Effectiveness and safety of in vitro maturation of oocytes versus in vitro fertilisation in women with high antral follicle count : Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

This work was supported by Ferring grant number 000323 and sponsored by My Duc Hospital.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Association of Cytokines with Severe Dengue in Children

Background: Dengue virus infection is a major public health problem. A hypothesis put forward for severe dengue is the cytokine storm, a sudden increase in cytokines that induces vascular permeability. Previous studies and our recent meta-analysis showed that IL-6, IL-8, IFNγ, TNFα, VEGF-A and VCAM-1 are associated with dengue shock syndrome. Therefore, in this study we aim to validate the association of these cytokines with severe dengue. Methods & Findings: In a hospital based-case control study in Vietnam, children with dengue fever, other febrile illness and healthy controls were recruited. Dengue virus infection was confirmed by several diagnostic tests. Multiplex immunoassay using Luminex technology was used to measure cytokines simultaneously. A positive association with dengue shock syndrome was found for VCAM-1, whereas a negative association was found for IFNγ. Furthermore, multivariate logistic analysis also showed that VCAM-1 and IFNγ were independently correlated with dengue shock syndrome. Conclusion: IFNγ and VCAM-1 were associated with dengue shock syndrome, although their role in the severe dengue pathogenesis remains unclear. Additional studies are required to shed further light on the function of these cytokines in severe dengue

Synthesis and characterization of Cu/ZnO catalyst on carbon nanotubes and Al2O3 supports

CO2 conversion into valuable chemicals is an attractive option to deal with the increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. In this study, Cu/ZnO catalyst was synthesized on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and Al2O3 supports via incipient wetness impregnation method. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were investigated using TEM, XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption analysis, H2-TPR and XPS. The performance of the synthesized catalysts in a CO2 hydrogenation reaction was evaluated in a fixed-bed reactor at 503 K, 22.5 bar and H2:CO2 ratio of 3:1. TEM images showed that Cu/ZnO nanoparticles were deposited inside the CNTs as well as on the exterior walls of the CNTs. The average CuO crystallite size on Al2O3 and CNTs supports was 15.7 and 11 nm, repectively. Results of H2-TPR studies showed that the reducibility of the catalyst was improved on the CNTs support. XPS analysis confirmed the presence of Cu2+ in the samples, however, the binding energy of Cu 2p3/2 peak on the Al2O3 support was shifted to higher value compared to that of CNTs support. Products obtained from the CO2 hydrogenation reaction in the presence of these catalyts were methanol, ethanol, methyl formate and methane. The CO2 conversion of around 23% was obtained using both types of catalysts, however, Cu/ZnO on CNTs resulted in higher yield of methyl formate compared to that of Al2O3-supported catalyst.The authors acknowledge financial support provided by Yayasan Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (YUTP) Fundamental Research Grant (project cost center no: 0153AA-A97).Scopu

Analysis and processing of in-vivo neural signal for artifact detection and removal

10.1109/BMEI.2012.65131972012 5th International Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, BMEI 2012437-44

Sosekima : proceedings of socio-economics, innovation and management of the Java sea pelagic fisheries

In 1994, the Mekong Delta had 14,337 fishing boats. They exploited 404,500 tons of products from 220,000 km2 of the Economic Excluse Zone, that covers respectively 44% and 60% of national and regional fisheries' production. Traditionally developed since the beginning of the twentieth century, the industry has undergone different stages by political changes. In recent years, dramatic changes arose from the motorisation and the introduction of high productive new fishing gears (trawl net, gill net and encircling net) for off-shore fishing to prevent the exploitation in the coastal areas. Meanwhile, longlines, stow nets, scrape gears are also important. The private sector covers a large proportion in the total production output. Cost structure and profitability depend on fishing types, scales and sectors. The study also presents recommendtions for further development of the industry. Particular emphasis is placed on gaining knowledge of resource management and fishing technology. (Résumé d'auteur

Out-of-plane exchange bias and magnetic anisotropy in MnPd/Co multilayers

10.1016/j.jmmm.2008.07.007Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials320233334-3340JMMM

Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of <i>Edwardsiella ictaluri</i> isolates from natural outbreaks of bacillary necrosis of <i>Pangasianodon hypophthalmus</i> in Vietnam

The purpose of this study was to assess the in vitro susceptibility of 64 Vietnamese isolates of Edwardsiella ictaluri, the causal agent of the infectious disease Bacillus Necrosis Pangasius in Pangasianodon hypophthalmus, using the agar dilution technique. All isolates originated from different farms and were collected between 2002 and 2005. None of the isolates displayed acquired resistance to amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, chloramphenicol, florfenicol, gentamicin, kanamycin, neomycin, and nitrofurantoin. Acquired resistance to streptomycin was detected in 83%, to oxytetracycline in 81%, and to trimethoprim in 71% of the isolates, as indicated by a bimodal distribution of the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of these antimicrobials. The MICs of enrofloxacin displayed a monomodal distribution with tailing toward the higher MIC values, possibly indicating reduced susceptibility of a minority of isolates (3 out of the 64). For the quinolone antimicrobial agents flumequin and oxolinic acid, acquired resistance was encountered in 8% and 6% of the strains, respectively. All strains were intrinsically resistant to the polypeptide antimicrobial agent colistin. Seventy-three percent of the isolates were shown to have acquired resistance to at least three antimicrobial agents. The results of this study emphasize the strict need to control both the prophylactic and curative use of antimicrobial agents in Vietnamese aquaculture

Low-field magnetoresistance of Fe/Cr multilayers

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