Compensatory Modulation of Seed Storage Protein Synthesis and Alteration of Starch Accumulation by Selective Editing of 13 kDa Prolamin Genes by CRISPR-Cas9 in Rice.

Rice prolamins are categorized into three groups by molecular size (10, 13, or 16 kDa), while the 13 kDa prolamins are assigned to four subgroups (Pro13a-I, Pro13a-II, Pro13b-I, and Pro13b-II) based on cysteine residue content. Since lowering prolamin content in rice is essential to minimize indigestion and allergy risks, we generated four knockout lines using CRISPR-Cas9, which selectively reduced the expression of a specific subgroup of the 13 kDa prolamins. These four mutant rice lines also showed the compensatory expression of glutelins and non-targeted prolamins and were accompanied by low grain weight, altered starch content, and atypically-shaped starch granules and protein bodies.

Postnatal depressive symptoms display marked similarities across continents.

Background: Postnatal depressive symptoms measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) are reported to display measurement variance regarding factor structure and the frequency of specific depressive symptoms. However, postnatal depressive symptoms measured by EPDS have not been compared between women representing three continents.

Methods: A cross-sectional study including birth cohort samples from Denmark, Vietnam and Tanzania.

Emotional violence exerted by intimate partners and postnatal depressive symptoms among women in Vietnam: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Previous studies have shown a relation between intimate partner violence (IPV) and postpartum depression (PPD). However, these studies have primarily focused on physical and sexual violence as predictors for postpartum depression and little attention has been given to emotional violence (EV), despite emotional violence having been well reported as the most common type of violence experienced by women. This present study aimed to investigate the association between various types of emotional experience during life with present partner and postnatal depressive symptoms among women in Vietnam.

Intimate partner violence (IPV): The validity of an IPV screening instrument utilized among pregnant women in Tanzania and Vietnam.

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global problem that affects one-third of all women. The present study aims to develop and determine the validity of a screening instrument for the detection of IPV in pregnant women in Tanzania and Vietnam and to determine the minimum number of questions needed to identify IPV.

Method: An IPV screening instrument based on eight questions was tested on 1,116 Tanzanian and 1,309 Vietnamese women who attended antenatal care before 24 gestational weeks.

Intimate partner violence during pregnancy in Vietnam: prevalence, risk factors and the role of social support.

: Violence against women is a global public health problem. A better understanding of risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure during pregnancy is important to develop interventions for supporting women being exposed to IPV. : The purpose of this study was to measure the prevalence of IPV during pregnancy and analyse how social support and various risk factors are associated with IPV.

The commodification of obstetric ultrasound scanning in Hanoi, Viet Nam.

Growing numbers of pregnant women across the world now routinely have ultrasound scans as part of antenatal care, including in low-income countries. This article presents the findings of anthropological research on the use of obstetric ultrasonography in routine antenatal care in Hanoi, Viet Nam. The findings come from observation, a survey and interviews with women seeking ultrasound scans at a main maternity hospital and interviews with doctors providing ultrasound there.

Fetal conditions and fatal decisions: ethical dilemmas in ultrasound screening in Vietnam.

In the context of globalization, new technologies of pregnancy are spreading rapidly from affluent to low-income countries. Yet, to date, there is very little research on the application of prenatal diagnostic technology in developing country settings or the dilemmas that prenatal screening may give rise to in situations where health-care resources are scarce. In this article, we describe how obstetrical ultrasound scanning is used as the most important technology for prenatal diagnosis in Vietnam.