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The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by intense dysregulated inflammation leading to acute lung injury (ALI) and respiratory failure. There are no effective pharmacologic therapies for ARDS. Colchicine is a low-cost, widely available drug, effective in the treatment of inflammatory conditions. We studied the effects of colchicine pre-treatment on oleic acid-induced ARDS in rats. Rats were treated with colchicine (1 mg/kg) or placebo for three days prior to intravenous oleic acid-induced ALI (150 mg/kg). Four hours later they were studied and compared to a sham group. Colchicine reduced the area of histological lung injury by 61%, reduced lung edema, and markedly improved oxygenation by increasing PaO 2 /FiO 2 from 66 ± 13 mmHg (mean ± SEM) to 246 ± 45 mmHg compared to 380 ± 18 mmHg in sham animals. Colchicine also reduced PaCO 2 and respiratory acidosis. Lung neutrophil recruitment, assessed by myeloperoxidase immunostaining, was greatly increased after injury from 1.16 ± 0.19% to 8.86 ± 0.66% and significantly reduced by colchicine to 5.95 ± 1.13%. Increased lung NETosis was also reduced by therapy. Circulating leukocytosis after ALI was not reduced by colchicine therapy, but neutrophils reactivity and CD4 and CD8 cell surface expression on lymphocyte populations were restored. Colchicine reduces ALI and respiratory failure in experimental ARDS in relation with reduced lung neutrophil recruitment and reduced circulating leukocyte activation. This study supports the clinical development of colchicine for the prevention of ARDS in conditions causing ALI.

This study investigates the effect of demographic factors on formal and informal borrowing households in rural Fujian Province. The study tests whether credit constraint affects rural farmers’ welfare in the studied region, using a probit regression and endogenous switching regression model to analyse data collected in 2017 from 960 farm households. Analysis shows that age, poverty, household size, and farmland size operate to constrain credit in formal borrowing. Results also indicate that level of education, farm land size and age have significant impacts on rural household borrowing from informal sources. The results from the endogenous switching model approach suggest that credit constraint does have a significant impact on rural farmers’ consumption and welfare in Fujian province.

Background Delays in diagnosis and treatment from first noticeable breast cancer symptoms are associated with poor outcomes. Understanding the reasons and barriers for patients’ delay in seeking medical care is critical to mitigating the problem. Methods In‐person surveys were conducted among 462 women, aged 18–79, with incident breast cancer cases, recruited from two cancer hospitals in North Vietnam. Delay, defined as the time interval between symptom recognition to the diagnosis and initiation of treatment equal to or exceeding 3 months, was categorized as follows: no delay (<3 months), moderate delay (3–8 months), and serious delay (≥9 months). Multivariable multinomial logistic regression was applied in data analyses. Results Over one‐quarter patients (31.5%) experienced moderate delays, and close to one‐fifth (17.5%) experienced serious delays. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for moderate and serious delays were 5.60 (3.00–10.47) and 4.25 (2.05–8.85) for financial and physical barriers, respectively. Moderate delay was positively associated with psychological barriers (5.55 [1.75–17.57]) and lack of proper knowledge (3.15 [1.47–6.74]). The associations of barriers with delays in diagnosis and treatment appeared stronger among women living in rural areas. A lack of proper knowledge was significantly associated with delay among young women (<45 years old) and those with high incomes, while psychological barriers were significantly associated with delay among older women (≥45 years old). Conclusion Delays in diagnosis and treatment are common among Vietnamese breast cancer patients and are affected by several noted barriers. Proper policy needs to be developed to address this public health issue. A case cohort study found that delay in diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer is common among Vietnamese women and is affected by financial and physical barriers, psychological barriers, and lack of proper knowledge. Proper policy needs to be developed accordingly to address this public health issue.

Background Pulmonary hypertension (PH) complicating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is associated to worse outcome. There is a great need for a non-invasive diagnostic modality to detect and evaluate the severity of pulmonary vascular disease (PVD). 99m Tc-PulmoBind is a novel imaging agent that binds to the adrenomedullin (AM) receptor on the pulmonary microvascular endothelium. SPECT imaging employing the endothelial cell tracer 99m Tc-PulmoBind was used to assess PVD associated with lung fibrosis. Methods Rats with selective right lung bleomycin-induced fibrosis were compared to control rats. SPECT imaging was performed after three weeks with 99m Tc-PulmoBind and 99m Tc-macroaggregates of albumin (MAA). PH and right ventricular (RV) function were assessed by echocardiography. Lung perfusion was evaluated by fluorescent microangiography. Lung AM receptor expression was measured by qPCR and by immunohistology. Relevance to human IPF was explored by measuring AM receptor expression in lung biopsies from IPF patients and healthy controls. Results The bleomycin group developed preferential right lung fibrosis with remodeling and reduced perfusion as assessed with fluorescent microangiography. These rats developed PH with RV hypertrophy and dysfunction. 99m Tc-PulmoBind uptake was selectively reduced by 50% in the right lung and associated with reduced AM receptor expression, PH and RV hypertrophy. AM receptor was co-expressed with the endothelial cell protein CD31 in alveolar capillaries, and markedly reduced after bleomycin. Quantitative dynamic analysis of 99m Tc-PulmoBind uptake in comparison to 99m Tc-MAA revealed that the latter distributed only according to flow, with about 60% increased left lung uptake while left lung uptake of 99m Tc-PulmoBind was not affected. Lung from human IPF patients showed important reduction in AM receptor expression closely associated with CD31. Conclusions SPECT imaging with 99m Tc-PulmoBind detects PVD and its severity in bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. Reduced AM receptor expression in human IPF supports further clinical development of this imaging approach.

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHAB) have become more frequent and prominent in Atlantic Canada freshwater bodies over the last several years, especially in Nova Scotia (NS). Inspired by the trophic index of Vollenweider, a new index was developed with modification and adaptation for freshwater systems. Our model TRINDEX shows the effectiveness of estimation for the variation of cyanobacterial dominance in phytoplankton communities. TRINDEX can assist in determining the threshold for cyanobacterial bloom onset. Combinations of nutrients and pigments under TRINDEX were tested by a binary discrimination test to find the optimal range of threshold for cyanoHAB formation in freshwater lakes.

Limited information about exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in primary schools in Vietnam is available. In this study, we aimed to characterize indoor VOCs in four primary schools situated in Ho Chi Minh City, a metropolis in the south of Vietnam and assess health risks linked to the students’ exposure to VOCs. Indoor and outdoor air samples were collected in the schools and analyzed for volatile composition using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Different classes of VOCs, including aromatic hydrocarbons, alkanes, aldehydes, esters, cyclic terpenes, and chlorinated hydrocarbons, were identified and quantified in classrooms of the schools. The results showed that the concentrations of the VOCs differed significantly among the schools and between ground-floor and first floor classrooms. In addition, VOC profiles differed considerably between air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned classrooms. Limonene, a compound associated with fragrance products, was the most abundant VOC, with the median (range) concentration of 26.12 (10.29, 50.08) μg/m3. The concentrations of the compounds examined in the study were in general found to be higher indoors compared with outdoors, signifying indoor emission sources. Potential harmful effects are expected as a result of exposure to benzene, ethylbenzene, naphthalene, 1,4-dichlorobenzene and tetrachloroethylene in the investigated schools. Further research is needed to fully assess the health risks to students, teachers, and staff in these educational environments.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of death from cancer worldwide. In Vietnam, the disease is the fifth leading cancer (8.9%), with 14 733 new cases in 2018. In recent years, the mFolfox6 regimen has been indicated commonly as the adjuvant chemotherapy after curative resection for patients with colorectal cancer. However, the efficacy of the regimen in Vietnamese patients has not been assessed and reported. In this retrospective study, we reviewed medical records of 83 patients with stage II or stage III colorectal cancer who received mFOLFOX6 regimen in order to investigate simultaneously survival and safety of this chemotherapy regimen. Three-year overall and disease-free survival were 84.3% and 79.5%, respectively. Our data revealed that postoperative Carcinoma Embryonic Antigen (CEA) level was a significant prognostic factor for survival, with hazard ratio of 3.83 and 3.67, respectively (P < .05), for overall survival and disease-free survival in the elevated CEA level group when compared to the normal CEA level group. The regimen also demonstrated to be well tolerated and can be used in routine practice as an adjuvant chemotherapy.

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is characterized by unstable plaque with thrombotic process involving central role of platelets. The diagnosis and prediction of significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in non–ST-elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS) can be challenging. The central role of platelets in acute atherothrombosis in NSTE-ACS spurred appreciable interest in the diagnostic and predictive role of platelet activity. Mean platelet volume (MPV) is one of the most promising laboratory markers in patients with CAD. This retrospective study was designed to investigate the diagnostic and predictive value of high MPV levels in patients with NSTE-ACS with significant CAD. A total of 213 patients (men 53%, mean age 61 ± 12.3 years) with NSTE-ACS were enrolled from 2011 to 2016 from 2 teaching hospitals. Patients' demographic, laboratory, and angiographic data were collected. Significant CAD was defined as ≥70% stenosis in at least 1 major coronary artery. Patients with high MPV (MPV ≥9 fl) had more significant CAD (55% vs 35%, p = 0.005), lower platelet count (204 ± 59 × 1,000/μl vs 246 ± 56 × 1,000/μl, p = 0.001), and higher HbA1c (6.9 vs 6.4, p = 0.02). Patients with significant CAD had higher MPV level (9.2 ± 1.07 vs 8.6 ± 1.03 fl, p = 0.001), higher MPV/platelet ratio (0.46 vs 0.40, p = 0.01), older age (64.5 ± 11 vs 59.2 ± 12 years, p = 0.02), and lower high-density lipoprotein level (42 ± 12 vs 47 ± 16, p = 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that increased age, high MPV, high troponin, and low high-density lipoprotein levels were associated with significant CAD. Patients with high MPV along with high troponin level demonstrated a 4.8-fold increased risk for significant CAD compared to those with normal MPV and high troponin (odds ratio 4.8, 95% confidence interval 1.31 to 17.6, p = 0.001). In conclusion, considering high MPV in the context of elevated troponin level increases the predictive value of screening for significant CAD, and this result may help determine who is most likely to benefit from cardiac catheterization.

Purpose The adrenomedullin receptor is densely expressed in the pulmonary vascular endothelium. PulmoBind, an adrenomedullin receptor ligand, was developed for molecular diagnosis of pulmonary vascular disease. We evaluated the safety of PulmoBind SPECT imaging and its capacity to detect pulmonary vascular disease associated with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in a human phase II study. Methods Thirty patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, n  = 23) or chronic thromboembolic PH (CTEPH, n  = 7) in WHO functional class II ( n  = 26) or III ( n  = 4) were compared to 15 healthy controls. Lung SPECT was performed after injection of 15 mCi 99m Tc-PulmoBind in supine position. Qualitative and semi-quantitative analyses of lung uptake were performed. Reproducibility of repeated testing was evaluated in controls after 1 month. Results PulmoBind injection was well tolerated without any serious adverse event. Imaging was markedly abnormal in PH with ∼50% of subjects showing moderate to severe heterogeneity of moderate to severe extent. The abnormalities were unevenly distributed between the right and left lungs as well as within each lung. Segmental defects compatible with pulmonary embolism were present in 7/7 subjects with CTEPH and in 2/23 subjects with PAH. There were no segmental defects in controls. The PulmoBind activity distribution index, a parameter indicative of heterogeneity, was elevated in PH (65% ± 28%) vs. controls (41% ± 13%, p  = 0.0003). In the only subject with vasodilator-responsive idiopathic PAH, PulmoBind lung SPECT was completely normal. Repeated testing 1 month later in healthy controls was well tolerated and showed no significant variability of PulmoBind distribution. Conclusions In this phase II study, molecular SPECT imaging of the pulmonary vascular endothelium using 99m Tc-PulmoBind was safe. PulmoBind showed potential to detect both pulmonary embolism and abnormalities indicative of pulmonary vascular disease in PAH. Phase III studies with this novel tracer and direct comparisons to lung perfusion agents such as labeled macro-aggregates of albumin are needed. Clinical trial ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02216279

Ethyl 2-((4-oxo-3-phenyl-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-yl)thio)acetate (3) which was synthesized starting from anthranilic acid (1) via 2-thioxo-3-phenylquinazolin-4(3H)-one (2) reacted with hydrazine hydrate to afford 2-((4-oxo-3-phenyl-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-yl)thio)acetohydrazide (4). Reaction of (4) with thiocarbonyl-bis-thioglycolic acid gave a new compound name N-(4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-((4-oxo-3-phenyl-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-yl)thio)acetamide (5). Knoevenagel condensation of (5) with appropriate aldehydes gave fourteen (Z)-N-(5-arylidene-4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)-2-((4-oxo-3-phenyl-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-yl)thio)acetamide compounds (6a–o) with moderate yield. The chemical structure of the compounds was elucidated on the basis of IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and HR-MS spectral data. The 5-arylidene-2-thioxothiazolidinone compounds exhibited mild-to-moderate cytotoxic activity against both K562 (chronic myelogenous leukemia) cells and MCF7 (breast cancer) cells.