Tuberculosis transmission continues to be a major public health challenge. In this cluster-randomized, controlled trial conducted in Vietnam, active community-wide screening for tuberculosis over 4 ...years is shown to decrease the prevalence of tuberculosis.
Stem cell-based therapy for human diseases Hoang, Duc M.; Pham, Phuong T.; Bach, Trung Q. ...
Signal transduction and targeted therapy,
08/2022, Letnik:
7, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Abstract
Recent advancements in stem cell technology open a new door for patients suffering from diseases and disorders that have yet to be treated. Stem cell-based therapy, including human ...pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), has recently emerged as a key player in regenerative medicine. hPSCs are defined as self-renewable cell types conferring the ability to differentiate into various cellular phenotypes of the human body, including three germ layers. MSCs are multipotent progenitor cells possessing self-renewal ability (limited in vitro) and differentiation potential into mesenchymal lineages, according to the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT). This review provides an update on recent clinical applications using either hPSCs or MSCs derived from bone marrow (BM), adipose tissue (AT), or the umbilical cord (UC) for the treatment of human diseases, including neurological disorders, pulmonary dysfunctions, metabolic/endocrine-related diseases, reproductive disorders, skin burns, and cardiovascular conditions. Moreover, we discuss our own clinical trial experiences on targeted therapies using MSCs in a clinical setting, and we propose and discuss the MSC tissue origin concept and how MSC origin may contribute to the role of MSCs in downstream applications, with the ultimate objective of facilitating translational research in regenerative medicine into clinical applications. The mechanisms discussed here support the proposed hypothesis that BM-MSCs are potentially good candidates for brain and spinal cord injury treatment, AT-MSCs are potentially good candidates for reproductive disorder treatment and skin regeneration, and UC-MSCs are potentially good candidates for pulmonary disease and acute respiratory distress syndrome treatment.
Alpha-mangostin (MGS) is a natural xanthone compound extracted from mangosteen pericarps. It has great potential as an excellent anticancer agent. However, the extremely low solubility of MGS in ...water seriously impedes its medical application. Previously, we found that cyclodextrin (CD)-based hyperbranched polymer nanoparticles (CDNPs) solubilize MGS by encapsulating it in the CD cavity and that their binding constants are 100 times higher than those of native CDs. Our findings suggested that CDNPs could be good carriers of MGS. Here, we prepared three types of CDNP from α-, β-, and ɣCDs and compared them in terms of MGS release and in vitro and in vivo anticancer efficacy. βCDNP/MGS demonstrated the greatest anticancer efficacy, while no efficacy was observed for the other CDNPs. MGS release from CDNPs/MGS can be explained by a model in which the slow and rapid modes are connected in series; before release, MGS must shift from the slow to the rapid mode. We assumed that the slow and rapid modes are related to the interior and surface CDs of CDNPs. βCDNP/MGS showed the slowest release in the slow mode. We assume that slow release in the slow mode is essential for MGS retention until the cancerous region is reached.We examined drug release behavior and anticancer efficacy of cyclodextrin-based nanoparticles (CDNPs) containing alpha-mangostin (MGS) in three different type of CDs (α-, β-, and γ-CD). βCDNP containing MGS demonstrated the best anticancer efficacy, while no efficacy was observed for the other CDNPs. Our findings suggested the anticancer efficacy might depend on the drug retention capability in which the interior and surface CDs in the CDNPs relate to the slow and rapid release modes, respectively. We assume the drug retention capability of slow release mode is important for performing the anticancer efficacy.
Abstract
Most of the existing chest X-ray datasets include labels from a list of findings without specifying their locations on the radiographs. This limits the development of machine learning ...algorithms for the detection and localization of chest abnormalities. In this work, we describe a dataset of more than 100,000 chest X-ray scans that were retrospectively collected from two major hospitals in Vietnam. Out of this raw data, we release 18,000 images that were manually annotated by a total of 17 experienced radiologists with 22 local labels of rectangles surrounding abnormalities and 6 global labels of suspected diseases. The released dataset is divided into a training set of 15,000 and a test set of 3,000. Each scan in the training set was independently labeled by 3 radiologists, while each scan in the test set was labeled by the consensus of 5 radiologists. We designed and built a labeling platform for DICOM images to facilitate these annotation procedures. All images are made publicly available in DICOM format along with the labels of both the training set and the test set.
Strong primary health care (PHC) systems require a robust PHC workforce. Traditionally, medical education takes place in academic medical centres that favour subspecialty care rather than PHC ...settings. This may undervalue primary care as a career and contribute to a shortage of PHC workers. However, designing undergraduate medical education curricula that incorporate early experiences in clinical care delivery at PHC sites remains a challenge, including in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This paper describes how a collaboration between Harvard Medical School and five medical schools in Vietnam, and in-country collaborations among the Vietnamese medical schools, facilitated curricular innovation and co-creation of coursework relevant to PHC through the development of a Practice of Medicine (POM) course. The collaboration implemented a technical assistance strategy consisting of in-person workshops, focused virtual consultations, on-site 'office hours', site visits and observations to each of the five medical universities, and immersion trips to support the creation and implementation of the POM course. A pilot program was started at a single site and then scaled nationally using local customisation, experience, and expertise utilising a train-the-trainers approach. As a result, five new POM courses have been developed by five Vietnamese institutions. Fifty Vietnamese faculty received training to lead the POM course development, and 228 community-based preceptors have been trained to teach students at PHC sites. A total of 52 new PHC and community-based clinical training sites have been added, and 3,615 students have completed or are currently going through a POM course. This experience can serve as a model for future academic collaborations to support the development of a robust PHC workforce for the 21st century.
Flavonoids and stilbenoids, crucial secondary metabolites abundant in plants and fungi, display diverse biological and pharmaceutical activities, including potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and ...antimicrobial effects. However, conventional production methods, such as chemical synthesis and plant extraction, face challenges in sustainability and yield. Hence, there is a notable shift towards biological production using microorganisms like
and yeast. Yet, the drawbacks of using
and yeast as hosts for these compounds persist. For instance, yeast's complex glycosylation profile can lead to intricate protein production scenarios, including hyperglycosylation issues. Consequently,
emerges as a promising alternative, given its adaptability and recent advances in metabolic engineering. Although extensively used in biotechnological applications, the potential production of flavonoid and stilbenoid in engineered
remains largely untapped compared to
. This review explores the potential of metabolic engineering in
for biosynthesis, highlighting its versatility as a cell factory and assessing optimization strategies for these pathways. Additionally, various metabolic engineering methods, including genomic editing and biosensors, and cofactor regeneration are evaluated, with a focus on
Through comprehensive discussion, the review offers insights into future perspectives in production, aiding researchers and industry professionals in the field.
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the significance of adopting healthy lifestyles to mitigate the risk of severe outcomes and long-term consequences.
This study focuses on assessing the ...prevalence and clustering of 5 unhealthy lifestyle behaviors among Vietnamese adults after recovering from COVID-19, with a specific emphasis on sex differences.
The cross-sectional data of 5890 survivors of COVID-19 in Vietnam were analyzed from December 2021 to October 2022. To examine the sex differences in 5 unhealthy lifestyle behaviors (smoking, drinking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and sedentary behavior), the percentages were plotted along with their corresponding 95% CI for each behavior. Latent class analysis was used to identify 2 distinct classes of individuals based on the clustering of these behaviors: the "less unhealthy" group and the "more unhealthy" group. We examined the sociodemographic characteristics associated with each identified class and used logistic regression to investigate the factors related to the "more unhealthy" group.
The majority of individuals (male participants: 2432/2447, 99.4% and female participants: 3411/3443, 99.1%) exhibited at least 1 unhealthy behavior, with male participants being more susceptible to multiple unhealthy behaviors. The male-to-female ratio for having a single behavior was 1.003, but it escalated to 25 for individuals displaying all 5 behaviors. Male participants demonstrated a higher prevalence of combining alcohol intake with sedentary behavior (949/2447, 38.8%) or an unhealthy diet (861/2447, 35.2%), whereas female participants tended to exhibit physical inactivity combined with sedentary behavior (1305/3443, 37.9%) or an unhealthy diet (1260/3443, 36.6%). Married male participants had increased odds of falling into the "more unhealthy" group compared to their single counterparts (odds ratio OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.14-1.85), while female participants exhibited lower odds (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.51-0.83). Female participants who are underweight showed a higher likelihood of belonging to the "more unhealthy" group (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.89-1.39), but this was not observed among male participants (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.41-0.89). In both sexes, older age, dependent employment, high education, and obesity were associated with higher odds of being in the "more unhealthy" group.
The study identified notable sex differences in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors among survivors of COVID-19. Male survivors are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors compared to female survivors. These findings emphasize the importance of tailored public health interventions targeting sex-specific unhealthy behaviors. Specifically, addressing unhealthy habits is crucial for promoting post-COVID-19 health and well-being.
Arsenic (As) in rice has been known as a worldwide human health threat that results originally from the accumulation of As in soil in many rice cultivation regions. This study aims to evaluate As ...levels in the soil-rice system in the Mekong River delta (MRD) with special focuses on the geographical distribution and the relation to soil physio-chemical properties. It was found that soil As contents varied from 0.3 to 15.9 mg kg
−1
(
= 7.22 ± 0.3 mg kg
−1
), whereas straw As content was about one order of magnitude lower (
= 0.92 ± 0.1 mg kg
−1
). The content of As in grain varied from "not detectable" to 1115 µg kg
−1
(
= 73 ± 19 µg kg
−1
). Relatively similar geographical distribution patterns were observed for soil As and straw As, meanwhile grain As did not reveal a clear association with straw As and soil As. The accumulation of As in rice (straw and grain) were likely affected by various factors, but the mutual effects of soil As pool and soil properties were the most obvious. The East coastal area of the MRD has been identified as a vulnerable area to As threat. This finding suggests that in addition to the action plans to preserve coastal paddy soils from the threats of sea level rise and salt intrusion, contamination of As should also be considered.
The increasing daily use of cosmetic and personal care ingredients (CPCIs) requires improved understanding of the fate and impacts of CPCIs in environmental systems. Effects of CPCIs on colloidal ...properties of various geocolloids such as iron oxides (goethite, haematite), clay minerals (kaolinite, bentonite) and soil clays (kaolinitic-, illitic- and lateritic soil clays) were studied by tracking time-resolved changes in zeta potential (ζ) and observing suspended particle density. Two polymers representing anionic CPCIs, i.e., polyacrylate crosspolymer-11 (PC11) and cationic CPCIs, i.e., polyDADMAC (PD) show contrast effects on ζ and colloidal properties of the selected materials. While PC11 tended to associate with Fe oxides, PD can be adsorbed by clay minerals and soil clays. The neutralization due to the sorption of either PC11 or PD onto opposite-charge sign surface sites can lower the net surface charge of the materials, thereby enhancing electrostatic attraction, stimulating particle size growth, and eventually intensifying co-aggregation. The observed colloidal properties of iron oxides, clay minerals and soil clays under the presence of PC11 and PD may reflect what are happening in many aquatic environments where CPCIs co-exist with various mineral colloids. Therein, CPCIs likely delay the transport of the opposite-charge sign colloids, while they increase the dispersibility and transportability of the same-charge sign colloids. This implies that intensifying presence of a given CPCI could have selective effects on colloid systems. As a whole, CPCIs can change the fate and the final destination of mineral colloids and themselves; therefore, their effects and relevant treatment techniques need to be included into the future agenda.
Display omitted
•Cosmetic and personal care ingredients (CPCIs) can be sorbed onto mineral colloids.•They change the surface charge, hence colloidal stability of mineral colloids.•CPCIs likely delay the transport of the opposite-charge sign colloids.•CPCIs can change the fate and the final destination of mineral colloids and themselves.
We developed a novel real-time PCR assay that simultaneously evaluates 11 major nucleos(t)ide antiviral (NA) drug resistance mutations (mt) in chronic hepatitis B patients (CHB), including L180M, ...M204I/V, and V207M (lamivudine LMV resistance), N/H238A/T (adefovir ADF resistance), which are circulating in Vietnam; and T184G/L, S202I, and M250V (entecavir ETV resistance) and A194T (tenofovir resistance), which have been recently reported in several studies across the globe. We detected drug-resistant mt in hepatitis B virus (HBV) samples using our predesigned panel of allele-specific locked-nucleic acid (LNA) probes. Our assay had a high sensitivity of 5% in a low-HBV DNA population of ≥5 × 10
IU/ml and was validated in a cohort of 130 treatment-naive children and 98 NA-experienced adults with CHB. Single-point mt for LMV and ADF resistance were detected in 57.7% and 54.1% of the child and adult samples, respectively, with rtV207M (children, 42.3%; adults, 36.7%) and rtN238T/A (children, 15.4%; adults, 16.3%) being the most frequent mt in these populations. Multiple-point mt, including rtL180M-rtM204V- rtN238A and rtL180M-rtM204I, were identified in only two children, resulting in LMV-ADF resistance and reduced ETV susceptibility. In conclusion, this assay accurately identified the mt profile of children (98.4%) and adults (91.2%) with CHB, which is comparable to established methods. This fast and sensitive screening method can be used for the detection of major NA-resistant mt circulating in developing countries, as well as providing a model for the development of similar mt-detection assays, especially for use in nonhospitalized patients who need their results within half a day, before starting treatment.
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