Human Infection with Avian Influenza A(H9N2) Virus, Vietnam, April 2024.

In April 2024, Vietnam confirmed its first human case of influenza A(H9N2) in a 37-year-old man, marking a critical point in regional infectious disease monitoring and response. This case underscores the importance of robust surveillance systems and One Health collaboration in managing emerging zoonotic threats.

Writing the Signs: An Explainable Machine Learning Approach for Alzheimer's Disease Classification from Handwriting.

Alzheimer's disease is a global health challenge, emphasizing the need for early detection to enable timely intervention and improve outcomes. This study analyzes handwriting data from individuals with and without Alzheimer's to identify predictive features across copying, graphic and memory-based tasks. Machine learning models, including Random Forest, Bootstrap Aggregating (Bagging), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM), Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) and Gradient Boosting, were applied to classify patients, with SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) enhancing model interpretability.

Apparent Reversal of Allosteric Response in Mycobacterium tuberculosis MenD Reveals Links to Half-of-Sites Reactivity.

Redox-active molecules play critical roles in various biological functions, including cellular respiration. In bacterial electron transport chains, menaquinones serve as key electron carriers. The first committed enzyme in the menaquinone biosynthesis pathway of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), MenD, is allosterically inhibited by 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (DHNA), the first redox-active metabolite in the pathway.

Isolation, anticancer potency, and camptothecin-producing ability of endophytic fungi isolated from .

Camptothecin (CPT) is an important alkaloid used for anticancer treatment. It is mainly produced by two endangered and overharvested and plants. Endophytic fungi are promising alternative sources for CPT production.

Predictive Value of LACE Scores for Pediatric Readmissions.

Introduction: Hospital readmissions are recognized as a prevalent, yet potentially preventable, personal and economic burden. Length of stay, Acuity of admission, Comorbidities, and number of Emergency Department visits in the preceding 6 months can be quantified into one score, the LACE score. LACE scores have previously been identified to correlate with hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge, but research specific to the pediatric population is scant.

Multilayer immobilizing of denitrifying sp. and TiO-AgNPs on floating expanded clay carrier for co-treatment of nitrite and pathogens in aquaculture.

Nitrite contamination and the spread of pathogens can seriously degrade water quality. To simultaneously control these factors, an innovative approach of fabricating a remediation agent that contained denitrifying bacteria and TiO-AgNPs co-immobilized on floating expanded clay (EC) was proposed in this study. The EC was fabricated from a mixture of clay and rice husk through pyrolysis at a high temperature of 1200 °C, followed by a rapid cooling step to create a porous structure for the material.

Ensemble learning-based approach for automatic classification of termite mushrooms.

Termite mushrooms are edible fungi that provide significant economic, nutritional, and medicinal value. However, identifying these mushroom species based on morphology and traditional knowledge is ineffective due to their short development time and seasonal nature. This study proposes a novel method for classifying termite mushroom species.

A Fatal Case of Chronic Granulomatous Disease in a Young Man.

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare X-linked or autosomal recessive disorder of early childhood due to defective nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase enzyme in leukocytes. It increases susceptibility to infections by catalase-positive bacteria and fungi. We report a case of an 18-year-old man with CGD who presented to the hospital with septic shock due to bacteremia, pneumonia, and osteomyelitis due to multiple rare microorganisms.

Discontinuation of Car Seat Tolerance Screening and Postdischarge Adverse Outcomes in Infants Born Preterm.

Objective: To study the association between discontinuing predischarge car seat tolerance screening (CSTS) with 30-day postdischarge adverse outcomes in infants born preterm.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study involving all infants born preterm from 2010 through 2021 who survived to discharge to home in a 14-hospital integrated health care system. The exposure was discontinuation of CSTS.

Allosteric inhibition of MenD by 1,4-dihydroxy naphthoic acid: a feedback inhibition mechanism of the menaquinone biosynthesis pathway.

Menaquinones (MKs) are electron carriers in bacterial respiratory chains. In (), MKs are essential for aerobic and anaerobic respiration. As MKs are redox-active, their biosynthesis likely requires tight regulation to prevent disruption of cellular redox balance.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Fecal Immunochemical Testing, Colonoscopy Services, and Colorectal Neoplasia Detection in a Large United States Community-based Population.

Background & Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected clinical services globally, including colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and diagnostic testing. We investigated the pandemic's impact on fecal immunochemical test (FIT) screening, colonoscopy utilization, and colorectal neoplasia detection across 21 medical centers in a large integrated health care organization.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study in Kaiser Permanente Northern California patients ages 18 to 89 years in 2019 and 2020 and measured changes in the numbers of mailed, completed, and positive FITs; colonoscopies; and cases of colorectal neoplasia detected by colonoscopy in 2020 vs 2019.

A Comparative Analysis of Short-term Patient Outcomes After Laparoscopic Versus Robotic Rectal Surgery.

Background: The popularity of robot-assisted colorectal surgery has risen over recent years; however, patient-related advantages over laparoscopic surgery remain uncertain.

Objective: The goal of this study was to compare short-term patient outcomes following robotic and laparoscopic partial or complete rectal resections.

Design: This was a retrospective cohort study.

Nanopatterned Polymer Molds Using Anodized Aluminum Templates for Anti-Reflective Coatings.

This work introduces a facile geometry-controlled method for the fabrication of embossed and engraved polymeric moth-eye-inspired nanostructures in imprinting molds using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates, resulting in a novel anti-reflective transparent coating. The moth-eye nanostructures are prepared directly on the surface of a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. As a prerequisite procedure, a UV-curable polyurethane acrylate resin is spun on the PET.

Plasmonic nanorod array for effective photothermal therapy in hyperthermia.

Optical properties of anisotropic gold nanorod arrays inside anodic aluminium oxide substrates enhance the longitudinal absorption intensities and the hyperthermia cancer cell killing at 42.1 °C under photothermal laser exposures at 671 nm.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering-Based Dual-Flow Lateral Flow Assay Sensor for the Ultrasensitive Detection of the Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone.

The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based lateral flow assay (LFA) strip has been considered a high-sensitivity sensor that can overcome the low sensitivity and the difficulty of quantitative analysis problems inherent in the colorimetric LFA sensor. In the SERS-based LFA strip reported so far, a liquid sample flows through the nitrocellulose membrane in a single pathway. In some cases, however, this single-flow approach still has a limitation in detection sensitivity.

Prolonged Opioid Use After Primary Total Knee and Total Hip Arthroplasty: Prospective Evaluation of Risk Factors and Psychological Profile for Depression, Pain Catastrophizing, and Aberrant Drug-Related Behavior.

Background: Forty percent of patients continue to use opioids at 3 months after joint arthroplasty. We sought to identify clinical and psychological risk factors associated with prolonged opioid use.

Methods: In this prospective study, psychological profile data were collected preoperatively.

Allosteric regulation of menaquinone (vitamin K) biosynthesis in the human pathogen .

Menaquinone (vitamin K) plays a vital role in energy generation and environmental adaptation in many bacteria, including the human pathogen (). Although menaquinone levels are known to be tightly linked to the cellular redox/energy status of the cell, the regulatory mechanisms underpinning this phenomenon are unclear. The first committed step in menaquinone biosynthesis is catalyzed by MenD, a thiamine diphosphate-dependent enzyme comprising three domains.

Haemorrhagic small bowel melanoma metastasis: a clinical rarity.

We report on a clinical case with haemorrhagic small bowel metastases in a malignant melanoma patient with anaemia, diagnosed using small bowel video capsule endoscopy (VCE). A 67-year-old male patient with a previous diagnosis of malignant melanoma presented with anaemia and vertigo on admission. The standard diagnostic protocol for gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding investigation including a gastroscopy, colonoscopy and small bowel capsule endoscopy, as well as abdominal sonography and a restaging protocol including chest-abdomen-pelvis CT (CAP-CT), echocardiography and ECG was applied.

High-Resolution Structure of ClpC1-Rufomycin and Ligand Binding Studies Provide a Framework to Design and Optimize Anti-Tuberculosis Leads.

Addressing the urgent need to develop novel drugs against drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( M. tb) strains, ecumicin (ECU) and rufomycin I (RUFI) are being explored as promising new leads targeting cellular proteostasis via the caseinolytic protein ClpC1. Details of the binding topology and chemical mode of (inter)action of these cyclopeptides help drive further development of novel potency-optimized entities as tuberculosis drugs.

Decursin and decursinol angelate improve wound healing by upregulating transcription of genes encoding extracellular matrix remodeling proteins, inflammatory cytokines, and growth factors in human keratinocytes.

The coumarins decursin and decursinol angelate, which are found in Angelica gigas Nakai, have a variety of biological functions. Here, we show that treatment with these compounds improves wound healing by HaCaT human keratinocytes. Wound healing was increased by treatment with up to a threshold concentration of decursin, decursinol angelate, a mixture of both, and a nano-emulsion of these compounds, but inhibited by treatment with higher concentrations.

Recovery of the sub-basal nerve plexus and superficial nerve terminals after corneal epithelial injury in mice.

Our aim was to compare regeneration of the sub-basal nerve plexus (SBNP) and superficial nerve terminals (SNT) following corneal epithelial injury. We also sought to compare agreement when quantifying nerve parameters using different image analysis techniques. Anesthetized, female C57BL/6 mice received central 1-mm corneal epithelial abrasions.

New cycloartanes and new iridoids from Dolichandrone spathacea collected in the mangrove forest of Soc Trang province, Vietnam.

Two new cycloartanes, named dolichandrone A (1) and dolichandrone B (2), as well as two new iridoids, named [6-O-[(E)-4-methoxycinnamoyl]-1β-hydroxy-dihydrocatalpolgenin (3) and 6-O-[(E)-4-methoxycinnamoyl]-1α-hydroxy-dihydrocatalpolgenin (4), together with four known iridoids (5-8), were isolated from the leaves and barks of Dolichandrone spathacea. Their structures were elucidated by means of extensive analysis of their HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data. All of these compounds have been isolated for the first time from this plant.

Corifollitropin alfa followed by highly purified HMG versus recombinant FSH in young poor ovarian responders: a multicentre randomized controlled clinical trial.

Study Question: Does administration of corifollitropin alfa followed by highly purified (hp) HMG result in higher ongoing pregnancy rates compared with daily recombinant FSH (rFSH) in young poor responders?

Summary Answer: Corifollitropin alfa followed by hp-HMG does not increase ongoing pregnancy rates compared with rFSH in young poor responders, although more supernumerary cryopreserved embryos were obtained with corifollitropin alfa and hp-HMG.

What Is Known Already: Poor ovarian response remains one of the main therapeutic challenges in women undergoing ovarian stimulation, given that very low live birth rates of 6% have been reported in this particular group of infertile patients. Nevertheless, concerns have been raised that a degree of heterogeneity remains, as the prognostic effect of individual factors is still unclear, particularly for the young poor responder group.

Structural Sequencing of Oligopeptides Aided by H Iterative Full-Spin Analysis.

This report describes an approach using H NMR iterative full-spin analysis (HiFSA) to extract definitive structural information on unknown peptides from 1D H NMR data. By comparing the experimental data and HiFSA fingerprint of a known analogue, it is possible to isolate the characteristic H subspectrum of the different amino acids and, thus, elucidate the structure of the peptide. To illustrate this methodology, a comprehensive analysis of five new anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis peptides (2-6), all analogues of ecumicin (1), was carried out.

The Structure of the Transcriptional Repressor KstR in Complex with CoA Thioester Cholesterol Metabolites Sheds Light on the Regulation of Cholesterol Catabolism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Cholesterol can be a major carbon source forMycobacterium tuberculosisduring infection, both at an early stage in the macrophage phagosome and later within the necrotic granuloma. KstR is a highly conserved TetR family transcriptional repressor that regulates a large set of genes responsible for cholesterol catabolism. Many genes in this regulon, includingkstR, are either induced during infection or are essential for survival ofM.