The aim of the study was to observe the relationship between the two reservoirs of Helicobacter pylori--that is, dental plaque and the stomach. With the Campylobacter-like organism (CLO) test, H. pylori was detected in dental plaque and in gastric antral and body mucosa in 98%, 67% and 70%, respectively, of 43 consecutive patients with dyspepsia. The rapidity of the CLO test indicates that the density of H. pylori is heaviest in dental plaque, less in the antrum, and least in the body mucosa of the stomach. Triple drug therapy (bismuth, tinidazole, and amoxycillin or doxycycline) was administered for 15 days to 24 patients. By the CLO test, H. pylori was eliminated from the gastric mucosa in all 24 patients but persisted in dental plaque in all of them. Our observations indicate that dental plaque is unaffected by triple drug therapy and is perhaps a permanent reservoir of H. pylori if local therapy also fails to eradicate the organism.

Cancer patients are a vulnerable population postulated to be at higher risk for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Increased COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in cancer patients may be attributable to age, comorbidities, smoking, health care exposure, and cancer treatments, and partially to the cancer itself. Most studies to date have focused on hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19, thereby limiting the generalizability and interpretability of the association between cancer and COVID-19 severity. We compared outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in 323 patients enrolled in a population-based study before the pandemic (n = 67 cancer patients; n = 256 noncancer patients). After adjusting for demographics, smoking status, and comorbidities, a diagnosis of cancer was independently associated with higher odds of hospitalization (odds ratio = 2.16, 95% confidence interval = 1.12 to 4.18) and 30-day mortality (odds ratio = 5.67, 95% confidence interval = 1.49 to 21.59). These associations were primarily driven by patients with active cancer. These results emphasize the critical importance of preventing SARS-CoV-2 exposure and mitigating infection in cancer patients.

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SUMMARY The intragastric infusion of red chilli powder in dosage of 1.6 and 0X8 g/hr caused a marked increase in the DNA content of the gastric aspirate compared with basal values for DNA. This observation suggests a rapid and marked exfoliation of gastric surface epithelialcellsinhuman subjects given red chilli powder.The surface epithelial cells of human gastric mucosa are continuously exfoliated. Since the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) content in each of these somatic nuclei is identical, the measurement of the DNA content in gastric aspirate over a fixed period of time indicates the rate at which gastric surface epithelial cells are extruded (Croft, Pollock, and Coghill, 1966). Drugs such as aspirin and phenylbutazone were shown to cause increased exfoliation of surface epithelial cells in dogs (Max and Menguy, 1970).

◥Germline mutations in TP53 cause a rare high penetrance cancer syndrome, Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS). Here, we identified a rare TP53 tetramerization domain missense mutation, c.1000G>C;p.G334R, in a family with multiple late-onset LFSspectrum cancers. Twenty additional c.1000G>C probands and one c.1000G>A proband were identified, and available tumors showed biallelic somatic inactivation of TP53. The majority of families were of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and the TP53 c.1000G>C allele was found on a commonly inherited chromosome 17p13.1 haplotype. Transient transfection of the p.G334R allele conferred a mild defect in colony suppression assays. Lymphoblastoid cell lines from the index family in comparison with TP53 normal lines showed that although classical p53 target gene activation was maintained, a subset of p53 target genes (including PCLO, PLTP, PLXNB3, and LCN15) showed defective transactivation when treated with Nutlin-3a. Structural analysis demonstrated thermal instability of the G334R-mutant tetramer, and the G334R-mutant protein showed increased preponderance of mutant conformation. Clinical case review in comparison with classic LFS cohorts demonstrated similar rates of pediatric adrenocortical tumors and other LFS component cancers, but the latter at significantly later ages of onset. Our data show that TP53 c.1000G>C;p.G334R is found predominantly in Ashkenazi Jewish individuals, causes a mild defect in p53 function, and leads to low penetrance LFS.Significance: TP53 c.1000C>G;p.G334R is a pathogenic, Ashkenazi Jewish-predominant mutation associated with a familial multiple cancer syndrome in which carriers should undergo screening and preventive measures to reduce cancer risk.

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