pylori-infected children with malaria or helminth infections. Symptoms were generally not associated with levels of circulating peripheral cytokines irrespective of co-morbid infection diagnosis. Conclusions:  There is a high prevalence of asymptomatic H. pylori

infection in recently resettled African refugee children. Gastrointestinal symptoms were not predictive of H. pylori nor of helminth infections. Serum cytokines, particularly IL-5, IL-10, and TNFα, were significantly elevated in children with malaria and helminth infections but not in those with H. pylori infection. buy Y-27632 “
“Background: Helicobacter hepaticus, the prototype for enterohepatic Helicobacter species, colonizes the lower intestinal and hepatobiliary tracts of mice and causes typhlocolitis, hepatitis, and hepatocellular carcinoma in susceptible mouse strains. Cytolethal distending toxin (CDT) is the only known virulence factor found

in H. hepaticus. CDT of several Gram-negative bacteria is associated with double-stranded DNA breaks resulting in cell cycle arrest and death of a wide range of eukaryotic cells in vitro. We previously observed H. hepaticus CDT (HhCDT) mediated apoptosis in INT407 cells. However, the exact mechanism for the induction of the apoptotic pathway by HhCDT is unknown. The objective of this study was to identify the apoptotic signaling pathway induced by HhCDT in INT407 cells. Materials and Methods:  INT407 cells were incubated with or without recombinant HhCDT for 0–72 hours. H2AX phosphorylation Urease and apoptotic parameters were analyzed. Results:  H2AX was phosphorylated 24 hours postexposure to HhCDT. Expression of mTOR inhibitor pro-apoptotic Bax protein was upregulated after 24 hours, while Bcl2 expression decreased. Cytochrome c was released from mitochondria after 12–24 hours of exposure. Concurrently, caspase 3/7 and 9 were activated. However, pretreatment of INT407 cells with caspase inhibitor (Z-VAD-FMK) inhibited the activation of caspase 3/7 and 9. Significant activity of caspase 8 was not observed in toxin treated cells. Activation of caspase

3/7 and caspase 9 confirms the involvement of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in HhCDT-treated cells. Conclusion:  These findings show, for the first time, the ability of HhCDT to induce apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway. “
“Background:  Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in noninvasive methods to diagnose Helicobacter pylori infection. Indeed, they can profitably replace endoscopy in predicting the diagnosis. The stool antigen test for H. pylori is a noninvasive immunoassay to diagnose active infection with this bacterium in human fecal samples. The aim of this study was detection of alkyl hydroperoxide reductase protein (AhpC) antigen by immunoblotting in stool samples for diagnosis of H. pylori. Materials and Methods:  Chromosomal DNA from H. pylori was isolated.