Background:Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is an important cause of heart failure and cardiac transplantation. This study determined the prevalence of DCM-associated genes and evaluated the ...genotype-phenotype correlation in Vietnamese patients.Methods and Results:This study analyzed 58 genes from 230 patients. The study cohort consisted of 64.3% men; age at diagnosis 47.9±13.7 years; familial (10.9%) and sporadic DCM (82.2%). The diagnostic yield was 23.5%, 44.0% in familial and 19.6% in sporadic DCM.TTNtruncating variants (TTNtv) were predominant (46.4%), followed byTPM1,DSP,LMNA,MYBPC3,MYH6,MYH7,DES,TNNT2,ACTC1,ACTN2,BAG3,DMD,FKTN,PLN,TBX5,RBM20,TCAP(2–6%). Familial DCM, genotype-positive andTTNtv-positive patients were younger than those with genotype-negative and sporadic DCM. Genotype-positive patients displayed a decreased systolic blood pressure and left ventricular wall thickness compared to genotype-negative patients. Genotype-positive patients, particularly those withTTNtv, had a family history of DCM, higher left atrial volume index and body mass index, and lower right ventricle-fractional area change than genotype-negative patients. Genotype-positive patients reached the combined outcomes more frequently and at a younger age than genotype-negative patients. Major cardiac events occurred more frequently in patients positive with genes other thanTTNtv.Conclusions:The study findings provided an overview of Vietnamese DCM patients’ genetic profile and suggested that management of environmental factors may be beneficial for DCM patients.
We sampled nasal-pharyngeal throat swabs from 96,123 asymptomatic individuals at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and generated 22,290 pools at collection, each containing samples from two to seven ...individuals. We detected SARS-CoV-2 in 24 pools, and confirmed the infection in 32 individuals after resampling and testing of 104 samples from positive pools. We completed the testing within 14 days. We would have required 64 days to complete the screening for the same number of individuals if we had based our testing strategy on individual testing. There was no difference in cycle threshold (Ct) values of pooled and individual samples. Thus, compared with individual sample testing, our approach did not compromise PCR sensitivity, but saved 77% of the resources. The present strategy might be applicable in settings, where there are shortages of reagents and the disease prevalence is low, but the demand for testing is high.
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.
3
–
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 . . .
The potential of green nanomaterials for environmental and agricultural fields is emerging due to their biocompatible, eco-friendly, and cost-effective performance. We report the use of Canna indica ...flowers extract as new capping and stabilizing source to bio-fabricate ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs for dyes removal, seed germination. ZnO NPs was biosynthesized by ultrasound-assisted alkaline-free route to reach the critical green strategy. The physicochemical findings of ZnO revealed small crystallite size (27.82 nm), sufficient band-gap energy (3.08 eV), and diverse functional groups. Minimum‑run resolution IV approach found the most pivotal factors influencing on removal of Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250. Uptake studies pointed out that pseudo second-order, and Langmuir were the best fitted models. Dye molecules behaved monolayer adsorption on ZnO surface layers, and controlled by chemisorption. Natural solar light was used as effective source for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (94.23% of removal and 31.09 mg/g of uptake capacity). Compared with H2O and ZnSO4, ZnO NPs positively affected the growth of shoot and root lengths (10.2–27.8%) of bean seedlings in most cases. ZnO acts an agrochemical for boosting weight gain, and germination ratio. This study may be promising for developing the recyclable, multifunctional ZnO nanoparticles for environmental and agricultural applications.
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•ZnO nanoparticles were biosynthesized from Canna indica L. flowers.•Minimum–run resolution IV was used to screen and optimize the adsorption parameters.•Photodegradation of methylene blue was conducted under solar light illumination.•ZnO nanoparticles boosted shoot and root lengths of green and red bean seedlings.•Good recyclability and high removal efficiency were obtained.
The α-Fe
2
O
3
/g-C
3
N
4
heterojunction was synthesized using a facile ultrasonic method using alpha hematite (α-Fe
2
O
3
) and graphitic carbon nitrite (g-C
3
N
4
) as precursors. These samples ...were characterized by advanced techniques such as SEM, EDX, XRD, PL and UV-Vis to investigate their morphology, elemental composition, crystalline structures and optical properties. Photocatalytic performance of these synthesized materials was investigated via degradation of tetracycline in the aqueous environment upon excitation of visible light. Obtained experimental results indicated that the synthesized α-Fe
2
O
3
/g-C
3
N
4
sample exhibited high photocatalytic activity for tetracycline degradation. The improvement in photocatalytic efficiency of the synthesized α-Fe
2
O
3
/g-C
3
N
4
was due to the Z-scheme mechanism, which effectively prevented electron-hole recombination or increased electron-hole separation efficiency for photocatalysis. The photocatalytic tetracycline degradation by the α-Fe
2
O
3
@g-C
3
N
4
followed the pseudo first-order model. The optimized pH for its photocatalysis was found to be 8. Finally, the synthesized material exhibited high stability after five recycling cycles.
Herein, Cu was incorporated into ZnO lattice to reduce its band gap as well as to extend its visible radiation response. The obtained Cu-ZnO was continuously integrated with g-C3N4 to create ...Cu-ZnO/g-C3N4Z-direct scheme photocatalyst for advanced atrazine removal. Radical scavenging experiments have been also conducted to clearly figure out photocatalytic mechanism for degradation of atrazine by the synthesized photocatalyst. The synthesized Cu-ZnO only utilized the generated h+ for atrazine degradation (direct and indirect via formation hydroxyl radicals (•OH)) and the g-C3N4 only utilized the generated e− for atrazine degradation (indirect via reaction with O2 to form superoxide anion, which needed to continuously react with H2O to form •OH). Therefore, the photocatalytic atrazine degradation by synthesized Cu-ZnO material was greater than that by synthesized g-C3N4 material. Cu-ZnO/g-C3N4 utilized both generated e− and h+ for degradation of atrazine. Thus, the photocatalytic atrazine degradation by the synthesized Cu-ZnO/g-C3N4 was greater than those of single g-C3N4 or Cu-ZnO materials. Finally, the conducted recycling experiments indicated great stability of synthesized Cu-ZnO/g-C3N4 during long-term atrazine degradation process opening new era for application of the material in practical systems.
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•Cu doped into ZnO lattice to reduce its band gap and to extend its visible radiation response.•Cu-ZnO was successfully combined with g-C3N4 to establish Z direct scheme system.•Z-scheme prevented fast recombination of e− and h+ and maintained their re-dox potential.•The Cu-ZnO/g-C3N4 utilized both generated e− and h+ for degradation of atrazine.•The Cu-ZnO/g-C3N4 showed excellent activity and stability during long-term photocatalysis.
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In this study, we firstly aimed to use Nb as dopant to dope into the TiO2 lattice in order to narrow band gap energy or enhance photocatalytic activity of the Nb-TiO2. Then, the ...prepared Nb-TiO2 was combined with g-C3N4 to establish Nb-TiO2/g-C3N4 direct Z-scheme system for superior reduction of CO2 into valuable fuels even under visible light. The obtained results indicated that the band gap energy of the Nb-TiO2 (2.91 eV) was lower than that of the TiO2 (3.2 eV). In the successfully established Nb-TiO2/g-C3N4 direct Z-scheme system, the photo-excited e− in the CB of the Nb-TiO2 combined with the photo-excited h+ in the VB of the g-C3N4 preserving the existence of e− in the CB of the g-C3N4 and h+ in the VB of Nb-TiO2, and thereby, the system produced numerous amount of available e−/h+ pairs for the reduction of CO2 into various valuable fuels. In addition, the produced e− of the Nb-TiO2/g-C3N4 existing in the CB of the g-C3N4, which the potential energy is approximately −1.2 V, would be strong enough for the reduction of CO2 to generate not only CH4 and CO but also HCOOH. Among established Nb-TiO2/g-C3N4 materials, the 50Nb-TiO2/50 g-C3N4 material was the best material for the CO2 reduction.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common form of respiratory disorders during sleep in children, especially those with severe asthma. However, optimal treatment of asthma might significantly ...improve OSA severity.
It was a cohort study including children aged >5 years old and diagnosed with asthma according to GINA (Global Initiative for Asthma). The data related to age, gender, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), clinical symptoms and medical history of asthma, spirometry (FEV
: forced expiratory in 1 s), and exhaled nitric oxide (F
NO) were recorded for analysis. Respiratory polygraphy (RPG) was done for each study subject to diagnose OSA and its severity.
Among 139 asthmatic children, 99 patients with OSA (71.2%) were included in the present study (9.3 ± 0.2 years): 58.6% with uncontrolled asthma and 32.3% with partial controlled asthma. The mean ACT (asthma control testing) score was 19.0 ± 3.4. The most frequent night-time symptoms were restless sleep (76.8%), snoring (61.6%), sweating (52.5%), and trouble breathing during sleep (48.5%). The common daytime symptoms were irritable status (46.5%) and abnormal behavior (30.3%). The mean AHI (apnea-hypopnea index) was 3.5 ± 4.0 events/h. There was a significant correlation between BMI and snoring index (
= 0.189 and
= 0.027), bronchial and nasal F
NO with AHI (
= 0.046 and
< 0.001;
= 0.037 and
< 0.001; respectively). There was no significant correlation between asthma level, FEV
and AHI. The severity of asthma and respiratory function were improved significantly after 3 months and 6 months of asthma treatment in combination with leukotriene receptor antagonist (LRA) treatment. The symptoms related to OSA were significantly improved after treatment with LRA. The severity of OSA was decreased significantly after 3 months and 6 months of treatment.
The treatment of asthmatic children with comorbid OSA by LRA in combination with standard therapy for asthma could improve the control of asthma and the symptoms and severity of OSA.
SARS-CoV-2 RNA loads in Vietnamese children Thanh, Ton That; Nhan, Nguyen Thi Thanh; Anh, Nguyen To ...
Journal of infection/The Journal of infection,
04/2022, Letnik:
84, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Treatment guidelines do not recommend antibiotic use for acute respiratory infections (ARI), except for streptococcal pharyngitis/tonsillitis and pneumonia. However, antibiotics are prescribed ...frequently for children with ARI, often in absence of evidence for bacterial infection. The objectives of this study were 1) to assess the appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions for mild ARI in paediatric outpatients in relation to available guidelines and detected pathogens, 2) to assess antibiotic use on presentation using questionnaires and detection in urine 3) to assess the carriage rates and proportions of resistant intestinal Enterobacteriaceae before, during and after consultation.
Patients were prospectively enrolled in Children's Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and diagnoses, prescribed therapy and outcome were recorded on first visit and on follow-up after 7 days. Respiratory bacterial and viral pathogens were detected using molecular assays. Antibiotic use before presentation was assessed using questionnaires and urine HPLC. The impact of antibiotic usage on intestinal Enterobacteriaceae was assessed with semi-quantitative culture on agar with and without antibiotics on presentation and after 7 and 28 days.
A total of 563 patients were enrolled between February 2009 and February 2010. Antibiotics were prescribed for all except 2 of 563 patients. The majority were 2nd and 3rd generation oral cephalosporins and amoxicillin with or without clavulanic acid. Respiratory viruses were detected in respiratory specimens of 72.5% of patients. Antibiotic use was considered inappropriate in 90.1% and 67.5%, based on guidelines and detected pathogens, respectively. On presentation parents reported antibiotic use for 22% of patients, 41% of parents did not know and 37% denied antibiotic use. Among these three groups, six commonly used antibiotics were detected with HPLC in patients' urine in 49%, 40% and 14%, respectively. Temporary selection of 3rd generation cephalosporin resistant intestinal Enterobacteriaceae during antibiotic use was observed, with co-selection of resistance to aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones.
We report overuse and overprescription of antibiotics for uncomplicated ARI with selection of resistant intestinal Enterobacteriaceae, posing a risk for community transmission and persistence in a setting of a highly granular healthcare system and unrestricted access to antibiotics through private pharmacies.
This study was registered at the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Number registry under number ISRCTN32862422: http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN32862422.
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