In vivo NMR as a tool for probing molecular structure and dynamics in intact Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells

Solid state NMR/Biophysical Organic Chemistr

Genome sequence of the tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans):Vector of African trypanosomiasis

Tsetse flies are the sole vectors of human African trypanosomiasis throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Both sexes of adult tsetse feed exclusively on blood and contribute to disease transmission. Notable differences between tsetse and other disease vectors include obligate microbial symbioses, viviparous reproduction, and lactation. Here, we describe the sequence and annotation of the 366-megabase Glossina morsitans morsitans genome. Analysis of the genome and the 12,308 predicted protein-encoding genes led to multiple discoveries, including chromosomal integrations of bacterial (Wolbachia) genome sequences, a family of lactation-specific proteins, reduced complement of host pathogen recognition proteins, and reduced olfaction/chemosensory associated genes. These genome data provide a foundation for research into trypanosomiasis prevention and yield important insights with broad implications for multiple aspects of tsetse biology.IS

Global burden of transmitted HIV drug resistance and HIV-exposure categories: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives: Our aim was to review the global disparities of transmitted HIV drug resistance (TDR) in antiretroviral-naive MSM, people who inject drugs (PWID) and heterosexual populations in both high-income and low/middle-income countries. Design/methods: We undertook a systematic review of the peer-reviewed English literature on TDR (1999-2013). Random-effects meta-analyses were performed to pool TDR prevalence and compare the odds of TDR across at-risk groups. Results: A total of 212 studies were included in this review. Areas with greatest TDR prevalence were North America (MSM: 13.7%, PWID: 9.1%, heterosexuals: 10.5%); followed by western Europe (MSM: 11.0%, PWID: 5.7%, heterosexuals: 6.9%) and South America (MSM: 8.3%, PWID: 13.5%, heterosexuals: 7.5%). Our data indicated disproportionately high TDR burdens in MSM in Oceania (Australia 15.5%), eastern Europe/central Asia (10.2%) and east Asia (7.8%). TDR epidemics have stabilized in high-income countries, with a higher prevalence (range 10.9-12.6%) in MSM than in PWID (5.2-8.3%) and heterosexuals (6.4-9.0%) over 1999-2013. In low/middleincome countries, TDR prevalence in all at-risk groups in 2009-2013 almost doubled than that in 2004-2008 (MSM: 7.8 vs. 4.2%, P=0.011; heterosexuals: 4.1 vs. 2.6%, P<0.001; PWID: 4.8 vs. 2.4%, P=0.265, respectively). The risk of TDR infection was significantly greater in MSM than that in heterosexuals and PWID. We observed increasing trends of resistance to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase and protease inhibitors among MSM. Conclusion: TDR prevalence is stabilizing in high-income countries, but increasing in low/middle-income countries. This is likely due to the low, but increasing, coverage of antiretroviral therapy in these settings. Transmission of TDR is most prevalent among MSM worldwide

Men who have sex with men in southern Vietnam report high levels of substance use and sexual risk behaviours but underutilise HIV testing services: A cross-sectional study

Objectives This study aims to investigate the levels and correlates of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), drug and alcohol use, and HIV testing among Vietnamese men who have sex with men (MSM). Methods A total of 381 MSM were recruited in a community-based cross-sectional survey in two towns (Long Xuyen and Chau Doc) in An Giang province in 2009 by using a two-stage cluster sampling. Face-toface interviews were conducted to elicit respondents' characteristics. Regression analysis was used to determine the correlates of key behavioural outcomes. Results In the month before being interviewed, 19.9% respondents had used drugs (13.6% injected), 25.2% had consumed alcohol daily and 33.9% had a UAI with ≥2 male partners. Only 19.2% were tested for HIV in the 12 months before being interviewed. Injecting drug use was significantly associated with having sexual partners who also inject, whereas daily alcohol consumption was associated with an ever-married/ cohabiting with women, being transgender and having had at least three male partners in the previous 3 months. Transactional sex, weekly alcohol use, early sexual debut and perception of being at higher risk of HIV infection were correlates of UAI in multiple partnerships. MSM who self-identified as not being gay and those who perceived themselves to be at low risk of HIV infection were less likely to test for HIV. Conclusions Due to the scarcity of effective MSMtargeted prevention programmes, it is likely that substance use, risky sexual behaviours and low testing uptake may substantially contribute to the spread of HIV among Vietnamese MSM sampled. Harm reduction programmes targeting MSM, and in particular injecting MSM, should be rolled-out in this province

Flood-prone area mapping using machine learning techniques: a case study of Quang Binh province, Vietnam

Vietnam’s central coastal region is the most vulnerable and always at flood risk, severely affecting people’s livelihoods and socio-economic development. In particular, Quang Binh province is often affected by floods and storms over the year. However, it still lacks studies on flood hazard estimation and prediction tools in this area. This study aims to develop a flooding susceptibility assessment tool using various machine learning (ML) techniques namely alternating decision tree (AD Tree), logistic model tree (LM Tree), reduced-error pruning tree (REP Tree), J48 decision tree (J48) and Naïve Bayes tree (NB Tree); historical flood marks; and available data of topography, hydrology, geology, and environment considering Quang Binh province as a study area. We used flood mark locations of major flooding events in the years 2007, 2010, and 2016; and ten flood conditioning factors to construct and validate the ML models. Various validation methods, including area under the ROC curve (AUC), were used to validate and compare the models. The result of the models’ validation suggests that all models have good performance: AD Tree (AUC = 0.968), LM Tree (AUC = 0.967), REP Tree (AUC = 0.897), J48 (AUC = 0.953), and NB Tree (AUC = 0.986). Out of these, NB Tree managed to achieve the best performance in terms of flood prediction with an accuracy higher than 92 %. The final flood susceptibility map highlights 6,265 km2 (78.8 % area) with a very low flooding hazard, 391 km2 (4.9 % area) with a low flooding hazard, 224 km2 (2.8 % area) with a moderate flooding hazard, 243 km2 (3.1 %) with a high flooding hazard, and 829 km2 (10.4 % area) with very high flooding hazard. The final flooding susceptibility assessment map could add a valuable source for flood risk reduction and management activities of Quang Binh province