A luminescent metal-organic framework with small micropores for the enhanced recognition of Cu(2+) exhibits highly sensitive and selective sensing of Cu(2+) in aqueous solution.

No abstract

Objective Levofloxacin has been proposed to replace clarithromycin for Helicobacter pylori treatment. Seven- and 10-day fluoroquinolone triple therapies have generally failed to achieve cure rates of ≥90%, whereas 14-day therapy has achieved 95% success. The aim was to assess the efficacy and effect of fluoroquinolone resistance on 14-day levofloxacin-containing triple therapy with or without the addition of bismuth. Design Helicobacter pylori-positive patients with functional dyspepsia or healed peptic ulcers were randomized to receive lansoprazole 30 mg b.i.d., amoxicillin 1000 mg b.i.d., and levofloxacin 500 mg daily with (B-LAL) or without (LAL) bismuth potassium citrate 220 mg b.i.d. for 14 days. Eradication was assessed by 13C-urea breath testing 4 weeks after completing treatment. Antimicrobial susceptibility was by the agar dilution method. Success was defined as PP success ≥90%. Results A total of 152 of 161 patients (81 LAL and 80 B-LAL) enrolled completed treatment. The PP rates were 94.6% (70/74; 95% CI, 86.9–97.9%) with B-LAL and 85.9% (95% CI, 76.5–91.9%) with LAL (p = .07); the ITT eradication rates were 87.5% (95% CI, 78.5–93.1%) with B-LAL and 82.7% (95% CI, 73–89.4%) with LAL (p = .39). Levofloxacin resistance was present in 30.3%. Treatment success was excellent with susceptible strains (97.5%) versus resistant strains (70.6%) for B-LAL and 97.3% versus 37.5% for LAL, respectively. Conclusions Fourteen-day fluoroquinolone therapy was highly effective when fluoroquinolone resistance rates are <12%. The addition of bismuth maintained effectiveness with fluoroquinolone resistance as high as 25%.

Addition bismuth and prolonging treatment duration can overcome H. pylori resistance to clarithromycin and decrease the bacterial load. Fourteen-day triple therapy-based, bismuth-containing quadruple therapy achieved ITT success rate 93% and could be recommended as the first line eradication regimen.

BackgroundEducators continue to search for better strategies for medical education. Although the unifying theme of reforms was “increasing interest in, attention to, and understanding of the knowledge base structures”, it is difficult to achieve all these aspects via a single type of instruction.MethodsWe used related key words to search in Google Scholar and Pubmed. Related search results on this topic were selected for discussion.ResultsDespite the range of different methods used in medical education, students are still required to memorize much of what they are taught, especially for the basic sciences. Subjects like anatomy and pathology carry a high intrinsic cognitive load mainly because of the large volume of information that must be retained. For these subjects, decreasing cognitive load is not feasible and memorizing appears to be the only strategy, yet the cognitive load makes learning a challenge for many students. Cognitive load is further increased when inappropriate use of educational methods occurs, e.g., in problem based learning which demands clinical reasoning, a high level and complex cognitive skill. It is widely known that experts are more skilled at clinical reasoning than novices because of their accumulated experiences. These experiences are based on the formation of cognitive schemata. In this paper we describe the use of cognitive schemata, developed by experts as worked examples to facilitate medical students’ learning and to promote their clinical reasoning.ConclusionWe suggest that cognitive load theory can provide a useful framework for understanding the challenges and successes associated with education of medical professionals.

A microporous MOF [Zn(4)(OH)(2)(1,2,4-BTC)(2)] (1,2,4-BTC = Benzene-1,2,4-tricarboxylate) with two immobilized open metal Zn(2+) sites was obtained by solvothermal reaction, which exhibits highly selective guest sorption and sensing of nitrobenzene.

Resistance of H. pylori to antibiotics plays an important role in making treatment strategies against H. pylori-associated diseases.

BackgroundThe prevalence of H. pylori is as high as 60–70% in Chinese population. Although duodenal ulcer and gastric cancer are both caused by H. pylori, they are at opposite ends of the spectrum and as such are considered mutually exclusive. Duodenal ulcer promoting (dupA) gene was reported to be associated with duodenal ulcer development. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of dupA gene of Helicobacter pylori in patients with various gastroduodenal diseases and to explore the association between the gene and other virulence factors.MethodsH. pylori were isolated from gastric biopsies of patients with chronic gastritis, duodenal ulcer (DU), gastric ulcer (GU), or non-cardia gastric carcinoma. The dupA, cagA, vacA, iceA and babA2 genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction. Histological features of gastric mucosal biopsy specimens were graded based on the scoring system proposed by the updated Sydney system. IL-1β polymorphism was investigated using restriction fragment length polymorphism.ResultsIsolates from 360 patients including 133 with chronic gastritis, 101 with DU, 47 with GU, and 79 with non-cardia gastric carcinoma were examined. The dupA gene was detected in 35.3% (127/360) and the prevalence DU patients was significantly greater than that in gastric cancer or GU patients (45.5% vs. 24.1% and 23.4%, P < 0.05). Patients infected with dupA-positive strains had higher scores for chronic inflammation compared to those with dupA-negative strains (2.36 vs. 2.24, p = 0.058). The presence of dupA was not associated with the cagA, vacA, iceA and babA 2 genotypes or with IL-1β polymorphisms.ConclusionIn China the prevalence of dupA gene was highest in DU and inversely related to GU and gastric cancer.