Diagnostic Strategy for Suspected Unilateral Absence of the Pulmonary Artery.

Unlabelled:

Losing vigilance in diagnosing pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis: A report on four cases.

Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) is a rare chronic lung disease characterized by calcium and phosphate deposition in the alveolar lumen throughout the parenchyma of both lungs, with predominance in the middle and lower lung fields. It is caused by mutations in the recessive gene, , on the autosomal chromosome. In this article, we characterize four cases of PAM and analyze the loss of diagnostic vigilance in two of them.

Adverse effects of dioxins on cognitive ability and motor performance of 5-year-old children residing in a hotspot of dioxin contamination originating from Agent Orange in Vietnam: A prospective cohort study.

Bien Hoa airbase is the most dioxin-polluted hotspot in Vietnam. In 2012, a birth cohort living around Bien Hoa airbase was recruited for assessment of physical and neurological development. In the present study, neurodevelopment scores at 5 years of age were assessed by the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition for 185 children in Bien Hoa and 104 children in Ha Dong (unexposed control group) to clarify the effects of dioxin.

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.

Validation of a Highly Sensitive qPCR Assay for the Detection of Plasma Cell-Free Epstein-Barr Virus DNA in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis.

Quantification of plasma cell-free Epstein Barr virus DNA (cf EBV DNA) has been suggested as a promising liquid biopsy assay for screening and early detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the diagnostic value of this assay is currently not known in the population of Vietnam, one of the countries which contributed the most to the NPC cases. Herein, we have reported a highly sensitive quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based assay targeting cf EBV DNA for the detection of NPC.

A simple method for detection of a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) using one-step RT-PCR followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism.

A novel coronavirus associated with acute respiratory disease (named SARS-CoV-2) is recently identified in Wuhan city, China, spread rapidly worldwide. Early identification of this novel coronavirus by molecular tools is critical for surveillance and control of the epidemic outbreak. We aimed to establish a simple method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in differentiating with SARS-CoV.

Preimplantation Genetic Testing of Aneuploidy by Next Generation Sequencing: Association of Maternal Age and Chromosomal Abnormalities of Blastocyst.

Background: Aneuploidy is a major cause of miscarriages and implantation failure. Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) by Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is able to detect of the numeral and structural chromosomal abnormalities of embryos in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Aim: This study was aimed to assess the relationship between maternal age and chromosomal abnormalities NGS technology.

Upregulation of Enzymes involved in ISGylation and Ubiquitination in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

: ISGylation is the conjugation of ISG15 with target proteins. ISGylation occurs through an enzymatic cascade, which is similar to that of ubiquitination. Through ISGylation, ISG15 can bind to proteins involved in cell proliferation and differentiation, thus promoting genesis and progression of malignancies.

Soluble fibrinogen-like protein 2 levels in patients with hepatitis B virus-related liver diseases.

Background: Clinical progression of HBV-related liver diseases is largely associated with the activity of HBV-specific T cells. Soluble fibrinogen-like protein 2 (sFGL2), mainly secreted by T cells, is an important effector molecule of the immune system.

Methods: sFGL2 levels were determined by ELISA assays in sera of 296 HBV patients clinically classified into the subgroups of acute hepatitis B (AHB), chronic hepatitis B (CHB), liver cirrhosis (LC), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and patients with LC plus HCC.

Prenatal dioxin exposure estimated from dioxins in breast milk and sex hormone levels in umbilical cord blood in Vietnamese newborn infants.

Dioxin concentrations remain elevated in the environment and humans residing near the former US Air Force base in Bien Hoa city, South Vietnam. We recruited 210 mother-infant pairs for whom breast milk dioxin levels were reported in our previous study. Cord blood samples were collected from 162 mother-infant pairs.

Association of dioxin exposure and reproductive hormone levels in men living near the Bien Hoa airbase, Vietnam.

Dioxins are endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and their effects on reproductive functions are well-documented. The aim of the present study was to measure the levels of reproductive hormones in 42 men residing near a dioxin-contaminated area in Vietnam. We measured levels of 17 2,3,7,8-substituted congeners of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and four non-ortho polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in blood.

Effects of Perinatal Dioxin Exposure on Development of Children during the First 3 Years of Life.

Objective: To investigate the longitudinal effects of perinatal exposure to dioxin on neurodevelopment and physical growth of a birth cohort during the first 3 years of life.

Study Design: A total of 217 mother-infant pairs living in a dioxin-contaminated area in Vietnam were followed up. Perinatal dioxin exposure of infants was estimated by the measurement of dioxin levels in breast milk of nursing mothers.

Anti-inflammatory compounds from Ampelopsis cantoniensis.

Many natural products have been shown to have an inhibitory effect on nitric oxide (NO), and are used as chemotherapy agents for inflammation disease. The current study was designed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of chemical components from the leaves of Ampelopsis cantoniensis. Sixteen compounds (1-16) were isolated and identified.

Dioxins and Nonortho PCBs in Breast Milk of Vietnamese Mothers Living in the Largest Hot Spot of Dioxin Contamination.

Bien Hoa Air Base is the largest dioxin contamination hot spot in Vietnam. In 2012, we recruited 216 mothers who were living in 10 communities around Bien Hoa Air Base and had delivered newborns at a prefecture hospital, and we investigated recent exposure levels of dioxins and nonortho PCBs in their breast milk. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetraCDD) was present at 2.

Urinary amino acid alterations in 3-year-old children with neurodevelopmental effects due to perinatal dioxin exposure in Vietnam: a nested case-control study for neurobiomarker discovery.

In our previous study of 3-year-old children in a dioxin contamination hot spot in Vietnam, the high total dioxin toxic equivalent (TEQ-PCDDs/Fs)-exposed group during the perinatal period displayed lower Bayley III neurodevelopmental scores, whereas the high 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-exposed group displayed increased autistic traits. In autistic children, urinary amino acid profiles have revealed metabolic alterations in the amino acids that serve as neurotransmitters in the developing brain. Therefore, our present study aimed to investigate the use of alterations in urinary amino acid excretion as biomarkers of dioxin exposure-induced neurodevelopmental deficits in highly exposed 3-year-old children in Vietnam.

Development of lipid nanoparticles for a histone deacetylases inhibitor as a promising anticancer therapeutic.

Background: Vorinostat (VRS), a histone deacetylases inhibitor, has significant cytotoxic potential in a large number of human cancer cell lines.

Objective: To clarify its promising anticancer potential and to improve its drawback related to physical properties and in vivo performance of VRS.

Methods: VRS was successfully incorporated into nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) by the hot microemulsion method using sonication following a homogenization technique.

Maternal risk factors associated with increased dioxin concentrations in breast milk in a hot spot of dioxin contamination in Vietnam.

This study looked to identify determinants of exposure to dioxin in breast milk from breast-feeding women in a hot spot of dioxin exposure in Vietnam. Breast milk was collected from 140 mothers 1 month after delivery. The risk factors investigated included length of residency, drinking of well water and the frequency of animal food consumption.

Dioxin exposure in breast milk and infant neurodevelopment in Vietnam.

Objectives: Dioxin levels in the breast milk of mothers residing near hot spots of dioxin contamination areas in South Vietnam remain much higher than in unsprayed areas, suggesting that fetuses and breast-fed infants may be exposed to high levels of dioxins. The present study investigated the association of infant neurodevelopment in early infancy and dioxin exposure during the perinatal period.

Methods: The study involved 216 mother-infant pairs living near the Da Nang airbase, a dioxin contaminated area in Vietnam.

Chiral pharmacokinetics of zaltoprofen in rats by HPLC with solid-phase extraction.

We investigated the pharmacokinetic profile of (R)- and (S)-zaltoprofen (ZPF) in rats using rapid and selective liquid chromatography with solid-phase extraction (SPE). The ZPF enantiomers were extracted from a small volume of plasma (0.2 mL) by means of SPE using cartridges and were analyzed on a Chiralcel OJ-H (4.

A new flavan-3-ol and the anti-inflammatory effect of flavonoids from the fruit peels of Wisteria floribunda.

A new flavan-3-ol, (+)-afzelechin 5-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (2), together with 13 known flavonoids (1, 3-14), was isolated from the fruit peels of Wisteria floribunda. Their structures were assigned by detailed interpretation of NMR, MS, and CD spectroscopic data, as well as by comparing with published reports. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of the isolated compounds (1-14) was examined.

Canine lateral thoracic fasciocutaneous flap: an experimental study.

For the purpose of reconstructive surgery training and research, we have developed a new skin flap model: canine lateral thoracic fasciocutaneous flap. Anatomical study found that the lateral thoracic arteries in dogs have similar anatomical characteristics to human's ones. Based on these vessels, if a skin flap was designed within the vessels territory (size 5 x 8 cm) it could survive completely, whereas, if designed beyond the vessels territory (size 5 x 14 cm) would result in partial necrosis of the flap.