The Anatomical Numerical Measurement of Posterior Cruciate Ligament: A Vietnamese Cadaveric Study

BACKGROUND: The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is crucial to restrain the posterior translation of the tibia. Its anatomical structure is complex. A proper understanding of PCL anatomy may assist surgeon in reconstructing anatomically native PCL. AIM: To describe the anatomical numerical measurement of the PCL in Vietnamese adults. METHODS: Twenty-one fresh cadaveric knees were examined. The macroscopic details of the intra-articular PCL, the attachment of the anterolateral bundle (ALB), posteromedial bundles (PMB) to the femur and tibia were analysed. We used a digital camera to photograph the cadaveric specimens and used the ImageJ software to analyse the collected images. RESULTS: The ALB and PMB length were 35.5 ± 2.78 and 32.6 ± 2.28 mm, respectively. The smallest and the biggest diameter of middle third of the PCL were 5.9 ± 0.71 and 10.0 ± 1.39 mm, respectively. The area of cross section of middle third of the PCL was 53.6 ± 12.37 mm2. The femoral insertion area of ALB and PMB were 88.4 ± 16.89 and 43.5 ± 8.83 mm2, respectively. The distance from the central point of femoral ALB, PMB, and total PCL insertion to the Blumensaat line were 5.5 ± 0.91, 11.5 ± 1.98, and 7.6 ± 1.42 mm, respectively. The shortest distance from medial femoral cartilage rim to the central point of femoral ALB, PMB, and total PCL insertion were 7.0 ± 0.79, 7.3 ± 0.95, and 7.8 ± 1.73 mm, respectively. The tibial insertion area of ALB and PMB were 84.5 ± 12.52 and 47.8 ± 6.20 mm2 respectively. The shortest distance from the posterior cartilage corner of the medial tibial plateau to the central point of ALB, PMB, and total PCL insertion to tibia were 8.5 ± 1.02, 9.4 ± 1.11, and 8.3 ± 1.1 mm, respectively. The central point of tibial PCL insertion was 9.7±1.08 mm below cartilage plane of the medial tibial plateau. CONCLUSION: This study describes the detailed anatomical measurement of the PCL and its bundles in adults

Co-infection of human parvovirus B19 with Plasmodium falciparum contributes to malaria disease severity in Gabonese patients

Background: High seroprevalence of parvovirus B19 (B19V) coinfection with Plasmodium falciparum has been previously reported. However, the impact of B19V-infection on the clinical course of malaria is still elusive. In this study, we investigated the prevalence and clinical significance of B19V co-infection in Gabonese children with malaria. Methods: B19V prevalence was analyzed in serum samples of 197 Gabonese children with P. falciparum malaria and 85 healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and direct DNA-sequencing. Results: B19V was detected in 29/282 (10.28%) of Gabonese children. B19V was observed more frequently in P. falciparum malaria patients (14.21%) in comparison to healthy individuals (1.17%) (

Genetic variants of interferon regulatory factor 5 associated with chronic hepatitis B infection

Aim: To investigate possible effects of IRF5 polymorphisms in the 3’ UTR region of the IFR5 locus on susceptibility to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and progression of liver diseases among clinically classified Vietnamese patients.Methods: Four IFR5 SNPs (rs13242262A/T, rs77416878C/T, rs10488630A/G, and rs2280714T/C) were genotyped in clinically classified HBV patients [chronic hepatitis B (CHB). n = 99; liver cirrhosis (LC), n = 131; hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), n = 149] and in 242 healthy controls by direct sequencing and TaqMan real-time PCR assays. Results: Comparing patients and controls, no significant association was observed for the four IFR5 variants. However, the alleles rs13242262T and rs10488630G contributed to an increased risk of liver cirrhosis (LC vs CHB: OR = 1.5, 95%CI: 1.1-2.3, adjusted P = 0.04; LC vs CHB: OR = 1.7, 95%CI: 1.1-2.6, adjusted P = 0.019). Haplotype IRF5*TCGT constructed from 4 SNPs was observed frequently in LC compared to CHB patients (OR = 2.1, 95%CI: 1.2-3.3, adjusted P = 0.008). Haplotype IRF5*TCAT occurred rather among CHB patients than in the other HBV patient groups (LC vs CHB: OR = 0.4, 95%CI: 0.2-0.8, adjusted P = 0.03; HCC vs CHB: OR = 0.3, 95%CI: 0.15-0.7, adjusted P = 0.003). The IRF5*TCAT haplotype was also associated with increased levels of ALT, AST and bilirubin. Conclusion: Our study shows that IFR5 variants may contribute as a host factor in determining the pathogenesis in chronic HBV infections

Study, Design and Construction of an Early Warning Environmental Radiation Monitoring Station

We report on the design and construction of an Early Warning Environmental Radiation Monitoring Station (EWERMS), used ONLINE in the environmental radiation monitoring and early warning network. It has a  high sensitivity and can send a prompt alarm signal via Internet to the emergency management office. It includes four gamma probes: one NaI(Tl) and three Geiger Mueller (GM) detectors. The NaI(TL) detector is used to monitor spectrum environmental radiation and measure the isotopic composition, the GM detectors are used to detect and measure high gamma ray rates. The instrument has been designed to be used outdoor and tolerate large and rapid temperature variations. The photomultiplier tubes (PMT), amplifiers and Analog To Digital (ADC) gains are stabilized using pulsed LEDs as precision reference light sources

Impacts of climatic and varietal changes on phenology and yield components in rice production in Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture, Northeast Japan for 36 years

We investigated temporal changes in paddy rice phenology and yield under climatic and varietal changes in Shonai region, Yamagata Prefecture, northeast Japan across a period of 1982–2017. In the study region, the dominant variety shifted from Sasanishiki to Haenuki in mid 1990s. Temporal trends across the study period were significant in mean air temperatures for the months from May to July, and the temperature rise has accelerated heading, which was delayed by the varietal shift. We built models of the effects of climatic and varietal changes on phenological events and yield components: number of grains per land area, percentage ripened grains, and 1000-grain weight. Combining the yield component models, we built a yield model, with which we estimated the effect of the temperature rise from May to July on the yield. The temperature rise in May and June has reduced the yield by accelerating phenology, while that in July has increased the yield by raising 1000-grain weight. The net effect was no change in the yield across the study period, which, however, does not indicate an insensitivity of the yield to the temperature rise. Rather, the finding points to the dependency of the net change in the yield on seasonal pattern of the climate change. Climate change impacts on rice should therefore be quantified on the changes at monthly or shorter time scale rather than a seasonal mean. Our finding also points to the need to pay attention to the changes in agronomic practices such as varieties

Soil Organic Matter Dynamics as Affected by Land Use Change from Rice Paddy to Wetland

International audienceThe objective of this study was to investigate the impact of land use change, from rice paddy to natural wetland, on soil organic matter dynamics 12 years after the former was abandoned. Cold water extracted organic carbon (CWEOC) and hot water extracted organic carbon (HWEOC) obtained from surface and subsurface soil layers were measured as important indexes, reflecting organic matter dynamics. The quality of CWEOC and HWEOC was characterized by UV absorbance and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) modeling of fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (FEEMs). The results showed the land use change didn’t significantly alter the quantity of SOC in all layer, but decrease the concentrations of CWEOC and HWEOC whereas the δ13C values appeared to increase. It suggested the carbon input into soil induced the change of DOC. The SUVA254 results showed aromatic content of DOC was less abundant in rice paddy, indicating DOC from paddy soil is more labile. The FEEM analysis suggested extracts from the rice paddy surface and wetland subsurface layers contain more humic-like fluorophores, while higher abundances of the tryptophan-like fluorophore were found in rice paddy subsurface and wetland surface layers. Overall, converting rice paddy to wetland didn’t alter the stock of SOC; however, it significantly decreased the stock and stability of dissolved organic carbon

High Prevalence and Significance of Hepatitis D Virus Infection among Treatment-Naïve HBsAg-Positive Patients in Northern Vietnam

Background: Hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection is considered to cause more severe hepatitis than hepatitis B virus (HBV) monoinfection. With more than 9.5 million HBV-infected people, Vietnam will face an enormous health burden. The prevalence of HDV in Vietnamese HBsAg-positive patients is speculative. Therefore, we assessed the prevalence of HDV in Vietnamese patients, determined the HDV-genotype distribution and compared the findings with the clinical outcome. Methods: 266 sera of well-characterized HBsAg-positive patients in Northern Vietnam were analysed for the presence of HDV using newly developed HDV-specific RT-PCRs. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were performed for HDV-genotyping. Results: The HDV-genome prevalence observed in the Vietnamese HBsAg-positive patients was high with 15.4% while patients with acute hepatitis showed 43.3%. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated a predominance of HDV-genotype 1 clustering in an Asian clade while HDV-genotype 2 could be also detected. The serum aminotransferase levels (AST, ALT) as well as total and direct bilirubin were significantly elevated in HDV-positive individuals (

Assessing the accuracy of the International Academy of Cytology Yokohama System for reporting breast fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology at a Vietnamese oncology centre

Background: Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB), accompanied by classification systems for cytology, can offer a cheap and convenient option for the diagnosis of breast cancer in women with suspicious breast lumps. In this study, we aimed to assess the accuracy of the International Academy of Cytology (IAC) Yokohama system in a Vietnamese oncology centre. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2021 to April 2022 at Vietnam National Cancer Hospital. We included patients with full hospital records regarding breast lesions for which FNAB was indicated. A total of 803 patients' FNAB specimens were assessed according to the IAC Yokohama system. The basic characteristics were summarised using the appropriate summary measurements. The risk of malignancy (ROM) was calculated for each classification category. Results: The median age was 42.7 years (range: 14-85). The mean size of the lesions was 17.9 mm (range: 4-123 mm). We had 215 histopathological reports. The most common benign and malignant diagnoses were fibroadenoma and invasive carcinoma, respectively. The ROM for categories II, III, IV, and V was calculated as 3.4%, 37.5%, 95%, and 99.2% respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 96.4%, 97.2%, 98.5%, and 93.2%, respectively. Conclusion: The IAC Yokohama system offers a good option with which to predict underlying breast pathology using a simple and cheap procedure. However, pathologists require continuous training to ensure accurate interpretation of the slides.Cytopathology, 34(4), pp.325-333; 202