Application of Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction for Serotype Determination of Dengue Virus Strains Isolated in North Vietnam, 1991 to 1993

Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to determine serotypes of 20 dengue virus strains isolated in north Vietnam in the years of 1991 and 1993. There were 10 strains of dengue type 1 (D1), 9 strains of dengue type 2 (D2) and a single strain of dengue type 4 (D4), respectively. The results completely agreed with the serotypes determined by the immunofluorescent staining (IFA) of the infected cells using dengue type-specific monoclonal antibodies

Vietnamese Dalbergia tonkinensis: A Promising Source of Mono- and Bifunctional Vasodilators

Hypertension is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, which are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. In the search for new molecules capable of targeting KCa1.1 and CaV1.2 channels, the expression of which is altered in hypertension, the in vitro vascular effects of a series of flavonoids extracted from the heartwoods, roots, and leaves of Dalbergia tonkinensis Prain, widely used in traditional medicine, were assessed. Rat aorta rings, tail artery myocytes, and docking and molecular dynamics simulations were used to analyse their effect on these channels. Formononetin, orobol, pinocembrin, and biochanin A showed a marked myorelaxant activity, particularly in rings stimulated by moderate rather than high KCl concentrations. Ba2+ currents through CaV1.2 channels (IBa1.2) were blocked in a concentration-dependent manner by sativanone, 3′-O-methylviolanone, pinocembrin, and biochanin A, while it was stimulated by ambocin. Sativanone, dalsissooside, and eriodictyol inhibited, while tectorigenin 7-O-[β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside], ambocin, butin, and biochanin A increased IKCa1.1. In silico analyses showed that biochanin A, sativanone, and pinocembrin bound with high affinity in target-sensing regions of both channels, providing insight into their potential mechanism of action. In conclusion, Dalbergia tonkinensis is a valuable source of mono- and bifunctional, vasoactive scaffolds for the development of novel antihypertensive drugs. © 2022 by the authors

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

Analyzing RBAC Security Policy of Implementation Using AST

Associated research group: Critical Systems Research GroupSecurity policy is a critical property in software applications which require high levels of safety and security. It has to be clearly specified in requirement documents and its implementation must be conformed to the specification. In this paper, we propose an approach to check if the implementation is in accordance with its security policy specification. We use the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST), another manner of expressing the program, to analyze the source code and specify user permission policy in software systems by Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Prospects for Genetic Improvement in Objective Measurements of Body Colour in Pacific Whiteleg Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

Body colour, together with growth and survival, are traits of commercial importance in Pacific whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). However, heritability estimates for objective measurements of body colour are not available in Whiteleg shrimp species, including L. vannamei. Further, the effect of genotype by environment interactions (G &times; E) on this trait (i.e., the objective measures of body colour) and its genetic associations with growth are not known in this species. The present study presented the first attempt at understanding the genetic architecture of this complex character (body colour) that is of economic significance to the shrimp aquaculture sector world-wide. Specifically, we investigated the quantitative genetic basis of shrimp colour, while using the measurement tool (colorimeter) for a Whiteleg shrimp population reared in two contrasting environments. A total of 5464 shrimp had the objective measurements of body colour (lightness, yellowness, and redness) and growth trait records (weight, length and width). They were the offspring of 204 dams and 197 sires. The restricted maximum likelihood mixed model analysis showed that there were heritable additive genetic components for all of the measurements of shrimp colour, with the heritability (h2) ranging from 0.11&ndash;0.55. The h2 estimates for redness and yellowness traits differed between the two environments (h2 = 0.66&ndash;0.82 in Khanhhoa vs. 0.00&ndash;0.03 in Haiphong). However, the heritability for colour traits was moderate (0.11&ndash;0.55) when the two environments were combined. There is existence of (co)-genetic variances between the studied traits. The genetic correlations of body traits with redness or yellowness colour of the shrimp were moderate and positive (a*: 0.13&ndash;0.32 for redness and b*: 0.19&ndash;0.40 for yellowness). The effect of G &times; E interactions on shrimp colours could be important, as the genetic correlations for these traits between the two environments were low (&minus;0.41 to 0.16). Our results showed that the genetic improvement for body colour can be achieved through direct selection and the increased redness colour is also expected to have favorable impacts on growth traits. Breeding programs to improve shrimp colour should account for the effects of environmental factors

A new species of the genusZhangixalus(Amphibia: Rhacophoridae) from Vietnam

A new rhacophorid species is described from Vietnam on the basis of nine specimens collected in Quan Ba District, Ha Giang Province, northeastern Vietnam. The new species is morphologically similar toZhangixalus pinglongensis, Z. dorsoviridis, andZ. nigropunctatus, however, it differs from the latter by having the flank cream with large black blotches on axilla and groin. The genetic distance between the new species andZhangixalus pinglongensis, Z. dorsoviridisandZ. nigropunctatusis >3.57% (16S mtDNA gene fragment).Zhangixalus jodiaesp. nov. can be distinguished from all other species ofZhangixalusand other small rhacophorid species from Southeast Asia by a combination of the following characters: size small (SVL 36.1-39.8 mm in males); head as long as wide; vomerine teeth present; dorsal surface of head and body green without spots; axilla cream with large black blotches, groin and front-rear parts of the thigh, ventral surface of tibia black with orange blotches; lower jaw region greyish, chest and belly cream

Mixed Nanostructured Ti-W Oxides Films for Efficient Electrochromic Windows

With the aim to enhance the electrochromic (EC) efficiency and electrochemical stability of electrochromic devices (ECD), mixed nanostructured TiO2/WO3 films were prepared by an electrochemical deposition method with the purpose of adding WO3 nanoparticles to porous nanocrystalline doctor-blade TiO2 (nc-TiO2) films. The results of the characterization of electrochromic properties in 1 M LiClO4 + propylene carbonate (LiClO4 + PC) of both the nc-TiO2/F-doped tin oxide (FTO) and WO3/TiO2/FTO configurations showed the reversible coloration and bleaching of the ECDs. The response time of the ECD coloration of WO3/TiO2/FTO was found to be as small as 2 sec, and its coloration efficiency (CE) as high as 35.7 cm2 × C−1. By inserting WO3 nanoparticles into the porous TiO2 structures, WO3/TiO2 heterojunctions were formed in the films, consequently enabling both the CE and electrochemical stability of the working electrodes to be considerably enhanced. Since a large-area WO3/TiO2 can be prepared by the doctor-blade technique followed by the electrochemical deposition process, mixed nanostructured Ti-W oxides electrodes constitute a good candidate for smart window applications, taking advantage of the excellent coloration and stability properties as well as the simple and economical fabrication process involved

Southbound – the southernmost record of Tylototriton (Amphibia, Caudata, Salamandridae) from the Central Highlands of Vietnam represents a new species

A new species of the genus Tylototriton is described from Ngoc Linh Mountain, Kon Tum Province, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam based on integrative taxonomy, namely by combining molecular and morphological evidence. Tylototriton ngoclinhensis sp. nov. differs from all other congeners based on morphological data, allopatric distribution, and molecular divergence. In terms of genetic divergence, Tylototriton ngoclinhensis sp. nov. distinctly differs from the sister species T. panhai (6.77%) and from T. ngarsuensis (12.36%) based on the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) gene. Tylototriton ngoclinhensis sp. nov. is a moderate sized and robust salamander species with large cephalic edges, parotoids, and vertebral ridge orange in coloration. The new taxon differs from its congeners by a combination of the following morphological characteristics: size medium (SVL 60.8–66.5 mm, TL 57.6–61.8 mm in males, and SVL 72.5–75.6 mm, TL 62.9–67.9 mm in females); head longer than wide; parotoids very prominent and enlarged, projecting backwards; tail length shorter than snout-vent length; vertebral ridge large, high and glandular in appearance; 14 large and distinct dorsolateral glandular warts; gular fold present; tips of fore and hind limbs overlapping when adpressed along the body; tips of fingers reaching between eye and nostril when foreleg is laid forward; dorsal surface and lateral sides of the head, upper and lower lips, dorsolateral glandular warts, vertebral ridge, the peripheral area of the cloaca and the ventral edge of the tail orange in coloration; the presence of a distinct black line extending from the posterior end of the eye towards the shoulder. Tylototriton ngoclinhensis sp. nov. is restricted to evergreen montane forests near water bodies on Ngoc Linh Mountain. We suggest that the new species should be classified as Endangered (EN) in the IUCN Red List. This new important discovery represents the eighth Tylototriton taxon described from Vietnam, and at the same time constitutes the southernmost distributional record for the whole genus in Asia

Elimination of Dengue by Community Programs Using Mesocyclops (Copepoda) Against Aedes Aegypti in Central Vietnam

From September 2000 to June 2003, a community-based program for dengue control using local predacious copepods of the genus Mesocyclops was conducted in three rural communes in the central Vietnam provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Khanh Hoa. Post-project, three subsequent entomologic surveys were conducted until March 2004. The number of households and residents in the communes were 5,913 and 27,167, respectively, and dengue notification rates for these communes from 1996 were as high as 2,418.5 per 100,000 persons. Following knowledge, attitude, and practice evaluations, surveys of water storage containers indicated that Mesocyclops spp. already occurred in 3-17% and that large tanks up to 2,000 liters, 130-300-liter jars, wells, and some 220-liter metal drums were the most productive habitats for Aedes aegypti. With technical support, the programs were driven by communal management committees, health collaborators, schoolteachers, and pupils. From quantitative estimates of the standing crop of third and fourth instars from 100 households, Ae. aegypti were reduced by approximately 90% by year 1, 92.3-98.6% by year 2, and Ae. aegypti immature forms had been eliminated from two of three communes by June 2003. Similarly, from resting adult collections from 100 households, densities were reduced to 0-1 per commune. By March 2004, two communes with no larvae had small numbers but the third was negative; one adult was collected in each of two communes while one became negative. Absolute estimates of third and fourth instars at the three intervention communes and one left untreated had significant correlations (P = 0.009-< 0.001) with numbers of adults aspirated from inside houses on each of 15 survey periods. By year 1, the incidence of dengue disease in the treated communes was reduced by 76.7% compared with non-intervention communes within the same districts, and no dengue was evident in 2002 and 2003, compared with 112.8 and 14.4 cases per 100,000 at district level. Since we had similar success in northern Vietnam from 1998 to 2000, this study demonstrates that this control model is broadly acceptable and achievable at community level but vigilance is required post-project to prevent reinfestation