elements Among Helicobacter Pylori-Infected Residents from Lujiang County with High Gastric Cancer Risk in Eastern China

Healthy plant-based diet might be inversely associated with gastric precancerous lesions: new evidence from a case-control study based on dietary pattern and fecal metabolic profiling

Preventing the progression of gastric precancerous lesions (GPLs) can reduce the morbidity and mortality of gastric cancer (GC). The preventive effect of a plant-based diet on cancers has been widely recognised. In this case-control study, 1,130 subjects were included using 1:1 propensity score matching for age and sex. Dietary habits, anthropometry and sample collection were conducted using standard and effective methods. Plant-based diet indices (PDIs) were calculated using a previously reported method. Faecal samples were analysed by untargeted metabolomics. Our study found that adherence to a healthy plant-based diet was inversely associated with the occurrence of GPLs. Metabolomic analysis identified six different metabolites correlated with GPLs, among which luteolin-related metabolites may be used as biomarkers of the association between PDIs and GPLs. In addition, the difference in N-acyl amides found in PDIs needs further verification. Our findings suggest that a healthy plant-based diet may have a protective effect against GPLs.

Association between dietary zinc intake and Helicobacter pylori seropositivity in US adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Purpose

Helicobacter pylori infection is a well-established etiological factor for gastric inflammation and a significant risk factor for the development of gastric cancer. However, the precise relationship between dietary zinc intake and seropositivity for Helicobacter pylori remains uncertain.

Methods

This cross-sectional observational study utilized data from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 1999 and 2000. The study cohort comprised 2,884 adults aged 20 years or older who provided comprehensive 24-h dietary recall data. The presence of Helicobacter pylori infection was confirmed using serum analysis and lgG protein enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Multivariable logistic regression models and generalized additive model (GAM) were employed to explore the potential association between dietary zinc intake and Helicobacter pylori seropositivity.

Results

Additionally, subgroup analysis was performed to evaluate the robustness of the primary findings. Of the 1,281 participants, 47.8% were male and the average age was 49.5 years. In the fully adjusted model, a statistically significant inverse association between dietary zinc intake and Helicobacter pylori seropositivity was observed [quartile variable, Q4 vs. Q1, odds ratio (OR): 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.57-0.91, p = 0.007]. Furthermore, the relationship between dietary zinc intake and Helicobacter pylori seropositivity exhibited an L-shaped pattern, indicating a saturation effect. The results of sensitivity analysis remained consistent and reliable.

Conclusion

Therefore, this study suggests that higher dietary zinc intake may be associated with a lower prevalence of Helicobacter pylori seropositivity. Notably, this association follows an L-shaped pattern, with a threshold point estimated at 24.925 mg/day.

The relationship of 50 bp deletion in the promoter region of SOD1 gene with viscosity and trace elements in chronic gastritis with Helicobacter Pylori: A case study

The aim of research was to evaluate the superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) promoter region Insertion/Deletion (Ins/Del) gene variations in chronic gastritis patients infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), as well as the association between trace elements and viscosity. The study consisted 154 volunteer (18-65 age) with 107 H. pylori (+) and 47 (-). Biochemical parameters, whole blood viscosity (WBV), trace element levels and SOD1 promoter region Ins/Del gene variations were analyzed in blood samples provided from patients. It was determined that zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe) and magnesium (Mg) levels decreased whereas WBV, selenium (Se) and Cu/Zn ratio increased in H.pylori (+) chronic gastritis patients. The SOD1 50 bp Ins/Del gene polymorphism genotype and allele frequency distributions in H.pylori (+) and (-) chronic gastritis patients were not statistically significant. It was reported that Zn level decreased in H.pylori (+) patients with a deletion in at least one locus (Ins/Del+Del/Del), Se level increased. It has been found that the presence of H.pylori affects trace element metabolism and biochemical parameters in chronic gastritis patients. The 50 bp Ins/Del polymorphism in the promoter region of the SOD1 gene was shown to have no association with chronic gastritis. Investigation of different variants of the SOD1 gene in patients with gastritis will contribute to the determination of its role in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Association among Helicobacter pylori Infection, Tooth Loss, and Heavy Medal Exposure in a Chinese Rural Population

Previous research suggests that heavy metals may be associated with increased susceptibility to Helicobacter pylori infection. This study investigated the effect of heavy metal exposure (Pb and Cd) on tooth loss and H. pylori infection in a Chinese rural population, who live near a mining and smelting area. Blood samples were collected from the study participants to estimate the lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) exposure levels. H. pylori infection was analyzed using the 14C-urea breath test, and the number of missing teeth (MT), filled teeth (FT), and missing or filled teeth (MFT) were counted by conducting a physical examination. Regression analysis was used to assess the difference between H. pylori-positive and -negative individuals in the MT, FT, and MFT groups, adjusting for confounders. The H. pylori infection prevalence was higher in individuals in the high Cd or high Pb groups than that in the low Cd or low Pb groups (p < 0.05). In addition, greater numbers of FT and MFT were observed in individuals in the high Pb group than those in the low Pb group (p < 0.05). We further found 8.7% (95% CI, 2.8−23.8%, p = 0.017) of the effect of the high BPb level on H. pylori infection risk could be statistically explained by FT using amediation analyses in adjusted models, and 6.8% (95% CI, 1.6−24.8%, p = 0.066) by MFT. Furthermore, FT and MFT were significantly associated with increased risk for H. pylori infection (odds ratio (OR) = 4.938, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.125−21.671; OR = 3.602, 95% CI: 1.218−10.648, respectively). Pb and Cd exposure may be associated with tooth loss and increased susceptibility to H. pylori infection, and tooth loss may be an independent risk factor for H. pylori infection.

Elemental analysis by Metallobalance provides a complementary support layer over existing blood biochemistry panel-based cancer risk assessment

Despite the benefit of early cancer screening, Japan has one of the lowest cancer screening rates among developed countries, possibly due to there being a lack of “a good test” that can provide sufficient levels of test sensitivity and accuracy without a large price tag. As a number of essential and trace elements have been intimately connected to the oncogenesis of cancer, Metallobalance, a recent development in elemental analysis utilizing the technique of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry has been developed and tested as a robust method for arrayed cancer risk screening. We have conducted case-control epidemiological studies in the prefecture of Chiba, in the Greater Tokyo Area, and sought to determine both Metallobalance screening’s effectiveness for predicting pan-cancer outcomes, and whether the method is capable enough to replace the more conventional antigen-based testing methods. Results suggest that MB screening provides some means of classification potential among cancer and non-cancer cases, and may work well as a complementary method to traditional antigen-based tumor marker testing, even in situations where tumor markers alone cannot discernibly identify cancer from non-cancer cases.

Clinical significance of changes of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of gastric cancer patients with Helicobacter pylori infection

BACKGROUND

The correlation between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and gastric cancer has been widely recognized in the world. The abnormal expression of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway related factors is obvious in gastric cancer patients, suggesting that this pathway is closely related to the occurrence and development of gastric cancer. However, there is also a correlation between the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway and H. pylori infection in gastric cancer patients.

AIM

To investigate the clinical significance of changes of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with gastric cancer infected by H. pylori.

METHODS

Eighty gastric cancer patients treated at Huzhou Third People's Hospital from October 2017 to October 2020 were selected as a study group, and 50 healthy ts volunteers were selected as a control group. The expression levels of TLR-4, NF-κB, and myeloid differentiation factor (MyD88) in PBMCs of gastric cancer patients with different pathological characteristics and H. pylori infection status were compared between the two groups, and the correlation between TLR-4, NF-κB, and MyD88 protein levels and H. pylori infection was analyzed.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the expression levels of TLR-4, NF-κB, and MyD88 in the study group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The expression of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway related molecules differed significantly in gastric cancer patients with different clinical stages, lymph node metastasis status, and depth of invasion (P < 0.05), and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB expression differed significantly in different gender and age groups (P < 0.05). The expression of TLR-4, NF-κB, and MyD88 in the H. pylori positive group was significantly higher than that of the H. pylori negative group (P < 0.05). Pearson analysis showed that H. pylori infection was positively correlated with the expression of TLR-4, NF-κB, and MyD88 (r = 0.726, 0.684, and 0.631, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The expression levels of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway related molecules in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with gastric cancer increase significantly, and are significantly different among groups with different pathological characteristics and parameters. It is speculated that H. pylori infection may participate in the occurrence and development of gastric cancer by inducing the abnormal expression of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway.

High Prevalence of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in Southern Shaanxi Province, China

Purpose

Describing the clinical features of patients with breast cancer in an area is important to provide the information for the local oncologist to make sound treatment plans. In this study, we explored the clinical features of breast cancer patients in Southern Shaanxi Province, China.

Patients and Methods

A total of 328 breast cancer patients between 2010 and 2015 were recruited at our hospital. Patients' clinical information and the results of the histopathological examination were collected. Independent sample t-test and Cox regression were used to analyze the data.

Results

The peak age onset of these patients was between 45 and 50. At diagnosis, 8.23% of patients were at clinical stage 1 and 29.57% were triple-negative breast cancer subtype. High expression of Ki-67 in these patients was found associated with triple-negative breast cancer. The 5-year survival rate in these patients was 66.4%, and the survival rate in stage 1 and 2 patients (88.2%) was significantly higher than that in stage 3 and4 (57.4%).

Conclusion

We here reported the clinical features of patients with breast cancer in Southern Shaanxi Province, China. The breast cancer patients in Southern Shaanxi Province showed a unique clinical feature.

Serum trace element and heavy metal levels in patients with sepsis

Background and objectives: Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction syndrome, which occurs when the body's immune response to infection is impaired. The aim of the present study was to investigate serum Iron, Copper, Zinco, Cobalt, Chromium, Selenium, Vanadium, Nickel, Cadmium, and Aliminium levels in patients with sepsis.Materials and methods: This prospective and observational study was conducted at a tertiary care university hospital of Turkey from 2015 to 2016, and comprised patients with sepsis. Serum concentrations of 10 elements were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Analyses were performed at the laboratory of Düzce University Scientific and Technological Research Application and Research Center. A total of 87 participants (52 men, 35 women; average age, 74.11 ± 14.26) were enrolled.Results: When evaluated in terms of trace elements, a significant difference was noted between the sepsis and control groups in terms of the levels of the five elements. Chromium, Iron, Nickel, Copper, and Cadmium levels were significantly higher in the sepsis group.Conclusion: Our study indicated in particular, Iron, Copper, Chromium, Nickel, and Cadmium levels were elevated in patients with sepsis.

Association of Helicobacter pylori Infection with Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants and Toddlers

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a gram-negative pathogen, has been shown to colonize multiple organs and cause various forms of extra-gastrointestinal diseases. The association of H. pylori infection with vitamin D status in apparently healthy children remained unclear; therefore, we investigated the relationship between vitamin D and H. pylori infection among apparently healthy infants and toddlers. In this large cross-sectional study, the examination data of children were collected from January 2013 to September 2017 in the Center for Children's Health Care. Among these children, 6,896 infants and toddlers were screened for our study. Helicobacter pylori infection and vitamin D status were the main indicators, and micronutrients (zinc, iron, copper, magnesium), and growth parameters (height, weight, and weight for age Z score [WAZ], height for age Z score [HAZ]) were also analyzed in this study. Among the 6,896 infants and toddlers, the detection rate of H. pylori seropositivity was 30.6%. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in H. pylori seropositive and seronegative groups was 20.7% and 12.1%, respectively (P < 0.001). The logistic regression analysis suggested children with H. pylori-positive antibody were 2.06 times more likely to be vitamin D deficient compared with children who had negative H. pylori antibody (odds ratio: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.77, 2.38) after controlling for confounding factors. These data suggested that there was a significant association between H. pylori seropositivity and vitamin D deficiency in children aged 6-36 months, which would make a contribution to the treatment and monitoring of vitamin D deficiency and H. pylori infection.

Role of Selenoproteins in Bacterial Pathogenesis

The trace element selenium is an essential micronutrient that plays an important role in maintaining homeostasis of several tissues including the immune system of mammals. The vast majority of the biological functions of selenium are mediated via selenoproteins, proteins which incorporate the selenium-containing amino acid selenocysteine. Several bacterial infections of humans and animals are associated with decreased levels of selenium in the blood and an adjunct therapy with selenium often leads to favorable outcomes. Many pathogenic bacteria are also capable of synthesizing selenocysteine suggesting that selenoproteins may have a role in bacterial physiology. Interestingly, the composition of host microbiota is also regulated by dietary selenium levels. Therefore, bacterial pathogens, microbiome, and host immune cells may be competing for a limited supply of selenium. Elucidating how selenium, in particular selenoproteins, may regulate pathogen virulence, microbiome diversity, and host immune response during a bacterial infection is critical for clinical management of infectious diseases.