Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is associated with some gastric diseases, such as gastritis, peptic ulcer, and gastric cancer. CagA and VacA are known virulence factors of H. pylori, which play a vital role in severe clinical outcomes. Additionally, the expression of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) helps H. pylori attach to gastric epithelial cells at the primary stage and increases the virulence of H. pylori. In this review, we have summarized the paralogs of H. pylori OMPs, their genomic loci, and the different receptors of OMPs identified so far. We focused on five OMPs, BabA (HopS), SabA (HopP), OipA (HopH), HopQ, and HopZ, and one family of OMPs: Hom. We highlight the coexpression of OMPs with other virulence factors and their relationship with clinical outcomes. In conclusion, OMPs are closely related to the pathogenic processes of adhesion, colonization, persistent infection, and severe clinical consequences. They are potential targets for the prevention and treatment of H. pylori-related diseases.

Excess dietary amino acids (AA) may negatively affect feed intake in pigs. Previous results showed that Lys, Leu, Ile, Phe and Glu significantly increased gut peptide secretion (i.e., cholecystokinin, glucagon-like peptide 1). However, the link between dietary AA and gut peptide secretion with changes in feeding behaviour patterns has not been demonstrated to date in pigs. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of Lys, Leu, Ile, Phe and Glu, on feed intake and meal patterns in young pigs. Twelve male pigs (Landrace x Large White, body weight = 16.10 ± 2.69 kg) were administered an oral gavage of water (control) or Lys, Leu, Ile, Phe, Glu, or glucose (positive control) at 3 mmol.kg -1 following an overnight fasting. The experiment consisted in measuring individual feed disappearance and changes in meal pattern (including latency to first meal, first meal duration, inter-meal interval, second meal duration and number of meals) based on video footage. Compared to the control group Lys significantly (P ≤ 0.01) reduced feed intake during the first 30 min and up to 2.5 h post-gavage including a reduction (P ≤ 0.05) in the first meal duration. Similarly, Leu and Ile also significantly decreased feed intake up to three h post-gavage on a cumulative count. However, the strongest (P ≤ 0.01) impacts on feed intake by the two branched chained AA were observed after the first or second h post-gavage for Leu or Ile, respectively. In addition, Leu or Ile did not affect the first meal duration (P ≥ 0.05). Leu significantly increased (P ≤ 0.01) the inter-meal interval while decreasing (P ≤ 0.05) the number of meals during the initial 2 h following the gavage when compared to the control group. In contrast, the oral gavages of Phe or Glu had no significant impact (P > 0.05) on the feeding behaviour parameters measured relative to the control pigs. In turn, glucose had a short-lived effect on appetite by reducing (P < 0.05) feed intake for 30 min after the first h post-gavage. In conclusion, the impact of an oral gavage of Lys on feeding behaviour is compatible with a stimulation of early satiation and an increased duration of satiety. The main impact of the oral gavages of Leu and Ile was an increase of the duration of satiety. The gastrointestinal mechanisms associated with non-bound dietary AA sensing and the impact on voluntary feed intake warrant further investigations.

Background and Aims Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) has been increasingly reported to distinguish inflammatory or fibrotic intestinal stenosis in Crohn's disease (CD) patients. However, the diagnostic value is unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the diagnostic role of different modes of IUS parameters. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from inception to August 2021. Regarding effect sizes, weighted mean differences (WMDs) or standardized mean differences (SMDs) were used. We pooled data using a random-effects or fixed-effects model according to heterogeneity. The diagnostic accuracy of IUS for distinguishing fibrosis was pooled. Results 19 studies were retained for qualitative analysis, and 14 were included in the meta-analysis (with 511 total subjects and 635 bowel segments). In patients with fibrotic stenosis, the pooled WMDs for bowel wall thickness were 1.30 mm (95% CI 0.69-1.91) thicker than patients with inflammatory stenosis, and the pooled SMDs for strain value and strain ratio were 0.80 (95 % CI 0.41-1.20) and 1.08 (95 % CI 0.55-1.60) harder than patients with inflammatory stenosis, respectively. The percentage of maximal enhancement of fibrotic stenosis was lower than that of inflammatory stenosis (WMD -10.03, 95% CI -17.91- -2.16). The diagnostic accuracy of IUS was not performed because only a few studies provided relevant diagnostic indicators, and these studies used different modes and parameters. Conclusions IUS currently is inaccurate to differentiate fibrotic or inflammatory stenosis in CD patients, and more studies assessing the significance of each parameter and its cut-off value in different modes of IUS are needed to be conducted in the future.