Facile Synthesis of Carbon Quantum Dots by Plasma-liquid Interaction Method

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are a novel type of fluorescent nano-materials with various unique properties. They are recently attracting enormous interest due to their superiority in water solubility, chemical inertness, low toxicity, ease of functionalization as well as resistance to photo-bleaching and potential applications in biomedical indication, photo-catalysis, energy conversion, optoelectronics, and sensing. In this work, we present a facile and environmentally friendly synthesis of CQDs based on plasma - liquid interaction method. This is a single-step method and does not use toxic chemicals. The size distribution of obtained CQDs is rather uniform at approximately 3 nm. The emission peak of CQDs shifts from 427 nm to 523 nm as the excitation wavelength is varied from 340 nm to 460 nm. The non-equilibrium reactive chemistry of plasma liquid interaction is responsible for acceleration of the CQDs formation process

DyGLIP: A Dynamic Graph Model with Link Prediction for Accurate Multi-Camera Multiple Object Tracking

Multi-Camera Multiple Object Tracking (MC-MOT) is a significant computer vision problem due to its emerging applicability in several real-world applications. Despite a large number of existing works, solving the data association problem in any MC-MOT pipeline is arguably one of the most challenging tasks. Developing a robust MC-MOT system, however, is still highly challenging due to many practical issues such as inconsistent lighting conditions, varying object movement patterns, or the trajectory occlusions of the objects between the cameras. To address these problems, this work, therefore, proposes a new Dynamic Graph Model with Link Prediction (DyGLIP) approach to solve the data association task. Compared to existing methods, our new model offers several advantages, including better feature representations and the ability to recover from lost tracks during camera transitions. Moreover, our model works gracefully regardless of the overlapping ratios between the cameras. Experimental results show that we outperform existing MC-MOT algorithms by a large margin on several practical datasets. Notably, our model works favorably on online settings but can be extended to an incremental approach for large-scale datasets.Comment: accepted at CVPR 202

Serum free light-chain concentration and relationship with some characteristics of patients with multiple myeloma

Introduction: Quantifying serum free light-chain is a valuable test to determine the risk at the time of diagnosis, assess the response to treatment, and monitor the recurrence of multiple myeloma. Objective: To investigate the characteristics of serum free light-chain concentration and its relationship with some clinical and subclinical characteristics in patients with multiple myeloma. Methods: Descriptive, retrospective, non-controlled study was conducted, in 74 patients with multiple myeloma. All patients were completed with quantitative tests serum free light-chain κ, and serum free light-chain λ. Results: Intact immunoglobulin multiple myeloma accounted for most patients (81%). Most patients had abnormal serum free light-chain at the time of diagnosis (98.6%). High serum free light-chain concentration was correlated with M protein concentration > 3 g/dL (p< 0.05) and there was no statistically significant correlation between high serum free light-chain and other clinical and subclinical features. Conclusion: Most patients with multiple myeloma have an elevated serum free light-chain at admission time. Correlation of high serum free light-chain with increased serum M protein was noted

When Intervention Becomes Imperative: A Case Report of Spontaneous Vulvar Edema During Pregnancy

Spontaneous idiopathic vulvar edema during the second trimester is a rare condition. The approach to managing this condition involves relieving symptoms, identifying underlying causes, and implementing appropriate treatment. Managing such cases during pregnancy is challenging because of concerns for potential adverse fetal outcomes. Conservative management expects the condition to be relieved spontaneously postpartum, whereas invasive treatment offers a more rapid resolution. Treatment choices are controversial because each method has its pros and cons and influences the delivery process to a certain extent. Surgical drainage becomes a viable option when patients are not responsive to medications. We report a case of spontaneous massive vulvar edema in a 22-year-old primigravida in her 23rd week of pregnancy. After ruling out other notable causes of vulvar edema, we decided to intervene using an invasive procedure because she complained of progressive symptoms and discomfort. Subsequently, the edema subsided postprocedure, and the patient experienced successful labor with no complications. This report aims to alert clinicians that drainage attempts should be considered in pregnant patients with worsening symptoms

Assessment of aflatoxin B1 contamination in rice and maize

Introduction: Aflatoxins B1 are among the most common poisonous mycotoxins produced by certain fungi that harm animals and crops. Mycotoxins can cause a variety of adverse health effects and pose a serious health threat to humans. The Maximum Residue Limits of aflatoxin B1 in processed cereals and ingredients are 2 parts per billion (ppb) and 5 ppb, respectively. Objectives: To evaluate the status of aflatoxin B 1 contamination in rice, corn and staple food produced in Ha Giang province compared with the maximum permitted levels. Methods: A total of 210 rice and maize samples were analyzed to quantify the level of aflatoxin B1. Analysis of mycotoxins was conducted by High Performance Liquid Chromatography using a fluorescence detector. Results: It was found that rice, rice products, maize, and maize products had a mean aflatoxin B1 content of 1.79 ppb, 2.55 ppb, 2.19 ppb, and 6.35 ppb, respectively. The results also showed that 71.9% of samples were contaminated with mycotoxins, and 14.28% of samples exceeded the maximum allowable limit. Conclusion: The concentration of aflatoxin B1 in 14.28% of the samples are over permissible limits by nationwide regulations

In silico analysis of hypermethylation of E-cadherin gene promoter in Nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background: DNA hypermethylation changes in CpG islands of promoter region of E-cadherin (E-cad) gene, one of the tumor suppressor genes, have been described to be involved the formation and progression of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which is the most common and highly incident cancer of head and neck cancer in Asian countries, especially in Vietnam. Purpose: In Vietnam, there is still no research about E-cad promoter methylation in NPC, thus, in current report, a systematic literature revision was carried out to summary the current evidences about the frequencies of Ecad gene promoter on NPC for further applied in Vietnamese population. Methods: A systematic literature analysis was conducted based on the comprehensive search of observational studies. Moreover, CpG islands of candidate gene and transcriptional factors were predicted by using many bioinformatics tools, such as Methprimer, TFsearch, etc. Results: Total of 9 previous published studies were identified and accessed for eligibility from the literature research and enrolled into systematic revision. The variants of E-cad hypermethylation frequency ranked from 11.0% to 64.55% were observed. Moreover, the average weight frequencies of methylated and unmethylated E-cad gene promoter were 55.46% and 40.78%, respectively. Moreover, by several bioinformatics tools, we were successful in predicting the CpG islands as well as identifing transcriptional factor binding sites, served as “hot spot” for ideal primer pick up, located in candidate gene promoter. Conclusion: Based on these data, it suggested that the hypermethylation of E-cad gene promoter was a significant characteristic of NPC, in which, it could be further applied in evaluation of E-cad gene promoter status in Vietnamese population

A Simplified Double-Bundle Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction by the Three-Inside Technique With Two Suspension Buttons and One Interference Screw

In comparison with the single-bundle technique, double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction has proven its superiority regarding biomechanical studies and clinical outcomes in both rotational knee stability and anterior translation function. However, the complexity and risk of complications remain a great concern for the orthopaedic surgeon performing double-bundle ACL reconstruction. We present a simplified double-bundle ACL reconstruction by the 3-inside technique with 2 suspension buttons and 1 interference screw. The semitendinosus tendon is tripled to be the anteromedial (AM) bundle, whereas the gracilis is doubled for the posterolateral (PL) bundle. We perform a 3-socket approach with an inside-out femoral tunnel for the AM bundle, an outside-in femoral tunnel for the PL bundle, and a retrograde tibial socket for the tibial bundle. Thus, this technique is, simply, a combination of 2 procedures: one single all-inside method (for the AM bundle) and one outside-in method (for the PL bundle), with which most arthroscopic surgeons are familiar. The AM and PL bundles are fixed at 30° and 45°, respectively, using 2 suspension buttons and 1 interference screw. Our simplified technique could reduce surgical costs and minimize complications while maintaining isometric position and appropriate graft size for each patient

Initial study of single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping of Epstein-barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA-1) from Vietnamese nasopharyngeal biopsy samples

Background: Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen (EBNA1), encoded by EBNA-1 gene, has been shown as one of the most frequently detected protein in Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), which the most common and highly incident cancer of head and neck cancer in Asian countries. The geographically-associated polymorphisms of EBNA-1 have been observed in East-Southern Asia, including Vietnam. The subtype V-val EBNA-1 has been demonstrated that it may contribute to the oncogenesis of NPC. This current study is initially performed to characterize the variations of EBNA-1 in NPC biopsy samples from Vietnamese patients. Methods: Nested PCR-sequencing was applied to amplify and characterize the C-terminal region of EBNA-1 gene by the designed oligonucleotide primers. Results: 10 NPC biopsy samples were enrolled, as the results, only two patterns of EBNA-1 variations: P-ala and V-val were observed. In addition, of these two subtypes, the frequency of V-val and P-ala were determined counting for 80% (8 of 10 cases) and 20% (2 of 10 cases), respectively. It indicated the V-val subtype preferentially exists in biopsy NPC samples, which collected from Vietnamese patients. Conclusion: We successfully designed the nested PCR-sequencing primer for detection of EBNA-1 variations based on the data collected from previous study. In our initial study, the sub-strain of EBV with V-val subtype of EBNA-1 infects NPC preferentially to those from biopsies of NPC patients. In further study, it is necessary for a larger number of samples and non-cancerous samples in order to confirm the characteristic of EBNA-1 variations, as well as determination of the association V-val subtype with NPC in Vietnamese patients

Extraction and isolation of plant bioactives

Natural bioactive compounds derived from plant materials play an important role in human health. It is desirable to find the most suitable methods for extracting and isolating those compounds from plant matrices. Techniques for extraction and isolation of bioactive compounds have been developed over the years. This chapter presents a general overview of the techniques involved in extraction and isolation of bioactive compounds from plants. Particularly, traditional extraction methods (steam distillation and solid liquid extraction), novel extraction techniques (microwave assisted extraction, ultrasound assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, and pressurised fluid extraction) and isolation techniques (ion-exchange and high performance liquid chromatography) are reviewed. Comparisons of different extraction techniques, various applications and recommendations with specific examples for each technique are also discussed. Furthermore, the different evaluation techniques in vitro and in vivo for bioactivities and antioxidant activities of crude extracts or isolated/purified compounds are also presented