Genome-wide association and polygenic risk score estimation of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Kinh Vietnamese-A pilot study.

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a powerful tool in investigating genetic contribution, which is a crucial factor in the development of complex multifactorial diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a major healthcare burden in the Western Pacific region; however, there is limited availability of genetic-associated data for type 2 diabetes in Southeast Asia, especially among the Kinh Vietnamese population. This lack of information exacerbates global healthcare disparities. In this study, 997 Kinh Vietnamese individuals (503 with type 2 diabetes and 494 controls) were prospectively recruited and their clinical and paraclinical information was recorded. DNA samples were collected and whole genome genotyping was performed. Standard quality control and genetic imputation using the 1000 Genomes database were executed. A polygenic risk score for type 2 diabetes was generated in different models using East Asian, European, and mix ancestry GWAS summary statistics as training datasets. After quality control and genetic imputation, 107 polymorphisms reached suggestive statistical significance for GWAS (≤5 × 10-6) and rs11079784 was one of the potential markers strongly associated with type 2 diabetes in the studied population. The best polygenic risk score model predicting type 2 diabetes mellitus had AUC = 0.70 (95% confidence interval = 0.62-0.77) based on a mix of ancestral GWAS summary statistics. These data show promising results for genetic association with a polygenic risk score estimation in the Kinh Vietnamese population; the results also highlight the essential role of population diversity in a GWAS of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Is the Presence of Sn2+ a Crucial Factor for the Generation of Low Thermal Conductivity in Tin-Based Sulfides?

Comprehending the relationship between crystal structures and transport properties is crucial to develop materials with improved electrical and thermal properties for thermoelectric applications. In this article, we report on the complex crystal structure and physical properties of Cr2Sn3S7, a n-type magnetic semiconductor with a low energy band gap and low thermal conductivity. Importantly, we demonstrate that the high level of structural complexity is related to the coexistence of two sublattices: a host lattice, [Cr4Sn2S11]2-, characterized by a mixed Sn4+/Cr3+ occupancy of its cationic sites, and a guest lattice characterized by [Sn4S3]2+ chains, containing Sn2+ cations only, closely related to the ones encountered in the orthorhombic SnS compound. By combining experiments including X-ray diffraction with ab initio calculations of electrons and phonons, we succeeded to elucidate the origin of the low thermal conductivity in Cr2Sn3S7. We demonstrate that the low dimensionality of the [Sn4S3]2+ chains, which generates weak Sn···S interactions with the 3D host lattice, is induced by the lone pair stereochemical activity of Sn2+. This lattice softening favors strong anisotropic vibrations at low frequencies, highlighting the primordial role played by Sn2+ cations in both crystal structure dimensionality and low thermal conductivity in tin-based sulfides.

Self-management practice of people with epilepsy in Viet Nam and associated factors.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine (1) the self-management practice of people with epilepsy and (2) the associated factors, including sociodemographic and clinical variables. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at two neurology clinics in Ho Chi Minh City from October 2022 to June 2023. We included 147 adults with epilepsy and measured their self-management practices using the Vietnamese Epilepsy Self-Management Scale (V-ESMS). Additionally, we collected data on sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables through questionnaires. RESULTS: Results showed a moderate overall V-ESMS score (131.32 ± 16.53), with Medication management subscale scoring the highest and Information management scoring the lowest. Univariate analysis revealed educational level as the significant factor influencing self-management practices (p = 0.001), with higher education correlating with better scores across all subscales except Medication and Safety. CONCLUSION: Individuals with epilepsy who achieved higher education levels had better self-management practices. This finding suggests that educational interventions could significantly enhance self-management practices among people with epilepsy.

Epilepsy self-management mobile health application: A needs assessment in people with epilepsy and caregivers in Viet Nam.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine (1) the needsof Vietnamese people with epilepsy (PWE) and their caregivers for self-management mobile health applications and (2) the self-management features expected to be included in an application. METHODS: The survey consisted of an anonymous self-administered questionnaire that was distributed to PWE and caregivers from the age of 18 in Vietnam through online platforms and onsite at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital and University Medical Center, Ho Chi Minh City, from February 2022 to May 2022. The questionnaire assessed the participants' attitudes toward epilepsy self-management mobile applications, their willingness to use applications, and their expectations of the contents of an application. RESULTS: Responses from 103 participants were submitted. Eighty-one participants (78.6%) reported using a smartphone, but only 50.6% of those claimed to know about self-management applications. Most respondents (70.9%) thought the applications would be useful for disease self-management, and 68.9% were willing to use epilepsy self-management applications. In addition, the most expected features to be included in self-management applications were epilepsy information, seizure first aid, connecting with medical professionals, and a seizure diary. CONCLUSION: Most Vietnamese PWE and caregivers had a willingness to use epilepsy self-management applications.The expected features are related to all aspects of self-management, including information, seizure, medication, and safety management.

Efficacy of Continuous Intrathecal Infusion Trialing with a Mixture of Fentanyl and Bupivacaine in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients.

Intrathecal trialing is used as a screening prognostic measure prior to intrathecal drug delivery system implant. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a continuous intrathecal infusion of an admixture of bupivacaine and fentanyl in patients with chronic low back pain. Patients with refractory chronic low back pain in the setting of previous lumbar spine surgery and/or chronic vertebral compression fracture(s) were enrolled in a randomized double blind cross-over study comparing saline infusion to infusion of a solution containing bupivacaine combined with low-dose fentanyl over a 14-18 hour period. The primary outcome measure was the change in pain intensity at the end of the screening trial. Patients who experienced significant pain reduction from either infusion relative to baseline pain were offered a permanent implant. In total, 36 patients were enrolled, with 31 patients trialed and 25 implanted. At the end of the screening trial, pain scores, at rest or with activity, decreased appreciably in both groups; however, significantly better improvements occurred in the fentanyl/bupivacaine group compared to saline both with activity and at rest (P = .016 and .006, respectively). Treatment order appeared to affect outcome with saline demonstrating a placebo response. At 12 months following implant, primary and secondary outcome measures continued to be significantly reduced from baseline. Continuous intrathecal delivery of a combination of zlow-dose fentanyl with bupivacaine is superior to saline in screening intrathecal trialing for back pain reduction. With longer term delivery, a sustained reduction of chronic low back pain was also observed.

Genetic analysis of Vietnamese patients with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Purpose of the study: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and its prevalence is rapidly increasing worldwide. Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) constitutes of patients with age of onset earlier than 65 year-old and is known to be associated with genetic mutations. In this study, we reported the first genetic analysis of Vietnamese patients with EOAD.Materials and methods: We analyzed targeted sequencing data obtained from a cohort of 51 Vietnamese EOAD patients to identify pathogenic variants in twenty nine well-characterized neurodengerative genes.Results: We identified four missense mutations in APP/PSEN1 genes from six individuals, which accounts for 11.8% of all tested cases. Three of these mutations were previously reported as pathogenic and one mutation in the APP gene was newly identified and might be specific for Vietnamese patients. Our study also found eight individuals carrying homozygous APOE ε4 allele, the main risk factor gene for late-onset AD.Conclusions: Our findings showed that mutation rate in APP/PSEN genes in Vietnamese EOAD patients is consistent with that in other ethnic groups. Although further functional studies are required to validate the pathogenesis of the new mutations, our study demonstrated the necessity of genetic screening for EOAD patients as well as additional genetic data collection in Vietnamese population.

Factors Associated With Unplanned Admission in Patients Intended for Same Day Discharge After Minimally Invasive Hysterectomy for Endometrial Cancer.

Objectives. To identify factors that lead to successful same-day discharge compared with unplanned and planned admission after minimally invasive hysterectomy for endometrial cancer. Methods. Patients undergoing laparoscopic or robotic hysterectomy for endometrial cancer between 2016 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. 3 groups were created: same-day discarge (SDD), unplanned admission (UA), and planned admission(PA). Demographic/perioperative factors and encounters after discharge were compared. A multivariable logistic regression was performed. Results. 262 patients were included. By year, the success of SDD increased from 59.1% to 82.5%. Patients who underwent SDD compared with admission were younger (62.2 vs 66.2, P = .003) and had a lower Charlson Comorbidity Index (4 vs 5, P < .001). BMI was not significant. Comparing SDD and UA, shorter operative time (100.3 min vs 130.6 min, P = .037) was associated with SDD. Postoperative pain scores were not significant (3.8 vs 4.7, P = .086). The rate of unscheduled encounters within 30 days of discharge was not significantly different. On multivariable analysis, the odds of SDD decreased by 4% with each 1-year increase in age (OR .96, P = .017). Each 1-minute increase in operative time decreased the odds of SDD by 2% (OR .98, P < .001). Intraoperative acetaminophen (OR 2.78, P = .003) and ketorolac (OR 2.27, P = .031) were predictive of SDD. Conclusion. SDD can be safely incorporated into clinical practice in gynecologic oncology patients undergoing minimally invasive hysterectomy, even for patients older than previously reported. Shorter operative time was associated with SDD. The role of perioperative acetaminophen and ketorolac should be further investigated.

An integrated PK-PD model for cortisol and the 17-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione biomarkers in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to characterize the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationships of cortisol and the adrenal biomarkers 17-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). METHODS: A nonlinear mixed-effect modelling approach was used to analyse cortisol, 17-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione concentrations obtained over 6 hours from children with CAH (n = 50). A circadian rhythm was evident and the model leveraged literature information on circadian rhythm in untreated children with CAH. Indirect response models were applied in which cortisol inhibited the production rate of all three compounds using an Imax model. RESULTS: Cortisol was characterized by a one-compartment model with apparent clearance and volume of distribution estimated at 22.9 L/h/70 kg and 41.1 L/70 kg, respectively. The IC50 values of cortisol concentrations for cortisol, 17-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione were estimated to be 1.36, 0.45 and 0.75 µg/dL, respectively. The inhibitory effect was found to be more potent on 17OHP than D4A, and the IC50 values were higher in salt-wasting subjects than simple virilizers. Production rates of cortisol, 17-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione were higher in simple-virilizer subjects. Half-lives of cortisol, 17-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione were 60, 47 and 77 minutes, respectively. CONCLUSION: Rapidly changing biomarker responses to cortisol concentrations highlight that single measurements provide volatile information about a child's disease control. Our model closely captured observed cortisol, 17-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione concentrations. It can be used to predict concentrations over 24 hours and allows many novel exposure metrics to be calculated, e.g., AUC, AUC-above-threshold, time-within-range, etc. Our long-range goal is to uncover dose-exposure-outcome relationships that clinicians can use in adjusting hydrocortisone dose and timing.

Feasibility, Reliability, and Validity of the Vietnamese Version of the Clinical Dementia Rating.

INTRODUCTION: In Vietnam, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias have become an increasingly important public health problem among the elderly. Achieving a diagnosis tool with high reliability and validity is essential. The Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) is a global clinical scale with established diagnostic and severity-ranking utility that has been widely employed in epidemiological studies in an international context. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to establish the Vietnamese version of the CDR (V-CDR) and evaluate the feasibility, reliability, and validity of this version for diagnosing and classifying cognitive functions in the elderly. METHOD: One hundred and fifty-three elderly outpatients at a clinic of Cho Ray Hospital, Vietnam, were screened with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) for potential cognitive impairment. All those who scored ≤26 points were included in the study and were subsequently remitted to the V-CDR and clinical assessment for diagnosis. Reliability was assessed through internal consistency (Cronbach α), intra- and interrater reliability (weighted κ). Concurrent and discriminative validity of the V-CDR were assessed. RESULTS: The V-CDR had an excellent internal consistency for each of the 2 raters (Cronbach α 0.90 and 0.96) and excellent agreement in both intra- and interrater reliability (weighted κ 0.84 [95% CI 0.74-0.94] and 0.82 [95% CI 0.72-0.93], respectively). The sensitivity and specificity for detecting dementia were 93.6 and 100%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive value were 100 and 96.4%, respectively. The agreement of V-CDR and clinical assessment was excellent (weighted κ 0.94 [95% CI 0.88-0.99]). V-CDR was substantially better than MMSE at distinguishing between mild cognitive impairment and normal cognitive function (AUC = 0.957, 95% CI 0.893-1.000 vs. AUC 0.594, 95% CI 0.441-0.746). CONCLUSIONS: The V-CDR is a feasible, reliable, and valid instrument which should be used in clinical practice for diagnosing and classifying the different dementia stages in the elderly.

The Kirkendall Effect for Engineering Oxygen Vacancy of Hollow Co3 O4 Nanoparticles toward High-Performance Portable Zinc-Air Batteries.

Structure and defect control are widely accepted effective strategies to manipulate the activity and stability of catalysts. On a freestanding hierarchically porous carbon microstructure, the tuning of oxygen vacancy in the embedded hollow cobaltosic oxide (Co3 O4 ) nanoparticles is demonstrated through the regulation of nanoscale Kirkendall effect. Starting with the embedded cobalt nanoparticles, the concentration of oxygen-vacancy defect can vary with the degree of Kirkendall oxidation, thus regulating the number of active sites and the catalytic performances. The optimized freestanding catalyst shows among the smallest reversible oxygen overpotential of 0.74 V for catalyzing oxygen reduction/evolution reactions in 0.1 m KOH. Moreover, the catalyst shows promise for substitution of noble metals to boost cathodic oxygen reactions in portable zinc-air batteries. This work provides a strategy to explore catalysts with controllable vacancy defects and desired nano-/microstructures.

Screening for ROS1 gene rearrangements in non-small-cell lung cancers using immunohistochemistry with FISH confirmation is an effective method to identify this rare target.

AIMS: To assess the prevalence of ROS1 rearrangements in a retrospective and prospective diagnostic Australian cohort and evaluate the effectiveness of immunohistochemical screening. METHODS AND RESULTS: A retrospective cohort of 278 early stage lung adenocarcinomas and an additional 104 prospective non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases referred for routine molecular testing were evaluated. ROS1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed (D4D6 clone, Cell Signaling Technology) on all cases as well as fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) using the ZytoVision and Abbott Molecular ROS1 FISH probes, with ≥15% of cells with split signals considered positive for rearrangement. Eighty-eight cases (32%) from the retrospective cohort showed staining by ROS1 IHC, and one case (0.4%) showed ROS1 rearrangement by FISH. Nineteen of the prospective diagnostic cases showed ROS1 IHC staining, 12 (12%) cases of which were confirmed as ROS1 rearranged by FISH. There were no ROS1 rearranged cases that showed no expression of ROS1 with IHC. The ROS1 rearranged cases in the prospective cohort were all EGFR wild-type and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement-negative. The sensitivity of ROS1 IHC in the retrospective cohort was 100% and specificity was 76%. CONCLUSIONS: ROS1 rearrangements are rare events in lung adenocarcinomas. Selection of cases for ROS1 FISH testing, by excluding EGFR/ALK-positive cases and use of IHC to screen for potentially positive cases, can be used to enrich for the likelihood of identifying a ROS1 rearranged lung cancer and prevent the need to undertake expensive and time-consuming FISH testing in all cases.

Health-related quality of life in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

BACKGROUND: Children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) require life-long glucocorticoid replacement and have daily intermittent hyper/hypocortisolemia and hyperandrogenemia. Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is important for understanding the impact the disease and therapy have on physical, mental, emotional, and social functioning. Little is known about HRQL in CAH. We compared HRQL in children with CAH to healthy norms and examined how these scores related to physiologic variables. METHODS: A cross-sectional study examined 45 patients (mean age 8.2(4.5) years). Thirty-two self-reported their quality of life (QoL) on the PedsQL™ Generic Core Scale and PedsQL™ Fatigue Scale, and 44 parents completed a parent report. Bone age Z-scores were calculated from the most recent bone age. RESULTS: Children with CAH did not report lower QoL than healthy norms. However, their parents reported lower overall QoL and fatigue scores than parents of healthy norms. Children with CAH rated sleep poorer than their parents. QoL scores did not differ by sex or CAH subtype and were not associated with total daily hydrocortisone dose. Bone age Z-scores were negatively associated with child-reported emotional health and cognitive fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: Parents of children with CAH reported a negative impact of disease on their children's QoL, but their children did not. The negative associations between bone age Z-scores and emotional health and cognitive fatigue suggest an impact from chronic hypocortisolemia and hyperandrogenemia.

A proteomics-based approach identifies secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine as a prognostic biomarker in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to identify prognostic blood biomarkers using proteomics-based approaches in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). METHODS: Plasma samples from 12 MPM patients were used for exploratory mass spectrometry and ELISA analyses. The significance of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) was examined in sera from a Dutch series (n=97). To determine the source of the circulating SPARC, we investigated SPARC expression in MPM tumours and healthy controls, as well as the expression and secretion from cell lines and xenografts. RESULTS: Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine was identified as a putative prognostic marker in plasma. Validation in the Dutch series showed that the median survival was higher in patients with low SPARC compared with those with high SPARC (19.0 vs 8.8 months; P=0.01). In multivariate analyses, serum SPARC remained as an independent predictor (HR 1.55; P=0.05). In MPM tumour samples, SPARC was present in the tumour cells and stromal fibroblasts. Cellular SPARC expression was higher in 5 out of 7 cell lines compared with two immortalized mesothelial lines. Neither cell lines nor xenograft tumours secreted detectable SPARC. CONCLUSIONS: Low circulating SPARC was associated with favourable prognosis. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine was present in both tumour cells and stromal fibroblasts; and our in vitro and in vivo experiments suggest that stromal fibroblasts are a potential source of circulating SPARC.

Angle- and position-insensitive electrically tunable absorption in graphene by epsilon-near-zero effect.

We propose an electrically tunable absorber based on epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) effect of graphene embedded in a nanocavity, which is composed of metal grating and substrate. Due to strong surface-normal electric field confined in ENZ graphene in the proposed structure, greatly enhanced light absorption (~80%) is achieved in an ultrathin graphene monolayer. By electrically controlling the Fermi-level of graphene, a sharp peak absorption wavelength is tuned over a wide range. The proposed device can work as an optical modulator or a tunable absorption filter, which has a unique feature of incident angle insensitiveness owing to the ENZ effect and magnetic dipole resonance. Moreover, existence of a significantly dominant electric field and its uniformity make the device performance independent of the position of the graphene layer in the nanocavity, which provides great fabrication tolerance.

The antimicrobial activity and essential oil constituents of the leaves and trunks of Aquilaria banaensis P.H.Hô (Thymelaeceae) from Vietnam.

The aim of the present paper was to report the chemical constituents and antimicrobial activity of essential hydrodistilled from the leaves and trunk of Aquilaria banaensis P.H.Hô (Thymelaeceae) from Vietnam. The essential oils were analysed comprehensively for their constituents by using Gas chromatography coupled with Mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The antimicrobial activity was determined by agar well diffusion and broth microdilution methods. The leaf essential oil comprised mainly of sesquiterpenes while fatty acids constitutes the bulk of the trunk essential oil. The main constituents of the leaf essential oil were ß-caryophyllene (17.11%), α-selinene (10.99%), α-humulene (8.98%), ß-selinene (8.01%), ß-guaiol (6.69%) and ß-elemene (5.65%). However, hexadecanoic acid (48.46%), oleic acid (19.80%) and tetradecanoic acid (5.32%) were the major compounds identified in the trunk essential oil. The trunk essential oil displayed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of about 256.0 µg/mL.

Health-state utility of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer in Vietnam: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer may have poor prognoses and short overall and disease-free survival. Most previous studies focused on assessing the quality of life and health-state utility of the general population of breast cancer patients. The number of studies for HER2-positive breast cancer patients is negligible. This study investigated the health-state utility and its associated factors among Vietnamese patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. METHODS: We conducted face-to-face interviews with 301 HER2-positive breast cancer patients to collect data. Their health-state utility was measured via the EQ-5D-5L instrument. The Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were employed to compare the differences in utility scores between two groups and among three groups or more, respectively. Factors associated with patients' heath-state utility were identified via Tobit regression models. RESULTS: Pain/discomfort (56.1%) and anxiety/depression (39.5%) were the two issues that patients suffered from the most, especially among metastatic breast cancer patients. The severity of distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) in patients was relatively mild. Of 301 patients, their average utility score was 0.86±0.17 (range: 0.03-1.00), and the average EQ-visual analogue scale (VAS) score was 69.12±12.60 (range: 30-100). These figures were 0.79±0.21 and 65.20±13.20 for 102 metastatic breast cancer patients, significantly lower than those of 199 non-metastatic cancer patients (0.89±0.13 and 71.13±11.78) (p<0.001), respectively. Lower health-state utility scores were significantly associated with older age (p = 0.002), lower education level (p = 0.006), lower monthly income (p = 0.036), metastatic cancer (p = 0.001), lower EQ-VAS score (p<0.001), and more severe level of distress (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed a significant decrement in utility scores among metastatic breast cancer patients. Patients' health-state utility differed by their demographic characteristics (age, education level, and income) and clinical characteristics (stage of cancer and distress). Their utility scores may support further cost-effectiveness analysis in Vietnam.

Cost-effectiveness of rimegepant oral lyophilisate compared to best supportive care for the acute treatment of migraine in the UK.

AIMS: Migraine is the most common disabling headache disorder and is characterized by recurrent throbbing head pain and symptoms of photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, and vomiting. Rimegepant 75 mg, an oral lyophilisate calcitonin gene-related peptide antagonist, is the first treatment approved for both the acute and preventative treatment of migraine, and the first acute therapy approved in over 20-years. The objective was to assess the cost-utility of rimegepant compared with best supportive care (BSC) in the UK, for the acute treatment of migraine in the adults with inadequate symptom relief after taking at least 2 triptans, or for whom triptans are contraindicated or not tolerated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A de novo model was developed to estimate incremental costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), structured as a decision tree followed by Markov model. Patients received rimegepant or BSC for a migraine attack and were assessed for response (pain relief at 2-h). Responders and non-responders followed different pain trajectories over 48-h cycles. Non-responders discontinued treatment while responders continued treatment for subsequent attacks, with a proportion discontinuing over time. Data sources included a post-hoc pooled analysis of the phase 3 acute rimegepant trials (NCT03235479, NCT03237845, NCT03461757), and a long-term safety study (NCT03266588). The analysis was conducted from the perspective of the UK National Health Service and Personal Social Services over a 20-year time horizon. RESULTS: Rimegepant resulted in an incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) of £10,309 per QALY gained vs BSC, which is cost-effectiveness at a willingness to pay threshold of £30,000/QALY. Rimegepant generated +0.44 incremental QALYs and higher incremental lifetime costs (£4,492). Improved QALYs for rimegepant were a result of less time spent with severe and moderate headache pain. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the economic value of rimegepant which was found to be cost-effective for the acute treatment of migraine in adults unsuitable for triptans.

Outcomes of laparoscopic choledochotomy using cholangioscopy via percutaneous-choledochal tube for the treatment of hepatolithiasis and choledocholithiasis: A preliminary Vietnamese study.

Backgrounds/Aims: Hepatolithiasis and choledocholithiasis are frequent pathologies and unfortunately, with the current treatment strategies, the recurrence incidence is still high. This study aimed to assess the outcomes of laparoscopic choledochotomy using cholangioscopy via the percutaneous-choledochal tube for the treatment of hepatolithiasis and choledocholithiasis in Vietnamese patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study of patients with hepatolithiasis and/or choledocholithiasis who underwent laparoscopic choledochotomy using intraoperative cholangioscopy via percutaneous-choledochal tube at the Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, 108 Military Central Hospital, from June 2017 to March 2020. Results: A total of 84 patients were analyzed. Most patients were females (56.0%) with a median age of 55.56 years. Among them, 41.8% of patients had previous abdominal operations, with 33.4% having choledochotomy. All patients underwent successful laparoscopic common bile duct exploration followed by T-tube drainage without needing to convert to open surgery. Most patients (64.3%) had both intrahepatic and extrahepatic stones. The rate of stones ≥ 10 mm in diameter was 64.3%. Biliary strictures were observed in 19.1% of patients during cholangioscopy. Complete removal of stones was achieved in 54.8% of patients. Intraoperative complications were encountered in two patients, but there was no need to change the strategy. The mean operating time was 121.85 ± 30.47 minutes. The early postoperative complication rate was 9.6%, and all patients were managed conservatively. The residual stones were removed through the T-tube tract by subsequent choledochoscopy in 34/38 patients, so the total success rate was 95.2%. Conclusions: Laparoscopic choledochotomy combined with cholangioscopy through the percutaneous-choledochal tube is a safe and effective strategy for hepatolithiasis and/or choledocholithiasis, even in patients with a previous choledochotomy.

Quality Control Method and Device for Producing Agarose Micropads.

In brightfield and fluorescence microscopy, capturing images that show well-focused and immobile microorganisms can be challenging. An agarose-based gel pad reduces the variability of results, especially in conditions like uneven specimen staging, variable fluid dynamics, and Brownian motion that plague conventional wet mount setups. To correct these discrepancies during image acquisition, we analyzed three micropad preparation setups. We tested the quality and consistency of pads and images resulting from each setup. Our examination reveals that improved gel pad flatness is associated with better image quality. Moreover, we observe increased consistency in gel pad construction connected to the use of a 3D-printed setup. These findings highlight the technical benefits arising from incorporating micropad-generating platforms that increase the consistency of results in imaging pipelines. Additionally, our use of a quantitative approach to examine pad flatness suggests its inclusion in quality control pipelines to reduce variation in gel pad construction and image quality over time and between investigators. Finally, our use of a 3D-printed setup coupled with a quantitative downstream routine suggests their application in microscopy experiments that involve model organisms relevant to human health and disease.