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The illegal trade in tigers (Panthera tigris) and their derivatives, such as bones, teeth and pelts, is a major threat to the species' long-term persistence. As wild tiger populations have dwindled, a large proportion of trafficked tiger products now derive from captive breeding facilities found throughout Asia. Moreover, wild tigers have been poached and laundered into captive facilities, then falsely designated as captive-bred. The establishment of a DNA registration system is recognized as a key tool to monitor compliance of captive facilities, support tiger trade investigations and improve prosecution outcomes. Here, we present a standardised wildlife forensic DNA profiling system for captive tigers called TigerBase. TigerBase has been developed in four South-East Asia countries with captive tiger facilities: Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Lao PDR. TigerBase DNA profile data is based on 60 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, genotyped using two different TaqMan®-based approaches: OpenArray® chip (capable of genotyping 60 SNPs for 48 samples in a single chip), and singleplex TaqMan® assays (capable of genotyping one SNP for one sample per reaction). Of the 60 SNPs, 53 are autosomal nuclear markers, suitable for individualisation and parentage applications, two are sex-linked markers, suitable for sexing, and five are mtDNA markers, suitable for maternal subspecies identification. We conducted a series of validation experiments to investigate the reliability and limitations of these SNP genotyping platforms. We found that the OpenArray® chip platform is more appropriate for generating reference data given its greater throughput, while the singleplex TaqMan® assays are more appropriate for genotyping lower quality casework samples, given their higher sensitivity and throughput flexibility. Only 19 autosomal nuclear markers were validated as singleplex TaqMan® assays, which generally provides ample power for individualisation analysis (probability of identity among siblings was <6.9 ×10 -4 ), but may lack power for specific parentage questions, such as determining parentage of an offspring when one of the parent's genotypes is missing. Further, we have developed pipelines to support standardised SNP calling and decrease the chance of genotyping errors through the use of analytical workflows and synthetic positive controls. We expect the implementation of TigerBase will enhance enforcement of tiger trafficking cases and encourage compliance among captive tiger facilities, together contributing to combatting the illegal tiger trade., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest 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., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: This systematic review examines how extreme temperatures impact chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) morbidity and mortality, focusing on identifying vulnerable subpopulations., Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search from January 1, 2000, to November 6, 2024, across databases like PubMed, MEDLINE and EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus, focusing on observational studies that quantitatively defined extreme temperatures and their impacts on COPD morbidity and mortality. Out of 3140 records, 25 studies met the inclusion criteria. We extracted data on study characteristics, effect estimates, and confounders, employing methods to assess the risk of bias and synthesize results., Results: We observed that extreme heat increased the relative risk (RR) for COPD morbimortality by 1.16-fold (95 % CI: 1.08-1.26; p < 0.05), and extreme cold increased the RR by 1.32-fold (95 % CI: 1.20-1.46;). Extreme heat was associated with a 1.19-fold (95 % CI: 1.09-1.30; p < 0.05) increase in COPD mortality. In contrast, extreme cold was associated with both COPD morbidity and mortality, with morbidity increasing by 1.47-fold (95 % CI: 1.26-1.71; p < 0.05) and mortality by 1.23-fold (95 % CI: 1.10-1.38; p < 0.05). Extreme heat poses a higher risk for female COPD patients compared to males. Moreover, extreme heat and cold were associated with morbimortality risk among older adults. Asian populations were sensitive to both temperature extremes, whereas Europeans were predominantly susceptible to extreme cold., Conclusion: This variability in response to extreme temperatures affects COPD morbidity and mortality, emphasizing the need for tailored medical and emergency responses to effectively mitigate health risks during extreme weather events., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Regulatory T (Treg) cells are essential for maternal immune tolerance of the fetus and placenta. In preeclampsia, aberrant Treg cell tolerance is implicated, but whether and how Treg cells affect the uterine vascular dysfunction thought to precede placental impairment and maternal vasculopathy is unclear. We utilized Foxp3DTR mice to test the hypothesis that Treg cells are essential regulators of decidual spiral artery adaptation to pregnancy. Transient Treg cell depletion during early placental morphogenesis caused impaired remodeling of decidual spiral arteries, altered uterine artery function and led to fewer DBA+ uterine natural killer (uNK) cells, resulting in late gestation fetal loss and fetal growth restriction. Replacing the Treg cells by transfer from wild-type donors mitigated the impact on uNK cells, vascular remodeling, and fetal loss. RNA sequencing of decidua revealed genes associated with NK cell function and placental extravillous trophoblasts were dysregulated after Treg cell depletion, and normalized by Treg cell replacement. These data implicate Treg cells as essential upstream drivers of uterine vascular adaptation to pregnancy, through a mechanism likely involving phenotypic regulation of uNK cells and trophoblast invasion. The findings provide insight into mechanisms linking impaired adaptive immune tolerance and altered spiral artery remodeling, two hallmark features of preeclampsia.

Purpose: To compare vertebroplasty (VP) and kyphoplasty (KP) with a titanium implantable vertebral augmentation device (TIVAD) in symptomatic subsequent vertebral compression fracture (SVCF) incidence among osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) patients stratified by age and sex., Methods: This retrospective cohort study involved OVCF patients aged ≥ 50, who underwent KP with TIVAD or VP in our hospital from 2014 to 2019. Subgroup analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of KP with TIVAD and VP in patients stratified by age and sex., Results: The study included 472 patients (VP group: 303; TIVAD group: 169). SVCF incidence rates were 15.2% for VP group and 14.8% for TIVAD group (P = 0.87). In subgroup analysis, TIVAD group showed significantly lower SVCF incidence than VP group in women aged 50-70 (2.1% vs 14.3%; P = 0.03) and had significantly higher SVCF incidence than VP group in women aged > 70 (24.2% vs 13.1%; P = 0.02). In men, adjacent SVCF incidence was significantly lower in TIVAD group than VP group (0% vs 14.1%; P = 0.03)., Conclusion: Compared to VP, TIVAD is associated with lower symptomatic SVCF rate in men and younger women aged 50-70 but not in older women aged > 70. Age and gender may influence SVCF incidence., Level of Evidence: Diagnostic: individual cross-sectional studies with consistently applied reference standard and blinding., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors have no conflict of interest and financial support to disclose., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The development of new algorithms can aid researchers and professionals in resolving problems that were once unsolvable or discovering superior solutions to problems that were already settled. By recognizing the importance of continuous research on creating novel algorithms, this paper introduced a hybrid metaheuristic algorithm-h-PSOGNDO, which is a combination of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Generalized Normal Distribution Optimization (GNDO). The proposed algorithm utilizes the Particle Swarm Optimization's strategy for exploitation and the Generalized Normal Distribution Optimization's global search strategy for exploration. Through this combination, h-PSOGNDO is believed to be an effective algorithm that can promote the advantages of its parents' algorithms. Different assessment methods are used to assess the proposed novel algorithm. First, the h-PSOGNDO is set to conduct experiments on two sets of mathematical functions, including twenty-eight IEEE CEC2017 and ten IEEE CEC2019 benchmark test functions, respectively. Then, the h-PSOGNDO algorithm is applied to a case study on the prediction of antimicrobial peptides' toxicity to evaluate its performance on real-life problems. The statistical findings collected from both the test function sets and the case study show that the h-PSOGNDO algorithm works effectively, proving its astonishing ability to yield highly competitive outcomes for complex problems., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) is a commonly used insecticide that is recalcitrant and highly stable in the environment. Currently, DDT residue contamination, especially in agricultural soil, is still a concern in many countries, threatening human health and the environment. Among the approaches to resolve such an issue, novel biodegradation-based methods are now preferred to physicochemical methods, due to the sustainability and the effectiveness of the former. In this study, we explored the possibility of building mixed microbial cultures that can offer improved DDT-degrading efficiencies and be more environmentally transilient, based on genome annotation using the KEGG database and prediction of interactions between single strains using the obtained metabolic maps. We then proposed 10 potential DDT-degrading mixed cultures of different strain combinations and evaluated their DDT degradation performances in liquid, semi-solid and solid media. The results demonstrated the superiority of the mixtures over the single strains in terms of degrading DDT, particularly in a semi-solid medium, with up to 40-50% more efficiency. Not only did the mixed cultures degrade DDT more efficiently, but they also adapted to broader spectra of environmental conditions. The three best DDT-degrading and transilient mixtures were selected, and it turned out that their component strains seemed to have more metabolic interactions than those in the other mixtures. Thus, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of exploiting genome-mining techniques and the use of constructed mixed cultures in improving biodegradation., (© 2024 The Author(s). Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background Minimal studies have been carried out on a partial hydatidiform mole (PHM) in Vietnam, so the treatment outcomes for patients with PHM are unknown. This study aimed to determine the occurrence rate of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) and its related factors in women with PHM at Tu Du Hospital, Vietnam. Materials and methods This retrospective cohort study included 370 women with PHM diagnosed through a histopathological assessment following termination of pregnancy at Tu Du Hospital from January 2020 to December 2021. Survival analysis was used for GTN cumulative rate estimation and the Cox regression model for determining GTN-related factors. Results After a 1-year follow-up, 21 patients were found to have GTN, exhibiting a rate of 5.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 3.5 - 8.4). GTN occurred 4.67±2.23 weeks following curettage with peaks at weeks 3-6. No cases of GTN were recorded eight weeks following termination by curettage. After multivariate analysis, the GTN rate was higher in patients with a history of miscarriage/termination (hazard ratio (HR)=2.84; 95% CI: 1.05-7.69). Conclusion The rate of GTN in PHM patients was 5.7%. Patients who had a history of miscarriage or termination were 2.84 times more likely to develop GTN than patients who did not., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Review Board of Tu Du Hospital issued approval 2042/BVTD-HĐĐĐ. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Vo et al.)

Objectives: (1) To investigate the prevalence of frailty defined by the Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS), a new scale for assessing frailty, in older patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS); (2) To identify associations between frailty and the prescriptions of cardiovascular medications, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and in-hospital adverse outcomes., Methods: An observational study was conducted in patients aged older than 60 years with ACS at Thong Nhat Hospital from August to December 2022. The Hospital Frailty Risk Score is retrospectively calculated for all participants based on ICD-10 codes, and those with HFRS scores ≥5 were defined as frail. Logistic regression models were applied to examine the relationship between frailty and the study outcomes., Results: There were 511 participants in the study. The median age was 72.7, 60% were male and 29% were frail. Frailty was associated with lower odds of beta-blocker use at admission (OR .49 95% CI .25-.94), treatment with PCI during hospitalisation (OR .48, 95% CI .30-.75), but did not show an association with prescriptions of cardiovascular drugs at discharge. Frailty was significantly associated with increased odds of adverse outcomes, including major bleeding (OR 4.07, 95% CI1.73-9.54), hospital-acquired pneumonia (OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.20-5.42), all-cause in-hospital mortality (OR 3.14, 95% CI 1.37-7.20) and non-cardiovascular in-hospital mortality (OR 10.73, 95% CI 1.93-59.55)., Conclusions: The HFRS was an effective tool for stratifying frailty and predicting adverse health outcomes in older patients with ACS. Further research is needed to compare the HFRS with other frailty assessment tools in this population., (© 2024 AJA Inc.)

Objective: This study investigates the associations of α1-antitrypsin, inter-α-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain (ITIH4), and 8-isoprostane with lung function in shipyard workers exposed to occupational metal fume fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), which is known to be associated with adverse respiratory outcomes., Methods: A 3-year follow-up study was conducted on 180 shipyard workers with 262 measurements. Personal exposure to welding fume PM 2.5 was collected for an 8-h working day. Pre-exposure, post-exposure, and delta (∆) levels of α1-antitrypsin, ITIH4, and 8-isoprostane were determined in urine using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Post-exposure urinary metals were sampled at the beginning of the next working day and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Lung function measurements were also conducted the next working day for post-exposure., Results: An IQR increase in PM 2.5 was associated with decreases of 2.157% in FEV 1 , 2.806% in PEF, 4.328% in FEF 25% , 5.047% in FEF 50% , and 7.205% in FEF 75% . An IQR increase in PM 2.5 led to increases of 42.155 µg/g in ∆α1-antitrypsin and 16.273 µg/g in ∆ITIH4. Notably, IQR increases in various urinary metals were associated with increases in specific biomarkers, such as post-urinary α1-antitrypsin and ITIH4. Moreover, increases in ∆ α1-antitrypsin and ∆ITIH4 were associated with decreases in FEV 1 /FVC by 0.008% and 0.020%, respectively, and an increase in ∆8-isoprostane resulted in a 1.538% decline in FVC., Conclusion: Our study suggests that urinary α1-antitrypsin and ITIH4 could indicate early lung function decline in shipyard workers exposed to metal fume PM 2.5 , underscoring the need for better safety and health monitoring to reduce respiratory risks., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Rationale and Objectives: Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) render a substantial promise for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status prediction in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We aimed to evaluate the performance and quality of AI algorithms that use radiomics features in predicting EGFR mutation status in patient with NSCLC., Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed (Medline), EMBASE, Web of Science, and IEEExplore for studies published up to February 28, 2022. Studies utilizing an AI algorithm (either conventional machine learning [cML] and deep learning [DL]) for predicting EGFR mutations in patients with NSLCL were included. We extracted binary diagnostic accuracy data and constructed a bivariate random-effects model to obtain pooled sensitivity, specificity, and 95% confidence interval. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42021278738., Results: Our search identified 460 studies, of which 42 were included. Thirty-five studies were included in the meta-analysis. The AI algorithms exhibited an overall area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.789 and pooled sensitivity and specificity levels of 72.2% and 73.3%, respectively. The DL algorithms outperformed cML in terms of AUC (0.822 vs. 0.775) and sensitivity (80.1% vs. 71.1%), but had lower specificity (70.0% vs. 73.8%, p-value < 0.001) compared to cML. Subgroup analysis revealed that the use of positron-emission tomography/computed tomography, additional clinical information, deep feature extraction, and manual segmentation can improve diagnostic performance., Conclusion: DL algorithms can serve as a novel method for increasing predictive accuracy and thus have considerable potential for use in predicting EGFR mutation status in patient with NSCLC. We also suggest that guidelines on using AI algorithms in medical image analysis should be developed with a focus on oncologic radiomics., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest 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., (Copyright © 2024 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Probiotics have been popularly used in livestock production as an alternative to antibiotics. This study aimed to investigate the microbiological quality and phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance of bacteria in probiotic products sold for food animals. A total of 45 probiotic products were examined for the number of viable cells, species, and antimicrobial susceptibility; the contamination of Escherichia coli and Salmonella ; and the presence of 112 genes encoding resistance to clinically important antimicrobials and transferability of AMR determinants. The results showed that 29 of 45 products (64.4%) were incorrectly labeled in either number of viable cells or bacterial species. None of the tested products were contaminated with E. coli and Salmonella . A total of 33 out of 64 bacterial isolates (51.6%) exhibited resistance to at least one antimicrobial agent. Of the 45 products tested, 16 (35.5%) carried AMR genes. Almost all AMR genes detected in probiotic products were not correlated to the AMR phenotype of probiotic strains formulated in the products. Three streptomycin-resistant Lactobacillus isolates could horizontally transfer their AMR determinants. The findings demonstrated that the probiotic products could serve as reservoirs for the spread of AMR genes and may not yield benefits to animals as claimed. The need for the adequate quality control of probiotic products is highlighted.

Vaccines are strongly recommended globally as an effective measure to prevent serious illness from and spread of COVID-19. Concerns about safety following vaccination continue to be the most common reason that people do not accept the vaccine. This retrospective study was carried out on 4341 people who received the first dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, BBIBP-CorV, or mRNA-1273 vaccine at Jio Health Clinic in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Post-injection side effects were either reported by participants or actively collected by health care staff by means of telemedicine. Local side effects were reported by 35.5% of all individuals, with pain being the most common symptom (33.3%). Systemic side effects were reported by 44.2% of individuals, with fever (25.3%) and fatigue (21.4%) being the most common. Age ≤60 years, female gender, and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 were significant independent risk factors for both local and systemic side effects, while a history of allergy was significant as a risk factor for local side effects. A total of 43 individuals (1.0%) reported concerning symptoms of rare severe complications, which were addressed and treated by physicians via Jio Health app.

Background: Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRT) is a rare but aggressive malignancy in the central nervous system, predominantly occurring in early childhood. Despite aggressive treatment, the prognosis of ATRT patients remains poor. RRM2, a subunit of ribonucleotide reductase, has been reported as a biomarker for aggressiveness and poor prognostic conditions in several cancers. However, little is known about the role of RRM2 in ATRT. Uncovering the role of RRM2 in ATRT will further promote the development of feasible strategies and effective drugs to treat ATRT., Methods: Expression of RRM2 was evaluated by molecular profiling analysis and was confirmed by IHC in both ATRT patients and PDX tissues. Follow-up in vitro studies used shRNA knockdown RRM2 in three different ATRT cells to elucidate the oncogenic role of RRM2. The efficacy of COH29, an RRM2 inhibitor, was assessed in vitro and in vivo. Western blot and RNA-sequencing were used to determine the mechanisms of RRM2 transcriptional activation in ATRT., Results: RRM2 was found to be significantly overexpressed in multiple independent ATRT clinical cohorts through comprehensive bioinformatics and clinical data analysis in this study. The expression level of RRM2 was strongly correlated with poor survival rates in patients. In addition, we employed shRNAs to silence RRM2, which led to significantly decrease in ATRT colony formation, cell proliferation, and migration. In vitro experiments showed that treatment with COH29 resulted in similar but more pronounced inhibitory effect. Therefore, ATRT orthotopic mouse model was utilized to validate this finding, and COH29 treatment showed significant tumor growth suppression and prolong overall survival. Moreover, we provide evidence that COH29 treatment led to genomic instability, suppressed homologous recombinant DNA damage repair, and subsequently induced ATRT cell death through apoptosis in ATRT cells., Conclusions: Collectively, our study uncovers the oncogenic functions of RRM2 in ATRT cell lines, and highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting RRM2 in ATRT. The promising effect of COH29 on ATRT suggests its potential suitability for clinical trials as a novel therapeutic approach for ATRT., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The impact of short-term exposure to environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity (RH), and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains unclear. The objective of this study is to investigate PM 2.5 as a mediator in the relationship between short-term variations in RH and temperature and COPD severity. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 930 COPD patients in Taiwan from 2017 to 2022. Lung function, COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score, and modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale were assessed. The mean and differences in 1-day, 7-day, and 30-day individual-level exposure to ambient RH, temperature, and PM 2.5 were estimated. The associations between these factors and clinical outcomes were analyzed using linear regression models and generalized additive mixed models, adjusting for age, sex, smoking, and body mass index. In the total season, increases in RH difference were associated with increases in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 ) / forced vital capacity (FVC), while increases in temperature difference were associated with decreases in FEV 1 and FEV 1 /FVC. Increases in PM 2.5 mean were associated with declines in FEV 1 . In the cold season, increases in temperature mean were associated with decreases in CAT and mMRC scores, while increases in PM 2.5 mean were associated with declines in FEV 1 , FVC, and FEV 1 /FVC. In the warm season, increases in temperature difference were associated with decreases in FEV 1 and FEV 1 /FVC, while increases in RH difference and PM 2.5 mean were associated with decreases in CAT score. PM 2.5 fully mediated the associations of temperature mean with FEV 1 /FVC in the cold season. In conclusion, PM 2.5 mediates the effects of temperature and RH on clinical outcomes. Monitoring patients during low RH, extreme temperature, and high PM 2.5 levels is crucial. Capsule of findings The significance of this study is that an increase in ambient RH and temperature, as well as PM 2.5 exposure, were significantly associated with changes in lung function, and clinical symptoms in these patients. The novelty of this study is that PM 2.5 plays a mediating role in the association of RH and temperature with COPD clinical outcomes in the short term., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The impacts of climate change and air pollution on respiratory diseases present significant global health challenges. This review aims to investigate the effects of the interactions between these challenges focusing on respiratory diseases. Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events amplifying air pollution levels and exacerbating respiratory diseases. Air pollution levels are projected to rise due to ongoing economic growth and population expansion in many areas worldwide, resulting in a greater burden of respiratory diseases. This is especially true among vulnerable populations like children, older adults, and those with pre-existing respiratory disorders. These challenges induce inflammation, create oxidative stress, and impair the immune system function of the lungs. Consequently, public health measures are required to mitigate the effects of climate change and air pollution on respiratory health. The review proposes that reducing greenhouse gas emissions contribute to slowing down climate change and lessening the severity of extreme weather events. Enhancing air quality through regulatory and technological innovations also helps reduce the morbidity of respiratory diseases. Moreover, policies and interventions aimed at improving healthcare access and social support can assist in decreasing the vulnerability of populations to the adverse health effects of air pollution and climate change. In conclusion, there is an urgent need for continuous research, establishment of policies, and public health efforts to tackle the complex and multi-dimensional challenges of climate change, air pollution, and respiratory health. Practical and comprehensive interventions can protect respiratory health and enhance public health outcomes for all., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Receptivity of the uterus is essential for embryo implantation and progression of mammalian pregnancy. Acquisition of receptivity involves major molecular and cellular changes in the endometrial lining of the uterus from a non-receptive state at ovulation, to a receptive state several days later. The precise molecular mechanisms underlying this transition and their upstream regulators remain to be fully characterized. Here, we aimed to generate a comprehensive profile of the endometrial transcriptome in the peri-ovulatory and peri-implantation states, to define the genes and gene pathways that are different between these states, and to identify new candidate upstream regulators of this transition, in the mouse., Results: High throughput RNA-sequencing was utilized to identify genes and pathways expressed in the endometrium of female C57Bl/6 mice at estrus and on day 3.5 post-coitum (pc) after mating with BALB/c males (n = 3-4 biological replicates). Compared to the endometrium at estrus, 388 genes were considered differentially expressed in the endometrium on day 3.5 post-coitum. The transcriptional changes indicated substantial modulation of uterine immune and vascular systems during the pre-implantation phase, with the functional terms Angiogenesis, Chemotaxis, and Lymphangiogenesis predominating. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software predicted the activation of several upstream regulators previously shown to be involved in the transition to receptivity including various cytokines, ovarian steroid hormones, prostaglandin E2, and vascular endothelial growth factor A. Our analysis also revealed four candidate upstream regulators that have not previously been implicated in the acquisition of uterine receptivity, with growth differentiation factor 2, lysine acetyltransferase 6 A, and N-6 adenine-specific DNA methyltransferase 1 predicted to be activated, and peptidylprolyl isomerase F predicted to be inhibited., Conclusions: This study confirms that the transcriptome of a receptive uterus is vastly different to the non-receptive uterus and identifies several genes, regulatory pathways, and upstream drivers not previously associated with implantation. The findings will inform further research to investigate the molecular mechanisms of uterine receptivity., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Caffeine (CaF), a widely consumed compound, has been associated with various harmful effects on human health, including metabolic, cardiovascular disease, and reproductive disorders. Moreover, it poses a signifincant threat to organisms and aquatic ecosystems, leading to water pollution concerns. Therefore, the removal of CaF from wastewater is crucial for mitigating water pollution and minimizing its detrimental impacts on both humans and the environment. In this study, a solar-driven Cu-doped graphitic carbon nitride (Cu/CN) photocatalyst was synthesized and evaluated for its effectiveness in oxidizing CaF in wastewater. The Cu/CN photocatalyst, with a low band gap energy of 2.58eV, exhibited superior performance in degrading CaF compared to pure graphitic carbon nitride (CN). Under solar light irradiation, CuCN achieved a remarkable CaF degradation efficiency of 98.7% CaF, surpassing CN's efficiency of 74.5% by 24.2%. The synthesized Cu/CN photocatalyst demonstrated excellent removal capability, achieving a removal rate of over 88% for CaF in wastewater. Moreover, the reusability test showed that Cu/CN could be successfully reused up to five cycles maintaining a high removal efficiency of 74% for CaF in the fifth cycle. Additionally, the study elucidated the oxidation mechanism of CaF using solar-driven Cu/CN photocatalyst and highlighted the environmental implications of the process., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Climate change plays a significant role in global health threats, particularly with respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, but the long-term global-scale impact of climate change on these diseases' mortality remains unclear., Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of climate change on the age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) of COPD and asthma at national levels., Methods: We used Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data of ASMR of COPD and asthma from 2000 to 2018. The climate change index was represented as the deviance percentage of temperature (DPT) and relative humidity (DPRH), calculated based on 19-year temperature and humidity averages. Annual temperature, RH, and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) levels in 185 countries/regions were obtained from ERA5 and the OECD's environmental statistics database. General linear mixed-effect regression models were used to examine the associations between climate change with the log of ASMR (LASMR) of COPD and asthma., Results: After adjusting for annual PM 2.5 , SDI level, smoking prevalence, and geographical regions, a 0.26% increase in DPT was associated with decreases of 0.016, 0.017, and 0.014 per 100,000 people in LASMR of COPD and 0.042, 0.046, and 0.040 per 100,000 people in LASMR of asthma for both genders, males, and females. A 2.68% increase in DPRH was associated with increases of 0.009 and 0.011 per 100,000 people in LASMR of COPD. We observed a negative association of DPT with LASMR for COPD in countries/regions with temperatures ranging from 3.8 to 29.9 °C and with LASMR for asthma ranging from -5.3-29.9 °C. However, we observed a positive association of DPRH with LASMR for both COPD and asthma in the RH range of 41.2-67.2%., Conclusion: Climate change adaptation and mitigation could be crucial in reducing the associated COPD and asthma mortality rates, particularly in regions most vulnerable to temperature and humidity fluctuations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Groin hernia repair is one of the most common operations performed globally, with more than 20 million procedures per year. The last guidelines on groin hernia management were published in 2018 by the HerniaSurge Group. The aim of this project was to assess new evidence and update the guidelines. The guideline is intended for general and abdominal wall surgeons treating adult patients with groin hernias., Method: A working group of 30 international groin hernia experts and all involved stakeholders was formed and examined all new literature on groin hernia management, available until April 2022. Articles were screened for eligibility and assessed according to GRADE methodologies. New evidence was included, and chapters were rewritten. Statements and recommendations were updated or newly formulated as necessary., Results: Ten chapters of the original HerniaSurge inguinal hernia guidelines were updated. In total, 39 new statements and 32 recommendations were formulated (16 strong recommendations). A modified Delphi method was used to reach consensus on all statements and recommendations among the groin hernia experts and at the European Hernia Society meeting in Manchester on October 21, 2022., Conclusion: The HerniaSurge Collaboration has updated the international guidelines for groin hernia management. The updated guidelines provide an overview of the best available evidence on groin hernia management and include evidence-based statements and recommendations for daily practice. Future guideline development will change according to emerging guideline methodology., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Society Ltd.)

Background: Spetzler-Martin (SM) grade III arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) show angioarchitecture heterogeneity and lack a clearly defined treatment strategy. This study aims to evaluate outcomes after treatment of SM grade III AVMs with Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS)., Methods: A single-institution retrospective analysis was conducted of 307 patients with SM grade III AVMs undergoing GKRS between October 2006 and December 2020 with follow-up times of at least 24 months. SM grade III AVMs were classified into 4 subtypes: IIIA (S1E1V1), IIIB (S2E0V1), subtype IIIC (S2E1V0), and IIID (S3E0V0)., Results: Over a median follow-up time of 50.3 months, complete AVM obliteration was achieved in 211 patients (68.7%). Complete obliteration rates in subtypes IIIA, IIIB, IIIC, and IIID were 80.8%, 55.4%, 53.4%, and 25.0%, respectively. Annual post-GKRS hemorrhage risk was 0.8%. Significant radiosurgery-induced imaging changes occurred in 7 patients (2.3%). Three variables were identified as predictors of obliteration in final forward stepwise regression models, including volume of AVM (B = -0.011; P < 0.001), age (B = -0.004; P = 0.024), and previous AVM hemorrhage (B = 0.187; P = 0.077)., Conclusions: GKRS is a safe and effective treatment for SM grade III AVMs, particularly subtype IIIA (S1E1V1). AVM volume is the key predictor of post-GKRS obliteration., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Of the more than 20 million patients undergoing groin hernia repair annually worldwide, 6% are scrotal hernias in high resource countries rising to 67% in low resource countries which represents a heavy disease burden on relatively young men during their most productive period of life. There are many open questions concerning management of scrotal hernia. These guidelines aim to improve the care for scrotal hernia patients by reducing recurrence rates, chronic pain and infection. Methods: After developing 19 key questions a systematic literature review was performed till 31 March 2021 for all relevant publications with search terms related to Scrotal Hernia. The articles were scored by all co-authors according to Oxford, SIGN and Grade methodologies. Statements and recommendations were formulated. Online Consensus meetings with 25 HerniaSurge members were organised with voting and grading Recommendations as "strong" (recommendations) or "weak" (suggestions) and by consensus, in some cases upgraded. Results: Only 23 articles (two level 2 registry and 21 level 3-5) were selected. It is proposed to define scrotal hernia as an inguinal hernia which has descended into and causes any scrotal distortion. A new classification for scrotal hernias was proposed based on hernia size, SI for upper third thigh, SII for middle thigh and SIII for lower third thigh or below. Irreducibility is denoted with IR. Despite weak evidence antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended. Urinary catheterization is recommended (upgraded) in complex cases (S2-3) due to prolonged operative time. Scrotal hernia repairs have higher associated morbidity and mortality compared to non-complex groin hernia repairs irrespective of surgical experience. Open anterior (mesh) approach is commonest technique and suture techniques in low resource countries. For minimally invasive approaches, TAPP resulted in less conversion to open approach compared to TEP. Conclusion: Although the evidence is scarce and often low quality scrotal hernia management guidelines aim to lead to better surgical outcomes irrespective of where patients live. This necessarily means a more tailored approach based on available resources and appropriate skills. The guidelines provide an impetus for future research where adoption of proposed classification will enable more meaningful comparison of different techniques for different hernia sizes., 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 © 2023 Tran, MacQueen, Chen and Simons.)

Introduction: Predicting acute exacerbations (AEs) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is crucial. This study aimed to identify blood biomarkers for predicting COPD exacerbations by inflammatory phenotypes., Materials and Methods: We analyzed blood cell counts and clinical outcomes in 340 COPD patients aged 20-90 years. Patients were categorized into eosinophilic inflammation (EOCOPD) and non-eosinophilic inflammation (N-EOCOPD) groups. Blood cell counts, eosinophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (ELR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and neutrophil-to-eosinophil ratio (NER) were calculated. Linear and logistic regression models assessed relationships between health outcomes and blood cell counts., Results: EOCOPD patients had distinct characteristics compared to N-EOCOPD patients. Increased neutrophil % and decreased lymphocyte % were associated with reduced pulmonary function, worse quality of life and more exacerbations, but they did not show statistical significance after adjusting by age, sex, BMI, smoking status, FEV1% and patient's medication. Subgroup analysis revealed a 1.372-fold increase in the OR of AE for every 1 unit increase in NLR in EOCOPD patients ( p  < .05). In N-EOCOPD patients, every 1% increase in blood eosinophil decreased the risk of exacerbation by 59.6%., Conclusions: Our study indicates that distinct white blood cell profiles in COPD patients, with or without eosinophilic inflammation, can help assess the risk of AE in clinical settings.

Epileptic seizure is a neurological condition caused by short and unexpectedly occurring electrical disruptions in the brain. It is estimated that roughly 60 million individuals worldwide have had an epileptic seizure. Experiencing an epileptic seizure can have serious consequences for the patient. Automatic seizure detection on electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings is essential due to the irregular and unpredictable nature of seizures. By thoroughly analyzing EEG records, neurophysiologists can discover important information and patterns, and proper and timely treatments can be provided for the patients. This research presents a novel machine learning-based approach for detecting epileptic seizures in EEG signals. A public EEG dataset from the University of Bonn was used to validate the approach. Meaningful statistical features were extracted from the original data using discrete wavelet transform analysis, then the relevant features were selected using feature selection based on the binary particle swarm optimizer. This facilitated the reduction of 75% data dimensionality and 47% computational time, which eventually sped up the classification process. After having been selected, relevant features were used to train different machine learning models, then hyperparameter optimization was utilized to further enhance the models' performance. The results achieved up to 98.4% accuracy and showed that the proposed method was very effective and practical in detecting seizure presence in EEG signals. In clinical applications, this method could help relieve the suffering of epilepsy patients and alleviate the workload of neurologists.

Air pollution has been reported to be associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our study aim was to examine the mediating effects of air pollution on climate-associated health outcomes of COPD patients. A cross-sectional study of 117 COPD patients was conducted in a hospital in Taiwan. We measured the lung function, 6-min walking distance, oxygen desaturation, white blood cell count, and percent emphysema (low attenuation area, LAA) and linked these to 0-1-, 0-3-, and 0-5-year lags of individual-level exposure to relative humidity (RH), temperature, and air pollution. Linear regression models were conducted to examine associations of temperature, RH, and air pollution with severity of health outcomes. A mediation analysis was conducted to examine the mediating effects of air pollution on the associations of RH and temperature with health outcomes. We observed that a 1 % increase in the RH was associated with increases in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 ), eosinophils, and lymphocytes, and a decrease in the total-lobe LAA. A 1 °C increase in temperature was associated with decreases in oxygen desaturation, and right-, left-, and upper-lobe LAA values. Also, a 1 μg/m 3 increase in PM 2.5 was associated with a decrease in the FEV 1 and an increase in oxygen desaturation. A 1 μg/m 3 increases in PM 10 and PM 2.5 was associated with increases in the total-, right-, left, upper-, and lower-lobe (PM 2.5 only) LAA. A one part per billion increase in NO 2 was associated with a decrease in the FEV 1 and an increase in the upper-lobe LAA. Next, we found that NO 2 fully mediated the association between RH and FEV 1 . We found PM 2.5 fully mediated associations of temperature with oxygen saturation and total-, right-, left-, and upper-lobe LAA. In conclusion, climate-mediated air pollution increased the risk of decreasing FEV 1 and oxygen saturation and increasing emphysema severity among COPD patients. Climate change-related air pollution is an important public health issue, especially with regards to respiratory disease., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: While neurosurgeons are experienced in treating penetrating brain injuries (PBIs) in civilian settings, much less is known about management and outcomes of PBIs in military settings., Methods: A systematic review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data extracted included surgical management, age, gender, location/type of injury, initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, and outcomes. The primary outcomes were last reported Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) and mortality. The secondary outcomes included central nervous system infections, seizures, and cerebrospinal fluid leak/fistula. Odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used for outcome analysis., Results: Twelve studies with 1738 patients treated for PBIs in military settings were included. The weighted mean age was 27.8 years, 86.7% were male, and 64.3% underwent neurosurgical intervention. Most patients (64.3%) presented with a GCS score >8, while 31.0% presented in a coma (GCS score <8). Over a median last follow-up time of 9 months, 68.6% achieved a favorable (GOS = 4-5) outcome and 34.2% achieved a poor (GCS score = 1-3) outcome. The overall mortality was 18.0%. A meta-analysis was performed using 5 of 12 studies to evaluate the effect of the presenting GCS score on primary outcomes. Patients with an initial GCS score <8 had statistically significant lower odds of a favorable (GOS = 4-5) outcome (OR: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.00-0.19; P: 0.000) and higher odds of mortality (OR: 28.46; 95% CI: 8.62-94; P: 0.000) than patients with an initial GCS score >8. The pooled rates of central nervous system infection, seizures, and cerebrospinal fluid leak/fistula were 13.8%, 13.2%, and 5.4%, respectively., Conclusions: In this first systematic review and meta-analysis of outcomes following combat-related PBIs, a GCS score >8 at presentation was found to be an important predictor of a favorable GOS and decreased mortality., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Medicinal plants play important roles in traditional medicine, and numerous compounds among them have been recognized for their antimicrobial activity. However, little is known about the potential of Vietnamese medicinal plants for antifungal activity. In this study, we examined the antagonistic activity of twelve medicinal plant species collected in Northern Vietnam against Penicillium digitatum , Aspergillus flavus , Aspergillus fumigatus , and Candida albicans . The results showed that the antifungal activities of the crude extracts from Mahonia bealei , Ficus semicordata , and Gnetum montanum were clearly detected with the citrus postharvest pathogen P. digitatum . These extracts could fully inhibit the growth of P. digitatum on the agar medium, and on the infected citrus fruits at concentrations of 300-1000 µg/mL. Meanwhile, the other tested fungi were less sensitive to the antagonistic activity of the plant extracts. In particular, we found that the ethanolic extract of M. bealei displayed a broad-spectrum antifungal activity against all four pathogenic fungi. Analysis of this crude extract by enrichment coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography revealed that berberine and palmatine are major metabolites. Additional inspections indicated berberine as the key compound responsible for the antifungal activity of the M. bealei ethanolic extract. Our study provides a better understanding of the potential of Vietnamese medicinal plant resources for combating fungal pathogens. This work also highlights that the citrus pathogen P. digitatum can be employed as a model fungus for screening the antifungal activity of botanicals.

Background: In the present study, we aimed to identify the obliteration outcomes, complications, and predictors in gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) at a tertiary center in a developing country in a 15-year experience., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data and GKRS procedures of patients who had undergone GKRS from 2006 to 2011 (cohort 1) and from 2011 to 2020 (cohort 2) at Cho Ray Hospital, Vietnam. The exclusion criteria included patients with <24 months of follow-up without obliteration or AVM-related hemorrhage during the study period., Results: A total of 870 patients were included in the final analysis. The patients in cohort 1 had had significantly smaller AVMs (8.4 ± 11.6 cm 3 vs. 11.2 ± 12.8 cm 3 ; P < 0.001), and the AVMs were less frequently located in eloquent locations (46.6% vs. 65.5%; P < 0.001) than in cohort 2. The mean follow-up time was 49.6 ± 22.6 months (range, 5.9-102.6). The overall AVM obliteration rate was 66.6%. Cohort 1 had a significantly higher rate of complete obliteration compared with cohort 2 (81.0% vs. 55.1%; P < 0.001). The post-GKRS annual hemorrhage risk was 1.0%. Significant radiosurgery-induced brain edema and radiosurgery-induced cyst formation was reported in 24 (2.6%) and 4 (0.5%) patients in cohorts 1 and 2, respectively. Using multivariate analysis, we identified prior AVM hemorrhage (hazard ratio [HR], 1.430; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.182-1.729), a higher margin dose (HR, 1.136; 95% CI, 1.086-1.188), a noneloquent location (HR, 0.765; 95% CI, 0.647-0.905), and smaller AVM volume (HR, 0.982; 95% CI, 0.968-0.997) as predictive factors for obliteration., Conclusions: GKRS is a safe and effective treatment of brain AVMs. The lack of prior AVM hemorrhage, an eloquent location, and higher AVM were unfavorable predictors for post-GKRS obliteration., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Recently, a global market for anti-aging skin care using botanicals has been noticeably developing. Morin, 3,5,7,2',4'-pentahydroxyflavone, is a polyphenol with many pharmacological properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammation and photoprotection. However, poor aqueous solubility of morin restricts its application in pharmaceuticals. The present study aimed to encapsulate morin into liposomal vesicles to improve its water solubility and skin penetration, and further investigated its ROS inhibition and anti-aging activity in HaCaT keratinocytes induced by particulate matters (PMs). Our data presented that morin was a strong DPPH • radical scavenger. Morin displayed a remarkable ROS inhibitory ability and protected keratinocytes against PMs by downregulating matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) expression via suppressing p-ERK and p-p38 in the MAPK pathway. Moreover, water solubility of liposomal morin (LM) prepared by the thin film hydration method was significantly better than free form of morin due to particle size reduction of LM. Our results also demonstrated that deformable liposomal vesicles were achieved for increasing dermal absorption. Additionally, LM (morin:lecinolws-50:tween-80:PF-68, 1:2.5:2.5:5) was able to effectively reduce generation of ROS, inactivate p-ERK, p-p38 and MMP-1 in HaCaT cells exposed to PM. In conclusion, our findings suggested that LM would be a bright candidate for various topical anti-aging and anti-pollution products.

Background: With the decline in local malaria transmission in Vietnam as a result of the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) elimination activities, a greater focus on the importation and potential reintroduction of transmission are essential to support malaria elimination objectives., Methods: We conducted a multi-method assessment of the demographics, epidemiology, and clinical characteristics of imported malaria among international laborers returning from African or Southeast Asian countries to Vietnam. Firstly, we conducted a retrospective review of hospital records of patients from January 2014 to December 2016. Secondly, we conducted a mixed-methods prospective study for malaria patients admitted to the study sites from January 2017 to May 2018 using a structured survey with blood sample collection for PCR analysis and in-depth interviews. Data triangulation of the qualitative and quantitative data was used during analysis., Results: International laborers were young (median age 33.0 years IQR 28.0-39.5 years), predominantly male (92%) adults returning mostly from the African continent (84%) who stayed abroad for prolonged periods (median time 13.5 months; IQR 6.0-331.5 months) and were involved in occupations that exposed them to a higher risk of malaria infection. Epidemiological trends were also similar amongst study strands and included the importation of Plasmodium falciparum primarily from African countries and P. vivax from Southeast Asian countries. Of 11 P. malariae and P. ovale infections across two study strands, 10 were imported from the African continent. Participants in the qualitative arm demonstrated limited knowledge about malaria prior to travelling abroad, but reported knowledge transformation through personal or co-worker's experience while abroad. Interestingly, those who had a greater understanding of the severity of malaria presented to the hospital for treatment sooner than those who did not; median of 3 days (IQR 2.0-7.0 days) versus 5 days (IQR 4.0-9.5 days) respectively., Conclusion: To address the challenges to malaria elimination raised by a growing Vietnamese international labor force, consideration should be given to appropriately targeted interventions and malaria prevention strategies that cover key stages of migration including pre-departure education and awareness, in-country prevention and prophylaxis, and malaria screening upon return., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Endophytes can generate a cornucopia of marvelous bioactive secondary metabolites useful for mankind but their biodiversity and associations with host plants are still elusive. In this study, we explored the culturable endophytic microorganisms associated with 14 medicinal plants that are of high socio-economic value and/or reportedly endemic to northern Vietnam. Specifically, we isolated the endophytic microorganisms by applying surface sterilization methods and identified them based on morphological and rDNA sequence analyses. Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used to analyze the correlations between the taxonomic affiliations of the culturable endophytes and the characteristics of their hosts. Most of the culturable endophytes obtained were bacteria (80), and few of those were actinomycetes (15) and fungi (8). Many of them are reported to be endophytes of medicinal plants for the first time. A number of plants (5) are also reported for the first time to contain microbial endophytes, while some plants with powerful pharmaceutical potential harbor unique endophytes. Furthermore, our results reveal a strikingly close relation between the compositions of bacterial and fungal isolates from plants having anti-bacterial activity and those from plants having anti-inflammatory activity, or between the compositions of the microbial endophytic isolates from plants having anti-cancer activity and those from plants having antioxidant activity. Altogether, the results provide new findings which can be inspiring for further in-depth studies to explore and exploit the relationships between medicinal plants and their associated endophytes in northern Vietnam and world-wide., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Native mass spectrometry (MS) is used to elucidate the stoichiometry of protein complexes and quantify binding interactions by maintaining native-like, noncovalent interactions in the gas phase. However, ionization forces proteins into specific conformations, losing the solution-phase dynamics associated with solvated protein structures. Comparison of gas-phase structures to those in solution, or to other gas-phase ion populations, has many biological implications. For one, analyzing the variety of conformations that are maintained in the gas-phase can provide insight into a protein's solution-phase energy landscape. The gas-phase conformations of proteins and complexes can be investigated using ion mobility (IM) spectrometry. Specifically, drift tube (DT)-IM utilizes uniform electric fields to propel a population of gas-phase ions through a region containing a neutral gas. By measuring the mobility ( K ) of gas-phase ions, users are able to calculate an average momentum transfer cross section ( DT CCS), which provides structural information on the ion. Conversely, in traveling-wave ion mobility spectrometry (TWIMS), TW CCS values cannot be derived directly from an ion's mobility but must be determined following calibration. Though the required calibration adds uncertainty, it is common to report only an average and standard deviation of the calculated TW CCS, accounting for uncertainty associated with replicate measurements, which is a fraction of the overall uncertainty. Herein, we calibrate a TWIMS instrument and derive TW CCS N2 and TW CCS N2→He values for four proteins: cytochrome c , ubiquitin, apo-myoglobin, and holo-myoglobin. We show that compared to reporting only the standard deviation of TW CCS, propagating error through the calibration results in a significant increase in the number of calculated TW CCS values that agree within experimental error with literature values ( DT CCS). Incorporating this additional uncertainty provides a more thorough assessment of a protein ion's gas-phase conformations, enabling the structures sampled by native IM-MS to be compared against other reported structures, both experimental and computational.

From the methanol extract of the wood of Mangifera gedebe (Anacardiaceae), we had isolated a new secondary metabolite named gedebic acid ( 1 ) and six known compounds ( 2-7 ). Their chemical structures were determined by spectroscopic methods as well as comparing with data in the literature. All compounds were tested for α -glucosidase inhibitory activity. Compounds 4-7 showed more potent inhibitory activity, with IC 50 values ranging from 45.3 to 142.6 μM, than that of a positive control acarbose (IC 50 , 214.5 μM).

Introduction: Culture conditions and differentiation cocktails may facilitate cell maturation and extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion and support the production of engineered fibroblastic tissues with applications in ligament regeneration. The objective of this study is to investigate the potential of two connective tissue-related ligands (i.e., BMP6 and GDF5) to mediate collagenous ECM synthesis and tissue maturation in vitro under normoxic and hypoxic conditions based on the hypothesis that BMP6 and GDF5 are components of normal paracrine signalling events that support connective tissue homeostasis., Methods: Human adipose-derived MSCs were seeded on 3D-printed medical-grade polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds using a bioreactor and incubated in media containing GDF5 and/or BMP6 for 21 days in either normoxic (5% oxygen) or hypoxic (2% oxygen) conditions. Constructs were harvested on Day 3 and 21 for cell viability analysis by live/dead staining, structural analysis by scanning electron microscopy, mRNA levels by RTqPCR analysis, and in situ deposition of proteins by immunofluorescence microscopy., Results: Pro-fibroblastic gene expression is enhanced by hypoxic culture conditions compared to normoxic conditions. Hypoxia renders cells more responsive to treatment with BMP6 as reflected by increased expression of ECM mRNA levels on Day 3 with sustained expression until Day 21. GDF5 was not particularly effective either in the absence or presence of BMP6., Conclusions: Fibroblastic differentiation of MSCs is selectively enhanced by BMP6 and not GDF5. Environmental factors (i.e., hypoxia) also influenced the responsiveness of cells to this morphogen., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

CD47 is a cell surface glycoprotein molecule, belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily, binding to various proteins including integrins, thrombospondin-1, and signal regulatory protein α (SIRP α ). CD47 is an important tumor antigen for the development and progression of various cancers. This study designed the chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) to bind to the CD47 to inhibit the expression of CD47. We used the complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) of the B6H12 mouse antibody grafted onto the IgG1 framework to create the humanized single-chain variable fragment (scFv) with linker (G4S)x3. scFv was used to design the chimeric antigen receptor with the structure CD8signal-CD47scFv-CD8a hinge-CD4TM-CD28-41BB-CD3 ζ , which was then transformed into T lymphocytes by the lentivirus to create third generation of CAR-T. Results revealed that the new CAR-T cells efficiently killed A549 cancer cells. CAR-T inhibited the expression of genes involved in metastasis and invasion of cells A549 including beta actin, calreticulin, and cyclooxygenase 2 at mRNA levels., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Huyen Thi La et al.)

Bacterial biofilms are involved in most device-associated infections and remain a challenge for modern medicine. One major approach to addressing this problem is to prevent the formation of biofilms using novel antimicrobial materials, device surface modification or local drug delivery; however, successful preventive measures are still extremely limited. The other approach is concerned with treating biofilms that have already formed on the devices; this approach is the focus of our manuscript. Treating biofilms associated with medical devices has unique challenges due to the biofilm's extracellular polymer substance (EPS) and the biofilm bacteria's resistance to most conventional antimicrobial agents. The treatment is further complicated by the fact that the treatment must be suitable for applying on devices surrounded by host tissue in many cases. Nanomaterials have been extensively investigated for preventing biofilm formation on medical devices, yet their applications in treating bacterial biofilm remains to be further investigated due to the fact that treating the biofilm bacteria and destroying the EPS are much more challenging than preventing adhesion of planktonic bacteria or inhibiting their surface colonization. In this highly focused review, we examined only studies that demonstrated successful EPS destruction and biofilm bacteria killing and provided in-depth description of the nanomaterials and the biofilm eradication efficacy, followed by discussion of key issues in this topic and suggestion for future development.

Annually, 20% of all practicing neurosurgeons in the United States are faced with medical malpractice litigation. The average indemnity paid in a closed neurosurgical civil claim is $439,146, the highest of all medical specialties. The majority of claims result from dissatisfaction following spinal surgery, although claims after cranial surgery tend to be costlier. On a societal scale, the increasing prevalence of medical malpractice claims is a catalyst for the practice of defensive medicine, resulting in record-level healthcare costs. Outside of the obvious financial strains, malpractice claims have also been linked to professional disenchantment and career changes for afflicted physicians. Unfortunately, neurosurgical residents receive minimal practical education regarding these matters and are often unprepared and vulnerable to these setbacks in the earlier stages of their careers. In this article, the authors aim to provide neurosurgical residents and junior attendings with an introductory guide to the fundamentals of medical malpractice lawsuits and the implications for neurosurgeons as an adjunct to more formal residency education.

Multifunctional scaffolds are becoming increasingly important in the field of tissue engineering. In this research, a composite material is developed using polycaprolactone (PCL) and detonation nanodiamond (ND) to take advantage of the unique properties of ND and the biodegradability of PCL polymer. Different ND loading concentrations are investigated, and the physicochemical properties of the composites are characterized. ND-PCL composite films show a higher surface roughness and hydrophilicity than PCL alone, with a slight decrease in tensile strength and a significant increase in degradation. Higher loading of ND also shows a higher osteoblast adhesion than the PCL alone sample. Finally, we show that the ND-PCL composites are successfully extruded to create a 3D scaffold demonstrating their potential as a composite material for tissue regeneration., Competing Interests: © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Impact Statement: The present study combined the analysis of two transcriptional regulators, uVNTR and dVNTR, in the MAOA gene that is an enzyme responsible for the monoamine degradation and identified genetic interaction between these VNTRs in association with the nicotine dependence. The main impact is that when analyzing different populations in the genetic studies, the functionally meaningful variants should be combined rather than addressing individual elements separately (a mini polygenic risk score for a particular gene/locus). This combination is very rarely analyzed and therefore the study sets an example. Another impact is that we analyzed the genetic variability in the Asian population and therefore our data present a piece of information from underrepresented populations.

Adequate calcium intake is important for the prevention of bone loss and osteoporosis. For some populations such as those of Southeast Asia where calcium intake is very low, supplements represent a suitable dietary source of calcium. The objective of this study was to compare the relative oral bioavailability of calcium from calcium glucoheptonate, a highly soluble calcium salt containing 8.2% of elemental calcium, to that of calcium carbonate. A single-dose, randomized-sequence, open-label, two-period crossover study, with a 7-day washout period, was conducted in 24 Indonesian healthy adult volunteers. After a 12-hour (overnight) fast, subjects received either two oral ampoules of 250 mg/10 mL of calcium glucoheptonate each or one effervescent tablet of calcium carbonate containing 500 mg of elemental calcium. The relative oral bioavailability of calcium from calcium glucoheptonate as compared to calcium carbonate was 92% within 6 hours and 89% within 12 hours after study drug administration. The 90% confidence intervals for the mean test/reference ratios of the maximum plasma concentration and the area under the concentration-time curve at 12 hours post-administration were 77.09%-120.31% and 60.58%-122.30%, respectively. Five subjects experienced a total of eight adverse events which were all mild and transient; no serious adverse events or deaths were reported. These results indicate that calcium glucoheptonate is associated with a high relative bioavailability of calcium compared to calcium carbonate, and is well-tolerated. Calcium glucoheptonate might thus be a potential choice for calcium supplementation in Southeast Asian populations., (© 2020 The Authors. Pharmacology Research & Perspectives published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd, British Pharmacological Society and American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.)

Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRTs) are among the most malignant brain tumors in early childhood and remain incurable. Myc-ATRT is driven by the Myc oncogene, which directly controls the intracellular protein synthesis rate. Proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (BTZ) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a primary treatment for multiple myeloma. This study aimed to determine whether the upregulation of protein synthesis and proteasome degradation in Myc-ATRTs increases tumor cell sensitivity to BTZ. We performed differential gene expression and gene set enrichment analysis on matched primary and recurrent patient-derived xenograft (PDX) samples from an infant with ATRT. Concomitant upregulation of the Myc pathway, protein synthesis and proteasome degradation were identified in recurrent ATRTs. Additionally, we found the proteasome-encoding genes were highly expressed in ATRTs compared with in normal brain tissues, correlated with the malignancy of tumor cells and were essential for tumor cell survival. BTZ inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis through the accumulation of p53 in three human Myc-ATRT cell lines (PDX-derived tumor cell line Re1-P6, BT-12 and CHLA-266). Furthermore, BTZ inhibited tumor growth and prolonged survival in Myc-ATRT orthotopic xenograft mice. Our findings suggest that BTZ may be a promising targeted therapy for Myc-ATRTs.

In 2016, a project was initiated in Taiwan to adopt molecular diagnosis of childhood medulloblastoma (MB). In this study, we aimed to identify a molecular-clinical correlation and somatic mutation for exploring risk-adapted treatment, drug targets, and potential genetic predisposition. In total, 52 frozen tumor tissues of childhood MBs were collected. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and DNA methylation array data were generated. Molecular subgrouping and clinical correlation analysis were performed. An adjusted Heidelberg risk stratification scheme was defined for updated clinical risk stratification. We selected 51 genes for somatic variant calling using RNA-Seq data. Relevant clinical findings were defined. Potential drug targets and genetic predispositions were explored. Four core molecular subgroups (WNT, SHH, Group 3, and Group 4) were identified. Genetic backgrounds of metastasis at diagnosis and extent of tumor resection were observed. The adjusted Heidelberg scheme showed its applicability. Potential drug targets were detected in the pathways of DNA damage response. Among the 10 patients with SHH MBs analyzed using whole exome sequencing studies, five patients exhibited potential genetic predispositions and four patients had relevant germline mutations. The findings of this study provide valuable information for updated risk adapted treatment and personalized care of childhood MBs in our cohort series and in Taiwan., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Objectives: Nail workers are exposed to many hazardous chemicals. Despite many warnings about health problems among nail workers in other countries, data concerning exposure to chemical hazards among nail workers is still limited in Vietnam. In this study, we aimed to identify exposure to volatile organic compounds and their relationship with occupational symptoms among Vietnamese female nail salon workers., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Danang, Vietnam, from January 2019 to September 2019. Total 42 personal passive samplers were collected to evaluate 12 substances from 21 nail workers (15 salons) twice a week. We chose one representative worker from each of the nine salons with less than six workers and two representative workers from each of the six salons with over five workers for personal sampling based on the principle of similar exposure groups. We interviewed a total of 100 nail workers in 15 salons and 100 office workers in offices adjacent to the salons to compare occupational symptoms among them., Results: The commonly detected compounds in nail salons were acetone (97.6%), butyl acetate (83.3%), and ethyl acetate and ethyl methacrylate (78%). The concentration of total target VOCs was related to the number of serviced customers, the concentration of CO 2 , and general ventilation used. The subjective symptoms were significantly higher for the nail workers than for the comparison subjects, that is, headache, nausea, nose irritation, skin irritation, shortness of breath, and confusion. Among 100 nail workers, nose irritation was significantly higher for nail workers who were exposed to acetone at levels exceeding the Vietnam occupational exposure limit (VOEL) adjusted with the Brief-Scala model., Conclusions: Exposure to VOCs such as acetone in nail salons results in occupational symptoms among workers., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Occupational Health published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Japan Society for Occupational Health.)

Sediment bioelectrochemical systems (SBESs) can be integrated into brackish aquaculture ponds for in-situ bioremediation of the pond water and sediment. Such an in-situ system offers advantages including reduced treatment cost, reusability and simple handling. In order to realize such an application potential of the SBES, in this laboratory-scale study we investigated the effect of several controllable and uncontrollable operational factors on the in-situ bioremediation performance of a tank model of a brackish aquaculture pond, into which a SBES was integrated, in comparison with a natural degradation control model. The performance was evaluated in terms of electricity generation by the SBES, Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and nitrogen removal of both the tank water and the tank sediment. Real-life conditions of the operational parameters were also experimented to understand the most close-to-practice responses of the system to their changes. Predictable effects of controllable parameters including external resistance and electrode spacing, similar to those reported previously for the BESs, were shown by the results but exceptions were observed. Accordingly, while increasing the electrode spacing reduced the current densities but generally improved COD and nitrogen removal, increasing the external resistance could result in decreased COD removal but also increased nitrogen removal and decreased current densities. However, maximum electricity generation and COD removal efficiency difference of the SBES (versus the control) could be reached with an external resistance of 100 Ω, not with the lowest one of 10 Ω. The effects of uncontrollable parameters such as ambient temperature, salinity and pH of the pond (tank) water were rather unpredictable. Temperatures higher than 35°C seemed to have more accelaration effect on natural degradation than on bioelectrochemical processes. Changing salinity seriously changed the electricity generation but did not clearly affect the bioremediation performance of the SBES, although at 2.5% salinity the SBES displayed a significantly more efficient removal of nitrogen in the water, compared to the control. Variation of pH to practically extreme levels (5.5 and 8.8) led to increased electricity generations but poorer performances of the SBES (vs. the control) in removing COD and nitrogen. Altogether, the results suggest some distinct responses of the SBES under brackish conditions and imply that COD removal and nitrogen removal in the system are not completely linked to bioelectrochemical processes but electrochemically enriched bacteria can still perform nonbioelectrochemical COD and nitrogen removals more efficiently than natural ones. The results confirm the application potential of the SBES in brackish aquaculture bioremediation and help propose efficient practices to warrant the success of such application in real-life scenarios.

Mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomic analysis has proven valuable for clinical and biotechnology-related research and development. Improvements in sensitivity, resolution, and robustness of mass analyzers have also added value. However, manual sample preparation protocols are often a bottleneck for sample throughput and can lead to poor reproducibility, especially for applications where thousands of samples per month must be analyzed. To alleviate these issues, we developed a "cells-to-peptides" automated workflow for Gram-negative bacteria and fungi that includes cell lysis, protein precipitation, resuspension, quantification, normalization, and tryptic digestion. The workflow takes 2 h to process 96 samples from cell pellets to the initiation of the tryptic digestion step and can process 384 samples in parallel. We measured the efficiency of protein extraction from various amounts of cell biomass and optimized the process for standard liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry systems. The automated workflow was tested by preparing 96 Escherichia coli samples and quantifying over 600 peptides that resulted in a median coefficient of variation of 15.8%. Similar technical variance was observed for three other organisms as measured by highly multiplexed LC-MRM-MS acquisition methods. These results show that this automated sample preparation workflow provides robust, reproducible proteomic samples for high-throughput applications.

Background: In conjunction with Vietnam's unparalleled economic growth over the past 20 years, our scope of neurosurgical interventions has considerably diversified throughout this time period., Methods: Although still appreciably limited, healthcare resources and infrastructure have expanded and shifted the focus within neurosurgery at Ho Chi Minh City's Cho Ray Hospital from head trauma (which remains highly prevalent) to an equal proportion of elective cases for vascular lesions, tumors, and degenerative spine disease. Arguably the most significant progress throughout the new millennium has been achieved in the realm of neurosurgical oncology., Results: About 1000 craniotomies are performed annually for brain tumors at our institution, most of which are for lower-grade lesions that result in excellent surgical outcomes. We continue to strive to improve the standard of care for patients with malignant brain tumors, as the first multidisciplinary neuro-oncology care team was founded recently in 2016., Conclusions: This article is the first in the English neurosurgical literature to report on the current state and outcomes of neuro-oncology in Vietnam, as we highlight our experiences in caring for patients with brain tumors at Cho Ray Hospital., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The analysis of equilibrium points is of great importance in evolutionary game theory with numerous practical ramifications in ecology, population genetics, social sciences, economics and computer science. In contrast to previous analytical approaches which primarily focus on computing the expected number of internal equilibria, in this paper we study the distribution of the number of internal equilibria in a multi-player two-strategy random evolutionary game. We derive for the first time a closed formula for the probability that the game has a certain number of internal equilibria, for both normal and uniform distributions of the game payoff entries. In addition, using Descartes' rule of signs and combinatorial methods, we provide several universal upper and lower bound estimates for this probability, which are independent of the underlying payoff distribution. We also compare our analytical results with those obtained from extensive numerical simulations. Many results of this paper are applicable to a wider class of random polynomials that are not necessarily from evolutionary games.