<em>Helicobacter pylori</em> Infection

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a Gram-negative spiral bacterium commonly found in the stomach. Major part of the world’s population is infected with H. pylori and is at increased risk of severe gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric cancer. Most studied virulence factors of the bacterium are the cytotoxin-associated gene (CagA) and the vacuolating cytotoxin A (VacA). The H. pylori infection is diagnosed by invasive (histological examination, culture, and rapid urease test, which require endoscopy and biopsy) and noninvasive methods (serology, urea breath test, and stool antigen test). H. pylori eradication is preferred for a long-term prevention of complications. Current treatments consist of antibiotics and adequate PPI dose and can be divided into two strands—with or without bismuth. Achieving an eradication rate of >90% is an indicator for effective treatment. Due to the increasing levels of antibiotic resistance, the standard triple therapy is largely replaced with a quadruple therapy, especially in countries with high resistance rates. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing should be performed after the second-line treatment failure, leading to an individualized patient treatment. Clear explanations and patients’ compliance are of great importance for a better outcome

Current View on Autoimmune Gastritis

Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastric corpus and fundus. Although still unclear, genetic and environmental factors, antigenic mimicry or cross-reactivity are proposed pathogenic mechanisms. Parietal cells destruction results in loss of intrinsic factor and increased gastric pH due to hypochlorhydria and G-cell proliferation. Furthermore, atrophy, intestinal, pancreatic and spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia are observed. AIG is underdiagnosed, however, proper diagnostic approach, including endoscopic, serological and histopathological assessment, is required. Gastroscopy with corpus and fundus biopsies is a gold standard. A serological combination of anti-parietal cell antibodies, intrinsic factor antibody, anti-Helicobacter pylori IgG, gastrin, pepsinogen I and pepsinogen I/II ratio improves the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity and allows atrophy level prediction. AIG might manifest with multifactorial iron deficiency anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency (pernicious anemia), neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and gastrointestinal infections. AIG association with other autoimmune diseases is well-established. Gastric cancer and gastric carcinoid are neoplastic transformations of a continuous chronic inflammation. Patients with AIG should be carefully monitored as no specific AIG therapy is available and disease complication could be fatal

Gastric Microbiota: Between Health and Disease

The etiologic link between H. pylori infection and gastric chronic inflammation and related complications has been well established, but pathogenic pathways are still widely discussed and not sufficiently clear. The introduction of culture-independent molecular techniques has allowed better understanding of the gastric microbiota and has revealed that, when present, H. pylori represents the main colonizer but is part of a far more complex and dynamic microbiota than previously thought. This conceptual shift has made way for new pathogenic theories, focused on the interrelations between H. pylori and other gastric microbiota. Main factors that affect the gastric microbiota are gastric acidity, inflammation, and environmental factors, such as diet and drugs. Previous studies have made progress in explaining the complex interactions between gastric microorganisms in healthy individuals and their role in the development of related gastroduodenal (peptic ulcers and gastric cancer (GC)) and extraintestinal diseases, but more scientific proof is needed. This review presents current knowledge on gastric microbiota and its role in health and in the development of gastroduodenal diseases

Analyzing atmospheric electric field by the European SEVAN network of particle detectors

Particle detectors of the European SEVAN network located on mountain heights in Aragats (Armenia), Lomnický štít (Slovakia) and Musala (Bulgaria) are well suited for the detection of thunderstorm ground enhancements (TGEs, enhanced fluxes of electrons, gamma rays, neutrons). The modulation of charged particles flux by the electric field of the thundercloud results in a sizable change in the count rate of detectors, which measure fluxes of electrons, gamma rays, and high energy muons in the near-vertical and near-horizontal directions. The relation between electric field strength and changes of particle flux count rates is nonlinear and depends on many unknown parameters of atmospheric electric field and meteorological conditions. Nonetheless, employing extreme TGEs as a manifestation of the strong electric field in the thundercloud and by measuring fluxes of three species of secondary cosmic rays (electrons, gamma rays, and muons) by SEVAN detectors located at altitudes of ≈ 3 km we study the extreme strength of the atmospheric electric field. With the simulation of particle traversal through the electric field with CORSIKA code (https://www.iap.kit.edu/corsika/index.php, last accessed April 21, 2021), we derive a maximum potential difference in the thunderous atmosphere to be ≈ 500 MV

Representation and parsing of multiword expressions: Current trends

This book consists of contributions related to the definition, representation and parsing of MWEs. These reflect current trends in the representation and processing of MWEs. They cover various categories of MWEs such as verbal, adverbial and nominal MWEs, various linguistic frameworks (e.g. tree-based and unification-based grammars), various languages including English, French, Modern Greek, Hebrew, Norwegian), and various applications (namely MWE detection, parsing, automatic translation) using both symbolic and statistical approaches

Representation and parsing of multiword expressions: Current trends

This book consists of contributions related to the definition, representation and parsing of MWEs. These reflect current trends in the representation and processing of MWEs. They cover various categories of MWEs such as verbal, adverbial and nominal MWEs, various linguistic frameworks (e.g. tree-based and unification-based grammars), various languages including English, French, Modern Greek, Hebrew, Norwegian), and various applications (namely MWE detection, parsing, automatic translation) using both symbolic and statistical approaches

Representation and parsing of multiword expressions: Current trends

This book consists of contributions related to the definition, representation and parsing of MWEs. These reflect current trends in the representation and processing of MWEs. They cover various categories of MWEs such as verbal, adverbial and nominal MWEs, various linguistic frameworks (e.g. tree-based and unification-based grammars), various languages including English, French, Modern Greek, Hebrew, Norwegian), and various applications (namely MWE detection, parsing, automatic translation) using both symbolic and statistical approaches

Representation and parsing of multiword expressions: Current trends

This book consists of contributions related to the definition, representation and parsing of MWEs. These reflect current trends in the representation and processing of MWEs. They cover various categories of MWEs such as verbal, adverbial and nominal MWEs, various linguistic frameworks (e.g. tree-based and unification-based grammars), various languages including English, French, Modern Greek, Hebrew, Norwegian), and various applications (namely MWE detection, parsing, automatic translation) using both symbolic and statistical approaches

Representation and parsing of multiword expressions: Current trends

This book consists of contributions related to the definition, representation and parsing of MWEs. These reflect current trends in the representation and processing of MWEs. They cover various categories of MWEs such as verbal, adverbial and nominal MWEs, various linguistic frameworks (e.g. tree-based and unification-based grammars), various languages including English, French, Modern Greek, Hebrew, Norwegian), and various applications (namely MWE detection, parsing, automatic translation) using both symbolic and statistical approaches

Representation and parsing of multiword expressions: Current trends

This book consists of contributions related to the definition, representation and parsing of MWEs. These reflect current trends in the representation and processing of MWEs. They cover various categories of MWEs such as verbal, adverbial and nominal MWEs, various linguistic frameworks (e.g. tree-based and unification-based grammars), various languages including English, French, Modern Greek, Hebrew, Norwegian), and various applications (namely MWE detection, parsing, automatic translation) using both symbolic and statistical approaches