Search

Background: Vietnam introduced a 3-dose hepatitis B (HBV) immunization program comprising 1 dose immediately after birth and 2 or 3 in infancy in the past 20 years, but the impact of the vaccine has not been systematically evaluated. Thus, we conducted this survey aiming to estimate the age-specific chronic HBV prevalence in the general population and to evaluate HBV immunization effectiveness., Methods: Population-based, four-stage cluster sampling was used in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam. The point-of-care Determine rapid test was used to assess hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity., Results: A total of 2,075 samples were included in the study. HBsAg prevalence was significantly higher among adults aged 20-39 years than in the population aged 1-19 years (8.0% [95% confidence interval 5.0-12.0] vs. 2.0% [95% confidence interval 1.0-6.0], p<0.01). HBsAg prevalence decreased after implementation of the 3-dose vaccination schedule during infancy from 1997 to 2002, whereas the change in prevalence after implementation of the birth dosing was not significant. A slight increase in HBsAg prevalence was observed for the cohort born in 2011, 2012, and 2013, when there was a vaccine shortage and media reports of immunization resistance., Conclusions: This is the first population-based assessment of the introduction of the HBV vaccine in Vietnam performed by estimating the HBsAg prevalence across a wide range of ages. The results showed that the HBV immunization policy effectively reduces HBsAg prevalence in general, although birth dosing of the vaccine and low immunization coverage should be carefully monitored., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the direct and indirect effects of expectations for marital relationships and premarital sexual permissiveness on intent to marry of Vietnamese emerging adults., Patients and Methods: Our cross-sectional study was focused on emerging adults including 344 participants, undergraduate students from universities in Viet Nam. This study was assessed by using the PLS-SEM approach., Results: The main findings demonstrated that (i) sexual orientation have a significant effect on marital intention; (ii) individuals' expectations for marital relationship have a direct effect on marital intention; and (iii) premarital sexuality permissiveness mediates the relationship between expectations for marital relationship and marital intention., Conclusion: Our results contribute important documents and clearer understanding of emerging adults' expectations and requirements in a relationship for the marriage decision-making process., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2022 Ngo-Thi et al.)

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the agreement between a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and a dried blood spot (DBS)-based electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) of hepatitis B surface antigen and to compare the costs of conducting serosurveys using RDTs and DBS in a field setting., Methods: A serosurvey was conducted in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam in May 2019. Participants aged 1-39 years were recruited using a four-stage random sampling method and tested for hepatitis B surface antigen using an RDT kit (Alere Determine) and a DBS-based ECLIA. The agreement between the RDT and the DBS-based ECLIA was assessed using cross-tabulation and Cohen kappa. Cost data were categorized by input (personnel, transportation, field consumables, laboratory consumables, and capital item/overhead) and survey phase (survey preparation, data/biospecimen collection, laboratory testing, and coordination)., Results: A total of 2072 participants were analyzed. There was a 99% agreement between the RDT and the DBS-based ECLIA results, with a Cohen kappa of 0.9. The estimated cost of conducting a serosurvey by DBS was UD $75,291, whereas RDT was $53,182., Conclusion: RDTs and DBS-based ECLIA provide test results with high agreements. RDTs are a better option in terms of cost, whereas the DBS-based ECLIA may be useful when evaluating multiple infectious diseases., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Water bamboo, Zizania latifolia (Griseb.), Poaceae, is the major crop in Puli Township, Taiwan. Following some unknown mite infestations causing leaf curling symptoms first observed in 2018, water bamboos experienced a dramatic crop yield. Our morphological evaluation revealed their infestation with a new species of eriophyoid mite, Acaralox latifolia n. sp. (Acari: Trombidiformes: Eriophyoidea). Here, we described and illustrated this new species and provided its scanning electronic micrographs and DNA sequences of COI and ITS regions. This is the first record of the genus Acaralox from Taiwan.

Introduction: Triage is one of the most important tasks for nurses in a modern emergency department (ED) and it plays a critical role in pediatric trauma. An appropriate triage system can improve patient outcomes and decrease resource wasting. However, triage systems for pediatric trauma have not been validated worldwide. To ensure clinical reliability, nurses are allowed to override the acuity level at the end of the routine triage process. This study aimed to validate the Taiwan Triage and Acuity Scale (TTAS) for pediatric trauma and evaluate the effectiveness of triage nurse modification., Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study analyzing triage data of all pediatric trauma patients who visited six EDs across Taiwan from 2015 to 2019. Each patient was triaged by a well-trained nurse and assigned an acuity level. Triage nurses can modify their acuity based on their professional judgment. The primary outcome was the predictive performance of TTAS for pediatric trauma, including hospitalization, ED length of stay, emergency surgery, and costs. The secondary outcome was the accuracy of nurse modification and the contributing factors. Multivariate regression was used for data analysis. The Akaike information criterion and C-statistics were utilized to measure the prediction performance of TTAS., Results: In total, 45,364 pediatric patients were included in this study. Overall mortality, hospitalization, and emergency surgery rates were 0.17, 5.4, and 0.76%, respectively. In almost all cases (97.48%), the triage nurses agreed upon the original scale. All major outcomes showed a significant positive correlation with the upgrade of acuity levels in TTAS in pediatric trauma patients. After nurse modification, the Akaike information criterion decreased and C-statistics increased, indicating better prediction performance. The factors contributing to this modification were being under 6 years of age, heart rate, respiratory rate, and primary location of injuries., Conclusion: The TTAS is a reliable triage tool for pediatric trauma patients. Modification by well-experienced triage nurses can enhance its prediction performance. Younger age, heart rate, respiratory rate, and primary location of injuries contributed to modifications of the triage nurse. Further external validation is required to determine its role in pediatric trauma worldwide., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Liu, Cheng, Hsu, Chaou, Ng, Jeng and Chang.)

Untreated chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can lead to chronic liver disease and may progress to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HBV infection has been prevalent in Vietnam, but there is little information available on the genotypes, sub-genotypes, and mutations of HBV in patients with HBV-related HCC confirmed by histopathological diagnosis. We studied the molecular characteristics of HBV and its genetic variants in Vietnamese HCC patients after liver tumor resection. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study on 107 HBV-related HCC hospitalized patients from October 2018 to April 2019. The specimens collected included EDTA anticoagulant blood and liver tissues. Extracted HBV DNA was subjected to whole genome sequencing by the Sanger method. We discovered 62 individuals (57.9%) with genotype B and 45 patients (42.1%) with genotype C, with only sub-genotypes B4 and C1. Among the mutations, the double mutation, A1762T-G1764A, had the most significant frequency (73/107 samples; 68.2%) and was higher in genotype C than in genotype B (p < 0.001). The most common genotypes found in HCC patients in this investigation were B and C, with sub-genotypes B4 and C1 for each. The prevalence of genotype B4 was greater in HBV-infected Vietnamese HCC patients.

Female customers are an important market for fitness centers. This study aims to examine successful fitness training health models used by female fitness clubs. A case study approach and the interview method were used to collect data (i.e., face-to-face interviews) regarding the marketing strategies of female fitness clubs. Purposive sampling was employed to select executives working at the headquarters of a female-only gym, and semi-structured interviews were conducted to provide a context for fitness behaviors and to discuss the business' marketing mix. Six managers at Curves (four female and two male) across six different positions were interviewed. This study found that Curves' most significant difference compared to other private fitness clubs is that it makes women feel comfortable. Through charitable activities combined with promotions, women feel as if the gym empathizes with them. This study is unique in that it is one of the first studies to explore the business model of the female fitness club. In particular, this research suggests that sports organizations should focus their services strategies on female exercise demands. The findings of this study will support the development of marketing strategies to promote the growth of women's health as a priority within the fitness industry., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships. The authors have no conflicts of interests to declare., (Copyright © 2022 Wang, Hsiao and Hsiung.)

Strain Marseille-P4119T was isolated from a faecal sample of a healthy 32-year-old faecal transplant donor. The bacterium was anaerobic, Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile, and did not produce spores. We studied its phenotypic characteristics and sequenced its whole genome. The major fatty acids were C15:0anteiso and C15:0iso. The final genome assembly was 3912650 bp long with a 44.4 mol% G + C content, 3094 protein-coding genes and 74 RNA genes. Strain Marseille-P4119T exhibited a 97.10% 16S rRNA sequence identity and a 29.0% dDDH with Prevotella stercorea CB35T, OrthoANI values ranged from 68.5% with Prevotella enoeca to 77.4% with Prevotella stercorea, the phylogenetically closest bacterial species with standing in nomenclature. Based on the phylogenetic, phenotypic and genomic analyses, we propose the creation of the novel species Prevotella merdae sp. nov. The type strain is Marseille-P4119T ( = CSUR P4119T = CECT 9566T)., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of FEMS.)

Background: Myocardial strain assessed with speckle tracking echocardiography is a sensitive marker of cardiac dysfunction. Both left-ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) and right ventricular longitudinal strain (RV-LS) were affected by severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, data about cardiac involvement in patients with asymptomatic/mild Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is still lacking., Aim: To evaluate myocardial function using LV-GLS and RV-LS in patients with previous asymptomatic/mild COVID-19., Methods: Forty young adults without previously known comorbidities/cardiovascular risk factors and with a confirmed diagnosis of asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection were retrospectively included. A 2D-transthoracic echocardiogram with speckle tracking analysis was performed at least 3 months after the diagnosis. Forty healthy subjects, matched for age, sex, and body surface area in a 1:1 ratio were used as the control group., Results: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and RV-LS were comparable between the two groups. LV-GLS was significantly lower in the cases compared to the control group (-22.7 ± 1.6% vs. -25.7 ± 2.3%; p < .001). Moreover, the prevalence of regional peak systolic strain below -16% in at least two segments was three times higher in patients with previous COVID-19 compared to controls (30% vs. 10%, p = .02). In multivariable logistic regression, previous COVID-19 infection was independently associated with reduced LV-GLS values (p < .001)., Conclusion: SARS-CoV-2 infection may affect left ventricular deformation in 30% of young adult patients despite an asymptomatic or only mildly symptomatic acute illness. Speckle-tracking echocardiography could help early identification of patients with subclinical cardiac involvement, with potential repercussions on risk stratification and management., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Immunomodulation is an essential consideration for cell replacement procedures. Unfortunately, lifelong exposure to nonspecific systemic immunosuppression results in immunodeficiency and has toxic effects on nonimmune cells. Here, we engineered hybrid spheroids of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with rapamycin-releasing poly(lactic- co -glycolic acid) microparticles (RAP-MPs) to prevent immune rejection of islet xenografts in diabetic C57BL/6 mice. Hybrid spheroids were rapidly formed by incubating cell-particle mixture in methylcellulose solution while maintaining high cell viability. RAP-MPs were uniformly distributed in hybrid spheroids and sustainably released RAP for ~3 weeks. Locoregional transplantation of hybrid spheroids containing low doses of RAP-MPs (200- to 4000-ng RAP per recipient) significantly prolonged islet survival times and promoted the generation of regional regulatory T cells. Enhanced programmed death-ligand 1 expression by MSCs was found to be responsible for the immunomodulatory performance of hybrid spheroids. Our results suggest that these hybrid spheroids offer a promising platform for the efficient use of MSCs in the transplantation field.

Cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) emulsifier is widely applied in the wastewater treatment industry, mining industry, paper industry, cosmetic chemistry, etc. However, optimization of input parameters in the synthesis of CPAM by using the traditional approach (i.e., changing one factor while leaving the others fixed at a particular set of conditions) would require a long time and a high cost of input materials. Onsite mass production of CPAM requires fast optimization of input parameters (i.e., stirring speed, reaction temperature and time, the amount of initiator, etc.) to minimize the production cost of specific-molecular-weight CPAM. Therefore, in this study, we synthesized CPAM using reverse emulsion copolymerization, and proposed response surface models for predicting the average molecular weight and reaction yield based on those input parameters. This study offers a time-saving tool for onsite mass production of specific-molecular-weight CPAM. Based on our response surface models, we obtained the optimal conditions for the synthesis of CPAM emulsions, which yielded medium-molecular-weight polymers and high conversion, with a reaction temperature of 60-62 °C, stirring speed of 2500-2600 rpm, and reaction time of 7 h. Quadratic models showed a good fit for predicting molecular weight (Adj.R 2 = 0.9888, coefficient of variation = 2.08%) and reaction yield (Adj.R 2 = 0.9982, coefficient of variation = 0.50%). The models suggested by our study would benefit the cost-minimization of CPAM mass production, where one could find optimal conditions for synthesizing different molecular weights of CPAM more quickly than via the traditional approach.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cavitation is a likely physical mechanism for producing traumatic brain injury (TBI) under mechanical loading. In this study, we investigated CSF cavitation under blasts and helmeted impacts which represented loadings in battlefield and road traffic/sports collisions. We first predicted the human head response under the blasts and impacts using computational modelling and found that the blasts can produce much lower negative pressure at the contrecoup CSF region than the impacts. Further analysis showed that the pressure waves transmitting through the skull and soft tissue are responsible for producing the negative pressure at the contrecoup region. Based on this mechanism, we hypothesised that blast, and not impact, can produce CSF cavitation. To test this hypothesis, we developed a one-dimensional simplified surrogate model of the head and exposed it to both blasts and impacts. The test results confirmed the hypothesis and computational modelling of the tests validated the proposed mechanism. These findings have important implications for prevention and diagnosis of blast TBI., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yu, Nguyen, Wu and Ghajari.)

Chronic hyperglycemia triggers an abnormal rise in reactive oxygen species (ROS) that leads to blindness in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and cataracts. In this study, the effects of dapagliflozin, metformin and resveratrol on ROS production were investigated in lens epithelial cells (LECs) of animals with fructose-induced DM. LECs were isolated from patients without DM, or with DM devoid of diabetic retinopathy. Animals were treated with 10% fructose for 8 weeks to induce DM, which was verified by monitoring blood pressure and serum parameters. For drug treatments, 1.2 mg/day of dapagliflozin was given for 2 weeks, 500 mg/kg/day of metformin was given, and 10 mg/kg/day of resveratrol was given. Dihydroethidium was used to stain endogenous O 2 ˙ - production in vivo of the LECs. Superoxide production was expressed in the cataract of DM, or patients without DM. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), GLUT5, the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase subunit p47/p67-phox, NOX4 and RAGE were significantly increased in LECs with DM. In addition, the dapagliflozin treatment reduced GLUT5, p47/p67-phox, NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) expressions. On the contrary, metformin or resveratrol inhibited p47-phox, GLUT5, and SGLT2 expressions, but not nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2). In summary, dapagliflozin, metformin or resveratrol down-regulated p47-phox expression through SGLT2 inactivation and ROS reduction. These important findings imply that SGLT2 can be blocked to ameliorate oxidative stress in the cataracts of DM patients.

Background: Serum pepsinogen has been approved and used widely as an effective biomarker in diagnosis of atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer; however, its validity and appropriate cut-off values vary among different populations. This study aimed to initially assess the diagnostic value of the serum pepsinogen in diagnosis of moderate and severe atrophic gastritis for Vietnamese population., Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study enrolled 273 participants from June 2008 to November 2019. All participants underwent a gastroscopy procedure and three tests including serum PG test, pathology test, and Hp-Igg Elisa test. The Kimura-Takemoto classification and OLGA system were used to classify the mild versus moderate-severe atrophic gastritis. Receiver Operating Characteristic curve was used to assess the value of PGI, PGII and PGR., Results: Based on Kimura-Takemoto classification, the AUC of PGI and PGR was 0.635 (p = 0.008, 95% CI 0.554-0.716) and 0.766 (p < 0.001, 95% CI 0.676-0.857) respectively. The best cut-off values were PGI ≤69.0 and PGR ≤4.6 (sensitivity: 73%, specificity: 83.9%, positive predictive value: 41.5%, negative predictive value: 95.2%, accuracy: 82.4%). According to the OLGA system, the AUC of PGI and PGR was 0.612 (p = 0.004, 95% CI 0.540-0.684) and 0.689 (p < 0.001, 95% CI 0.621-0.758) respectively. The best cut-off values were PGI ≤63.5 and PGR ≤5.2 (sensitivity: 49.4%, specificity: 82.1%, positive predictive value: 52.1%, negative predictive value: 80.5%, accuracy: 72.9%)., Conclusions: The serum pepsinogen II and pepsinogen I/II ratio had reliable diagnostic value for screening of moderate and severe atrophic gastritis among Vietnamese population. Further research was recommended to focus on larger scale to improve the diagnostic yield and to continue finding the cut-off values for diagnosis of gastric cancer among Vietnamese population., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Identifying cliffs that are prone to fall and providing a sufficient lead time for rockfall warning are crucial steps in disaster risk reduction and preventive maintenance work, especially that led by local governments. However, existing rockfall warning systems provide uncertain rockfall location forecasting and short warning times because the deformation and cracking of unstable slopes are not sufficiently detected by sensors before the rock collapses. Here, we introduce ground microtremor signals for early rockfall forecasting and demonstrate that microtremor characteristics can be used to detect unstable rock wedges on slopes, quantitatively describe the stability of slopes and lengthen the lead time for rockfall warning. We show that the change in the energy of ground microtremors can be an early precursor of rockfall and that the signal frequency decreases with slope instability. This finding indicates that ground microtremor signals are remarkably sensitive to slope stability. We conclude that microtremor characteristics can be used as an appropriate slope stability index for early rockfall warning systems and predicting the spatiotemporal characteristics of rockfall hazards. This early warning method has the advantages of providing a long lead time and on-demand monitoring, while increasing slope stability accessibility and prefailure location detectability., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 remains public health burdens and many unresolved issues worldwide. Molecular assays based on real-time RT-PCR are critical for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical specimens from patients suspected of COVID-19., Objective: We aimed to establish and validate an in-house real-time RT-PCR for the detection of SARS-CoV-2., Methodology: Primers and probes sets in our in-house real-time RT-PCR assay were designed in conserved regions of the N and E target genes. Optimized multiplex real-time RT-PCR assay was validated using the first WHO International Standard (NIBSC code: 20/146) and evaluated clinical performance., Results: The limit of detection validated using the first WHO International Standard was 159 IU/ml for both E and N target genes. The evaluation of clinical performance on 170 clinical samples showed a positive percent agreement of 100% and the negative percent agreement of 99.08% for both target genes. The Kappa value of 0.99 was an excellent agreement, the strong correlation of C t values observed between two tests with r 2  = 0.84 for the E gene and 0.87 for the N gene. Notably, we assessed on 60 paired saliva and nasopharyngeal samples. The overall agreement was 91.66%, and Kappa value of 0.74 showed a high agreement between two types of samples. When using nasopharyngeal swabs as the reference standard, positive percent agreement, and negative percent agreement were 91.83% and 90.90%, respectively., Conclusion: In the present study, we established and validated an in-house real-time RT-PCR for molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2 in a resource-limited country., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Biorobotic fishes have a huge impact on the development of underwater devices due to both fast swimming speed and great maneuverability. In this paper, an enhanced CPG model is investigated for locomotion control of an elongated undulating fin robot inspired by black knife fish. The proposed CPG network includes sixteen coupled Hopf oscillators for gait generation to mimic fishlike swimming. Furthermore, an enhanced particle swarm optimization (PSO), called differential particle swarm optimization (D-PSO), is introduced to find a set of optimal parameters of the modified CPG network. The proposed D-PSO-based CPG network is not only able to increase the thrust force in order to make the faster swimming speed but also avoid the local maxima for the enhanced propulsive performance of the undulating fin robot. Additionally, a comparison of D-PSO with the traditional PSO and genetic algorithm (GA) has been performed in tuning the parametric values of the CPG model to prove the superiority of the introduced method. The D-PSO-based optimization technique has been tested on the actual undulating fin robot with sixteen fin-rays. The obtained results show that the average propulsive force of the untested material is risen 5.92%, as compared to the straight CPG model., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Van Dong Nguyen et al.)

Purpose: Children with constipation and suspected Hirschsprung's disease are referred for rectal biopsy. Since this is an invasive procedure, appropriate indications should be applied to minimize the number of "unnecessary" biopsies., Methods: We reviewed all constipated children who underwent a rectal biopsy to diagnose a possible Hirschsprung's disease at a tertiary referral hospital over a 6-year period (2013-2018). We registered clinical and demographic factors in these children and conducted correlation and multivariate regression analysis to evaluate the relation between these factors and a diagnosis of Hirschsprung's disease., Results: We identified 225 children, aged 0-17 years. In total, Hirschsprung's disease was diagnosed in only 49/225 (22%). Among the 49 children with Hirschsprung's disease, 29 (59%) were diagnosed in the neonatal period. Among girls, HD was confirmed in only 10/101 (10%) children, and only 1 of these 10 girls was older than 6 months at the time of the biopsy. The following factors correlated significantly with Hirschsprung's disease diagnosis in children older than 1 month: "male sex", "failure to thrive", "gross abdominal distention plus vomiting" and "fulfils the Rome 4 criteria for functional constipation"., Conclusion: In children referred for rectal biopsy, the factors most indicative of Hirschsprung's disease were "male sex", "failure to thrive", "gross abdominal distention plus vomiting" and "fulfils the Rome 4 criteria for functional constipation". Notably, the prevalence of Hirschsprung's disease decreased with the increasing age of the children. Girls referred for a biopsy rarely had Hirschsprung's disease, especially those older than 1 month., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Although many phthalates are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are associated with adverse birth outcomes, the relationship between maternal phthalate exposure and birth outcomes is not yet conclusive. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between prenatal exposure to phthalates in human maternal and cord blood and birth outcomes of the infants. Sixty-five mother-infant pairs were recruited in Taipei City and New Taipei City, and birth outcomes of the infants were recorded. Twelve phthalate metabolites were measured in maternal and cord blood samples. The mean of mono-ethyl phthalate, mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP), mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), and mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) was relatively higher than that of the other metabolites in both maternal and infant blood. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) for mono-methyl phthalate (MMP) and MnBP between the maternal blood and cord blood of male infants. Mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP), MMP, MiBP, and ∑di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (∑DEHP) in maternal blood were inversely correlated with the anogenital index (AGI) of male infants, with a p value between 0.011 and 0.033. Mono-n-octyl phthalate, MMP, MiBP, MnBP, and MBzP were positively correlated with the AGI of female infants, with a p value between 0.001 and 0.034. Cord blood levels of MnBP, mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl)-phthalate, MEHP, and ∑DEHP were found to be inversely associated with head circumference in all the infants, adjusted for gestational age. Phthalate monoesters are potentially estrogenic and antiandrogenic chemicals. Longitudinal follow-up of the present study population could help clarify the long-term impact of phthalates on growth and the health effects of background exposure levels. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:715-725. © 2022 SETAC., (© 2022 SETAC.)

Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) has been shown to promote tumorigenesis by facilitating the Warburg effect and enhancing the activities of oncoproteins. However, this paradigm has recently been challenged by studies in which the absence of PKM2 failed to inhibit and instead accelerated tumorigenesis in mouse models. These results seem inconsistent with the fact that most human tumors overexpress PKM2. To further elucidate the role of PKM2 in tumorigenesis, we investigated the effect of PKM2 knockout in oncogenic HRAS-driven urothelial carcinoma. While PKM2 ablation in mouse urothelial cells did not affect tumor initiation, it impaired the growth and maintenance of HRAS-driven tumors. Chemical inhibition of PKM2 recapitulated these effects. Both conditions substantially reduced complex formation of PKM2 with STAT3, their nuclear translocation, and HIF1α- and VEGF-related angiogenesis. The reduction in nuclear STAT3 in the absence of PKM2 also correlated with decreased autophagy and increased apoptosis. Time-controlled, inducible PKM2 overexpression in simple urothelial hyperplasia did not trigger tumorigenesis, while overexpression of PKM2, but not PKM1, in nodular urothelial hyperplasia with angiogenesis strongly accelerated tumorigenesis. Finally, in human patients, PKM2 was overexpressed in low-grade nonmuscle-invasive and high-grade muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Based on these data, PKM2 is not required for tumor initiation but is essential for tumor growth and maintenance by enhancing angiogenesis and metabolic addiction. The PKM2-STAT3-HIF1α/VEGF signaling axis may play a critical role in bladder cancer and may serve as an actionable therapeutic target., Significance: Genetic manipulation and pharmacologic inhibition of PKM2 in mouse urothelial lesions highlight its essential role in promoting angiogenesis and metabolic addiction, events indispensable for tumor growth and maintenance., (©2021 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Purpose: This study compared the clinical outcome of dental implants and their implant-supported restorations over a 3-year period involving patients both positive and negative for the human immunodeficiency virus., Materials and Methods: Twenty patients testing positive for the human immunodeficiency virus were recruited for this study. Twenty-one negative control patients were also selected, for a total of forty one patients. Diagnostic impressions were collected and cone beam computed tomography images were obtained. Implant size and positioning were planned using cone beam computed tomography software. Two stage or single surgery was performed as determined by the surgeon (periodontist). After a 6-month healing period, definitive impressions were fabricated using polyvinyl siloxane impression material. Implant stability quotient values were obtained at the time of surgery and placement of the restoration. Screw-retained custom titanium abutments were designed, milled, and placed with 25 N·cm torque using a calibrated torque controller. Porcelain fused-to-metal complete coverage restorations were then cemented with elastomeric resin implant cement. Implants and restorations were assessed at 6-month intervals over a period of 3 years for stability, peri-implant health, and patient satisfaction., Results: Over the 3-year period, 25 of 42 implants placed in the negative control group were assessed, and 17 of 27 implants placed in the positive control group were evaluated. The overall patient retention rate was 77%. At the 3-year follow up, restorations examined were fully functional and causing no pain. Overall implant retention within the positive group was 96%. Implant retention within the negative control group was 100%. No differences were noted between groups for bone loss based on statistical tests., Conclusion: Within the limitations of this clinical investigation, the presence of human immunodeficiency virus per se was not a contraindication to dental treatment with implant-supported restorations., (© 2021 by the American College of Prosthodontists.)

Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) has spread globally with catastrophic damages to the public health, social and economy since the beginning of the outbreak. In 2020, Southeast Asia proved that it could prevent the worst effects of a pandemic through the closure of activities and borders and movement restriction, as well as social distancing. Nevertheless, with the occurrence of the common variants of concern (VOCs), especially Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Delta (B.1.617.2), Southeast Asia is facing a significant increase in the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. Now, the area also has the threats of the spreading out of the dangerous variant - Omicron (B.1.1.529) from other close countries or regions. COVID-19 countermeasures such as closures and social distancing seem to be insufficient. Moreover, Southeast Asia is being held back by a shortage of vaccines and other medical resources. This work focuses on describing the COVID-19 situation, the virus variants, and the coverage of COVID-19 vaccination in the area. We also provide perspectives on the COVID-19 vaccine distribution, protecting the economic capitals, developing the green zone, and the importance of finding more vaccine supplies in Southeast Asia.

This article proposes a locomotion controller inspired by black Knifefish for undulating elongated fin robot. The proposed controller is built by a modified CPG network using sixteen coupled Hopf oscillators with the feedback of the angle of each fin-ray. The convergence rate of the modified CPG network is optimized by a reinforcement learning algorithm. By employing the proposed controller, the undulating elongated fin robot can realize swimming pattern transformations naturally. Additionally, the proposed controller enables the configuration of the swimming pattern parameters known as the amplitude envelope, the oscillatory frequency to perform various swimming patterns. The implementation processing of the reinforcement learning-based optimization is discussed. The simulation and experimental results show the capability and effectiveness of the proposed controller through the performance of several swimming patterns in the varying oscillatory frequency and the amplitude envelope of each fin-ray.

Background: Gender differences in alcohol use have narrowed in Western societies, but that in Asia has been less investigated. By comparing the 2014 and 2018 waves of the national survey in Taiwan, we aimed to examine the gender differences in population trends in past-month alcohol use, binge drinking, and harmful alcohol use., Methods: The national survey enrolled 17,837 participants in 2014 and 18,626 participants in 2018. Binge drinking was defined as having ≥5 drinks on one occasion in the past month, and harmful alcohol use as having an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score of ≥8., Results: There were significant decreases from 2014 to 2018 in the population's prevalence of past-month alcohol use, binge drinking, and harmful alcohol use. However, males and females had different trends: males showed significant reductions in all three alcohol use behaviours (a decrease of 3.79%, 1.59%, and 2.60%, respectively), while females exhibited a significant rise in harmful alcohol use (from 1.32% to 1.72%), particularly among those aged 18-29 years., Conclusion: There was gender convergence in alcohol use in Taiwan, mainly due to men's decrease and women's increase in harmful alcohol use. Our findings have important implications for the intervention and prevention of the problematic use of alcohol in East Asia., Competing Interests: Declarations of Interest We declare that we have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The study of gene expression variability, especially for cancer and cell differentiation studies, has become important. Here, we investigate transcriptome-wide scatter of 23 cell types and conditions across different levels of biological complexity. We focused on genes that act like toggle switches between pairwise replicates of the same cell type, i.e. genes expressed in one replicate and not expressed in the other, sometimes also referred as ON/OFF genes. The proportion of these toggle genes dramatically increases from unicellular to multicellular organization, especially for development and cancer cells. A relevant portion of toggle switches are non-coding genes: in unicellular systems the most represented classes are tRNA and rRNA, while multicellular systems more frequently show lncRNA, sncRNA and pseudogenes. Notably, disease associated microRNAs (miRNAs), pseudogenes and numerous uncharacterized transcripts are present in both development and cancer cells. On top of the known intrinsic and extrinsic factors, our work indicates toggle genes as a novel collective component creating transcriptome-wide variability. This requires further investigation for elucidating both evolutionary and disease processes., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Patient-level surveillance of antimicrobial use (AMU) in Canadian hospitals empowers the reduction of inappropriate AMU and was piloted in 2017 among 14 hospitals in Canada. We aimed to describe AMU on the basis of patient-level data in Canadian hospitals in 2018 in terms of antimicrobial prescribing prevalence and proportions, antimicrobial indications, and agent selection in medical, surgical and intensive care wards., Methods: Canadian adult, pediatric and neonatal hospitals were invited to participate in the standardized web-based cross-sectional Global Point Prevalence Survey of Antimicrobial Consumption and Resistance (Global-PPS) conducted in 2018. An identified site administrator assigned all wards admitting inpatients to specific surveyors. A physician, pharmacist or nurse with infectious disease training performed the survey. The primary outcomes were point prevalence rates for AMU over the study period regarding prescriptions, indications and agent selection in medical, surgical and intensive care wards. The secondary outcomes were AMU for resistant organisms and practice appropriateness evaluated on the basis of quality indicators. Antimicrobial consumption is presented in terms of prevalence and proportions., Results: Forty-seven of 118 (39.8%) hospitals participated in the survey; 9 hospitals were primary care centres, 15 were secondary care centres and 23 were tertiary or specialized care centres. Of 13 272 patients included, 33.5% ( n = 4447) received a total of 6525 antimicrobials. Overall, 74.1% (4832/6525) of antimicrobials were for therapeutic use, 12.6% ( n = 825) were for medical prophylaxis, 8.9% ( n = 578) were for surgical prophylaxis, 2.2% ( n = 143) were for other use and 2.3% ( n = 147) were for unidentified reasons. A diagnosis or indication was documented in the patient's file at the initiation for 87.3% ( n = 5699) of antimicrobials; 62.9% ( n = 4106) of antimicrobials had a stop or review date; and 72.0% ( n = 4697) of prescriptions were guided by local guidelines., Interpretation: Overall, three-quarters of AMU was for therapeutic use across participating hospitals. Canadian hospitals should be further incentivized to create and adapt local guidelines on the basis of recent antimicrobial resistance data., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Daniel Thirion has shares in Lumed. No other competing interests were declared., (© 2021 CMA Joule Inc. or its licensors.)

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss. The present consensus provides suggestions on diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and follow-up strategies for nAMD from a panel of 11 practicing ophthalmologists. The experts suggest that the baseline visit for nAMD management should include a comprehensive ophthalmologic examination via a multimodal approach consisting of visual and anatomical evaluation. Patients diagnosed with nAMD should be subjected to treatment with the goal of maintaining visual function while diminishing anatomical disease activity and minimizing treatment burden. Currently, anti-VEGF therapy is the main treatment strategy for nAMD, and evaluation involving comprehensive ophthalmologic examination within 1 month of completion of the loading phase comprising three monthly injections is recommended to guide subsequent management. Either a treat-and-extend or pro re nata regimen can be considered for the maintenance phase of anti-VEGF therapy, and the regimen should be chosen and adjusted according to disease activity, reimbursement criteria, financial burden, and patient preferences. In the event of inactive nAMD or poor treatment outcomes, after thorough evaluation and patient education, anti-VEGF therapy may be stopped. The consensus provides practical nAMD management guidelines for ophthalmologists and fellow healthcare professionals., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors have any affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as educational grants; participation in speakers' bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript., (Copyright © 2021 Formosan Medical Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

COVID-19 is one of the most severe global health crises that humanity has ever faced. Researchers have restlessly focused on developing solutions for monitoring and tracing the viral culprit, SARS-CoV-2, as vital steps to break the chain of infection. Even though biomedical engineering (BME) is considered a rising field of medical sciences, it has demonstrated its pivotal role in nurturing the maturation of COVID-19 diagnostic technologies. Within a very short period of time, BME research applied to COVID-19 diagnosis has advanced with ever-increasing knowledge and inventions, especially in adapting available virus detection technologies into clinical practice and exploiting the power of interdisciplinary research to design novel diagnostic tools or improve the detection efficiency. To assist the development of BME in COVID-19 diagnosis, this review highlights the most recent diagnostic approaches and evaluates the potential of each research direction in the context of the pandemic.

Gene expression profiling techniques, such as DNA microarray and RNA-Sequencing, have provided significant impact on our understanding of biological systems. They contribute to almost all aspects of biomedical research, including studying developmental biology, host-parasite relationships, disease progression and drug effects. However, the high-throughput data generations present challenges for many wet experimentalists to analyze and take full advantage of such rich and complex data. Here we present GeneCloudOmics, an easy-to-use web server for high-throughput gene expression analysis that extends the functionality of our previous ABioTrans with several new tools, including protein datasets analysis, and a web interface. GeneCloudOmics allows both microarray and RNA-Seq data analysis with a comprehensive range of data analytics tools in one package that no other current standalone software or web-based tool can do. In total, GeneCloudOmics provides the user access to 23 different data analytical and bioinformatics tasks including reads normalization, scatter plots, linear/non-linear correlations, PCA, clustering (hierarchical, k-means, t-SNE, SOM), differential expression analyses, pathway enrichments, evolutionary analyses, pathological analyses, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) identifications. Furthermore, GeneCloudOmics allows the direct import of gene expression data from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus database. The user can perform all tasks rapidly through an intuitive graphical user interface that overcomes the hassle of coding, installing tools/packages/libraries and dealing with operating systems compatibility and version issues, complications that make data analysis tasks challenging for biologists. Thus, GeneCloudOmics is a one-stop open-source tool for gene expression data analysis and visualization. It is freely available at http://combio-sifbi.org/GeneCloudOmics., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Helmy, Agrawal, Ali, Soudy, Bui and Selvarajoo.)

Background: Acute postoperative endophthalmitis is one of the most severe complications of modern ophthalmic procedures including cataract surgeries, vitrectomy and intravitreal injection (IVI). We evaluated the treatment outcomes of acute postoperative infectious endophthalmitis., Methods: In this retrospective study, we collected data from 82 patients with acute infectious endophthalmitis within 6 weeks after intraocular surgeries, including cataract surgeries, vitreoretinal surgeries, and IVI, from January 2010 to December 2019. We analyzed the pre-treatment, treatment-related and post-treatment factors that affected visual outcomes., Results: The mean age was 67.65 ± 9.52 years, the proportion of male patients was 56.1%. The mean baseline vision was 1.92 (Snellen Equivalent SE], counting finger [CF]) ± 0.54 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (log MAR) and the mean final vision was 0.71 (SE, 39/200) ± 0.80 logMAR. Visual improvement was significant (P < 0.001). The pre-treatment factors affecting final visual outcomes were diabetes, hemodialysis, baseline vision, signs of vitreous opacity, and different surgeries before endophthalmitis; the treatment-related factors affecting visual outcomes were the choice factors between IVI of antibiotics alone and vitrectomy combined with IVI of antibiotics, and the injection numbers of antibiotics; post-treatment factors affecting visual outcomes were complications such as retinal detachment (RD), glaucoma and macular pucker. Furthermore, prior cataract surgery was associated with a better mean final vision of 0.57 (SE, 54/200) ± 0.67 logMAR while prior vitrectomy resulted in the worst mean final vision of 1.38 (SE, 21/500) ± 0.75 logMAR., Conclusions: The important factors that affected the final visual prognosis, included diabetes, hemodialysis, baseline vision, severity of vitritis, treatment strategies and complications. The treatment outcomes revealed better final vision in prior cataract surgery than vitrectomy., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) therapy has brought a great enthusiasm to the treatment of various immune disorders, tissue regeneration and transplantation therapy. MSCs are being extensively investigated for their immunomodulatory actions. MSCs can deliver immunomodulatory signals to inhibit allogeneic T cell immune responses by downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing regulatory cytokines and growth factors. Islet transplantation is a therapeutic alternative to the insulin therapy for the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). However, the acute loss of islets due to the lack of vasculature and hypoxic milieu in the immediate post-transplantation period may lead to treatment failure. Moreover, despite the use of potent immunosuppressive drugs, graft failure persists because of immunological rejection. Many in vitro and in vivo researches have demonstrated the multipotency of MSCs as a mediator of immunomodulation and a great approach for enhancement of islet engraftment. MSCs can interact with immune cells of the innate and adaptive immune systems via direct cell-cell contact or through secretomes containing numerous soluble growth and immunomodulatory factors or mitochondrial transfer. This review highlights the interactions between MSCs and different immune cells to mediate immunomodulatory functions along with the importance of MSCs therapy for the successful islet transplantation., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Background: The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal aflibercept injections as the primary treatment for subfoveal/juxtafoveal myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV) by using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was further used for some patients to detect the changes of CNV after treatment., Methods: In the present study, 21 treatment-naive eyes of 21 patients with subfoveal/juxtafoveal myopic CNV received primary intravitreal aflibercept injections and were under follow-up for a minimum duration of 12 months. Among the 21 patients, 12 underwent OCTA to evaluate the changes in central foveal thickness, selected CNV area, and flow area., Results: The mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) pertaining to all the patients significantly improved from the baseline value of 0.7 to 0.3 logMAR after treatment for 12 months (P = 0.001). However, the improvements in the median BCVA after treatment for three and 12 months were not statistically significant in the younger group (< 50 years), compared to the older group (≥ 50 years). One aflibercept injection resolved the CNV in 47.6% (10/21) of the patients. The younger group displayed greater improvement in the median central foveal thickness, compared to the older group. OCTA revealed interlacing or disorganized pattern at the level of the outer retinal layer in 12 subjects with myopic CNV. After 3 months of treatment, both groups displayed a decrease in the size of the selected CNV area and flow area. The interlacing group displayed a trend towards better anatomical improvements., Conclusion: Intravitreal aflibercept injection provides long-term improvement in visual acuity in patients with myopic CNV. Eyes with the interlacing pattern on OCTA displayed a greater decrease in size and flow after aflibercept injection., Trial Registration: Before data collection, written informed consent was obtained from each participant, whose identity information was protected by encryption and conversion to a non-identifiable format and removing data links. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital ( KSVGH21-CT1-17 )., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: The risk factors for scrub typhus in Vietnam remain unknown. Scrub typhus caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi often presents as an undifferentiated febrile illness and remains under appreciated due to the limited availability of diagnostic tests. This tropical rickettsial illness is increasingly recognized as an important cause of non-malaria acute undifferentiated fever in Asia. This study aimed to investigate behavioural and ecological related risk factors of scrub typhus to prevent this potentially life-threatening disease in Vietnam., Methods: We conducted a clinical hospital-based active surveillance study, and a retrospective residence-enrolment date-age-matched case-control study in Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam, from August 2018 to March 2020. Clinical examinations, polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay IgM tests were applied to define cases and controls. All enrolled participants filled out a questionnaire including demographic socio-economic status, personal behaviors/protective equipment, habitat connections, land use, and possible exposure to the vector. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to define the scrub typhus associated risk factors., Results: We identified 44 confirmed cases and matched them with 152 controls. Among cases and controls, the largest age group was the 41-50 years old and males accounted for 61.4% and 42.8%, respectively. There were similarities in demographic characteristics between the two groups, with the exception of occupation. Several factors were significantly associated with acquisition of scrub typhus, including sitting/laying directly on household floor [adjusted OR (aOR) = 4.9, 95% CI: 1.6-15.1, P = 0.006], household with poor sanitation/conditions (aOR = 7.9, 95% CI: 1.9-32.9, P = 0.005), workplace environment with risk (aOR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.2-7.6, P = 0.020), always observing mice around home (aOR = 3.7, 95% CI: 1.4-9.9, P = 0.008), and use of personal protective equipment in the field (aOR = 0.4, 95% CI: 0.1-1.1, P = 0.076)., Conclusions: Ecological and household hygiene-related factors were more associated with scrub typhus infection, than individual-level exposure activities in the hyper-endemic area. These findings support local education and allow people to protect themselves from scrub typhus, especially in areas with limitations in diagnostic capacity., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Pancreatic islet replacement therapy is an advanced choice for severe cases of type I diabetes. Nevertheless, extensive host immune response toward islet grafts remains a huge challenge for long-term graft function, and a lack of islet donors further increases the difficulties associated with upscaling this therapy. Mounting evidence suggests local delivery of immunosuppressive agents provides a feasible means of enhancing graft-protection. Among many immunosuppressants, tacrolimus (FK506) is one of the most potent interleukin-2 (IL-2)-mediated T-cell proliferation blockers. Here, we reported the effect of locally-delivered FK506-releasing PLGA microspheres (FK506-M) combined with polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based islet surface modification on xenogeneic islet survival in C57BL/6 mouse model. FK506-M was prepared using an emulsion method to a particle size of 10-40 μm and released FK506 over 40 days in vitro. Around 80% of the initial dose of FK506-M stably localized near transplanted islets, as observed under a bioimaging instrument and by immunofluorescence staining of islet grafts. Interestingly, FK506-M at very low-doses (equivalent to 150 to 2400 ng FK506 per recipient) was found to inhibit the infiltration of immune cells into grafts and reduce serum IL-1β levels, thereby improving graft survival times dose-dependently. The PEGylation of islets alone was not enough to protect islets from early rejection. However, combined treatment with FK506-M additively prolonged xenograft survival. In conclusion, this study describes a safe, effective approach for translating a systemic exposure-free local drug delivery into clinical trials of islet transplantation., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a devastating complication after total joint replacement with considerable morbidity and large economic burdens. Antibiotic-Loaded Bone Cement (ALBC) has been developed as a valuable tool for local administration and is becoming one of the most effective methods for the prevention and treatment of orthopedic infections. Controlling antibiotic release from ALBC is critical to achieve effective infection control, however, the antibiotic elution rates are generally low, and the mechanisms are poorly understood. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the effects of the basic acrylic bone cement components, including liquid/powder (monomer-to-polymer) ratios, radiopacifier, initiator, and doses of antibiotics on the porosity, antibiotic elution rates and mechanical properties of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) based ALBC. The obtained results from the in vitro studies suggested that a reduction in the liquid/powder ratio and an increase in the radiopacifier ratio and gentamicin doses led to increased porosity and release of antibiotic, while the initiator ratio exerted no effect on elution rates. In conclusion, we hope that by varying the composition of ALBC, we could considerably enhance the antibiotic elution rates by increasing porosity, while maintaining an adequate mechanical strength of the bone cements. This finding might provide insights into controlling antibiotic release from ALBC to achieve effective infection control after total joint replacement surgery.

Studies demonstrated that the receptor of advanced glycation end products (RAGE) induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) formation in the lens epithelial cells (LECs) of diabetic cataracts. This work investigated how 3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (D3T) reduces EMT formation in LECs of the fructose-induced diabetes mellitus (DM). LECs were isolated during cataract surgery from patients without DM or with DM. In a rat model, fructose (10% fructose, eight weeks) with or without D3T (10 mg/kg/day) treatment induced DM, as verified by blood pressure and serum parameter measurements. We observed that the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) was significantly higher in epithelial human lens of DM (+) compared to DM (-) cataracts. Aldose reductase (AKR1B1), AcSOD2, and 3-NT were significantly enhanced in the rat lens epithelial sections of fructose-induced DM, however, the phosphorylation level of AMPK T172 showed a reversed result. Interestingly, administration of D3T reverses the fructose-induced effects in LECs. These results indicated that AMPK T172 may be required for reduced superoxide generation and the pathogenesis of diabetic cataract. Administration of D3T reverses the fructose-induced EMT formation the LECs of fructose-induced DM. These novel findings suggest that the D3T may be a candidate for the pharmacological prevention of cataracts in patients with DM.

From MeOH-soluble fraction of the flowers of Hibiscus sabdariffa (Malvaceae), one new lignan, (+)-4- O -methyl-5'-methoxy-secoisolariciresinol ( 1 ), together with four known compounds ( 2 - 5 ) were isolated. The structures were elucidated based on NMR spectroscopic analysis. The absolute configuration of 1 was determined based on the Cotton effects in the CD spectrum. Compounds 1 , 3 and 4 showed antioxidant activities with the SC 50 values of 56.9, 19.3 and 22.7 µM, respectively.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are important players in cell to cell communication in reproductive systems. Notably, EVs have been found and characterized in the male reproductive tract, however, direct functional evidence for their importance in mediating sperm function is lacking. We have previously demonstrated that Arrdc4, a member of the α-arrestin protein family, is involved in extracellular vesicle biogenesis and release. Here we show that Arrdc4-mediated extracellular vesicle biogenesis is required for proper sperm function. Sperm from Arrdc4 -/- mice develop normally through the testis but fail to acquire adequate motility and fertilization capabilities through the epididymis, as observed by reduced motility, premature acrosome reaction, reduction in zona pellucida binding and two-cell embryo production. We found a significant reduction in extracellular vesicle production by Arrdc4 -/- epididymal epithelial cells, and further, supplementation of Arrdc4 -/- sperm with additional vesicles dampened the acrosome reaction defect and restored zona pellucida binding. These results indicate that Arrdc4 is important for proper sperm maturation through the control of extracellular vesicle biogenesis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles published by Wiley Periodicals, LLC on behalf of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles.)

In CLN3 disease, impairments in motor function are frequently reported to have later onset compared to visual and cognitive decline, but upper limb motor function has yet to be explored in this population. In a cohort of 22 individuals with CLN3, we used a novel application of multiple measures to (1) characterize motor function, particularly of the upper limbs, in activities of daily living (ADLs), and (2) explore associations between motor function and age as well as visual ability, disease severity, and cognitive function, as evaluated by the Unified Batten Disease Rating Scale (UBDRS), a validated CLN3 disease measure. ADLs that required coordination, speed, and fine motor control were particularly challenging for children with CLN3 based on item-level performance across direct assessments (Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test [JTHFT] and MyoSet Tools) and caregiver reports (Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Testing [PEDI-CAT] and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System [PROMIS] Pediatric Upper Extremity). Poorer visual ability, disease severity, and cognitive function were associated with worse performance on these measures, whereas age had limited impact. These findings support the need for children with CLN3 to receive skilled clinical evaluation and treatment tailored to their individual needs, particularly in the context of ADLs, as their symptom profile progresses., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: Fibronectin 3 (FN3) and immunoglobulin like modules (Ig) are usually collocated beside modular cellulase catalytic domains. However, very few researches have investigated the role of these modules. In a previous study, we have sequenced and analyzed bacterial metagenomic DNA in Vietnamese goats' rumen and found that cellulase-producing bacteria and cellulase families were dominant. In this study, the properties of modular cellulases and the role of a FN3 in unique endoglucanase belonging to glycosyl hydorlase (GH) family 5 were determined., Methods: Based on Pfam analysis, the cellulases sequences containing FN3, Ig modules were extracted from 297 complete open reading frames (ORFs). The alkaline, thermostability, tertiary structure of deduced enzymes were predicted by AcalPred, TBI software, Phyre2 and Swiss models. Then, whole and truncated forms of a selected gene were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by His-tag affinity column for assessment of FN3 ability to enhance enzyme activity, solubility and conformation., Results: From 297 complete ORFs coding for cellulases, 148 sequences containing FN3, Ig were identified. Mostly FN3 appeared in 90.9% beta-glucosidases belonging to glycosyl hydrolase family 3 (GH3) and situated downstream of catalytic domains. The Ig was found upstream of 100% endoglucanase GH9. Rarely FN3 was seen to be situated downstream of X domain and upstream of catalytic domain endoglucanase GH5. Whole enzyme (called XFN3GH5 based on modular structure) and truncate forms FN3, XFN3, FN3GH5, GH5 were cloned in pET22b (+) and pET22SUMO to be expressed in single and fusion forms with a small ubiquitin-related modifier partner (S). The FN3, SFN3 increased GH5 solubility in FN3GH5, SFN3GH5. The SFN3 partly served for GH5 conformation in SFN3GH5, increased modules interaction and enzyme-soluble substrate affinity to enhance SXFN3GH5, SFN3GH5 activities in mixtures. Both SFN3 and SXFN3 did not anchor enzyme on filter paper but exfoliate and separate cellulose chains on filter paper for enzyme hydrolysis., Conclusion: Based on these findings, the presence of FN3 module in certain cellulases was confirmed and it assisted for enzyme conformation and activity in both soluble and insoluble substrate.

Traumatic amputation has been one of the most defining injuries associated with explosive devices. An understanding of the mechanism of injury is essential in order to reduce its incidence and devastating consequences to the individual and their support network. In this study, traumatic amputation is reproduced using high-velocity environmental debris in an animal cadaveric model. The study findings are combined with previous work to describe fully the mechanism of injury as follows. The shock wave impacts with the casualty, followed by energised projectiles (environmental debris or fragmentation) carried by the blast. These cause skin and soft tissue injury, followed by skeletal trauma which compounds to produce segmental and multifragmental fractures. A critical injury point is reached, whereby the underlying integrity of both skeletal and soft tissues of the limb has been compromised. The blast wind that follows these energised projectiles completes the amputation at the level of the disruption, and traumatic amputation occurs. These findings produce a shift in the understanding of traumatic amputation due to blast from a mechanism predominately thought mediated by primary and tertiary blast, to now include secondary blast mechanisms, and inform change for mitigative strategies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Rankin, Nguyen, McMenemy, Clasper and Masouros.)

Human chromosome 9p21.3 is susceptible to inactivation in cell immortalization and diseases, such as cancer, coronary artery disease and type-2 diabetes. Although this locus encodes three cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors (p15 INK4B , p14 ARF and p16 INK4A ), our understanding of their functions and modes of action is limited to the latter two. Here, we show that in vitro p15 INK4B is markedly stronger than p16 INK4A in inhibiting pRb1 phosphorylation, E2F activity and cell-cycle progression. In mice, urothelial cells expressing oncogenic HRas and lacking p15 INK4B , but not those expressing HRas and lacking p16 INK4A , develop early-onset bladder tumors. The potency of CDKN2B/p15 INK4B in tumor suppression relies on its strong binding via key N-terminal residues to and inhibition of CDK4/CDK6. p15 INK4B also binds and inhibits enolase-1, a glycolytic enzyme upregulated in most cancer types. Our results highlight the dual inhibition of p15 INK4B on cell proliferation, and unveil mechanisms whereby p15 INK4B aberrations may underpin cancer and non-cancer conditions.

Tissue repairing capacity and immunomodulatory effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively utilized for treating various inflammatory disorders; however, inconsistent efficacy and therapeutic outcomes due to low survival rate after transplantation often restrain their clinical potential. To overcome these limitations, 3-dimensional culture (3D-culture) was established to augment stemness and paracrine functions of MSCs, although hypoxic stress at the core often leads to unexpected cell death. Thus, we designed a novel strategy to improve the microenvironment of MSCs by creating heterospheroids (HS) consisting of MSCs and quercetin (QUR)-loaded microspheres (MSC HS ), to achieve local drug delivery to the cells. Notably, MSC HS exhibited resistance for senescence-associated phenotype and oxidative stress-induced apoptosis compared to 3D-cultured MSCs (MSC 3D ), as well as to 2D-cultured cells (MSC 2D ) in vitro. In a murine model of colitis, MSC 3D and MSC HS exhibited enhanced anti-inflammatory impact than MSC 2D via attenuating neutrophil infiltration and regulating helper T cell (Th) polarization into Th1 and Th17 cells. Interestingly, MSC HS provided better therapeutic outcomes compared to MSC 3D , partially due to their enhanced survival capacity in vivo. Moreover, we found that MSC-derived paracrine factor, prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ), can directly drive the epithelial regeneration process by inducing specialized tissue-repairing cell generation using the intestinal organoid culture. Importantly, MSC 3D and MSC HS displayed an outstanding regeneration-inducing potency compared to MSC 2D owing to their superior PGE 2 secretion. Taken together, we suggest a convergent strategy of MSC HS formation with reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger, QUR, which can maximize the inflammation-attenuating and tissue-repairing capacity of MSCs, as well as the engraftment efficiency after transplantation., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aim: Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is a severe disease in shrimp farms and adversely affected the shrimp industry of Vietnam. So far, the study on risk factors associated with AHPND outbreaks is limited. The objective of this study was to determine the potential risk factors of AHPND at the shrimp farm level in Bac Lieu Province, Vietnam., Materials and Methods: Real-time-Polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze data collected from an active surveillance program of shrimp farms in 2017 in the Vinh Tien and Vinh Lac villages, Vinh Thinh commune, Hoa Binh district in Bac Lieu Province, Vietnam. The matched case-control study selected 20 cases and 20 control farms from 134 shrimp farms. In 2018, face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires were conducted with the farmers of these selected farms., Results: Of the 59 studied variables, seven had p≤0.2 based on bivariate analyses. The results of multivariable analysis showed that the presence of fish-eating birds on shrimp farms was a significant association with AHPND (odds ratio=8, p=0.049)., Conclusion: To reduce the effect of AHPND, farmers should apply effective methods to manage wild animals such as using a grid or net to cover the pond, combined with improved biosecurity., (Copyright: © Nguyen, et al.)

Background: Heritability is a central measure in genetics quantifying how much of the variability observed in a trait is attributable to genetic differences. Existing methods for estimating heritability are most often based on random-effect models, typically for computational reasons. The alternative of using a fixed-effect model has received much more limited attention in the literature., Results: In this paper, we propose a generic strategy for heritability inference, termed as "boosting heritability", by combining the advantageous features of different recent methods to produce an estimate of the heritability with a high-dimensional linear model. Boosting heritability uses in particular a multiple sample splitting strategy which leads in general to a stable and accurate estimate. We use both simulated data and real antibiotic resistance data from a major human pathogen, Sptreptococcus pneumoniae, to demonstrate the attractive features of our inference strategy., Conclusions: Boosting is shown to offer a reliable and practically useful tool for inference about heritability.

Platinum diselenide (PtSe 2 ) is a group-10 two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenide that exhibits the most prominent atomic-layer-dependent electronic behavior of "semiconductor-to-semimetal" transition when going from monolayer to bulk form. This work demonstrates an efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) conversion for direct solar-to-hydrogen (H 2 ) production based on 2D layered PtSe 2 /Si heterojunction photocathodes. By systematically controlling the number of atomic layers of wafer-scale 2D PtSe 2 films through chemical vapor deposition (CVD), the interfacial band alignments at the 2D layered PtSe 2 /Si heterojunctions can be appropriately engineered. The 2D PtSe 2 / p- Si heterojunction photocathode consisting of a PtSe 2 thin film with a thickness of 2.2 nm (or 3 atomic layers) exhibits the optimized band alignment and delivers the best PEC performance for hydrogen production with a photocurrent density of -32.4 mA cm -2 at 0 V and an onset potential of 1 mA cm -2 at 0.29 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) after post-treatment. The wafer-scale atomic-layer controlled band engineering of 2D PtSe 2 thin-film catalysts integrated with the Si light absorber provides an effective way in the renewable energy application for direct solar-to-hydrogen production.

Background: Estimating the cost of postoperative respiratory complications is crucial in developing appropriate strategies to mitigate the global and national economic burden. However, systematic analysis of the economic burden in low- and middle-income countries is lacking., Methods: We used the nationwide database of the Vietnam Social Insurance agency and extracted data from January 2017 to September 2018. The data contain 1 241 893 surgical patients undergoing one of seven types of surgery. Propensity score matching method was used to match cases with and without complications. We used generalized gamma regressions to estimate the direct medical costs; logistic regressions to evaluate the impact of postoperative respiratory complications on re-hospitalization and outpatient visits., Findings: Postoperative respiratory complications increased the odds of re-hospitalization and outpatient visits by 3·49 times (95% CI: 3·35-3·64) and 1·39 times (95% CI: 1·34-1·45) among surgical patients, respectively. The mean incremental cost associated with postoperative respiratory complications occurring within 30 days of the index admission was 1053·3 USD (95% CI: 940·7-1165·8) per procedure, which was equivalent to 41% of the GDP per capita of Vietnam in 2018. We estimated the national annual incremental cost due to respiratory complications occurring within 30 days after surgery was 13·87 million USD. Pneumonia contributed the greatest part of the annual cost burden of postoperative respiratory complications., Interpretation: The economic burden of postoperative respiratory complications is substantial at both individual and national levels. Postoperative respiratory complications also increase the odds of re-hospitalization and outpatient visits and increase the length of hospital stay among surgical patients., Funding: The authors did not receive any funds for conducting this study., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest, (© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Alpinia oxyphylla Miquel (Zingiberaceae) has been reported to show antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. In this study, two new eudesmane sesquiterpenes, 7α-hydroperoxy eudesma-3,11-diene-2-one ( 1 ) and 7β-hydroperoxy eudesma-3,11-diene-2-one ( 2 ), and a new eremophilane sesquiterpene, 3α-hydroxynootkatone ( 3 ), were isolated from the MeOH extract of dried fruits of A. oxyphylla along with eleven known sesquiterpenes ( 4 - 14 ). The structures were elucidated by the analysis of 1D/2D NMR, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HRESIMS), and optical rotation data. Compounds ( 1 - 3 , 5 - 14 ) were evaluated for their protective effects against tert -butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP)-induced oxidative stress in adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs). As a result, treatment with isolated compounds, especially compounds 11 and 12, effectively reverted the damage of tBHP on ADMSCs in a dose-dependent manner. In particular, 11 and 12 at 50 µM improved the viability of tBHP-toxified ADMSCs by 1.69 ± 0.05-fold and 1.61 ± 0.03-fold, respectively.