Efficacy of combined iron and zinc supplementation on micronutrient status and growth in Vietnamese infants

Objective: To evaluate the effect of combined iron - zinc supplementation on micronutrient status, growth and morbidity. Design: Randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled supplementation trial. Setting: Rural district of Que Vo, in the Red River Delta in Vietnam. Subjects: A total of 915 breast-fed infants aged 4 - 7 months were included and 784 completed the study. Interventions: The Fe-group received daily and for a 6-month period 10 mg of iron, the Zn-group 10 mg zinc, the Fe - Zn group 10 mg iron + 10 mg zinc and the placebo group a placebo. Hemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin ( SF) and zinc (SZn), and anthropometry were measured before and at the end of the intervention. Morbidity was recorded daily. Results: Changes of Hb and SF were higher in both Fe and Fe+Zn groups ( respectively 22.6 and 20.6 g/l for Hb; 36.0 and 24.8 mg/l for SF) compared to Zn and placebo groups ( Hb: 6.4 and 9.8 g/l; SF: - 18.2 and - 16.9 mg/l, P<0.0001). SZn increased more in Zn group (10.3 mu mol/l) than in Fe+Zn group (8.0 mu mol/l, P = 0.03) and more in these groups compared to Fe and placebo groups (1.6 and 1.2 mu mol/l, P<0.0001). Weight gain was higher in the Zn group. No significant effects of supplementations on growth in length or morbidity. Conclusions: Combined iron - zinc supplementation had a positive effect on iron and zinc status in infants. However, the positive effect of zinc alone on SZn and weight would indicate a negative interaction of iron when added to zinc supplements

Wave overtopping resistance of grassed dike slopes in Vietnam

The resistance of various grassed slopes against wave overtopping has been appraised by means of the Wave Overtopping Simulator in situ for a couple of years in Viet Nam. Destructive test results show that a dike slope covered with grass could suffer a certain overtopping discharge not smaller than 20 l/s per m. During testing it was difficult to predict when a slope starts to be damaged, however, damages tend to follow a more or less similar process of development. The concept of “erosional indices” and the method of “cumulative overload” (van der Meer et al., 2010) are applied to the simulator tests in Viet Nam. Critical velocities were then estimated for different kind of grassed slopes.Hydraulic EngineeringCivil Engineering and Geoscience

Adducts of 2-Pyridylselenenyl Halides and Nitriles as Novel Supramolecular Building Blocks: Four-Center Se···N Chalcogen Bonding versus Other Weak Interactions

Supramolecular chemistry of chalcogenadiazoles is attracting an increasing attention due to its applications in materials chemistry. Chalcogen bonding allows a fine-tuning of the self-assembly and, therefore, modulation of physical properties when these compounds are employed. Here, we report a facile preparation of a broad scope of 1,2,4-selenadiazoles via coupling of 2-pyridylselenenyl halides with unactivated nitriles, that represent a novel type of supramolecular building blocks which eagerly engage in a variety of chalcogen bonding interactions. The substituent-dependent propensity of novel selenadiazoles for the formation of four-center Se···N chalcogen bonding is analyzed. Other weak interactions, which in some cases outcompete the formation of 2Se-2N squares, are described. The discovery of the adducts derived from α-halogenated nitriles, which form robust dimers featuring a very specific combination of 2Se-2N square, two Hal···Hal, and two Se···Hal noncovalent interactions, is presented. © 2021 American Chemical Society

Effect of double dose oseltamivir on clinical and virological outcomes in children and adults admitted to hospital with severe influenza: Double blind randomised controlled trial

10.1136/bmj.f3039BMJ (Online)3467911-BMJO