Effects of Organic Substrate Amendments on Selected Organic Fractions and Biochemical Parameters under Different Soils.

The application of organic substrates can affect soil respiration, dehydrogenase (DH-ase) activity, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and humic acid (HA) fractions. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of five organic substrates in the organic fractions of degraded alluvial soil, acid sulfate soil, and sandy soils and the physicochemical properties of the soil. Soil samples were amended at a rate of 5 tons ha with (1) water hyacinth compost, (2) sugarcane filter cake compost, (3) biogas sludge-rice straw compost, (4) vermicompost, and (5) sludge.

The Relationship Between Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum Clusters in Metaphase II Oocytes and Embryological and Birth Outcomes in Infertile Couples.

Background: To assess the relationship between oocytes with smooth endoplasmic reticulum cluster (SERc) and embryological and birth outcomes in infertile couples.

Methods: This was a descriptive study that included 231 infertile patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) with a total of 2447 mature oocytes (MII), of which 279 oocytes with SERc(+) from 100 patients, the remaining 2168 oocytes with SERc(-). Oocytes were evaluated for the presence or absence of the SERc simultaneously with intracytoplasmic sperm injection at 200x magnification using inverted microscopy - Observe D1.

Effects of dioxin exposure on reproductive and thyroid hormone levels and male sexual function in airbase military workers in Vietnam.

Dioxins are endocrine disruptors that may disturb male sexual and reproductive function. Studies on human populations are limited, and their results are controversial. This study evaluated the impact of dioxin exposure on reproductive and thyroid hormone levels and sexual function in men.

Exploring the potential of CoMoO-modified graphitic carbon nitride to boost oxidation of amoxicillin micropollutants in hospital wastewater.

This study investigates the removal of amoxicillin micropollutants (AM) from hospital wastewater using CoMoO-modified graphitic carbon nitride (CMO/gCN). Consequently, CMO/gCN exhibits notable improvements in visible light absorption and electron-hole separation rates compared to unmodified gCN. Besides, CMO/gCN significantly enhances the removal efficiency of AM, attaining an impressive 96.

A comprehensive analysis of the immune system in healthy Vietnamese people.

Lifestyle, diet, socioeconomic status and genetics all contribute to heterogeneity in immune responses. Vietnam is plagued with a variety of health problems, but there are no available data on immune system values in the Vietnamese population. This study aimed to establish reference intervals for immune cell parameters specific to the healthy Vietnamese population by utilizing multi-color flow cytometry (MCFC).

Weather in two climatic regions shapes the diversity and drives the structure of fungal endophytic community of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) fruit.

Background: Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) is one of the most important economic and natural resources in Northern Europe. Despite its importance, the endophytic fungal community of the fruits has rarely been investigated.

Synthesis of CoWO/g-CN Z-scheme heterojunction for the efficient photodegradation of diazinon with the addition of HO.

Pesticides are on the list of substances that are routinely monitored by agencies and organizations in various natural environments and habitats. Diazinon (DZN) is the active ingredient in more than 20 agricultural pesticides, it causes the most damage and has been prohibited in many countries around the world. The final product CoWO/g-CN Z-scheme heterojunction was successfully synthesized in this work, where CoWO nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of g-CN.

Determination of tacrolimus in human whole blood in kidney transplant recipients using a rapid and specific LC-MS/MS method.

Objective: To develop and validate an LC-M/SMS method for the determination of tacrolimus in human whole blood.

Method: The LC-MS/MS method for the determination of tacrolimus in whole blood was developed and validated according to the guidelines. Concentrations of TAC in 100 kidney transplant patients measured by LC-MS/MS were compared with CMIA using correlation analysis and Bland-Altman plots.

Improving electrochemical performance of hybrid electrode materials by a composite of nanocellulose, reduced oxide graphene and polyaniline.

Novel ternary composites of polyaniline (PANI), reduced graphene oxide (RGO), and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) are prepared by a chemical method for hybrid supercapacitors. CNFs were extracted from sugarcane bagasse waste in sugar production, by physicochemical processes. The composites were investigated as electrode-active materials for hybrid supercapacitors.

A scanning focus nuclear microscope with multi-pinhole collimation.

Microscopic nuclear imaging down to spatial resolutions of a few hundred microns can already be achieved using low-energy gamma emitters (e.g.I, ∼30 keV) and a basic single micro-pinhole gamma camera.

Oxidative Stress-Induced Silver Nano-Carriers for Chemotherapy.

Recently, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been extensively explored in a variety of biological applications, especially cancer treatment. AgNPs have been demonstrated to exhibit anti-tumor effects through cell apoptosis. This study intends to promote cell apoptosis further by increasing oxidative stress.

Knowledge and Attitude Related to Hepatitis C among Medical Students in the Oral Direct Acting Antiviral Agents Era in Vietnam.

Background: Medical students play important frontline roles in the prevention, early detection, and treatment of hepatitis C. This study investigated knowledge and attitudes toward hepatitis C among 5th- and 6th-year medical students and possible associated factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2000 students from eight medical universities using a self-administered structured questionnaire.

Frequencies and Association of CYP3A5 Polymorphism With Tacrolimus Concentration Among Renal Transplant Recipients in Vietnam.

Background: This study aims to investigate the frequencies and association of CYP3A5 polymorphism with tacrolimus concentration among renal transplant recipients in Vietnam.

Methods: Sixty-eight kidney transplant recipients were included in this study from the department of nephrology and dialysis, Military Hospital 103. Blood samples were collected for monitoring of tacrolimus levels and determination of CYP3A5 genetic polymorphism.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices toward Hepatitis B Virus Infection among Students of Medicine in Vietnam.

Background: Building capacity in hepatitis B virus prevention and management for medical students and health professionals is one of the pillars of the national viral hepatitis control strategy.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at eight medical universities from the northern, central and southern regions of the country between May and November 2020 using a systematic random sampling technique.

Results: Among 2000 participants, 84.

Host species shape the community structure of culturable endophytes in fruits of wild berry species (Vaccinium myrtillus L., Empetrum nigrum L. and Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.).

Wild berries are interesting research subjects due to their rich sources of health-beneficial phenolic compounds. However, the internal microbial communities, endophytes, associated with the wild berry fruits are currently unknown. Endophytes are bacteria or fungi inhabiting inside plant tissues, and their functions vary depending on the host species and environmental parameters.

Efficient Monte-Carlo based system modelling for image reconstruction in preclinical pinhole SPECT.

The use of multi-pinhole collimation has enabled ultra-high-resolution imaging of SPECT and PET tracers in small animals. Key for obtaining high-quality images is the use of statistical iterative image reconstruction with accurate energy-dependent photon transport modelling through collimator and detector. This can be incorporated in a system matrix that contains the probabilities that a photon emitted from a certain voxel is detected at a specific detector pixel.

Serum dioxin concentrations in military workers at three dioxin-contaminated airbases in Vietnam.

An estimated 91,998,400 L of herbicides were stocked at three US airbases in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971. These herbicides were contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetraCDD). In 2017, we sampled blood from 120 male Vietnamese military workers in the three dioxin-contaminated airbases (Bien Hoa, Da Nang, and Phu Cat) and from 20 workers at an uncontaminated airbase.

EXIRAD-HE: multi-pinhole high-resolution ex vivo imaging of high-energy isotopes.

We recently developed a dedicated focusing multi-pinhole collimator for a stationary SPECT system that offers down to 120 µm (or 1.7 nL) spatial resolution SPECT images of cryo-cooled tissue samples (EXIRAD-3D). This collimator is suitable for imaging isotopes that are often used in small animal and diagnostic SPECT such as I (27 keV), Tl (71 keV), Tc (140 keV), and In (171 and 245 keV).

RUNX3 methylation drives hypoxia-induced cell proliferation and antiapoptosis in early tumorigenesis.

Inactivation of tumor suppressor Runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) plays an important role during early tumorigenesis. However, posttranslational modifications (PTM)-based mechanism for the inactivation of RUNX3 under hypoxia is still not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate a mechanism that G9a, lysine-specific methyltransferase (KMT), modulates RUNX3 through PTM under hypoxia.

Impacts of Sexually Transmitted Disease/HIV Outreach Sites on the Effectiveness of Detecting New Infections in Baltimore City, 2015 to 2018.

Background: Effectiveness of sexually transmitted disease (STD)/HIV mobile van outreach programs has been shown to assist in identifying new cases of syphilis and HIV among high-risk populations. However, specific types of mobile outreach testing and their varying abilities to assist in STD/HIV case identification have not been thoroughly explored.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Baltimore City Health Department syphilis and HIV testing intake interviews and subsequent laboratory results for clients at any of the 6 different Baltimore City Health Department mobile outreach testing setting types between 2015 and 2018.

Cytotoxic activity of steroidal glycosides from the aerial parts of collected in Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam.

A phytochemical investigation of led to the isolation of eleven steroidal glycosides, including neochlorogenin 6---D-quinovopyranoside (), (22 ,23,25)-3-6,23-trihydroxy-5-spirostane 6---D-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)--D-quinovopyranoside (), neochlorogenin 6---L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)--D-quinovopyranoside (), solagenin 6---L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→3)--D-quinovopyranoside (), paniculonin A (), paniculonin B (), 6α--[-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)-D-quinovopyranosyl]-(25)-5α-spirostan-3-ol (), torvoside J (), torvoside K (), torvoside L () and solagenin 6---D-quinovopyranoside (). Their chemical structures were elucidated by 1D-NMR and 2D-NMR data as well as comparison with the data reported in the literature. Moreover, all isolated compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against SK-LU-1, HepG2, MCF-7 and T24 cancer cell lines.

EXIRAD-3D: Fast automated three-dimensional autoradiography.

Introduction: Autoradiography is an established technique for high-resolution imaging of radiolabelled molecules in biological tissue slices. Unfortunately, creating a 3D image from a set of these 2D images is extremely time-consuming and error-prone. MicroSPECT systems provide such 3D images but have a low resolution.

Integration of iron oxide nanoparticles and polyaspartamide biopolymer for MRI image contrast enhancement and an efficient drug-delivery system in cancer therapy.

We integrate superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles with polyaspartamide (PA) biopolymer to form a biological construct that functions as a tracking, targeting and drug-delivery system for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Iron oxide nanoparticles with uniformly distributed average spherical diameters of around 10 nm and superparamagnetic characteristics play a key role in increasing the transverse 1/T relaxation rate or darkening the T -weighted MR image for cancer diagnosis using MRI. In in vitro MRI testing on cancer cells, the MR images of samples with the bio-constructshow a much clearer contrast effect than those of controls.