PurposeTo determine modifiable maternal risk factors for adverse pregnancy, postpartum maternal and child health outcomes in Vietnam.ParticipantsThis prospective cohort study included pregnant women ...seeking prenatal care at six hospitals in three large cities in Vietnam. After enrolment, eligible participants who gave their consent to participate in the study were interviewed at 24–28 weeks' gestation. Glucose testing was conducted and blood pressure was measured during this period. Each participant will be assessed prospectively during their postnatal visits at delivery, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months, and will be followed up for 5 years.Findings to dateOf 2248 eligible pregnant women, 2030 were recruited (participation rate 90.3%) between August 2015 and July 2016. All participants completed the baseline assessment. Their mean (SD) age was 27.6 (5.3) years. The mean pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) was 20.2 (SD 2.6) kg/m2, with nearly two-thirds of participants having a normal pre-pregnancy BMI (18.5 to <23.0 kg/m2) and one-quarter being underweight (pre-pregnancy BMI <18.5 kg/m2). Overweight or obese mothers (pre-pregnancy BMI ≥23.0 kg/m2) accounted for 12.8%. No pregnant women reported smoking during their pregnancy while 13.4% of them had continued drinking. 22.8% of participants had hyperglycaemia. Their mean systolic blood pressure was 105.6 (SD 8.2) mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure was 67.4 (SD 7.5) mm Hg.Future plansThe relationships of maternal lifestyle and nutritional status with the health outcomes of pregnancy, postpartum maternity and infants will be analysed. Meanwhile, participants will be closely tracked to minimise loss to follow-up.
Scrub typhus, caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi infection, has been a serious public health issue in the Asia-Pacific region, with rising incidence and sporadic outbreaks. However, human protective ...immunity against specific antigens has been poorly characterized for this bacterium. In addition, immunity produced in early vaccine trials or even after natural infections, did not last long and had poor cross-reactivity among various genotypes. Here, we systematically investigated the kinetics and magnitude of specific adaptive immunity against two membrane antigens, 56 kDa type-specific antigen (TSA56) and surface cell antigen A (ScaA), that are involved in bacterial adhesion and invasion of the host in 64 recovered scrub typhus patients. Antibody responses to the bacterial antigens in patients were generally short-lived and waned to baseline levels 2 years after recovery. The anti-TSA56 IgG responses were predominantly composed of the IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses and persisted for up to 1 year after recovery, whereas IgG specific to ScaA primarily consisted of more transient IgG1, with limited responses by other subclasses. Cellular immunity, including CD4 and CD8 T-cells specific to membrane antigens, also rapidly declined from 1 year after infection, as measured by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assays and flow cytometry. The short longevity of antigen-specific adaptive immunity might be attributable to limited memory responses, as observed in earlier vaccine studies using whole bacterial antigens. Finally, we identified HLA-A*0201-restricted and highly conserved CD8 T-cell epitopes in the TSA56 antigen, which may be valuable tools for assessing cellular immunity against O. tsutsugamushi and developing an effective scrub typhus vaccine.
Emerging Microbes & Infections (2017) 6, e116 doi:
10.1038/emi.2017.106
; published online 20 December 2017
Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve has a crucial role in conserving and protecting the natural ecosystem and biodiversity in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, and the local communities also receive great ...benefits from aquatic resources in this nature reserve. This study was conducted to assess water quality in the Lung Ngoc Hoang Nature Reserve and to provide important information for the monitoring program using multivariate statistical methods. Water samples were collected bimonthly from fifteen locations belonging to five functional zones of the nature reserve (i.e., buffer zone, main canal, administrative and service zone, ecological restoration zone, and strictly protected zone). The physiochemical properties of water samples were measured, including temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total suspended solids (TSS), dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), sulfate (SO42-), iron (Fe2+), and aluminum (Al3+). The results showed that the levels of TSS, COD, and Fe2+ exceeded the Vietnamese standard on surface water quality, and the DO level was also far below the standard. Besides, the concentrations of TN, TP, and Al3+ in the nature reserve area showed the risk of eutrophication and negative effects on aquatic organisms. Problems of water quality were observed in the main canal and the administrative and service zones more than in the other zones. Cluster analysis (CA) suggested a reduction in the number of monitoring frequencies and locations to four months (i.e., January, April, July, and September) and twelve locations, respectively. This reduction allows for a decrease in the effort and cost of the monitoring program with adequate information to evaluate water quality. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA) identified five principal components, which could explain 80.98% of the total variance of the initial dataset. Potential pollution sources were also recognized based on PCA, including the nature properties of sulfate-acid soils, livestock, fertilizer, and domestic activities. The findings of this study can enhance our understanding of water quality in the nature reserve area and the effectiveness of future monitoring programs. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-SP2023-09-015 Full Text: PDF
The objective of this study was to assess the current situation of generation and management of plastic waste in Thoi Lai district, Can Tho city, Vietnam through collecting domestic solid waste ...samples from 30 households and interviewing 150 households using questionaires. The results showed that the average amount of domestic solid waste was 0.3 kg/person/day, in which the plastic waste accounted for 11.7% with generation rate of 0.035 kg/person/day. Shopping bags were dominant accounting for 34.7%, single-use plastic products accounting for 18.5% and food packaging plastic bags accounting for 9.51%. The generation rates of domestic solid waste and plastic waste had positive correlation with household’s size and income. In addition, the rate of plastic waste generation also appeared to have a relationship with the characteristics of the study area. Plastic waste has not been classified but it is mixed with other domestic solid waste. Knowledge of plastic waste impact has not been widely propagated in the community. Therefore, appropriate measures should be implemented to reduce municipal waste and plastic wastes.
Anchor groups play a vital role in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), acting as a bridge for electron injection from the sensitizers to the metal oxide semiconductor. Carboxylic acids (COOH) are ...widely used anchors for most sensitizers because of their strong adhesion to the semiconductor surface. Electron injection occurs through this adhesion, which is the main process that initiates the electrical circuit in a DSSC. Owing to the proton (H + ) of the COOH anchoring group, the conduction band of the semiconductor is shifted positively after sensitizer adsorption, leading to open circuit photovoltage ( V OC ) loss. In this study, the triphenylamine-based sensitizer with a carboxylate group (COO − ) was synthesized as an anchor. Although the power conversion efficiency of the anionic triphenylamine sensitized solar cells was lower than that of the neutral-base cell due to the decreased amount of dye on the photo-electrode surface, it exhibited an enhanced V OC compared to that of the neutral form. Density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent DFT studies were also carried out to theoretically characterize the two dyes and explore the difference between the carboxylic and carboxylate anchor groups.
The development of electrolytes containing a novel redox shuttle is essential for achieving highly efficient and stable dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Here, the effect of the diffusion ...coefficient of redox shuttles in the electrolyte on the photovoltaic performance of DSSCs using triphenylamine dyes by a different number of anchoring groups was investigated. Two different types of cobalt (II)/(III) polypyridine complexes, namely, Co(bpy)
3
2+/3+
and Co(dtb)
3
2+/3+
(where bpy = (2,2′-bipyridine) and dtb = (4,4′-di-
tert
-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine)), are applied to the hole transporting redox shuttles in DSSCs. Their diffusion coefficients are estimated by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) at various scan rates. The diffusion coefficient of Co(bpy)
3
2+
and Co(dtb)
3
2+
in the prepared electrolyte are 1.91 × 10
−7
and 2.27 × 10
−8
cm
2
/s, respectively. The high diffusion coefficient of Co(bpy)
3
2+
leads to a high ionic conductivity of the electrolyte that is nearly two times higher than the Co(dtb)
3
2+/3+
-based electrolyte. This Co(bpy)
3
2+/3+
-based electrolyte leads to an increase in the DSSCs photovoltaic performance with an increase in electronic coupling with the organic dye and TiO
2
. This is due to the photovoltaic performance is not limited by the mass-transportation process.
Graphical Abstract
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Mutations in KRAS frequently occur in human cancer and are especially prevalent in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), where they have been shown to promote aggressive phenotypes. However, ...targeting this onco-protein has proven to be challenging, highlighting the need to further identify the various mechanisms used by KRAS to drive cancer progression. Here, we considered the role played by exosomes, a specific class of extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from the endocytic cellular trafficking machinery, in mediating the ability of KRAS to promote cell survival. We found that exosomes isolated from the serum of PDAC patients, as well as from KRAS-transformed fibroblasts and pancreatic cancer cells, were all highly enriched in the cell survival protein Survivin. Exosomes containing Survivin, upon engaging serum-starved cells, strongly enhanced their survival. Moreover, they significantly compromised the effectiveness of the conventional chemotherapy drug paclitaxel, as well as a novel therapy that combines an ERK inhibitor with chloroquine, which is currently in clinical trials for PDAC. The survival benefits provided by oncogenic KRAS-derived exosomes were markedly reduced when depleted of Survivin using siRNA or upon treatment with the Survivin inhibitor YM155. Taken together, these findings demonstrate how KRAS mutations give rise to exosomes that provide a unique form of intercellular communication to promote cancer cell survival and therapy resistance, as well as raise interesting possibilities regarding their potential for serving as therapeutic targets and diagnostic markers for KRAS-dependent cancers.
•KRAS is mutated in 95% of human PDAC patients.•Survivin can be detected in the exosomes isolated from PDAC patients.•KRAS dependent cancer cells generate exosomes enriched in Survivin.•Exosomes containing Survivin promote cell survival and drug resistance.
Protected places such as nature reserves (NRs) are used to maintain ecological balance, biodiversity, and support surrounding ecosystems. However, the development and operation of infrastructure such ...as dikes and sluice gates in NRs, as seen in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD), often adversely affects the hydrological regime and water quality at both local and regional scales. This study analyzes the consequences of a constructed dike system on the hydrological regime and water quality in the NRs through an integrated approach including hydrochemical analysis (using descriptive statistics and weighted arithmetic water quality index (WAWQI) analysis), traditional interviews (face to face), using semi-structured questionnaires, field surveys, and secondary data. Results show that constructed infrastructure has helped maintain water supplies for both livelihoods and forest fire prevention. However, considerable impacts on the hydrological regime and water quality have occurred. From water quality assessments in three NRs, 29% of sampling sites in the My Phuoc melaleuca forest (MPMF) had WAWQI values over 100, while all sites in Lung Ngoc Hoang NR (LNHNR) and Mua Xuan Agriculture Center (MXAC) had WAWQI values over 100. This was to a large extent due to elevated concentration of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD5), and phosphate (PO43−). Meanwhile, during the wet season, pollution was marginally reduced by dilution, with 42.86% of sites at Lung Ngoc Hoang NR, 28.57% of sites at MXAC, and 78.57% of sites at MPMF having WAWQI values of less than 100. These results show the issue of water pollution at spatio-temporal scales, and call for better holistic management options for improving the hydrological regime and water quality.
In this study, a hybrid of titanium dioxide, benzophenone and ethylene vinyl acetate (TiO
-BP-EVA) was used as a novel catalyst to accelerate photo-oxidization reaction of low-density polyethylene ...(LDPE) film under ambient conditions. The degradation of the LDPE films (thickness of ~25 μm) containing different catalyst concentrations were successfully investigated by different techniques, such as Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and mechanical tests. The results showed that the use of catalyst in which TiO
-BP content (1/3 w/w) is 0.5 phr (parts per hundred resin) and EVA content is 4.5 phr in a LDPE film provided the best degradation rate. The carbonyl index of the polymer film achieved the highest value without an equilibrium stage. Besides, the carbon-carbon backbone of the polymer was completely broken down consistent with the deformation of the surface. In addition, the mechanical properties impressively dropped after 3 months’ exposure. The obtained results imply that the TiO
-BP-EVA compound can be considered as an efficient catalyst for the photodegradation of LDPE polymer.
Religion becomes a special spiritual element for Mai Van Phan to explain and experience life through a new perspective. It has an important meaning in the process of discovering the poetic and ...spiritual life of the poet. Religion has become a source of inspiration in Mai Van Phan's poetry. The poetic language system contains religious imprints that express a selective acquisition and the religious experience by the poet. This paper focuses on studying the religious imprints in Mai Van Phan’s poetry language, assessing the artistic contributions of Mai Van Phan in the process of innovating contemporary poetry.
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