Biodiversity of aquatic organisms in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.

Background: The Mekong River is the 10 largest river in the world. It is recognised as the most productive river in Southeast Asia and economically essential to the region, with an estimated 60-65 million people living in the lower Mekong Basin. The Mekong Delta within Vietnam is considered a highly vulnerable ecosystem under threat from increasing anthropogenic pressure, such as dam construction and, as a consequence, the Delta is sinking and altering the natural hydrological cycle.

Insight into Population Structure and Drug Resistance of Pediatric Tuberculosis Strains from China and Russia Gained through Whole-Genome Sequencing.

This study aimed to determine phenotypic and genotypic drug resistance patterns of strains from children with tuberculosis (TB) in China and Russia, two high-burden countries for multi/extensively-drug resistant (MDR/XDR) TB. Whole-genome sequencing data of isolates from China ( = 137) and Russia ( = 60) were analyzed for phylogenetic markers and drug-resistance mutations, followed by comparison with phenotypic susceptibility data. The Beijing genotype was detected in 126 Chinese and 50 Russian isolates.

Online Service with Automated Interpretation of Sequencing Data and Prediction of Pyrazinamide Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Pyrazinamide plays an important role in the treatment of tuberculosis. However, the microbiological test for pyrazinamide resistance is more complex and less reliable than testing of susceptibility to other anti-tuberculosis drugs due to the need to grow the pathogen at pH 5.5.

Influence of hypomagnetic field on the heartbeat in zebrafish embryos.

The magnetic environment may influence the functioning of the cardiovascular system. It was reported that low-frequency and static magnetic fields affect hemodynamics, heart rate, and heart rate variability in animals and humans. Moreover, recent data suggest that magnetic fields affect the circadian rhythms of physiological processes.