Synthesis and application of Fe3O4/GO/PVP composite material for methylene blue adsorption

In this study, Fe3O4/GO/PVP (FGP) was successfully synthesized and efficiently applied for absorbing methylene blue. First, GO was synthesized by Hummer’s method from waste home-batteries. The chemical co-precipitation method was used to fabricate Fe3O4/GO from a mixture solution of GO, Fe3+, Fe2+. Polyvinylpyrrolidone PVP was selected to functionalize Fe3O4/GO and form Fe3O4/GO/PVP for improving dispersibility purpose in aqueous solution. The obtained Fe3O4/GO/PVP was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, BET, FE-SEM, UV-Vis techniques. Moreover, the effecting factors as pH, time adsorption, initial concentration of methylene blue were conducted. Adsorption isotherm models were also identified. The results showed that specific surface area of FGP-3 was 70.0 m2.g-1, the Freundlich isotherm model was suitable and the Dubinin - Radushkevich isotherm model showed that the process was physical adsorption. The maximum capacity (qmax) was 30.4 mg.g-1. These findings prove Fe3O4/GO/PVP as an inexpensive and efficient adsorbent for removal of cationic dyes

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

Spatial distribution of elemental concentrations in street dust of Hanoi, Vietnam

Street dust samples were collected at 163 locations across four different zones of Hanoi, Vietnam, covering different traffic and population densities. Samples were sieved into three fractions of different particle sizes and analyzed for elemental concentrations (K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, Pb) using an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument. The metal concentrations in street dust were compared among different sampling zones and with samples from background to evaluate the degree of pollution. The smallest size particle fraction (diameter 180 μm). While concentrations of metals like Ca and Fe are spatially similar, concentrations of Pb and Zn in street dust varied between different zones, with the highest concentrations observed in dust from the downtown area, and lowest levels in the new suburb areas. Overall, compared to studies from cities in other countries, the mean concentration of Pb in street dust in Hanoi was relatively low, suggesting a lower risk to human health due to inhalation or ingestion of Pb-containing dust particles than in cities where Pb concentrations were several times higher

Particulate air pollution in Ho Chi Minh city and risk of hospital admission for acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) among young children

This study demonstrates that high level of PM increased the risk of admission for acute lower respiratory infection among Vietnamese children, especially for acute bronchiolitis and among males.High levels of air pollutants in Vietnam, especially particulate matters including PM, can be important risk factors for respiratory diseases among children of the country. However, few studies on the effects of ambient air pollution on human health have been conducted in Vietnam so far. The aim of this study is to examine the association between PM and hospital admission due to acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) among children aged < 5 years old in Ho Chi Minh city, the largest city of Vietnam. Data relating PM and hospital admission were collected from February 2016–December 2017 and a time series regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between PM and hospital admission including the delayed effect up to three days prior to the admission. We found that each 10 μg/m increase in PM was associated with an increase of 3.51 (95%CI: 0.96–6.12) risk of ALRI admission among children. According to the analysis, male children are more sensitive to exposure to PM than females, while children exposed to PM are more likely to be infected with acute bronchiolitis than with pneumonia. The study demonstrated that young children in HCMC are at increased risk of ALRI admissions due to the high level of PM concentration in the city's ambient air

Elemental concentrations in roadside dust along two national highways in Northern Vietnam and the health-risk implication

There is a need to assess the risk of exposure to metals via roadside dust in Vietnam where many people live along the road/highways and are constantly exposed to roadside dust. In this study, we collected dust samples at 55 locations along two major Highways in north-east Vietnam, which passed through different land use areas. Samples were sieved into three different particle sizes and analyzed for concentrations of eight metals using a X-ray fluorescence instrument. The concentrations and environmental indices (EF, I ) of metals were used to evaluate the degree of pollution in the samples. Among different land uses, industrial areas could be highly polluted with heavy metals in roadside dust, followed by commerce and power plants. Additionally, the traffic density probably played an important role; higher concentrations were observed in samples from Highway No. 5 where traffic is several times higher than Highway No. 18. According to the risk assessment, Cr poses the highest noncarcinogenic risk even though the health hazard index values of assessed heavy metals in this study were within the acceptable range. Our assessment also found that the risk of exposure to heavy metals through roadside dust is much higher for children than for adults

Preparation and Assessment of Some Characteristics of Nanoparticles Based on Sodium Alginate, Chitosan, and Camellia chrysantha Polyphenols

This paper presents the characteristics, morphology, and properties of alginate/chitosan/polyphenol nanoparticles, in which polyphenols were extracted from Camellia chrysantha leaves collected in Tam Dao district, Vinh Phuc province (Vietnam). The alginate/chitosan/polyphenol nanoparticles were prepared by ionic gelation method at different polyphenol content. The characteristics and morphology of these nanoparticles were investigated using infrared spectroscopy (IR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Release kinetic of polyphenols from the alginate/chitosan/polyphenol nanoparticles was conducted in simulated human body fluids. The release kinetics of polyphenols from the above nanoparticles were also evaluated and discussed. The experimental results showed that the release process of polyphenols from the nanoparticles was dependent on three factors: time, pH of solution, and amount of polyphenols

Human brucellosis exposure in confirmed cutaneous anthrax cases, Dien Bien, Vietnam with an update on human prevalence regionally

Anthrax and brucellosis are important zoonoses worldwide. Often, they are reported separately with separate control strategies in livestock; routine vaccination for both accompanied by culling for brucellosis. The status of both diseases is poorly understood in Vietnam. In Vietnam, anthrax has been identified as a priority zoonotic disease for control in a One Health Circular (#16, 2013). Vietnam has a likely substantial, but poorly understood, brucellosis risk. There were no data available for Vietnam in the 2006 global assessment. Brucellosis rates are unknown, but the disease has been confirmed for humans and livestock, including recent genotyping in southern provinces. Here, we implemented the fluorescence polarization assay (FPA) using the Sentry 200 handheld FPA reader (Ellie Labs) and the B1002 test kits (based on an O-polysaccharide for Brucella abortus, which also reacts with B. suis and B. melitensis). We performed tests on human and animal samples. Human serum samples (collected 2011-2016) were randomly selected from the NIHE serum bank and livestock samples were provided from NCVD and NIHE (2015 - 2018); additional swine samples were provided by ILRI. We are currently running active hospital surveillance across six provinces in northern Vietnam, with 1,018 samples collected to date and 312 tested. We confirmed 1.39% human exposure to brucellosis (5/359; 95% CI: 0.045% - 3.22%). Four of those exposures were detected in Dien Bien province and two of those were confirmed cutaneous anthrax cases. The two co-infections were detected in family members from a single household in 2011 with the remaining two cases independent of each other in 2015. The fifth case was reported from Ha Nam province in 2016. These results suggest brucellosis may be widespread underappreciated/underreported in Vietnam. Preliminary results from ongoing surveillance suggest similar prevalence rates. We tested 1107 animals. While human samples were limited to northern Vietnam, animal samples were widely distributed. Domestic swine from southern Vietnam were 9.4% (17/180) seropositive. A second group of swine samples from ILRI had 2.2% seroprevalence (11/500). The remaining samples represented domestic cattle/buffaloes; all sero-negative. Our results suggest brucellosis surveillance for Vietnam is warranted and future policy might list brucellosis as reportable

Relationship between serum TNF-α, IL-6, and IL- 10 levels and disease severity, and changes in the cytokines after treatment in patients with bacterial community-acquired pneumonia

Introduction The role of some cytokines, such as interleukin (IL) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), in serum in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) has been mentioned. There are few results on changes in serum cytokines in patients with bacterial CAP. This study aimed at the relationship between serum TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 levels, disease severity, and changes in serum cytokines in patients with bacterial CAP. Methods A descriptive follow-up study was conducted on 78 hospitalized patients with CAP. Serum IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α levels were measured by fluorescence covalent microbead immunosorbent assay technique. Changes in serum cytokine levels were measured on admission’s first and seventh day. Results TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 medians were 0.76, 2.15, and 1.18 pg/ mL, respectively. There was no difference in interleukin levels between the two groups, namely those aged 0.05). The levels of IL-10 in patients with Gram-positive bacteria pneumonia were significantly higher than those with Gram-negative bacteria (2.23 pg/mL vs 1.15 pg/mL, respectively, p=0.03). Logistic regression analysis revealed that IL-10 (OR=0.92; 95% CI: 0.86–0.99, p=0.03) was associated with the prognosis of disease severity. IL-6 levels decreased statistically on day 7 after treatment (1.12 pg/mL vs 2.15 pg/mL, p=0.003). The change in TNF-α and IL-10 after treatment was not significant (p>0.05). Conclusions Serum IL-10 levels during hospitalization time are related to the prognosis of disease severity. After 7 days of treatment, IL-6 levels decreased statistically; however, TNF-α and IL-10 levels did not change

Additional file 1 of A study of genetic variants associated with skin traits in the Vietnamese population

Supplementary Material