Talaromyces marneffei
is a dimorphic fungus that causes substantial disease in Asia, especially among persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. In this randomized, controlled trial, ...initial therapy with amphotericin B was found to be superior to itraconazole.
The dimorphic fungus
Talaromyces
(previously
Penicillium
)
marneffei
causes a life-threatening mycosis in immunocompromised persons living in or traveling to Southeast Asia, China, and India.
1
Talaromycosis (previously penicilliosis) is a major cause of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–related death; its prevalence is surpassed only by the prevalence of tuberculosis and cryptococcosis,
2
and it leads to 4 to 15% of HIV-related hospital admissions in regions in which the disease is endemic.
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–
7
Talaromycosis is increasingly diagnosed among patients who are not infected with HIV but who have other immunodeficiency conditions
8
and is reported to be the second most common cause of all . . .
Background. Patients with dengue can experience a variety of serious complications including hypovolemic shock, thrombocytopenia, and bleeding. These problems occur as plasma viremia is resolving and ...are thought to be immunologically mediated. Early corticosteroid therapy may prevent the development of such complications but could also prolong viral clearance. Methods. We performed a randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded trial of low-dose (0.5 mg/kg) or high-dose (2 mg/kg) oral prednisolone therapy for 3 days in Vietnamese patients aged 5–20 years admitted with dengue and fever for ≤72 hours, aiming to assess potential harms from steroid use during the viremic phase. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed using linear trend tests with a range of clinical and virological endpoints specified in advance. In addition to recognized complications of dengue, we focused on the are under the curve for serial plasma viremia measurements and the number of days after enrollment to negative viremia and dengue nonstructural protein 1 status. Results. Between August 2009 and January 2011, 225 participants were randomized to 1 of the 3 treatment arms. Baseline characteristics were similar across the groups. All patients recovered fully and adverse events were infrequent. Aside from a trend toward hyperglycemia in the steroid recipients, we found no association between treatment allocation and any of the predefined clinical, hematological, or virological endpoints. Conclusions. Use of oral prednisolone during the early acute phase of dengue infection was not associated with prolongation of viremia or other adverse effects. Although not powered to assess efficacy, we found no reduction in the development of shock or other recognized complications of dengue virus infection in this study. Clinical Trials Registration. ISRCTN39575233.
Adsorption in the continuous mode plays a significant role in wastewater treatment. In this study, Mimosa pigra-derived biochar modified with 2 M AlCl3 salt was used to pack a lab-scale column to ...eliminate PO43− from aqueous solutions. The influence of the operational factors, such as inlet PO43− concentration (25–100 mg/L), flow rate (6–18 mL/min), and biochar bed height (1.5–4.5 cm), on the breakthrough curve was evaluated. The kinetic models of Adam–Bohart and Yoon–Nelson were utilized to analyze the experimental results. The best conditions were determined to be the influent PO43− strength of 50 mg/L, injection speed of 6 mL/min, and column height of 4.5 cm. These results can be applied in the design of large-scale columns for the sequestration of PO43− from wastewater.
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•Phosphate was successfully removed using fixed-bed modified biochar column.•The inlet PO43−, flow rate, and bed height affected the breakthrough curve.•The optimal conditions were 50 mg/L of PO43−, 6 mL/min flow rate, and 4.5 cm height.•Adam–Bohart and Yoon–Nelson models were utilized to describe experimental results.
Hypovolemic shock (dengue shock syndrome (DSS)) is the most common life-threatening complication of dengue. We conducted a genome-wide association study of 2,008 pediatric cases treated for DSS and ...2,018 controls from Vietnam. Replication of the most significantly associated markers was carried out in an independent Vietnamese sample of 1,737 cases and 2,934 controls. SNPs at two loci showed genome-wide significant association with DSS. We identified a susceptibility locus at MICB (major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I polypeptide-related sequence B), which was within the broad MHC region on chromosome 6 but outside the class I and class II HLA loci (rs3132468, Pmeta = 4.41 × 10−11, per-allele odds ratio (OR) = 1.34 (95% confidence interval: 1.23-1.46)). We identified associated variants within PLCE1 (phospholipase C, epsilon 1) on chromosome 10 (rs3765524, Pmeta = 3.08 × 10−10, per-allele OR = 0.80 (95% confidence interval: 0.75-0.86)). We identify two loci associated with susceptibility to DSS in people with dengue, suggesting possible mechanisms for this severe complication of dengue.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Determining the best therapy for HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis in resource-poor settings is controversial. In this trial in Vietnam, initial therapy with amphotericin B with flucytosine had ...better outcomes than amphotericin B alone or with fluconazole.
There are approximately 1 million cases of cryptococcal meningitis annually and 625,000 deaths.
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Treatment guidelines recommend induction therapy with amphotericin B deoxycholate (0.7 to 1 mg per kilogram of body weight per day) and flucytosine (100 mg per kilogram per day).
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However, this treatment has not been shown to reduce mortality, as compared with amphotericin B monotherapy.
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,
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Flucytosine is frequently unavailable where the disease burden is greatest, and concerns about cost and side effects have limited its use in resource-poor settings.
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Fluconazole is readily available, is associated with low rates of adverse events, and has good penetration into cerebrospinal . . .
•Ability of AWBs for heavy metal detoxification was evaluated.•Influential factors on heavy metal biosorption were presented.•Insights of binding mechanism were revealed and essential tools were ...introduced.•Merits and demerits of pretreatment methods for better biosorbents were highlighted.•Recommendation to use AWBs as green and cost-effective biosorbents was made.
This critical review discusses the potential use of agricultural waste based biosorbents (AWBs) for sequestering heavy metals in terms of their adsorption capacities, binding mechanisms, operating factors and pretreatment methods. The literature survey indicates that AWBs have shown equal or even greater adsorption capacities compared to conventional adsorbents. Thanks to modern molecular biotechnologies, the roles of functional groups in biosorption process are better understood. Of process factors, pH appears to be the most influential. In most cases, chemical pretreatments bring about an obvious improvement in metal uptake capacity. However, there are still several gaps, which require further investigation, such as (i) searching for novel, multi-function AWBs, (ii) developing cost-effective modification methods and (iii) assessing AWBs under multi-metal and real wastewater systems. Once these challenges are settled, the replacement of traditional adsorbents by AWBs in decontaminating heavy metals from wastewater can be expected in the future.
Here, we describe a serological enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the screening and identification of human SARS-CoV-2 seroconverters. This assay does not require the handling of infectious ...virus, can be adjusted to detect different antibody types in serum and plasma and is amenable to scaling. Serological assays are of critical importance to help define previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in populations, identify highly reactive human donors for convalescent plasma therapy and investigate correlates of protection.
Even with antituberculosis therapy, tuberculous meningitis causes death or severe disability in more than half of affected adults. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, conducted in ...Vietnam, dexamethasone treatment was associated with a reduced risk of death as compared with placebo (31.8 percent vs. 41.3 percent).
Dexamethasone treatment was associated with a reduced risk of death but the proportion of survivors with severe disability is not reduced.
Tuberculous meningitis is the severest form of infection with
Mycobacterium tuberculosis,
causing death or severe neurologic deficits in more than half of those affected in spite of antituberculosis chemotherapy.
1
,
2
Attenuation of the inflammatory response in bacterial and mycobacterial meningitis may improve outcome by reducing the likelihood or severity of neurologic complications. Early studies suggested that corticosteroids reduced cerebrospinal fluid inflammation and time to recovery in patients with tuberculous meningitis, but the studies were too small to confirm any effect on survival.
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Concern remained that corticosteroids might reduce the case fatality rate but increase the number of disabled patients. . . .
Osteoporosis is a common bone health disorder in hemodialysis patients that is linked with a higher morbidity and mortality rate. While previous studies have explored the associated factors of ...osteoporosis, there is a lack of studies investigating the impacts of health literacy (HL) and digital healthy diet literacy (DDL) on osteoporosis. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the associations of HL, DDL, and other factors with osteoporosis among hemodialysis patients. From July 2020 to March 2021, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 675 hemodialysis patients in eight hospitals in Vietnam. The data were collected by using the osteoporosis self-assessment tool for Asians (OSTA) and the 12-item short form of the health literacy questionnaire (HLS-SF12) on digital healthy diet literacy (DDL) and hemodialysis dietary knowledge (HDK). In addition, we also collected information about the socio-demographics, the clinical parameters, the biochemical parameters, and physical activity. Unadjusted and adjusted multinomial logistic regression models were utilized in order to investigate the associations. The proportion of patients at low, medium, and high levels of osteoporosis risk was 39.6%, 40.6%, and 19.8%, respectively. In the adjusted models, women had a higher likelihood of osteoporosis risk than men (odds ratio, OR, 3.46; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 1.86, 6.44; p < 0.001; and OR, 6.86; 95% CI, 2.96, 15.88; p < 0.001). The patients with rheumatoid arthritis (OR, 4.37; 95% CI, 1.67, 11.52; p = 0.003) and stomach ulcers (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.01, 3.77; p = 0.048) were more likely to have a higher likelihood of osteoporosis risk than those without. The patients who had a higher waist circumference (WC), HL, and DDL were less likely to have a medium level of osteoporosis risk (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92, 0.98; p = 0.004; OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88, 0.96; p < 0.001; OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93, 0.99; p = 0.017, respectively) and a high level of osteoporosis risk (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.89, 0.97; p = 0.001; OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.84, 0.94; p < 0.001; OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.91, 0.99; p = 0.008, respectively) compared with a low level of osteoporosis risk and to those with a lower WC, HL, and DDL. In addition, higher levels of hemoglobin (Hb) (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.66, 0.95; p = 0.014), hematocrit (Hct) (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92, 0.99; p = 0.041), albumin (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.83, 0.99; p = 0.030), and education (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.16, 0.88; p = 0.025) were associated with a lower likelihood of a high level of osteoporosis risk. In conclusion, osteoporosis risk is highly prevalent in hemodialysis patients. Improved HL, DDL, education, WC, albumin, Hb, and Hct levels should be considered in preventing hemodialysis patients from developing osteoporosis.
•Antibacterial ZnO nanoparticles for edible surface coatings were successfully fabricated.•Incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles in a chitosan/gum arabic edible coating was evaluated.•Effects of ZnO ...nanoparticles on the performance of the edible coating for banana preservation were investigated.•Properties of the edible coating and changes in the physical chemical properties of the banana were investigated.•The developed edible coating composite can be applied for banana preservation.
ZnO nanoparticles are nontoxic inorganic oxides that have been extensively used as a supplement for zinc nutrients and antibacterial agents in the food industry, especially in edible coatings to protect food from deterioration by viruses, fungi, and bacteria. In this work, ZnO nanoparticles were fabricated by a hydrothermal method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The prepared ZnO nanoparticles exhibited good antibacterial properties against several bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus subtilis. The ZnO nanoparticles as an antibacterial agent were incorporated into a chitosan/gum arabic (CH/GA) edible coating, and the protective performance for the preservation of bananas was investigated. The obtained CH/GA/ZnO coating significantly improved the quality and shelf life of bananas at a temperature of 35 °C and relative humidity (RH) of 54 %. The banana surface treated with the CH/GA/ZnO coating was relatively smooth with a CH/GA/ZnO film thickness of approximately 50 μm. The utilization of the resultant coating enabled the maintenance of banana quality, including fruit firmness, weight loss, reducing sugar, and titratable acidity, for a remarkably longer period. The banana coated with the CH/GA/ZnO system was demonstrated to maintain freshness for more than 17 d in comparison with the less than 13 d for the control banana at 35 °C and 54 % RH.
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