Sex discrimination based on morphological traits in Mystus mysticetus Roberts, 1992

This study supplemented the way of sex determination of fish based on the regression relationship of some morphological indicators of Mystus mysticetus. A total of 425 fish specimens were collected by trawl nets at Cai Rang - Can Tho and Long Phu - Soc Trang from January to July 2022. After collection, the fish were transferred to the laboratory to determine their total length (TL), standard length (SL), eye diameter (ED), eye distance (DE), body height (BD), head length (HL), and mouth width (MD) before anatomy for sex determination based on gonads. The regression analysis results of TL-SL, TL-ED, TL-DE, TL-BD, TL-HL, and TL-MD showed that SL, DE, and MD could be used to determine the sex of this fish species because SL and DE were dominant in growth in males, and MD was prevalent in females. In addition, SL could be used to determine the sampling time and HL to determine the distribution environment

Morphometrics allometry changes and sexual dimorphism in Caragobius urolepis (Gobiiformes: Gobiidae)

The present study reported an alternative way of sex-determining for scaleless worm goby Caragobius urolepis based on the regression relationship of some morphological parameters. A total of 328 samples were collected at the trawl nets in two coastal regions in Bac Lieu and Ca Mau from April to August 2022. After collection, the samples were transported to the laboratory in order to measure the total length (TL), body height (BD), head length (HL), the distance of eye (DE), and mouth width (MD) before surgery for accurate sex determination based on gonads. Regression analysis results of TL-BD (growth pattern A+ in females and I in males), TL-HL (growth pattern A+ in females and A- in males), and TL- MD (growth pattern A- in females and A+ in males) could be used to determine the sex of this fish. Moreover, TL-DE and TL-BD could be used to estimate when the samples were collected, e.g , in the dry or wet season, because DE and BD displayed A+ in the wet season but A- in the dry one. The findings could be used as an alternative way to determine fish sex and catching season for this species and others in the Mekong Delta

Structure of general-population antibody titer distributions to influenza A virus.

Seroepidemiological studies aim to understand population-level exposure and immunity to infectious diseases. Their results are normally presented as binary outcomes describing the presence or absence of pathogen-specific antibody, despite the fact that many assays measure continuous quantities. A population's natural distribution of antibody titers to an endemic infectious disease may include information on multiple serological states - naiveté, recent infection, non-recent infection, childhood infection - depending on the disease in question and the acquisition and waning patterns of immunity. In this study, we investigate 20,152 general-population serum samples from southern Vietnam collected between 2009 and 2013 from which we report antibody titers to the influenza virus HA1 protein using a continuous titer measurement from a protein microarray assay. We describe the distributions of antibody titers to subtypes 2009 H1N1 and H3N2. Using a model selection approach to fit mixture distributions, we show that 2009 H1N1 antibody titers fall into four titer subgroups and that H3N2 titers fall into three subgroups. For H1N1, our interpretation is that the two highest-titer subgroups correspond to recent and historical infection, which is consistent with 2009 pandemic attack rates. Similar interpretations are available for H3N2, but right-censoring of titers makes these interpretations difficult to validate

Spatiotemporal evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Delta variants during large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19, Vietnam, 2021

We analyzed 1,303 SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequences from Vietnam, and found the Alpha and Delta variants were responsible for a large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19 in 2021. The Delta variant was confined to the AY.57 lineage and caused >1.7 million infections and >32,000 deaths. Viral transmission was strongly affected by nonpharmaceutical interventions

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

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Fabrication of Porous Hydroxyapatite Granules as an Effective Adsorbent for the Removal of Aqueous Pb(II) Ions

Porous hydroxyapatite (HAp) granules have been successfully fabricated from a HAp powder precursor and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) additive by a simple sintering process. The composition and microstructures of the HAp were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometer. The effects of sintering temperature and PVA/HAp mass ratios on color, water stability, morphology, and chemical composition of HAp are discussed. Optimum conditions for the fabrication of HAp granules were found to be a PVA/HAp mass ratio of 3/20 and a sintering temperature of 600°C for 4 h. Accordingly, the obtained HAp is white in color, is in the granular form with a size of about 2 × 10 mm, and has a specific surface area of 70.6 m2/g. The adsorption of Pb2+ onto the as-prepared HAp granules was carried out in aqueous solution by varying the pH, the adsorbent dose, the initial concentration of Pb2+, and the contact time. The results of adsorption stoichiometry of Pb2+ on the HAp granule adsorbent were fitted to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model (R2 = 0.99). The adsorption capacity and removal efficiency of the HAp granule adsorbent for Pb2+ under optimal conditions were found to be 7.99 mg/g and 95.92%, respectively. The adsorption process obeyed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model with R2∼1. The porous HAp granules studied in this work showed potential for the removal of Pb2+ from industrial wastewater

Study of Nasal Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide (FENO) in Children with Allergic Rhinitis

(1) Background: Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) has been considered as a biomarker of airway inflammation. The measurement of fractional exhaled NO (FENO) is a valuable test for assessing local inflammation in subjects with allergic rhinitis (AR). (2) Objective: To evaluate (a) the correlation between nasal FENO with anthropometric characteristics, symptoms of AR and nasal peak flows in children without and with AR; and (b) the cut-off of nasal FENO for diagnosis of AR in symptomatic children. (3) Methods: The study was a descriptive and cross-sectional study in subjects with and without AR &lt; 18 years old. All clinical and functional characteristics of the study subjects were recorded for analysis. They were divided into healthy subjects for the control group and subjects with AR who met all inclusion criteria. (4) Results: 100 subjects (14 ± 3 years) were included, including 32 control subjects and 68 patients with AR. Nasal FENO in AR patients was significantly higher than in control subjects: 985 ± 232 ppb vs. 229 ± 65 ppb (p &lt; 0.001). In control subjects, nasal FENO was not correlated with anthropometric characteristics and nasal inspiratory or expiratory peak flows (IPF or EPF) (p &gt; 0.05). There was a correlation between nasal FENO and AR symptoms in AR patients and nasal IPF and EPF (p = 0.001 and 0.0001, respectively). The cut-off of nasal FENO for positive AR diagnosis with the highest specificity and sensitivity was ≥794 ppb (96.7% and 92.6%, respectively). (5) Conclusion: The use of nasal FENO as a biomarker of AR provides a useful tool and additional armamentarium in the management of allergic rhinitis

Characterizations and Antibacterial Efficacy of Chitosan Oligomers Synthesized by Microwave-Assisted Hydrogen Peroxide Oxidative Depolymerization Method for Infectious Wound Applications

The use of naturally occurring materials with antibacterial properties has gained a great interest in infected wound management. Despite being an abundant resource in Vietnam, chitosan and its derivatives have not yet been intensively explored for their potential in such application. Here, we utilized a local chitosan source to synthesize chitosan oligomers (OCS) using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) oxidation under the microwave irradiation method. The effects of H2O2 concentration on the physicochemical properties of OCS were investigated through molecular weight, degree of deacetylation, and heavy metal contamination for optimization of OCS formulation. Then, the antibacterial inhibition was examined; the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration (MIC and MBC) of OCS-based materials were determined against common skin-inhabitant pathogens. The results show that the local Vietnamese chitosan and its derivative OCS possessed high-yield purification while the molecular weight of OCS was inversely proportional and proportional to the concentration of H2O2, respectively. Further, the MIC and MBC of OCS ranged from 3.75 to less than 15 mg/mL and 7.5–15 mg/mL, respectively. Thus, OCS-based materials induce excellent antimicrobial properties and can be attractive for wound dressings and require further investigation

Fabrication of silver nanoparticle-containing electrospun polycaprolactone membrane coated with chitosan oligosaccharides for skin wound care

An ideal wound dressing should have several qualities to protect the wound from infection and other adverse factors. This study aimed to fabricate a wound care membrane combining the two well-known bioactive agents silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and chitosan oligosaccharides (COS). In specific, this multilayer membrane (PCL-Ag/POX/COS) consisted of (1) the electrospun basement layer of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and AgNPs; (2) the intermediate amphiphilic layer of PCL and poloxamer 407 (POX); and (3) the coating layer of COS and poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP). Several characterisation tests showed that the membrane was successfully coated with COS and owned suitable characteristics as a wound dressing, including proper tensile strength (more significant than the typical value of the skin), the hydrophilic and fluid-absorbable innermost surface, the waterproof outermost basement, vapour permeability, rapid COS release, and gradual AgNP release. In vitro experiments proved its haemostatic effect and antibacterial activities. Though its 100% extract solution reduced in vitro fibroblast viability, through the skin-defected mouse model experiment, PCL-Ag/POX/COS was compatible with the wound tissue and exhibited several positive effects on wound healing. In conclusion, PCL-Ag/POX/COS was proven for its potential for wound care, but it needs further investigations to allow translation from bench to bedside