Isolation an agar degradation Bacillus sp. AT6 and preliminary application for seaweed saccharification

Background: Agar is a common polysaccharide found in nature. However, agar is strongly resisted to the degradation processing, leading to limitation of its application in various areas. Thus, finding an effective solution for agar saccharification significantly improves the economically effects of agar based substrates.Methods: Soil samples were collected from TienPhong Forestry Ltd. Company, ThuyXuan District, ThuaThien Hue province, Vietnam. Potential agar degrading bacteria were screened on a mineral salt agar medium. The isolate was identified based on 16S rRNA nucleotide sequence, morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics. Agarase production was evaluated by modification culture conditions including incubation time, shaking speed, and initial inoculum size. Molecular mass of extracellular agarase was determined by native SDS-PAGE. The effect of pH, temperature, metal ions, and organic solvents were conducted for enzyme characterization. Application of enzyme was investigated on seaweed saccharification.Result: An agar degrading bacterial strain was isolated from soils and identified as Bacillus sp. AT6. Maximal agarase accumulation obtained in the culture containing an inoculum size of 10% (v/v), shaking speed of 210 rpm, and 96 hours incubation. The agarase revealed a single band on zymogram analysis with an apparent molecular weight of 180 kDa. The optimal temperature and pH were 40°C and pH 8.0, respectively. All tested metal ions and organic solvents partially decreased enzyme activity. Treatment seaweed by agarase resulted in reducing sugars release present in the reaction, indicating the saccharification of seaweed was succeeded.Conclusion: Bacillus sp. AT6 is a new report of agarolytic bacteria that produces extracellular agarase enzymes. The present results promise strain AT6 is a great candidate for agar saccharification for industrial application

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

Expanding co-payment for methadone maintenance services in Vietnam: the importance of addressing health and socioeconomic inequalities

Abstract Background Ensuring high enrollment while mobilizing resources through co-payment services is critical to the success of the methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) program in Vietnam. This study assessed the willingness of patients to pay (WTP) for different MMT services delivery models and determined its associated factors. Methods A facility based survey was conducted among 1016 MMT patients (98.7% male, 42% aged 35 or less, and 67% living with spouse) in five MMT clinics in Hanoi and Nam Dinh province in 2013. Socioeconomic, HIV and health status, history of drug use and rehabilitation, and MMT experience were interviewed. WTP was assessed using contingent valuation method, including a set of double-bounded binary questions and a follow-up open-ended question. Point and interval data models were used to estimate maximum willingness to pay. Results 95.5% patients were willing to pay for MMT at the monthly mean price of US$ 32 (95%CI = 28–35). Higher WTP was associated with higher level of educational attainment, higher income, male sex, and had high expenses on opiates prior to MMT. Patients who reported having any problem in Pain/ Discomfort, and who did not have outpatient care last year were willing to pay less for MMT than others. Conclusion High level of WTP supports the co-payment policies as a strategy to mobilize resources for the MMT program in Vietnam. However, it is necessary to ensure equalities across patient groups by acknowledging socioeconomic status of different settings and providing financial supports for disadvantaged patients with severe health status

Producing bacterial cellulose from industrial recycling paper waste sludge

This study aimed to produce bacterial cellulose from paper waste sludge (PWS) as a method of utilizing the cellulose source from the remaining pulp in the material. Initially, PWS was hydrolyzed by sulfuric acid to create an enriched-reducing sugar hydrolysate. One-factor experiments were conducted with a fixed amount of PWS (5 g) to investigate the influence of hydrolysis conditions, including water, sulfuric acid addition, temperature, and retention time, on the production yield of reducing sugars. Based on these results, the Box-Behnken model was designed to optimize the hydrolysis reaction. The optimal hydrolysis conditions were 10 ml/g of the sulfuric acid solution (30.9%) at 105.5 °C for 90 min of retention time 0.81 (gGE/g PWS), corresponding to a conversion yield of 40.5%). Subsequently, 100 ml of the filtered and neutralized PWS hydrolysate was used as the culture to produce the bacterial cellulose (BC) using Acetobacter xylinum, which produced 12 g/L of bacterial cellulose. The conversion yield of bacterial cellulose calculated as the ratio of the weight of produced bacterial cellulose to that of cellulose in PWS reached 33.3%. The structure of the obtained BC was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to indicate the formation of nano-cellulose fiber networks. This research proposed a combined method to convert paper waste sludge into bacterial cellulose, demonstrating the potential for waste utilization and sustainable production of paper industries for added-value products

Optimization of Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction of Phenolics and Terpenoids from Sweet Basil Leaves Using Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents

This investigation focused on assessing and enhancing ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) using natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) to extract phenolics and terpenoids from sweet basil leaves. The initial stage involved evaluating the extraction performance of twelve NADES and ethanol. A NADES comprising lactic acid and glucose with a 2 : 1 molar ratio and 20% water content (WC) obtained the highest total phenolic content (TPC) and total terpenoid content (TTC). Single-factor experiments systematically examined the impact of liquid-to-solid ratio (LSR), water content in NADES (WC), ultrasound power, temperature, and exposure time on the extraction yield. Optimization using Box–Behnken Design (BBD) models for the lactic acid and glucose-based UAE revealed the optimal conditions to be 80 ml/g LSR, 30% water, 300 W, 50°C temperature, and a 15-minute exposure time. Under these optimized parameters, the extraction achieved the highest TPC and TTC at 69.88 mg GAE/g and 110.71 mg UA/g, respectively. This study presents an environmentally friendly and sustainable extraction protocol for the extraction of phenolic compounds and terpenoids from sweet basil leaves

Co-financing for viral load monitoring during the course of antiretroviral therapy among patients with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam: A contingent valuation survey.

BACKGROUND:Viral load testing is considered the gold standard for monitoring HIV treatment; however, given its high cost, some patients cannot afford viral load testing if this testing is not subsidized. Since foreign aid for HIV/AIDS in Vietnam is rapidly decreasing, we sought to assess willingness to pay (WTP) for viral load and CD4 cell count tests among HIV-positive patients, and identified factors that might inform future co-payment schemes. METHODS:A multi-site cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1133 HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Hanoi and Nam Dinh. Patients' health insurance coverage, quality of life, and history of illicit drug use were assessed. A contingent valuation approach was employed to measure patients' WTP for CD4 cell count and viral load testing. RESULTS:HIV-positive patients receiving ART at provincial sites reported more difficulty obtaining health insurance (HI) and had the overall the poorest quality of life. Most patients (90.9%) were willing to pay for CD4 cell count testing; here, the mean WTP was valued at US$8.2 (95$) per test. Most patients (87.3%) were also willing to pay for viral load testing; here, mean WTP was valued at US$18.6 (95$) per test. High income, high education level, and hospitalization were positively associated with WTP, while co-morbidity with psychiatric symptoms and trouble paying for health insurance were both negatively related to WTP. CONCLUSIONS:These findings raise concerns that HIV-positive patients in Vietnam might have low WTP for CD4 cell count and viral load testing. This means that without foreign financial subsidies, many of these patients would likely go without these important tests. Treating psychiatric co-morbidities, promoting healthcare services utilization, and removing barriers to accessing health insurance may increase WTP for monitoring of HIV/AIDS treatment among HIV+-positive Vietnamese patients

Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents based on recruitment site.

<p>Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents based on recruitment site.</p

The Bidding process, based on the contingent valuation model.

<p>(A) Bidding process to measure WTP for CD4 cell count; (B) Bidding process to measure WTP for Viral load test. <i>Note</i>: *<i>N indicates unwillingness to pay; Y indicates willingness to pay</i>.</p

Health insurance among participants.

<p>Health insurance among participants.</p

Willingness to pay for HIV treatment monitoring—CD4 & VIRAL LOAD.

<p>Willingness to pay for HIV treatment monitoring—CD4 & VIRAL LOAD.</p