Investigation of Sodium Manganese Oxide Nanowires Synthesized by Hydrothermal Method for Alkaline Ion Battery

Sodium Manganese Oxide (NaxMnO2) has attracted much attention as cathode materials for alkaline ion battery due to the ability of fast charge and discharge ion Na+, in particular in nanoscale. We report on the synthesis of NaxMnO2 nanowires via hydrothermal synthesis route from Mn2O3 and NaOH solution. The morphological observation indicates that the obtained Na0.44MnO2 nanowires with diameters of about 20-30 nm, length up to several micrometers were formed by this process. The electrochemical properties of fabricated materials were investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry technique and show that Sodium Manganese Oxide (NaxMnO2) is a promising material in the field of research and fabrication alkaline ion battery

Quantifying antimicrobial access and usage for paediatric diarrhoeal disease in an urban community setting in Asia.

OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial-resistant infections are a major global health issue. Ease of antimicrobial access in developing countries is proposed to be a key driver of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) epidemic despite a lack of community antimicrobial usage data. METHODS: Using a mixed-methods approach (geospatial mapping, simulated clients, healthcare utilization, longitudinal cohort) we assessed antimicrobial access in the community and quantified antimicrobial usage for childhood diarrhoea in an urban Vietnamese setting. RESULTS: The study area had a pharmacy density of 15.7 pharmacies/km2 (a pharmacy for every 1316 people). Using a simulated client method at pharmacies within the area, we found that 8% (3/37) and 22% (8/37) of outlets sold antimicrobials for paediatric watery and mucoid diarrhoea, respectively. However, despite ease of pharmacy access, the majority of caregivers would choose to take their child to a healthcare facility, with 81% (319/396) and 88% (347/396) of responders selecting a specialized hospital as one of their top three preferences when seeking treatment for watery and mucoid diarrhoea, respectively. We calculated that at least 19% (2688/14427) of diarrhoea episodes in those aged 1 to <5 years would receive an antimicrobial annually; however, antimicrobial usage was almost 10 times greater in hospitals than in the community. CONCLUSIONS: Our data question the impact of community antimicrobial usage on AMR and highlight the need for better education and guidelines for all professionals with the authority to prescribe antimicrobials

Data on gene cloning, expression, purification, and characterization of the glycoside hydrolase family 11 from Bacillus velezensis

Bacillus velezensis RB.IBE29 is a chitinolytic bacterium originally isolated from the rhizospheric soil of black pepper grown in Vietnam. This bacterium is a strong biocontrol agent against plant pathogens and possesses a novel chitinase system. Genome sequences available in CAZy database revealed B. velezensis possesses one gene encoding xylanase belonging to glycoside hydrolase family 11; however, this enzyme has yet to be un-experimentally characterized. In this work, xyA gene was isolated from the genomic DNA of strain RB.IBE29 and cloned in Escherichia coli DH5α cells using the pUC19 vector. Sequencing analysis showed that the ORF of xyA contains 642 bp and encodes the deduced xylanase with 213 aa and 23.27 kDa. The domain structure of the enzyme has a signal peptide and a family 11 catalytic domain. xyA (without peptide sequence) was successfully expressed in E. coli BL21-CodonPlus (DE3)-RIPL cells using the pColdII vector and purified using the HisTrap FF column. Purified recombinant xylanase degraded xylan substrates, had the highest hydrolytic activity at 55°C in 20 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 6.0), and MgCl2, CoCl2, and MnCl2 enhanced the enzymatic activity. Nucleotide sequence of xyA was submitted to the DDBJ/GenBank/EMBL under accession number LC779040. This is the first data on the gene cloning, expression, purification, and characterization of the glycoside hydrolase family 11 from B. velezensis

Identification and Sequence Analysis of A Family 18 Chitinase-encoding-gene (ChiB) From A Chitinolytic Bacterium Isolated From the Central Highland Region

Chitinolytic bacteria and their chitinases have attracted great attention due to potential applications in various fields, including medicine, food processing, agriculture. To develop a novel type of biocontrol agents alternative chemical agents for phytopathogenic controlling, we focus on bacteria possessed high chitinase activity. In this study, a chitinase gene (chiB) from Bacillus velezensis RB.IBE29 was identified, cloned, and analyzed. The ORF of chiB consists of 1,263 base pairs and encodes a deduced protein (BvChiB) of 420 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 47.59 kDa. The primary structure analysis of BvChiB revealed that the deduced enzyme is composed of two carbohydrate-binding module family 50 domains at the N-terminus and a catalytic domain at the C-terminus. BvChiB was grouped into subfamily A of bacterial GH18 chitinases based on phylogenetic analysis. Analyses based on the primary and three-dimensional structures showed that differences of important residues were observed between BvChiB and well-known chitinases reported. These analyses imply that BvChiB possibly possesses an interesting role in the degradation of insoluble chitin. This is the first report describing sequence analyses of the chitinase gene from the bacterium. We are conducting the expression, purification, and characterization of BvChiB concerning chitinase and antifungal activities

Status of heavy metal (Pb, Cd) pollution in agricultural soil in Dong Mai lead recycling craft village in Hung Yen, Vietnam

The newly planned lead recycling zone in Dong Mai village has been operating with primary treatment systems using lime to neutralize acid in wastewater is a good sign for the local environment, yet the real problem that needs further attention and proper solutions is the accumulation of heavy metals typically lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in agricultural land near the old Pb recycling area. In this context, 27 soil samples were collected and analyzed by AAS method to assess the situation and the quality of the agricultural soil. The results showed that the levels of Cd in the soil were still in acceptable level according to National Regulation. However, the lead contents in all of the soil samples exceeded National Regulation. The level of Pb pollution in soil was inversely proportional to the distance with old lead melting zone. The lead content in the soil sample collected at the distance of 50 m radius to the old melting zone reached 7070 ppm, which was 100 times higher than the allowable value of National Regulation.Khu tái chế chì mới tại thôn Đông Mai đã được quy hoạch và đi vào hoạt động cùng hệ thống xử lý sơ bộ với vôi bột là một tín hiệu đáng mừng cho môi trường nơi đây, nhưng vấn đề cần quan tâm và giải quyết triệt để là sự tích lũy một lượng lớn kim loại nặng điển hình là chì (Pb) và cađimi (Cd) trong đất nông nghiệp gần những khu tái chế chì cũ. 27 mẫu đất đã được thu thập và phân tích bằng phương pháp AAS để đánh giá tình trạng, chất lượng đất nông nghiệp tại đây. Kết quả cho thấy hàm lượng Cd trong đất vẫn trong mức độ cho phép theo Quy chuẩn quốc gia. Tuy nhiên, 100% các mẫu đất đều có hàm lượng chì vượt quá mức cho phép theo Quy chuẩn quốc gia. Mức độ ô nhiễm Pb trong đất tỷ lệ nghịch với khoảng cách tới khu lò nấu chì cũ. Mẫu đất cách 50 m so với khu vực lò cũ có hàm lượng chì lên tới 7070 ppm, gấp hơn 100 lần so với Quy chuẩn quốc gia

Status of heavy metal (Pb, Cd) pollution in agricultural soil in Dong Mai lead recycling craft village in Hung Yen, Vietnam

The newly planned lead recycling zone in Dong Mai village has been operating with primary treatment systems using lime to neutralize acid in wastewater is a good sign for the local environment, yet the real problem that needs further attention and proper solutions is the accumulation of heavy metals typically lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in agricultural land near the old Pb recycling area. In this context, 27 soil samples were collected and analyzed by AAS method to assess the situation and the quality of the agricultural soil. The results showed that the levels of Cd in the soil were still in acceptable level according to National Regulation. However, the lead contents in all of the soil samples exceeded National Regulation. The level of Pb pollution in soil was inversely proportional to the distance with old lead melting zone. The lead content in the soil sample collected at the distance of 50 m radius to the old melting zone reached 7070 ppm, which was 100 times higher than the allowable value of National Regulation.Khu tái chế chì mới tại thôn Đông Mai đã được quy hoạch và đi vào hoạt động cùng hệ thống xử lý sơ bộ với vôi bột là một tín hiệu đáng mừng cho môi trường nơi đây, nhưng vấn đề cần quan tâm và giải quyết triệt để là sự tích lũy một lượng lớn kim loại nặng điển hình là chì (Pb) và cađimi (Cd) trong đất nông nghiệp gần những khu tái chế chì cũ. 27 mẫu đất đã được thu thập và phân tích bằng phương pháp AAS để đánh giá tình trạng, chất lượng đất nông nghiệp tại đây. Kết quả cho thấy hàm lượng Cd trong đất vẫn trong mức độ cho phép theo Quy chuẩn quốc gia. Tuy nhiên, 100% các mẫu đất đều có hàm lượng chì vượt quá mức cho phép theo Quy chuẩn quốc gia. Mức độ ô nhiễm Pb trong đất tỷ lệ nghịch với khoảng cách tới khu lò nấu chì cũ. Mẫu đất cách 50 m so với khu vực lò cũ có hàm lượng chì lên tới 7070 ppm, gấp hơn 100 lần so với Quy chuẩn quốc gia

A real-world cohort study of first-line afatinib in patients with EGFR-mutant advanced non-small cell lung cancer in Vietnam

Abstract Background This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of first-line afatinib treatment in a real-world setting in Vietnam. Methods This retrospective study was conducted across nine hospitals in Vietnam. Advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who received afatinib as first-line therapy between April 2018 and June 2022 were included, and patient medical records were reviewed. Key outcomes were overall response rate (ORR), time-to-treatment failure (TTF), and tolerability. Results A total of 343 patients on first-line afatinib were eligible for the study. EGFR exon 19 deletion (Del19) alone was detected in 46.9% of patients, L858R mutation alone in 26.3%, and other uncommon EGFR mutations, including compound mutations, in 26.8%. Patients with brain metastases at baseline were 25.4%. Patients who received 40 mg, 30 mg, and 20 mg as starting doses of afatinib were 58.6%, 39.9%, and 1.5%, respectively. The ORR was 78.1% in the overall population, 82.6% in the Del19 mutation subgroup, 73.3% in the L858R mutation subgroup, and 75.0% in the uncommon mutation subgroup (p > 0.05). The univariate and multivariate analyses indicate that the ORR increased when the starting dose was 40 mg compared to starting doses below 40 mg (83.9% vs. 74.3%, p = 0.034). The median TTF (mTTF) was 16.7 months (CI 95%: 14.8–18.5) in all patients, with a median follow-up time of 26.2 months. The mTTF was longer in patients in the common EGFR mutation subgroup (Del19/L858R) than in those in the uncommon mutation subgroup (17.5 vs. 13.8 months, p = 0.045) and in those without versus with brain metastases at baseline (17.5 vs. 15.1 months, p = 0.049). There were no significant differences in the mTTF between subgroups based on the starting dose of 40 mg and  0.05). The most common treatment-related adverse events (any grade/grade ≥ 3) were diarrhea (55.4%/3.5%), rash (51.9%/3.2%), paronychia (35.3%/5.0%), and stomatitis (22.2%/1.2%). Conclusions Afatinib demonstrated clinical effectiveness and good tolerability in Vietnamese EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients. In our real-world setting, administering a starting dose below 40 mg might result in a reduction in ORR; however, it might not have a significant impact on TTF

Evaluation of the Luminex xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel FAST v2 assay for detection of multiple respiratory viral pathogens in nasal and throat swabs in Vietnam [version 1; referees: 2 approved]

Background: Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are among the leading causes of hospitalization in children ≤5 years old. Rapid diagnostics of viral pathogens is essential to avoid unnecessary antibiotic treatment, thereby slowing down antibiotic-resistance. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of the Luminex xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel FAST v2 against viral specific PCR as reference assays for ARI in Vietnam. Methods: Four hundred and forty two nose and throat swabs were collected in viral transport medium, and were tested with Luminex xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel FAST v2. Multiplex RT-PCR and single RT-PCR were used as references. Results: Overall, viral pathogens were detected in a total count of 270/294 (91.8%, 95% CI 88.1-94.7) by the Luminex among reference assays, whilst 112/6336 (1.8%, 95% CI, 1.4-2.1) of pathogens were detected by the Luminex, but not by reference assays. Frequency of pathogens detected by Luminex and reference assays was 379 and 292, respectively. The diagnostic yield was 66.7% (295/442, 95%CI 62.1-71.1%) for the Luminex assay and 54.1% (239/442, 95% CI, 49.3-58.8%) for reference assays. The Luminex kit had higher yields for all viruses except influenza B virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and human bocavirus. High agreements between both methods [mean (range): 0.91 (0.83-1.00)] were found for 10/15 viral agents. Conclusions: The Luminex assay is a high throughput multiplex platform for rapid detection of common viral pathogens causing ARI. Although the current high cost may prevent Luminex assays from being widely used, especially in limited resource settings where ARI are felt most, its introduction in clinical diagnostics may help reduce unnecessary use of antibiotic prescription