The Effectiveness of Afatinib as First-Line Treatment in Vietnamese Patients With EGFR-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and Brain Metastases.

Introduction: The role of afatinib in the first-line treatment of EGFR-mutant advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients has been proven through clinical trials and real-world studies. However, additional data on the effectiveness of afatinib in patients with brain metastases are lacking.

Methods: EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients with brain metastases were retrospectively reviewed across nine cancer centers in Vietnam from April 1, 2018 to June 1, 2022.

Evaluating the suitability of incorporating sugarcane bagasse ash, polypropylene fibers, and sea sand-seawater in enhancing physico-mechanical properties of lightweight foamed concrete.

This study aims to explore the feasibility of replacing traditional components, such as Portland cement, river sand and tap water with sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA), polypropylene (PP) fibers, and sea sand-seawater (SSSW) in lightweight foamed concrete (LWFC) production. SCBA was used in the range from 0 to 15% as cement replacement, and PP fibers were used with dosage from 0% to 1% by volume of LWFC. Meanwhile, SSSW was used to completely replace river sand and tap water.

Thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for an acute type A aortic dissection following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

An 86-year-old male with multiple medical comorbidities was referred for an elective transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis with an ejection fraction of 35%. A self-expanding valve was deployed successfully, but intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) confirmed an acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD), necessitating immediate intervention. Multiple intraoperative imaging modalities were utilized for deployment of a conformable GORE TAG (cTAG) stent graft for thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR).

Complex upper gastrointestinal bleeding: A case of combined peptic ulcer disease and ruptured gastroduodenal artery aneurysm in a pediatric patient.

Upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in older children is generally caused by conditions like esophagitis, esophageal variceal rupture, and peptic ulcer disease. However, it is rare for bleeding to result from a ruptured vascular aneurysm of the gastroduodenal artery, particularly when associated with peptic ulcer disease. This report describes a case involving a 13-year-old male who presented with severe upper GI bleeding and hemodynamic instability, requiring blood transfusion.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection versus conventional in vitro fertilization in infertile couples with normal total sperm count and motility: does sperm morphology matter?

Study Question: Among couples with infertility and normal total sperm count and motility, can sperm morphology be used as a biomarker to identify couples who benefit more from ICSI over conventional IVF (c-IVF) on fertility outcomes?

Summary Answer: Based on this secondary analysis of a large randomized clinical trial (RCT), sperm morphology has limited value as a biomarker to identify couples who benefit more from ICSI over c-IVF on live birth, ongoing pregnancy, clinical pregnancy or total fertilization failure.

What Is Known Already: Our recent RCT showed that ICSI did not result in higher live birth rates in couples with normal total sperm count and motility. It is unclear whether sperm morphology can be used as a biomarker to identify couples who benefit more from ICSI over c-IVF in this population.

Genotype II Live-Attenuated ASFV Vaccine Strains Unable to Completely Protect Pigs against the Emerging Recombinant ASFV Genotype I/II Strain in Vietnam.

: African swine fever virus (ASFV) continues to spread globally, causing severe economic losses to pig farmers. Vietnam licensed two live attenuated vaccines based on the ASFV strains ASFV-G-ΔI177L and ASFV-G-ΔMGF to control the ongoing ASF outbreaks. In 2023, newly emerging highly virulent recombinant ASF viruses (rASFV I/II) containing genetic elements from both p72 genotype I and II ASF viruses were reported from Northern Vietnam.

Cervical pessary is not superior to vaginal progesterone in individuals with a singleton pregnancy and a short cervix: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: For asymptomatic individuals with a singleton pregnancy and a short cervix, vaginal progesterone significantly decreases the risk of PTB and improves perinatal outcomes. Cervical pessary is another option that has been evaluated with inconclusive results. There is, however, a lack of head-to-head comparisons between pessary and vaginal progesterone in this high risk population.

Chemical constituents with their alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity from the whole plant of Ceratophyllum demersum.

From Ceratophyllum demersum growing in Vietnam, twelve compounds were isolated and structurally elucidated, including six previously undescribed compounds, demersones A-D (1-4), acetylvelutins A and B (8 and 9), together with six known compounds, (+)-cyclocolorenone (5), 1-hydroxycyclocolorenone (6), 10-hydroxycyclocolorenone (7), retusin (10), betulinic acid (11), and lupeol (12). The chemical structures and stereochemistry of 1-12 were identified through analysis of spectroscopic data (1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS), ECD data, and DFT calculation. Notably, this is the first time that humulene-type (1 and 2), guaiane-type (3), and aromadendrane-type (4-7) sesquiterpenoids have been reported in this genus.

Impact of a Functional Dairy Powder and Its Primary Component on the Growth of Pathogenic and Probiotic Gut Bacteria and Human Coronavirus 229E.

Milk boasts an array of potent bioactive compounds, such as lactoferrin (Lf), immunoglobulins, and functional proteins, all delivering substantial therapeutic benefits. In this study, Immune Powder (a functional dairy formulation) and its primary component called Fractionated Milk Protein (FMP) containing Lf, zinc, and immunoglobulins and formulated by Ausnutria Pty Ltd. were evaluated for their potential broad-spectrum pharmacological activity.

Hyperferritinemia Screening to Aid Identification and Differentiation of Patients with Hyperinflammatory Disorders.

High ferritin is an important and sensitive biomarker for the various forms of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a diverse and deadly group of cytokine storm syndromes. Early action to prevent immunopathology in HLH often includes empiric immunomodulation, which can complicate etiologic work-up and prevent collection of early/pre-treatment research samples. To address this, we instituted an alert system at UPMC Children's Hospital where serum ferritin > 1000 ng/mL triggered real-time chart review, assessment of whether the value reflected "inflammatory hyperferritnemia (IHF)", and biobanking of remnant samples from consenting IHF patients.

Undervaluing nondrug rewards or overvaluing cocaine? Cocaine demand relates to cocaine use severity more strongly than anhedonia in individuals with cocaine use disorder.

Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is a major public health issue, and greater cocaine use severity has been associated with worse treatment retention and outcomes. Therefore, greater understanding of processes that influence cocaine use is needed. Both anhedonia (i.

Elevated LAMTOR4 Expression Is Associated with Lethal Prostate Cancer and Its Knockdown Decreases Cell Proliferation, Invasion, and Migration In Vitro.

Late endosomal/lysosomal adaptor, MAPK and mTOR, or LAMTOR, is a scaffold protein complex that senses nutrients and integrates growth factor signaling. The role of LAMTOR4 in tumorigenesis is still unknown. However, there is a considerable possibility that LAMTOR4 is directly involved in tumor cell proliferation and metastasis.

Diverse Proteomimetic Frameworks via Rational Design of π-Stacking Peptide Tectons.

Peptide-based frameworks aim to integrate protein architecture into solid-state materials using simpler building blocks. Despite the growing number of peptide frameworks, there are few strategies to rationally engineer essential properties like pore size and shape. Designing peptide assemblies is generally hindered by the difficulty of predicting complex networks of weak intermolecular interactions.

Promoted Hydrogen Peroxide Production from Pure Water on g-CN with Nitrogen Defects Constructed through Solvent-Precursor Interactions: Exploring a Complex Story in Piezo-Photocatalysis.

Hydrogen peroxide (HO) production via oxygen (O) reduction reaction (ORR) in pure water (HO) through graphitic carbon nitrides (g-CN)-based piezo-photocatalysts is an exciting approach in many current studies. However, the low Lewis-acid properties of g-CN limited the catalytic performance because of the low O adsorption efficacy. To overcome this challenge, the interaction of g-CN precursors with various solvents are utilized to synthesize g-CN, possessing multiple nitrogen-vacant species via thermal shocking polymerization.

Differential response of IgM and IgG memory B cell populations to CD40L: insights of T cell - memory B cell interactions.

Memory B cells (mBCs) are characterized by their long-term stability, fast reactivation, and capability to rapidly differentiate into antibody-secreting cells (ASCs). However, the role of T cells in the differentiation of mBCs, in contrast to naive B cells, remains to be delineated. We study the role of T cells in mBC responses, using CD40L stimulation and autologous T-B co-cultures.

Diagnostic accuracy of hysterosalpingo-foam sonography for assessment of fallopian tube patency in infertile women.

Research Question: What is the diagnostic accuracy of hysterosalpingo-foam sonography (HyFoSy), using two-dimensional ultrasound in tubal patency assessment in infertile women compared with laparoscopy with dye chromotubation?

Design: This prospective study was conducted at My Duc Hospital, Vietnam. Infertile women aged 18 years or older, who were scheduled for laparoscopy, were included. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score for perception of pain during HyFoSy was used.

Transition of survival strategies under global climate shifts in the grape family.

Faced with environmental changes, plants may either move to track their ancestral niches or evolve to adapt to new niches. Vitaceae, the grape family, has evolved diverse adaptive traits facilitating a global expansion in wide-ranging habitats, making it ideal for investigating transition between move and evolve strategies and exploring the underlying mechanisms. Here we inferred the patterns of biogeographic diversification and trait evolution in Vitaceae based on a robust phylogeny with dense sampling including 495 species (~52% of Vitaceae species).

Hyperferritinemia screening to aid identification and differentiation of patients with hyperinflammatory disorders.

High ferritin is an important and sensitive biomarker for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a diverse and deadly group of cytokine storm syndromes. Early action to prevent immunopathology in HLH often includes empiric immunomodulation, which can complicate etiologic work-up and prevent collection of early/pre-treatment research samples. To address this, we instituted an alert system where serum ferritin > 1000ng/mL triggered real-time chart review, assessment of whether the value reflected "inflammatory hyperferritnemia (IHF)", and biobanking of remnant samples from consenting IHF patients.

Synthesis and evaluation of 3,4,5-trisubstituted triazoles as G protein-biased kappa opioid receptor agonists.

Kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonists represent promising therapeutics for pain relief due to their analgesic properties along with lower abuse potential than opioids that act at the mu opioid receptor. However, typical KOR agonists produce sedation and dysphoria. Previous studies have shown that G protein signaling-biased KOR agonists may present a means to untangle the desired analgesic properties from undesired side effects.

Heptaellipside A, a rare new 2,28-bidesmosidic lupane-type saponin from the leaves of .

For the first time, phytochemical constituents of the leaves of were investigated. One rare new 2,28-bidesmosidic lupane-type saponin, named heptaellipside A (), along with four other lupane-type analogs () were purified by combining differently chromatographic methods. All of the separated compounds () were communicated for the first time from .

The prognostic effect of mechanical, ultrastructural, and ECM signatures in glioblastoma core and rim.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly invasive, aggressive brain cancer that carries a median survival of 15 months and is resistant to standard therapeutics. Recent studies have demonstrated that intratumoral heterogeneity plays a critical role in promoting resistance by mediating tumor adaptation through microenvironmental cues. GBM can be separated into two distinct regions-a core and a rim, which are thought to drive specific aspects of tumor evolution.

Insight into chromium adsorption from contaminated soil using Mg/Al LDH-zeolite.

The study investigated the effectiveness of Mg/Al LDH-zeolite (MALZ) in immobilizing exchangeable Cr (e-Cr) within the soil. The research systematically evaluated various variables affecting the immobilization of e-Cr in contaminated soil (CS), including soil pH levels (ranging from 5.0 to 9.