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A novel electrochemical sensor for the detection of enrofloxacin (ENR) in aqueous solutions has been developed using a carbon paste electrode modified with a mixture of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) of CuBTC and FeBTC. These MOFs were successfully synthesized via a solvothermal method and characterized using various techniques, including X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The MOF mixture exhibited a particle size ranging from 40 to 100 nm, a high surface area of 1147 m2/g, a pore volume of 0.544 cm3/g, and a capillary diameter of 1.50 nm. Additionally, energy-dispersive X-ray mapping demonstrated the uniform distribution of the two MOFs within the electrode composition. The synergistic effect of the electrocatalytic properties of CuBTC and the high conductivity of FeBTC significantly enhanced the electrochemical response of ENR, increasing the signal by more than ten times compared to the unmodified electrode. Under optimal analytical conditions, the sensor exhibited three dynamic ranges for ENR detection, that is, 0.005 to 0.100 µM, 0.1 to 1.0 µM, and 1 to 13 µM, with coefficients of determination of 0.9990, 0.9954, and 0.9992, respectively, depending on the accumulation duration. The sensor achieved a low detection limit of 3 nM and demonstrated good reproducibility, with a relative standard deviation of 3.83%. Furthermore, the sensor demonstrated effective performance in analysing tap and lake water samples, with recovery rates ranging from 90.2% to 121.3%.

Abstract Flexible bronchoscopy has revolutionized respiratory disease diagnosis. It offers direct visualization and detection of airway abnormalities, including lung cancer lesions. Accurate identification of airway lesions during flexible bronchoscopy plays an important role in the lung cancer diagnosis. The application of artificial intelligence (AI) aims to support physicians in recognizing anatomical landmarks and lung cancer lesions within bronchoscopic imagery. This work described the development of BM-BronchoLC, a rich bronchoscopy dataset encompassing 106 lung cancer and 102 non-lung cancer patients. The dataset incorporates detailed localization and categorical annotations for both anatomical landmarks and lesions, meticulously conducted by senior doctors at Bach Mai Hospital, Vietnam. To assess the dataset’s quality, we evaluate two prevalent AI backbone models, namely UNet++ and ESFPNet, on the image segmentation and classification tasks with single-task and multi-task learning paradigms. We present BM-BronchoLC as a reference dataset in developing AI models to assist diagnostic accuracy for anatomical landmarks and lung cancer lesions in bronchoscopy data.

Abstract Background The current study examined whether risk factors for anorexia nervosa (AN) were related to different levels of severity based on (a) the DSM-5/body mass index (BMI) and (b) drive for thinness (DT) severity ratings. Methods The sample comprised 153 pairs of individuals with a lifetime diagnosis AN per DSM-IV criteria and their non-ED sisters (N = 306, mean age = 26.53; mean current BMI = 20.42 kg/m2). The Oxford risk factor interview was used to establish AN-related risk factors. Individuals were categorised into the DSM-5 severity groups based on their lowest BMI, while the DT subscale from the eating disorder inventory-2 was used to classify individuals with AN into low and high DT groups. Results Multinominal regression models showed similar risk factors (e.g., perfectionism, having a history of being teased about weight and shape) contributed to the development of AN using the DSM-5 and DT severity ratings. Follow-up analyses across the severity groups for both indices revealed that only childhood perfectionism was found to be more common in the extreme severe DSM-5 BMI severity group compared to the severe DSM-5 group. Conclusion Overall, this study found little evidence for AN risk factors being related to the DSM-5 and DT severity ratings. However, given the novelty of this study, replication of the current results is warranted.

Ternary Content-Addressable Memory (TCAM) is one of the most effective methods for high-speed data searching in networking infrastructure. Despite the excellent performance and large look-up table, application-specific integrated- circuit-based TCAMs cost massive power supply and are challenging to configure. Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have become the alternative solution for integrating TCAM due to their minimal power consumption and reconfigurability. Methods using on-chip registers, BRAMs, or LUTRAMs to implement large-size TCAM suffer excessive resource consumption. Researchers introduced DDR-SDRAM-based CAM to provide high-performance and economic packet inspections to overcome such issues; however, they only support binary look-up. This paper presents a novel algorithmic Data-Collision TCAM architecture on FPGA for SDRAM compatibility. The proposed SDRAM- based TCAM supports ternary value look-up function for practical Ethernet packet processing. The architecture outperforms conventional TCAMs regarding BRAMs, logics consumption, and look-up table sizes. The proposed architecture is the first SDRAM-based TCAM on FPGA with a 128Mbyte look-up table.

Due to growing economy, investment, abundant labour force and tourism industry, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is becoming increasingly attractive to other parts of the world. ASEAN has a vast logistics system that contributes to the overall potential for development. The article examines key factors in the development of the ASEAN logistics system, the trends in the formation and ways of the effective development of logistics processes in the modern era of digitalization are revealed. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that during a pandemic, digital technologies can contribute to the successful development of business in the logistics industry for ASEAN. In this regard, there is a need to focus the ASEAN region on automating the management of logistics processes, introducing and improving IT products, as well as on the needs of consumers and improving the quality of services provided.

Abstract Objective The high co-occurrence of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviours and eating disorder (ED) symptoms suggests these conditions share common aetiological processes. We assessed a new integrative model of shared factors for NSSI and ED symptoms, where affect dysregulation, impulsivity, self-esteem, and body dissatisfaction mediated the relationship between insecure attachment and maladaptive schemas and NSSI and ED symptoms. A further aim of the study was to assess whether the model behaved similarly across a clinical eating disorder (ED) and a community sample. Method 123 females with a lifetime ED diagnosis and 531 female individuals from the community completed an online survey, which included measures assessing the variables of interest. A cross-sectional single time point analysis was used. Results Invariance testing indicated that the model was structurally non-invariant (different across groups). The proposed integrative model was a good fit for the ED group, but for the community sample only a revised model reached an acceptable fit. Both attachment and maladaptive schemas, included early in the model, were implicated in the pathways leading to ED and NSSI symptoms in the ED and community groups. In the community group, impulsivity, a mediator, was a shared predictor for NSSI and bulimic symptoms. No other mediating variables were shared by NSSI and ED symptoms in the two groups. Overall, the proposed model explained slightly more variance for the ED group relative to the community group in drive for thinness (R 2 = .57 vs .51) and NSSI (R 2 = .29 vs .24) but less variance in bulimic symptoms (R 2 = .33 vs .39). Conclusion We conclude that the current model provides only limited support for explaining the comorbidity between NSSI and ED symptoms. It is vital to consider both common (e.g., attachment and maladaptive schemas) and specific factors (e.g., impulsivity) to better understand the pathways that lead to the co-occurrence of NSSI and ED symptoms. A new integrative model assessed whether emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, self-esteem, and body dissatisfaction were mediators in the relationship between insecure attachment and maladaptive beliefs about the world and the self and subsequent eating disorder and self-harm symptoms. A further aim was to assess whether the proposed model differed between a clinical eating disorder and a community sample. All participants were female and included 123 patients with a lifetime eating disorder and 531 individuals from the community. Participating individuals completed an online survey at one timepoint, which included measures assessing the variables of interest. The findings of the current study indicated that the proposed model was a good match for the clinical eating disorder sample, but for the community sample only a revised model yielded acceptable statistical fit. Both insecure attachment and maladaptive beliefs about the world and the self, included early in the model, were indirectly related to eating disorder and self-harm symptoms for both the eating disorder and the community groups. Impulsivity, a mediator, was the only shared predictor for self-harm, and bulimic symptoms in the community group. We conclude that the current model provides only limited support for explaining the comorbidity between self-harming behaviours and disordered eating symptoms.

This article investigates the effect of firm size on the performance of Vietnamese private enterprises. Based on the data from the Annual Enterprise Survey from 2009 to 2018, this study uses an ordinary least-squares regression model (OLS) to point out the effects of firm size (growth rate, total assets, and total labor) on the performance of Vietnamese private enterprises in both static and dynamic states. According to the results of the quantitative model, total assets are the biggest factor for determining firm performance, followed by total labor and growth rate. The results highlight the issue in Vietnamese private enterprises development in terms of scale, despite the fact that their number is growing, as the scale of enterprises decreases (the proportion of micro and small enterprises increases, but the proportion of medium and big enterprises decreases). Besides, the disadvantages of scale also negatively affect the development process of Vietnamese private enterprises, including accessing capital, increase in production or productivity, business expansion, and improving competitiveness. AcknowledgmentsThis research is supported by the National Science Project “Development of Private Enterprises in the Southwest Region in the new context” (KHCN-TNB/14-19/X15).

Night eating syndrome (NES) is currently classified as an Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) under the Diagnostic Statistical Manual−5 (DSM-5). This systematic review aims to consolidate the studies that describe the sociodemographic, clinical and psychological features of NES in a population of patients with eating disorders (ED), obesity, or those undergoing bariatric surgery, and were published after the publication of the DSM-5. A further aim was to compare, where possible, NES with BED on the aforementioned variables. Lastly, we aimed to appraise the quality of the studies being included in the review. We conducted a systematic search on three databases (MEDLINE, PubMed and Embase) which resulted in the selection of 22 studies for the review. We included the articles that studied patients with NES and their sociodemographic, clinical and psychological features in a clinical (i.e., ED, obese or bariatric surgery) population, through a quantitative study design. Articles were excluded if the NES patients included in the study had a comorbid psychological disorder, and/or the sample was collected from a university/non-clinical population, and/or the study design was qualitative, and/or NES features were compared with any other disorder, except BED. Our study found that no conclusions about the link between any sociodemographic feature (such as, age, gender, income, etc.) and an NES diagnosis could be made. Further, NES patients presented with elevated ED pathology (including emotional eating and loss of control eating) and higher occurrence of depressive symptoms than controls. Contrary to the literature suggesting that NES and Binge Eating Disorder (BED; an ED subtype which is also comorbid with obesity) patients often report overlapping features, questioning the validity of NES as an ED diagnosis, we found that BED can be differentiated from NES by the higher occurrence of emotional eating, body related concerns and abnormal eating episodes. The review also suggested an overlap between NES and Sleep-Related Eating Disorder. We recommend that it is essential to study NES as an independent disorder to further develop its diagnostic criteria and treatment options, thereby, increasing the quality of life of the patients suffering from this syndrome.

Chất lượng nước (CLN) sông Hương được đánh giá sơ bộ qua so sánh các thông số quan trắc với quy định kỹ thuật Việt Nam về CLN mặt. Tiếp theo, CLN sông được đánh giá qua Chỉ số chất lượng nước (WQI). Phương pháp phân tích thành phần chính (PCA) được áp dụng cho dữ liệu CLN sông giai đoạn 2017–2020 để xác định trọng số (wi) của thông số CLN i trong tính toán WQI. Chỉ số chất lượng nước được tính từ cả trọng số và chỉ số phụ (qi). Các thông số được lựa chọn để tính WQI gồm (n = 11): pH, EC (độ dẫn điện), DO, TSS, BOD5, COD, N-NH4+, N-NO3–, P-PO43–, Fe (tổng sắt tan) và TC (tổng coliform). Các thông số đó được quan trắc ở 8–10 vị trí trong 4–5 đợt (tháng 2, 5, 8 và 11). Kết quả cho thấy, 95% các giá trị WQI nằm trong khoảng 90–100, ứng với CLN loại ‘tốt’ và ‘rất tốt’; chỉ 5% các giá trị WQI nằm trong khoảng 49–77 (chủ yếu vào tháng 11/2020), ứng với CLN loại ‘xấu’ đến ‘tốt’. Vào mùa mưa lũ, nồng độ TSS và Fe tăng lên, nồng độ DO giảm, dẫn đến làm giảm WQI. Chất lượng nước sông không khác nhau có ý nghĩa thống kê theo không gian/vị trí quan trắc (p > 0,05) với WQI trung vị 97–100 nhưng khác nhau theo thời gian: năm 2017 và 2019 có WQI trung vị (99) lớn hơn năm 2018 và 2020 (WQI trung vị 97) với p < 0,01.

Although Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is an intracellular pathogen in phagocytic cells, the factors and mechanisms by which they invade and persist in host cells are still not well understood. Characterization of the bacterial proteins modulating macrophage function is essential for understanding tuberculosis pathogenesis and bacterial virulence. Here we investigated the pathogenic role of the Rv2145c protein in stimulating IL-10 production. We first found that recombinant Rv2145c stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) to secrete IL-10, IL-6 and TNF-α but not IL-12p70 and to increase the expression of surface molecules through the MAPK, NF-κB, and TLR4 pathways and enhanced STAT3 activation and the expression of IL-10 receptor in Mtb-infected BMDMs. Rv2145c significantly enhanced intracellular Mtb growth in BMDMs compared with that in untreated cells, which was abrogated by STAT3 inhibition and IL-10 receptor (IL-10R) blockade. Expression of Rv2145c in Mycobacterium smegmatis (M. smegmatis) led to STAT3-dependent IL-10 production and enhancement of intracellular growth in BMDMs. Furthermore, the clearance of Rv2145c-expressing M. smegmatis in the lungs and spleens of mice was delayed, and these effects were abrogated by administration of anti-IL-10R antibodies. Finally, all mice infected with Rv2145c-expressing M. smegmatis died, but those infected with the vector control strain did not. Our data suggest that Rv2145c plays a role in creating a favorable environment for bacterial survival by modulating host signals.

Vietnam, is one of the developing countries, which approaches new technology, especially Internet is extremely fast approximately 67.1% in the population in 2017. With the boosting of information technology, it creates a new environment and tool to reach the customers' requirement. The new and effective method of narrowing the gap between the distributors and clients is electronic commerce (e-commerce). E-commerce is one of the most innovative expansions of the technologies that enable small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) access to global communication and trade. It can help SMEs expand their businesses to global market and increase sales, reduce costs as well as profits. In order to explore the impact of e-commerce as a novel way to boost the development in Vietnamese SMEs, this paper investigated the benefits and barriers of SMEs in e-commerce. Therefore, a questionnaire survey was conducted to study the impact of e-commerce on SMEs in Vietnam. From the results of this survey, we strongly believed that e-commerce is the main key to bring a lot of benefits to not only SMEs but also big companies in Vietnam.

Cassava starch was oxidized using the electrolysis system. Sodium chloride was added to this system at various concentrations from 0.5 to 5.0 % (w/v). The whiteness of modified starches proportionally increased based on the NaCl concentration and human eyes could recognize the difference of color. Under treatment, dents occurred on the surface of starch granule. Concentration of carbonyl and carboxyl groups was increased compared to native starch. Based on X-ray diffraction pattern, oxidized starch kept its A-type. Besides, the ratios of alpha-helix/amorphous regions remained indicating oxidation reaction mainly subjected on amorphous region. Intrinsic viscosity was used to indirectly calculate the average molecular weight of sample. Furthermore, results showed that average molecular weight was significantly reduced (from 2.09-fold to 13.22-fold) based on the reacting NaCl concentration. The increase of NaCl content related to the increase of retrogradation of treated starches. At various temperatures (30-95°C), swelling factor and clarity reflected negative and positive correlations to NaCl concentration.

Objective: To assess an alternative trans‐diagnostic indicator for severity based on drive for thinness (DT) for anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge‐eating disorder (BED), and other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED), and to compare this new approach to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐5) severity categories for EDs. Method: A total of 2,811 ED [428 AN‐restrictive (AN‐R), 313 AN‐binge purging (AN‐BP), 1,340 BN, 329 BED, 154 OSFED/atypical AN (AT), and 223 OSFED/purging disorder (PD)] patients were classified using: (a) The DSM‐5 severity categories and (b) a DT categorisation. These severity classifications were then compared based on ED symptoms, general psychopathology, personality, and impulsive behaviours. Results: For the DSM‐5 categories, most ED patients fell into the 'mild' to 'moderate' categories. Using the DT categories, AN patients were mainly represented in the 'low' DT category, and BN, OSFED/AT, and PD in the 'high' DT category. The clinically significant findings were stronger for the DT than the DSM‐5 severity approach (medium‐to‐large effect sizes). AN‐BP and AN‐R provided the most pronounced effects. Conclusion: Our findings question the clinical value of the DSM‐5 severity categorisation, and provide initial support for an alternative DT severity approach for AN. Highlights : This study assessed an alternative trans‐diagnostic drive for thinness (DT) severity.Category for all eating disorder (ED) sub‐types, and then compared this to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders‐5 (DSM‐5) severity indices for EDs.ED symptoms, general psychopathology, personality, and impulsive behaviours were assessed using both classifications in a total of 2,811 female patients diagnosed with EDs.Clinically significant findings were stronger for the DT than the DSM‐5 severity category (medium‐to‐large effect sizes); there was differentiation of the anorexia nervosa (AN) patients into mainly 'low' DT, and bulimia nervosa (BN) spectrum patients into mainly 'high' DT, vs. most patients were clustered in the 'mild‐to‐moderate' DSM‐5 categories.Our findings provide initial support for an alternative trans‐diagnostic DT severity category that may be more clinically meaningful than the DSM‐5 severity indices for EDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycobacterium tuberculosis contains diverse immunologically active components. This study investigated the biological function of a newly identified component, Rv1654, with the potential to induce apoptosis in macrophages. Recombinant Rv1654 induced macrophage apoptosis in a caspase-9/3-dependent manner through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and interaction with Toll-like receptor 4. In addition, Rv1654 induced the production of tumor necrosis factor-a, interleukin-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 through the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Furthermore, Rv1654-induced c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation was inhibited by the ROS scavenger and Rv1654-induced apoptosis was inhibited by the JNK inhibitor. Moreover, it was found that treatment of macrophages with Rv1654 led to the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome c into the cytosol, and translocation of Bax into the mitochondria. Finally, Rv1654-mediated apoptosis was inhibited in macrophages transfected with Bax siRNA. These results suggest that Rv1654 induces macrophage apoptosis through a mitochondrial-dependent pathway and ROS-mediated JNK activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The molar spin susceptibilities χ(T) of Na-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), K-TCNQ, and Rb-TCNQ(II) are fit quantitatively to 450 K in terms of half-filled bands of three one-dimensional Hubbard models with extended interactions using exact results for finite systems. All three models have bond order wave (BOW) and charge density wave (CDW) phases with boundary V = Vc(U) for nearest-neighbor interaction V and on-site repulsion U. At high T, all three salts have regular stacks of TCNQ- anion radicals. The χ(T) fits place Na and K in the CDW phase and Rb(II) in the BOW phase with V ≈ Vc. The Na and K salts have dimerized stacks at T < Td while Rb(II) has regular stacks at 100 K. The χ(T) analysis extends to dimerized stacks and to dimerization fluctuations in Rb(II). The three models yield consistent values of U, V, and transfer integrals t for closely related TCNQ- stacks. Model parameters based on χ(T) are smaller than those from optical data that in turn are considerably reduced by electronic polarization from quantum chemical calculation of U, V, and t of adjacent TCNQ- ions. The χ(T) analysis shows that fully relaxed states have reduced model parameters compared to optical or vibration spectra of dimerized or regular TCNQ- stacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of H3SiR (R=Ph, nBu) with cationic η5‐C5Me5‐ (Cp*) and benzo[h]quinolinyl‐based iridacycle [1 b]+ gives rise to new [(IrH)→SiRH2]+ adducts. In the presence of THF these adducts readily undergo elimination of H2 gas at subambient temperature to form THF‐stabilized metallacyclic IrIII silylene complexes, which were characterized in situ by NMR spectroscopy, trapped in minute amounts by reactive crystallization, and structurally characterized by XRD. Theoretical investigations (static DFT‐D reaction‐energy profiling, ETS‐NOCV) support the promoting role of THF in the H2 elimination step and the consolidation of the Ir‐to‐Si interaction in the spontaneous (ΔG<0) formation of Ir silylenes in the presence of THF. Mechanistic insights indicate that the Ir silylene species arising from the [1 b]+/phenylsilane system are relevant catalytic species in the hydrodefluorination of fluoroalkanes. It′s a trap! Treatment of a Cp*‐bearing iridacycle with phenylsilane in the presence of THF yields a THF‐stabilized cationic IrIII silylene complex, which was characterized in situ by NMR spectroscopy, trapped by reactive crystallization, and structurally characterized (see figure). It exhibits catalytic activity in the hydrodefluorination of fluoroalkanes. Cp*: η5‐C5Me5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The computation of metal-silyl interaction energies indicates the existence of situations in which the silyl group behaves as a Z-type ligand according to the Green method of covalent-bond classification. There is a scale of relative intrinsic silylicity Π, defined as the ratio of the intrinsic silyl-to-triflate interaction energy of a silyltriflate as a reference compound relative to the silyl-to-metal interaction of given complex, that can reveal in a straightforward manner the propensity of SiR3 groups to behave chemically as metal-bound 'silylium' ions, namely, [SiR3]+. Emblematic cases, either taken from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) or constructed for the purpose of this study, were also investigated from the viewpoints of extended transition-state natural orbitals for chemical valence (ETS-NOCV) and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analyses. It is shown in the case of POBMUP-which is the iridium 1,3-bis[(di- tert-butylphosphino)oxy]benzene (POCOP) complex isolated by Brookhart et al.-how slight variations of molecular charge and structure can drastically affect the relative intrinsic silylicity of the SiEt3 group that is weakly bonded to the hydrido-iridium motif. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood meal was submitted to kraft cooking in a small-scale flow-through reactor and the structural changes of lignin have been investigated. The rate determining steps in kraft cooking were in focus. Based on two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2DNMR) measurements on lignin fractions extracted at different cooking times from the black liquor, it was observed that the main lignin reactions occur within 10-20 min and thus the kinetics of the chemical reaction cannot be the rate-determining step. On the other hand, the molecular weight (MW) of lignin is shifted towards larger fragments in the course of cooking time but the MW decreases with increasing ionic strength. Obviously, the kinetics of the delignification are strongly dependent on solubility and/or mass transport at the cell wall level. At chip size level, the mass transport of cooking chemicals into the wood chip may influence the overall kinetics in the initial part of the cooking. At longer cooking times the concentration of chemicals becomes sufficiently high in the wood chips, and the delignification is progressively governed by solubility and/or mass transport of lignin molecules occurring at the cell wall level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  The musk shrew (Suncus murinus) is an insectivore species that inhabits tropical and subtropical Asia widely. To clarify the genetic relationship among wild musk shrew populations, we examined the electrophoretic variants of biparentally inherited genetic markers at 10 loci coding for eight blood proteins/enzymes in a total of 639 animals and compared the results obtained from the mitochondrial DNA data. The principal-component analysis performed using the allele frequency data revealed that the 17 populations could be divided into two major groups, a South Asian group and a Southeast Asian group that includes several island populations bound by Myanmar. The degrees of genetic divergence among populations were higher within the Southeast Asian group than within the South Asian group. This finding was incongruent with the mtDNA diversity. Analysis conducted at the individual level showed that a shrew from the central region in Myanmar that carries a South Asian type of mtDNA showed the electrophoretic variants specific to the Southeast Asian group, suggesting that this region is a contact zone between the two major groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The beta 3-adrenergic receptor ( ADRB3) is a G protein-coupled receptor that is involved in regulating energy homeostasis. We have studied DNA sequences of porcine ADRB3 to find candidate genetic polymorphisms for economically important growth and performance traits in pigs. Five novel haplotypes derived from the three In/dels and 44 SNPs were identified among domestic pigs and wild boars. Three of them encode non-synonymous amino acid sequences by five missense polymorphisms and a frameshift by a thymine insertion. The amino acid polymorphic sites were distributed as follows: one substitution was in extracellular loop 1, three substitutions were in intracellular loop3 and one substitution and the deletion of two amino acids were at the carboxyl-terminal. There was no polymorphism in the transmembrane domains. In addition, we surveyed the allelic frequency of the thymine insertion that cause frameshift in South-east Asian local pigs, including some commercial breeds and wild boars. This thymine insertion was distributed widely in the domestic pigs and wild boars. The frequencies of this allele were relatively low in Western improved breeds, while they were very common in Asian breeds and wild boars in Asia. This result indicates that this insertion originally occurred in ancient Asian wild boars and then circulated among Asian domestic pigs. This allele also spread over Western breeds, probably through the introgression of Asian pigs into European stocks during the 18th and 19th centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The musk shrew (Suncus murinus) is a small mammalian species belonging to Insectivora. It is widely distributed in Asia. To identify the genetic relationship among wild musk shrew populations and examine its migration route, we investigated the populations of Cambodia and Bhutan by using mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and compared them with other Asian populations previously described. Four haplotypes were detected in Cambodia and eight in Bhutan. A total of 53 haplotypes were detected in Asia and were classified largely into two groups, the Continental and Island types, based on a minimum spanning network. From the distribution of mtDNA types in wild musk shrews, three major population groups are identified in Asia: South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Malay. It is suggested that the Malay population group was a mix of South and Southeast Asian population groups and that this was a contact area of the two groups. In addition, other contact areas between the South and Southeast Asian groups exist in Myanmar, but unlike the Malay, the Myanmar area was the border of these groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The erythrocyte Rh- associated glycoprotein (RhAG) was recently found to mediate transport of ammonia/ammonium when expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes and yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Nonerythroid homologs, RhBG and RhCG, are expressed in the mammalian kidney connecting segment and the collecting duct, major sites of urinary ammonia secretion. This study characterizes the transport properties of murine RhBG and RhCG by ammonium analog [14C]methylamine (MA) uptake and two-electrode voltage clamping of X. laevis oocytes. Both RhBG and RhCG mediated transport of ammonia, but differed in affinity for substrate (Km = 2.5 and 10 mM, respectively). The rates of RhBG- and RhCG-mediated transport were sensitive to the concentration of the protonated MA species and were stimulated by extracellular alkalosis and inhibited by acidosis, suggesting a role for H+ in the transport process. Whereas expression of RhBG or RhCG caused a small increase in plasma membrane conductance, [14C]MA uptake was not affected by depolarization of oocytes with 100 mM extracellular K+ or by clamping the membrane potential between 0 and -100 mV, indicating that RhBG- and RhCG-mediated transport was independent of the membrane potential. These results strongly suggest that RhBG and RhCG transport ammonia by an electroneutral process that involves NH4+/H+ exchange resulting in net NH3 translocation. The polarized localization of RhBG and RhCG in kidney tubules and the different substrate affinities may enable these proteins to participate in transepithelial ammonia secretion and to therefore play an important role in whole animal acid-base regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, naïve T cells that encounter mycobacterial antigens through dendritic cells (DCs) induce various CD4+ T-cell responses; therefore, appropriate DC activation is the key for protective immunity against tuberculosis. We previously found that Rv2299c-matured DCs induce Th1 differentiation with bactericidal activity. In this study, to prove that Rv2299c could enhance the protective immunity of other vaccine candidates comprising T-cell-stimulating antigens, Ag85B-ESAT6, a well-known vaccine candidate, was selected as a fusion partner of Rv2299c. Recombinant Rv2299c-Ag85B-ESAT6 protein induced DC maturation and activation. Furthermore, fusion of Rv2299c enhanced the protective efficacy of the Ag85B-ESAT6 vaccine in a mouse model and significantly higher production of TNF-α and IL-2 was detected in the lungs, spleen, and lymph nodes of the group immunized with the Rv2299c-fused protein than with Ag85B-ESAT6. In addition, fusion of Rv2299c enhanced the Ag85B-ESAT6-mediated expansion of multifunctional CD4+ T cells. These data suggested that the DC-activating protein Rv2299c may potentiate the protective immunity of the vaccine candidate comprising T cell antigens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]