Two new earthworm species of the genus Amynthas Kinberg, 1867 (Annelida, Oligochaeta, Megascolecidae) from the Southeast region, Vietnam.

Two new earthworm species, namely Amynthas rarus sp. nov. and Amynthas tayninhensis sp.

A revision of the Metaphire peguana species-group (Oligochaeta: Megascolecidae) from Vietnam.

The Metaphire peguana species-group was revised from the earthworm fauna of Vietnam. As a result, a total of seven species/subspecies have been assigned to this species-gro+up, namely M. peguana peguana (Rosa, 1890), M.

Two new (Oligochaeta, Moniligastridae) earthworms from Vietnam.

Two new earthworm species are described, namely and The former can be recognized by having male pores on spiniform penises in intersegment 10/11, an erect and sac-shaped spermathecal atrium, glandular prostate, the capsule coiled one round, the vas deferens strongly coiled but small, two large, round, genital markings on segments ix-x, and three gizzards in xiii-xv. The latter species is distinguished in having the male pores placed on highly elevated, backwardly directed, conical penises in 10/11, a slender spermathecal atrium, a glandular prostate, a somewhat folded capsule, the vas deferens strongly coiled as a bunch and equal size to the testis sacs, a pair of genital markings located closely anterior to the penises with 1-3 additional ones in xi-xii, and three or four gizzards in xiii-xvi. The DNA barcode fragment of the COI gene was extracted for each species, and the COI genetic distances and phylogenetic analysis also supported two new species.

Cataracts Across the Tree of Life: A Roadmap for Prevention and Biomedical Innovation.

Purpose: Spontaneous cataracts have been identified in the lenses of animals across a phylogenetically wide range of species. This can be a source of insights and innovation for human health professionals, but many persons may lack awareness of it. By providing a phylogenetic survey and analysis of species with cataract vulnerability, this paper demonstrates how a broad comparative perspective can provide critical information about environmental hazards to human visual health and can spark potential innovations in the prevention and treatment of cataracts in humans.

Correlation between conduction velocity and frequency analysis in patients with atrial fibrillation using high-density charge mapping.

Spectral analysis of atrial signals has been used to identify regions of interest in atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the relationship to the atrial substrate is unclear. In this study, we compare regions with dominant frequency (DF), simultaneously determined in the left atrium (LA) by a novel noncontact mapping system using unipolar charge density signals, to the zones of slow conduction (SZ) during AF.

Two new earthworm species (Annelida, Oligochaeta, Megascolecidae) from the Mekong delta, Vietnam.

Two new earthworm species are described from the Mekong Delta, Southern Vietnam (An Giang and Ben Tre Provinces), namely Amynthas reductus sp. nov. and Metaphire giengensis sp.

A community-powered search of machine learning strategy space to find NMR property prediction models.

The rise of machine learning (ML) has created an explosion in the potential strategies for using data to make scientific predictions. For physical scientists wishing to apply ML strategies to a particular domain, it can be difficult to assess in advance what strategy to adopt within a vast space of possibilities. Here we outline the results of an online community-powered effort to swarm search the space of ML strategies and develop algorithms for predicting atomic-pairwise nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) properties in molecules.

Utilization of Response Surface Methodology in Optimization of Polysaccharides Extraction from Vietnamese Red by Ultrasound-Assisted Enzymatic Method and Examination of Bioactivities of the Extract.

Red is a popular medicinal herb commonly used in Vietnamese traditional remedies due to its potential value for health. In this study, polysaccharides were extracted from using ultrasound-assisted enzymatic extraction method. The response surface methodology and Box-Behnken design were employed to investigate the effects of pH, extraction temperature, extraction time, and ultrasonic power on the content of polysaccharides.

Four new species of Amynthas earthworms in southeastern Vietnam (Annelida, Oligochaeta, Megascolecidae).

Four new earthworm species of the genus Amynthas Kinberg, 1867 are described from southeastern Vietnam, named A. longiprostaticus sp. nov.

The megascolecid earthworms (Annelida, Oligochaeta, Megascolecidae) in the Phu Quoc island, Vietnam, with descriptions of three new species.

The megascolecid earthworms of the Phu Quoc island are intensively investigated. Twelve species in three genera ( Kinberg, 1867, Kinberg, 1867, and Sims & Easton, 1972) are recorded. Of these, Bantaowong & Panha, 2016 is recorded for the first time in Vietnam, and three species are newly described, namely , , and An identification key to 12 megascolecid species is provided as well.

Image-guided ablation of scar-related ventricular tachycardia: towards a shorter and more predictable procedure.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the feasibility and reproducibility of using image integration software at a remote setting over the MUSIC network to perform image-guided VT ablation. Furthermore, we analyzed the efficacy of a focused workflow with electroanatomical mapping (EAM) limited to imaging-defined scar.

Methods: In a prospective two-centre study, consecutive patients undergoing image integration-guided VT ablation (magnetic resonance [DE-MRI] and/or multidetector computed tomography [MDCT]) were included.

High-resolution noncontact charge-density mapping of endocardial activation.

Background: Spatial resolution in cardiac activation maps based on voltage measurement is limited by far-field interference. Precise characterization of electrical sources would resolve this limitation; however, practical charge-based cardiac mapping has not been achieved.

Methods: A prototype algorithm, developed from first principles of electrostatic field theory, derives charge density (CD) as a spatial representation of the true sources of the cardiac field.

Author Correction: ZSCAN10 expression corrects the genomic instability of iPSCs from aged donors.

In the version of this Article originally published, Supplementary Fig. 6j showed incorrect values for the LS and AG4 glutathione samples, and Fig. 5c and Supplementary Fig.

ZSCAN10 expression corrects the genomic instability of iPSCs from aged donors.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are used to produce transplantable tissues, may particularly benefit older patients, who are more likely to suffer from degenerative diseases. However, iPSCs generated from aged donors (A-iPSCs) exhibit higher genomic instability, defects in apoptosis and a blunted DNA damage response compared with iPSCs generated from younger donors. We demonstrated that A-iPSCs exhibit excessive glutathione-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging activity, which blocks the DNA damage response and apoptosis and permits survival of cells with genomic instability.

On the Giant Pheretimoid Earthworms From Vietnam (Clitellata: Megascolecidae), with Descriptions of Three New Species.

The giant earthworms from Vietnam are being reviewed to consist of six species, (Thai, 1984), (Thai & Tran, 1986) comb. nov., (Thai, 1982), and three new, sp.

Canonical microRNAs Enable Differentiation, Protect Against DNA Damage, and Promote Cholesterol Biosynthesis in Neural Stem Cells.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) have the capacity to differentiate into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, and therefore represent a promising donor tissue source for treating neurodegenerative diseases and repairing injuries of the nervous system. However, it remains unclear how canonical microRNAs (miRNAs), the subset of miRNAs requiring the Drosha-Dgcr8 microprocessor and the type III RNase Dicer for biogenesis, regulate NSCs. In this study, we established and characterized Dgcr8 NSCs from conditionally Dgcr8-disrupted mouse embryonic brain.

Safety and efficacy of the nMARQ catheter for paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation.

Aims: Circular irrigated radiofrequency ablation using the nMARQ catheter has recently been introduced for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of this study is to report the safety and efficacy of catheter ablation using this technology in patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF.

Methods And Results: The data of a prospective registry describing the experience of a single operator using this technology on 327 consecutive patients were analysed.

A Double-Switch Cell Fusion-Inducible Transgene Expression System for Neural Stem Cell-Based Antiglioma Gene Therapy.

Recent progress in neural stem cell- (NSC-) based tumor-targeted gene therapy showed that NSC vectors expressing an artificially engineered viral fusogenic protein, VSV-G H162R, could cause tumor cell death specifically under acidic tumor microenvironment by syncytia formation; however, the killing efficiency still had much room to improve. In the view that coexpression of another antitumoral gene with VSV-G can augment the bystander effect, a synthetic regulatory system that triggers transgene expression in a cell fusion-inducible manner has been proposed. Here we have developed a double-switch cell fusion-inducible transgene expression system (DoFIT) to drive transgene expression upon VSV-G-mediated NSC-glioma cell fusion.

Antitumor effects of CD40 ligand-expressing endothelial progenitor cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells in a metastatic breast cancer model.

Given their intrinsic ability to home to tumor sites, endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are attractive as cellular vehicles for targeted cancer gene therapy. However, collecting sufficient EPCs is one of the challenging issues critical for effective clinical translation of this new approach. In this study, we sought to explore whether human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells could be used as a reliable and accessible cell source to generate human EPCs suitable for cancer treatment.

Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cells transduced with baculovirus encoding CD40 ligand for immunogene therapy in mouse models of breast cancer.

The interaction between CD40 ligand (CD40L) and CD40 can directly inhibit growth of CD40-positive carcinoma cells and may indirectly inhibit tumor growth through coordination of immune responses. Many efforts in CD40L cancer gene therapy have been focused on direct CD40L gene transfer into malignant target cells. This in vivo gene therapy approach relies on high-efficiency gene transfer and could be technically challenging for the treatment of certain cancers, especially multisite metastases.

Systemic delivery of fusogenic membrane glycoprotein-expressing neural stem cells to selectively kill tumor cells.

Intravenously injected neural stem cells (NSCs) can infiltrate both primary and metastatic tumor sites; thus, they are attractive tumor-targeting vehicles for delivering anticancer agents. However, because the systemic distribution of the injected NSCs involves normal organs and might induce off-target actions leading to unintended side effects, clinical applications of this approach is impeded. Given that the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSV-G) can promote the formation of multinucleated syncytia to kill cells in a pH-dependent manner, we engineered a pH sensor of VSV-G and generated a novel VSV-G mutant that efficiently promotes syncytium formation at the tumor extracellular pH (pHe) but not at pH 7.