Unraveling the Biology of Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor

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Child stunting is associated with child, maternal, and environmental factors in Vietnam

Child stunting in Vietnam has reduced substantially since the turn of the century but has remained relatively high for several years. We analysed data on children 6–59 months (n = 85,932) from the Vietnam Nutritional Surveillance System, a nationally representative cross‐sectional survey. Multivariable Poisson regression models were used to estimate relative risk (RR) of stunting, stratified by child age and ecological region. Covariates at the child, maternal, household, and environmental levels were included based on available data and the World Health Organization conceptual framework on child stunting. Among children 6–23 months, the strongest associations with child stunting were child age in years (RR: 2.49; 95% CI [2.26, 2.73]), maternal height < 145 cm compared with ≥150 cm (RR: 2.04; 95% CI [1.85, 2.26]), living in the Northeast compared with the Southeast (RR: 2.01; 95% CI [1.69, 2.39]), no maternal education compared with a graduate education (RR: 1.77; 95% CI, [1.44, 2.16]), and birthweight < 2,500 g (RR: 1.75; 95% CI [1.55, 1.98]). For children 24–59 months, the strongest associations with child stunting were no maternal education compared with a graduate education (RR: 2.07; 95% CI [1.79, 2.40]), living in the Northeast compared with the Southeast (RR: 1.94; 95% CI [1.74, 2.16]), and maternal height < 145 cm compared with ≥150 cm (RR: 1.81; 95% CI [1.69, 1.94]). Targeted approaches that address the strongest stunting determinants among vulnerable populations are needed and discussed. Multifaceted approaches outside the health sector are also needed to reduce inequalities in socioeconomic status.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151838/1/mcn12826.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151838/2/mcn12826_am.pd

Child stunting is associated with child, maternal, and environmental factors in Vietnam

Child stunting in Vietnam has reduced substantially since the turn of the century but has remained relatively high for several years. We analyzed data on children 6–59 months (n = 85932) from the Vietnam Nutritional Surveillance System, a nationally representative cross‐sectional survey. Multivariable Poisson regression models were used to estimate relative risk of stunting, stratified by child age and ecological region. Covariates at the child, maternal, household, and environmental levels were included based on available data and the WHO conceptual framework on child stunting. Among children 6–23 months, the strongest associations with child stunting were child age in years (RR: 2.49; 95% CI: 2.26, 2.73), maternal height < 145 cm compared to ≥ 150 cm (RR: 2.04; 95% CI: 1.85, 2.26), living in the Northeast compared to the Southeast (RR: 2.01; 95% CI: 1.69, 2.39), no maternal education compared to a graduate education (RR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.44, 2.16), and birthweight < 2500 g (RR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.55, 1.98). For children 24–59 months, the strongest associations with child stunting were no maternal education compared to a graduate education (RR: 2.07; 95% CI: 1.79, 2.40), living in the Northeast compared to the Southeast (RR: 1.94; 95% CI: 1.74, 2.16), and maternal height < 145 cm compared to ≥ 150 cm (RR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.69, 1.94). Targeted approaches that address the strongest stunting determinants among vulnerable populations are needed and discussed. Multifaceted approaches outside the health sector are also needed to reduce inequalities in socioeconomic status

Syngas Production from Combined Steam and Carbon Dioxide Reforming of Methane over Ce-modified Silicasupported Nickel Catalysts

This study investigates the physicochemical attributes of Ce-modified Santa Barbara Amorphous-15 (SBA-15) supported Ni catalyst and evaluates its catalytic performance for combined steam and CO2 reforming of methane in order to produce synthesis gas. Both 10 % Ni/SBA-15 and 10 % Ni/Ce-SBA-15 catalysts were prepared by conventional wetness impregnation method and characterised via Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Both 10 % Ni/Ce-SBA-15 and 10 % Ni/SBA-15 catalysts possessed high BET surface area of 595.04 m2 g-1 and 493.73 m2 g-1. XRD measurement revealed the existence of NiO phase with crystallite sizes of 15.5 nm and 13.6 nm for the corresponding 10 % Ni/SBA-15 and 10 % Ni/Ce-SBA-15 catalysts whilst cerium (IV) oxide (CeO2) particles were well dispersed on the mesoporous SBA-15 support surface. H2-TPR results showed that NiO to Ni0 reduction was completely obtained at temperature beyond 800 K and the reduction temperature was contingent on the degree of metal-support interaction associated with size and location of NiO nanoparticles on support. Ce-modified catalyst was more stable and active than unmodified Ni/SBA-15 catalyst. 10 % Ni/Ce-SBA-15 catalyst exhibited a significant enhancement in CH4 conversion (up to 11.06 %) and H2 yield (30.51 mol%) reasonably due to the high oxygen storage capacity and redox property of CeO2 phase incorporated into the mesoporous framework of SBA-15 support. H2/CO ratio of 10 % Ni/Ce-SBA-15 catalyst was stable at about 1.74 while a lower value of 1.14 was observed for 10 % Ni/SBA-15 catalyst indicating the occurrence of parallel reactions including CH4 steam reforming reaction and CH4 dry reforming reaction

The mixture of Ganoderma lucidum and Cordyceps militaris: Chemical composition and protective effect against oxidative stress

There is a growing demand for the consumption of medicinal mushrooms and their products. Ganoderma lucidum and Cordyceps militaris are two important medicinal mushrooms with significant pharmacological activities. In this study, we aim to develop a preparation of the extracts of these two mushrooms, and investigate its composition, antioxidant activities, and protective effects against oxidative damage. Liquid chromatography equipped with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF MS) was employed to analyze the chemical profiles of the mixture. A total of 94 compounds were identified as belonging to phenolic acids, flavonoids, triterpenes, and nucleosides. In addition, HPLC-DAD was used to quantify major compounds. Ferulic and cinnamic acids were predominant in the phenolic acid groups, with corresponding concentrations of 0.41 and 0.29 mg/g. The concentration of ganoderic acid A was 0.08 mg/g, and the contents of adenosine and cordycepin were 0.53 and 0.14 mg/g, respectively. The mixture could scavenge free radicals and reduce ferric ions in vitro. The preparation also showed nontoxic but proliferative effects on human fibroblast cells. In addition, it could protect fibroblasts against oxidative stress, reducing 21–22% of cell death in the presence of H2O2. These findings provide more information on the applications of medicinal mushrooms in the functional food and pharmaceutical industries

Child overweight or obesity is associated with modifiable and geographic factors in Vietnam: Implications for program design and targeting

Child overweight or obesity is increasing in most countries, including Vietnam. We sought to elucidate the drivers of child overweight or obesity in Vietnam and understand how they vary geographically. We compiled nationally representative cross-sectional data from the Vietnam Nutrition Surveillance Survey collected annually between 2012–2015 and household income data from the General Statistics Office. We used a quasi-Poisson log link function to calculate relative risks (RRs) of under-five child overweight or obesity for 13 variables and stratified analyses by child age (4000 g (RR: 1.66; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.48, 1.86), maternal body mass index (BMI) ≥27.5 compared with BMI <23 (RR: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.47, 1.78), and living in the Southeast (RR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.84, 2.30), Mekong River Delta (RR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.41, 1.77), or Central South (RR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.37, 1.74) compared with the Central Highland. A 20% higher provincial average monthly per capita income was associated with a 17.4% higher prevalence in child overweight or obesity (P < 0.0001, Adjusted R2 = 0.36). High birthweight and maternal BMI were strongly associated with child overweight or obesity but are not likely primary drivers in Vietnam, given their low prevalence. C-section delivery, sedentary lifestyle, high maternal education, urbanicity, and high household income affect a large proportion of the population and are, therefore, important risk factors. Policies and programs should target these factors and regions at greatest risk of overweight or obesity, particularly the Southeast and Mekong River Delta

Dissociation protocols used for sarcoma tissues bias the transcriptome observed in single-cell and single-nucleus RNA sequencing

Abstract Background Single-cell RNA-seq has emerged as an innovative technology used to study complex tissues and characterize cell types, states, and lineages at a single-cell level. Classification of bulk tumors by their individual cellular constituents has also created new opportunities to generate single-cell atlases for many organs, cancers, and developmental models. Despite the tremendous promise of this technology, recent evidence studying epithelial tissues and diverse carcinomas suggests the methods used for tissue processing, cell disaggregation, and preservation can significantly bias gene expression and alter the observed cell types. To determine whether sarcomas – tumors of mesenchymal origin – are subject to the same technical artifacts, we profiled patient-derived tumor explants (PDXs) propagated from three aggressive subtypes: osteosarcoma (OS), Ewing sarcoma (ES), desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT). Given the rarity of these sarcoma subtypes, we explored whether single-nuclei RNA-seq from more widely available archival frozen specimens could accurately be identified by gene expression signatures linked to tissue phenotype or pathognomonic fusion proteins. Results We systematically assessed dissociation methods across different sarcoma subtypes. We compared gene expression from single-cell and single-nucleus RNA-sequencing of 125,831 whole-cells and nuclei from ES, DSRCT, and OS PDXs. We detected warm dissociation artifacts in single-cell samples and gene length bias in single-nucleus samples. Classic sarcoma gene signatures were observed regardless of the dissociation method. In addition, we showed that dissociation method biases could be computationally corrected. Conclusions We highlighted transcriptional biases, including warm dissociation and gene-length biases, introduced by the dissociation method for various sarcoma subtypes. This work is the first to characterize how the dissociation methods used for sc/snRNA-seq may affect the interpretation of the molecular features in sarcoma PDXs

Child Overweight or Obesity Is Associated with Modifiable and Geographic Factors in Vietnam: Implications for Program Design and Targeting

Child overweight or obesity is increasing in most countries, including Vietnam. We sought to elucidate the drivers of child overweight or obesity in Vietnam and understand how they vary geographically. We compiled nationally representative cross-sectional data from the Vietnam Nutrition Surveillance Survey collected annually between 2012&ndash;2015 and household income data from the General Statistics Office. We used a quasi-Poisson log link function to calculate relative risks (RRs) of under-five child overweight or obesity for 13 variables and stratified analyses by child age (&lt;2 y and 2&ndash;5 y) and region. Additional analysis included log-log linear regression to assess the relationship between average provincial monthly per capita income and child overweight or obesity. The strongest associations with child overweight or obesity included birthweight &gt;4000 g (RR: 1.66; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.48, 1.86), maternal body mass index (BMI) &ge;27.5 compared with BMI &lt;23 (RR: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.47, 1.78), and living in the Southeast (RR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.84, 2.30), Mekong River Delta (RR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.41, 1.77), or Central South (RR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.37, 1.74) compared with the Central Highland. A 20% higher provincial average monthly per capita income was associated with a 17.4% higher prevalence in child overweight or obesity (P &lt;0.0001, Adjusted R2 = 0.36). High birthweight and maternal BMI were strongly associated with child overweight or obesity but are not likely primary drivers in Vietnam, given their low prevalence. C-section delivery, sedentary lifestyle, high maternal education, urbanicity, and high household income affect a large proportion of the population and are, therefore, important risk factors. Policies and programs should target these factors and regions at greatest risk of overweight or obesity, particularly the Southeast and Mekong River Delta