A plant-based oligomeric CD2v extracellular domain antigen exhibits equivalent immunogenicity to the live attenuated vaccine ASFV-G-∆I177L.

African swine fever (ASF), caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), is a deadly, highly contagious disease in both domestic pigs and wild boar. With mortality up to 100%, the disease has been making a serious impact on the swine industry worldwide. Because no effective antiviral treatment has been observed, proactive prevention such as vaccination remains the key to controlling the outbreak. In the pursuit of expediting vaccine development, our current work has made the first report for heterologous production of the viral outer envelope glycoprotein CD2v extracellular domain (CD2v ED), a proposed promising vaccine antigen candidate in the "green" synthetic host Nicotiana benthamiana. Protein oligomerization strategies were implemented to increase the immunogenicity of the target antigen. Herein, the protein was expressed in oligomeric forms based on the C-terminally fused GCN4pII trimerization motif and GCN4pII_TP oligomerization motif. Quantitative western blot analysis showed significantly higher expression of trimeric CD2v ED_GCN4pII with a yield of about 12 mg/100 g of fresh weight, in comparison to oligomeric CD2v ED_GCN4pII_TP, revealing the former is the better choice for further studies. The results of purification and size determination by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) illustrated that CD2v ED_GCN4pII was successfully produced in stable oligomeric forms throughout the extraction, purification, and analysis process. Most importantly, purified CD2v ED_GCN4pII was demonstrated to induce both humoral and cellular immunity responses in mice to extents equivalent to those of the live attenuated vaccine ASFV-G-∆I177L, suggesting it as the potential subunit vaccine candidate for preventing ASFV.

The Impact of Vaccination on the Likelihood of COVID-19 Infection.

The current study investigates COVID-19 infection likelihood using data from 5,819 respondents in Vietnam and Indonesia (December 10, 2022, to March 27, 2023) through binary logistic regressions. Descriptive statistics highlight the significance of vaccination status, with almost half of unvaccinated respondents contracting the infection. The second vaccine dose showed the lowest infection percentages, suggesting a potential dose-dependent effect. Those receiving mRNA vaccines consistently had reduced infection likelihood across the first four doses, with an unexpected reversal for the fifth dose. Vaccinated individuals, especially with mRNA vaccines, had faster recovery times, and variability in recovery times and milder symptoms were observed in mRNA vaccine recipients. Regression results from Model 1 reveal a substantial impact of vaccination, with vaccinated respondents having ∼48.1% lower odds than the unvaccinated. Model 2 underscores a dose-dependent protective effect, with each additional dose associated with a notable 6.6% reduction in infection likelihood. Beyond vaccination, gender, family size, marital status, employment, urban residence, and nationality influenced infection likelihood. Males, larger families, single marital status, unemployment, rural residence, and Indonesian nationality increased the likelihood of infection. Surprisingly, respondents with infected family members exhibited a lower infection likelihood, suggesting potential protective measures within households. These findings highlight COVID-19 dynamics, and ongoing research refines comprehension.

CRISPR-Cas9 target-strand nicking provides phage resistance by inhibiting replication.

Cas endonucleases, like Cas9 and Cas12a, are RNA-guided immune effectors that provide bacterial defense against bacteriophages. Cas endonucleases rely on divalent metal ions for their enzymatic activities and to facilitate conformational changes that are required for specific recognition and cleavage of target DNA. While Cas endonucleases typically produce double-strand breaks (DSBs) in DNA targets, reduced, physiologically relevant Mg2+ concentrations and target mismatches can result in incomplete second-strand cleavage, resulting in the production of a nicked DNA. It remains poorly understood whether nicking by Cas endonucleases is sufficient to provide protection against phage. To address this, we tested phage protection by Cas9 nickases, in which only one of two nuclease domains is catalytically active. By testing a large panel of guide RNAs, we find that target strand nicking can be sufficient to provide immunity, while non-target nicking does not provide any additional protection beyond Cas9 binding. Target-strand nicking inhibits phage replication and can reduce the susceptibility of Cas9 to viral escape when targeting non-essential regions of the genome. Cleavage of the non-target strand by the RuvC domain is strongly impaired at low Mg2+ concentrations. As a result, fluctuations in the concentration of other biomolecules that can compete for binding of free Mg2+ strongly influences the ability of Cas9 to form a DSB at targeted sites. Overall, our results suggest that Cas9 may only nick DNA during CRISPR-mediated immunity, especially under conditions of low Mg2+ availability in cells.

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.

Associations between food insecurity in high-income countries and pregnancy outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Maternal nutrition is crucial for health in pregnancy and across the generations. Experiencing food insecurity during pregnancy is a driver of inequalities in maternal diet with potential maternal and infant health consequences. This systematic review explored associations between food insecurity in pregnancy and maternal and infant health outcomes. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Searches included 8 databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, PsychInfo, ASSIA, SSPC in ProQuest, and CINAHL), grey literature, forwards and backwards citation chaining, and contacting authors. Studies in high-income countries (HICs) reporting data on food insecurity in pregnancy and maternal or infant health, from January 1, 2008 to November 21, 2023 were included. Screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were carried out independently in duplicate. Random effects meta-analysis was performed when data were suitable for pooling, otherwise narrative synthesis was conducted. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022311669), reported with PRISMA checklist (S1 File). Searches identified 24,223 results and 25 studies (n = 93,871 women) were included: 23 from North America and 2 from Europe. Meta-analysis showed that food insecurity was associated with high stress level (OR 4.07, 95% CI [1.22, 13.55], I2 96.40%), mood disorder (OR 2.53, 95% CI [1.46, 4.39], I2 55.62%), gestational diabetes (OR 1.64, 95% CI [1.37, 1.95], I2 0.00%), but not cesarean delivery (OR 1.42, 95% CI [0.78, 2.60], I2 56.35%), birth weight (MD -58.26 g, 95% CI [-128.02, 11.50], I2 38.41%), small-for-gestational-age (OR 1.20, 95%, CI [0.88, 1.63], I2 44.66%), large-for-gestational-age (OR 0.88, 95% CI [0.70, 1.12] I2 11.93%), preterm delivery (OR 1.18, 95% CI [0.98, 1.42], I2 0.00%), or neonatal intensive care (OR 2.01, 95% CI [0.85, 4.78], I2 70.48%). Narrative synthesis showed food insecurity was significantly associated with dental problems, depression, anxiety, and maternal serum concentration of perfluoro-octane sulfonate. There were no significant associations with other organohalogen chemicals, assisted delivery, postpartum haemorrhage, hospital admissions, length of stay, congenital anomalies, or neonatal morbidity. Mixed associations were reported for preeclampsia, hypertension, and community/resilience measures. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal food insecurity is associated with some adverse pregnancy outcomes, particularly mental health and gestational diabetes. Most included studies were conducted in North America, primarily the United States of America, highlighting a research gap across other contexts. Further research in other HICs is needed to understand these associations within varied contexts, such as those without embedded interventions in place, to help inform policy and care requirements.

Image Enhancement Using Bidimensional Empirical Mode Decomposition and Morphological Operations for Brain Tumor Detection and Classification.

Objective: The three steps of brain image processing - preprocessing, segmentation, and classification are becoming increasingly important in patient care. The aim of this article is to present a proposed method in the mentioned three-steps, with emphasis on the preprocessing step, which includes noise removal and contrast enhancement. Methods: The fast and adaptive bidimensional empirical mode decomposition and the anisotropic diffusion equation as well as the modified combination of top-hat and bottom-hat transforms are used for noise reduction and contrast enhancement. Fast C-means clustering with enhanced image is used to detect tumors and the tumor cluster corresponds to the maximum centroid. Finally, Ensemble learning is used for classification. Result: The Figshare brain tumor dataset contains magnetic resonance images used for data selection. The optimal parameters for both noise reduction and contrast enhancement are investigated using a tumor contaminated with Gaussian noise. The results are evaluated against state-of-the-art results and qualitative performance metrics to demonstrate the dominance of the proposed approach. The fast C-means algorithm is applied to detect tumors using twelve enhanced images. The detected tumors were compared to the ground truth and showed an accuracy and specificity of 99% each, and a sensitivity and precision of 90% each. Six statistical features are retrieved from 150 enhanced images using wavelet packet coefficients at level 4 of the Daubechies 4 wavelet function. These features are used to develop the classifier model using ensemble learning to create a model with training and testing accuracy of 96.7% and 76.7%, respectively. When this model is applied to classify twelve detected tumor images, the accuracy is 75%; there are three misclassified images, all of which belong to the pituitary disease group. Conclusion: Based on the research, it appears that the proposed approach could lead to the development of computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) software that physicians can use as a reference for the treatment of rain tumor. OBJECTIVE: The three steps of brain image processing ­ preprocessing, segmentation, and classification are becoming increasingly important in patient care. The aim of this article is to present a proposed method in the mentioned three-steps, with emphasis on the preprocessing step, which includes noise removal and contrast enhancement. METHODS: The fast and adaptive bidimensional empirical mode decomposition and the anisotropic diffusion equation as well as the modified combination of top-hat and bottom-hat transforms are used for noise reduction and contrast enhancement. Fast C-means clustering with enhanced image is used to detect tumors and the tumor cluster corresponds to the maximum centroid. Finally, Ensemble learning is used for classification. RESULT: The Figshare brain tumor dataset contains magnetic resonance images used for data selection. The optimal parameters for both noise reduction and contrast enhancement are investigated using a tumor contaminated with Gaussian noise. The results are evaluated against state-of-the-art results and qualitative performance metrics to demonstrate the dominance of the proposed approach. The fast C-means algorithm is applied to detect tumors using twelve enhanced images. The detected tumors were compared to the ground truth and showed an accuracy and specificity of 99% each, and a sensitivity and precision of 90% each. Six statistical features are retrieved from 150 enhanced images using wavelet packet coefficients at level 4 of the Daubechies 4 wavelet function. These features are used to develop the classifier model using ensemble learning to create a model with training and testing accuracy of 96.7% and 76.7%, respectively. When this model is applied to classify twelve detected tumor images, the accuracy is 75%; there are three misclassified images, all of which belong to the pituitary disease group. CONCLUSION: Based on the research, it appears that the proposed approach could lead to the development of computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) software that physicians can use as a reference for the treatment of rain tumor.

Quantifying carbon footprint of salmon fillet processed in Vietnam: impact of transportation and improvement opportunities.

The carbon footprint of a product represents the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions released during its production, transportation, and consumption and is calculated as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq). It should be integrated into different existing and future seafood awareness campaigns to create more holistic yardsticks by which consumers, retail businesses, and producers can assess the environmental impacts of seafood. This study used the life cycle assessment (LCA) method for the first time to quantify the carbon footprint of salmon fillet products processed in Vietnam for export. The carbon footprint of 1-kg salmon fillet at the factory gate ranges between 7.20 and 15.05 kg CO2-eq, depending on transportation modes of head-on-gutted (HOG) salmon from Norway to Vietnam. Transportatiton by airfreight doubled carbon footprint of salmon fillet products processed in Vietnam compared to sea freight. Feed and electricity were identified as the two most respective contributing factors during the stage of cultivation, processing fresh salmon in Norway, and the stage of salmon fillet processing in Vietnam. They accounted for about 95% and 50% of the total carbon footprint in these stages of the production chain, respectively. To reduce the carbon footprint of the salmon fillet products processed in Vietnam, the company should (i) make a careful production plan to use sea freight transportation instead of airfreight and (ii) use more electricity from renewable energy sources. Furthermore, the carbon footprint of these products can be reduced by improving the cultivation process via changing feed ingredients and enhancing the feed conversion ratio (FCR).

CRISPR-Cas12a exhibits metal-dependent specificity switching.

Cas12a is the immune effector of type V-A CRISPR-Cas systems and has been co-opted for genome editing and other biotechnology tools. The specificity of Cas12a has been the subject of extensive investigation both in vitro and in genome editing experiments. However, in vitro studies have often been performed at high magnesium ion concentrations that are inconsistent with the free Mg2+ concentrations that would be present in cells. By profiling the specificity of Cas12a orthologs at a range of Mg2+ concentrations, we find that Cas12a switches its specificity depending on metal ion concentration. Lowering Mg2+ concentration decreases cleavage defects caused by seed mismatches, while increasing the defects caused by PAM-distal mismatches. We show that Cas12a can bind seed mutant targets more rapidly at low Mg2+ concentrations, resulting in faster cleavage. In contrast, PAM-distal mismatches cause substantial defects in cleavage following formation of the Cas12a-target complex at low Mg2+ concentrations. We observe differences in Cas12a specificity switching between three orthologs that results in variations in the routes of phage escape from Cas12a-mediated immunity. Overall, our results reveal the importance of physiological metal ion conditions on the specificity of Cas effectors that are used in different cellular environments.

CRISPR-Cas systems are commonly used for biotechnology. Their specificity has been studied extensively and has previously been thought to be well understood. In this work, we asked a simple question about the effect of metal ion concentration on CRISPR specificity; the results are surprising and striking. At the actual metal ion concentrations found in cells, Cas12a specificity is inverted in comparison to the higher metal ion conditions that are typically used in test-tube assays. The specificity observed at lower metal ion concentration is more relevant under cellular conditions.

Local Cutaneous Scrotal Involvement of Paratesticular Mesothelioma.

ABSTRACT: Paratesticular mesothelioma (malignant mesothelioma arising from the tunica vaginalis of the testis) represents a small proportion of mesothelial neoplasms, and cutaneous involvement by paratesticular mesothelioma is very rare. Cutaneous involvement can manifest as scrotal subcutaneous nodules from regional spread, distant metastasis, or direct extension through surgical scars. Mesothelioma has 3 histopathologic classifications that include epithelioid, biphasic, and sarcomatoid, which is rarely seen in paratesticular mesothelioma. Given the rarity of this condition, cutaneous mesothelioma may be misdiagnosed as histologic mimics, such as metastatic adenocarcinoma or adnexal neoplasms; thus, appropriate immunohistochemical workup and clinical correlation are required to make an accurate diagnosis. In this case, a 75-year-old man with a history of paratesticular mesothelioma, status postorchiectomy, presented with right-sided scrotal swelling, erythema, and subcutaneous nodules. These nodules were identified as local recurrence with cutaneous involvement by paratesticular mesothelioma on histopathologic examination. This case highlights the clinical and histopathologic features of this diagnosis and underscores the importance of dermatopathologists being aware of this condition to ensure accurate diagnosis.

Conquering hypertension in Vietnam: 12- month follow up results from a cluster-randomised controlled trial.

Background: Approximately 20% of adults in Vietnam have hypertension, and management of this chronic condition remains challenging. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention in reducing blood pressure (BP) in adults with uncontrolled hypertension. Methods: This cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted in sixteen communities (8 intervention and 8 comparison) in a rural setting in Vietnam (2017-2022). Consenting adults (aged ≥ 18 years) with uncontrolled hypertension were enrolled. Sixteen communities were equally randomised to an intervention or comparison group stratified by district. Consenting adults were assigned to study groups by community. The comparison arm received training sessions about hypertension prevention and management for health workers, and patient education materials. The intervention arm received training sessions about hypertension prevention and management for health workers, and patient education materials and three enhancement components including a storytelling intervention, home BP self-monitoring, and expanded community health worker services. The primary outcome was the difference in changes in patient's levels of systolic BP between the study groups over a 12-month follow-up period. Patients and outcome assessors were masked. Findings: A total of 671 patients (340: intervention, 331: comparison) were enrolled in the trial. The mean age was 66 years and 45% were men. At the 12-month follow-up, the mean systolic BP declined by 18.4 mmHg in the intervention group and 3.7 mmHg in the comparison group (differential decline of 14.7 mmHg [95% CI: 11.8-17.6]). The intervention group also achieved better BP control and medication adherence than the comparison group. There were no serious adverse events related to study participation. Interpretation: The results of this trial demonstrate that a multicomponent intervention can effectively reduce elevated BP in individuals with uncontrolled hypertension in Vietnam. Trial registration: This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03590691. Funding: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Treatment of lichen sclerosus with hydroxychloroquine: a Mayo Clinic experience.

BACKGROUND: There is a dearth of studies investigating the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of either anogenital lichen sclerosus or extragenital lichen sclerosus, a condition that, if left untreated, could lead to a greater degree of scarring and malignant transformation. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the demographic characteristics, clinicopathological features, treatment response, and outcomes of patients diagnosed with either anogenital or extragenital lichen sclerosus who received hydroxychloroquine therapy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted involving 70 patients diagnosed with lichen sclerosus who underwent treatment with hydroxychloroquine at our institution between 2018 and 2023. RESULTS: Among the cohort, 67 patients were female, and 3 were male. Extragenital lichen sclerosus was diagnosed in 23 patients, with 16 exhibiting concomitant morphea overlap. Itching was the predominant clinical presentation (67%). A notable proportion of patients (36%) had a connective tissue disorder, prompting hydroxychloroquine therapy. Among the 30 patients treated solely for lichen sclerosus, 21 demonstrated response and 9 had no response. From a broader comparison of response to hydroxychloroquine, the overall anogenital response rate was 84.6% as opposed to 50% in extragenital lichen sclerosus. The median time to initial response was 4 months. Adverse effects, predominantly mild, were observed in 10 (14.3%) patients. LIMITATION: This study is constrained by its retrospective nature and reliance on data from a single center, resulting in a limited sample size. CONCLUSION: Hydroxychloroquine demonstrates promise as a therapeutic option for anogenital lichen sclerosus because of its favorable response rates and low incidence of adverse effects. However, further investigations, including larger-scale or prospective studies, are imperative to ascertain its definitive efficacy.

Nutritional status, dietary quality and eating disturbance issues among people with dementia in Vietnam: evidence of a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Due to cognitive impairments, people with dementia (PWD) often have difficulties in eating and drinking. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status, dietary quality and eating disturbance issues among PWD in Vietnam. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study at the Vietnamese National Geriatric Hospital from April to December 2022. We used Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) to classify the severity levels of dementia. Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), 24-hour recall, eating disturbance questionnaires, and anthropometric indicators were used to evaluate the nutritional status, dietary quality, and eating disorders of study subjects. RESULTS: Overall, among 63 study participants, 74.6 per cent of PWD were at risk of or having malnutrition. By dementia classification according to MMSE scale, people with moderate and severe dementia accounted for 53.3 per cent of those who met the recommended energy levels, compared to 42.4 per cent of people with mild dementia and normal people. In the above two groups, around three per cent of participants reached the recommended amount of fibre. Calcium (50-70%), vitamin A (80-90%), and D (90%) were found to be the most severe deficiency forms of minerals and vitamins in both male and female participants. The majority of participants (90.5%) had at least one form of eating disorders with the most frequent issue being appetite changes (76.2%) and swallowing issues (50.8%). CONCLUSIONS: PWD in our sample frequently experienced malnutrition, a lack of essential nutrients, difficulties swallowing, changes in eating habits and appetite. It is neccesary to early screen and assess nutritional status and swallowing disturbance in PWD, and instruct their caregivers to prepare nutritious meals for them.

Effectiveness of Husbands' Support Exclusive Breastfeeding Facebook Programme During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Introduction: The exclusive breastfeeding rate for six months in the Northeast region of Thailand has recently significantly decreased, in contrast to all other regions in Thailand. Facebook is widely used worldwide to enhance knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours that support breastfeeding. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a Facebook programme for husbands' support of exclusive breastfeeding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We employed a quasi-experimental study design conducted from September 2020 to November 2021. Data were collected from two tertiary hospitals in Thailand, involving a total of 72 participants-36 in the experimental group and 36 in the control group. These participants were husbands of postpartum women admitted to the postpartum wards. Four research instrument were the demographic questionnaire, the Husband's EBF Knowledge, Husband's EBF Attitude, and Husband's EBF Behavior Questionnaires. Demographic data were analysed using frequency distribution, percentages, and the Chi-square test. The mean difference in husbands' exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) knowledge scores was analysed using an independent samples t-test. Results: At baseline, there was no significant difference in husbands' exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) knowledge scores between the experimental and control groups (p = 0.82). By the 1st month, there was a significant difference in the mean scores of husbands' EBF knowledge between the two groups (p < 0.01). However, the mean score of attitude at 6-month (mean=108.03, SD=19.89) was higher than the mean score of behaviour at baseline (mean=101.81, SD=17.99), but it was not significant (p=0.40). In addition, the different score of behaviour among baseline (mean=65.86, SD=7.02) and 6-month (mean=68.58, SD=10.42) was not significant (p=0.24). Conclusion: The findings suggest that the Facebook programme is an effective platform for conveying exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) knowledge to husbands in Northeast Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Severity predictors for multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children after SARS-CoV-2 infection in Vietnam.

Multisystemic inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) might manifest in a broad spectrum of clinical scenarios, ranging from mild features to multi-organ dysfunction and mortality. However, this novel entity has a heterogenicity of data regarding prognostic factors associated with severe outcomes. The present study aimed to identify independent predictors for severity by using multivariate regression models. A total of 391 patients (255 boys and 136 girls) were admitted to Vietnam National Children's Hospital from January 2022 to June 2023. The median age was 85 (range: 2-188) months, and only 12 (3.1%) patients had comorbidities. 161 (41.2%) patients required PICU admission, and the median PICU LOS was 4 (2-7) days. We observed independent factors related to PICU admission, including CRP ≥ 50 (mg/L) (OR 2.52, 95% CI 1.39-4.56, p = 0.002), albumin ≤ 30 (g/L) (OR 3.18, 95% CI 1.63-6.02, p = 0.001), absolute lymphocyte count ≤ 2 (× 109/L) (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.29-3.71, p = 0.004), ferritin ≥ 300 (ng/mL) (OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.38-4.01), p = 0.002), and LVEF < 60 (%) (OR 2.48, 95% CI 1.28-4.78, p = 0.007). Shock developed in 140 (35.8%) patients, especially for those decreased absolute lymphocyte ≤ 2 (× 109/L) (OR 2.48, 95% CI 1.10-5.61, p = 0.029), albumin ≤ 30 (g/L) (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.22-5.24, p = 0.013), or LVEF < 60 (%) (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.12-4.51, p = 0.022). In conclusion, our study emphasized that absolute lymphocyte count, serum albumin, CRP, and LVEF were independent predictors for MIS-C severity. Further well-designed investigations are required to validate their efficacy in predicting MIS-C severe cases, especially compared to other parameters. As MIS-C is a new entity and severe courses may progress aggressively, identifying high-risk patients optimizes clinicians' follow-up and management to improve disease outcomes.

Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Camellia longii Orel & Luu Leaf Extracts for Memory Loss in Alzheimer's Disease: Novel Findings and Functional Food Applications.

Novel research on the chemical compositions and biochemical activities of Camellia longii Orel and Luu leaf extracts revealed valuable resources with potential applications in Alzheimer's disease treatment. Qualitative phytochemicals detected various compound groups, including polyphenols, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, amino acids, coumarins, and polysaccharides. HPLC-MS identified 23 compounds in C. longii leaves with compounds found at significant levels, including epicatechin gallate (17.12%), tryptophan (13.73%), isovitexin (12.91%), gallic acid (3.06%), and quercetin (3.06%). Interestingly, the ethanol extract (CLL-Ew) exhibited the highest extraction yield (26.6%) and potent antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory effects in vitro. In the Drosophila melanogaster model, CLL-Ew improved longevity, movement, and memory by reducing malondialdehyde and increasing glutathione levels. Docking simulations suggested that the above compounds bind tightly to AChE's active site, potentially contributing to memory enhancement. Interestingly, observations of male and female mice after administration of a dose of 5000 mg/kg C. longii leaf extract were recorded normally throughout the 14 day experiment. These findings highlight the potential of C. longii leaf extracts in functional foods and therapeutic interventions for memory impairment prevention and treatment.

Tissue of origin detection for cancer tumor using low-depth cfDNA samples through combination of tumor-specific methylation atlas and genome-wide methylation density in graph convolutional neural networks.

BACKGROUND: Cell free DNA (cfDNA)-based assays hold great potential in detecting early cancer signals yet determining the tissue-of-origin (TOO) for cancer signals remains a challenging task. Here, we investigated the contribution of a methylation atlas to TOO detection in low depth cfDNA samples. METHODS: We constructed a tumor-specific methylation atlas (TSMA) using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) data from five types of tumor tissues (breast, colorectal, gastric, liver and lung cancer) and paired white blood cells (WBC). TSMA was used with a non-negative least square matrix factorization (NNLS) deconvolution algorithm to identify the abundance of tumor tissue types in a WGBS sample. We showed that TSMA worked well with tumor tissue but struggled with cfDNA samples due to the overwhelming amount of WBC-derived DNA. To construct a model for TOO, we adopted the multi-modal strategy and used as inputs the combination of deconvolution scores from TSMA with other features of cfDNA. RESULTS: Our final model comprised of a graph convolutional neural network using deconvolution scores and genome-wide methylation density features, which achieved an accuracy of 69% in a held-out validation dataset of 239 low-depth cfDNA samples. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, we have demonstrated that our TSMA in combination with other cfDNA features can improve TOO detection in low-depth cfDNA samples.

Recent Developments on Cationic Polymerization of Vinyl Ethers.

In recent times, the evolution of cationic polymerization has taken a multidirectional approach, with the development of cationic reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. In contrast to the conventional cationic polymerization methods, which were typically carried out under inert atmospheres and low temperatures, various novel polymerization techniques have been developed where the reactions are carried out in open air, operate at room temperature, are cost-effective, and are environmentally friendly. Besides, several external stimuli, such as heat, light, chemicals, electrical potential, etc. have been employed to activate and control the polymerization process. It also enables the combination of cationic polymerization with other polymerization methods in a single reaction vessel, eliminating the necessity for isolation and purification during intermediate steps. In addition, significant advancements have been made through various modifications in catalyst systems, resulting in polymers with an exceptionally high level of stereoregularity. This review article comprehensively analyses the recent developments in cationic polymerization, encompassing their applications and offering insights into future perspectives.