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Long Doan,1 Huong T Nguyen,2 Thao TP Nguyen,3 Thi Thuy Linh Phan,4 Le Duc Huy,4 Thi Thuy Hang Nguyen,4 Thuoc Phuoc Doan2 1Internal Medicine Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam; 2Faculty of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam; 3Institute for Community Health Research, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam; 4Health Personnel Training Institute, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Thua Thien Hue, VietnamCorrespondence: Thuoc Phuoc Doan, Faculty of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University, Hue, Thua Thien Hue, 53000, Vietnam, Tel +84 914932577, Email dpthuoc@hueuni.edu.vnPurpose: Our study aims to evaluate the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus in the next 10 years using ModAsian FINDRISC and additionally explore associated factors among the Vietnam population.Participants and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 2258 participants aged 25 years old or above in Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam. The sample size is calculated based on the estimated sensitivity, and participants were randomly selected from different geographical and socio-economic areas. All participants were thoroughly medically examined, taking blood lipid profile and fasting blood glucose, taking blood pressure, anthropometric indexes, 12-lead electrocardiogram, and behavioral factors were investigated using the Vietnamese version of the WHO STEPS toolkit. The risk of developing T2DM was made based on the ModAsian FINDRISC.Results: The incidence of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus among the study population was 4.21%. The group with a high or very high risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus in the next 10 years accounted for 2.52%. Body mass index (AUC = 0.840, 95% CI: 0.792– 0.888), waist circumference (AUC = 0.824, 95% CI: 0.777– 0.871), family history of diabetes mellitus (AUC = 0.751, 95% CI = 0.668– 0.833), and history of antihypertensive medication use regularly (AUC = 0.708, 95% CI: 0.632– 0.784) are the most associated factors of the ModAsian FINDRISC. Residential location (OR = 5.62, 95% CI: 1.91– 16.54) and occupational status (OR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.20– 0.62) were significant factors associated with a high and very high risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus in the next 10 year.Conclusion: Screening for the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus and implementing intervention programs focusing on controlling weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure are essential for reducing type 2 diabetes mellitus incidence and burden in Vietnam.Keywords: type 2 diabetes mellitus, Vietnam, noncommunicable diseases, ModAsian FINDRISC

Background: Many factors have been reported to contribute to a decrease in the use of pharmacotherapy to control pain, including the complexity of the medication regime, lack of efficacy, side effects, and cost considerations. Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the significant factors associated with the use of pharmacotherapy in pain relief among Indonesian population. Methods: The data was obtained from the fifth wave of the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS-5). The sample size was 11,516 persons aged 21-60 years with recent pain. Logistic regressions were utilized to explore the associations between independent characteristics and the outcome of medication use for pain complaints. Results: The majority of the participants were females between the ages of 31 and 40, had a high school diploma or less, were working, practiced Islam, and had no restrictions on their daily activities. The proportions of pharmacotherapy users and non- pharmacotherapy users were 51.44% and 48.56%, respectively. Female gender, older age, poor education level, and limitations in daily activities were all linked with a higher usage of medication. Conclusion: In the Indonesian population, having limitations in daily activities was the strongest predictor of pharmacotherapy usage for recent pain. Implication: People who are older, female, or have a poorer level of education should be the primary focus of education to enhance the pharmacological management of their pain.

Bioinformatics software systems are critical tools for analysing large-scale biological data, but their design and implementation can be challenging due to the need for reliability, scalability, and performance. This thesis investigates the impact of several software approaches on the design and implementation of bioinformatics software systems. These approaches include software patterns, microservices, distributed computing, containerisation and container orchestration. The research focuses on understanding how these techniques affect bioinformatics software systems’ reliability, scalability, performance, and efficiency. Furthermore, this research highlights the challenges and considerations involved in their implementation. This study also examines potential solutions for implementing container orchestration in bioinformatics research teams with limited resources and the challenges of using container orchestration. Additionally, the thesis considers microservices and distributed computing and how these can be optimised in the design and implementation process to enhance the productivity and performance of bioinformatics software systems. The research was conducted using a combination of software development, experimentation, and evaluation. The results show that implementing software patterns can significantly improve the code accessibility and structure of bioinformatics software systems. Specifically, microservices and containerisation also enhanced system reliability, scalability, and performance. Additionally, the study indicates that adopting advanced software engineering practices, such as model-driven design and container orchestration, can facilitate efficient and productive deployment and management of bioinformatics software systems, even for researchers with limited resources. Overall, we develop a software system integrating all our findings. Our proposed system demonstrated the ability to address challenges in bioinformatics. The thesis makes several key contributions in addressing the research questions surrounding the design, implementation, and optimisation of bioinformatics software systems using software patterns, microservices, containerisation, and advanced software engineering principles and practices. Our findings suggest that incorporating these technologies can significantly improve bioinformatics software systems’ reliability, scalability, performance, efficiency, and productivity., Bioinformatische Software-Systeme stellen bedeutende Werkzeuge für die Analyse umfangreicher biologischer Daten dar. Ihre Entwicklung und Implementierung kann jedoch aufgrund der erforderlichen Zuverlässigkeit, Skalierbarkeit und Leistungsfähigkeit eine Herausforderung darstellen. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die Auswirkungen von Software-Mustern, Microservices, verteilten Systemen, Containerisierung und Container-Orchestrierung auf die Architektur und Implementierung von bioinformatischen Software-Systemen zu untersuchen. Die Forschung konzentriert sich darauf, zu verstehen, wie sich diese Techniken auf die Zuverlässigkeit, Skalierbarkeit, Leistungsfähigkeit und Effizienz von bioinformatischen Software-Systemen auswirken und welche Herausforderungen mit ihrer Konzeptualisierungen und Implementierung verbunden sind. Diese Arbeit untersucht auch potenzielle Lösungen zur Implementierung von Container-Orchestrierung in bioinformatischen Forschungsteams mit begrenzten Ressourcen und die Einschränkungen bei deren Verwendung in diesem Kontext. Des Weiteren werden die Schlüsselfaktoren, die den Erfolg von bioinformatischen Software-Systemen mit Containerisierung, Microservices und verteiltem Computing beeinflussen, untersucht und wie diese im Design- und Implementierungsprozess optimiert werden können, um die Produktivität und Leistung bioinformatischer Software-Systeme zu steigern. Die vorliegende Arbeit wurde mittels einer Kombination aus Software-Entwicklung, Experimenten und Evaluation durchgeführt. Die erzielten Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Implementierung von Software-Mustern, die Zuverlässigkeit und Skalierbarkeit von bioinformatischen Software-Systemen erheblich verbessern kann. Der Einsatz von Microservices und Containerisierung trug ebenfalls zur Steigerung der Zuverlässigkeit, Skalierbarkeit und Leistungsfähigkeit des Systems bei. Darüber hinaus legt die Arbeit dar, dass die Anwendung von SoftwareEngineering-Praktiken, wie modellgesteuertem Design und Container-Orchestrierung, die effiziente und produktive Bereitstellung und Verwaltung von bioinformatischen Software-Systemen erleichtern kann. Zudem löst die Implementierung dieses SoftwareSystems, Herausforderungen für Forschungsgruppen mit begrenzten Ressourcen. Insgesamt hat das System gezeigt, dass es in der Lage ist, Herausforderungen im Bereich der Bioinformatik zu bewältigen und stellt somit ein wertvolles Werkzeug für Forscher in diesem Bereich dar. Die vorliegende Arbeit leistet mehrere wichtige Beiträge zur Beantwortung von Forschungsfragen im Zusammenhang mit dem Entwurf, der Implementierung und der Optimierung von Software-Systemen für die Bioinformatik unter Verwendung von Prinzipien und Praktiken der Softwaretechnik. Unsere Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass die Einbindung dieser Technologien die Zuverlässigkeit, Skalierbarkeit, Leistungsfähigkeit, Effizienz und Produktivität bioinformatischer Software-Systeme erheblich verbessern kann.

In this work, preparation and spectroscopic characteristics of CdSe/CdS/CdSe1-xSx/CdS core/shell 1/well/shell 2 structure were presented. The obtained quantum dot - quantum well (QDQW) samples exhibited two emission peaks at 1.97 and 2.2 eV. Excitation power dependent photoluminescence (PL) of the QDQWs indicated that the integrated emission intensities of these peaks increase linearly with excitation power densities up to 1.3×102 mW/cm2. The temperature dependence of the bandgap energies of the QDQW’s core and well layer was well described using the Varshni expression. Evidence of the existence of “local wells” in the QDQW’s well layer that leads to a more significant change in the maximum position and full width at half maximum of the well’s emission peak compared to the core’s counterpart was discovered. Annealing samples resulted in the considerable increase of the well layer’s emission efficiency. Keywords: Quantum dot - quantum wells, dual - color, spectroscopic characteristics.

Exposure to a diverse microbial environment during pregnancy and early postnatal period is important in determining predisposition towards allergy. However, the effect of environmental microbiota exposure on allergy during preconception, pregnancy and postnatal life on development of allergy in the child has not been investigated so far. In the S-PRESTO (Singapore PREconception Study of long Term maternal and child Outcomes) cohort, we collected house dust during all three critical window periods and analysed microbial composition using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. At 6 and 18 months, the child was assessed for eczema by clinicians. In the eczema group, household environmental microbiota was characterized by presence of human-associated bacteria Actinomyces, Anaerococcus, Finegoldia, Micrococcus, Prevotella and Propionibacterium at all time points, suggesting their possible contributions to regulating host immunity and increasing the susceptibility to eczema. In the home environment of the control group, putative protective effect of an environmental microbe Planomicrobium (Planococcaceae family) was observed to be significantly higher than that in the eczema group. Network correlation analysis demonstrated inverse relationships between beneficial Planomicrobium and human associated bacteria (Actinomyces, Anaerococcus, Finegoldia, Micrococcus, Prevotella and Propionibacterium). Exposure to natural environmental microbiota may be beneficial to modulate shed human associated microbiota in an indoor environment.

BACKGROUND As new variants keep emerging and threatening public health achievements, it is of great importance for governments to keep track of potential country-level pandemic indicators and traverse appropriate COVID-19 control remedies effectively and quickly. OBJECTIVE This study aims to compare COVID-19 average weekly infection fatality rate (AWIFR) and investigate factors associated with COVID-19 AWIFR over two periods of Delta and Omicron variants. Additionally, the study is to explore the factors linked to the increase in COVID-19 AWIFR between two periods of Delta and Omicron variants. METHODS We carried out an ecological study of 110 countries over the first twelve weeks during two periods of Delta and Omicron variant dominance, using publicly available databases. We calculated the AWIFR in aggregate data of twelve weeks in each period. Multivariable linear regression models were utilized to determine the factors associated with AWIFR and the increase in AWIFR between two periods. RESULTS The Omicron period was found to have a lower AWIFR than Delta period, although it exhibited greater rates of average weekly infection and average weekly fatality. During the Delta variant period, region, high government indicators, and proportion of the population fully vaccinated were significantly associated with a lower AWIFR, and high death rates caused by diabetes and kidney diseases were linked to higher AWIFR. During the Omicron variant period, countries with a high proportion of the population vaccinated with a booster dose had a significantly lower AWIFR, whereas the proportion of the population over 65, income levels, and years lived with disability (YLDs) caused by metabolic diseases were adversely linked with AWIFR. Over two periods of Delta and Omicron, we found a lower increase in AWIFR in countries with high levels of government effectiveness index and stringency index. In contrast, the countries with high death rates caused by diabetes and kidney, and the proportion of people aged over 65 were linked to a greater increase in AWIFR. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that government needs to keep fostering the rates of vaccine coverage, enhancing coordination between the intensity and duration of non-pharmaceutical interventions, strengthening interventions for chronic diseases, and implementing more assessments on metabolic disorders to alleviate the COVID-19 outcomes.

On-demand routing protocol is designed to work efficiently on mobile ad hoc networks (MANET). They operate with the belief that all nodes in the network are friendly, thus hackers exploiting security vulnerabilities to carry out some form of cyber attacks, especially Flooding attacks. This form of attack is easily accomplished by overflowing route request packets into the network. Once the attack frequency is large enough, it shall interfere with the route discovery of other network nodes, damaging network performance. In this article, we will analyze and evaluate the impact of flood attacks on the performance of two routing protocols AOMDV. Thereby, we describe a security solutions using the One Time Password (OTP) authentication mechanism (OAM) and implementing AOMDV-OAM security protocol, which is improved from the AOMDV protocol by using OAM to reduce the harmful effects of flood attacks. Using NS2, we assess the security effectiveness of the AOMDV-OAM protocol in random waypoint network topologies where has flooding attacks. Simulation results show that AOMDV-OAM protocol is very effective in minimizing the harmful effects of flood attacks, the rate of successful packet delivery reached over 99% when the one malicious node attacked with a frequency of 20pkt/s and 50pkt/s for Grid network topology.

There is little knowledge about how the influence of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) reduces the COVID-19 infection rate during the period of vaccine rollout. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of NPIs on decreasing the epidemic growth of COVID-19 between before and after the vaccine rollout period among Asian countries. Our ecological study included observations from 30 Asian countries over the 20 weeks of the pre- and post-vaccination period. Data were extracted from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker and other open databases. Longitudinal analysis was utilized to evaluate the impacts of public health responses and vaccines. The facial covering policy was the most effective intervention in the pre-vaccination period, followed by border control and testing policies. In the post-vaccination period, restrictions on gatherings and public transport closure both play a key role in reducing the epidemic growth rate. Vaccine coverage of 1–5%, 5–10%, 10–30%, and over 30% of the population was linked with an average reduction of 0.12%, 0.32%, 0.31%, and 0.59%, respectively. Our findings support the evidence that besides the vaccine increasingly contributing to pandemic control, the implementation of NPIs also plays a key role.

There is emerging evidence that the respiratory microbiota influences airway health, and there has been intense research interest in its role in respiratory infections and allergic airway disorders. This review aims to summarize current knowledge of nasal microbiome and virome and their associations with childhood rhinitis and wheeze. The healthy infant nasal microbiome is dominated by Corynebacteriaceae and Staphylococcaceae. In contrast, infants who subsequently develop respiratory disorders are depleted of these microbes and are instead enriched with Proteobacteria spp. Although human rhinovirus and human respiratory syncytial virus are well-documented major viral pathogens that trigger rhinitis and wheezing disorders in infants, recent limited data indicate that bacteriophages may have a role in respiratory health. Future work investigating the interplay between commensal microbiota, virome, and host immunological responses is an important step toward understanding the dynamics of the nasal community in order to develop a strategical approach to combat these common childhood respiratory disorders.

Evidence is accumulating that the establishment of the gut microbiome in early life influences the development of atopic eczema. In this longitudinal study, we used integrated multi-omics analyses to infer functional mechanisms by which the microbiome modulates atopic eczema risk. We measured the functionality of the gut microbiome and metabolome of 63 infants between ages 3 weeks and 12 months with well-defined eczema cases and controls in a sub-cohort from the Growing Up in Singapore Toward healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) mother-offspring cohort. At 3 weeks, the microbiome and metabolome of allergen-sensitized atopic eczema infants were characterized by an enrichment of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, associated with increased stool D-glucose concentration and increased gene expression of associated virulence factors. A delayed colonization by beneficial Bacteroides fragilis and subsequent delayed accumulation of butyrate and propionate producers after 3 months was also observed. Here, we describe an aberrant developmental trajectory of the gut microbiome and stool metabolome in allergen sensitized atopic eczema infants. The infographic describes an impaired developmental trajectory of the gut microbiome and metabolome in allergen-sensitized atopic eczema (AE) infants and infer its contribution in modulating allergy risk in the Singaporean mother-offspring GUSTO cohort. The key microbial signature of AE is characterized by (1) an enrichment of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae which are associated with accumulation of pre-glycolysis intermediates (D-glucose) via the trehalose metabolic pathway, increased gene expression of associated virulence factors (invasin, adhesin, flagellin and lipopolysaccharides) by utilizing ATP from oxidative phosphorylation and delayed production of butyrate and propionate, (2) depletion of Bacteroides fragilis which resulted in lower expression of immunostimulatory bacterial cell envelope structure and folate (vitamin B9) biosynthesis pathway, and (3) accompanied depletion of bacterial groups with the ability to derive butyrate and propionate through direct or indirect pathways which collectively resulted in reduced glycolysis, butyrate and propionate biosynthesis., Graphical abstract

Plant-parasitic nematodes are known as one of the most important pests attacking various plants in the world, and investigating the nematode component is very essential for management of this pest and prevent damage to plants in general. Our survey of plant-parasitic nematodes on medicinal plants in Melinh Station for Biodiversity, a place for conservation of precious plants and animals in Vietnam, identified ten species that belong to nine genera, five families, and two orders of plant-parasitic nematodes parasitizing six medicinal plants. Excoecaria cochinchinensis was parasitized by the highest number of nematode genera (5 genera, including Xiphinema, Discocriconemella, Meloidogyne, Helicotylenchus, and Hemicriconemoides), while Hymenocallis littoralis was associated with the highest number of plant-parasitic nematodes (2060 nematodes/250g soil). The results also showed that Discocriconemella limitanea was found to be a dominant species with the highest number of individuals on 6 medicinal plants, and the genus Helicotylenchus had the highest frequency of appearance (5/6 plants or 83.3%). These nematodes caused symptoms such as yellowing leaves, root galls, and root lesions, which directly affect the quality and yield of medicinal plants. Based on the results, this study showed that plant-parasitic nematodes are a potential threat to the cultivation of medicinal plants in Melinh Station for Biodiversity, and thus, control measures should be applied to ensure sustainable cultivation of medicinal plants in this place.

BACKGROUND: Dynamic establishment of the nasal microbiota in early life influences local mucosal immune responses and susceptibility to childhood respiratory disorders. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this case-control study was to monitor, evaluate, and compare development of the nasal microbiota of infants with rhinitis and wheeze in the first 18 months of life with those of healthy control subjects. METHODS: Anterior nasal swabs of 122 subjects belonging to the Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) birth cohort were collected longitudinally over 7 time points in the first 18 months of life. Nasal microbiota signatures were analyzed by using 16S rRNA multiplexed pair-end sequencing from 3 clinical groups: (1) patients with rhinitis alone (n = 28), (2) patients with rhinitis with concomitant wheeze (n = 34), and (3) healthy control subjects (n = 60). RESULTS: Maturation of the nasal microbiome followed distinctive patterns in infants from both rhinitis groups compared with control subjects. Bacterial diversity increased over the period of 18 months of life in control infants, whereas infants with rhinitis showed a decreasing trend (P