Current progress toward eradicating Helicobacter pylori in East Asian countries: Differences in the 2013 revised guidelines between China,Japan, and South Korea

New 2013 guidelines on Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) infection have been published in China, Japan, and South Korea. Like the previous ones, these new guidelines differ between the three countries with regard to the indications for H. pylori eradication, diagnostic methods, and treatment regimens. The most profound change among all of the guidelines is that the Japanese national health insurance system now covers the expenses for all infected subjects up to second-line treatment. This makes the Japanese indications for eradication much wider than those in China and South Korea. With regard to the diagnosis, a serum H. pylori antibody test is not recommended in China, whereas it is considered to be the most reliable method in Japan. A decrease relative to the initial antibody titer of more than 50% after 6-12 mo is considered to be the most accurate method for determining successful eradication in Japan. In contrast, only the urea breath test is recommended after eradication in China, while either noninvasive or invasive methods(except the bacterial culture) are recommended in South Korea. Due to the increased rate of antibiotics resistance, first-line treatment is omitted in China and South Korea in cases of clarithromycin resistance. Notably, the Japanese regimen consists of a lower dose of antibiotics for a shorter duration(7 d) than in the other countries. There is neither 14 d nor bismuth-based regimen in the first-line and second-line treatment in Japan. Such differences among countries might be due to differences in the approvals granted by the governments and national health insurance system in each country. Further studies are required to achieve the best results in the diagnosis and treatment of H. pylori infection based on cost-effectiveness in East Asian countries.     

Hepatitis B virus mutations related to liver disease progression of Korean patients

Hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection is a global health problem and more than 350 million people worldwide are chronic carriers of the virus.Despite the recent dramatic decline in HBV chronic patients through successful programs of hepatitis B surface antigen vaccination,South Korea is still recognized as an endemic area of HBV infection.HBV infections in South Korea exhibit several distinct features in epidemiologic and clinical aspects.In this review paper,we summarize the distinct HBV mutation patterns related to clinical severity and the molecular epidemiologic traits in Korean chronic patients based on previous reports.Generally,several lines of evidence,including our previous results,have led to the conclusion that a combination of the exclusive predominance of genotype C2,which is prone to mutations,the high prevalence of basal core promoter double mutations,and the presence of distinct immune responses against HBV proteins in the Korean population may generate the distinct HBV variants rarely or not encountered in other areas,which results in distinct clinical manifestations in Korean chronic patients.This may provide a novel insight into the relationships between clinical severity,HBV genotype distribution,and HBV naturally occurring variants.     

Zika virus infection and its emerging trends in Southeast Asia

Zika virus is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that represents a public health emergency at the ongoing epidemic.Previously,this rare virus was limited to sporadic cases in Africa and Asia until its emergence in Brazil,South America in 2015,where it rapidly spread throughout the world.Recently,a high number of cases were reported in Singapore and other Southeast Asia countries.A combination of factors explains the current Zika virus outbreak although it is highly likely that the changes in the climate and high frequency of travelling contribute to the spread of Aedes vector carrying the Zika virus mainly to the tropical climate countries such as the Southeast Asia.The Zika virus is known to cause mild clinical symptoms similar to those of dengue and chikungunya and transmitted by different species of Aedes mosquitoes.However,neurological complications such as Guillain-Barrésyndrome in adults,and congenital anomalies,including microcephaly in babies born to infected mothers,raised a serious concern.Currently,there is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine available for Zika virus infection.Therefore,international public health response is primarily focused on preventing infection,particularly in pregnant women,and on providing up-to-date recommendations to reduce the risk of non-vector transmission of Zika virus.     

Helicobacter pylori infection: New pathogenetic and clinical aspects

Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)infects more than half of the world’s human population,but only 1%to3%of infected people consequently develop gastric adenocarcinomas.The clinical outcome of the infection is determined by host genetic predisposition,bacterial virulence factors,and environmental factors.The association between H.pylori infection and chronic active gastritis,peptic ulcer disease,gastric cell carcinoma,and B cell mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma has been well established.With the exception of unexplained iron deficiency anemia and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura,H.pylori infection has no proven role in extraintestinal diseases.On the other hand,there is data showing that H.pylori infection could be beneficial for some human diseases.The unpredictability of the long-term consequences of H.pylori infection and the economic challenge in eradicating it is why identification of high-risk individuals is crucial.     

Vertically acquired hepatitis C virus infection:Correlates of transmission and disease progression

The worldwide prevalence of hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection in children is 0.05%-0.4% in developed countries and 2%-5% in resource-limited settings, where inadequately tested blood products or un-sterile medical injections still remain important routes of infection. After the screening of blood donors, motherto-child transmission(MTCT) of HCV has become the leading cause of pediatric infection, at a rate of 5%. Maternal HIV co-infection is a significant risk factor for MTCT and anti-HIV therapy during pregnancy seemingly can reduce the transmission rate of both viruses. Conversely, a high maternal viral load is an important, but not preventable risk factor, because at present no anti-HCV treatment can be administered to pregnant women to block viral replication. Caution is needed in adopting obstetric procedures, such as amniocentesis or internal fetal monitoring, that can favor fetal exposure to HCV contaminated maternal blood, though evidence is lacking on the real risk of single obstetric practices. Mode of delivery and type of feeding do not represent significant risk factors for MTCT. Therefore, there is no reason to offer elective caesarean section or discourage breast-feeding to HCV infected parturients. Information on the natural history of vertical HCV infection is limited. The primary infection is asymptomatic in infants. At least one quarter of infected children shows a spontaneous viral clearance(SVC) that usually occurs within 6 years of life. IL-28 B polymorphims and genotype 3 infection have been associated with greater chances of SVC. In general, HCV progression is mild or moderate in children with chronic infection who grow regularly, though cases with marked liver fibrosis or hepatic failure have been described. Non-organ specific autoantibodies and cryoglobulins are frequently found in children with chronic infection, but autoimmune diseases or HCV associated extrahepatic manifestations are rare.     

Epitope finding in 2019 novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV):The first world report

正Wuhan coronavirus infection is a new emerging disease that started in China and presently spread into many countries[1,2]. The disease is an acute illness with respiratory manifestation caused by 2019 novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV) as designated by the World Health Organization(WHO). Until the present, there is no specific antiviral treatment. For prevention, standard infection control is necessary.     

A review of Helicobacter pylori diagnosis,treatment, and methods to detect eradication

Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) affects nearly half of the world’s population and, thus, is one of the most frequent and persistent bacterial infections worldwide. H. pylori is associated with peptic ulcer disease, gastric ulcers, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, and gastric cancer. Various diagnostic methods exist to detect infection, and the choice of one method or another depends on several factors, such as accessibility, advantages and disadvantages of each method, cost, and the age of patients. Once H. pylori infection is diagnosed, the clinician decides whether treatment is necessity, according to the patient’s clinical condition. Typically, eradication of H. pylori is recommended for treatment and prevention of the infection. Cure rates with the standard triple therapy are acceptable, and effective quadruple therapies, sequential therapies, and concomitant therapies have been introduced as key alternatives to treat H. pylori infection. In this work, we review the main diagnostic methods used to identify H. pylori infection and to confirm eradication of infection. In addition, key factors related to treatment are reviewed.     

Helicobacter pylori infection in obesity and its clinical outcome after bariatric surgery

The present review summarizes the prevalence and active clinical problems in obese patients with Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)infection,as well as the outcomes after bariatric surgery in this patient population.The involvement of H.pylori in the pathophysiology of obesity is still debated.It may be that the infection is protective against obesity,because of the gastritis-induced decrease in production and secretion of the orexigenic hormone ghrelin.However,recent epidemiological studies have failed to show an association between H.pylori infection and reduced body mass index.H.pylori infection might represent a limiting factor in the access to bariatric bypass surgery,even if highquality evidence indicating the advantages of preoperative H.pylori screening and eradication is lacking.The clinical management of infection is complicated by the lower eradication rates with standard therapeutic regimens reported in obese patients than in the normalweight population.Prospective clinical studies to ameliorate both H.pylori eradication rates and control the clinical outcomes of H.pylori infection after different bariatric procedures are warranted.     

Persistent occult hepatitis B virus infection： Experimental findings and clinical implications

Hepatitis B virus （HBV） is a highly pathogenic virus that causes chronic liver diseases in millions of people globally. In addition to a symptomatic, serologically evident infection, occult persistent HBV carriage has been identified since nucleic acid amplification assays of enhanced sensitivity became introduced for detection of hepadnaviral genomes and their replicative intermediates. Current evidence indicates that occult HBV infection is a common and long-term consequence of resolution of acute hepatitis B. This form of residual infection is termed as secondary occult infection （SOI）. The data from the woodchuck model of HBV infection indicate that exposure to small amounts of hepadnavirus can also cause primary occult infection （POI） where virus genome, but no serological makers of exposure to virus, are detectable, and the liver may not be involved. However, virus replicates at low levels in the lymphatic system in both these forms. We briefly summarize the current understanding of the nature and characteristics of occult hepadnaviral persistence as well as of its documented and expected pathological consequences.     

Humidity that is appropriate for Zika virus infection:A summary from Thai cases

In the present day,Zika virus infection is a big problem in medicine.As a mosquito borne infectious disease,the climate parameters including humidity can affect the disease suitability.However,there is no previous data on the appropriate humidity level that can promote Zika virus infection.Here,the authors analyze the data on humidity where the Zika infections are detected in Thailand and found that the average humidity is equal to(66.14%±19.86%),which is the level that can be seen in several areas of the world including to non-tropical countries.This implies that there is a possible risk of Zika virus infection in the non-tropical country with appropriate humidity level.     

Racial Differences in H. pylori Infection and Disease Outcomes in a Mutiracial Asian Country

Malaysia epitomizes the multiraciality of a South East Asian country where three major Asian races: Malay, Chinese and Indians live together. The distribution of Hp infection amongst the differences in Malaysia show an interesting pattern with the Malays having a consistently low prevalence compared to the Chinese and Indians. In our seroepidemiological studies and in a large endoscopic survey, Chinese and Indian race remained as independent predictive factors for H.pylori infection, after adjusting for possible confounding factors such as social class and age.     

Molecular analysis of hepatitis B virus isolates in Mexico： Predominant circulation of hepatitis B virus genotype H

INTRODUCTIONHepatitis B virus(HBV)is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.It is estimated that2billion people are infected with HBV and350million individuals suffer from chronic HBV infection in the world[1,2].Chronic HBV infection may …     

H. pylori-negative Peptic Ulcers： Frequency and Implications for Management

H. pylori infection is the most common cause of peptic ulcers. The infection is present in about 95 % and 85% of patients with duodenal ulcers (DU) and gastric ulcers (GU), respectively. However, a recent study in the U.S. underscored the folly of assuming that the presence of H. pylori infection is the cause of peptic ulcers (Laine et al, Am J Gastroenterol 1998; 93: 1409-15). An average of 20% of patients enrolled in 7 controlled trials of H. pylori eradication regimens suffered a relapse of DU despite successful eradication of H. pylori, indicating that the infection did not cause the ulcers.     

Interplay between chronic hepatitis B and atherosclerosis: Innovative perspectives and theories

Elaboration of carotid atherosclerosis in the setting of hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection should emphasize the significance of extrahepatic manifestations of the infection pathogenesis.Diverse processes comprise the pathoevolution of HBV infection,rendering it a multi-systemic disease in its essence.Our work not only exemplified atherosclerosis as an often-underestimated contributor to the severity of HBV infection but has also highlighted the bidirectional relationship between the two.Therefore,it is suggested that HBV-induced inflammation is one of the root causes of atherosclerosis,which in turn has a consequent effect on the severity of the chronic infection disease state,creating a vicious cycle.Additionally,we coupled prior data with the current concepts of HBV infection to postulate intriguing perspectives and theories.     

Current therapeutic strategies for recurrent hepatitis B virus infection after liver transplantation

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver disease is the leading indication for liver transplantation (LT) in Asia,especially in China.With the introduction of hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) and oral antiviral drugs,the recurrent HBV infection rate after LT has been evidently reduced.However,complete eradication of recurrent HBV infection after LT is almost impossible.Recurrent graft infection may lead to rapid disease progression and is a frequent cause of death within the fi rst year after LT.At present,th...     

Dose prediction of lopinavir/ritonavir for 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection based on mathematic modeling

正Wuhan novel coronavirus or 2019-novel coronavirus(2019-nCoV) infection is a rapidly emerging respiratory viral disease[1]. 2019-nCoV infection is characterized as febrile illness with possible severe lung complication[1]. The disease was firstly reported in China in December 2019 and then spread to many countries(such as Thailand, Japan and Singapore)[2,3]. As a new disease, there is a limited knowledge of treatment for the infection. Lu recently proposed that some drug might be useful in treatment of 2019-nCoV     

Clusterin: Review of research progress and looking ahead to direction in hepatocellular carcinoma

Liver cancer, a large proportion of which is hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), is diagnosed in more than 700000 people each year worldwide. Liver cancer is particularly prevalent in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and the South Pacific, where hepatitis B and hepatitis C infection rates are very high. However, due to resistance to chemotherapy, patients with intermediate and advanced-stage disease cannot benefit from this treatment. Clusterin, which is overexpressed in many different cancers, is a stress-induced cytoprotective protein that confers treatment resistance. Custirsen(OGX-011) is a novel 2'-methoxyethyl modified phosphorothioate antisense oligonucleotide that targets secretory clusterin protein expression and is currently in clinical trials for patients with different cancers. In recent years, a number of different clinical trials have been performed, and two phase Ⅲ clinical trials of custirsen evaluating combinations with chemotherapy in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer are currently in progress. The aims of this review are to summarize the current state of research on clusterin, predict future research directions and analyze the potential of the clinical application of custirsen in HCC.     

Factors that mediate colonization of the human stomach by Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori)colonizes the stomach of humans and causes chronic infection.The majority of bacteria live in the mucus layer overlying the gastric epithelial cells and only a small proportion of bacteria are found interacting with the epithelial cells.The bacteria living in the gastric mucus may act as a reservoir of infection for the underlying cells which is essential for the development of disease.Colonization of gastric mucus is likely to be key to the establishment of chronic infection.How H.pylori manages to colonise and survive in the hostile environment of the human stomach and avoid removal by mucus flow and killing by gastric acid is the subject of this review.We also discuss how bacterial and host factors may together go some way to explaining the susceptibility to colonization and the outcome of infection in different individuals.H.pylori infection of the gastric mucosa has become a paradigm for chronic infection.Understanding of why H.pylori is such a successful pathogen may help us understand how other bacterial species colonise mucosal surfaces and cause disease.     

Epstein-Barr virus:Silent companion or causative agent of chronic liver disease?

The Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)has an important and multifaceted role in liver pathology.As a member of the herpes virus family,EBV establishes a persistent infection in more than 90%of adults.Besides acute hepatitis during primary infection,many clinical syndromes of interest for the hepatologist are associated with EBV infection.The role of EBV in the evolution of chronic hepatitis from hepatotropic viruses is considered.Chronic EBVassociated hepatitis is suspected in immunocompetent adults with compatible se...     

Catastrophic gastrointestinal complication of systemic immunosuppression

We present a case of acute upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage in a patient with systemic vasculitis immunosuppressed on cyclophosphamide and prednisolone.The patient presented with a diffuse haemorrhagic oesophagitis and a non-specific duodenitis.Biopsies taken from the oesophagus and duodenum demonstrated infection with herpes simplex virus(HSV)and cytomegalovirus(CMV)respectively.Viral infection of the upper gastrointestinal tract is a recognised complication of immunosuppression and HSV is one of the most common pathogens.CMV on the other hand most commonly causes a colitis or less commonly oesophagitis.CMV enteritis is rare as is the synchronous infection with two viral agents in an immunocompromised patient having being described in a few case series only.Viral infection of the gastrointestinal tract in immunocompromised patients should be treated with systemic anti-viral medication and consideration to withdrawal of the immunosuppressive therapy if possible and appropriate.The authors highlight the need for a high suspicion of viral infection in immunosuppressed patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding.