Explore the vast range of titles available.

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is one of the cities in developing countries where many concentrations of air pollutants exceeded the Vietnam national technical regulation in ambient air quality including TSP, NO x , Ozone and CO. These high pollutant concentrations have destroyed the human health of people in HCMC. Many zones in HCMC can’t receive more air pollutants. The objectives of this research are: (i) Air quality modeling over HCMC by using the TAPM-CTM system model by using a bottom up air emission inventory; and (ii) Study loading capactities of air pollutant emissions over Ho Chi Minh City. Simulations of air pollution were conducted in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), the largest city of Vietnam by using the TAPM-CTM model. The model performance was evaluated using observed meteorological data at Tan Son Hoa station and air quality data at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Science. The model is then applied to simulate a retire 1-year period to determine the levels of air pollutants in HCMC in 2017, 2025 and 2030. The results show that the highest concentrations of CO, NO 2 , and O 3 in 2017 exceeded the National technical regulation in ambient air quality (QCVN 05:2013) 1.5, 1.5, and 1.1 times, respectively. These values also will increase in 2025 and 2030 if the local government does not have any plan for the reduction of emissions, especially, SO 2 in 2030 also will be 1.02 times higher than that in QCVN 05:2013. The emission zoning was initially studied by calculating and simulating the loading capacities of each pollutant based on the highest concentration and the National technical regulation in ambient air quality. The results show that the center of HCMC could not receive anymore the emission, even needs to reduce half of the emission. Under the easterly prevailing wind in the dry season, the high pollution was more likely to be experienced in the west of Ho Chi Minh. In contrast, the eastern regions were the upwind areas and the pollutants could transport to the downwind sectors. It was recommended that the best strategy for emission control in HCMC is avoiding industrial and urban development in the upwind areas to achieve better air quality for both areas. In the case of necessity to choose one area for development, the downwind sector is preferred. The results show that TAPM-CTM performed well as applied to simulate the air quality in HCMC and is a promising tool to study the emission zoning.

In our study, some newly synthesized aryl-substituted pyrazole derivatives mimicking cis-diphenylethylene scaffold of two apoptotic inducing agents celecoxib and combretastatin A-4 were found to have strong antiproliferative as well as antiinflammatory activities. Among these coxib–combretastatin hybrids, two lead compounds 8 and 6c simultaneously inhibited prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in LPS-activated murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells and suppressed cell cycle progression of MCF7 cells at G2/M or G0/G1 phases, but only compound 8 induced apoptosis via caspase-3 activation. Both the lead compounds showed good docking energies with both protein targets COX-2 and tubulin in the molecule interaction modeling. The cis-diphenylethylene scaffold of celecoxib or combretastatin A-4 as well as functional groups such as the ethyl ester group and the sulfonamide could be considered as potential key features for the dual activity of studied compounds meanwhile the trimethoxybenzene remained the crucial characterization of the newly derived compounds of combretastatins.

Background Hypoxia is known to modify skeletal muscle biological functions and muscle regeneration. However, the mechanisms underlying the effects of hypoxia on human myoblast differentiation remain unclear. The hypoxic response pathway is of particular interest in patients with hereditary muscular dystrophies since many present respiratory impairment and muscle regeneration defects. For example, an altered hypoxia response characterizes the muscles of patients with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD). Methods We examined the impact of hypoxia on the differentiation of human immortalized myoblasts (LHCN-M2) cultured in normoxia (PO 2 : 21%) or hypoxia (PO 2 : 1%). Cells were grown in proliferation (myoblasts) or differentiation medium for 2 (myocytes) or 4 days (myotubes). We evaluated proliferation rate by EdU incorporation, used myogenin-positive nuclei as a differentiation marker for myocytes, and determined the fusion index and myosin heavy chain-positive area in myotubes. The contribution of HIF1α was studied by gain (CoCl 2 ) and loss (siRNAs) of function experiments. We further examined hypoxia in LHCN-M2-iDUX4 myoblasts with inducible expression of DUX4, the transcription factor underlying FSHD pathology. Results We found that the hypoxic response did not impact myoblast proliferation but activated precocious myogenic differentiation and that HIF1α was critical for this process. Hypoxia also enhanced the late differentiation of human myocytes, but in an HIF1α-independent manner. Interestingly, the impact of hypoxia on muscle cell proliferation was influenced by dexamethasone. In the FSHD pathological context, DUX4 suppressed HIF1α-mediated precocious muscle differentiation. Conclusion Hypoxia stimulates myogenic differentiation in healthy myoblasts, with HIF1α-dependent early steps. In FSHD, DUX4-HIF1α interplay indicates a novel mechanism by which DUX4 could interfere with HIF1α function in the myogenic program and therefore with FSHD muscle performance and regeneration.

A comprehensive emission inventory (EI) was conducted in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), the largest city of Vietnam rapid urbanization rate. In 2017, HCMC had 8.6 million inhabitants with a total of nine millions of private vehicles, 19 manufacturing and industrial zones, 30 industrial clusters, and numerous other factories and enterprises. All those sources could contribute to the high levels of emissions which caused the potentially negative impact on human health and environment. The aims of this study were (i) application bottom-up and top-down approaches to conduct a complete air emission inventory, (ii) development of spatial distribution of air emission, and (iii) estimation of emission forecast for HCMC by 2025 and 2030. A combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches was employed to conduct air pollution EI, in which EMISENS model was utilized to generate the EI for road traffic sources. The results showed that the motorcycles were the main reasons of emission in HCMC, contributing 90% of CO, 68% of non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC), 63% of CH4, 41% of SO2, 29% of NOx, and 18% of patriculate matter (PM2.5). The emission forecasts for HCMC by 2025 and 2030 also were calculated based on the data of strategies and plans for socioeconomic development of HCMC. The results showed that the emissions of pollutants will increase around 30 to 50% by the year 2025 and from 40 to 65% by the year 2030. If the local government does not have any plan for the reduction of emissions (scenario of socioeconomic development as usual), the emissions will increase significantly.

IntroductionRare epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations other than G719X, S768I, and L861Q are infrequently represented in clinical trials. The efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) against these uncommon variants, either alone or in combination with common mutations, remains limited.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed patients with advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring non-major uncommon EGFR mutations who received first-line afatinib between January 2018 and October 2024. Patients with only TKI-sensitive mutations (Del19, L858 R, G719X, S768I, and L861Q) and without additional rare variants were excluded. The primary endpoints were the objective response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS). The secondary endpoint was the duration of response (DOR).ResultsAmong the 44 patients, 36.4% had solitary non-major uncommon mutations. The overall ORR and the disease control rates were 65.9% and 86.4%, respectively. The ORR by subgroup was 75.0% for patients with non-major uncommon mutations plus EGFR-TKI-sensitive mutations, and 55.0% for patients with dual or solitary uncommon mutations. At a median follow-up time of 21.9 months, the median PFS was 11.5 months (95% CI: 7.5-22.6). Patients with non-major uncommon mutations co-occurring with TKI-sensitive mutations had a longer median PFS (17.7 months; 95% CI: 13.6-NR) than those harboring non-major mutations alone (either single or dual) (9.1 months; 95% CI: 4.6-NR), = 0.04. The median duration of response was 16.1 months (95% CI: 10.3-NR) with a median follow-up time of 16.8 months.ConclusionAfatinib demonstrated encouraging efficacy in NSCLC patients with nonmajor uncommon EGFR mutations other than G719X, S768I, and L861Q, regardless of whether the mutations were solitary or compound. Comprehensive EGFR mutation profiling is crucial for identifying uncommon EGFR mutation patients likely to benefit significantly from afatinib.

The use of antibiotics in livestock production is considered a major driver of antibiotic resistance on a global scale. In Vietnam, small- and medium-scale livestock producers dominate the domestic market and regulatory pushes have done little to decrease antibiotic use. In order to inform future policy directions, this study aims to explore knowledge, attitudes, and practices amongst livestock producers to identify their perspectives on antibiotic use and resistance. A total of 392 small- and medium-scale producers specialized in pig, poultry and aquaculture production participated in the study. The results showed that the primary reason for antibiotic use reported by producers was for the treatment of infections (69%). However, prophylactic use was also evident, with farmers reporting other reasons for antibiotic use such as \"animals display abnormal symptoms or behaviour\" (55%), the \"weather is about to change\" (25%), or \"animals on neighboring farms fall ill\" (27%). Only one-fifth of producers demonstrated favorable attitudes towards antibiotic use and preventing antibiotic resistance. Moreover, administering antibiotics remained the preferred countermeasure directly applied by farmers at the first indication of disease (17%), compared to enacting hygiene (10%) or quarantine (5%) measures. The results showed divergent trends amongst producers, with pig producers demonstrating higher levels of knowledge, more favorable attitudes, and higher self-reported utilization of good practice. Better knowledge, attitudes, and practices were also associated with producers who engaged in efforts to explore information on antibiotic use and resistance, which improved incrementally with the number of sources consulted and hours invested. However, there were some areas where increased knowledge or more favorable attitude scores did not translate into better practices. For instance, producers with higher levels of formal education performed significantly better than those with lower education in terms of knowledge and attitude, though both groups reported similar practices. The findings of this study may support future interventions to prevent both antibiotic misuse and the development of antimicrobial resistance.

Due to the natural and anthropogenic activities, especially the rapid development of hydropower dams in the upper Langcang Mekong, the sediment flux in the lower Mekong has declined alarmingly. This factor is one of the main reasons causing the river morphological changes in the lower Mekong. In this study, we used the MIKE 21 model to simulate the spatial and temporal morphological changes of the Hau River crossing Tra Vinh and Soc Trang, Hau Giang, and a part of Can Tho and Vinh Long provinces of Vietnam, considering the impact of sediment load decrease from the upper boundary. The models were calibrated and validated using the data of the year 2017, and the scenario of a fifty percent reduction of sediment flux from upstream was considered. The results show that the erosion occurrence in the flood season is more significant compared to that in the dry season. However, the spatial distribution tendency of erosion and accretion was similar in the two seasons. Under the impact of reduced sediment load entering the investigated region, the spatial distributions of erosion and accretion locations were estimated to significantly change during dry and flood seasons. However, the riverbed change level changed apparently. The change is more considerable in the flood season; especially, the erosion was estimated to be more severe in all zone of the study area. The erosion level was estimated to increase up to 0.15m in the flood season in zone 1 compared to that under the historical condition. The accretion level increases up to 0.09m in zone 2 and 0.07m in zone 3 under flood season. The erosion level increases up to approximately 0.1m over six months of the dry season and flood season. The results of the study can contribute to the future management strategy for the local governments in particular and for the whole Mekong region in general.

has many mechanisms of resistance to fluoroquinolones. The main mechanism is to change the effect of two enzymes that open the DNA helix - the enzyme DNA gyrase ( ) and the topoisomerase IV ( ). In addition, mutations that render the MexAB-oprM pump ( ) dysfunctional, leading to its overexpression, also enhance resistance to fluoroquinolones. In this study, we aim to detect point mutations of , , and genes that are predicted to be associated with fluoroquinolone resistance in 141 fluoroquinolone-resistant clinical isolates of isolated in Vietnam during 2013-2016. We tested minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in 141 clinical isolates of using the VITEK 2 Compact System, followed by PCR assay, to detect and clone the fluoroquinolone resistance-determining region (FRDR) of , , and . Point mutations were analyzed through Sanger sequencing, and the correlation between genetic mutations and phenotypic resistance of 141 clinical isolates was undertaken. Fluoroquinolone-resistant substitution mutations such as Ile for Thr83 and Met for Thr133 in , Leu for Ser87 in , and Val for Glu126 in the repressor of were mainly detected. Comparative analytical data indicated that amino acid alterations within the and genes are highly associated with resistance to ciprofloxacin (CIP) and levofloxacin (LEV) in the isolates, whereas alterations in the efflux regulatory gene are not highly consistent with resistance in these isolates. Moreover, fluoroquinolone-resistant clinical isolates of were mainly isolated from pus and sputum specimens. In clinical isolates of , a high correlation was observed between MICs of CIP and LEV and alterations in and genes. However, mutations occurring in did not highly correlate with the antibiotic resistance of the bacterium.

Abstract Background Talaromycosis (penicilliosis) is an invasive fungal infection and a major cause of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–related deaths in Southeast Asia. Guidelines recommend induction therapy with amphotericin B deoxycholate; however, treatment with itraconazole has fewer toxic effects, is easier to administer, and is less expensive. Our recent randomized controlled trial in Vietnam found that amphotericin B was superior to itraconazole with respect to 6-month mortality. We undertook an economic evaluation alongside this trial to determine whether the more effective treatment is cost-effective. Methods Resource use, direct and indirect costs, and health and quality-of-life outcomes (measured using quality-adjusted life-years [QALYs]) were evaluated for 405 trial participants from 2012 to 2016. Both a Vietnamese health service and a broader societal costing perspective were considered. Mean costs and QALYs were combined to calculate the within-trial cost-effectiveness of amphotericin vs itraconazole from both perspectives. Results From a Vietnamese health service perspective, amphotericin increases costs but improves health outcomes compared to itraconazole, at a cost of $3013/QALY gained. The probability that amphotericin is cost-effective at a conventional (World Health Organization CHOICE) threshold of value for money is 46%. From a societal perspective, amphotericin is cost-reducing and improves outcomes compared to itraconazole, and is likely to be a cost-effective strategy at any value for money threshold greater than $0. Conclusions Our analysis indicates that induction therapy with amphotericin is a cost-effective treatment strategy for HIV-infected adults diagnosed with talaromycosis in Vietnam. These results provide the evidence base for health care providers and policy makers to improve access to and use of amphotericin. Compared to itraconazole as induction therapy for talaromycosis, amphotericin leads to more adverse events and is more expensive, but reduces mortality. Here, we show that, from a societal perspective, amphotericin is likely to be cost-effective in HIV-infected adults in Asia.

Muscular dystrophies (MDs) are a group of inherited degenerative muscle disorders characterized by a progressive skeletal muscle wasting. Respiratory impairments and subsequent hypoxemia are encountered in a significant subgroup of patients in almost all MD forms. In response to hypoxic stress, compensatory mechanisms are activated especially through Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 α (HIF-1α). In healthy muscle, hypoxia and HIF-1α activation are known to affect oxidative stress balance and metabolism. Recent evidence has also highlighted HIF-1α as a regulator of myogenesis and satellite cell function. However, the impact of HIF-1α pathway modifications in MDs remains to be investigated. Multifactorial pathological mechanisms could lead to HIF-1α activation in patient skeletal muscles. In addition to the genetic defect per se, respiratory failure or blood vessel alterations could modify hypoxia response pathways. Here, we will discuss the current knowledge about the hypoxia response pathway alterations in MDs and address whether such changes could influence MD pathophysiology.