Search

Theragnostic platforms, which integrate therapeutic and diagnostic capabilities, have gained significant interest in drug research because of to their potential advantages. This study reports the development of a novel multifunctional nanoparticle carrier system based on poly(ᴅ,ʟ-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) for the targeted delivery of the chemotherapeutic agent chlorambucil (CHL) and the imaging agent IR780. The approach in this study incorporates Pluronic F127-folate onto the PLGA nanoparticles, which enables targeted delivery to folate receptor-expressing cancer cells. The F127-folate@PLGA/CHL/IR780 nanoparticles were formulated using a nanoprecipitation technique, resulting in small size, high homogeneity, and negative surface charge. Importantly, the folate-targeted nanoparticles demonstrated enhanced uptake and cytotoxicity in folate receptor-positive cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and HepG-2) compared to folate receptor-negative cells (HEK 293). Additionally, the F127-folate@PLGA/CHL/IR780 nanoparticles exhibited a lower IC50 value against cancer cells than non-targeted F127@PLGA/CHL/IR780 nanoparticles. These findings suggest that the developed F127-folate@PLGA/CHL/IR780 nanoparticles hold promise as a theragnostic system for targeted cancer therapy and diagnosis, leveraging the advantages of PLGA, folate targeting, and the integration of therapeutic and imaging agents.

In health technology assessment (HTA), population-adjusted indirect comparisons (PAICs) are increasingly considered to adjust for the difference in the target population between studies. We aim to assess the conduct and reporting of PAICs in recent HTA practice, by performing, a methodological systematic review of studies implementing PAICs from PubMed, EMBASE Classic, Embase/Ovid Medline All, and Cochrane databases from January 1, 2010 to Feb 13, 2023. Four independent researchers screened the titles, abstracts, and full-texts of the identified records, then extracted data on methodological and reporting characteristics of 106 eligible articles. Most PAIC analyses (96.9%, n = 157) were conducted by (or received funding from) pharmaceutical companies. Prior to adjustment, 44.5% of analyses (n = 72) (partially) aligned the eligibility criteria of different studies to enhance the similarity of their target populations. In 37.0% of analyses (n = 60), the clinical and methodological heterogeneity across studies were extensively assessed. In 9.3% of analyses (n = 15), the quality (or bias) of individual studies was evaluated. Among 18 analyses using methods that required an outcome model specification, results of the model fitting procedure were adequately reported in three analyses (16.7%). These findings suggest that the conduct and reporting of PAICs are remarkably heterogeneous and suboptimal in current practice. More recommendations and guidelines on PAICs are thus warranted to enhance the quality of these analyses in the future.

Felsic extrusive rocks are widely distributed in the western region of Thanh Hoa, primarily comprising rhyolite and rhyolitic tuff formations. They show porphyritic textures, and are composed of 15–25% phenocrysts and 75–85% groundmass. Phenocrysts are mainly euhedral–subhedral plagioclase (5-10 vol.%), K-feldspar (5-10 vol.%) and quartz (5-10 vol.%). The groundmass consists of plagioclase (30-45 vol.%), K-feldspar (25-40 vol.%), quartz (30-40 vol.%), and minor biotite with random distribution. In terms of geological context, these extrusive rocks overlie Silurian-Devonian sequences of sandstone and siltstone interbedded with shale and limestone lenses, and were intruded by the Early Triassic granite of the Song Ma complex. Zircons selected from rhyolite were LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dated, yielding an age of 253 Ma. This age is the timing of the magma crystallization, corresponding to the Late Permian - Early Triassic Indosinian tectonomagmatic event. These findings together with historical study results, prove that the Indosinian magmatic event widely occurred in the Truong Son belt, the Song Ma domain and the Kon Tum area. The eruption of the rhyolite is linked to the amalgamation between the South China and Indochina blocks.

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is an uncommon prion disease, also a fatal degenerative brain disorder. We aimed to illustrate 2 clinical cases, a 60-year-old female and a 57-year-old male, who came to the hospital due to rapidly progressive cognitive decline. A 1.5T brain MRI in both patients detected cortical and basal ganglia signal abnormalities with diffuse, asymmetrical features. The patient underwent electroencephalography and cerebrospinal fluid tests, which showed abnormal waves and a positive 14-3-3 protein test in the CSF samples of both patients. According to the 2018 US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) diagnostic criteria, we finally diagnosed these patients with sCJD.

Theragnostics has become a popular term nowadays, since it enables both diagnosis and therapy at the same time while only using one carrier platform. Therefore, formulating a nanocarrier system that could serve as theragnostic agent by using simple techniques would be an advantage during production. In this project, we aimed to develop a nanocarrier that can be loaded with the chemotherapeutic medication chlorambucil and magnetic resonance imaging agents (e.g., iron oxide nanoparticles and near-infrared fluorophore IR780) for theragnostics. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) was combined with the aforementioned ingredients to generate poly(vinyl alcohol)-based nanoparticles (NPs) using the single emulsion technique. Then the NPs were coated with F127 and F127-folate by simple incubation for five days. The nanoparticles have the hydrodynamic size of approx. 250 nm with negative charge. Similar to chlorambucil and IR780, iron oxide loadings were observed for all three kinds of NPs. The release of chlorambucil was quicker at pH 5.4 than at pH 7.4 at 37 °C. The F127@NPs and F127-folate@NPs demonstrated much greater cell uptake and toxicity up to 72 h after incubation. Our in vitro results of F127@NPs and F127-folate@NPs have demonstrated the ability of these systems to serve as medication and imaging agent carriers for cancer treatment and diagnostics, respectively.

AbstractThis study examines the joint effects of climate policy uncertainty (CPU) and economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on the green activities (GAs) of Vietnamese listed companies from 2010 to 2022. CPU and EPU are measured by standardizing the search volume index of relevant keywords using data from Google Trends and Glimpse. Meanwhile, GAs are assessed through variables related to green finance (GF) and green innovation (GI). The findings from multivariate regression models show a positive relationship between CPU, EPU, and either GF or GI in Vietnam during the period of 2010–2022. Furthermore, the interaction between CPU and EPU positively influences both GF and GI among listed firms throughout the research period. This study suggests that governments promoting policies to enhance economic activity or address climate change can facilitate firms in sustaining their green economic activities.

Flood prediction is an important task, which helps local decision-makers in taking effective measures to reduce damage to the people and economy. Currently, most studies use machine learning to predict flooding in a given region; however, the extrapolation problem is considered a major challenge when using these techniques and is rarely studied. Therefore, this study will focus on an approach to resolve the extrapolation problem in flood depth prediction by integrating machine learning (XGBoost, Extra-Trees (EXT), CatBoost (CB), and light gradient boost machines (LightGBM)) and hydraulic modeling under MIKE FLOOD. The results show that the hydraulic model worked well in providing the flood depth data needed to build the machine learning model. Among the four proposed machine learning models, XGBoost was found to be the best at solving the extrapolation problem in the estimation of flood depth, followed by EXT, CB, and LightGBM. Quang Binh province was hit by floods with depths ranging from 0 to 3.2 m. Areas with high flood depths are concentrated along and downstream of the two major rivers (Gianh and Nhat Le – Kien Giang). HIGHLIGHTS Machine learning and hydrodynamic modeling are used to solve the extrapolation problem.; Model performance was evaluated using root-mean-square error, coefficient of determination (R2), and mean absolute error.; Developed models achieved a high accuracy to solve the extrapolation problem.;

The research on gold in Vietnam has been interesting to many authors. So far, studies on Geology-Minerals on the territory of Vietnam have determined that there are hundreds of gold mineralization. The structures related to primary gold in Vietnam have identified as Truong Son Fold Belt/ East Indochina Block and Sino-Vietnam composit Terran corresponding to Mountain belt internal contents early Paleozoic and Areas with high metamorphism. The magma formations associated with the mineralization zone contain gold mainly in the P3-T1 period, primary gold in Vietnam is closely related to the folding structure. Primary gold in Vietnam is an ore type of quartz-polymetallic sulfide-gold (silver) and quartz-sulfur-gold. Our research results have contributed to orienting the search for primary gold in Vietnam.

This paper analyzes factors that affect the numeracy skills of secondary school students from mountainous and ethnic minority regions in Vietnam from the perspective of the students to create suitable strategies for teachers, parents, and the government to enhance their numeracy skills. Data from 755 students in 8 secondary schools in 8 provinces in the northern region of Vietnam were analyzed. The results showed eight factors that impact the numeracy levels of secondary students in mountainous regions. Student's efforts and language skills were most influential, and teachers did not have a substantial effect. The paper offers suggestions to equip teachers in these regions with more knowledge and skills to support students in developing their numeracy skills.

Gnetum formosum Markgr., a member of the Gnetaceae family, is distributed in Vietnam. This plant remains a botanical enigma with an unexplored diversity of chemical constituents and pharmacological effects. In this study, two new steroidal saponins, namely gnetumosides A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the aerial parts of G. formosum. Their chemical structures were elucidated using spectroscopic techniques, including high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) and NMR, along with chemical hydrolysis and comparison with the reported literature. The potential anti-inflammatory effects of the isolated compounds were evaluated by measuring lipopolysaccharide-stimulated nitric oxide (NO) production in murine macrophage cells. Notably, compound 1 exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity (IC50 = 14.10 ± 0.75 µM), comparable to dexamethasone. Additionally, the mechanisms underlying the observed anti-inflammatory effects were investigated through molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) proteins. This study is the first to investigate the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of G. formosum.

Vietnam has a carbonate rock distribution area of about 60,000 km2, accounting for nearly 20% of the territory's area. Carbonate rocks in Vietnam are located in many different stratigraphy, their ages from Pre Cambrian to Triassic. Carbonate rocks in Vietnam include limestone, marble, and dolomite. Carbonate rock has been made up for hundreds of millions of years. However, the use of carbonate rock resources in Vietnam is inconsequential, reducing its value. The author of the article introduces an overview of carbonate rock resources in Vietnam, and the reality of exploiting and processing carbonate resources in Vietnam. Since then, gave warnings about illogical in the use of carbonate rock resources. At the same time, it also makes recommendations for the rational use of carbonate rock resources for sustainable development.

This paper presents a comparison of the three distinctive well-known control techniques, including Linear Quadratic Regulator (for short, LQR), Sliding Mode Control (for short, SMC), and Fuzzy Logic Control (for short, FLC). Each controller is in a different control category; LQR is an optimal controller employed in both linear and nonlinear systems, SMC is a nonlinear controller commonly applied in a nonlinear system, and the Fuzzy controller is the intelligent controller which can be archived by user’s experiment or other learning techniques. Beside the three main controllers for stabilizing at the equilibrium point, the swing-up controller is designed based on energy-based method to bring the system at the initial position close to the equilibrium points. Finally, the performance and the validity of the three methods are verified through both simulation and experimental results.

Vodka constitutes a significant sector of Vietnam’s alcohol industry, including both domestic and imported varieties. However, this diversity faces challenges from illegal imports and adulterated products, threatening consumer health and brand integrity. This study employs Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to analyze 300 vodka samples from five brands collected across Hanoi. Significant variations were found in elemental compositions, with sodium concentrations ranging from 205.67 μg/L to 1269.24 μg/L and magnesium levels from 65.57 μg/L to 1453.34 μg/L. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the FTIR and ICP-MS data effectively differentiated the samples, with the first two principal components explaining 84.78% and 73.02% of the total variance, respectively. The PCA plots revealed distinct chemical profiles, notably isolating Rocket Vodka. These findings enhance food safety enforcement, protect consumer rights, and preserve brand reputations. The study underscores the importance of advanced analytical tools in combating beverage adulteration, ensuring public health, and maintaining market integrity, offering a replicable model for similar research in other regions.

Sausage is a convenient food that is widely consumed in the world and in Vietnam. Due to the rapid development of this product, the authenticity of many famous brands has faded by the rise of adulteration. Therefore, in this study, principal component analysis (PCA) was combined with chemical analysis to identify 6 sausage brands. Sausage samples were dried and then ground to a fine powder for both instrumental analyses of attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Dried measurements of ATR-FTIR was performed directly on the ZnSe crystal, while elemental data were obtained through microwave digestion before the ICP-MS analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) within the framework software of XLSTAT and STATISTICA 12 was performed on the spectroscopy and elemental dataset of sausage samples. PCA visualized the distinction of 6 sausage brands on both datasets of ATR-FTIR and ICP-MS. The classification on the spectroscopy profile showed that although more than 90% variation of the dataset was explained on the first two PCs, the difference between several brands was not detected as the distribution of data overlapped with one another. The PCA observation of the elemental composition on PC1 and PC3 has separated the sausage brands into 6 distinctive groups. Besides, several key elements contributed to the brands’ identification have been detected, and the most distinctive elements are Na, K, Ca, and Ba. PCA visualization showed the feasibility of the classification of sausage samples from different brands when combined with the results of FT-IR and ICP-MS methods. The experiment was able to differentiate the sausages from the 5 brands using multivariate statistics.

G-quadruplexes (G4s) are reported to present on the SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome and control various viral activities. Specific ligands targeting those viral nucleic acid structures could be investigated as promising detection methods or antiviral reagents to suppress this menacing virus. Herein, we demonstrate the binding between a G4 structure in the RNA of SARS-CoV-2 and a fluorescent probe created by fusing a parallel-G4 specific RHAU53 and a cyan fluorescent protein. The specific binding of G4 in SARS-CoV-2 by RHAU peptide was easily detected under the fluorescence spectrometer. The drawbacks of this approach and potential solutions are also discussed.