Artificial intelligence-guided design of lipid nanoparticles for pulmonary gene therapy.

Ionizable lipids are a key component of lipid nanoparticles, the leading nonviral messenger RNA delivery technology. Here, to advance the identification of ionizable lipids beyond current methods, which rely on experimental screening and/or rational design, we introduce lipid optimization using neural networks, a deep-learning strategy for ionizable lipid design. We created a dataset of >9,000 lipid nanoparticle activity measurements and used it to train a directed message-passing neural network for prediction of nucleic acid delivery with diverse lipid structures.

Glove changing reduced wound-related complications following cesarean section in Vietnam.

In this research, the authors aim to scrutinize the efficacy of glove changing as a strategy to diminish complications arising from cesarean deliveries in Vietnam. 629 expectant women were randomized into either the standard care group or the glove change group. The latter group adhered to an intra-operative protocol of glove replacement prior to abdominal closure during cesarean section, whereas the former group did not.

High photocatalytic efficiency of a ZnO nanoplate/FeO nanospindle hybrid using visible light for methylene blue degradation.

In this work, ZnO nanoplates and FeO nanospindles were successfully fabricated a simple hydrothermal method using inorganic salts as precursors. The ZnO/FeO hybrid was fabricated using a mechanical mixture of two different ZnO : FeO weight ratios to investigate the effect of weight ratio on catalytic properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that ZnO nanoplates (NPls) are about 20 nm thick with lateral dimensions of 100 × 200 nm, and FeO nanospindles (NSs) are about 500 nm long and 50 nm wide.

Surfactant-Polymer Complexation and Competition on Drug Nanocrystal Surfaces Control Crystallinity.

Nanosizing drug crystals has emerged as a successful approach to enabling oral bioavailability, as increasing drug crystal surface area improves dissolution kinetics and effective solubility. Recently, bottom-up methods have been developed to directly assemble nanosized crystals by leveraging polymer and surfactant excipients during crystallization to control crystal size, morphology, and structure. However, while significant research has investigated how polymers and other single additives inhibit or promote crystallization in pharmaceutical systems, there is little work studying the mechanistic interactions of multiple excipients on drug crystal structure and the extent of crystallinity, which can influence formulation performance.

Developing efficient CuO nanoplate/ZnO nanoparticle hybrid photocatalysts for methylene blue degradation under visible light.

CuO/ZnO nanocomposites with different components can overcome the drawbacks of previously used photocatalysts owing to their promotion in charge separation and transportation, light absorption, and the photo-oxidation of dyes. In this study, CuO nanoplates were synthesized by the hydrothermal method, while ZnO nanoparticles were fabricated by the precipitation method. A series of CuO/ZnO nanocomposites with different ZnO-to-CuO weight ratios, namely, 2 : 8, 4 : 6, 5 : 5, 6 : 4, and 8 : 2 were obtained a mixing process.

Selective detection of HBV pre-genomic RNA in chronic hepatitis B patients using a novel RT-PCR assay.

In chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, quantification of HBV pgRNA in plasma has the potential to provide information on disease prognosis and liver injury or histopathology. However, current methods for detecting HBV pgRNA present technical difficulties due to the co-existence of HBV DNA in plasma samples. We have successfully established a novel one-step RT-PCR assay that allows selective quantification of HBV pgRNA.

Synthesis of cuprous oxide/silver (CuO/Ag) hybrid as surface-enhanced Raman scattering probe for trace determination of methyl orange.

Recently, there have been publications on preparing hybrid materials between noble metal and semiconductor for applications in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates to detect some toxic organic dyes. However, the use of cuprous oxide/silver (CuO/Ag) to measure the trace amounts of methyl orange (MO) has not been reported. Therefore, in this study, the trace level of MO in water solvent was determined using a SERS substrate based on CuO microcubes combined with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs).

Green Fabrication of Heterostructured CoTiO/TiO Nanocatalysts for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Cinnamic Acid.

In this work, CoTiO/TiO (CTO/Ti) heterostructures were prepared by a hydrothermal procedure in a neutral medium using perovskite CoTiO and tetraisopropyl titanate. Characteristics of the synthesized catalysts were analyzed by various techniques including X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller adsorption-desorption, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and point of zero charges. The activity in the photodegradation of cinnamic acid (CA) under UV-A irradiation of the CTO/Ti heterostructure was investigated and compared with individual materials TiO (Ti-w) and CoTiO (CTO).

The Role of Non-Coding RNAs in Chromosomal Instability in Cancer.

Chromosomal instability (CIN) is characterized by an increased frequency of changes in chromosome structure or number and is regarded as a hallmark of cancer. CIN plays a prevalent role in tumorigenesis and cancer progression by assisting the cancer cells' phenotypic adaptation to stress, which have been tightly linked to therapy resistance and metastasis. Both CIN-inducing and CIN-repressing agents are being clinically tested for the treatment of cancer to increase CIN levels to unsustainable levels leading to cell death or to decrease CIN levels to limit the development of drug resistance, respectively.

A compound directed against S6K1 hampers fat mass expansion and mitigates diet-induced hepatosteatosis.

The ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) is a relevant effector downstream of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), best known for its role in the control of lipid homeostasis. Consistent with this, mice lacking the S6k1 gene have a defect in their ability to induce the commitment of fat precursor cells to the adipogenic lineage, which contributes to a significant reduction of fat mass. Here, we assess the therapeutic blockage of S6K1 in diet-induced obese mice challenged with LY2584702 tosylate, a specific oral S6K1 inhibitor initially developed for the treatment of solid tumors.

Facile synthesis of silver/gold alloy nanoparticles for ultra-sensitive rhodamine B detection.

The synthesis of Ag/Au nanoparticles (NPs) in a controlled manner has been a challenge for a long time. The aim of this report is to present a systematic study on the fabrication, characterization of Ag/Au alloy NP-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates. Silver (Ag) and gold (Au) colloidal NPs were prepared by chemical reduction route of the corresponding metal salts by trisodium citrate (TSC).

Ag nanoparticles on ZnO nanoplates as a hybrid SERS-active substrate for trace detection of methylene blue.

Decorating two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials with nanoparticles provides an effective method to integrate their physicochemical properties. In this work, we present the hydrothermal growth process of 2D zinc oxide nanoplates (ZnO NPls), then silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were uniformly distributed on the surface of ZnO NPls through the reduction procedure of silver nitrate with sodium borohydride to create a metal-semiconductor hybrid. The amount of AgNPs on the ZnO NPls' surface was carefully controlled by varying the volume of silver nitrate (AgNO) solution.

Tunable LSPR of silver/gold bimetallic nanoframes and their SERS activity for methyl red detection.

Ag/Au bimetallic nanostructures have received much attention in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). However, the synthesis of this nanostructure type still remains a challenge. In the present research, Ag/Au nanoframes were synthesized a simple room temperature solution phase chemical reduction method using pre-synthesized triangular Ag nanoplates as templates in the presence of appropriate amounts of HAuCl.

Emission factors for Vietnamese beef cattle manure sun-drying and the effects of drying on manure microbial community.

Livestock manure and its management are significant sources of greenhouse gas (GHG). In most Southeast Asian countries, the current GHG emissions are estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 approach using default emission factors. Sun-drying is the dominant manure treatment in Vietnam, and in this study, we measured GHG emissions during manure drying using a chamber-based approach.

Factors affecting multiple persistent organic pollutant concentrations in the air above Japan: A panel data analysis.

Numerous reports have elucidated different statistical approaches to identify temporal trends in atmospheric persistent organic pollutant (POP) time series. However, the correlation of industrial activity with concentrations of atmospheric POPs in Japan has not yet been determined. Herein, a panel data analysis of a 16-year monitoring program (2003-2018) conducted by the Japanese Ministry of Environment was used to investigate a range of POPs in the atmosphere above Japan.

Evaluation of diffusion coefficient of P-glycoprotein molecules labeled with green fluorescent protein in living cell membrane.

The movement of individual molecules inside living cells has recently been resolved by single particles tracking (SPT) method which is a powerful tool for probing the organization and dynamics of the plasma membrane constituents. Effective treatment of metastatic cancers requires the toxic chemotherapy, however this therapy leads to the multidrug resistance phenomenon of the cancer cells, in which the cancer cells resist simultaneously to different drugs with different targets and chemical structures. P-glycoprotein molecules which are responsible for multidrug resistance of many cancer cells have been studied by cancer biologists during past haft of century.

A pharmacist-driven Food and Drug Administration incident surveillance and response program for compounded drugs.

Purpose: To provide an overview of compounding under sections 503A and 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and to describe the pharmacist's role within the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Compounding Incidents Program, whose efforts are aimed at protecting the public against poor-quality compounded drugs through surveillance, review and response to adverse events and complaints.

Summary: Compounded drugs may serve an important medical need for patients who cannot be treated with medications approved by FDA; however, compounded drugs are not approved by FDA and are not subject to premarket review for safety, efficacy, or manufacturing quality; thus, they may pose safety risks to patients. Prompt reporting of adverse events or complaints related to compounding is important in identifying these risks and implementing safeguards to protect the public.

The sensitive detection of methylene blue using silver nanodecahedra prepared through a photochemical route.

In this work, we have carried out systematic studies on the critical role of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and citrate in the well-known chemical reduction route to synthesize silver nanodecahedra (AgND). Silver nitrate (AgNO) was used as silver source, which can be directly converted to metallic silver after being reduced by sodium borohydride (NaBH) under blue light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation ( = 465 nm), and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as a capping agent to assist the growth of AgND. The obtained products were silver nanodecahedra of excellent uniformity and stability with high efficiency and yield.

Facile and Scalable Fabrication of Porous Polystyrene Fibers for Oil Removal by Centrifugal Spinning.

The demand for an efficient oil sorbent with high sorption capacity, low cost, scalable fabrication, and high selectivity for the cleanup of spreading oil on water is increasingly urgent due to the frequent occurrence of oil spill accidents in seawater all over the world. In this study, porous polystyrene (PS) fibers with high hydrophobicity and superoleophilicity were directly fabricated by a centrifugal spinning method (CS). The effect of solvents, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and dimethylformamide (DMF) on the morphology and porous structure of the polystyrene fibers was evaluated by using scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption experiments.

Durable Epoxy@ZnO Coating for Improvement of Hydrophobicity and Color Stability of Wood.

The hydrophobicity and color stability of wood are important properties that can be easily changed when wood is used as a raw material for outdoor products, reducing the service life of wood. Herein, an epoxy@ZnO coating was applied by a two-step simple spray coating method to improve the hydrophobicity and color stability of wood. The hydrophobicity, robustness of coating, as well as the color stability of uncoated wood samples and epoxy@ZnO coated wood samples were evaluated.

Target screening analysis of 970 semi-volatile organic compounds adsorbed on atmospheric particulate matter in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Vietnam's rapid economic development has resulted in dramatic increases in construction and the number of transportation vehicles. There is now growing public concern regarding increasing air pollution, especially in big cities; however, little information is available on air quality, particularly regarding semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) adsorbed on atmospheric particulate matter. Here, we determined the frequency and concentrations of 970 SVOCs in 48 air particle samples collected by means of high-volume air sampling in Hanoi, Vietnam, by using a target screening method and a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry database.

SHVC Tile-Based 360-Degree Video Streaming for Mobile VR: PC Offloading Over mmWave.

360-degree video streaming for high-quality virtual reality (VR) is challenging for current wireless systems because of the huge bandwidth it requires. However, millimeter wave (mmWave) communications in the 60 GHz band has gained considerable interest from the industry and academia because it promises gigabit wireless connectivity in the huge unlicensed bandwidth (i.e.

Antibiotic resistance in Vietnam: moving towards a One Health surveillance system.

Background: The international community strongly advocates the implementation of multi-sectoral surveillance policies for an effective approach to antibiotic resistance, in line with the One Health concept. To comply with these international recommendations, the Vietnamese government has issued an inter-ministerial surveillance strategy for antibiotic resistance, including an integrated surveillance system. However, one may question the ability and willingness of surveillance stakeholders to implement the collaborations required.

Correlation between Atmospheric Boundary Layer Height and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether Concentrations in Air.

In this study, we aim to determine the correlation between the height of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and the concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners, in an effort to improve comprehension of the atmospheric behavior of PBDEs. We used the PBDE data in air (n = 298), which were measured by the Japan Ministry of Environment (JMOE) at 50 sites across Japan during the period 2009-2012. The height of the ABL, which directly affects the PBDE concentrations in the near-surface air, was estimated by employing data retrieved from the Japanese global reanalysis (JRA-55) database, using the parcel and Richardson number method.