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Objectives This study was designed to test whether serum vitamin D levels affected Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and eradication rates. Methods A multicenter observational prospective cohort study was conducted. A total of 496 H. pylori− positive (H. pylori+) and 257 H. pylori‐negative (H. pylori−) patients were enrolled from four hospitals in China. Baseline serum vitamin D levels were measured and a 13C‐urea breath test (UBT) was performed for all the participants. The H. pylori+ patients were divided into two subgroups based on their serum vitamin D levels (<10 or ≥10 ng/mL). A second 13C‐UBT was performed between 4 and 8 weeks after 14‐day bismuth‐containing quadruple eradication therapies. Factors potentially affecting H. pylori eradication were determined using a questionnaire survey. Results Serum vitamin D levels were significantly lower in the H. pylori+ group than in the H. pylori− group ([17.0 ± 6.9] ng/mL vs [19.2 ± 8.0] ng/mL, P = 0.000). H. pylori eradication rate significantly differed between patients with serum vitamin D levels of <10 ng/mL and ≥10 ng/mL (71.7% vs 87.3%, P = 0.005). A multivariate analysis showed that having serum vitamin D level ≥10 ng/mL was an independent risk factor for a successful H. pylori eradication (odds ratio 0.381, 95% confidence interval 0.183‐0.791, P = 0.010). Conclusions Serum vitamin D level may affect H. pylori infection and its eradication. Randomized controlled trials are needed to find out whether vitamin D supplements may increase the H. pylori eradication rate.

Objective To identify whether bile reflux on endoscopy and other related variables are risk factors for precancerous gastric lesions and gastric cancer (GC). Methods A multicenter, cross‐sectional and observational study was conducted in five centers in China from June to October 2019, 1162 patients were recruited and divided into the chronic gastritis (CG), the precancerous lesion (low‐grade intraepithelial neoplasia and intestinal metaplasia), and GC groups (including high‐grade intraepithelial neoplasia). All participants underwent detailed interviews, endoscopy and biopsy, and completed questionnaires. Odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated with multivariate logistic regression models with or without adjustment for Helicobacter pylori infection. Results We recruited 668 patients with CG, 411 with precancerous lesions and 83 with GC. By comparing the CG and precancerous lesion groups, independent risk factors for cancerous gastric lesions were the grade of bile reflux, patient's age, dietary habits and family history of GC. Similar results were obtained when comparing the CG and GC groups. In addition, bile reflux was confirmed as an independent risk factor for progression from precancerous lesions to cancer. Conclusions Bile reflux on endoscopy as well as age, dietary habits and a family history of GC were independent risk factors for the development of precancerous gastric lesions and GC.

Objective Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection is closely associated with gastric ulcers and gastric adenocarcinomas. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of a quadruple regimen with amoxicillin plus berberine vs tetracycline plus furazolidone in rescue therapy for H. pylori eradication. Methods We conducted a randomized, open‐label, multicenter, noninferiority trial. Patients with previous treatment failures recruited from five centers were randomized (1:1) to receive a regimen with esomeprazole and bismuth plus either berberine and amoxicillin (the BA group) or tetracycline and furazolidone (the TF group) for 14 days. Their H. pylori infection status was confirmed 4‐8 weeks after treatment. The primary outcome was the eradication rate. The secondary outcomes included the rates of symptom improvement, compliance, and adverse events. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03609892). Results Altogether 658 participants were consecutively enrolled. An intention‐to‐treat analysis demonstrated that the two regimens achieved a similar eradication rate (76.3% vs 77.5%; P = 0.781). The per‐protocol analysis reached a similar result (81.5% vs 85.0%; P = 0.278). The eradication rate reached in the BA group was greater than the pre‐established margin of noninferiority, at −10% (the lower bounds of the 95% CI were −7.66% and −9.43%, respectively). The rate of adverse events was lower for the BA group than the TF group (18.5% vs 26.1%, P = 0.024). Rates of compliance and symptom improvement were similar for the two therapies. Conclusion The efficacy of both regimens in rescue treatment for H. pylori eradication was satisfactory, 14‐day BA‐based quadruple therapy is noninferior to the TF‐based therapy.

ing the follow-up (HR: 4.90, 95% CI: 2.75-8.74, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Baseline concentration of misfolded a-Syn aggregates in CSF measured by the PMCA technique predicts risk of cognitive decline in PD.

Background No study has tried to distinguish subjects that become frail due to diseases (frailty related to diseases) or in the absence of specific medical events; in this latter case, it is possible that aging process would act as the main frailty driver (age-related frailty). Objectives To classify subjects according to the origin of physical frailty: age-related frailty, frailty related to diseases, frailty of uncertain origin, and to compare their clinical characteristics. Materials and methods We performed a secondary analysis of the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial (MAPT), including 195 subjects ≥70 years non-frail at baseline who became frail during a 5-year follow-up (mean age 77.8 years ± 4.7; 70% female). Physical frailty was defined as presenting ≥3 of the 5 Fried criteria: weight loss, exhaustion, weakness, slowness, low physical activity. Clinical files were independently reviewed by two different clinicians using a standardized assessment method in order to classify subjects as: “age-related frailty”, “frailty related to diseases” or “frailty of uncertain origin”. Inconsistencies among the two raters and cases of uncertain frailty were further assessed by two other experienced clinicians. Results From the 195 included subjects, 82 (42%) were classified as age-related frailty, 53 (27%) as frailty related to diseases, and 60 (31%) as frailty of uncertain origin. Patients who became frail due to diseases did not differ from the others groups in terms of functional, cognitive, psychological status and age at baseline, however they presented a higher burden of comorbidity as measured by the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS) (8.20 ± 2.69; vs 6.22 ± 2.02 frailty of uncertain origin; vs. 3.25 ± 1.65 age-related frailty). Time to incident frailty (23.4 months ± 12.1 vs. 39.2 ± 19.3 months) and time spent in a pre-frailty condition (17.1 ± 11.4 vs 26.6 ± 16.6 months) were shorter in the group of frailty related to diseases compared to age-related frailty. Orthopedic diseases (n=14, 26%) were the most common pathologies leading to frailty related to diseases, followed by cardiovascular diseases (n=9, 17%) and neurological diseases (n = 8, 15%). Conclusion People classified as age-related frailty and frailty related to diseases presented different frailty-associated indicators. Future research should target the underlying biological cascades leading to these two frailty classifications, since they could ask for distinct strategies of prevention and management.

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Background This study aims to investigate the predictive value of biological and neuroimaging markers to determine incident frailty among older people over 5 years. Methods We included 1,394 adults ≥70 years from the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial (MAPT), who were not frail at baseline (according to Fried’s criteria) and who had at least one post-baseline measurement of frailty. Participants who progressed to frailty during the 5-year follow-up were categorized as “incident frailty” and those who remained non-frail were categorized as “without frailty”. The differences of baseline biochemical factors (25-hydroxyvitamin D, homocysteine, omega-3 index, C-reactive protein – CRP), other biological markers (Apolipoprotein E genotypes, amyloid-β deposits) and neuroimaging data (grey matter volume, hippocampal volume, white matter hyperintensities) were compared between groups. Cox proportional hazard model was used to evaluate the associations between biomarkers and incident frailty. Results A total of 195 participants (14.0%) became frail over 5 years. Although 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency, homocysteine levels, low-grade inflammation (persistently increased CRP 3-10 mg/L), grey matter and hippocampal volume were significantly associated with incident frailty in unadjusted models, these associations disappeared after adjustment for age, sex, and other confounders. Omega-3 index was the sole marker that presented a trend of association with incident frailty (HR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.83-1.01; p=0.082). Conclusion This study failed to identify biomarkers able to predict frailty incidence in community-dwelling older adults over 5 years. Further longitudinal research with multiple measurements of biomarkers and frailty is needed to evaluate the long-term relationships between changes in biomarkers levels and frailty evolution.