Molecular epidemiology of white spot syndrome virus within Vietnam

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV), the sole member of the virus family Nimaviridae, is a large double-stranded DNA virus that infects shrimp and other crustaceans. By alignment of three completely sequenced isolates originating from Taiwan (WSSV-TW), China (WSSV-CN) and Thailand (WSSV-TH), the variable loci in the genome were mapped. The variation suggests the spread of WSSV from a common ancestor originating from either side of the Taiwan Strait to Thailand, but support for this hypothesis through analysis of geographical intermediates is sought. RFLP analysis of eight Vietnamese WSSV isolates, of which six were collected along the central coast (VN-central) and two along the south coast (VN-south), showed apparent sequence variation in the variable loci identified previously. These loci were characterized in detail by PCR amplification, cloning and sequencing. Relative to WSSV-TW, all VN-central isolates showed a similar to8.5 kb deletion in the major variable region ORF23/24, whereas the VN-south isolates contain a deletion of similar to11(.)5 or similar to12(.)2 kb, compared to a similar to1(.)2 or similar to13(.)2 kb deletion in WSSV-CN and WSSV-TH, respectively. The minor variable region ORF14/15 showed deletions of various sizes compared with WSSV-TH for all eight VN isolates. The data suggest that the VN isolates and WSSV-TH have a common lineage, which branched off from WSSV-TW and WSSV-CN early on, and that WSSV entered Vietnam by multiple introductions. A model is presented for the spread of WSSV from either side of the Taiwan Strait into Vietnam based on the gradually increasing deletions of both 'variable regions'. The number and order of repeat units within ORF75 and ORF125 appeared to be suitable markers to study regional spread of WSSV

Neutrino masses through see-saw mechanism in 3-3-1 models

Some years ago it was shown by Ma that in the context of the electroweak standard model there are, at the tree level, only three ways to generate small neutrino masses by the see-saw mechanism via one effective dimension-five operator. Here we extend this approach to 3-3-1 chiral models showing that in this case there are several dimension-five operators and we also consider their tree level realization.Comment: RevTex, 7 pages and 4 .eps figures. Version published in Phys. Rev. D. with a change in the titl

Seesaw tau lepton mass and calculable neutrino masses in a 3-3-1 model

In a version of the 3-3-1 model proposed by Duong and Ma the introduction of the scalar sextet for giving mass to the charged leptons is avoided by adding a singlet charged lepton. We show that in this case the $\tau$ lepton gains mass through a seesaw--like mechanism. Besides we show how to generate neutrino masses at the tree and at the 1-loop level with the respective Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata leptonic mixing matrices.Comment: revtex, 5 pages and one eps figure. Published versio

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Duration and Obesity alter the Efficacy of Autologously Transplanted Bone Marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells

Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (BM-MSCs) represent promising stem cell therapy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but the results of autologous BM-MSC administration in T2DM patients are contradictory. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that autologous BM-MSC administration in T2DM patient is safe and that the efficacy of the treatment is dependant on the quality of the autologous BM-MSC population and administration routes. T2DM patients were enrolled, randomly assigned (1:1) by a computer-based system into the intravenous and dorsal pancreatic arterial groups. The safety was assessed in all the treated patients, and the efficacy was evaluated based on the absolute changes in the hemoglobin A1c, fasting blood glucose, and C-peptide levels throughout the 12-month follow-up. Our data indicated that autologous BM-MSC administration was well tolerated in 30 T2DM patients. Short-term therapeutic effects were observed in patients with T2DM duration of <10 years and a body mass index <23, which is in line with the phenotypic analysis of the autologous BM-MSC population. T2DM duration directly altered the proliferation rate of BM-MSCs, abrogated the glycolysis and mitochondria respiration of BM-MSCs, and induced the accumulation of mitochondria DNA mutation. Our data suggest that autologous administration of BM-MSCs in the treatment of T2DM should be performed in patients with T2DM duration <10 years and no obesity. Prior to further confirming the effects of T2DM on BM-MSC biology, future work with a larger cohort focusing on patients with different T2DM history is needed to understand the mechanism underlying our observation

Parentage Assignment in Striped Catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) Based on Microsatellite Marke

In this study, five microsatellite markers from two multiplex PCR sets were used to determine the pedigree of five striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) families that came from a breeding program in Vietnam. The number of alleles per locus and polymorphic information content (PIC) were 4 to 7 and 0.551-0.803, respectively. In the parentage analysis based on five microsatellites, 62.7% of offspring could be allocated unambiguously to their parental pairs using the perfect mismatch setting, and assignment rate improved to 89.3% after a single mismatch was allowed. Parentage analysis when only four microsatellites were used (a locus with a high frequency of null alleles was excluded) increased the assignment rate to 68% for a perfect mismatch and to 90% for assignment with a single mismatch. Results here confirm that a DNA markerbased approach to parentage assignment in P. hypophthalmus will be useful in genetic improvement programs for this important aquaculture species in Vietnam.

Development of the Vietnamese Healthy Eating Index

Poor dietary quality is a major contributor to malnutrition and disease burden in Vietnam, necessitating the development of a tool for improving dietary quality. Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) have been proposed to do this by providing specific, culturally appropriate and actionable recommendations. We developed the Vietnamese Healthy Eating Index (VHEI) to assess the adherence to the 2016-2020 Vietnamese FBDGs and the dietary quality of the general Vietnamese population. This VHEI consists of eight component scores, 'grains', 'protein foods', 'vegetables', 'fruits', 'dairy', 'fats and oils', 'sugar and sweets' and 'salt and sauces', representing the recommendations in the FBDGs. Each component score ranges from 0 to 10, resulting in a total VHEI score between 0 (lowest adherence) and 80 (highest adherence). The VHEI was calculated using dietary intake data from the Vietnamese General Nutrition Survey 2009-2010 (n = 8225 households). Associations of the VHEI with socio-demographic characteristics, energy and nutrient intakes and food group consumptions were examined. The results showed that the mean and standard deviation score of the VHEI was 433 ± 81. The component 'sugar and sweets' scored the highest (98 ± 11), whereas the component 'dairy' scored the lowest (06 ± 16). The intake of micronutrients was positively associated with the total VHEI, both before and after adjustment for energy intake. In conclusion, the VHEI is a valuable measure of dietary quality for the Vietnamese population regarding their adherence to the FBDGs