Three phylogenetic groups have driven the recent population expansion of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans var. grubii) is an environmentally acquired pathogen causing 181,000 HIV-associated deaths each year. We sequenced 699 isolates, primarily C. neoformans from HIV-infected patients, from 5 countries in Asia and Africa. The phylogeny of C. neoformans reveals a recent exponential population expansion, consistent with the increase in the number of susceptible hosts. In our study population, this expansion has been driven by three sub-clades of the C. neoformans VNIa lineage; VNIa-4, VNIa-5 and VNIa-93. These three sub-clades account for 91% of clinical isolates sequenced in our study. Combining the genome data with clinical information, we find that the VNIa-93 sub-clade, the most common sub-clade in Uganda and Malawi, was associated with better outcomes than VNIa-4 and VNIa-5, which predominate in Southeast Asia. This study lays the foundation for further work investigating the dominance of VNIa-4, VNIa-5 and VNIa-93 and the association between lineage and clinical phenotype

Case Report of Making Diagnosis and Successful Surgical Treatment of Double Aortic Arch in Vietnam National Children’s Hospital

A 3 years old girl presented with prolonged pneumonia which was poor response to usual treatment. History: Normal past obstetric history, recurrent pneumonia since 1 year old, allergic to shrimp; no family history of atopy; history of foreign body aspiration was not mentioned. Investigations: Big heart shadow on chest X-ray, tracheal stenosis and neglected foreign body were found by bronchoscopy. Double aortic arch was confirmed by echocardiography, 3D-MSCT and cardiac catheterization. Operation was performing successfully. Conclusion: Foreign bodies and cardiovascular malformations are reasons should be noticed in children with persistent pneumonia

Proresolving mediator profiles in cerebrospinal fluid are linked with disease severity and outcome in adults with tuberculous meningitis.

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most lethal form of tuberculosis infection, characterized by a dysregulated immune response that frequently leads to neurologic injury and death despite the best available treatment. The mechanisms driving the inflammatory response in TBM are not well understood. To gain insights into these mechanisms, we used a lipid mediator-profiling approach to investigate the regulation of a novel group of host protective mediators, termed specialized proresolving mediators (SPMs), in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of adults with TBM. Herein, using CSF from patients enrolled into a randomized placebo-controlled trial of adjunctive aspirin treatment, we found distinct lipid mediator profiles with increasing disease severity. These changes were linked with an up-regulation of inflammatory eicosanoids in patients with severe TBM and a decrease in the production of a number of SPMs. CSF proresolving mediator concentrations were also associated with 80-d survival. In survivors, we found a significant increase in proresolving mediator concentrations, including the lipoxygenase 5-derived 13-series resolvin (RvT)2, RvT4, and 15-epi-lipoxin B4, compared with those who died. Of note, treatment of patients with high-dose aspirin led to a decrease in the concentrations of the prothrombic mediator thromboxane A2, reduced brain infarcts, and decreased death in patients with TBM. Together, these findings identify a CSF SPM signature that is associated with disease severity and 80-d mortality in TBM.-Colas, R. A., Nhat, L. T. H., Thuong, N. T. T., Gómez, E. A., Ly, L., Thanh, H. H., Mai, N. T. H., Phu, N. H., Thwaites, G. E., Dalli, J. Proresolving mediator profiles in cerebrospinal fluid are linked with disease severity and outcome in adults with tuberculous meningitis

The natural history and transmission potential of asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection

Background Little is known about the natural history of asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Methods We conducted a prospective study at a quarantine center for coronavirus disease 2019 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We enrolled quarantined people with reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)–confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, collecting clinical data, travel and contact history, and saliva at enrollment and daily nasopharyngeal/throat swabs (NTSs) for RT-PCR testing. We compared the natural history and transmission potential of asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals. Results Between 10 March and 4 April 2020, 14 000 quarantined people were tested for SARS-CoV-2; 49 were positive. Of these, 30 participated in the study: 13 (43%) never had symptoms and 17 (57%) were symptomatic. Seventeen (57%) participants imported cases. Compared with symptomatic individuals, asymptomatic people were less likely to have detectable SARS-CoV-2 in NTS collected at enrollment (8/13 [62%] vs 17/17 [100%]; P = .02). SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 20 of 27 (74%) available saliva samples (7 of 11 [64%] in the asymptomatic group and 13 of 16 [81%] in the symptomatic group; P = .56). Analysis of RT-PCR positivity probability showed that asymptomatic participants had faster viral clearance than symptomatic participants (P  Conclusions Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection is common and can be detected by analysis of saliva or NTSs. The NTS viral loads fall faster in asymptomatic individuals, but these individuals appear able to transmit the virus to others.</p

An open label randomized controlled trial of tamoxifen combined with amphotericin B and fluconazole for cryptococcal meningitis

Background: Cryptococcal meningitis has high mortality. Flucytosine is a key treatment but is expensive and rarely available. The anticancer agent tamoxifen has synergistic anti-cryptococcal activity with amphotericin in vitro. It is off-patent, cheap, and widely available. We performed a trial to determine its therapeutic potential. Methods: Open label randomized controlled trial. Participants received standard care – amphotericin combined with fluconazole for the first 2 weeks – or standard care plus tamoxifen 300 mg/day. The primary end point was Early Fungicidal Activity (EFA) – the rate of yeast clearance from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Trial registration https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03112031. Results: Fifty patients were enrolled (median age 34 years, 35 male). Tamoxifen had no effect on EFA (−0.48log10 colony-forming units/mL/CSF control arm versus −0.49 tamoxifen arm, difference −0.005log10CFU/ml/day, 95% CI: −0.16, 0.15, p=0.95). Tamoxifen caused QTc prolongation. Conclusions: High-dose tamoxifen does not increase the clearance rate of Cryptococcus from CSF. Novel, affordable therapies are needed. Funding: The trial was funded through the Wellcome Trust Asia Programme Vietnam Core Grant 106680 and a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Fellowship to JND grant number WT097147MA

A multi centre randomized open label trial of chloroquine for the treatment of adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection in Vietnam

Background: COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and causes substantial morbidity and mortality. There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19 or therapeutic agent to treat COVID-19. This clinical trial is designed to evaluate chloroquine as a potential therapeutic for the treatment of hospitalised people with COVID-19. We hypothesise that chloroquine slows viral replication in patients with COVID-19, attenuating the infection, and resulting in more rapid decline of viral load in throat/nose swabs. This viral attenuation should be associated with improved patient outcomes. Method: The study will start with a 10-patient prospective observational pilot study following the same entry and exclusion criteria as for the randomized trial and undergoing the same procedures. The main study is an open label, randomised, controlled trial with two parallel arms of standard of care (control arm) versus standard of care with 10 days of chloroquine (intervention arm) with a loading dose over the first 24 hours, followed by 300mg base orally once daily for nine days. The study will recruit patients in three sites in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, the Cu Chi Field Hospital, and the Can Gio COVID hospital. The primary endpoint is the time to viral clearance from throat/nose swab, defined as the time following randomization until the midpoint between the last positive and the first of the negative throat/nose swabs. Viral presence will be determined using RT-PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Discussion: The results of the study will add to the evidence-based guidelines for management of COVID-19. Given the enormous experience of its use in malaria chemoprophylaxis, excellent safety and tolerability profile, and its very low cost, if proved effective then chloroquine would be a readily deployable and affordable treatment for patients with COVID-19. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04328493 31/03/202