Efficacy of Shen Cao Gan Jiang Tang on Non-severe COVID-19 Patients: A Multicenter, Randomized, Open-Label Clinical Trial.

Background In the face of the escalating COVID-19 pandemic amid shortages of medications and vaccines, a Vietnamese herbal formula known as Shen Cao Gan Jiang Tang (SCGJT) has been put into use for non-severe COVID-19 patients. This study aims to assess its efficacy and safety. Methods A multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial was conducted on 300 patients with non-severe COVID-19, randomly assigned into two groups: 150 receiving standard care (control group) and 150 receiving additional SCGJT for 10 days (SCGJT group). Time to resolution of symptoms, symptom severity, disease progression, time to discharge, the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) score, usage of Western drugs, time to viral clearance, and safety outcomes were continuously monitored. Results The SCGJT group exhibited faster symptom resolution (median: 9 vs. 13 days) and improved symptom severity, including cough, fatigue, hypogeusia, muscle aches, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sore throat, compared to the control group. Although there was a lower rate of severe progression in the SCGJT group (0.7% vs. 4.7%), the difference was not statistically significant. The time to discharge was significantly shorter in the SCGJT group (median: 7 vs. 8 days). Changes in the NEWS2 score did not show significant differences between groups. SCGJT has been demonstrated to reduce the need for symptomatic relief medications and hasten SARS-CoV-2 viral clearance. No adverse events were reported, and routine tests showed no significant differences. Conclusions SCGJT is safe and has potential clinical efficacy in non-severe COVID-19 patients. However, data regarding preventing severe progression remains inconclusive. Further studies should be conducted in light of the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organophosphate esters and their metabolites in silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus) of the Vietnamese coastal areas: Spatial-temporal distribution and exposure risk.

A large number of studies on organophosphate esters (tri-OPEs) in marine organisms have not assessed the simultaneous occurrence of tri-OPEs and their metabolites (di-OPEs) in these species. This research investigated the concentration and geographical distribution of 15 tri-OPEs and 7 di-OPEs in 172 samples of Pampus argenteus that were collected annually from 2021 to 2023 at three distinct locations along the Vietnamese coast. As a result, tri-OPEs and di-OPEs were detected in numerous fish samples, indicating their widespread spatial and temporal occurrence in marine fish and pointing out the importance of monitoring their levels. The tri-OPEs and di-OPEs ranged within 2.1-38.9 ng g-1 dry weight (dw) and 3.2-263.4 ng g-1 dw, respectively. The mean concentrations of tri-OPEs ranged from 0.4 (TIPrP) to 5.4 ng g-1 dw (TBOEP), with TBOEP and TEHP having the highest mean values. In addition, the profiles of tri-OPEs in fish exhibited a descending order: Σalkyl OPEs > ΣCl-alkyl OPEs > Σaryl OPEs. The di-OPEs, namely BEHP and DMP, had the highest mean levels, measuring 33.4 ng g-1 dw and 23.8 ng g-1 dw, respectively. Furthermore, there have been significant findings of strong positive correlations between di-OPEs and tri-OPE pairs (p < 0.05). It is worth noting that there is a noticeable difference in the composition of tri-OPEs between the North and other regions. Despite these findings, the presence of OPE-contaminated fish did not pose any health risks to Vietnam's coastal population.

Native and tagged CENP-A histones are functionally inequivalent.

BACKGROUND: Over the past several decades, the use of biochemical and fluorescent tags has elucidated mechanistic and cytological processes that would otherwise be impossible. The challenging nature of certain nuclear proteins includes low abundancy, poor antibody recognition, and transient dynamics. One approach to get around those issues is the addition of a peptide or larger protein tag to the target protein to improve enrichment, purification, and visualization. However, many of these studies were done under the assumption that tagged proteins can fully recapitulate native protein function. RESULTS: We report that when C-terminally TAP-tagged CENP-A histone variant is introduced, it undergoes altered kinetochore protein binding, differs in post-translational modifications (PTMs), utilizes histone chaperones that differ from that of native CENP-A, and can partially displace native CENP-A in human cells. Additionally, these tagged CENP-A-containing nucleosomes have reduced centromeric incorporation at early G1 phase and poorly associates with linker histone H1.5 compared to native CENP-A nucleosomes. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest expressing tagged versions of histone variant CENP-A may result in unexpected utilization of non-native pathways, thereby altering the biological function of the histone variant.

Towards human-scale magnetic particle imaging: development of the first system with superconductor-based selection coils.

Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is an emerging tomographic modality that allows for precise three-dimensional (3D) mapping of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) concentration and distribution. Although significant progress has been made towards improving MPI since its introduction, scaling it up for human applications has proven challenging. High-quality images have been obtained in animal-scale MPI scanners with gradients up to 7 T/m/µ0, however, for MPI systems with bore diameters around 200 mm the gradients generated by electromagnets drop significantly to below 0.5 T/m/µ0. Given the current technological limitations in image reconstruction and the properties of available MNPs, these low gradients inherently impose limitations on improving MPI resolution for higher precision medical imaging. Utilizing superconductors stands out as a promising approach for developing a human-scale MPI system. In this study, we introduce, for the first time, a human-scale amplitude-modulated (AM) MPI system with superconductor-based selection coils. The system achieves an unprecedented magnetic field gradient of up to 2.5 T/m/µ0 within a 200 mm bore diameter, enabling large fields of view of 100 × 130 × 98 mm3 at 2.5 T/m/µ0 for 3D imaging. While obtained spatial resolution is in the order of previous animal-scale AM MPIs, incorporating superconductors for achieving such high gradients in a 200 mm bore diameter marks a major step toward clinical MPI.

Modification of Hydrotalcite Loading Tannic Acid with Organic Silane and Application in Anticorrosive Epoxy Coating.

Metal corrosion is a challenge for the world with heavy impacts on the economy. Study on the development of effectiveness anticorrosion additives is a promising strategery for the protection industry. This research focuses on the modification of hydrotalcite Mg-Al (HT) loading tannic acid (TA) with 3-(trimethoxy silyl) propyl methacrylate organo-silane (TMSPM) for applicating as an anti-corrosion additive for epoxy coating on the steel substrate. The suitable ratio of HT and modifiers was investigated and the suitable content of modified HT in epoxy matrix was found based on mechanical properties of the epoxy-based coating. The characteristics of modified HT were assessed through infrared (IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA), water contact angle (WCA), dynamic light scattering (DLS). Detailly, HT-TA3-S3 shows good stability in distilled water when HT/TA was modified with TMSPM which makes Zeta potential decreases significantly. Besides, SEM analysis presented HT-TA-S has a cylindrical shape about of 500 nm. Moreover, the crystallite size of HT/TA after being modified by TMSPM decreases sharply. All of these prove successfully synthesize HT loading TA with modified TMSPM. Water contact angle (WCA) decreases in case of loading TA and increases in case of modifying with TMSPM (WCA changed from HT (116.3°) to HT-TA (102.4°) and HT-TA-S (120.1°) which indicates the increased hydrophobicity of the sample. The obtained results showed HT/TA was modified successfully with TMSPM. The modification affected the size distribution and surface properties of HT nanoparticles while it did not impact on the crystal structure of HT. After incorporating modified HT/TA into the epoxy coating, the adhesion of coating to steel substrate was improved significantly. Consequently, the adhesion of epoxy/3 wt. % modified HT/TA coating was increased 3 times as compared to epoxy neat (from 0.76 MPa to 2.77 MPa). In addition, the relative hardness and gloss retention of epoxy/3 wt. % modified HT/TA coating reached the maximum values as compared to the others. Owing to salt spraying results, the epoxy/3 wt. % modified HT/TA exhibited an excellent anticorrosion ability for the steel substrate. All the above results show the potential of HT nanoparticles loading TA modified with TMSPM as anticorrosive additives for protective coatings on steel substrates.

Adding thread-embedding acupuncture to auricular acupuncture enhances short-term weight reduction in overweight and obesity: A double-blinded, randomized, sham-controlled trial.

Background: Auricular acupuncture (AA) has been widely used in overweight and obesity management due to its safety and effectiveness. The combination of other acupuncture therapies with thread-embedding acupuncture (TEA) has shown enhanced effects. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding AA plus TEA for overweight and obesity. This study was conducted to address this question. Methods: A randomized placebo-controlled trial was conducted involving 66 overweight or obese participants, divided into two groups: 33 received AA plus TEA, and 33 received AA plus sham TEA over eight weeks. The primary outcome was body weight (BW) reduction. Secondary outcomes included changes in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), food cravings questionnaire-trait-reduced (FCQ-Tr) and food craving visual analog scale (VAS) scores. Safety outcomes were adverse events (AEs). Results: After eight weeks, BW decreased by a mean (SD) of -4.45 (1.29) kg and -2.05 (1.33) kg in the AA plus TEA and AA plus sham TEA groups, respectively (MD [95 % CI]: 2.40 [1.75; 3.05]). BMI, WC, WHR, and food craving VAS score decreased significantly more in the AA plus TEA group than in the AA plus sham TEA group. No significant differences were found in FCQ-Tr and HC between groups. Seven AEs were recorded that were mild and resolved without treatment. Conclusion: The addition of TEA to AA is a safe and effective management of overweight and obesity. Further studies should incorporate dietary and lifestyle modifications and follow-up after the intervention to assess long-term effectiveness. Trial registration: The study protocol had been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06091761).

Investigating demic versus cultural diffusion and sex bias in the spread of Austronesian languages in Vietnam.

Austronesian (AN) is the second-largest language family in the world, particularly widespread in Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) and Oceania. In Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA), groups speaking these languages are concentrated in the highlands of Vietnam. However, our knowledge of the spread of AN-speaking populations in MSEA remains limited; in particular, it is not clear if AN languages were spread by demic or cultural diffusion. In this study, we present and analyze new data consisting of complete mitogenomes from 369 individuals and 847 Y-chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 170 individuals from all five Vietnamese Austronesian groups (VN-AN) and five neighboring Vietnamese Austroasiatic groups (VN-AA). We found genetic signals consistent with matrilocality in some, but not all, of the VN-AN groups. Population affinity analyses indicated connections between the AN-speaking Giarai and certain Taiwanese AN groups (Rukai, Paiwan, and Bunun). However, overall, there were closer genetic affinities between VN-AN groups and neighboring VN-AA groups, suggesting language shifts. Our study provides insights into the genetic structure of AN-speaking communities in MSEA, characterized by some contact with Taiwan and language shift in neighboring groups, indicating that the expansion of AN speakers in MSEA was a combination of cultural and demic diffusion.

Psychological distress, well-being, resilience, posttraumatic growth, and turnover intention of mental health nurses during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study.

Mental health nurses (MHNs) experience a range of stressors as part of their work, which can impact their well-being and turnover intention. There is no prior evidence, however, on MHNs' mental health, well-being, resilience, and turnover intention during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aims of this online survey-based cross-sectional study, conducted during the pandemic, were to explore the psychological distress, well-being, emotional intelligence, coping self-efficacy, resilience, posttraumatic growth, sense of workplace belonging, and turnover intention of n = 144 Australian mental health registered and enrolled nurses; and explore relationships between these variables, in particular, psychological distress, well-being, and turnover intention. There was a higher percentage of MHNs with high (27.78%) and very high psychological distress (9.72%) compared to population norms as measured by the K10. Emotional intelligence behaviours were significantly lower than the population mean (GENOS-EI Short). Coping self-efficacy was mid-range (CSES-Short). Resilience was moderate overall (Brief Resilience Scale), and posttraumatic growth was mid-range (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory; PTGI). Sense of workplace belonging was moderate, and turnover intention was low. Higher levels of psychological distress were associated with higher turnover intention, and lower workplace belonging, coping self-efficacy, well-being, resilience, and emotional intelligence behaviours. Despite the levels of psychological distress, nearly half the sample (n = 71) was 'flourishing' in terms of well-being (Mental Health Continuum Short-Form). To help prevent staff distress in the post-pandemic period, organisations need to proactively offer support and professional development to strengthen staff's psychological well-being, emotional intelligence, and resilience skills. These strategies and group clinical supervision may also support lower turnover.

An Efficient CNN-Based Method for Intracranial Hemorrhage Segmentation from Computerized Tomography Imaging.

Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) resulting from traumatic brain injury is a serious issue, often leading to death or long-term disability if not promptly diagnosed. Currently, doctors primarily use Computerized Tomography (CT) scans to detect and precisely locate a hemorrhage, typically interpreted by radiologists. However, this diagnostic process heavily relies on the expertise of medical professionals. To address potential errors, computer-aided diagnosis systems have been developed. In this study, we propose a new method that enhances the localization and segmentation of ICH lesions in CT scans by using multiple images created through different data augmentation techniques. We integrate residual connections into a U-Net-based segmentation network to improve the training efficiency. Our experiments, based on 82 CT scans from traumatic brain injury patients, validate the effectiveness of our approach, achieving an IOU score of 0.807 ± 0.03 for ICH segmentation using 10-fold cross-validation.

A Comprehensive Evaluation of Dioxins and Furans Occurrence in River Sediments from a Secondary Steel Recycling Craft Village in Northern Vietnam.

This first study investigated the presence of dioxins and furans in river sediments around a craft village in Vietnam, focusing on Secondary Steel Recycling. Sediment samples were collected from various locations along the riverbed near the Da Hoi Secondary Steel Recycling village in Bac Ninh province. The analysis was conducted using a HRGC/HRMS-DFS device, detecting a total of 17 dioxin/furan isomers in all samples, with an average total concentration of 288.86 ng/kg d.w. The concentrations of dioxin/furan congeners showed minimal variation among sediment samples, ranging from 253.9 to 344.2 ng/kg d.w. The predominant compounds in the dioxin group were OCDD, while in the furan group, they were 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF and OCDF. The chlorine content in the molecule appeared to be closely related to the concentration of dioxins and their percentage distribution. However, the levels of furan isomers did not vary significantly. The distribution of these compounds was not dependent on the flow direction, as they were mainly found in solid waste and are not water-soluble. Although the hepta and octa congeners had high concentrations, when converted to TEQ values, the tetra and penta groups (for dioxins) and the penta and hexa groups (for furans) contributed more to toxicity. Furthermore, the source of dioxins in sediments at Da Hoi does not only originate from steel recycling production activities but also from other combustion sites. The average total toxicity was 10.92 ng TEQ/kg d.w, ranging from 4.99 to 17.88 ng TEQ/kg d.w, which did not exceed the threshold specified in QCVN 43:2017/BTNMT, the National Technical Regulation on Sediment Quality. Nonetheless, these levels are still concerning. The presence of these toxic substances not only impacts aquatic organisms in the sampled water environment but also poses potential health risks to residents living nearby.

Variability in the prevalence of depression among adults with chronic pain: UK Biobank analysis through clinical prediction models.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of depression among people with chronic pain remains unclear due to the heterogeneity of study samples and definitions of depression. We aimed to identify sources of variation in the prevalence of depression among people with chronic pain and generate clinical prediction models to estimate the probability of depression among individuals with chronic pain. METHODS: Participants were from the UK Biobank. The primary outcome was a "lifetime" history of depression. The model's performance was evaluated using discrimination (optimism-corrected C statistic) and calibration (calibration plot). RESULTS: Analyses included 24,405 patients with chronic pain (mean age 64.1 years). Among participants with chronic widespread pain, the prevalence of having a "lifetime" history of depression was 45.7% and varied (25.0-66.7%) depending on patient characteristics. The final clinical prediction model (optimism-corrected C statistic: 0.66; good calibration on the calibration plot) included age, BMI, smoking status, physical activity, socioeconomic status, gender, history of asthma, history of heart failure, and history of peripheral artery disease. Among participants with chronic regional pain, the prevalence of having a "lifetime" history of depression was 30.2% and varied (21.4-70.6%) depending on patient characteristics. The final clinical prediction model (optimism-corrected C statistic: 0.65; good calibration on the calibration plot) included age, gender, nature of pain, smoking status, regular opioid use, history of asthma, pain location that bothers you most, and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: There was substantial variability in the prevalence of depression among patients with chronic pain. Clinically relevant factors were selected to develop prediction models. Clinicians can use these models to assess patients' treatment needs. These predictors are convenient to collect during daily practice, making it easy for busy clinicians to use them.

Possible vertical transmission of Chikungunya virus infection detected in the cord blood samples from a birth cohort in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an alphavirus (genus Alphavirus, family Togaviridae) that is primarily transmitted to humans by Aedes mosquitoes, and can be transmitted from mother to child. Little is known about CHIKV transmission in Vietnam, where dengue is endemic and Aedes mosquitoes are abundant. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of vertical CHIKV infection in a birth cohort, and seroprevalence of anti-CHIKV antibodies with or without confirmation by neutralization tests among women bearing children in Vietnam. METHODS: We collected umbilical cord blood plasma samples from each newly delivered baby in Nha Trang, Central Vietnam, between July 2017 and September 2018. Samples were subjected to molecular assay (quantitative real-time RT-PCR) and serological tests (anti-CHIKV IgM capture and IgG indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and neutralization tests). RESULTS: Of the 2012 tested cord blood samples from newly delivered babies, the CHIKV viral genome was detected in 6 (0.3%) samples by RT-PCR, whereas, 15 samples (0.7%) were anti-CHIKV-IgM positive. Overall, 18 (0.9%, 95% CI: 0.6-1.5) samples, including three positives for both CHIKV IgM and viral genome on RT-PCR, were regarded as vertical transmission of CHIKV infection. Of the 2012 cord blood samples, 10 (0.5%, 95% CI: 0.2-0.9) were positive for both anti-CHIKV IgM and IgG. Twenty-nine (1.4%, 95% CI: 1.0-2.1) were seropositive for anti-CHIKV IgG while 26 (1.3%, 95% CI: 0.8-1.9) of them were also positive for neutralizing antibodies, and regarded as seropositive with neutralization against CHIKV infection. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of a possible CHIKV maternal-neonatal infection in a birth cohort in Vietnam. The findings indicate that follow-up and a differential diagnosis of CHIKV infection in pregnant women are needed to clarify the potential for CHIKV vertical transmission and its impact in the newborn.

Causation and familial confounding as explanations for the associations of polygenic risk scores with breast cancer: Evidence from innovative ICE FALCON and ICE CRISTAL analyses.

A polygenic risk score (PRS) combines the associations of multiple genetic variants that could be due to direct causal effects, indirect genetic effects, or other sources of familial confounding. We have developed new approaches to assess evidence for and against causation by using family data for pairs of relatives (Inference about Causation from Examination of FAmiliaL CONfounding [ICE FALCON]) or measures of family history (Inference about Causation from Examining Changes in Regression coefficients and Innovative STatistical AnaLyses [ICE CRISTAL]). Inference is made from the changes in regression coefficients of relatives' PRSs or PRS and family history before and after adjusting for each other. We applied these approaches to two breast cancer PRSs and multiple studies and found that (a) for breast cancer diagnosed at a young age, for example, <50 years, there was no evidence that the PRSs were causal, while (b) for breast cancer diagnosed at later ages, there was consistent evidence for causation explaining increasing amounts of the PRS-disease association. The genetic variants in the PRS might be in linkage disequilibrium with truly causal variants and not causal themselves. These PRSs cause minimal heritability of breast cancer at younger ages. There is also evidence for nongenetic factors shared by first-degree relatives that explain breast cancer familial aggregation. Familial associations are not necessarily due to genes, and genetic associations are not necessarily causal.

Residual calcified material volume of ß-tricalcium phosphate with platelet-rich fibrin in unilateral alveolar bone graft.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ß-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP) and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) in unilateral alveolar bone graft, involving the percentage of residual calcified material and the average labiopalatal thickness of the grafts on cone beam computed tomography at 6 months after surgery, comparing two age groups 12 years and under and over 12 years old. RESULTS: The mean preoperative defect volume was 0.93 ± 0.20 cm3, with no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.652). In the postoperative period, we did not record any abnormal bleeding and no infection was observed. Six months after surgery, the mean percentage of residual calcified material was 63.53 ± 16.48% with a significantly higher difference in the age group 12 and under (p < 0.001), and the mean average labiopalatal thickness of the grafted bone was 5.72 ± 1.09 mm with a significantly higher difference in the age group 12 and under (p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: Using ß-TCP and PRF in alveolar bone graft surgery has acceptable effectiveness clinically and on CBCT images, with significantly higher differences of the percentage of residual calcified material and the average labiopalatal thickness of the grafted bone in the group 12 years old and younger than in the older group.

Sero and Carriage Epidemiology of Pertussis in Urban and Rural Regions in Vietnam.

The underestimation of the pertussis burden prompted our study to investigate the prevalence of recent pertussis infection, its associated factors, and antibody titer changes in the same individuals in Vietnam. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted in Nha Trang in 2017 and Quang Ngai in 2019, representing high- and low-vaccine-coverage areas, respectively. Serum anti-pertussis toxin immunoglobulin-G (anti-PT IgG) ≥ 62.5 IU/mL by ELISA indicated infection in the previous 12 months. In Nha Trang, the participants of the 2017 survey were followed up in 2019. Logistic regression was used to determine the odds ratios for the characteristics associated with anti-PT IgG ≥ 62.5. The age-stratified prevalence in patients aged >2 years ranged from 2.1% (age 26-35) to 9.6% (3-5) in Nha Trang (2017) and from 7.2% (age 26-35) to 11.4% (6-15) in Quang Ngai. The prevalence tended to be higher in Quang Ngai across all age groups. Cough, recent antibiotic use, and smoking in Nha Trang were positively associated with an anti-PT IgG of ≥62.5, and having been diagnosed with pertussis and persistent cough with paroxysms/whoop in Quang Ngai were positively associated with an anti-PT IgG of ≥62.5. No nasopharyngeal swabs were positive for Bordetella pertussis using real-time PCR. The geometric mean of the IgG titer ratio from 2019 to 2017 was 1.45 in the paired samples. This study emphasizes Bordetella pertussis circulation across all age groups in both low- and high-vaccine-coverage settings in Vietnam, underscoring the need for continuous and standardized surveillance for a comprehensive understanding of its epidemiology.

Breast and bowel cancers diagnosed in people 'too young to have cancer': A blueprint for research using family and twin studies.

Young breast and bowel cancers (e.g., those diagnosed before age 40 or 50 years) have far greater morbidity and mortality in terms of years of life lost, and are increasing in incidence, but have been less studied. For breast and bowel cancers, the familial relative risks, and therefore the familial variances in age-specific log(incidence), are much greater at younger ages, but little of these familial variances has been explained. Studies of families and twins can address questions not easily answered by studies of unrelated individuals alone. We describe existing and emerging family and twin data that can provide special opportunities for discovery. We present designs and statistical analyses, including novel ideas such as the VALID (Variance in Age-specific Log Incidence Decomposition) model for causes of variation in risk, the DEPTH (DEPendency of association on the number of Top Hits) and other approaches to analyse genome-wide association study data, and the within-pair, ICE FALCON (Inference about Causation from Examining FAmiliaL CONfounding) and ICE CRISTAL (Inference about Causation from Examining Changes in Regression coefficients and Innovative STatistical AnaLysis) approaches to causation and familial confounding. Example applications to breast and colorectal cancer are presented. Motivated by the availability of the resources of the Breast and Colon Cancer Family Registries, we also present some ideas for future studies that could be applied to, and compared with, cancers diagnosed at older ages and address the challenges posed by young breast and bowel cancers.

Platelet rich fibrin and MTA in the treatment of teeth with open apices.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of using platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) as the apical matrix for the placement of MTA in nonsurgical endodontic therapy for teeth with periapical lesions and open apices. METHODS: Twelve teeth from eleven patients with periapical periodontitis and open apices were enrolled in the study. Nonsurgical endodontic therapy was performed with the PRF used as an apical barrier and the MTA manipulated as an apical plug for further thermoplasticized gutta percha in the remaining part of the root canal. Clinical signs and periapical digital radiographs were recorded and analyzed to evaluate the curing progress after periodical follow-ups of 1, 3, and 6 months. The horizontal dimension of the periapical lesion was determined, and the changes in the dimensions were recorded each time. The Friedman test was used for statistical analysis, with P < .05 serving as the threshold for determining statistical significance. RESULTS: All patients had no clinical symptoms after the first month of treatment, with a significant reduction in the periapical lesion after periodical appointments. CONCLUSIONS: PRF is an effective barrier when combined with MTA for the treatment of teeth with periapical periodontitis and open apices.

Quantification of parabens in marine fish samples by a rapid, simple, effective sample preparation method.

Parabens (p-hydroxybenzoic acid esters) commonly used preservatives (in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and foods) can pose potential effects on environmental health. In this study, seven parabens were quantified in marine fish samples using an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (UHPLC-MS/MS) system. Parabens in the fish samples were extracted and purified by a rapid, simple, and effective procedure comprising sample homogenization with solvent, solid-phase extraction clean-up, and solvent evaporation. Results demonstrated that the recoveries of seven compounds (with relative standard deviation < 15%) were 88-103% in matrix-spike samples and 86-105% in surrogate standards. The method detection limits and method quantification limits of seven parabens were 0.015-0.030 and 0.045-0.090 ng/g-ww (wet weight), respectively. The optimized method was applied to measure the concentration of parabens in the 37 marine fish samples collected from Vietnam coastal waters. The concentration ranges of seven parabens found in round scad and greater lizardfish samples were 6.82-25.3 ng/g ww and 6.21-17.2 ng/g-ww, respectively. Among parabens, methylparaben accounted for the highest contribution in both fish species (43.2 and 44.9%, respectively). Based on the measured concentrations of parabens in marine fish samples, the estimated daily intake was calculated for children and adults with the corresponding values of 0.0477 µg/kg/day and 0.0119 µg/kg/day, respectively. However, the presence of parabens in Vietnamese marine fish may not pose a significant risk to human health.

Change in Skin Surface Temperature at the Posterior Neck When Using Acupuncture at Houxi Acupoint in Healthy Volunteers.

Introduction The use of acupuncture has been suggested for the treatment of neck pain. Recently, a large body of evidence demonstrated that acupuncture has an effect on microcirculation in pain regions, but the exact mechanism remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the skin surface thermographic changes in the posterior neck associated with manual acupuncture at the Houxi (SI-3) acupoint. Methods Sixty healthy volunteers of both genders, aged 18 to 30 years, were randomly determined into two groups: left acupuncture (Group A) and right acupuncture (Group B). Each group underwent two sessions with a seven-day interval. The first session involved acupuncture at the control Yuji (LU-10) acupoint, while the second session featured acupuncture at the SI-3 acupoint. Skin temperature at the posterior neck was measured by using an infrared thermal camera (FLIR C5™, FLIR® Systems, Inc., Wilsonville, OR, USA) at five time points with 5-minute intervals. Results There were statistically significant increases in posterior neck skin surface temperature (p < 0.05) during acupuncture at both the left and right SI-3 acupoints, but no significant change was observed during acupuncture at the left and right LU-10 acupoints. Furthermore, acupuncture at the SI-3 acupoint on either hand increased posterior neck skin surface temperature without a statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). Conclusion We observed that applying acupuncture at the SI-3 acupoint increased the skin surface temperature of the posterior neck area. Furthermore, the SI-3 acupoint exhibits a uniform impact on the posterior neck area's skin surface temperature, regardless of the side chosen for acupuncture.