Effects of Helicobacter pylori Treatment on Incidence of Gastric Cancer in Older Individuals.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Although eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection reduces the risk of gastric cancer, few data are available on its effects in older subjects. We compared the age-specific risk of gastric cancer in a large cohort of subjects who received H pylori eradication therapy vs a matched general population. METHODS: We searched the Hospital Authority database of Hong Kong to identify individuals with H pylori infection who had received a course of clarithromycin-containing eradication therapy from January 2003 through December 2012. We compared the gastric cancer incidence in this cohort with the expected incidence for the local general population by retrieving the gastric cancer incidence of the age- and sex-matched population from 2003 through 2014 (the latest available year) from the Hong Kong Cancer Registry. The primary outcome was the incidence of gastric cancer development in the cohort treated for H pylori infection vs the expected number of gastric cancer cases in the general population. Analyses were conducted by a priori age groups of less than 40 years, 40-59 years, and 60 years or older. RESULTS: Among 73,237 subjects infected with H pylori who received eradication therapy, 200 (0.27%) developed gastric cancer during a median follow-up time of 7.6 years. Compared with the matched general population, the gastric cancer risk was significantly lower in subjects 60 years or older who had received H pylori treatment (standardized incidence ratio [SIR], 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.69-0.97; P = .02) but not in younger groups. When data were stratified based on time from H pylori treatment (less than 5 years, 5-9 years, and 10 or more years), the risk of gastric cancer was significantly lower than the general population 10 or more years after eradication in the group 40-59 years old (SIR 0.32; 95% CI, 0.08-0.88; P = .04) and the group 60 years or older (SIR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.42-0.84; P = .02) than the other age groups. CONCLUSIONS: In an analysis of data from a public hospital database on Hong Kong, we associated treatment of H pylori infection with a lower risk of gastric cancer, particularly in older subjects, 10 or more years after treatment

Baseline characteristics of participants in the Pre-Diabetes Interventions and Continued Tracking to Ease-out Diabetes (Pre-DICTED) Program

OBJECTIVE: The Pre-Diabetes Interventions and Continued Tracking to Ease-out Diabetes (Pre-DICTED) Program is a diabetes prevention trial comparing the diabetes conversion rate at 3 years between the intervention group, which receives the incentivized lifestyle intervention program with stepwise addition of metformin, and the control group, which receives the standard of care. We describe the baseline characteristics and compare Pre-DICTED participants with other diabetes prevention trials cohort. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were aged between 21 and 64 years, overweight (body mass index (BMI) ≥23.0 kg/m2), and had pre-diabetes (impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT)). RESULTS: A total of 751 participants (53.1% women) were randomized. At baseline, mean (SD) age was 52.5 (8.5) years and mean BMI (SD) was 29.0 (4.6) kg/m2. Twenty-three per cent had both IFG and IGT, 63.9% had isolated IGT, and 13.3% had isolated IFG. Ethnic Asian Indian participants were more likely to report a family history of diabetes and had a higher waist circumference, compared with Chinese and Malay participants. Women were less likely than men to meet the physical activity recommendations (≥150 min of moderate-intensity physical activity per week), and dietary intake varied with both sex and ethnicity. Compared with other Asian diabetes prevention studies, the Pre-DICTED cohort had a higher mean age and BMI. CONCLUSION: The Pre-DICTED cohort represents subjects at high risk of diabetes conversion. The study will evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based incentivized lifestyle intervention program in an urban Asian context.Peer reviewe

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Search for the lepton-flavor violating decay Bs0 → ϕμ±τ∓

A search for the lepton-flavor violating decays B0 s → ϕμ±τ∓ is presented, using a sample of proton-proton collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, collected with the LHCb detector and corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 9 fb−1. The τ leptons are selected using decays with three charged pions. No significant excess is observed, and an upper limit on the branching fraction is determined to be B(B0 s → ϕμ±τ∓) < 1.0 × 10−5 at 90% confidence level

Transverse polarization measurement of Λ hyperons in pNe collisions at √sNN = 68.4 GeV with the LHCb detector

A measurement of the transverse polarization of the Λ andΛ hyperons in pNe fixed-target collisions at √ sNN = 68.4 GeV is presented using data collected by the LHCb detector. The polarization is studied using the decay Λ → pπ− together with its charge conjugated process, the integrated values measured are PΛ = 0.029 ± 0.019 (stat) ± 0.012 (syst), PΛ = 0.003 ± 0.023 (stat) ± 0.014 (syst). Furthermore, the results are shown as a function of the Feynman x variable, transverse momentum, pseudorapidity and rapidity of the hyperons, and are compared with previous measurements

Amplitude analysis of the radiative decay Bs0 → K+K−γ

A search for radiative decay of B0 s mesons to orbitally excited K+K− states is performed using proton proton collisions recorded by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb−1 . The dikaon spectrum in the mass range mKK < 2400 MeV/c 2 is dominated by the ϕ(1020) resonance that accounts for almost 70% of the decay rate. Considering the possible contributions of f2(1270), f ′ 2 (1525) and f2(2010) meson states, the overall tensor contribution to the amplitude is measured to be F{f2} = 16.8 ± 0.5 (stat.) ± 0.7 (syst.)%, mostly dominated by the f ′ 2 (1525) state. Several statistically equivalent solutions are obtained for the detailed resonant structure depending on whether the smaller amplitudes interfere destructively or constructively with the dominant amplitude. The preferred solution that corresponds to the lowest values of the ft fractions along with constructive interference leads to the relative branching ratio measurement B(B0 s → f ′ 2γ) B(B0 s → ϕγ) = 19.4 +0.9 −0.8 (stat.) +1.4 −0.5 (syst.) ± 0.5 (B)%, where the last uncertainty is due to the ratio of measured branching fractions to the K+K− final state. This result represents the first observation of the radiative B0 s → f ′ 2 (1525)γ decay, which is the second radiative transition observed in the B0 s sector

Study of b-hadron decays to Λc^+h-h' final states

Decays of Ξ − b and Ω − b baryons to Λ + c h −h ′− final states, with h −h ′− being π −π −, K−π\ud − and K−K− meson pairs, are searched for using data collected with the LHCb detector. The data sample studied corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 8.7 fb−1 of pp collisions collected at centre-of-mass energies √ s = 7, 8 and 13 TeV. The products of the relative branching fractions and fragmentation fractions for each signal mode, relative to the B− → Λ + c pπ− mode, are measured, with Ξ − b → Λ + c K−π −, Ξ − b → Λ + c K−K− and Ω − b → Λ + c K−K− decays being observed at over 5 σ significance. The Ξ − b → Λ + c K−π − mode is also used to measure the Ξ − b production asymmetry, which is found to be consistent with zero. In addition, the B− → Λ + c pK− decay is observed for the first time, and its branching fraction is measured relative to that of the B− → Λ + c pπ− mode

Precision measurement of the Ξb− baryon lifetime

A sample of pp collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.5 fb−1 and collected by the LHCb experiment during LHC Run 2, is used to measure the ratio of the lifetime of the Ξ− b baryon to that of the Λ0 b baryon, rτ ≡ τΞ− b =τΛ0 b . The value rτ = 1.076 0.013 0.006 is obtained, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. This value is averaged with the corresponding value from Run 1 to obtain rRun 1;2 τ = 1.078 0.012 0.007. Multiplying by the world-average value of the Λ0 b lifetime yields τ Run 1;2 Ξ− b = 1.578 0.018 0.010 0.011 ps, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the limited knowledge of the Λ0 b lifetime. This measurement improves the precision of the current world average of the Ξ− b lifetime by about a factor of 2, and is in good agreement with the most recent theoretical predictions

Observation of muonic Dalitz decays of chib mesons and precise spectroscopy of hidden-beauty states

The decays of the χb1(1P), χb2(1P), χb1(2P) and χb2(2P) mesons into the Υ(1S)µ +µ − final state are observed with a high significance using proton-proton collision data collected with the LHCb detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 fb−1 . The newly observed decays together with the Υ(2S) → Υ(1S)π +π − and Υ(3S) → Υ(2S)π +π − decay modes are used for precision measurements of the mass and mass splittings for the hidden-beauty states