Mitophylogeny of Pangasiid Catfishes and its Taxonomic Implications for Pangasiidae and the Suborder Siluroidei.

Pangasiidae (catfish order: Siluriformes) comprises 30 valid catfish species in four genera: Pangasius, Pangasianodon, Helicophagus, and Pseudolais. Their systematics are frequently revised due to the addition of newly described species. Although Pangasiidae is known to be a monophyletic family, the generic and phylogenetic relationships among the taxa are poorly resolved. This study characterized three newly obtained complete mitogenomes of Mekong River catfishes from Vietnam (Pangasius mekongensis, Pangasius krempfi, and Pangasianodon hypophthalmus), as well as the inter-and intrafamilial relationships of the Pangasiidae and catfish families in Siluroidei. The genomic features of their mitogenomes were similar to those of previously reported pangasiids, including all regulatory elements, extended terminal associated sequences (ETAS), and conserved sequence blocks (CSBs) (CSB-1, CSB-2, CSB-3, and CSBs, A to F) in the control region. A comprehensive phylogeny constructed from datasets of multiple 13 PCG sequences from 117 complete mitogenomes of 32 recognized siluriform families established Pangasiidae as monophyletic and a sister group of Austroglanididae. The [Pangasiidae + Austroglanididae] + (Ictaluridae + Cranoglanididae) + Ariidae] clade is a sister to the "Big Africa" major clade of Siluriformes. Furthermore, both phylogenies constructed from the single barcodes (83 partial cox1 and 80 partial cytB, respectively) clearly indicate genus relationships within Pangasiidae. Pangasianodon was monophyletic and a sister to the (Pangasius + Helicophagus + Pseudolais) group. Within the genus Pangasius, P. mekongensis was placed as a sister taxon to P. pangasius. Pangasius sanitwongsei was found to be related to and grouped with Pangasianodon, but in single-gene phylogenies, it was assigned to the Pangasius + Helicophagus + Pseudolais group. The datasets in this study are useful for studying pangasiid systematics, taxonomy and evolution.

A regional approach for health risk assessment of toxicants in plastic food containers.

Plastic food containers are being used popularly, generating a waste of about 115 million tons in Vietnam. Such waste is causing environmental and health issues. This study conducted a field survey with 250 local people and selected 59 samples out of 135 plastic food containers collected in Go Vap district, Vietnam. Collected plastic samples identified compositions were PET 13.6%, PP 28.8%, PS 16.9%, and 40.7% undefined plastics. Collected plastic samples were classified based on the plastic type using recycling code and quantitatively analyzed with X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy method to assess concentrations of Cd, Sb, Pb, Hg, Sn, Cr, Br, Cl, and S. Most of these collected plastic samples (91.5%) were found to contain 8/9 hazardous substances and most elements contained in these plastics were below their standard thresholds. These elements in plastic samples could be divided as the result into three hazard groups: (1) high hazard group (Sb, Cl, and S); (2) medium hazard group (Cr, Br and Hg); and (3) low hazard groups (Cd, Pb and Sn). Among substances in the high hazard group, element Sb was assessed for its migration because only Sb is regulated in Vietnam in QCVN 12-1: 2011/BYT. Substances of Cl, S, Cr, Br, and Hg (group 1, 2) do not have regulations related to the method of decontamination. Thus, additional health risks need to be assessed using the USEtox model. Finally, this study proposed a screening process to assess the risk of toxicity of elements contained in plastic food containers through ISO 31000:2018. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43188-023-00194-0.

Using dinoprostone slow release vaginal insert for cervical ripening in term-pregnancy with oligohydramnios.

AIMS: The study purposed to evaluate the success rate of cervical ripening using dinoprostone controlled-release vaginal insert and reveal some factors relating to successful cervical ripening. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Tu Du Hospital in Vietnam from December 2021 to August 2022. The study enrolled 200 pregnant women with gestational age ≥37 weeks diagnosed with oligohydramnios. These candidates underwent dinoprostone cervical ripening (DCR) according to the local protocol. The Bishop score ≥7 after 24 h was determined for the successful cervical ripening (SCR). RESULTS: In total, the success rate of DCR achieved at 57.5% and the cesarean delivery rate was 46.5%. None of the severe side-effects and complications was present. Using multivariable logistic regression, the study found that the body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 and oxytocin infusion drip related to SCR with adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 3.67 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.78-7.57) and aOR: 4.68 (95% CI: 1.84-11.93), p < 0.001. Using the Kaplan-Meier curve, the present study revealed a significant difference between Bishop <3 and ≥3 following the duration time of cervical ripening, with hazard ratio: 1.38 (95% CI: 1.19-1.59), p < 0.001. The time duration of cervical ripening was not significantly different following amniotic fluid index from 3 to 5 cm. CONCLUSIONS: Cervical ripening using a dinoprostone vaginal insert is a potentially acceptable method in term pregnancy accompanying with oligohydramnios. The probability of SCR can be predicted on a careful assessment of relative factors by obstetricians. Further studies are required to strengthen these findings.

Multiple genetic lineages of anadromous migratory Mekong catfish Pangasius krempfi revealed by mtDNA control region and cytochrome b.

Population genetic structure of migratory fishes can reflect ecological and evolutionary processes. Pangasius krempfi is a critically important anadromous catfish in the Mekong River, and its migration pathways and genetic structure have attracted much interest. To investigate, we quantified the genetic diversity of this species using the control region (D-loop) and Cytochrome b (Cytb) of the mitochondrial genome. Fish were sampled (n = 91) along the Mekong tributaries from upstream to estuaries and coastal areas in the Mekong Delta and compared to three samples from Pakse (Laos). The D-loop haplotype (0.941 ± 0.014) and nucleotide diversity (0.0083 ± 0.0005) were high in all populations, but that of Cytb was low (0.331 ± 0.059 and 0.00063 ± 0.00011, respectively). No genetic difference was detected between populations, indicating strong gene flow and confirming a long migration distance for this species. Pangasius krempfi was not genetically structured according to geographical populations but was delineated into three haplogroups, suggesting multiple genetic lineages. The presence of haplogroups in each sampling location implies that migration downstream is random but parallel when the fish enter two river tributaries bifurcating from the main Mekong River. Individuals can also migrate along the coast, far from the estuaries, suggesting a longer migration path than previously reported, which is crucial for maintaining diverse genetic origin and migration pathways for P. krempfi.