Evaluation of the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of two pen-side tests for detecting African swine fever virus in experimentally infected pigs.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) has spread through many countries and regions worldwide, causing significant losses. Timely detection of ASFV-infected pigs is crucial for disease control. In this study, we assessed the performance of two pen-side tests: a portable real-time PCR (qPCR) test for detecting viral genomic DNA and a lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for detecting viral antigens.

Comparative Analysis of Swine Antibody Responses following Vaccination with Live-Attenuated and Killed African Swine Fever Virus Vaccines.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is circulating in many swine-producing countries, causing significant economic losses. It is observed that pigs experimentally vaccinated with a live-attenuated virus (LAV) but not a killed virus (KV) vaccine develop solid homologous protective immunity. The objective of this study was to comparatively analyze antibody profiles between pigs vaccinated with an LAV vaccine and those vaccinated with a KV vaccine to identify potential markers of vaccine-induced protection.

Whole-Mount In Situ Hybridization in Large Sexual Schmidtea mediterranea.

Whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH), colorimetric or fluorescent (FISH), allows for the visualization of endogenous RNA. For planarians, robust WISH protocols exist for small-sized animals (>5 mm) of the model species Schmidtea mediterranea and Dugesia japonica. However, the sexual strain of Schmidtea mediterranea studied for germline development and function reaches much larger body sizes in excess of 2 cm.

Modeling the accuracy of a novel PCR and antibody ELISA for African swine fever virus detection using Bayesian latent class analysis.

Introduction: Diagnostic test evaluation for African swine fever (ASF) in field settings like Vietnam is critical to understanding test application in intended populations for surveillance and control strategies. Bayesian latent class analysis (BLCA) uses the results of multiple imperfect tests applied to an individual of unknown disease status to estimate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of each test, forgoing the need for a reference test.

Methods: Here, we estimated and compared the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of a novel indirect ELISA (iELISA) for ASF virus p30 antibody (Innoceleris LLC.

Proton-to-photon comparative treatment planning guidelines for the Australian context.

Proton-to-photon comparative treatment planning is a current requirement of Australian Government funding for patients to receive proton beam therapy (PBT) overseas, and a future requirement for Medicare funding of PBT in Australia. Because of the fundamental differences in treatment plan creation and evaluation between PBT and conventional radiation therapy with x-rays (XRT), there is the potential for a lack of consistency in the process of comparing PBT and XRT treatment plans. This may have an impact on patient eligibility assessment for PBT.

Decarbonization in Biobanking: A Potential New Scientific Area.

Calls to reduce or entirely remove the carbon footprint of ongoing activities, collectively termed as decarbonization, have become increasingly more vocal in health care with a number of recent, high profile consensus statements. These calls encourage the biobanking field, as one of the foundational health care research infrastructures, to consider decarbonization as a potential novel research area both in terms of the molecules and the equipment used in research. The current article provides a summary of the roundtable discussion during the 2022 ISBER Annual Meeting and Exhibits, highlighting the current knowledge gaps, challenges, and opportunities in this field.

Improving Public Trust in Biobanking: Roundtable Discussions from the 2021 ISBER Annual Meeting.

Biobanking is a relatively newly recognized and innovative branch of science, which includes the collection of samples and associated data from hospitals, diagnostic centers, and voluntary donations for biomedical and environmental research. It involves diverse stakeholders at the junction of society, science, ethics, law, and politics. A key element in the success of a biobank is the trust and support of public donors, clinicians, and scientists.

Early-phase risk assessments during the first epidemic year of African swine fever outbreaks in Vietnamese pigs.

Background: African swine fever (ASF) is a notifiable viral disease of pigs and wild boars that could lead to serious economic losses for the swine industry.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify risk factors in the early phase of ASF outbreaks in Vietnamese swine herds during the first epidemic year.

Methods: The period of interest for this case-control study was February to July 2019.

Complete Genome Sequences of Three Phocaeicola vulgatus Strains Isolated from a Healthy Japanese Individual.

Phocaeicola vulgatus (formerly Bacteroides vulgatus) is a pathogenic anaerobic bacterium frequently involved in human infections. We present the complete genome sequences of three strains isolated from the same healthy person, determined by hybrid assembly using Nanopore long-read sequencing and DNBseq short-read sequencing.

Comparison of Phenotypic and Genotypic Patterns of Antimicrobial-Resistant Group Isolated from Healthy Individuals in Vietnam and Japan.

Purpose: Normal non-pathogenic flora can harm the host by acting as a reservoir of resistance determinants that are potentially transferable to human pathogens. This study aimed to assess the phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the group (BFG) isolated from healthy individuals in Vietnam and Japan in order to elucidate the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in human flora in the two economically and geographically different countries.

Materials And Methods: BFG was isolated from fecal samples of 80 healthy individuals in Vietnam (n=51) and Japan (n=29).

Preparation of the "Lexique" for ISBER Best Practices 4th Edition for Biobankers in Indo-Pacific Rim Region.

Several standards and guidelines for biobanks or biorepositories have been published by various parties (e.g., the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositore [ISBER] and the International Organization for Standardization [ISO]).

In vitro activities and spectrum of lascufloxacin（KRP-AM1977）against anaerobes.

The in vitro antibacterial spectra and activities of five antimicrobial agents, including lascufloxacin (LSFX) and two quinolones, were investigated against 69 species of anaerobes in 31 genera and 188 strains in 9 genera, respectively. In this study, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of lascufloxacin against the reference strains associated with respiratory and head and neck infections. LSFX inhibited the growth of 33 gram-positive and gram-negative reference strains at ≤0.

Molecular phylogenetics of a recently isolated goat pox virus from Vietnam.

Background: After a decade of silence, an outbreak of the contagious and Asian endemic disease, goat pox re-emerged in North Vietnam affecting more than 1800 heads with a mortality rate of 6.5%. The inevitable impact of goat pox on hide quality, breeding, chevon and milk production has resulted in a significant economic losses to the developing goat industry of Vietnam.

Examining the utility of lower dose radiotherapy for localised primary ocular adnexal MALT lymphoma.

Introduction: Most primary ocular adnexal lymphomas are those involving mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). Radiotherapy (RT) dose regimens in the literature vary from the historically used high doses (up to 56 Gy) to lower dose RT. We aimed to examine our institution's experience with the use of orbital RT for treating early-stage primary ocular adnexal MALT lymphoma (POAML).

Repurposing the Antiemetic Metoclopramide as an Antiviral Against Dengue Virus Infection in Neuronal Cells.

Dengue virus (DENV) is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes to humans and is a threat worldwide. No effective new drugs have been used for anti-dengue treatment, and repurposing drugs is an alternative approach to treat this condition. Dopamine 2 receptor (D2R) is a host receptor positively associated with DENV infection.

fMRI volume classification using a 3D convolutional neural network robust to shifted and scaled neuronal activations.

Deep-learning methods based on deep neural networks (DNNs) have recently been successfully utilized in the analysis of neuroimaging data. A convolutional neural network (CNN) is a type of DNN that employs a convolution kernel that covers a local area of the input sample and moves across the sample to provide a feature map for the subsequent layers. In our study, we hypothesized that a 3D-CNN model with down-sampling operations such as pooling and/or stride would have the ability to extract robust feature maps from the shifted and scaled neuronal activations in a single functional MRI (fMRI) volume for the classification of task information associated with that volume.

Dynamic Polarization of the Multiciliated Planarian Epidermis between Body Plan Landmarks.

Polarity is a universal design principle of biological systems that manifests at all organizational scales, yet its coordination across scales remains poorly understood. Here, we make use of the extreme anatomical plasticity of planarian flatworms to probe the interplay between global body plan polarity and local cell polarity. Our quantitative analysis of ciliary rootlet orientation in the epidermis reveals a dynamic polarity field with head and tail as independent determinants of anteroposterior (A/P) polarization and the body margin as determinant of mediolateral (M/L) polarization.

Emergence of a Bilaterally Symmetric Pattern from Chiral Components in the Planarian Epidermis.

Most animals exhibit mirror-symmetric body plans, yet the molecular constituents from which they are formed are often chiral. In planarian flatworms, centrioles are arranged in a bilaterally symmetric pattern across the ventral epidermis. Here, we found that this pattern is generated by a network of centrioles with prominent chiral asymmetric properties.

Utilization of Microfluidics for the Preparation of Polymeric Nanoparticles for the Antioxidant Rutin: A Comparison with Bulk Production.

Objective: To compare the characteristics of rutin-loaded PLGA (poly(lactic-coglycolic acid)) nanoparticles prepared using a single emulsion evaporation method (bulk method) and a nanoprecipitation method using microfluidics.

Methods: Rutin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles were produced using different methods and characterized for size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency (EE) and drug loading (DL). A design of experiments approach was used to identify the effect of method parameters to optimize the formulation.

Socioeconomic inequalities in alcohol use and some related consequences from a household perspective in Vietnam.

Introduction And Aims: Alcohol-related harm reduction may target individuals, their households or communities. This study investigates the prevalence of and socioeconomic inequalities in alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences (injury, accident, property loss and interpersonal violence) at the family-level.

Designs And Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 2394 households was conducted in eight provinces from six socioeconomic regions and two metropolitan cities in Vietnam.

Are phytosomes a superior nanodelivery system for the antioxidant rutin?

Rutin, a strong antioxidant, has been implicated in the prevention of liver inflammation. However, low solubility and permeability through the gut wall limit development of rutin as a therapeutic agent for oral administration. Phytosomes are described as lipid nanocarriers with a complexation between the phospholipid headgroups and entrapped phytochemicals.

Enhancement of immune response and resistance against Vibrio parahaemolyticus in kuruma shrimp (Marsupenaeus japonicus) by dietary supplementation of β-1,4-mannobiose.

Supplementation of prebiotic carbohydrates can act as a potent immunomodulator and have the efficacy to induce immune-related genes which are involved in host defense. Pure β-1,4-mannobiose (MNB) showed activation of prophenoloxidase system of shrimp hemocytes in vitro. The resistance of kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicus against Vibrio parahaemolyticus was examined after the shrimp were fed with 0 (control), 0.

Effect of Aging on the Absorption of Small Peptides in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of aging on the absorption of small peptides in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Three kinds of dipeptides, glycyl-sarcosine (Gly-Sar), Trp-His, and captopril (a dipeptidomimetic drug), a Gly-Sar-Sar tripeptide, a Gly-Sar-Sar-Sar tetrapeptide, and a Gly-Sar-Sar-Sar-Sar pentapeptide were administered at doses of 10 mg/kg each to 8- and 40-week-old SHRs. The peptides were all detected in their intact forms in the blood.

A Multi-Country Study of Harms to Children Because of Others' Drinking.

Objective: This study aims to ascertain and compare the prevalence and correlates of alcohol-related harms to children cross-nationally.

Method: National and regional sample surveys of randomly selected households included 7,848 carers (4,223 women) from eight countries (Australia, Chile, Ireland, Lao People's Democratic Republic [PDR], Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam). Country response rates ranged from 35% to 99%.