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To characterize the distribution of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) species isolated from pulmonary samples from persons in Asia and their association with pulmonary infections, we reviewed the literature. Mycobacterium avium complex bacteria were most frequently isolated (13%-81%) and were the most common cause of pulmonary NTM disease (43%-81%). Also pathogenic were rapidly growing mycobacteria (M. chelonae, M. fortuitum, M. abscessus). Among all NTM isolated from pulmonary samples, 31% (582/1,744) were considered clinically relevant according to American Thoracic Society diagnostic criteria. Most patients were male (79%) and had a history of tuberculosis (37%). In Asia, high prevalence of rapidly growing mycobacteria and a history of tuberculosis are distinct characteristics of pulmonary NTM disease. This geographic variation is not well reflected in the American Thoracic Society criteria for NTM infections and could be incorporated in future guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a growing burden worldwide, leading to over 10 million deaths each year. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global initiative to raise awareness of high BP and acts as a temporary solution to the worldwide shortage of screening programmes. We aimed to screen for hypertension and cardiovascular risk factors in people aged ≥18 years in the community, thereby defining the proportion of participants with elevated BP and assessing the awareness and the effectiveness of its treatment. An opportunistic cross-sectional survey of volunteers aged ≥18 years was carried out in May 2021. Blood pressure measurement, the definition of hypertension, and statistical analysis followed the standard MMM protocol. From May 2021 to June 2021, through three cities/provinces in Vietnam (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), 2572 individuals with mean age 51.5 (SD ±15.7) years were screened. After multiple imputation, 929 (36.1%) had hypertension. Of individuals not receiving antihypertensive medication, 206 (11.2%) were hypertensive. Of individuals receiving antihypertensive medication, 415 (57.4%) had uncontrolled BP (≥140/90 mmHg). The MMM21 BP screening campaign was undertaken in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic. Undiagnosed and uncontrolled hypertension in Vietnam remains a substantial health problem. Local campaigns applying standardized methods such as MMM21 will be beneficial to screen for a significant number of individuals with raised BP and increase awareness of hypertension., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: none declared., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

In this study, four undescribed bibenzyl derivatives (1-4), together with seven known compounds (5-11) were isolated from the aerial parts of Dendrobium officinale. Their chemical structures were determined to be (7'S,8'S) -9''-acetyldendrocandin U (1), (7'S,8'S) -4'-methoxydendrocandin T (2), (7'R,8'S) -dendrocandin B (3), (1S,2R) -5'''-methoxydendrofindlaphenol C (4) by analyzing of the spectroscopic data including HR-ESI-MS, 1D-, and 2D-NMR spectra. The absolute configurations of compounds 1-4 were determined by the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. Compounds 1-3, 5, 10 and 11 inhibited α-glucosidase with the IC 50 values ranging from 56.3 to 165.3 μM, compounds 1-3, 5, 7-10 inhibited α-amylase with the IC 50 values ranging from 65.2 to 177.6 μM., (© 2024 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Rationale: We developed a standardized method, possible poor treatment response (PPTR), to help ascertain efficacy endpoints in Study S31/A5349 (NCT02410772), an open-label trial comparing two 4-month rifapentine-based regimens with a standard 6-month regimen for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Objectives: We describe the use of the PPTR process and evaluate whether the goals of minimizing bias in efficacy endpoint assessment and attainment of relevant data to determine outcomes for all participants were achieved. Methods: A PPTR event was defined as the occurrence of one or more prespecified triggers. Each PPTR required initiation of a standardized evaluation process that included obtaining multiple sputum samples for microbiology. Measurements and Main Results: Among 2,343 participants with culture-confirmed drug-susceptible TB, 454 individuals (19.4%) had a total of 534 individual PPTR events, of which 76.6% were microbiological (positive smear or culture at or after 17 wk). At least one PPTR event was experienced by 92.4% (133 of 144) of participants with TB-related unfavorable outcome and between 13.8% and 14.7% of participants with favorable and not-assessable outcomes. A total of 75% of participants with TB-related unfavorable outcomes had microbiological confirmation of failure to achieve a disease-free cure. Conclusions: Standardized methodologies, such as our PPTR approach, could facilitate unbiased efficacy outcome determinations, improve discrimination between outcomes that are related and unrelated to regimen efficacy, and enhance the ability to conduct pooled analyses of contemporary trials.

Introduction: Pharmacy education programs prepare graduates to promote health for patients with noncommunicable disease (NCDs), but there is limited information concerning Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) countries. The study aim was to synthesize academic staff's, alumni's, and alumni supervisors' perspectives on preparation for students to provide pharmaceutical care in NCDs., Methods: A qualitative research design was used. In-depth interviews with structured questions following the Context, Input, Process, and Product/Outcomes model framework were conducted with four academic staff, three alumni, and three alumni supervisors from six study sites in six countries. Interview questions were constructed in Thai and translated to English by using forward and backward translation. Verbatim transcriptions were used to perform thematic analysis with investigator triangulation., Results: Sixty participants were included. The context showed three main themes related to Burden of NCDs, Pharmacist Roles in NCDs, and Goals. The input showed three main themes of Teaching Methods, Development Plans for Academic Staff, and Budgets and Infrastructure. The process showed one main theme of Struggles in Teaching Methods. The outcomes/outputs showed three main themes of Individual, Organizational, and Professional Levels. Schools need curricula that focus on NCDs, pharmacist competency and skills, and academic preparation of students for practice. Gaps limiting achievement of goals included lack of well-trained academic staff, limited learning facilities, self-learning opportunities, acceptance from other health professionals, and career ladders., Conclusions: The preparation of pharmacy students varied in six ASEAN countries. Pharmacy education programs must address existing gaps that limit achievement of goals related to NCDs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing interest None., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Allopurinol (ALP) is commonly used as a drug for gout treatment. However, ALP is known to cause cutaneous adverse reactions (CARs) in patients. The HLA-B * 58:01 allele is considered a biomarker of severe CAR (SCAR) in patients with gout, with symptoms of Stevens Johnson syndrome, and with toxic epidermal necrolysis. However, in patients with gout and mild cutaneous adverse drug reactions (MCARs), the role of HLA-allele polymorphisms has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, 50 samples from ALP-tolerant patients and ALP-induced MCARs patients were genotyped in order to examine the polymorphisms of their HLA-A and HLA-B alleles. Our results showed that the frequencies of HLA-A * 02:01/HLA-A * 24:02 and HLA-A * 02:01/HLA-A * 29:01, the dual haplotypes in HLA-A, in patients with ALP-induced MCARs were relatively high, at 33.3% (7/21), which was HLA-B * 58:01-independent, while the frequency of these dual haplotypes in the HLA-A locus in ALP-tolerant patients was only 3.45% (1/29). The HLA-B * 58:01 allele was detected in 38% (8/21) of patients with ALP-induced MCARs, and in 3.45% (1/29) of ALP-tolerant patients. Notably, although HLA-B * 58:01 may be a cause for the occurrence of MCARs in patients with gout, this correlation was not as strong as that previously reported in patients with SCAR. In conclusion, in addition to the HLA-B * 58:01 allele, the presence of the dual haplotypes of HLA-A * 02:01/HLA-A * 24:02 and/or HLA-A * 02:01/HLA-A * 29:01 in the HLA-A locus may also play an important role in the appearance of ALP-induced MCARs in the Vietnamese population. The obtained primary data may contribute to the development of suitable treatments for patients with gout not only in Vietnam but also in other Asian countries.

Background: Clinical remission is an attainable goal for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). However, data on RA remission rates from multinational studies in the Asia-Pacific region are limited. We conducted a cross-sectional multicentric study to evaluate the clinical remission status and the related factors in RA patients in the Asia-Pacific region., Methods: RA patients receiving standard care were enrolled consecutively from 17 sites in 11 countries from APLAR RA SIG group. Data were collected on-site by rheumatologists with a standardized case-report form. Remission was analyzed by different definitions including disease activity score using 28 joints (DAS28) based on ESR and CRP, clinical disease activity index (CDAI), simplified disease activity index (SDAI), Boolean remission definition, and clinical deep remission (CliDR). Logistic regression was used to determine related factors of remission., Findings: A total of 2010 RA patients was included in the study, the overall remission rates were 62•3% (DAS28-CRP), 35•5% (DAS28-ESR), 30•8% (CDAI), 26•5% (SDAI), 24•7% (Boolean), and 17•1% (CliDR), respectively, and varied from countries to countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) prescription rate was low (17•9%). Compared to patients in non-remission, patients in remission had higher rates of b/tsDMARDs usage and lower rates of GC usage. The favorable related factors were male sex, younger age, fewer comorbidities, fewer extra-articular manifestations (EAM), and use of b/tsDMARDs, while treatment with GC was negatively related to remission., Interpretation: Remission rates were low and varied in the Asia-Pacific region. Treatment with b/tsDMARDs and less GC usage were related to higher remission rate. There is an unmet need for RA remission in the Asia-Pacific region., Competing Interests: ML reports speaker fees from Abbvie and Johnson & Johnson, conference sponsorship from Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Sanofi, and has provided advisory services for Gilead, Eli Lilly. KF has received grants or contracts from Chugai, Bristol Myers, Abbvie, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Tsumura, Asahi Kasei, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Esai, Japan Blood Products Organization, Novartis, Sanofi, and Astellas, reports payments or honoraria from Astellas, Abbvie, Amgen, Ayumi, MSD, Esai, Ono, Gilead, Kowa, Sanofi, Japan Blood Products Organization, Novartis, Pfizer, Bristol Myers, Mylan EPD, Janssen, Asahi Kasei, Daiichi Sankyo, Chugai, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Eli Lilly, and Boehringer Ingelheim and has participated in the Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board for Asahi Kasei, Astellas, Abbvie, Amgen, Ono, Gilead, Chugai, Eli Lilly, Bristol Myers, and Mylan EPD. PC reports honoraria from Novartis and Johnson and Johnson, is a member of the advisory board for Johnson & Johnson, and reports samples of Amgevita, Baricitinib, and Ixekizumab. All other authors declare no competing interests., (© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Central nervous system (CNS) infection is a serious neurologic condition, although the etiology remains unknown in >50% of patients. We used metagenomic next-generation sequencing to detect viruses in 204 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from patients with acute CNS infection who were enrolled from Vietnam hospitals during 2012-2016. We detected 8 viral species in 107/204 (52.4%) of CSF samples. After virus-specific PCR confirmation, the detection rate was lowered to 30/204 (14.7%). Enteroviruses were the most common viruses detected (n = 23), followed by hepatitis B virus (3), HIV (2), molluscum contagiosum virus (1), and gemycircularvirus (1). Analysis of enterovirus sequences revealed the predominance of echovirus 30 (9). Phylogenetically, the echovirus 30 strains belonged to genogroup V and VIIb. Our results expanded knowledge about the clinical burden of enterovirus in Vietnam and underscore the challenges of identifying a plausible viral pathogen in CSF of patients with CNS infections.

Background and Aims: Sexual victimization, happened during childhood and beyond, is known to be a substantial contributing factor for obesity development later in life. This work aims to bring about updated information on the relationship between sexual harassment and obesity., Methods: Based on an intensive scientific literature review in Google Scholar, Pubmed databases, the total of 106 studies (N = 141,199) were assessed including 52 studies on the connection between negative lifetime impacts and obesity, 11 studies on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms with proposed biological mechanisms related to obesity, 15 studies on the relationship between major depressive disorder (MDD) symptoms and obesity, 11 studies on the body dismorphic disorder (BDD) and 17 studies on the binge eating disorder (BED) were also examined to evaluate the association of obesity and traumatic life experiences., Results: Although 40-70% of all cases related to obesity have been considered to be hereditary, many experts argue that deviations in the environment contribute to excessive food intake and depressed physical activity in numerous Western countries. Several studies have identified that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may be nearly as common as obesity. However, just a few researchers have taken notice of the possible connection between these two., Conclusions: By mentioning some possible obesity-related psychological disorders in response to CSA, we present updated information on the relationship between sexual harassment and obesity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Vietnam in the Asia Pacific region has a high hypertension (HTN) prevalence. The May Measurement Month (MMM) program was enthusiastically responded to in Vietnam by launching and deploying it across the whole country from 2017. The aims of the MMM 2018 program in Vietnam were to screen at least 15 000 people aged 18 and over across the country; to inform participants of the risks associated with HTN; and thereby define the proportion of subjects with elevated blood pressure (BP) and assess the awareness and the effectiveness of its treatment. An opportunistic cross-sectional survey of volunteers aged ≥ 18 was carried out in May 2018. Blood pressure measurement, the definition of HTN, and statistical analysis followed the standard MMM protocol. From May 2018 to June 2018, through 10 cities/provinces in Vietnam, 17 332 individuals with mean age 47.0 ± 17.9 years were screened during MMM18. After multiple imputation, 5260 (30.3%) had HTN. Of individuals not receiving antihypertensive medication, 1956 (13.9%) were hypertensive. Of patients receiving antihypertensive medication, 1540 (46.6%) had uncontrolled BP. Those who had HTN also displayed many additional risk factors similarly to MMM 2017 including smoking, alcohol, overweight-obesity, and diabetes. In conclusion, MMM 2018 campaign is a continuation program of MMM 2017 that has promoted the strength of the BP screening survey in the community in Vietnam, which hopefully will influence on awareness of disease prevention in this century. The next steps of the program will have special innovations on how to reduce the frequency of focusing on variable risk factors to change the overall picture of HTN in Vietnam., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. © The Author(s) 2020.)

The herbicide, propanil, has been extensively applied in weed control, which causes serious environmental pollution. Acinetobacter baumannii DT isolated from soil has been used to determine the degradation rates of propanil and 3,4-dichloroaniline by freely suspended and biofilm cells. The results showed that the bacterial isolate could utilize both compounds as sole carbon and nitrogen sources. Edwards's model could be fitted well to the degradation kinetics of propanil, with the maximum degradation of 0.027 ± 0.003 mM h-1. The investigation of the degradation pathway showed that A. baumannii DT transformed propanil to 3,4-dichloroaniline before being completely degraded via the ortho-cleavage pathway. In addition, A. baumannii DT showed high tolerance to butachlor, a herbicide usually mixed with propanil to enhance weed control. The presence of propanil and butachlor in the liquid media increased the cell surface hydrophobicity and biofilm formation. Moreover, the biofilm reactor showed increased degradation rates of propanil and butachlor and high tolerance of bacteria to these chemicals. The obtained results showed that A. baumannii DT has a high potential in the degradation of propanil., (© FEMS 2020.)

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is a serious global problem, and pathogen factors involved in the transmission of isoniazid (INH)-resistant TB have not been fully investigated. We performed whole genome sequencing of 332 clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) isolates collected from patients newly diagnosed with smear-positive pulmonary TB in Hanoi, Vietnam. Using a bacterial genome-wide approach based on linear mixed models, we investigated the associations between 31-bp k-mers and clustered strains harboring katG-S315T, a major INH-resistance mutation in the present cohort and in the second panel previously published in South Africa. Five statistically significant genes, namely, PPE18/19, gid, emrB, Rv1588c, and pncA, were shared by the two panels. We further identified variants of the genes responsible for these k-mers, which are relevant to the spread of INH-resistant strains. Phylogenetic convergence test showed that variants relevant to PPE46/47-like chimeric genes were significantly associated with the same phenotype in Hanoi. The associations were further confirmed after adjustment for the confounders. These findings suggest that genomic variations of the pathogen facilitate the expansion of INH-resistance TB, at least in part, and our study provides a new insight into the mechanisms by which drug-resistant Mtb maintains fitness and spreads in Asia and Africa.

The natural amorphous polymer poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB-A: lyophilized Ralstonia eutropha containing 75% PHB) was used as a biological agent to control bacterial pathogens of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) larvae. The larvae were supplied with PHB-A at a concentration of 1 or 10 mg/L for 6 or 24 hr, followed by exposure to either the rifampicin-resistant pathogen Vibrio splendidus or Vibrio coralliilyticus at a concentration of 10 5 CFU/ml. Larvae pretreated 6 hr with PHB-A (1 mg/L) survived a Vibrio challenge better relative to 24 hr pretreatment. After 96 hr of pathogen exposure, the survival of PHB-A-treated mussel larvae was 1.41- and 1.76-fold higher than the non-treated larvae when challenged with V. splendidus and V. coralliilyticus, respectively. Growth inhibition of the two pathogens at four concentrations of the monomer β-HB (1, 5, 25 and 125 mM) was tested in vitro in LB 35 medium, buffered at two different pH values (pH 7 and pH 8). The highest concentration of 125 mM significantly inhibited the pathogen growth in comparison to the lower levels. The effect of β-HB on the production of virulence factors in the tested pathogenic Vibrios revealed a variable pattern of responses., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Marine invertebrates rely mainly on innate immune mechanisms that include both humoral and cellular responses. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), lysozyme and phenoloxidase activity, are important components of the innate immune defense system in marine invertebrates. They provide an immediate and rapid response to invading microorganisms. The impact of amorphous poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB-A) (1 mg PHB-A L -1 ) on gene expression of the AMPs mytimycin, mytilinB, defensin and the hydrolytic enzyme lysozyme in infected blue mussel larvae was investigated during "in vivo" challenge tests with Vibrio coralliilyticus (10 5  CFU mL -1 ). RNAs were isolated from mussel larvae tissue, and AMPs were quantified by q-PCR using the 18srRNA gene as a housekeeping gene. Our data demonstrated that AMPs genes had a tendency to be upregulated in challenged mussel larvae, and the strongest expression was observed from 24 h post-exposure onwards. The presence of both PHB-A and the pathogen stimulated the APMs gene expression, however no significant differences were noticed between treatments or between exposure time to the pathogen V. coralliilyticus. Looking at the phenoloxidase activity in the infected mussels, it was observed that the addition of PHB-A significantly increased the activity., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are among the leading causes of hospitalization in children ≤5 years old. Rapid diagnostics of viral pathogens is essential to avoid unnecessary antibiotic treatment, thereby slowing down antibiotic-resistance. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of the Luminex xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel FAST v2 against viral specific PCR as reference assays for ARI in Vietnam., Methods: Four hundred and forty two nose and throat swabs were collected in viral transport medium, and were tested with Luminex xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel FAST v2. Multiplex RT-PCR and single RT-PCR were used as references.    Results: Overall, viral pathogens were detected in a total count of 270/294 (91.8%, 95% CI 88.1-94.7) by the Luminex among reference assays, whilst 112/6336 (1.8%, 95% CI, 1.4-2.1) of pathogens were detected by the Luminex, but not by reference assays. Frequency of pathogens detected by Luminex and reference assays was 379 and 292, respectively. The diagnostic yield was 66.7% (295/442, 95%CI 62.1-71.1%) for the Luminex assay and 54.1% (239/442, 95% CI, 49.3-58.8%) for reference assays. The Luminex kit had higher yields for all viruses except influenza B virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and human bocavirus. High agreements between both methods [mean (range): 0.91 (0.83-1.00)] were found for 10/15 viral agents., Conclusions: The Luminex assay is a high throughput multiplex platform for rapid detection of common viral pathogens causing ARI. Although the current high cost may prevent Luminex assays from being widely used, especially in limited resource settings where ARI are felt most, its introduction in clinical diagnostics may help reduce unnecessary use of antibiotic prescription., Competing Interests: Competing interests: No competing interests were disclosed.

Besides the most common methods of internal dose assessment from inhaled 131I, that are thyroid monitoring and urine analysis, air sampling is a possible way but rarely used for dose estimate. This study aimed to focus on the utilisation of portable air sampler to estimate the internal dose for workers working at 131I production facility. In addition, internal dose estimated from urine analysis at the same time was carried out for comparison. Based on this research, it was found that air monitoring can be done efficiently as urine monitoring if the following conditions are met: (1) the indoor areas are not large, (2) sampling sites need to be placed as near breathing zone as possible and (3) the time-micro-environment patterns of monitored workers are collected carefully., (© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Data on tuberculosis (TB) among health care workers (HCW) and TB infection control (TBIC) indicators are rarely available at national level. We assessed multi-year trends in notification data of TB among HCW and explored possible associations with TBIC indicators., Methods: Notified TB incidence among HCW and 3 other TBIC indicators were collected annually from all 64 provincial and 3 national TB facilities in Vietnam. Time trends in TB notification between 2009 and 2013 were assessed using linear regression analysis. Multivariate regression models were applied to assess associations between the facility-specific 5-year notification rate and TBIC indicators., Results: Forty-seven (70 %) of 67 facilities contributed data annually over five years; 15 reported at least one HCW with TB in 2009 compared to six in 2013. The TB notification rate dropped from 593 to 197 per 100,000 HCW (p trend  = 0.02). Among 104 TB cases reported, 30 were employed at TB wards, 24 at other clinical wards, ten in the microbiology laboratory, six at the MDR-TB ward, and 34 in other positions. The proportion of facilities with a TBIC plan and focal person remained relatively stable between 70 % and 84 %. The proportion of facilities providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to their staff increased over time. Facilities with a TBIC focal person were 7.6 times more likely to report any TB cases than facilities without a focal person., Conclusions: The TB notification rates among HCW seemed to decrease over time. Availability of PPE increased over the same period. Appointing a TBIC focal person was associated with reporting of TB cases among HCW. It remains unclear whether TBIC measures helped in reduction of the TB notification rates in HCW.

During the production of iodine-131 from neutron irradiated tellurium dioxide by the dry distillation, a considerable amount of (131)I vapor is dispersed to the indoor air. People who routinely work at the production area may result in a significant risk of exposure to chronic intake by inhaled (131)I. This study aims to estimate the inhalation dose for individuals manipulating the (131)I at a radioisotope production. By using an application installed on smartphones, we collected the time-microenvironment data spent by a radiation group during work days in 2015. Simultaneously, we used a portable air sampler combined with radioiodine cartridges for grabbing the indoor air samples and then the daily averaged (131)I concentration was calculated. Finally, the time-microenvironment data jointed with the concentration to estimate the inhalation dose for the workers. The result showed that most of the workers had the annual internal dose in 1÷6mSv. We concluded that using smartphone as a motion detector is a possible and reliable way instead of the questionnaires, diary or GPS-based method. It is, however, only suitable for monitoring on fixed indoor environments and limited the targeted people., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious disease mainly caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37 RV . Antitubercular (anti-TB) bioassay-guided isolation of the CHCl3 extract of the leaves and stems of the medicinal plant Ardisia gigantifolia led to the isolation of two anti-TB 5-alkylresorcinols, 5-(8Z-heptadecenyl) resorcinol (1) and 5-(8Z-pentadecenyl) resorcinol (2). We further synthesized 15 derivatives based on these two natural products. These compounds (natural and synthetic) were evaluated for their anti-TB activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37 RV . Resorcinols 1 and 2 exhibited anti-TB activity with MIC values at 34.4 and 79.2 μm in MABA assay, respectively, and 91.7 and 168.3 μm in LORA assay, respectively. Among these derivatives, compound 8 was found to show improved anti-TB activity than its synthetic precursor (2) with MIC values at 42.0 μm in MABA assay and 100.2 μm in LORA assay. The active compounds should be regarded as new hits for further study as a novel class of anti-TB agents. The distinct structure-activity correlations of the parent compound were elucidated based on these derivatives., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Litsea verticillata Hance (Lauraceae), a Chinese medicine used to treat swelling caused by injury or by snake bites, was the first plant identified by our National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG) project to exhibit anti-HIV activities. From this plant, we discovered a class of 8 novel litseane compounds, prototypic sesquiterpenes, all of which demonstrated anti-HIV activities. In subsequent studies, 26 additional compounds of different structural types were identified. During our continuing investigation of this plant species, we identified two new litseanes, litseaverticillols L and M, and a new sesquiterpene butenolide, litseasesquibutenolide. Litseaverticillols L and M were found to inhibit HIV-1 replication, with an IC[Formula: see text] value of 49.6[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]M. To further determine the antiviral properties of this plant, several relatively abundant isolates, including a litseane compound, two eudesmane sesquiterpenes and three lignans, were evaluated against an additional 21 viral targets. Lignans 8 and 9 were shown to be active against the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), with EC[Formula: see text] values of 22.0[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]M ([Formula: see text]) and 16.2[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]M ([Formula: see text]), respectively. Since many antiviral compounds have been discovered in L. verticillata, we further prepared 38 plant extracts made from the different plant parts of 9 additional Litsea species. These extracts were evaluated for their anti-HIV and cytotoxic activities, and four of the extracts, which ranged across three different species, displayed 97-100% inhibitory effects against HIV replication without showing cytotoxicity to a panel of human cell lines at a concentration of 20 μg/mL.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet the reasons why only 10% of people infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis go on to develop clinical disease are poorly understood. Genetically determined variation in the host immune response is one factor influencing the response to M. tuberculosis. SP110 is an interferon-responsive nuclear body protein with critical roles in cell cycling, apoptosis and immunity to infection. However association studies of the gene with clinical TB in different populations have produced conflicting results., Methods: To examine the importance of the SP110 gene in immunity to TB in the Vietnamese we conducted a case-control genetic association study of 24 SP110 variants, in 663 patients with microbiologically proven TB and 566 unaffected control subjects from three tertiary hospitals in northern Vietnam., Results: Five SNPs within SP110 were associated with all forms of TB, including four SNPs at the C terminus (rs10208770, rs10498244, rs16826860, rs11678451) under a dominant model and one SNP under a recessive model, rs7601176. Two of these SNPs were associated with pulmonary TB (rs10208770 and rs16826860) and one with extra-pulmonary TB (rs10498244)., Conclusion: SP110 variants were associated with increased susceptibility to both pulmonary and extra-pulmonary TB in the Vietnamese. Genetic variants in SP110 may influence macrophage signaling responses and apoptosis during M. tuberculosis infection, however further research is required to establish the mechanism by which SP110 influences immunity to tuberculosis infection.

A total of 2690 actinomycete strains were screened as potential biological control agents in controlling rice bacterial blight (BB) in Vietnam. From these microorganisms, seventeen actinomycete strains were found to be capable of inhibiting all 10 major Xoo races isolated from Xoo-infected rice leaves. One strain, namely VN08-A-12, contained effective characteristics in selectively inhibiting all 10 races in vitro, but did not inhibit most of the other tested microorganisms. Therefore, VN08-A-12 was subsequently selected for rice field trials for two seasons on two rice cultivars SS1 and KD18. Results showed VN08-A-12 was not only able to reduce Xoo lesion lengths in the two rice cultivars (lesion length reduction of up to 38.3%), but it also significantly reduced Xoo-related yield loss in infected rice cultivars from the field (yield loss reduction of up to 43.2%). Interestingly, the culture of this strain also increased the rice yield in healthy rice cultivars (from 2.66% to 16.98% for SS1 and from 3.11% to 5.94% for KD18 cultivar). The strain VN08-A-12 was shown to be identical to Streptomyces toxytricini. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting S. toxytricini as a beneficial biological agent for the control of BB in rice.

Novel fluorinated analogues of goniothalamin 1 and howiinol A 2 have been prepared from trifluorocrotonate derivatives. Trifluoromethyl goniothalamin (R/S) 4 showed a slightly lower activity than 1, while the trifluoromethyl howiinol A 16 exhibited similar activities on several cell lines in the micromolar range. Unlike (R) goniothalamin and howiinol A, trifluoromethyl parent compounds remained unchanged when submitted to biomimetic oxidative systems., (Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Bioassay directed-fractionation led to isolation of 12 compounds from the roots of Bursera tonkinensis Guillaum (Burseraceae), including burselignan, bursephenylpropane, and burseneolignan. Of the 12 compounds, only 4'-demethyldesoxypodophyllotoxin exhibited significant cytotoxic activities against KB, Col2 and LNCaP cell lines.

Extracts of fruits and leaves of Connarus paniculatus afford six quinolizidine alkaloids which were identified as piptanthine, 18-epipiptanthine, ormosanine, homoormosanine, podopetaline (monohydrochloride) and homopodopetaline on the basis of high-field NMR studies. 1D and 2D NMR experiments provide complete assignments of the (1)H and (13)C spectra. In conjunction with detection of nuclear Overhauser effects (NOESY), these results allow detailed structure characterization including determination of relative configurations for the chiral sites and conformational analysis. Exchange phenomena involving nitrogen inversion were detected., (Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd)

Anti-TB bioassay-directed fractionation led to the isolation of six carbazole alkaloids, as well as the gamma-lactone derivative of oleic acid, from the CH (2)Cl (2) extract of the stem bark of Micromelum hirsutum. The carbazoles include the new micromeline ( 2) and five known alkaloids: lansine ( 3), 3-methylcarbazole ( 4), methyl carbazole-3-carboxylate ( 5), 3-formylcarbazole ( 6), and 3-formyl-6-methoxycarbazole ( 7). Compound 1 was identified as the lactone derivative of oleic acid, (-)- Z-9-octadecene-4-olide, for which the trivial name micromolide ( 1) is suggested. It showed potent in vitro anti-TB activity against H37R v (MIC: 1.5 microg/mL), a selectivity index (SI) of 63, and exhibited activity against the Erdman strain of M. tuberculosis in a J774 mouse macrophage model (EC (90) : 5.6 microg/mL). Thus, 1 appears worthy of further evaluation as a potential new anti-TB agent. Isolates 2, 3, 6 and 7 had anti-TB MIC values between 14.3 and 42.3 microg/mL, while compounds 4 and 5 were considered inactive (MIC > 128 microg/mL). Structure elucidation and identification were based on spectroscopic analysis, including MS, 1D/2D NMR, and a full (1)H spin system analysis of 1.

One alpha-pyrone, obolactone (1), two chalcones, kurzichalcolactone B (2) and obochalcolactone (3), and two flavanones, oboflavanones A (4) and B (5), have been isolated from the fruits and the trunk bark of Cryptocarya obovata. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic interpretations. The absolute configuration of obolactone (1) was established by circular dichroism. Obolactone (1) and obochalcolactone (3) display significant activity in in vitro cytotoxic assays against the KB cell line. Biosynthetic pathways for oboflavanones and obochalcolactone are suggested.

Objective: To determine the prevalence rates of musculoskeletal disorders in an urban Vietnamese population., Methods: The Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Disease (COPCORD) Stage I study was carried out in 16 groups in the Trung Liet Commune, Dong Da District, Hanoi City, Vietnam. Phase 1: the WHO ILAR COPCORD Core Questionnaire was applied by primary health care workers to 2119 urban subjects aged 16 years and over. Phase 2: 276 positive responders who had musculoskeletal complaints were interviewed by nurses and examined one week later. Phase 3: 261 positive responders in phase II were examined by 3 rheumatologists and 38% of these subjects required radiographic and blood tests to classify rheumatic disease categories., Results: The response rates were 94.4%, 86.2%, and 94.6% in phases 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was 14.9%. The most common musculoskeletal complaints were knee pain 18.2%, low back pain 11.2%, and soft tissue disorder 15.4%. Functional disability was reported in 6.04% of the survey population. The prevalence of rheumatic diseases was OA 4.1%, rheumatoid arthritis 0.28%, osteoporosis 0.47%, connective tissue disease 0.09%, and gout 0.14%., Conclusion: The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in 2119 adults in an urban population in Vietnam was 14.5%, and osteoarthritis was the most commonly found arthritis.