Analysis on Technical Efficiency and Influencing Factors of Rapeseed Production

Based on micro survey data of 344 rapeseed farmers in 19 rapeseed counties of Hubei Province,with the aid of stochastic frontier production function model and efficiency loss model,this paper analyzed basic production situations,demographic characteristics of rapeseed farmers,technical efficiency loss,and main influencing factors. In Hubei Province,there are mainly following problems in rapeseed production: serious aging of rapeseed farmers; relatively scarce labors; the middle-aged and old farmers have higher technical efficiency level; with increase in farmer age,their technical efficiency firstly declines and then rises. In view of these situations,it came up with recommendations including raising educational level of rapeseed farmers to realize large scale economy and effectively reduce technical efficiency loss,and local government,specialized associations and agricultural machinery extension departments should provide proper technical guidance according to demands of farmers to reduce technical efficiency loss.

Efficacy and safety of triple therapy containing berberine,amoxicillin,and vonoprazan for Helicobacter pylori initial treatment:A randomized controlled trial

Background:With the development of traditional Chinese medicine research,berberine has shown good efficacy and safety in the eradication of Helicobacter pylori(H.pylori).The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of triple therapy containing berberine,amoxicillin,and vonoprazan for the initial treatment of H.pylori.Methods:This study was a single-center,open-label,parallel,randomized controlled clinical trial.Patients with H.pylori infection were randomly(1:1:1)assigned to receive berberine triple therapy(berberine 500 mg,amoxicillin 1000 mg,vonoprazan 20 mg,A group),vonoprazan quadruple therapy(vonoprazan 20 mg,amoxicillin 1000 mg,clarithromycin 500 mg,colloidal bismuth tartrate 220 mg,B group),or rabeprazole quadruple therapy(rabeprazole 10 mg,amoxicillin 1000 mg,clarithromycin 500 mg,colloidal bismuth tartrate 220 mg,C group).The drugs were taken twice daily for 14 days.The main outcome was the H.pylori eradication rate.The secondary outcomes were symptom improvement rate,patient compliance,and incidence of adverse events.Furthermore,factors affecting the eradication rate of H.pylori were further analyzed.Results:A total of 300 H.pylori-infected patients were included in this study,and 263 patients completed the study.An intention-to-treat(ITT)analysis showed that the eradication rates of H.pylori in berberine triple therapy,vonoprazan quadruple therapy,and rabeprazole quadruple therapy were 70.0%(70/100),77.0%(77/100),and 69.0%(69/100),respectively.The per-protocol(PP)analysis showed that the eradication rates of H.pylori in these three groups were 81.4%(70/86),86.5%(77/89),and 78.4%(69/88),respectively.Both ITT analysis and PP analysis showed that the H.pylori eradication rate did not significantly differ among the three groups(P>0.05).In addition,the symptom improvement rate,overall adverse reaction rate,and patient compliance were similar among the three groups(P>0.05).Conclusions:The efficacy of berberine triple therapy for H.pylori initial treatment was comparable to that of vonoprazan quadruple therapy and rabeprazole quadruple therapy,and it was well tolerated.It could be used as one choice of H.pylori initial treatment.

Analysis of risk factors associated with primary bile reflux:A multicenter cross-sectional study

To the Editor:Bile reflux(BR),also known as duodenogastric reflux,refers to the reflux of duodenal contents such as bile,pancreatic juice,and duodenal juice into the stomach.BR that occurs without gastric surgery is called primary bile reflux(PBR).^([1])A retrospective study showed that the prevalence of PBR in patients with chronic gastritis was as high as 20.5%.^([2])BR can contribute to the development of upper gastrointestinal diseases,^([3–5])but the corresponding risk factors are currently unknown.We aimed to identify the related risk factors for PBR.

Combined deficiency of SLAMF8 and SLAMF9 prevents endotoxin-induced liver inflammation by downregulating TLR4 expression on macrophages

Classical signaling lymphocyte activating molecule(SLAM)family receptors are abundant within many types of immune cells,whereas the nonclassical SLAM family receptors SLAMF8 and SLAMF9,which uniquely lack cytoplasmic signaling motifs,are highly expressed by myeloid cells.Due to the potential redundancy,whether these two receptors regulate macrophage function remains largely unknown.Here,we show that SLAMF8 and SLAMF9 co-regulate macrophage-mediated liver inflammation.To overcome the redundancy,we generated mice that simultaneously lacked SLAMF8 and SLAMF9 using CRISPR-Cas9 technology.Although macrophage differentiation was not altered by the combined deficiency of SLAMF8 and SLAMF9,the loss of these two receptors significantly protected against lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced liver injury.SLAMF8 and SLAMF9 double-deficient mice had a prolonged survival rate and less infiltration of inflammatory cells.The depletion of macrophages using clodronate liposomes abolished the effects of SLAMF8 and SLAMF9 deficiencies on LPS-induced liver injury,which demonstrates that these receptors are required for macrophage activation following LPS challenge.Moreover,the deficiency of SLAMF8 and SLAMF9 suppressed the secretion of inflammatory cytokines by downregulating the expression of Toll-like receptor-4(TLR4),a receptor that specifically binds LPS,which led to decreased mitogen-activated protein kinases(MAPK)signaling activation.Notably,combined injections of truncated extracellular SLAMF8 and SLAMF9 proteins significantly alleviated LPS-induced liver injury.Thus,our findings provide insights into the role of SLAMF8 and SLAMF9 in endotoxin-induced liver injury and suggest that SLAMF8 and SLAMF9 are potential therapeutic targets for acute hepatic injury.

NK cell recognition of hematopoietic cells by SLAM-SAP families

The signaling lymphocyte activation molecule(SLAM)family of receptors(SFRs)are ubiquitously expressed on immune cells,and they regulate multiple immune events by recruiting SH2(Src homology 2)domain-containing SAP family adapters,including SAP and its homologs,Ewing’s sarcoma-associated transcript 2(EAT-2)and EAT-2 related transducer(ERT).In human patients with X-linked lymphoproliferative(XLP)disease,which is caused by SAP mutations,SFRs alternatively bind other inhibitory SH2 domain-containing molecules to suppress immune cell activation and development.NK cells express multiple SFRs and all SAP family adapters.In recent decades,SFRs have been found to be critical for enhancing NK cell activation in response to abnormal hematopoietic cells in SAP-family-intact NK cells;however,SFRs might suppress NK cell activation in SAP-family-deficient mice or patients with XLP1.In this paper,we review how these two distinct SFR signaling pathways orchestrate NK cell activation and inhibition and highlight the importance of SFR regulation of NK cell biology and their physiological status and pathological relevance in patients with XLP1.