Improving indigenous Vietnamese Black Rabbit frozen sperm quality: the role of glycine and sperm selection methods

[EN] Rabbit sperm are known to undergo damage during both cryopreservation and thawing, leading to decreased viability, motility and membrane integrity. Glycine can protect sperm and reduce damage during freezing. Swim-up is a simple semen processing method for selecting good motile sperm. The study evaluated the effect of the swim-up method and glycine with different concentrations supplemented to the frozen medium. Three indigenous black rabbits were selected for semen collection by artificial vagina. Next, semen was selected by swim-up method and diluted with glycine-added frozen medium. The samples were then transferred to 0.5 mL straws, cooled to 15°C and 5°C, placed in liquid nitrogen vapour, and finally placed directly into liquid nitrogen (-196°C). The samples were thawed and evaluated for sperm quality. The results showed that the medium supplemented with 10mM glycine in combination with swim-up method for 30 min gave the best results and was significantly different from the remaining concentrations (P<0.01), with viability rate, overall mobility and membrane integrity of 68.0%, 58.7% and 49.7%, respectively. In conclusion, 10 mM glycine concentration combined with swim-up for 30 min is the optimal choice for freezing local black rabbit semen. The study highlights the importance of optimising freezing protocols to improve the quality of frozen rabbit sperm, which can have important implications for animal breeding and conservation efforts.This study is funded in part by the Can Tho University, Code: T2022-133Tran, TTT.; Duy, NLK.; Hang, NT.; Ngoc, PK.; Tuyen, DND. (2023). Improving indigenous Vietnamese Black Rabbit frozen sperm quality: the role of glycine and sperm selection methods. World Rabbit Science. 31(4):229-236. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2023.1969022923631

Cloning and expression of pigC gene in Escherichia coli

Prodigiosin (Pg), which is particularly of interest because of anticancer and antimicrobial activities, can be produced through the PigC-catalyzed condensation reaction of 4-methoxy-2, 2’-bipyrrole-5-carboxyaldehyde (MBC) and 2-methyl-3-amylpyrrole (MAP). Therefore, the PigC protein plays an important role in prodigiosin biosynthetic pathway. However, studies related to PigC protein have not been carried out in Vietnam yet. In this work, the pigC gene was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli DH10B and BL21 (DE3), respectively. Using PCR and universal primers, we amplified a fragment of 3 kb covering entire coding region of the pigC gene from Serratia sp. strain M5. The pigC gene was inserted into pJET1.2 vector, and then transformed into E. coli DH10B. The sequence of a recombinant vector pJET1.2/pigC was evaluated by using whole colony PCR amplification. Sequence alignment results revealed that the obtained pigC gene possesses 71.5% and 75.4% of nucleotide identity in comparison with two strains, Serratia 39006 and Serratia sp. AS9 published in GenBank with their respective accession numbers of AJ833001 and CP002773. The recombinant vector pJET1.2/pigC was used to reamplify pigC, and the acquired amplicon was inserted into pET22b vector at the site of HindIII and XhoI. The clone E. coli BL21 (DE3) containing recombinant vector pET22b/pigC was expressed in the auto-induced medium. The presence of PigC protein in the lysate was identified as a 100 kDa band through Western Blot analysis using anti his-tag antibody. Afterward, the PigC protein was purified by Ni-NTA column, and its expression level was quantified through SDS-PAGE analysis. The results of our study provide a potential material for producing prodigiosin from recombinant protein in Vietnam

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

Multidrug resistance plasmids underlie clonal expansions and international spread of Salmonella enterica serotype 1,4,[5],12:i:- ST34 in Southeast Asia

Salmonella enterica serotype 1,4,[5],12:i:- (Typhimurium monophasic variant) of sequence type (ST) 34 has emerged as the predominant pandemic genotype in recent decades. Despite increasing reports of resistance to antimicrobials in Southeast Asia, Salmonella ST34 population structure and evolution remained understudied in the region. Here we performed detailed genomic investigations on 454 ST34 genomes collected from Vietnam and diverse geographical sources to elucidate the pathogen’s epidemiology, evolution and antimicrobial resistance. We showed that ST34 has been introduced into Vietnam in at least nine occasions since 2000, forming five co-circulating major clones responsible for paediatric diarrhoea and bloodstream infection. Most expansion events were associated with acquisitions of large multidrug resistance plasmids of IncHI2 or IncA/C2. Particularly, the self-conjugative IncA/C2 pST34VN2 (co-transferring blaCTX-M-55, mcr-3.1, and qnrS1) underlies local expansion and intercontinental spread in two separate ST34 clones. At the global scale, Southeast Asia was identified as a potential hub for the emergence and dissemination of multidrug resistant Salmonella ST34, and mutation analysis suggests of selection in antimicrobial responses and key virulence factors

South Asia as a Reservoir for the Global Spread of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Shigella sonnei: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance is a major issue in the Shigellae, particularly as a specific multidrug-resistant (MDR) lineage of Shigella sonnei (lineage III) is becoming globally dominant. Ciprofloxacin is a recommended treatment for Shigella infections. However, ciprofloxacin-resistant S. sonnei are being increasingly isolated in Asia and sporadically reported on other continents. We hypothesized that Asia is a primary hub for the recent international spread of ciprofloxacin-resistant S. sonnei. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We performed whole-genome sequencing on a collection of 60 contemporaneous ciprofloxacin-resistant S. sonnei isolated in four countries within Asia (Vietnam, n = 11; Bhutan, n = 12; Thailand, n = 1; Cambodia, n = 1) and two outside of Asia (Australia, n = 19; Ireland, n = 16). We reconstructed the recent evolutionary history of these organisms and combined these data with their geographical location of isolation. Placing these sequences into a global phylogeny, we found that all ciprofloxacin-resistant S. sonnei formed a single clade within a Central Asian expansion of lineage III. Furthermore, our data show that resistance to ciprofloxacin within S. sonnei may be globally attributed to a single clonal emergence event, encompassing sequential gyrA-S83L, parC-S80I, and gyrA-D87G mutations. Geographical data predict that South Asia is the likely primary source of these organisms, which are being regularly exported across Asia and intercontinentally into Australia, the United States and Europe. Our analysis was limited by the number of S. sonnei sequences available from diverse geographical areas and time periods, and we cannot discount the potential existence of other unsampled reservoir populations of antimicrobial-resistant S. sonnei. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that a single clone, which is widespread in South Asia, is likely driving the current intercontinental surge of ciprofloxacin-resistant S. sonnei and is capable of establishing endemic transmission in new locations. Despite being limited in geographical scope, our work has major implications for understanding the international transfer of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, with S. sonnei acting as a tractable model for studying how antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative bacteria spread globally

A prospective multi-center observational study of children hospitalized with diarrhea in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

We performed a prospective multicenter study to address the lack of data on the etiology, clinical and demographic features of hospitalized pediatric diarrhea in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. Over 2,000 (1,419 symptomatic and 609 non-diarrheal control) children were enrolled in three hospitals over a 1-year period in 2009-2010. Aiming to detect a panel of pathogens, we identified a known diarrheal pathogen in stool samples from 1,067/1,419 (75.2%) children with diarrhea and from 81/609 (13.3%) children without diarrhea. Rotavirus predominated in the symptomatic children (664/1,419; 46.8%), followed by norovirus (293/1,419; 20.6%). The bacterial pathogens Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Shigella were cumulatively isolated from 204/1,419 (14.4%) diarrheal children and exhibited extensive antimicrobial resistance, most notably to fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins. We suggest renewed efforts in generation and implementation of policies to control the sale and prescription of antimicrobials to curb bacterial resistance and advise consideration of a subsidized rotavirus vaccination policy to limit the morbidity due to diarrheal disease in Vietnam

Multidrug resistance plasmids underlie clonal expansions and international spread of Salmonella enterica serotype 1,4,[5],12:i:- ST34 in Southeast Asia

Salmonella enterica serotype 1,4,[5],12:i:- (Typhimurium monophasic variant) of sequence type (ST) 34 has emerged as the predominant pandemic genotype in recent decades. Despite increasing reports of resistance to antimicrobials in Southeast Asia, Salmonella ST34 population structure and evolution remained understudied in the region. Here we performed detailed genomic investigations on 454 ST34 genomes collected from Vietnam and diverse geographical sources to elucidate the pathogen’s epidemiology, evolution and antimicrobial resistance. We showed that ST34 has been introduced into Vietnam in at least nine occasions since 2000, forming five co-circulating major clones responsible for paediatric diarrhoea and bloodstream infection. Most expansion events were associated with acquisitions of large multidrug resistance plasmids of IncHI2 or IncA/C2. Particularly, the self-conjugative IncA/C2 pST34VN2 (co-transferring bla CTX-M-55, mcr-3.1, and qnrS1) underlies local expansion and intercontinental spread in two separate ST34 clones. At the global scale, Southeast Asia was identified as a potential hub for the emergence and dissemination of multidrug resistant Salmonella ST34, and mutation analysis suggests of selection in antimicrobial responses and key virulence factors

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

Bioactive-Guided Phytochemical Investigations, In Vitro and In Silico Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibition of Two Vietnamese Medicinal Plants <i>Dicranopteris linearis</i> and <i>Psychotria adenophylla</i>

Little is known about the chemical and biological profiles of Dicranopteris linearis and Psychotria adenophylla. No previous studies have investigated alpha-glucosidase inhibition using extracts from D. linearis and P. adenophylla. In this paper, bioactive-guided isolation procedures were applied to the plants D. linearis and P. adenophylla based on alpha-glucosidase inhibition. From the most active fractions, 20 compounds (DL1–DL13 and PA1–PA7) were isolated. The chemical structures were elucidated using spectroscopic data and compared with those available in the literature. These compounds were evaluated for alpha-glucosidase inhibition, while a molecular docking study was performed to elucidate the mechanisms involved. Consequently, D. linearis and P. adenophylla might serve as a good potential for developing new antidiabetic preparations