Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize healthcare, for example via decision support systems, computer vision approaches, or AI-based prevention tools. Initial results from AI ...applications in healthcare show promise but are rarely translated into clinical practice successfully and ethically. This occurs despite an abundance of "Trustworthy AI" guidelines. How can we explain the translational gaps of AI in healthcare? This paper offers a fresh perspective on this problem, showing that failing translation of healthcare AI markedly arises from a lack of an operational definition of "trust" and "trustworthiness". This leads to (a) unintentional misuse concerning what trust (worthiness) is and (b) the risk of intentional abuse by industry stakeholders engaging in ethics washing. By pointing out these issues, we aim to highlight the obstacles that hinder translation of Trustworthy medical AI to practice and prevent it from fulfilling its unmet promises.
The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and correlates of pretreatment drug resistance (PDR) to first-line antiretroviral drugs among people initiating therapy for HIV in Vietnam.
...Blood was collected during November 2009 to October 2010 from people consecutively initiating ART in four purposively selected public outpatient clinics in three Vietnamese cities. At each study site, recruitment lasted for 6-10 months until the target sample size (range 120-130 individuals) had been reached. The viral load was measured in 501 samples; 490 samples (viral load ≥1000 copies/mL) were genotyped using a nucleotide population-based sequencing assay. Self-reported demographic and clinical data were elicited through interviews. We classified drug-resistance-associated mutations (DRMs) according to the 2009 WHO surveillance list.
DRMs were identified in 17/490 participants (3.5%; 95% CI 2.2%-5.5%). The prevalence of DRMs was 1.6% (8/490) against NRTIs, 1.6% (8/490) against NNRTIs and 0.8% (4/490) against PIs; three (0.6%) participants were resistant to both NRTIs and NNRTIs. The overall prevalence of PDR to first-line drugs was low 2.7% (13/490); 95% CI 1.6%-4.4%. The prevalence of PDR to first-line drugs was greater among 198 HIV-infected participants who injected drugs than among 286 participants who reported risks for sexually acquired HIV (4.0% versus 1.4%, P = 0.079). Multivariable logistic regression analysis suggested that PDR to first-line drugs was significantly higher among people who injected drugs (OR = 3.94; 95% CI 1.13-13.68).
With low PDR, first-line ART may be effective in Vietnam and pretreatment genotyping may be unnecessary. Continuing strategies for the prevention and surveillance of antiretroviral resistance are important for maintaining a low prevalence of antiretroviral resistance in Vietnam. The association between resistance and injection drug use warrants further research.
Abstracts It has been demonstrated that Lantana camara possesses several therapeutic properties that can be used to treat various human diseases, including dermatological and gastrointestinal ...conditions, tetanus, malaria, and tumours. In this investigation, every collected part of L. camara was extracted with absolute methanol to examine its antioxidant capacity using the DPPH assay and its anti-leukemia activity on two AML cell lines, MOLM-13 and MV4-11. In addition, anti-inflammatory effectiveness was evaluated. The results show that extracts from various sections of L. camara have a significant ability to neutralize free radicals, as indicated by their EC50 values. Most of the extracts had values less than 100 μg/ml, with the flower extract having an even lower value of less than 50 μg/ml. Experiments on two AML cell lines showed that the anti-leukemia effects of the extracts were remarkable, with the most potent impact belonging to the root extract (IC50 was 9.78 ± 0.61 and 12.48 ± 1.69 for MOLM-13 and MV4-11 cell lines). The antitumor effect of the extracts was determined to be time- and dose-dependent and did not correlate with antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, when BJ cells were exposed to L. camara root and leaf extracts, their migratory potential was dramatically reduced compared to untreated cells. The extracts demonstrated potential anti-inflammatory capabilities by lowering NO production in LPS-induced BJ cells.
Resumo Foi demonstrado que Lantana camara possui diversas propriedades terapêuticas que podem ser utilizadas para tratar uma variedade de doenças humanas, incluindo condições dermatológicas e gastrointestinais, tétano, malária e tumores. Nesta investigação, cada parte coletada de L. camara foi extraída com metanol absoluto para examinar sua capacidade antioxidante utilizando o ensaio DPPH e sua atividade antileucêmica em duas linhagens celulares de LMA, MOLM-13 e MV4-11. Além disso, foi avaliada a eficácia anti-inflamatória. Os resultados mostram que os extratos de várias partes de L. camara têm uma capacidade significativa de neutralizar os radicais livres, como demonstrado pelos seus valores de EC50. A maioria dos extratos apresentava valores inferiores a 100 g/ml, com o extrato de flores apresentando um valor ainda mais baixo, inferior a 50 μg/ml. Experimentos em duas linhagens celulares de LMA mostraram que os efeitos antileucêmicos dos extratos foram notáveis, com o efeito mais forte pertencente ao extrato de raiz (IC50 foi 9,78 ± 0,61 e 12,48 ± 1,69 para linhas celulares MOLM-13 e MV4-11). O efeito antitumoral dos extratos foi determinado de maneira dependente do tempo e da dose e não se correlacionou com a capacidade antioxidante. Além disso, quando as células BJ foram expostas aos extratos de raiz e folhas de L. camara, o seu potencial migratório foi drasticamente reduzido em comparação com as células não tratadas. Os extratos acima mencionados demonstraram potenciais capacidades anti-inflamatórias ao reduzir a produção de NO em células BJ induzidas por LPS.
Particles in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UT/LS) consist mostly of concentrated sulfuric acid (40-80 wt %) in water. However, airborne measurements have shown that these particles ...also contain a significant fraction of organic compounds of unknown chemical composition. Acid-catalyzed reactions of carbonyl species are believed to be responsible for significant transfer of gas phase organic species into tropospheric aerosols and are potentially more important at the high acidities characteristic of UT/LS particles. In this study, experiments combining sulfuric acid (H
SO
) with propanal and with mixtures of propanal with glyoxal and/or methylglyoxal at acidities typical of UT/LS aerosols produced highly colored surface films (and solutions) that may have implications for aerosol properties. In order to identify the chemical processes responsible for the formation of the surface films, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and
H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies were used to analyze the chemical composition of the films. Films formed from propanal were a complex mixture of aldol condensation products, acetals and propanal itself. The major aldol condensation products were the dimer (2-methyl-2-pentenal) and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene that was formed by cyclization of the linear aldol condensation trimer. Additionally, the strong visible absorption of the films indicates that higher-order aldol condensation products must also be present as minor species. The major acetal species were 2,4,6-triethyl-1,3,5-trioxane and longer-chain linear polyacetals which are likely to separate from the aqueous phase. Films formed on mixtures of propanal with glyoxal and/or methylglyoxal also showed evidence of products of cross-reactions. Since cross-reactions would be more likely than self-reactions under atmospheric conditions, similar reactions of aldehydes like propanal with common aerosol organic species like glyoxal and methylglyoxal have the potential to produce significant organic aerosol mass and therefore could potentially impact chemical, optical and/or cloud-forming properties of aerosols, especially if the products partition to the aerosol surface.
Pneumonia is the leading cause of paediatric hospitalisation in Vietnam, placing a huge burden on the health care system. Pneumonia is also the main reason for antibiotic use in children. ...Unfortunately many hospital admissions for child pneumonia in Vietnam are unnecessary and inappropriate use of antibiotics is common, as in the rest of Asia, with little awareness of its adverse effects. We explored the value of an alternative approach that, instead of focusing on the identification of children with severe bacterial pneumonia, focuses on the identification of children with ‘unlikely bacterial pneumonia’ to improve patient care and rational antibiotic use. Implementing improved models of care require pragmatic management algorithms that are well validated, but it is ultimately dependent on financial structures, management support and evidence-based training of healthcare providers at all relevant levels. Apart from better case management, sustained reductions in the pneumonia disease burden also require increased emphasis on primary prevention.
This study was conducted to assess the removal of arsenic (As) and heavy metals from mining wastewater by the combination of adsorption, using modified iron-ore drainage sludge, and ...horizontal-subsurface-flow constructed wetland with common reed (Phragmites australis). The pilot-scale experiment with a constant flow rate of 5 m3/day was operated for four months using real wastewater from a Pb–Zn mine in northern Vietnam. Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used for elemental analysis in wastewater and plant. X-ray diffraction (XRD), surface charge measurements (by a particle charge detector (PCD)), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and surface area Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) measurements were performed to determine the characteristics of the adsorbent. The results showed that the average removals of As, Mn, Cd, Zn, and Pb by the combined system with limestone substrate during four months were 80.3%, 96.9%, 79.6%, 52.9%, and 38.7%, respectively. The use of another constructed wetland substrate, laterite, demonstrated better removal efficiency of As than limestone. The concentrations of As and heavy metals in the effluent were lower than the limits established by the QCVN 40:2011/BTNMT for industrial wastewater, which indicated the feasibility of combining adsorption and constructed wetland for the treatment of mining wastewater.
The skin epithelial layer acts as an important immunological barrier against pathogens and is capable of recognizing and responding to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in human and ...mouse models. Although presumed, it is unknown whether amphibian skin epithelial cells exhibit the ability to respond to PAMPs such as viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). To address this, two cell lines from the dorsal skin (Xela DS2) and ventral skin (Xela VS2) of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) were established. Xela DS2 and Xela VS2 cells have an epithelial-like morphology, express genes associated with epithelial cells, and lack senescence-associated beta-galactosidase activity. Cells grow optimally in 70% Leibovitz's L-15 medium supplemented with 15% fetal bovine serum at 26 °C. Upon treatment with poly(I:C), a synthetic analogue of viral dsRNA and known type I interferon inducer, Xela DS2 and Xela VS2 exhibit marked upregulation of key antiviral and pro-inflammatory transcripts suggesting frog epithelial cells participate in the recognition of extracellular viral dsRNA and production of local inflammatory signals; similar to human and mouse models. Currently, these are the only known Xenopus laevis skin epithelial-like cell lines and will be important for future research in amphibian epithelial cell biology, initial host-pathogen interactions, and rapid screening of the effects of environmental stressors, including contaminants, on frog skin epithelial cells.
•Xela DS2 and Xela VS2 are novel immortalized epithelial-like cell lines from Xeonpus laevis skin.•Xela DS2 and Xela VS2 express genes characteristic of epithelial cells demonstrating their well-differentiated properties.•Growth of the cell lines is temperature-sensitive and dependent on serum supplementation.•Treatment with poly(I:C), a synthetic analogue of viral dsRNA, upregulates expression of antiviral and proinflammatory genes.•These cells will be useful tools to investigate host-pathogen-environment interactions in amphibian skin.
Abstract
Frailty, a specific condition of increased vulnerability and reduced general health associated with aging in older people, is an emerging problem worldwide with major implications for ...clinical practice and public health. Recent preclinical and clinical studies have supported the safety of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) in the treatment of frailty. Comprehensive study is needed to assess the interrelationship between the condition of frailty and the effects of MSC-based therapy. This randomized controlled phase I/II trial aims to investigate the safety and potential therapeutic efficacy of the allogeneic administration of umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) in combination with the standard treatment for frailty in Vietnam. Moreover, this study describes the rationales, study designs, methodologies, and analytical strategies currently employed in stem cell research and clinical studies. The primary outcome measures will include the incidences of prespecified administration-associated adverse events and serious adverse events. The potential efficacy will be evaluated based on improvements in frailty conditions (including those determined through a physical examination, patient-reported outcomes, quality of life, immune markers of frailty, metabolism analysis, and cytokine markers from patient plasma). This clinical trial and stem cell analysis associated with patient sampling at different time points aim to identify and characterize the potential effects of UC-MSCs on improving frailty based on the stem cell quality, cytokine/growth factor secretion profiles of UC-MSCs, cellular senescence, and metabolic analysis of patient CD3+ cells providing fundamental knowledge for designing and implementing research strategies in future studies.
Clinical Trials Registration Number: NCT04919135
Deformed wing virus (DWV) is a virulent virus that causes honeybee disease. DWV can exist as a latent infection in honeybees, outbreak into epidemics, and cause serious damage to beekeeping cross the ...world, including Vietnam.
The two DWV strains circulating in Vietnamese honeybee,
were first isolated from adult honeybees in North Vietnam (DWV-NVN) and South Vietnam (DWV-SVN). Their complete nucleotide sequences were determined, aligned, and compared with other DWV strains
The two Vietnamese DWV strains comprised 10,113 bp and contained a large single open reading frame (ORF) of 2,893 amino acids, initiating at nucleotide 1,130 and terminating at nucleotide 9,812. Multiple nucleotide sequence alignment between these two DWV-VN strains and DWV strains in
was performed. The DWV-VN strains showed a low genetic identity (from 91.4% to 92.0%) with almost of these strains, but lower identities (89.2% and 89.4%) with UK2 and (89.6%) with the China2 strain. Low identities (91.7% and 91.9%) were also observed between the China3 strain (in
) and the DWV-VN strains, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequence alignment showed high genetic similarities (97.0%-97.9%) when the USA1, Chile, Italy1, France, UK1, UK2, Japan, Korea2, China1, China2 and China3 strains were compared to the DWV-VN strains. This ratio was 96.7% and 96.8% when the Korea1 strain was compared to the DWV-SVN and DWV-NVN strains, respectively. Numerous amino acid substitutions were identified in the L, VP3, and RdRp sequences. Notably, we observed six substitutions positioned at amino acids 27 (E > I), 98 (S > T), 120 (A > V), 153 (M > T), 170 (D > F), and 174 (Y > F) in the L protein, two amino acid changes at positions 980 (S > A) and 1032 (E > T) in VP3, and one amino acid change at position 2627 (R > C) unique to the DWV-VN strains. Phylogenetic analysis based on complete genome sequences, RdRp sequences and Simplot analysis indicated that there was a significant difference between DWV-VN strains in
and DWV strains in
. The results suggested that the genetic variations of the DWV-VN strains in
help them to adapt geographical conditions and may lead to change the viral pathogenicity of DWV-VN strains.
Several studies indicate that burrows play an essential role in burrowing fish, especially mudskippers, but little is known on burrow morphology and utilization of Periophthalmodon septemradiatus. ...This study was therefore conducted at five sampling sites from the estuary to upper reaches of Hau River to contribute to the knowledge of the behavior of Pn. septemradiatus, via in situ and ex situ observations of the utilization of burrow structures. Burrows made by polyester resin were used to determine their morphology. The male mudskippers Pn. septemradiatus were observed to excavate burrows using their mouths during the low tide. The burrows' shapes were found to be J, U and W, with 1–3 openings and one bulbous chamber. The chamber was used as egg container where the mudskipper deposits their fertilized eggs. W‐shaped burrows were found to be interconnected chambers where the mudskipper used it to change direction of movements inside the burrow. For the J‐ and U‐shaped burrows, the commonality at all five sites was identified. The W‐shaped burrows were common and were only found at two sites (Long Duc and An Lac Tay). For the burrows' structure, the openings to the surface were oval, circular and bulbous in shape. Yet, there were variations between sites, and the burrows' size was similar during the dry and wet seasons. At different sites, the depth of the burrows seasonally changed. The burrows used by mudskipper provide shelter, spawning sites, and access to feeding grounds for other mudskipper species.
The in situ and ex situ observations of the utilization of burrow structures show that the male mudskippers Periophthalmodon septemradiatus excavated burrows using their mouths during low tide. The shapes of the burrows were found to be J, U and W, with one to three openings with one bulbous chamber. These were used as egg chambers, where the mudskippers deposit their fertilized eggs.
PDF
