The genetic match between vaccine strains and circulating seasonal influenza A viruses in Vietnam, 2001-2009.

Background: Vietnam is currently developing domestic capability to manufacture influenza vaccines but information on the genetic and antigenic characteristics of locally circulating seasonal influenza viruses is limited. To assess the relevance of WHO recommended vaccine strains to the situation in Vietnam, we analyzed the genetic relatedness of the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of seasonal influenza A viruses circulating in Vietnam from 2001 to 2009 to WHO recommended vaccine strains over the same period.

Methods And Principal Findings: We sequenced the HA gene of 32 H1N1 and 44 H3N2 seasonal influenza A isolates from laboratory-based sentinel surveillance sites in Hanoi from 2001 to 2005 and from a national influenza surveillance system from 2005 to 2009.

Anesthetic molecules embedded in a lipid membrane: a computer simulation study.

The effect of four general anesthetic molecules, i.e., chloroform, halothane, diethyl ether and enflurane, on the properties of a fully hydrated dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) membrane is studied in detail by long molecular dynamics simulations.

Passive mechanical properties of the gastrocnemius after spinal cord injury.

Introduction: In this study we compared passive mechanical properties of gastrocnemius muscle-tendon units, muscle fascicles, and tendons in control subjects and people with ankle contractures after spinal cord injury.

Methods: Passive gastrocnemius length-tension curves were derived from passive ankle torque-angle data obtained from 20 spinal cord injured subjects with ankle contractures and 30 control subjects. Ultrasound images of muscle fascicles were used to partition length-tension curves into fascicular and tendinous components.

Myofascial force transmission between the human soleus and gastrocnemius muscles during passive knee motion.

The plantarflexors of the lower limb are often assumed to act as independent actuators, but the validity of this assumption is the subject of considerable debate. This study aims to determine the degree to which passive changes in gastrocnemius muscle length, induced by knee motion, affect the tension in the adjacent soleus muscle. A second aim is to quantify the magnitude of myofascial passive force transmission between gastrocnemius and adjacent soleus.

Small vessel involvement in Takayasu's arteritis.

Objectives: To describe the small retinal and systemic vessel involvement in Takayasu's arteritis.

Methods: We described 3 patients with Takayasu's arteritis and small retinal vessel occlusion seen in our department between 2004 and 2011. We performed an extensive literature review and provided a global analysis of small retinal vessel involvement in Takayasu arteritis (i.

Passive mechanical properties of gastrocnemius muscles of people with ankle contracture after stroke.

Objective: To investigate the mechanisms of contracture after stroke by comparing passive mechanical properties of gastrocnemius muscle-tendon units, muscle fascicles, and tendons in people with ankle contracture after stroke with control participants.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Laboratory in a research institution.

Alagille syndrome in a Vietnamese cohort: mutation analysis and assessment of facial features.

Alagille syndrome (ALGS, OMIM #118450) is an autosomal dominant disorder that affects multiple organ systems including the liver, heart, eyes, vertebrae, and face. ALGS is caused by mutations in one of two genes in the Notch Signaling Pathway, Jagged1 (JAG1) or NOTCH2. In this study, analysis of 21 Vietnamese ALGS individuals led to the identification of 19 different mutations (18 JAG1 and 1 NOTCH2), 17 of which are novel, including the third reported NOTCH2 mutation in Alagille Syndrome.

Maintenance of muscle stem-cell quiescence by microRNA-489.

Among the key properties that distinguish adult mammalian stem cells from their more differentiated progeny is the ability of stem cells to remain in a quiescent state for prolonged periods of time. However, the molecular pathways for the maintenance of stem-cell quiescence remain elusive. Here we use adult mouse muscle stem cells (satellite cells) as a model system and show that the microRNA (miRNA) pathway is essential for the maintenance of the quiescent state.

NOTCH2 mutations in Alagille syndrome.

Background: Alagille syndrome (ALGS) is a dominant, multisystem disorder caused by mutations in the Jagged1 (JAG1) ligand in 94% of patients, and in the NOTCH2 receptor in <1%. There are only two NOTCH2 families reported to date. This study hypothesised that additional NOTCH2 mutations would be present in patients with clinical features of ALGS without a JAG1 mutation.

Efficient and continuous monoacylation with superior selectivity of symmetrical diamines in microreactors.

Efficient and continuous monoacylation of symmetrical diamines performed in microreactors yielded superior selectivity to that predicted by statistical considerations. It is highly valuable that the kinetically controlled product in high yields was achieved without any special catalyst at ambient temperature.

Bilateral fungal endophthalmitis masquerading as multifocal chorioretinitis.

Purpose: Spontaneous healing of ocular Candida infection is extremely rare, and early clinical manifestations may be misleading. This report explicates how to make the appropriate diagnosis when facing atypical presentation of the disease.

Methods And Patients: Case report.

Minor salivary gland biopsy in diagnosing ocular sarcoidosis.

Background: To ascertain the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value of minor salivary gland biopsy in subsets of patients with uveitis consistent with ocular sarcoidosis.

Method: Minor salivary gland biopsies performed in 230 patients with uveitis of indeterminate origin but clinically compatible with ocular sarcoidosis were reviewed. The biopsy results were analysed together with clinical features of uveitis and with the results of other relevant examinations, such as serum levels of angiotensin-I-converting enzyme and lysozyme, tuberculin skin test, chest radiography or CT scan, pulmonary function tests and bronchoalveolar lavage.

Ultrafast and continuous synthesis of unaccommodating inorganic nanomaterials in droplet- and ionic liquid-assisted microfluidic system.

Despite many efforts on the synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials with uniform structure and narrow size distribution in a fast and continuous way, it is still a critical challenge in the chemistry research community due to the uncontrollable mass and heat transfer and the harsh experimental conditions of high temperature and pressure. Here we report a droplet- and ionic liquid-assisted microfluidic (DIM) synthesis method, which takes full advantage of both ionic liquids and droplet-assisted microreaction systems, for an ultrafast, mild, and continuous synthesis of various inorganic nanomaterials that takes only tens of minutes rather than days that are usually needed to synthesize. In particular, unaccommodating inorganic nanomaterials that are difficult to produce, such as nanoporous ZSM-5, γ-AlOOH, and β-FeOOH nanorods, were synthesized in only "20 minutes" of reaction time even with simple instrument.

Age-specificity of clinical dengue during primary and secondary infections.

Background: This study aims to estimate the age-specific risks of clinical dengue attack (i.e., the risk of symptomatic dengue among the total number of dengue virus (DENV) infections) during primary and secondary infections.

Cost effectiveness of tobacco control policies in Vietnam: the case of population-level interventions.

Background: Tobacco smoking is one of the leading public health problems in the world. It is also possible to prevent and/or reduce the harm from tobacco use through the use of cost-effective tobacco control measures. However, most of this evidence comes from developed countries and little research has been conducted on this issue in developing countries.

The ice-vapor interface and the melting point of ice I(h) for the polarizable POL3 water model.

We use molecular dynamics simulations to determine the melting point of ice I(h) for the polarizable POL3 water force field (Dang, L. X. J.

Primary cardiac angiosarcoma: in a patient with a dacron aortic prosthesis.

This is a report of a primary cardiac angiosarcoma in a woman who, several years earlier, had undergone repair of an aortic dissection with a Dacron graft prosthesis. Dacron prostheses have rarely been associated with neoplasia, and this, to our knowledge, is the first reported case of primary cardiac angiosarcoma in association with Dacron. Our patient presented with extensive metastases.

An inorganic-organic diblock copolymer photoresist for direct mesoporous SiCN ceramic patterns via photolithography.

A high resolution negative-tone-type of inorganic-organic diblock copolymer photoresist was synthesized as a novel precursor for simple and direct fabrication of SiCN ceramic mesoporous patterns with ordered nanoscale pores by using a "top-down" photolithographic technique and the subsequent sacrificial processes of a "bottom-up" self-assembled nanostructure.

Viscous elements have little impact on measured passive length-tension properties of human gastrocnemius muscle-tendon units in vivo.

Several studies have measured the elastic properties of a single human muscle-tendon unit in vivo. However the viscoelastic behavior of single human muscles has not been characterized. In this study, we adapted QLV theory to model the viscoelastic behavior of human gastrocnemius muscle-tendon units in vivo.

Direct genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii in ocular fluid samples from 20 patients with ocular toxoplasmosis: predominance of type II in France.

We report the direct genotyping analysis of Toxoplasma gondii in ocular samples collected from 20 patients, as well as associated clinical and epidemiological data. This work was aimed at better understanding the impact of genotypes of Toxoplasma gondii strains on toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis. For this purpose, we studied the aqueous humor (AH) or vitreous humor (VH) of 20 patients presenting with ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) in 2 hospitals in France.

Nell-1 protein promotes bone formation in a sheep spinal fusion model.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are widely used as bone graft substitutes in spinal fusion, but are associated with numerous adverse effects. The growth factor Nel-like molecule-1 (Nell-1) is mechanistically distinct from BMPs and can minimize complications associated with BMP therapies. This study evaluates the efficacy of Nell-1 combined with demineralized bone matrix (DBM) as a novel bone graft material for interbody spine fusion using sheep, a phylogenetically advanced animal with biomechanical similarities to human spine.

Droplet synthesis of well-defined block copolymers using solvent-resistant microfluidic device.

Well-defined diblock copolymers were synthesized via an exothermic RAFT route by a droplet microfluidic process using a solvent-resistant and thermally stable fluoropolymer microreactor fabricated by a non-lithographic embedded template method. The resulting polymers were compared to products obtained from continuous flow capillary reactor and conventional bulk synthesis. The droplet based microreactor demonstrated superior molecular weight distribution control by synthesizing a higher molecular weight product with higher conversion and narrow polydispersity in a much shorter reaction time.

Water adsorption isotherms on porous onionlike carbonaceous particles. Simulations with the grand canonical Monte Carlo method.

The grand canonical Monte Carlo method is used to simulate the adsorption isotherms of water molecules on different types of model soot particles. These soot models are constructed by first removing atoms from onion-fullerene structures in order to create randomly distributed pores inside the soot, and then performing molecular dynamics simulations, based on the reactive adaptive intermolecular reactive empirical bond order (AIREBO) description of the interaction between carbon atoms, to optimize the resulting structures. The obtained results clearly show that the main driving force of water adsorption on soot is the possibility of the formation of new water-water hydrogen bonds with the already adsorbed water molecules.