Determination of tacrolimus in human whole blood in kidney transplant recipients using a rapid and specific LC-MS/MS method.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate an LC-M/SMS method for the determination of tacrolimus in human whole blood. METHOD: The LC-MS/MS method for the determination of tacrolimus in whole blood was developed and validated according to the guidelines. Concentrations of TAC in 100 kidney transplant patients measured by LC-MS/MS were compared with CMIA using correlation analysis and Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: The method had a total chromatographic run time of 5 min. The calibration curves were linear over the range of 0.5-100.0 ng/mL with a lower limit of quantification of 1 ng/mL. The intra- and interday accuracy was within the range of 93.3%-109.2% and 96.0%-108.4%, respectively, with precision ranging from 0.8 to 9.4%. The mean extraction recoveries of TAC ranged from 102.6 to 107.8%. The mean concentrations of TAC in whole blood of kidney transplant patients measured by the two assays were different at 1, 3 months and all time points (p < 0.001), but no significant difference was observed at 6 months (p = 0.094). The correlation of data was good with the correlation coefficients (r2 ) of 0.7581, 0.8811, 0.8777, and 0.8077, respectively. Passing-Bablok regression analysis demonstrated good correlations with r2 values higher than 0.88 between TAC levels measured by LC-MS/MS and CMIA. Using Bland-Altman plots yielded average biases of 1.29, 0.79, 0.11, and 0.65 ng/mL at 1, 3, and 6 months and all time points. CONCLUSION: The LC-MS/MS method was validated for the accurate determination of TAC in human whole blood. The comparison of tacrolimus concentrations measured by the LC-MS/MS with CMIA showed a good correlation and agreement of two methods, suggesting LC-MS/MS should be used routinely to monitor TAC concentrations in kidney transplant patients.

Virome of Three Termite Species from Southern Vietnam.

Modern metagenomic approaches enable the effective discovery of novel viruses in previously unexplored organisms. Termites are significant ecosystem converters and influencers. As with the majority of tropical forest insects, termites are studied insufficiently, and termite virome remains especially understudied. Here, we studied the virome of lichenophagous and mycophagous termites (Hospitalitermes bicolor, Macrotermes carbonarius and Odontotermes wallonensis) collected in the Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam). We assembled four full genomes of novel viruses related to Solemoviridae, Lispiviridae, Polycipiviridae and Kolmioviridae. We also found several contigs with relation to Chuviridae and Deltaflexiviridae that did not correspond to complete virus genomes. All the novel viruses clustered phylogenetically with previously identified viruses of the termites. Deltaflexi-like contigs were identified in the fungi-cultivating M. carbonarius and showed homology with viruses recently discovered in the edible basidiomycete mushrooms.

Efficiency of a biodegradable gel containing hyaluronic acid and berberine hydrochloride in endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS): A prospective comparative study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficiency of a biodegradable gel containing hyaluronic acid and berberine hydrochloride in endoscopic sinus surgery. METHODS: Sixty-six chronic rhinosinusitis patients with or without nasal polyps who underwent bilateral endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) were randomly received a biodegradable gel containing hyaluronic acid and berberine hydrochloride or merocel in both middle meatal spacers at the end procedure of ESS. Lund-Kennedy endoscopic score (LKES) was used to examine status of nasal cavity on preoperative day and postoperative day 1 to 7. The LKES ratio was calculated as the LKES on postoperative day divided into the LKES on preoperative day. Visual analogue score (VAS) was used to assess patient's status from the first postoperative day to the hospital discharge day. The average VAS during hospital stays was calculated by the sum of VAS in each examination day divided into the number of examined day. The LKES ratio, the average of VAS during hospital stays and length of hospitalized day of the patients were used as clinical outcome indices in early stage after surgery. A general linear model adjusted for confounding factors was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Adjusted mean of LKES ratio were lower in group used biodegrable gel of hyaruloic acid and berberin hydrochlode (study group) than those in merocele group in the postoperative day 1 to day 7. However, significant difference was found in the adjusted mean of LKES ratio on the postoperative day 2 to 6. Similarly, the adjusted mean of VAS during hospital stays and length of hospitalized day after surgery in study group were significantly decreased as compared with those in merocele group. CONCLUSIONS: Biodegradable material containing hyaluronic acid and berberine hydrochloride was more effective than merocel in length of hospital stay, post-operative symptoms, and sinus cavity's status in early stage after ESS.

Biogeochemical properties and potential risk of shallow arsenic-rich sediment layers to groundwater quality in Western Bangladesh.

The arsenic-contaminated groundwater has attracted attention in much south and southeast Asian deltas, however, mainly on the deep aquifers. Here, arsenic (As) concentration and its fractionation of the sediment cores in a shallow aquifer in Bangladesh were investigated using ICP-MS, FE-EPMA, XRD and 14C-AMS chronology techniques. The results of the present study indicated that the peak concentrations of As (54.7-79.1 µg/g) were in peat layers (at a depth of 7.5-8.0 m). Several types of iron (oxyhidr)oxides and framboidal pyrite, which contain As also, were found in the peat samples. The high concentrations of As were in an exchangeable form, As-bearing iron crystalline and As-bearing organic materials. We revealed that the As-rich peat layers were formed from 3170 to 3901 cal yrs before, due to the sea level decrease in this area. The 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that the bacterial strains in the As-rich peats were mainly affiliated with genera Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, Escherichia, Bacillus, Clostridiaceae and Acinetobacter. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and ecological risk index assessment were calculated for the sediments, which shows that As-rich sediment layers were in range of moderately to heavily contaminated and considerable classes, respectively. Under the permanent saturated condition, the As-rich peat layers should be considered as an important potential driver of the groundwater As in this area.

Assessment of total concentrations of heavy metals in industrial sludges from the North of Vietnam and their potential impact on the ecosystem.

Industrial sludges from wastewater treatment plants of industrial parks and a drinking water treatment plant in northern Vietnam were investigated in this study. The total concentrations of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Hg, Pb, Zn) and other elements (Mn, Pd, Sb, V) in the sludges were measured using the ICP-MS method. In addition, the surface characteristics of the samples were analyzed using SEM-EDS and FTIR techniques. According to Vietnam's current waste management regulation, the investigated industrial sludges belonged to the hazardous waste category (with Pb concentration > 300 µg/g). In contrast, the sludge from the drinking water treatment plant had a low content of heavy metals and toxic elements. The sequential extraction method revealed that the heavy metals in the industrial sludges exhibited higher mobilization forms (exchangeable and reduceable fractions) than those in the drinking water sludges. The mobilization ability of heavy metals is probably related to the surface function groups of the sludges, which were dominated by (-COOH) and (-OH) groups. The potential ecological risk assessment calculations indicated that the industrial sludges had high potential risk (with the RI values ranging from 229.7 to 605.4), mainly due to the content of Cd in the sludge samples. Further studies about the fate and transport of Cd and other toxic metals in the sludges are highly recommended to better understand their risk to the surrounding environment, such as groundwater and agricultural soil.

Elemental Concentrations in Roadside Dust Along Two National Highways in Northern Vietnam and the Health-Risk Implication.

There is a need to assess the risk of exposure to metals via roadside dust in Vietnam where many people live along the road/highways and are constantly exposed to roadside dust. In this study, we collected dust samples at 55 locations along two major Highways in north-east Vietnam, which passed through different land use areas. Samples were sieved into three different particle sizes and analyzed for concentrations of eight metals using a X-ray fluorescence instrument. The concentrations and environmental indices (EF, I geo) of metals were used to evaluate the degree of pollution in the samples. Among different land uses, industrial areas could be highly polluted with heavy metals in roadside dust, followed by commerce and power plants. Additionally, the traffic density probably played an important role; higher concentrations were observed in samples from Highway No. 5 where traffic is several times higher than Highway No. 18. According to the risk assessment, Cr poses the highest noncarcinogenic risk even though the health hazard index values of assessed heavy metals in this study were within the acceptable range. Our assessment also found that the risk of exposure to heavy metals through roadside dust is much higher for children than for adults.

Isolation and characterization of Helicobacter pylori recovered from gastric biopsies under anaerobic conditions.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Helicobacter pylori can survive long incubation periods under anaerobic conditions, and should be possible to isolate under anaerobic conditions. Our aim was to isolate H. pylori in anaerobic conditions, from gastric biopsies of H. pylori infected patients. METHODS: We enrolled 27 patients with bleeding (erosive) gastritis (mean age 36.3 years, 55.6% male) from Hanoi, Vietnam. H. pylori status was confirmed by qPCR. RESULTS: H. pylori were recovered under anaerobic and micro-aerobic conditions from gastric biopsies in 16 patients. Anaerobic conditions yielded significantly higher H. pylori recovery rates than micro-aerobic conditions (81.3% vs. 31.3%, P= 0.01). H. pylori isolates were characterized by PCR for specific virulence markers and the genotypes were similar to those previously described in this region of the world. CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori can be isolated under anaerobic conditions. These findings may provide new insight into the physiology of this human pathogen and help to identify the route of H. pylori transmission.