Routine Testing for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infections within an HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Program in Hanoi, Vietnam: Implications for Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Background: Data on Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections within HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are limited. Our study reports the prevalence, anatomical distribution, and correlates of NG and CT infections within an HIV PrEP program in Hanoi, Vietnam. Methods: From January-December 2022, HIV PrEP program clients who were male at birth, ≥16 years old, reported ≥1 male sex partner in the prior 12 months, were enrolled. A questionnaire collected sociodemographics, sexual behaviors, and clinical data. CT/NG testing was performed on self-collected urine, rectal, and pharyngeal specimens. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with CT and NG infections. Results: There were 529 participants enrolled, the median age was 25.1 years. The overall prevalence of CT or NG was 28.9% (153/529). The prevalence of NG was 14.3% and highest for pharyngeal infections (11.7%), while for CT, the prevalence was 20.4% and highest for rectal infections (14.0%). Symptoms in the prior week were reported by 45.8% (70/153) of those with CT or NG infections. Condomless anal sex (aOR= 1.98; 95% CI: 1.27, 3.08) and sexualized drug use in the prior 6 months (aOR= 1.68; 95% CI: 1.07, 2.65) were associated with CT/NG infections. Conclusions: Our study found a high prevalence of NG and CT infections, including pharyngeal and rectal infections, within an HIV PrEP program in Hanoi, Vietnam. The findings underscore the need for further research on CT/NG prevention and the development of evidence-based guidelines for CT/NG screening in HIV PrEP programs in LMIC settings.

An at-home and electro-free COVID-19 rapid test based on colorimetric RT-LAMP.

INTRODUCTION: In the fight against virus-caused pandemics like COVID-19, diagnostic tests based on RT-qPCR are essential, but they are sometimes limited by their dependence on expensive, specialized equipment and skilled personnel. Consequently, an alternative nucleic acid detection technique that overcomes these restrictions, called loop-mediated isothermal amplification following reverse transcription (RT-LAMP), has been broadly investigated. Nevertheless, the developed RT-LAMP assays for SARS-CoV-2 detection still require laboratory devices and electrical power, limiting their widespread use as rapid home tests. This work developed a flexible RT-LAMP assay that gets beyond the drawbacks of the available isothermal LAMP-based SARS-CoV-2 detection, establishing a simple and effective at-home diagnostic tool for COVID-19. METHODOLOGY: A multiplex direct RT-LAMP assay, modified from the previously developed test was applied to simultaneously identify the two genes of SARS-CoV-2. We used a colorimetric readout, lyophilized reagents, and benchmarked an electro-free and micropipette-free method that enables sensitive and specific detection of SARS-CoV-2 in home settings. RESULTS: Forty-one nasopharyngeal swab samples were tested using the developed home-testing RT-LAMP (HT-LAMP) assay, showing 100% agreement with the RT-qPCR results. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first electrically independent RT-LAMP assay successfully developed for SARS-CoV-2 detection in a home setting. Our HT-LAMP assay is thus an important development for diagnosing COVID-19 or any other infectious pandemic on a population scale.

Disclosure of HIV Status in Healthcare Settings: Practices and Considerations among Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated women living with HIV/AIDS (WLHA)'s practices and decision-making regarding disclosure of HIV status in healthcare settings in Vietnam. Introduction: Disclosure of HIV status in healthcare settings is under-studied. METHODS: We conducted in-depth interviews with 30 WLHA in Hanoi, Vietnam. Thematic analysis was conducted to investigate the patterns, considerations, and consequences of HIV disclosure. Results: Most participants chose a selective disclosure strategy based on the type of procedure and healthcare setting. They considered several factors: concerns about stigma/discrimination, risks of confidentiality breach, relevance to healthcare provision, and altruism towards protecting providers and other patients. Selective disclosure or non-disclosure often prevented participants from accessing comprehensive care. Conclusion: The study underscores the need to prepare WLHA to make informed decisions regarding disclosure and provide them with service navigations and support. It also highlights the necessity of reducing stigma and enhancing confidentiality protection to ensure safe disclosure in healthcare settings.

Telling Healthcare Providers About HIV Status: How Women with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam Decide and What They ConsiderThis study focuses on how women living with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam decide to share their HIV status with healthcare providers. We interviewed 30 women with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam and found that many choose to reveal their status only in certain situations, depending on the medical procedure and the setting. They weigh various factors before deciding to disclose, including the risk of facing stigma, the need to protect their privacy, how relevant their HIV status is to their other health issues, their wish to protect their healthcare providers and other patients, and how they have been advised by HIV specialists. Unfortunately, choosing not to disclose their status sometimes stops them from getting the full range of medical care they need. The findings stress the importance of helping these women make well-informed choices about disclosing their HIV status. We also need to provide them with additional support and navigational help through healthcare services. Moreover, reducing stigma in healthcare, enhancing providers' ability to gather necessary health information, and ensuring patient privacy are crucial to encouraging more open discussions of HIV status in medical settings.

A consultation and work-up diagnosis protocol for a multicancer early detection test: a case series study.

The emergence of multicancer early detection (MCED) tests holds promise for improving early cancer detection and public health outcomes. However, positive MCED test results require confirmation through recommended cancer diagnostic imaging modalities. To address these challenges, we have developed a consultation and work-up protocol for definitive diagnostic results post MCED testing, named SPOT-MAS. Developed through circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis and in line with professional guidelines and advisory board consensus, this protocol standardizes information to aid general practitioners in accessing, interpreting and managing SPOT-MAS results. Clinical effectiveness is demonstrated through a series of identified cancer cases. Our research indicates that the protocol could empower healthcare professionals to confidently interpret circulating tumor DNA test results for 5 common types of cancer, thereby facilitating the clinical integration of MCED tests.

New tests can now screen for multiple types of cancer early, offering hope for better health outcomes. If one of these tests shows a positive result, doctors need to confirm it with imaging tests. We have developed a guide to help doctors understand and confirm these results. This guide could help healthcare professionals interpret results for five common types of cancer, making it easier to use these tests in regular medical practice.

Toward Unveiling Putative Binding Sites of Interleukin-33: Insights from Mixed-Solvent Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the Interleukin-1 Family.

The interleukin (IL)-1 family is a major proinflammatory cytokine family, ranging from the well-studied IL-1s to the most recently discovered IL-33. As a new focus, IL-33 has attracted extensive research for its crucial immunoregulatory roles, leading to the development of notable monoclonal antibodies as clinical candidates. Efforts to develop small molecules disrupting IL-33/ST2 interaction remain highly desired but encounter challenges due to the shallow and featureless interfaces. The information from relative cytokines has shown that traditional binding site identification methods still struggle in mapping cryptic sites, necessitating dynamic approaches to uncover druggable pockets on IL-33. Here, we employed mixed-solvent molecular dynamics (MixMD) simulations with diverse-property probes to map the hotspots of IL-33 and identify potential binding sites. The protocol was first validated using the known binding sites of two IL-1 family members and then applied to the structure of IL-33. Our simulations revealed several binding sites and proposed side-chain rearrangements essential for the binding of a known inhibitor, aligning well with experimental NMR findings. Further microsecond-time scale simulations of this IL-33-protein complex unveiled distinct binding modes with varying occurrences. These results could facilitate future efforts in developing ligands to target challenging flexible pockets of IL-33 and IL-1 family cytokines in general.

The experience of an adult diabetic foot unit continuing face-to-face consults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted lower limb diabetes care. We aimed to map trends in diabetes-related lower limb amputation and hospitalisation rates through the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of all individuals who underwent a lower limb amputation for a diabetes-related foot complication from 2018 to 2021 at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, a quaternary hospital in Australia. Hospitalisation rates with a diabetes-related foot complication were collected for comparison. The start of the COVID-19 epoch was defined as 16 March 2020, when a state of emergency was declared in Melbourne. RESULTS: During the study period, 360 lower limb amputations for diabetes-related foot complications were performed in 247 individuals. The median monthly number of amputations remained stable prior to and during the COVID-19 epoch; there was a median of 8.0 amputations per month (interquartile range (IQR) = 6.5-11) before COVID-19, compared to 6.5 amputations (IQR = 5.0-8.3) during the COVID-19 epoch (P = 0.23). Hospitalisation with a diabetes-related foot complication significantly increased from a median monthly rate of 11 individuals (IQR = 9.0-14) before COVID-19 to 19 individuals (IQR = 14-22) during the COVID-19 epoch (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite increased hospitalisations for diabetes-related foot complications during COVID-19, there was not a corresponding increase in amputation rates. Face-to-face care of diabetes-related foot complications was prioritised at this centre and may have contributed to stable amputation rates during the pandemic.

IL-12 minicircle delivery via extracellular vesicles as immunotherapy for bladder cancer.

Interleukin-12 (IL-12) holds significant potential in cancer therapy; however, its clinical applicability is hindered by dose-limiting toxicity. Delivery of the IL-12 gene directly to tumours for constitutive IL-12 expression is a possible strategy to enhance its effectiveness while minimizing systemic toxicity. In this study, we investigate the potential of red blood cell-derived extracellular vesicles (RBCEVs) as a carrier for Il-12 plasmid delivery. We demonstrate that RBCEVs can be loaded with minicircle plasmid encoding IL-12 and delivered to MB49 bladder cancer cells for IL-12 expression. The expression of transgenes from minicircles was significantly higher than from the parental plasmids. RBCEV-mediated IL-12 expression stimulated immune responses in mouse splenocytes. Intratumoral delivery of Il-12 plasmid-loaded RBCEVs suppressed bladder cancer tumour growth, stimulated immune responses and promoted immune cell infiltration. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the promising potential of RBCEVs as an effective, safe and redosable nucleic acid drug delivery platform for IL-12.

A Brief Alcohol Intervention (BAI) to reduce alcohol use and improve PrEP outcomes among men who have sex with men in Vietnam: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In Vietnam and other global settings, men who have sex with men (MSM) have become the population at greatest risk of HIV infection. Although HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been implemented as a prevention strategy, PrEP outcomes may be affected by low persistence and adherence among MSM with unhealthy alcohol use. MSM have a high prevalence of unhealthy alcohol use in Vietnam, which may affect PrEP outcomes. METHODS: Design: We will conduct a two-arm hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial of a brief alcohol intervention (BAI) compared to the standard of care (SOC) at the Sexual Health Promotion (SHP) clinic Hanoi, Vietnam. PARTICIPANTS: Sexually active MSM (n=564) who are newly initiating PrEP or re-initiating PrEP and have unhealthy alcohol use will be recruited and randomized 1:1 to the SOC or BAI arm. A subgroup of participants (n=20) in each arm will be selected for longitudinal qualitative interviews; an additional subset (n=48) in the BAI arm will complete brief quantitative and qualitative interviews after completion of the BAI to assess the acceptability of the intervention. Additional implementation outcomes will be assessed through interviews with clinic staff and stakeholders (n=35). INTERVENTION: Study participants in both arms will receive standard care for PrEP clients. In the BAI arm, each participant will receive two face-to-face intervention sessions and two brief booster phone sessions, based on cognitive behavioral therapy and delivered in motivational interviewing informed style, to address their unhealthy alcohol use. OUTCOMES: Effectiveness (PrEP and alcohol use) and cost-effectiveness outcomes will be compared between the two arms. Intervention implementation outcomes (acceptability, feasibility, adoption) will be assessed among MSM participants, clinic staff, and stakeholders. DISCUSSION: This proposed trial will assess an alcohol intervention for MSM with unhealthy alcohol use who initiate or re-initiate PrEP, while simultaneously preparing for subsequent implementation. The study will measure the effectiveness of the BAI for increasing PrEP persistence through reducing unhealthy alcohol use in a setting where excessive alcohol consumption is a normative behavior. If effective, implementation-focused results will inform future scale-up of the BAI in similar settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT06094634 on clinicaltrials.gov. Registered 16 October 2023.

Response to Azacytidine in a Patient With Refractory Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma With TET2 Mutation.

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. PTCLs have multiple subtypes, with PTCL not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) being the most common. This subtype usually has a high rate of relapse. Making an accurate diagnosis requires molecular genetic analyses, histopathological examination, and immunophenotyping. Treatment for PTCL traditionally starts with the CHOP regimen (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone). We present a case of a patient with PTCL-NOS who progressed despite multiple treatment regimens, including both traditional and novel therapeutic agents, and finally achieved good results with azacytidine, selected based on a TET2 mutation. This case proposes future research into Azacytidine's efficacy in this patient population and further exploration of the broader utility of epigenetic therapies in PTCL.

A Novel Artificial Intelligence-Based Parameterization Approach of the Stromal Landscape in Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Multi-Institutional Study.

Tumor-stroma ratio (TSR) has been recognized as a valuable prognostic indicator in various solid tumors. This study aimed to examine the clinicopathologic relevance of TSR in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) using artificial intelligence (AI)-based parameterization of the stromal landscape and validate TSR scores generated by our AI model against those assessed by humans. One hundred twelve MCC cases with whole-slide images were collected from 4 different institutions. Whole-slide images were first partitioned into 128 × 128-pixel "mini-patches," then classified using a novel framework, termed pre-tumor and stroma (Pre-TOAST) and TOAST, whose output equaled the probability of the minipatch representing tumor cells rather than stroma. Hierarchical random samplings of 50 minipatches per region were performed throughout 50 regions per slide. TSR and tumor-stroma landscape (TSL) parameters were estimated using the maximum-likelihood algorithm. Receiver operating characteristic curves showed that the area under the curve value of Pre-TOAST in discriminating classes of interest including tumor cells, collagenous stroma, and lymphocytes from nonclasses of interest including hemorrhage, space, and necrosis was 1.00. The area under the curve value of TOAST in differentiating tumor cells from related stroma was 0.93. MCC stroma was categorized into TSR high (TSR ≥ 50%) and TSR low (TSR < 50%) using both AI- and human pathology-based methods. The AI-based TSR-high subgroup exhibited notably shorter metastasis-free survival (MFS) with a statistical significance of P = .029. Interestingly, pathologist-determined TSR subgroups lacked statistical significance in recurrence-free survival, MFS, and overall survival (P > .05). Density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise analysis identified the following 2 distinct TSL clusters: TSL1 and TSL2. TSL2 showed significantly shorter recurrence-free survival (P = .045) and markedly reduced MFS (P < .001) compared with TSL1. TSL classification appears to offer better prognostic discrimination than traditional TSR evaluation in MCC. TSL can be reliably calculated using an AI-based classification framework and predict various prognostic features of MCC.

Mental health stigma and health-seeking behaviors amongst pregnant women in Vietnam: a mixed-method realist study.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 15% of women in low-and middle-income countries experience common perinatal mental disorders. Yet, many women, even if diagnosed with mental health conditions, are untreated due to poor quality care, limited accessibility, limited knowledge, and stigma. This paper describes how mental health-related stigma influences pregnant women's decisions not to disclose their conditions and to seek treatment in Vietnam, all of which exacerbate inequitable access to maternal mental healthcare. METHODS: A mixed-method realist study was conducted, comprising 22 in-depth interviews, four focus group discussions (total participants n = 44), and a self-administered questionnaire completed by 639 pregnant women. A parallel convergent model for mixed methods analysis was employed. Data were analyzed using the realist logic of analysis, an iterative process aimed at refining identified theories. Survey data underwent analysis using SPSS 22 and descriptive analysis. Qualitative data were analyzed using configurations of context, mechanisms, and outcomes to elucidate causal links and provide explanations for complexity. RESULTS: Nearly half of pregnant women (43.5%) would try to hide their mental health issues and 38.3% avoid having help from a mental health professional, highlighting the substantial extent of stigma affecting health-seeking and accessing care. Four key areas highlight the role of stigma in maternal mental health: fear and stigmatizing language contribute to the concealment of mental illness, rendering it unnoticed; unconsciousness, normalization, and low literacy of maternal mental health; shame, household structure and gender roles during pregnancy; and the interplay of regulations, referral pathways, and access to mental health support services further compounds the challenges. CONCLUSION: Addressing mental health-related stigma could influence the decision of disclosure and health-seeking behaviors, which could in turn improve responsiveness of the local health system to the needs of pregnant women with mental health needs, by offering prompt attention, a wide range of choices, and improved communication. Potential interventions to decrease stigma and improve access to mental healthcare for pregnant women in Vietnam should target structural and organizational levels and may include improvements in screening and referrals for perinatal mental care screening, thus preventing complications.

Handling Missing Data in COVID-19 Incidence Estimation: Secondary Data Analysis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed significant challenges in disease forecasting and in developing a public health response, emphasizing the need to manage missing data from various sources in making accurate forecasts. Objective: We aimed to show how handling missing data can affect estimates of the COVID-19 incidence rate (CIR) in different pandemic situations. Methods: This study used data from the COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 surveillance system at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Vietnam. We separated the available data set into 3 distinct periods: zero COVID-19, transition, and new normal. We randomly removed 5% to 30% of data that were missing completely at random, with a break of 5% at each time point in the variable daily caseload of COVID-19. We selected 7 analytical methods to assess the effects of handling missing data and calculated statistical and epidemiological indices to measure the effectiveness of each method. Results: Our study examined missing data imputation performance across 3 study time periods: zero COVID-19 (n=3149), transition (n=1290), and new normal (n=9288). Imputation analyses showed that K-nearest neighbor (KNN) had the lowest mean absolute percentage change (APC) in CIR across the range (5% to 30%) of missing data. For instance, with 15% missing data, KNN resulted in 10.6%, 10.6%, and 9.7% average bias across the zero COVID-19, transition, and new normal periods, compared to 39.9%, 51.9%, and 289.7% with the maximum likelihood method. The autoregressive integrated moving average model showed the greatest mean APC in the mean number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 during each COVID-19 containment cycle (CCC) when we imputed the missing data in the zero COVID-19 period, rising from 226.3% at the 5% missing level to 6955.7% at the 30% missing level. Imputing missing data with median imputation methods had the lowest bias in the average number of confirmed cases in each CCC at all levels of missing data. In detail, in the 20% missing scenario, while median imputation had an average bias of 16.3% for confirmed cases in each CCC, which was lower than the KNN figure, maximum likelihood imputation showed a bias on average of 92.4% for confirmed cases in each CCC, which was the highest figure. During the new normal period in the 25% and 30% missing data scenarios, KNN imputation had average biases for CIR and confirmed cases in each CCC ranging from 21% to 32% for both, while maximum likelihood and moving average imputation showed biases on average above 250% for both CIR and confirmed cases in each CCC. Conclusions: Our study emphasizes the importance of understanding that the specific imputation method used by investigators should be tailored to the specific epidemiological context and data collection environment to ensure reliable estimates of the CIR.

The spread of fake news: Disclosure willingness role.

The epidemic has had a profound negative impact on individuals worldwide, leading to pervasive anxiety, fear, and mental instability. Exploiting these fears, a significant amount of fake information proliferates and spreads rapidly on social networks. This study explores the factors that cause individuals to believe fake news under stressful and fearful conditions by applying the truth-default theory. Data was collected online in Vietnam, using Smart PLS software to analyze the research model. The findings indicated that risk perception, media trust, trust in celebrity posts, and stress were factors that urge users to believe news posted on social media, and even they actively share this news on their own channels. Disclosure willingness moderated the relationship between adoption fake news and sharing it. Both theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Light Switchable Bioorthogonal Reaction Manifold for Modulation of Hydrogel Properties.

Chemical reaction systems that can occur via multiple pathways in a controllable fashion are highly attractive for advanced materials applications and biological research. In this report, we introduce a bioorthogonal reaction manifold based on a chalcone pyrene (CPyr) moiety that can undergo either red-shifted photoreversible [2 + 2] cycloaddition or thiol-Michael addition click reaction. By coupling the CPyr to a water-soluble poly(ethylene glycol) end group, we demonstrate the efficient polymer dimerization and cleavage by blue light (λ = 450 nm) and UV light (λ = 340 nm), respectively. In the absence of light, CPyr rapidly reacts with thiols in aqueous environments, enabling fast and efficient polymer end-group functionalization. The chemical reaction manifold was further employed in polymer cross-linking for the preparation of hydrogels whose stiffness and morphology can be modulated by different photonic fields or the addition of a thiol cross-linker. The photoreversible cycloaddition and thiol-Michael addition click reaction can be used in conjunction for spatial and temporal conjugation of a streptavidin protein. Both cross-linking conditions are nontoxic to various cell lines, highlighting their potential in biomaterials applications.

Cold Storage of Human Femoral Arteries for Twelve Months: Impact on Mechanical Properties.

OBJECTIVE: This biomechanical pre-clinical study aimed to assess the consequences on mechanical properties of long term cold storage (+2 to +8 °C) of arterial allografts. METHODS: Femoropopliteal arterial segments were collected from multiorgan donors and stored at +2 to +8 °C for twelve months in saline solution with added antibiotics. Mechanical characterisation was carried out using two different tests, with the aim of defining the physiological modulus and the maximum stress and strain borne by the sample before rupture. These characterisations were carried out after zero, six, and twelve months of storage for each sample (T0, T6, and T12, respectively). For comparison, the same tests were performed on cryopreserved femoropopliteal segments after thawing. RESULTS: Twelve refrigerated allografts (RAs), each divided into three segments, and 10 cryopreserved allografts (CAs) were characterised. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) Young's modulus was not statistically significantly different between the storage times for cold stored allografts: RAT0, 164 (150, 188) kPa; RAT6, 178 (141, 185) kPa; RAT12, 177 (149, 185) kPa. The median (IQR) Young's modulus of the CA group (153; 130, 170 kPa) showed no significant differences from the RA groups, irrespective of storage time. Furthermore, median (IQR) maximum stress and strain values were not significantly different between the different groups: for maximum stress: RAT0, 1.58 (1.08, 2.09) MPa; RAT6, 1.74 (1.55, 2.36) MPa; RAT12, 2.25 (1.87, 2.53) MPa; CA, 2.25 (1.77, 2.61) MPa; and for maximum strain: RAT0, 64% (50, 90); RAT6, 79% (63, 84); RAT12, 72% (65, 86); CA, 67% (50, 95). CONCLUSION: Cold storage for up to twelve months appears to have no impact on the mechanical characteristics of human arterial allografts. Therefore, this preservation method, which would greatly simplify routine care, seems feasible. Other indicators are being studied to verify the safety of this preservation process before considering its use in vivo.

First record of a mixed species association between Hatinh langur (Trachypithecus hatinhensis) and red-shanked douc (Pygathrix nemaeus).

In primates, mixed species associations are not common occurrences, and have been linked to both ecological and anthropogenic factors. We present camera-trapping records of a mixed association between two primates, the Hatinh langur (Trachypithecus hatinhensis) and red-shanked douc (Pygathrix nemaeus) and discuss possible hypotheses for this occurrence. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of such an association in the wild of these two threatened primates, and thus contributes to our limited ecological knowledge of the species.

Deciphering tumour microenvironment and elucidating the origin of cancer cells in ovarian clear cell carcinoma.

Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) has an East Asian preponderance. It is associated with endometriosis, a benign condition where endometrial (inner lining of the uterus) tissue is found outside the uterus and on the peritoneal surface, in the abdominal or pelvic space. CCC is relatively more resistant to conventional chemotherapy compared to other ovarian cancer subtypes and is associated with a poorer prognosis. In this study, we recruited and obtained tumour tissues from seven patients across the four stages of CCC. The tumour and the tumour microenvironment (TME) from 7 CCC patients spanning clinical stages 1-4 were transcriptionally profiled using high-resolution scRNA-seq to gain insight into CCC's biological mechanisms. Firstly, we built a scRNA-seq resource for the CCC tumour microenvironment (TME). Secondly, we identified the different cell type proportions and found high levels of immune infiltration in CCC. Thirdly, since CCC is associated with endometriosis, we compared CCC with two publicly available endometriosis scRNA-seq datasets. The CCC malignant cells showed similarities with glandular secretory and ciliated epithelial cells found in endometriosis. Finally, we determined the differences in cell-cell communication between various cell types present in CCC TME and endometriosis conditions to gain insights into the transformations in CCC.

Mycology laboratory diagnostic capacity for invasive fungal diseases in public hospitals in Vietnam.

This was a cross-sectional study on the availability of laboratory infrastructure and capacity for the diagnosis of invasive fungal diseases in 24 public hospitals in Vietnam in 2023. Among the hospitals surveyed, 66.7% (14/21) had specialized personnel assigned for mycology testing, and 95.8% (23/24) had a separate microbiology laboratory space. Microscopy and culture methods are available in nearly all laboratories for isolate identification. Antifungal susceptibility testing is only performed for yeasts in 16/24 (66.7%) laboratories. Non-culture methods are hardly used in laboratories. Strengthening local laboratory capacities is essential to meeting health needs in these endemic regions.

There was a need for investment in fungal diagnostics to improve health services in the settings with a burden of endemic fungal infections.

Theoretical Analysis of Superior Photodegradation of Methylene Blue by Cerium Oxide/Reduced Graphene Oxide vs. Graphene.

Density functional theory and a semi-empirical quantum chemical approach were used to evaluate the photocatalytic efficiency of ceria (CeO2) combined with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and graphene (GP) for degrading methylene blue (MB). Two main aspects were examined: the adsorption ability of rGO and GP for MB, and the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes in CeO2/rGO and CeO2/GP. Our results, based on calculations of the adsorption energy, population analysis, bond strength index, and reduced density gradient, show favorable energetics for MB adsorption on both rGO and GP surfaces. The process is driven by weak, non-covalent interactions, with rGO showing better MB adsorption. A detailed analysis involving parameters like fractional occupation density, the centroid distance between molecular orbitals, and the Lewis acid index of the catalysts highlights the effective charge separation in CeO2/rGO compared to CeO2/GP. These findings are crucial for understanding photocatalytic degradation mechanisms of organic dyes and developing efficient photocatalysts.

Intraoral Ultrasound Imaging Using a Rotational Transducer with Periodontal Feature Identification by Machine Learning.

Innovative intraoral ultrasound devices with smart artificial intelligence-based identification for dento-anatomy could provide crucial information for oral health diagnosis and treatment and shed light on real-time detection of developmental dentistry. However, the grand challenge is that the current ultrasound technologies are meant for external use due to their bulkiness and low frequency. We report a compact versatile ultrasound intraoral device that consists of a rotational probe head robustly pivoted around a hand-held and portable handle for real-time imaging of intraoral anatomy using high-frequency ultrasonography (up to 25 MHz). The intraoral ultrasound device that could be adjusted for various orientations of the imaging planes by rotating the head provides real-time, high-resolution ultrasonograms of intraoral structures, including dento-periodontium of most tooth types and maxillary palate. Machine learning-based algorithms are integrated to automate the identification of important structures, including alveolar bone and cementum-enamel junction. The intraoral ultrasound device smartened with artificial intelligence could innovate oral health diagnosis and treatment plans toward precision health and patient care.