Clostridium difficile-associated disease and Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence: A case-control study

Clinical Observation of Helicobacter pylori Infection and Risk Factors and Cytotoxin-Associated Protein A in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

The aim was to analyze the infection, influencing factors, and clinical manifestations of Helicobacter pylori infection, coronary heart disease, and cytotoxin-associated protein A infection, so as to provide reference for the improvement of clinical diagnosis and treatment level of in-depth treatment. This paper presents a clinical observation method based on Helicobacter pylori infection, risk factors, and cytotoxin-associated protein A in patients with coronary heart disease. Methods. 237 patients with CHD diagnosed and tested by 14C breath test were selected from inpatients of cardiovascular diseases in a hospital for retrospective analysis. The clinical data, serum deepening indicators, Hcy, and other factors were analyzed through general condition investigation, previous history investigation, and physical examination. The patients were observed by the SPSS22.0 statistical data processing method. The results showed that among the respondents, 175 cases were HP-positive, the infection rate was 73.8%, 77 patients with stable angina pectoris were 64.9%, and 160 patients with acute coronary heart disease were 78.1%. The difference between the groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Helicobacter pylori cytotoxic-associated protein A can increase the risk of gastric cancer, and Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment is more conducive to reduce the incidence of gastric cancer and ensure the safety of patients.

Enhanced Humoral Immune Responses against Toxin A and B of Clostridium difficile is Associated with a Milder Disease Manifestation

The role of the humoral immune response to Clostridium difficile in modulating the severity of C. difficile infection (CDI) is unclear. We compared the levels of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) against toxin A (TcdA) and toxin B (TcdB) of C. difficile between CDI and control patients and according to disease severity. The levels of IgG and IgA antibodies against TcdA and TcdB were measured in sera from patients with CDI (n = 50; 19 had severe CDI) and control patients (n = 52), using ELISA. Patients with CDI had higher levels of IgG antibodies against TcdA and TcdB than controls (p = 0.001 and p = 0.04, respectively). Higher IgG levels against TcdA and TcdB were found in patients with mild vs. severe CDI 7-14 days after the diagnosis (p = 0.004 and 0.036, respectively). A factor analysis included both IgA and IgG levels against both toxins into one composite variable, which was of higher values in patients with mild vs. severe CDI (p = 0.026). In conclusion, the systemic humoral immune responses against TcdA and TcdB might modulate the severity of CDI. These preliminary findings provide a basis for future large-scale studies and support the development and evaluation of active and passive immunotherapies for CDI management.