On Building a Community to Exchange and Share Sustainable Fashion Applications

Sustainable development is a standard plan for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future, set forth by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by all United Nations member states and agreed to in 2015. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call to action for all developed and developing countries in relation to global cooperation. Many factors cause environmental pollution, but the fashion industry is considered by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as the second most polluting industry in the world. It accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions due to the energy used in production, manufacturing, and transportation. In particular, the factors that strongly affect the environment in the fashion industry are the textile materials, the fabric dyeing industry, and the rapid development of fast fashion. The data was collected through an online survey of 101 fashion consumers and interviews with nine target audiences who need to buy and sell used clothes or are interested in buying and selling used clothes or sustainable fashion. Sustainable design is not a new concept, but it is still quite strange to the Vietnamese. Consumer ignorance about sustainable consumption and the harmful effects of the fashion industry on planet Earth is a big reason why consumers constantly plunge into the shopping vortex. The problem of wasteful and unsustainable fashion consumption is a big global problem at a time when the fashion industry is gradually emerging into the sustainable fashion movement. This is an opportunity to build a community by connecting consumers through their essential needs, helping them raise awareness, change their behavior, and make each individual part of a sustainable fashion community. They are thus contributing to sustainable development in the future. Keywords: SDGs, sustainable fashion, sustainable consumption, communit

Synthesis of gelatin stabilized gold nanoparticles with seed particles enlargement by gamma Co-60 irradiation

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with size from 13 to ~36 nm were synthesized by γ-irradiation method using gelatin as stabilizer. The AuNPs with controllable size were prepared using various concentration of Au3+ from 0.5 to 2 mM and seed particle enlargement with different ratios of [Au3+]/[Auo] up to 50. Maximum absorption wavelength (λmax) was measured by UV-Vis spectroscopy, and particle size was determined from TEM images. Results showed that the size of AuNPs increased with the Au3+ concentration. The seed enlargement approach is efficient to control the size of AuNPs. The value of λmax shifted from 527.5 nm (seed particles) to 537.5 nm, and the size of AuNPs increased from 13 nm (seed particles) to ~36 nm for concentration ratio of [Au3+]/[Auo] up to 40. Thus, γ-irradiation method is favorable for production of AuNPs with controllable size and high purity. The AuNPs/gelatin synthesized by γ-irradiation with the advantages of environmental friendly and mass production process may be potentially promising for applications in medicines, cosmetics and in other fields as well. Keywords. Gold, Nanoparticles, Gelatin, γ-irradiation

Influence of foliar application with Moringa oleifera residue fertilizer on growth, and yield quality of leafy vegetables

Biofertilizers produced from organic materials help to promote the growth, and yield quality of crops and is more environmentally friendly than chemical fertilizers. Moringa oleifera is a leafy vegetable whose leaves are also used to make biofertilizers. The use of moringa non-edible parts in biofertilizer preparation remains under-explored. In this study, a procedure to produce moringa foliar biofertilizer (MFB) from non-edible parts was developed. The effect of composting time (3 to 4 months) on the quality of MFB was investigated, and four-month incubation was found suitable for biofertilizers yield with the highest nitrogen content and optimal pH. Furthermore, the influences of MFB doses (20 to 100 mL per Litre) on the growth of lettuce and mustard spinach were studied. The yield of these leafy vegetables was the highest at 100 mL per Litre of MFB spray. Finally, MFB was compared with other commercial foliar sprays, including chitosan fertilizer and seaweed fertilizer. Each foliar treatment was applied every five days until five days before harvest. Plant height, the number of leaves, canopy diameter, leaf area index, actual yield, ascorbic acid content, and Brix were found to be similar in lettuce sprayed with MFB, chitosan, and seaweed fertilizers. In conclusion, the application of MFB promoted the growth and yield of mustard spinach

The Virome of Acute Respiratory Diseases in Individuals at Risk of Zoonotic Infections

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic emphasizes the need to actively study the virome of unexplained respiratory diseases. We performed viral metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) analysis of 91 nasal-throat swabs from individuals working with animals and with acute respiratory diseases. Fifteen virus RT-PCR-positive samples were included as controls, while the other 76 samples were RT-PCR negative for a wide panel of respiratory pathogens. Eukaryotic viruses detected by mNGS were then screened by PCR (using primers based on mNGS-derived contigs) in all samples to compare viral detection by mNGS versus PCR and assess the utility of mNGS in routine diagnostics. mNGS identified expected human rhinoviruses, enteroviruses, influenza A virus, coronavirus OC43, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A in 13 of 15 (86.7%) positive control samples. Additionally, rotavirus, torque teno virus, human papillomavirus, human betaherpesvirus 7, cyclovirus, vientovirus, gemycircularvirus, and statovirus were identified through mNGS. Notably, complete genomes of novel cyclovirus, gemycircularvirus, and statovirus were genetically characterized. Using PCR screening, the novel cyclovirus was additionally detected in 5 and the novel gemycircularvirus in 12 of the remaining samples included for mNGS analysis. Our studies therefore provide pioneering data of the virome of acute-respiratory diseases from individuals at risk of zoonotic infections. The mNGS protocol/pipeline applied here is sensitive for the detection of a variety of viruses, including novel ones. More frequent detections of the novel viruses by PCR than by mNGS on the same samples suggests that PCR remains the most sensitive diagnostic test for viruses whose genomes are known. The detection of novel viruses expands our understanding of the respiratory virome of animal-exposed humans and warrant further studies

The Virome of Acute Respiratory Diseases in Individuals at Risk of Zoonotic Infections

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic emphasizes the need to actively study the virome of unexplained respiratory diseases. We performed viral metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) analysis of 91 nasal-throat swabs from individuals working with animals and with acute respiratory diseases. Fifteen virus RT-PCR-positive samples were included as controls, while the other 76 samples were RT-PCR negative for a wide panel of respiratory pathogens. Eukaryotic viruses detected by mNGS were then screened by PCR (using primers based on mNGS-derived contigs) in all samples to compare viral detection by mNGS versus PCR and assess the utility of mNGS in routine diagnostics. mNGS identified expected human rhinoviruses, enteroviruses, influenza A virus, coronavirus OC43, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A in 13 of 15 (86.7%) positive control samples. Additionally, rotavirus, torque teno virus, human papillomavirus, human betaherpesvirus 7, cyclovirus, vientovirus, gemycircularvirus, and statovirus were identified through mNGS. Notably, complete genomes of novel cyclovirus, gemycircularvirus, and statovirus were genetically characterized. Using PCR screening, the novel cyclovirus was additionally detected in 5 and the novel gemycircularvirus in 12 of the remaining samples included for mNGS analysis. Our studies therefore provide pioneering data of the virome of acute-respiratory diseases from individuals at risk of zoonotic infections. The mNGS protocol/pipeline applied here is sensitive for the detection of a variety of viruses, including novel ones. More frequent detections of the novel viruses by PCR than by mNGS on the same samples suggests that PCR remains the most sensitive diagnostic test for viruses whose genomes are known. The detection of novel viruses expands our understanding of the respiratory virome of animal-exposed humans and warrant further studies.Peer reviewe

Clinical Outcomes of Patients With Drug-Resistant Tuberculous Meningitis Treated With an Intensified Antituberculosis Regimen.

Drug-resistant tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is difficult to diagnose and treat. Mortality is high and optimal treatment is unknown. We compared clinical outcomes of drug-resistant and -susceptible TBM treated with either standard or intensified antituberculosis treatment. We analyzed the influence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug resistance on the outcomes of patients with TBM enrolled into a randomized controlled trial comparing a standard, 9-month antituberculosis regimen (containing rifampicin 10 mg/kg/day) with an intensified regimen with higher-dose rifampicin (15 mg/kg/day) and levofloxacin (20 mg/kg/day) for the first 8 weeks. The primary endpoint of the trial was 9-month survival. In this subgroup analysis, resistance categories were predefined as multidrug resistant (MDR), isoniazid resistant, rifampicin susceptible (INH-R), and susceptible to rifampicin and isoniazid (INH-S + RIF-S). Outcome by resistance categories and response to intensified treatment were compared and estimated by Cox regression. Of 817 randomized patients, 322 had a known drug resistance profile. INH-R was found in 86 (26.7%) patients, MDR in 15 (4.7%) patients, rifampicin monoresistance in 1 patient (0.3%), and INH-S + RIF-S in 220 (68.3%) patients. Multivariable regression showed that MDR (hazard ratio [HR], 5.91 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 3.00-11.6]), P < .001), was an independent predictor of death. INH-R had a significant association with the combined outcome of new neurological events or death (HR, 1.58 [95% CI, 1.11-2.23]). Adjusted Cox regression, corrected for treatment adjustments, showed that intensified treatment was significantly associated with improved survival (HR, 0.34 [95% CI, .15-.76], P = .01) in INH-R TBM. Early intensified treatment improved survival in patients with INH-R TBM. Targeted regimens for drug-resistant TBM should be further explored

Insulin signaling and its application

The discovery of insulin in 1921 introduced a new branch of research into insulin activity and insulin resistance. Many discoveries in this field have been applied to diagnosing and treating diseases related to insulin resistance. In this mini-review, the authors attempt to synthesize the updated discoveries to unravel the related mechanisms and inform the development of novel applications. Firstly, we depict the insulin signaling pathway to explain the physiology of insulin action starting at the receptor sites of insulin and downstream the signaling of the insulin signaling pathway. Based on this, the next part will analyze the mechanisms of insulin resistance with two major provenances: the defects caused by receptors and the defects due to extra-receptor causes, but in this study, we focus on post-receptor causes. Finally, we discuss the recent applications including the diseases related to insulin resistance (obesity, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer) and the potential treatment of those based on insulin resistance mechanisms

Drivers of antibiotic use in Vietnam: implications for designing community interventions.

INTRODUCTION: Antimicrobial resistance is a global challenge that threatens our ability to prevent and treat common infectious diseases. Vietnam is affected by high rates of antimicrobial resistant infections, driven by the overuse of antibiotics and the Vietnamese government has recognised antimicrobial resistance as a health security priority. This study aimed to understand how people in Vietnam use antibiotics in community settings, and the factors that impact their practices and decision-making regarding antibiotics. METHODS: We conducted 43 qualitative in-depth interviews with 50 community members in two urban and two rural sites in Vietnam. We conducted iterative, inductive thematic analysis alongside data collection through a process of systematic debriefings based on detailed interview summaries. Through this process, we developed a coding framework that was then applied to transcribed interview data. RESULTS: Frequent and indiscriminate use of antibiotics was driven by the powerful appeal that antibiotics held for many Vietnamese consumers. Consumers were discerning in making decisions in their purchase and use of antibiotics. Consumers' decisions were affected by perceptions of what constitutes high-quality medicine (effective, strong, accessible and affordable); privileging symptom control over diagnosis; social constructions of antibiotics as a trusted remedy with embodied evidence of prior efficacy, which is reinforced by advice from trusted sources in their community; and varied, generally incomplete, understanding of the concept of antibiotic resistance and its implications for individuals and for public health. CONCLUSION: Antibiotic use at the community and primary care level in Vietnam is driven by community members' social and economic response to what constitutes effective healthcare, rather than biomedical logic. Community-based interventions to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use need to engage with the entangled socio-structural factors that 'resist' current public health efforts to ration antibiotic use, alongside biomedical drivers. This study has informed the design of a community-based trial to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use

DẪN LIỆU MỚI VỀ MÔI TRƯỜNG NƯỚC VÀ SINH VẬT TRONG CÁC HANG NGẦM VÀ HỒ NƯỚC MẶN KHU VỰC VỊNH HẠ LONG, CÁT BÀ

Submerged caves and saltwater lakes are 2 common habitat types in Ha Long and Cat Ba. However, depending on many different reasons so far they have been poorly studied both on environmental and biological characteristics. The initial results on environment and biological communities in 3 submerged caves (Hang Sang, Hang Toi, Qua Bang) and 3 saltwater lakes (Ang Dau Be, Ang Du, Ang Qua Bang) showed that: status of water environment was different among lakes, especially in the closed lake as Ang Du where salinity was low (9‰), while salinity in the lakes connected to the sea was equal to marine environment (23 - 27‰). Concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) in saltwater lakes was high from 7.63 - 9.03 mg/L and higher than that in submerged caves and surrounding marine environment. Physical and chemical factors of water in the submerged caves were equivalent to the marine environment because these caves are connected to the sea and water regularly goes in and out according to tidal fluctuation. Organism communities in the submerged caves were abundant with over 142 species being found. The popular groups, sponge and soft coral, were distributed along the length of the caves. Several species with high economic value were commonly observed in the caves, including stone crab Myomenippe hardwickii, flower crab Portunus pelagicus, cone snails Trochus pyramis, shoemaker spinefoot Siganus sutor, snapper Lutjanus russelii ... Species that permanently live in cave were not detected. In the lakes where water is well exchanged to the sea, coral reefs were found and they formed a narrow reef around the lake. Sandy bars often appeared around the lake at the depth of 0.5 - 2 m, containing specialty species as phi (Sanguinolaria diphos), snout otter clam (Lutraria rhynchaena), sea cucumbers with high density (Ang Dau Be, Ang Qua Bang). There was no coral reef in the closed lake (Ang Du) because of low salinity. In this lake, stratification of temperature and salinity led to temperature on surface lower than that on bottom from 30C to 60C, this phenomenon is unusual.Hang ngầm và hồ nước mặn là 2 dạng sinh cảnh khá phổ biến ở Hạ Long và Cát Bà, do nhiều nguyên nhân khác nhau đến nay chúng rất ít được quan tâm nghiên cứu. Các kết quả nghiên cứu bước đầu về môi trường và quần xã sinh vật trong 3 hang ngầm (Hang Sáng, Hang Tối, Hang Quả Bàng) và 3 hồ nước mặn (Áng Đầu Bê, Áng Dù, Áng Quả Bàng) cho thấy: Môi trường nước có sự khác biệt giữa các hồ, đặc biệt là trong hồ kín như Áng Dù có độ muối thấp (9‰), trong khi các hồ có cửa thông với biển có độ muối gần tương đương với môi trường ngoài (23 - 27‰). Hàm lượng chất khí hòa tan như DO trong các hồ nước mặn khá cao từ 7,63 - 9,03 mg/l, cao hơn trong hang ngầm và cao hơn ở môi trường biển xung quanh. Các yếu tố vật lý và hóa học trong môi trường nước tại các hang ngầm gần tương đương với môi trường bên ngoài do có các hang ngầm đều thông với biển và có nước chảy thường xuyên theo sự lên xuống của thủy triều. Quần xã sinh vật trong các hang khá phong phú với trên 142 loài được tìm thấy, phổ biến nhất là hải miên và san hô mềm, chúng phân bố dọc chiều dài hang. Có một số loài có giá trị kinh tế cao thường gặp trong hang là Cù kì Myomenippe hardwickii, ghẹ Portunus pelagicus, ốc nón Trochus pyramis, cá dìa Siganus sutor, cá hồng Lutjanus russellii ... Chưa phát hiện thấy các loài chuyên biệt sống cố định trong hang. Ở các hồ nước lưu thông với môi trường bên ngoài có sự xuất hiện của rạn san hô, chúng tạo thành một dải hẹp bao quanh hồ. Các bãi cát thường xuất hiện quanh hồ ở độ sâu 0,5 - 2 m có các loài đặc sản như phi phi, tu hài, hải sâm với mật độ khá cao (Áng Đầu Bê, Áng Quả Bàng). Trong áng kín không có rạn san hô do nước có độ muối thấp, có sự phân tầng của nhiệt độ và độ muối làm cho nhiệt độ ở tầng mặt thấp hơn tầng đáy 3 - 60C đây là hiện tượng bất thường ở các hồ này

The burden of tuberculosis in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: a spatial analysis of drug-susceptible and multi-drug resistant cases between 2020 and 2023

We characterised the spatial distribution of drug-susceptible (DS) and multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) cases in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), a major South-East Asian metropolis, and explored demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with local TB burden. Hot spots of DS- and MDR-TB incidence were observed in the central parts of HCMC, with substantial heterogeneity observed across wards. Positive spatial autocorrelation was observed for both DS- and MDR-TB. Ward-level TB incidence was associated with HIV prevalence (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.77, 95% CI 1.54-2.03) and the male proportion of the population (IRR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02-1.08). No ward-level demographic and socioeconomic indicators were associated with MDR-TB case count relative to total TB case count. Our findings may inform spatially-targeted TB control strategies and provide insights for generating hypotheses about the nature of the relationship between DS- and MDR-TB in HCMC, Vietnam and the wider South-East Asia region