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Abstract Understanding the combined effects of risk factors on all-cause mortality is crucial for implementing effective risk stratification and designing targeted interventions, but such combined effects are understudied. We aim to use survival-tree based machine learning models as more flexible nonparametric techniques to examine the combined effects of multiple physiological risk factors on mortality. More specifically, we (1) study the combined effects between multiple physiological factors and all-cause mortality, (2) identify the five most influential factors and visualize their combined influence on all-cause mortality, and (3) compare the mortality cut-offs with the current clinical thresholds. Data from the 1999–2014 NHANES Survey were linked to National Death Index data with follow-up through 2015 for 17,790 adults. We observed that the five most influential factors affecting mortality are the tobacco smoking biomarker cotinine, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), plasma glucose, sex, and white blood cell count. Specifically, high mortality risk is associated with being male, active smoking, low GFR, elevated plasma glucose levels, and high white blood cell count. The identified mortality-based cutoffs for these factors are mostly consistent with relevant studies and current clinical thresholds. This approach enabled us to identify important cutoffs and provide enhanced risk prediction as an important basis to inform clinical practice and develop new strategies for precision medicine.

The Trier social stress test (TSST) is considered as the most appropriate standardized protocol for studying stress hormone reactivity. The TSST is distinct from other stress induction protocols in laboratory settings due to its unique ability to create a natural context that includes elements of social and psychological acute stress. However, there has been no investigation of the efficacy of the TSST among the Vietnamese population. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the TSST on Vietnamese university students. A group of 10 healthy male and female volunteers underwent the TSST protocol, and self-reported values (the positive and negative affect schedule and the visual analogue scale) as well as physiological stress response (heart rate) were measured. The results suggest that the TSST mildly induces acute psychological stress among Vietnamese participants. To enhance the potency of the TSST in future studies, a larger sample size and more consistent adherence to the TSST protocol are crucial.

IntroductionCirculating cell-free RNA (cfRNA) is a potential hallmark for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) as it construes the genetic expression level, giving insights into the pathological progress from the outset. Profiles of cfRNA in Caucasian AD patients have been investigated thoroughly, yet there was no report exploring cfRNAs in the ASEAN groups. This study examined the gap, expecting to support the development of point-of-care AD diagnosis.MethodscfRNA profiles were characterized from 20 Vietnamese plasma samples (10 probable AD and 10 age-matched controls). RNA reads were subjected to differential expression (DE) analysis. Weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to identify gene modules that were significantly co-expressed. These modules' expression profiles were then correlated with AD status to identify relevant modules. Genes with the highest intramodular connectivity (module membership) were selected as hub genes. Transcript counts of differentially expressed genes were correlated with key AD measures—MMSE and MTA scores—to identify potential biomarkers.Results136 genes were identified as significant AD hallmarks (p < 0.05), with 52 downregulated and 84 upregulated in the AD cohort. 45.6% of these genes are highly expressed in the hippocampus, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex. Notably, all markers related to chronic inflammation were upregulated, and there was a significant shift in all apoptotic markers. Three co-expressed modules were found to be significantly correlated with Alzheimer's status (p < 0.05; R2> 0.5). Functional enrichment analysis on these modules reveals an association with focal adhesion, nucleocytoplasmic transport, and metal ion response leading to apoptosis, suggesting the potential participation of these pathways in AD pathology. 47 significant hub genes were found to be differentially expressed genes with the highest connectivity. Six significant hub genes (CREB1, YTHDC1, IL1RL1, PHACTR2, ANKRD36B, RNF213) were found to be significantly correlated with MTA and MMSE scores. Other significant transcripts (XRN1, UBB, CHP1, THBS1, S100A9) were found to be involved in inflammation and neuronal death. Overall, we have identified candidate transcripts in plasma cf-RNA that are differentially expressed and are implicated in inflammation and apoptosis, which can jumpstart further investigations into applying cf-RNA as an AD biomarker in Vietnam and ASEAN countries.

Enhancing the performance of motor imagery-based Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) has been a significant goal in the BCI field. To achieve such a goal, several typical and promising techniques have been implemented, such as developing intelligent algorithms, combining features from different domains, extracting subject-specific parameters, and so forth. Previous studies performing temporal segmentation often ended up with a large number of features and placed a burden on computational cost, which poses a disadvantage to online analysis. This study proposes a novel approach to utilizing short-window segments to find an optimal combination of time segments and feature extractors. Electroencephalogram data from four datasets (BCI Competition IV dataset 2a, 2b and two self-acquired datasets) were segmented into four types of the time window and had features extracted by Common Spatial Pattern and its variants, and lastly classified by Linear Discriminant Analysis. The result shows that the combination of the “2-s with 1-s overlapping” segment and Filter Bank Common Spatial Pattern yields overall accuracy of 2–6.5% (p-value

Introduction: Circulating cell-free RNA (cfRNA) is a potential hallmark for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) as it construes the genetic expression level, giving insights into the pathological progress from the outset. Profiles of cfRNA in Caucasian AD patients have been investigated thoroughly, yet there was no report exploring cfRNAs in the ASEAN groups. This study examined the gap, expecting to support the development of point-of-care AD diagnosis. Methods: cfRNA profiles were characterized from 20 Vietnamese plasma samples (10 probable AD and 10 age-matched controls). RNA reads were subjected to dierential expression (DE) analysis. Weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was performed to identify gene modules that were significantly co-expressed. These modules’ expression profiles were then correlated with AD status to identify relevant modules. Genes with the highest intramodular connectivity (module membership) were selected as hub genes. Transcript counts of dierentially expressed genes were correlated with key AD measures—MMSE and MTA scores—to identify potential biomarkers. Results: 136 genes were identified as significant AD hallmarks (p < 0.05), with 52 downregulated and 84 upregulated in the AD cohort. 45.6% of these genes are highly expressed in the hippocampus, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex. Notably, all markers related to chronic inflammation were upregulated, and there was a significant shift in all apoptotic markers. Three co-expressed modules were found to be significantly correlated with Alzheimer’s status (p < 0.05; R 2 > 0.5). Functional enrichment analysis on these modules reveals an association with focal adhesion, nucleocytoplasmic transport, and metal ion response leading to apoptosis, suggesting the potential participation of these pathways in AD pathology. 47 significant hub genes were found to be dierentially expressed genes with the highest connectivity. Six significant hub genes (CREB1, YTHDC1, IL1RL1, PHACTR2, ANKRD36B, RNF213) were found to be significantly correla with MTA and MMSE scores. Other significant transcripts (XRN1, UBB, CHP1, THBS1, S100A9) were found to be involved in inflammation and neuronal death. Overall, we have identified candidate transcripts in plasma cf-RNA that are dierentially expressed and are implicated in inflammation and apoptosis, which can jumpstart further investigations into applying cf-RNA as an AD biomarker in Vietnam and ASEAN countries [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Body dissatisfaction can drive individuals to use personal care products, exposing themselves to Benzophenone-3 (BP3). Yet, no study has examined the link between body dissatisfaction and elevated chemical exposures., Objectives: Our study examines how body dissatisfaction impacts the racial differences in BP3 exposures., Methods: Using NHANES 2003-2016 data for 3,072 women, we ascertained body dissatisfaction with a questionnaire on weight perception. We ran two generalized linear models with log10-transformed urinary concentrations of BP3 as the outcome variable and the following main predictors: one with race/ethnicity and another combining race/ethnicity and body dissatisfaction. We also conducted stratified analyses by race/ethnicity. We adjusted for poverty income ratio, BMI, urinary creatinine, and sunscreen usage., Results: BP3 levels in Mexican American, Other Hispanic, Other Race, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic Asian women were on average 59%, 56%, 33%, 16%, and 9% higher, respectively, compared to non-Hispanic Black women. Racial differences in BP3 levels are accentuated with body dissatisfaction. For example, Other Hispanic women perceiving themselves as overweight had 69% higher BP3 levels than non-Hispanic Black women (p-value = 0.01), while those perceiving themselves as at the right weight had 32% higher levels (p-value = 0.31). Moreover, minority women perceiving themselves as overweight tended to have higher BP3 levels than those who do not. For example, BP3 levels in Other Hispanic women perceiving themselves as overweight are significantly higher compared to those who do not (73%, p-value = 0.03). In contrast, such differences in the non-Hispanic White women are minimal (-0.5%, p-value = 0. 98)., Discussion: Minority women with body dissatisfaction show elevated BP3 exposure independent of sunscreen usage, implying that their elevated exposures may stem from using other personal care and consumer products. Further research is needed to determine if increases of exposure to potential toxicants occur among minority women with body dissatisfaction., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Among the first structures suffering damage with an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) and in early stage of glaucoma are the lamina cribrosa (LC) and peripapillary sclera (ppScl). Changes in these structures occur at the molecular and cellular level. Extracellular matrix (ECM) is the basis of connective tissue, provides mechanical support for the cells, facilitates intercellular interactions and transport of chemicals, including in LC and ppScl. Mechanical stress causes remodeling and disorganization of the ECM, which leads to changes in the structure of the tissue itself, an increase in its rigidity and a decrease in elasticity. Taking into account the molecular and cellular mechanisms of damage to LC and ppScl, various researchers have developed strategies and tactics for therapeutic intervention on these structures, contributing to a decrease in ECM secretion and, as a consequence, suspension of their remodeling. These approaches may in the future form the basis for the treatment of glaucomatous optic neuropathy.