Prevalence of Toscana Virus Antibodies in Residents of Bulgaria: A Nationwide Study Following the Pandemic of COVID-19.

Toscana virus (TOSV) is an arthropod-borne virus transmitted by sandflies and is mainly found in countries around the Mediterranean basin. In this article, we present the findings of a seroprevalence study on TOSV in Bulgaria. We aim to assess the current epidemiological situation regarding TOSV in the country and raise clinical awareness.

Pharmacomicrobiomics in precision cancer therapy: bench to bedside.

The burgeoning field of pharmacomicrobiomics offers promising insights into the intricate interplay between the microbiome and cancer, shaping responses to diverse treatment modalities. This review aims to analyze the molecular mechanisms underlying interactions between distinct microbiota types and cancer, as well as their influence on treatment outcomes. We explore how the microbiome impacts antitumor immunity, and response to chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy, unveiling its multifaceted roles in cancer progression and therapy resistance.

Multifarious astrocyte-neuron dialog in shaping neural circuit architecture.

Astrocytes are multifaceted glial cell types that perform structural, functional, metabolic, and homeostatic roles in the brain. Recent studies have revealed mechanisms underlying the diversity of bidirectional communication modes between astrocytes and neurons - the fundamental organizing principle shaping synaptic properties at tripartite synapses. These astrocyte-neuron interactions are critical for the proper functioning of synapses and neural circuits.

Effect of substituting glutamine with lysine on structural and biological properties of antimicrobial peptide Polybia-MP1.

The natural antimicrobial peptide Polybia-MP1 is a promising candidate for developing new treatment therapy for infection and cancer. It showed broad-spectrum antimicrobial and anticancer activity with high safety on healthy cells. However, previous sequence modification usually resulted in at least one of two consequences: a notable increase in hemolytic activity or a considerable decrease in activity against Gram-negative bacteria and cancer cells.

Expression of the Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 ion channel in the supramammillary nucleus and the antidepressant effects of its antagonist AMG9810 in mice.

The Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) non-selective cation channel predominantly expressed in primary sensory neurons of the dorsal root and trigeminal ganglia mediates pain and neurogenic inflammation. TRPV1 mRNA and immunoreactivity were described in the central nervous system (CNS), but its precise expression pattern and function have not been clarified. Here we investigated Trpv1 mRNA expression in the mouse brain using ultrasensitive RNAScope in situ hybridization.

The clinical features and genomic epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections at a tertiary hospital in Vietnam.

Objectives: To characterise the clinical features of Acinetobacter baumannii infections and investigate the phylogenetic structure and transmission dynamics of A. baumannii in Vietnam.

Methods: Between 2019 and 2020, a surveillance of A.

Patterns of cytokine and chemokine expression in peripheral blood of patients with COVID-19 associated with disease severity.

Objectives: Cytokine dysregulation has been proposed as one of the main culprits for severe COVID-19 and poor prognosis. We examined the parallel presence of lymphopoietic, proinflammatory, Th1, Th2, regulatory cytokines, and chemokines in the serum of 47 patients with mild, moderate, and severe COVID-19 and evaluated the association between cytokine concentrations and disease severity.

Methods: A multiplex quantitative cytokine analysis ProcartaPlex™ immunoassay was applied, using the Luminex 200X detection system (Invitrogen).

Introduction of the Simple One-Step stool Xpert Ultra method to detect TB in children and adults.

In 2020, the National TB Programme (NTP) of Vietnam conducted an implementation pilot of the Simple One-Step (SOS) stool processing method using Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) among children and people living with HIV (PLHIV) with signs and symptoms of TB. Using data from this pilot and collecting information on healthcare workers´ (HCWs) perceptions, we assessed the feasibility, acceptability and potential impact of routine stool testing for TB. HCWs perceived collection of stools from children as least stressful of all sample types, stool processing as acceptable and the SOS stool method as easy to perform.

A tightly clustered hepatitis E virus genotype 1a is associated with endemic and outbreak infections in Bangladesh.

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is endemic in Bangladesh and there are occasional outbreaks. The molecular characteristics and pathogenesis of endemic and outbreak HEV strains are poorly understood. We compared the genetic relatedness and virulence associated mutations of endemic HEV strains with outbreak strains.

Antifungal Susceptibility of Dermatophytes Isolated From Cutaneous Fungal Infections: The Vietnamese Experience.

Aim: Evaluate the resistance of dermatophytes to systemic antifungal drugs in the Vietnamese population.

Methods: We enrolled 101 patients with cutaneous dermatophytosis at the Dermato-Venereology hospital in HCMC from August 2016 to March 2017. All the specimens were subjected to direct examination (10% KOH mount) and culture on Sabouraud dextrose agar.

extract inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma via induction of caspase-dependent apoptosis.

Introduction: Cancer is a disease with a global burden and is a major and increasing threat to public health. The demand for new modalities to treat and prevent cancer is high. Given the toxic side effects of standard treatments, such as chemotherapy, there is greater research interest in naturally derived compounds due to their selective toxicity to cancer cells.

Primary drug-resistant tuberculosis in Hanoi, Viet Nam: present status and risk factors.

Introduction: Resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) to anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs presents a serious challenge to TB control worldwide. We investigated the status of drug resistance, including multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB, and possible risk factors among newly diagnosed TB patients in Hanoi, the capital of Viet Nam.

Methods: Clinical and epidemiological information was collected from 506 newly diagnosed patients with sputum smear- and culture-positive TB, and 489 (96.

Chiropractic management of work-related upper limb disorder complicated by intraosseous ganglion cysts: a case report.

Objective: Work-related upper limb disorder (WRULD) encompasses a broad array of occupational upper limb injuries, the most common being carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Carpal tunnel syndrome occasionally presents with concomitant ganglion cysts. The purpose of this case report is to describe the chiropractic management of a patient with bilateral WRULD complicated by ganglion cysts.

Arsenic in groundwaters of the Lower Mekong.

Increasing incidence and awareness of arsenic in many alluvial aquifers of South-east Asia has raised concern over possible arsenic in the Lower Mekong Basin. Here, we have undertaken new research and reviewed many previous small-scale studies to provide a comprehensive overview of the status of arsenic in aquifers of Cambodia and the Cuu Long Delta of Vietnam. In general natural arsenic originates from the Upper Mekong basin, rather than from the local geology, and is widespread in soils at typical concentrations of between 8 and 16 ppm; (dry weight).