Helicobacter pylori pathogenicity factors related to gastric cancer

_Background_. Although the causal relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and the development of gastric cancer is firmly established, the exact nature of the pathogenicity factors of H. pylori that predispose to gastric oncogenesis remains incompletely characterized. We investigated the association between H. pylori virulence genotypes and disease in a well-characterized cohort consisting of 109 H. pylori isolates from gastric biopsies originating from patients. _Methods_. The prevalence of genotype was assessed by PCR and related to clinical histopathological parameters. _Results_. The relation of babA2 and babB negative and iceA1 positive genotype as a single genotype and the development of cases to GC was statistically significant (P<0.001). The cagE, cagA, and iceA1 were found more commonly in patients with GC as compared with the other groups. The relation of the presence of iceA1 and the development of cases to GC was statistically significant (P=0.008), bu

Venographic classification and long-term surgical treatment outcomes for axillary-subclavian vein thrombosis due to venous thoracic outlet syndrome (Paget-Schroetter syndrome)

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the clinical presentation, operative findings, and surgical treatment outcomes for axillary-subclavian vein (AxSCV) thrombosis due to venous thoracic outlet syndrome (VTOS). METHODS: We performed a retrospective, single-center review of 266 patients who had undergone primary surgical treatment of VTOS between 2016 and 2022. The clinical outcomes were compared between the patients in four treatment groups determined by intraoperative venography. RESULTS: Of the 266 patients, 132 were male and 134 were female. All patients had a history of spontaneous arm swelling and idiopathic AxSCV thrombosis, including 25 (9%) with proven pulmonary embolism, at a mean age of 32.1 ± 0.8 years (range, 12-66 years). The timing of clinical presentation was acute (\u3c15 days) for 132 patients (50%), subacute (15-90 days) for 71 (27%), and chronic (\u3e90 days) for 63 patients (24%). Venography with catheter-directed thrombolysis or thrombectomy (CDT) and/or balloon angioplasty had been performed in 188 patients (71%). The median interval between symptom onset and surgery was 78 days. After paraclavicular thoracic outlet decompression and external venolysis, intraoperative venography showed a widely patent AxSCV in 150 patients (56%). However, 26 (10%) had a long chronic AxSCV occlusion with axillary vein inflow insufficient for bypass reconstruction. Patch angioplasty was performed for focal AxSCV stenosis in 55 patients (21%) and bypass graft reconstruction for segmental AxSCV occlusion in 35 (13%). The patients who underwent external venolysis alone (patent or occluded AxSCV; n = 176) had a shorter mean operative time, shorter postoperative length of stay and fewer reoperations and late reinterventions compared with those who underwent AxSCV reconstruction (patch or bypass; n = 90), with no differences in the incidence of overall complications or 30-day readmissions. At a median clinical follow-up of 38.7 months, 246 patients (93%) had no arm swelling, and only 17 (6%) were receiving anticoagulation treatment; 95% of those with a patent AxSCV at the end of surgery were free of arm swelling vs 69% of those with a long chronic AxSCV occlusion (P \u3c .001). The patients who had undergone CDT at the initial diagnosis were 32% less likely to need AxSCV reconstruction at surgery (30% vs 44%; P = .034) and 60% less likely to have arm swelling at follow-up (5% vs 13%; P \u3c .05) vs those who had not undergone CDT. CONCLUSIONS: Paraclavicular decompression, external venolysis, and selective AxSCV reconstruction determined by intraoperative venography findings can provide successful and durable treatment for \u3e90% of all patients with VTOS. Further work is needed to achieve earlier recognition of AxSCV thrombosis, prompt usage of CDT, and even more effective surgical treatment

Mode Profile of a Mid-IR Gas-filled Hollow-Core Photonic Crystal Fiber Laser

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Frequency of occurrence, seasonal variation and antifungal susceptibility of opportunistic Mucorales isolated from hospital soils in Iran

Background: Mucorales are opportunistic pathogens that can cause life-threatening diseases predominantly in immunocompromised patients. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the frequency, seasonal variation and antifungal susceptibility of pathogenic Mucorales in the soil collected from seven hospitals in Urmia, Iran, between November 2017 and July 2018 in four different seasons. Methods: Mucorales isolates obtained from soil were characterised based on conventional and molecular assays. In addition, in vitro antifungal susceptibility was performed using the CLSI M38Ed3 procedure. Results: Out of 196 tested soil samples, 80 (40.8) samples were positive for mucoralean fungi. Rhizopus arrhizus var. arrhizus (n = 47) was the most frequent species followed by Mucor circinelloides (n = 21) and Cunninghamella echinulata (n = 6). A seasonal variation in the frequency of Mucorales in soil was detected with a maximum of culture-positive soil samples detected in wet autumn (43.2) followed by winter (23.4), summer (19.7) and spring (13.6). In vitro antifungal susceptibility testing for 80 environmental isolates exhibited MIC of �2 μg/ml for amphotericin B indicating the smallest range of MIC variation among the tested Mucorales (range: 0.125�2 μg/ml). Among the azoles, posaconazole was the most effective antifungals (GM MIC, 0.724 μg/ml). Conclusions: We considered associations of species and seasonal frequencies between soil mucoralean fungi and mucormycosis. The effect of opportunistic Mucorales dominating in the soil and prevalent causative agents of mucormycosis in Iran reported in the literatures but more comprehensive studies are needed to confirm this conclusion. © 2021 Wiley-VCH Gmb

Near-Gaussian Spatial Mode from a Mid-IR Acetylene-filled Hollow-Core Fiber Laser

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