Synthesis and photocatalytic property of Prussian blue/g-C3N4 composite applied to degradation of rhodamine B under visible light

In this work, the Prussian blue/g-C3N4 (PB/g-C3N4) composite was synthesized from Prussian blue and g-C3N4 via a simple method. The composite was characterized by using X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The material’s photocatalytic performance was studied via the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). The results show that the composite degraded RhB more than pristine Prussian blue under visible light after 60 min. This material is promising for organic waste treatment

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Complete genome characterization of two wild-type measles viruses from Vietnamese infants during the 2014 outbreak

A large measles virus outbreak occurred across Vietnam in 2014. We identified and obtained complete measles virus genomes in stool samples collected from two diarrheal pediatric patients in Dong Thap Province. These are the first complete genome sequences of circulating measles viruses in Vietnam during the 2014 measles outbreak

Genome sequences of a novel Vietnamese bat bunyavirus

To document the viral zoonotic risks in Vietnam, fecal samples were systematically collected from a number of mammals in southern Vietnam and subjected to agnostic deep sequencing. We describe here novel Vietnamese bunyavirus sequences detected in bat feces. The complete L and S segments from 14 viruses were determined

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

MALDI-TOF MS and molecular tools for the identification of arthropods of medical and veterinary importance in Vietnam

Résumé Les arthropodes d'importance médicale et vétérinaire sont des insectes et des arachnides pouvant transmettre de nombreux agents pathogènes (bactéries, protozoaires, et virus) responsables de maladies chez les Humains ou les animaux. Chaque année dans le monde , ces agents infectieux transmis sont responsables de millions de cas infectieux, certains mortels, chez les humains et les animaux . La lutte intégrée contre les vecteurs et la surveillance épidémiologique sont essentielles dans les stratégies de contrôle et de surveillance de ces maladies à transmission vectorielle. Cette étude visait à identifier les arthropodes capturés sur des mammifères sauvages et domestiques au Vietnam et analyser la présence éventuellede micro-organismes pathogènes à l'aide d'études morphologiques, de la biologie moléculaires et de la technique du MALDI-TOF. Dans le premier projet, nous avons vérifié la capacité de l'outil MALDI-TOF MS pour l'identification des moustiques vietnamiens capturés sur le terrain et stockés avec du gel de silice. L'analyse MALDI-TOF MS nous a permis d'identifier 22 espèces de moustiques, dont 18 espèces, ont été ajoutées à la base de données IHU comme spectres de référence. Nos travaux montrent que le MALDI-TOF MS est capable de faire la distinction entre des espèces de moustiques très proches ainsi que pour des groupes d'espèces cryptiques, difficiles à distinguer morphologiquement mais aussi par biologie moléculaire. Le but était de fournir une liste tous les moustiques vietnamiens connus, ainsi qu'un aperçu complet des pathogènes transmis par ces moustiques.Medically important arthropods include insects and arachnids are vectors of disease and can transmit many infectious pathogens (bacteria, protozoa, and viruses) that cause common and emerging diseases between humans or from other creatures to humans. Annually, transmitted infectious agents are responsible for millions of infectious and death cases in humans and animals around the world. Integrated vector management and epidemiological surveillance are essential in strategies for the control and monitoring of these vector-borne diseases. Therefore, the accurate identification of arthropod vectors and the characterization of the repertoire of associated microorganisms are crucial steps in vector control. This study aimed to determine arthropods captured from wild and domestic mammals in Vietnam and the presence, prevalence of their associated microorganisms using morphological and MALDI-TOF approaches.In the first project, we evaluated the capacity of the MALDI-TOF MS tool for the rapid and correct identification of the field-caught Vietnamese mosquitoes stored in silica gel. The MALDI-TOF MS analysis allowed us to identify 22 mosquito species, of which 18 species, were added to our house database to be reference spectra. Our work indicated that the MALDI-TOF MS was able to distinguish between the sibling mosquito species and cryptic species groups that are not only difficult to distinguish morphologically but also molecularly. Finally, we wrote a literature review of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases in Vietnam. This review may be useful to decision-makers responsible for vector control strategies and to researchers for future surveys on mosquitoes

Identification of Vietnamese Flea Species and Their Associated Microorganisms Using Morphological, Molecular, and Protein Profiling

International audienceFleas are obligatory blood-sucking ectoparasites of medical and veterinary importance. The identification of fleas and associated flea-borne microorganisms, therefore, plays an important role in controlling and managing these vectors. Recently, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been reported as an innovative and effective approach to the identification of arthropods, including fleas. This study aims to use this technology to identify ethanol-preserved fleas collected in Vietnam and to use molecular biology to search for microorganisms associated with these fleas. A total of 502 fleas were collected from wild and domestic animals in four provinces in Vietnam. Morphological identification led to the recognition of five flea species, namely Xenopsylla cheopis, Xenopsylla astia, Pulex irritans, Ctenocephalides canis, and Ctenocephalides felis. The cephalothoraxes of 300 individual, randomly selected fleas were tested using MALDI-TOF MS and molecular analysis for the identification and detection of microorganisms. A total of 257/300 (85.7%) of the obtained spectra from the cephalothoraxes of each species were of good enough quality to be used for our analyses. Our laboratory MALDI-TOF MS reference database was upgraded with spectra achieved from five randomly selected fleas for every species of Ctenocephalides canis and Ctenocephalides felis. The remaining spectra were then queried against the upgraded MALDI-TOF MS database, which showed 100% correspondence between morphology and MALDI-TOF MS identification for two flea species (Ctenocephalides canis and Ctenocephalides felis). The MS spectra of the remaining species (three P. irritans, five X. astia, and two X. cheopis) were visually generated low-intensity MS profiles with high background noise that could not be used to update our database. Bartonella and Wolbachia spp. were detected in 300 fleas from Vietnam using PCR and sequencing with primers derived from the gltA gene for Bartonella and the 16S rRNA gene for Wolbachia, including 3 Bartonella clarridgeiae (1%), 3 Bartonella rochalimae (1%), 1 Bartonella coopersplainsensis (0.3%), and 174 Wolbachia spp. endosymbionts (58%)

MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry identification of mosquitoes collected in Vietnam

International audienceAbstract Background Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a tool that has revolutionised clinical microbiology and has recently been described as an innovative and effective approach to arthropod identification. Methods In this study, mosquitoes were captured in Vietnam using four different methods (human landing catch, CDC light traps, BG-Sentinel traps, animal-baited net traps). A total of 4215 mosquitoes were captured and morphologically identified as belonging to three genera: Aedes , Anopheles and Culex . We randomly selected 1253 mosquitoes, including 662 specimens of 14 Anopheles species, 200 specimens of two Aedes species and 391 morphologically unidentified Culex specimens, for molecular and MALDI-TOF MS analysis. The DNA from 98 mosquitoes (69 Anopheles specimens, 23 Culex specimens and six Aedes sp. specimens) was subjected to molecular analysis, either to confirm our morphological identification or the MALDI-TOF MS results, as well as to identify the Culex species that were morphologically identified at the genus level and to resolve the discrepancies between the morphological identification and the MALDI-TOF MS identification. Results High-quality MS spectra were obtained for 1058 of the 1253 specimens (84%), including 192/200 for Aedes , 589/662 for Anopheles and 277/391 for Culex . The blind test showed that 986/997 (99%) of the specimens were correctly identified by MALDI-TOF MS, with log score values ranging from 1.708 to 2.843. Eleven specimens of Culex could not be identified based on morphological features, MALDI-TOF MS or molecular analysis. Conclusions This study enabled us to identify several species of mosquitoes from Vietnam using MALDI-TOF MS, and to enrich our database of MALDI-TOF MS reference spectra. Graphical Abstrac

Morphological, molecular and MALDI-TOF MS identification of ticks and tick-associated pathogens in Vietnam

International audienceMatrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been reported as a promising and reliable tool for arthropod identification, including the identification of alcohol-preserved ticks based on extracted leg protein spectra. In this study, the legs of 361 ticks collected in Vietnam, including 251 Rhiphicephalus sanguineus s.l, 99 Rhipicephalus ( Boophilus ) microplus , two Amblyomma varanensis , seven Dermacentor auratus , one Dermacentor compactus and one Amblyomma sp. were submitted for MALDI-TOF MS analyses. Spectral analysis showed intra-species reproducibility and inter-species specificity and the spectra of 329 (91%) specimens were of excellent quality. The blind test of 310 spectra remaining after updating the database with 19 spectra revealed that all were correctly identified with log score values (LSV) ranging from 1.7 to 2.396 with a mean of 1.982 ± 0.142 and a median of 1.971. The DNA of several microorganisms including Anaplasma platys , Anaplasma phagocytophilum , Anaplasma marginale , Ehrlichia rustica , Babesia vogeli , Theileria sinensis , and Theileria orientalis were detected in 25 ticks. Co-infection by A . phagocytophilum and T . sinensis was found in one Rh . ( B ) microplus

Synthesis and photocatalytic property of Prussian blue/g-C3N4 composite applied to degradation of rhodamine B under visible light

In this work, the Prussian blue/g-C3N4 (PB/g-C3N4) composite was synthesized from Prussian blue and g-C3N4 via a simple method. The composite was characterized by using X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The material’s photocatalytic performance was studied via the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). The results show that the composite degraded RhB more than pristine Prussian blue under visible light after 60 min. This material is promising for organic waste treatment