Associations of COVID-19-related fear with kidney disease quality of life and its subscales among hemodialysis patients as modified by health literacy: a multi-hospital survey.

Background: Receiving hemodialysis treatment makes end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients highly vulnerable amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, their kidney disease quality of life (KDQOL) is affected. We aimed to examine the association between fear of COVID-19 (FCoV-19) and KDQOL, and the effect modification of Health literacy (HL) on this association. Material and Methods: A survey was conducted at 8 hospitals from July 2020 to March 2021 on 972 patients. Data collection includes socio-demographic factors, clinical parameters, HL, digital healthy diet literacy (DDL), hemodialysis diet knowledge (HDK), FCoV-19, suspected COVID-19 symptoms (S-COVID-19-S), and KDQOL. Results: Higher HL scores B = 0.13 (95% CI = 0.06-0.21, p = 0.001) and HDK scores B = 0.58 (95% CI = 0.31-0.85, p = 0.001) were associated with higher KDQOL scores. Whereas, S-COVID-19-S B = -6.12 (95% CI = -7.66 to - 4.58, p = 0.001) and FCoV-19 B = -0.91 (95% CI = -1.03 to - 0.80, p = 0.001) were associated with lower KDQOL scores. Notably, higher HL scores significantly attenuate the negative impact of FCoV-19 on overall KDQOL and the kidney disease component summary. Conclusions: In hemodialysis patients, FCoV-19 and S-COVID-19-S were associated with a lower KDQOL. Health literacy significantly mitigates the negative impact of FCoV-19 on KDQOL. Strategic public health interventions to improve HL are suggested to protect patient's KDQOL during the pandemic.

Updates on Disease Mechanisms and Therapeutics for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a motor neuron disease. In ALS, upper and lower motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord progressively degenerate during the course of the disease, leading to the loss of the voluntary movement of the arms and legs. Since its first description in 1869 by a French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, the scientific discoveries on ALS have increased our understanding of ALS genetics, pathology and mechanisms and provided novel therapeutic strategies. The goal of this review article is to provide a comprehensive summary of the recent findings on ALS mechanisms and related therapeutic strategies to the scientific audience. Several highlighted ALS research topics discussed in this article include the 2023 FDA approved drug for SOD1 ALS, the updated C9orf72 GGGGCC repeat-expansion-related mechanisms and therapeutic targets, TDP-43-mediated cryptic splicing and disease markers and diagnostic and therapeutic options offered by these recent discoveries.

Swietemicrolides A-D, mexicanolide-type limonoids from the bark of Swietenia macrophylla with in vitro cytotoxic and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities.

Four new mexicanolide-type limonoids, swietemicrolides A-D (1-4), together with three known compounds (5-7) were isolated from an ethyl acetate extract of the bark of Swietenia microphylla. 1 and 2 had 1,8-hemiacetal systems whilst 3 and 4 shared hexacyclic skeletons consisting of three fused five-membered rings. The structures of the isolated compounds were determined using spectroscopic methods. The five limonoids (1-5) were tested in vitro for their cytotoxic effects against two human cancer cell lines (KB carcinoma and A549 lung cancer cells) and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. None of them showed significant cytotoxic activity, however, swietemicrolide C (3) exhibited strong effect towards α-glucosidase. Moreover, a possible biosynthetic pathway for compounds 1-4 was proposed to support a comprehensive understanding of the configurations of the new limonoids.

Novel miRNA-inducing drugs enable differentiation of retinoic acid-resistant neuroblastoma cells.

Tumor cell heterogeneity in neuroblastoma, a pediatric cancer arising from neural crest-derived progenitor cells, poses a significant clinical challenge. In particular, unlike adrenergic (ADRN) neuroblastoma cells, mesenchymal (MES) cells are resistant to chemotherapy and retinoid therapy and thereby significantly contribute to relapses and treatment failures. Previous research suggested that overexpression or activation of miR-124, a neurogenic microRNA with tumor suppressor activity, can induce the differentiation of retinoic acid-resistant neuroblastoma cells. Leveraging our established screen for miRNA modulatory small molecules, we validated PP121, a dual inhibitor of tyrosine and phosphoinositide kinases, as a robust inducer of miR-124. A combination of PP121 and miR-132-inducing bufalin synergistically arrests proliferation, induces differentiation, and prolongs the survival of differentiated MES SK-N-AS cells for 8 weeks. RNA- seq and deconvolution analyses revealed a collapse of the ADRN core regulatory circuitry (CRC) and the emergence of novel CRCs associated with chromaffin cells and Schwann cell precursors. Using a similar protocol, we differentiated and maintained other MES neuroblastoma, as well as glioblastoma cells, over 16 weeks. In conclusion, our novel protocol suggests a promising treatment for therapy-resistant cancers of the nervous system. Moreover, these long-lived, differentiated cells provide valuable models for studying mechanisms underlying differentiation, maturation, and senescence.

Quality of life outcomes for informal carers of long-term care service users in Austria, England and Finland.

PURPOSE: The provision and funding of long-term care (LTC) for older people varies between European countries. Despite differences, there is limited information about the comparative performance of LTC systems in Europe. In this study, we compared quality of life (QoL) of informal carers of home care service users in Austria, England and Finland. METHODS: Informal carers were surveyed in Austria, England and Finland. The study data (n = 835) contained information on social care-related quality of life (SCRQoL) associated with the ASCOT-Carer measure, and characteristics of carers and care recipients from each country. We applied risk-adjustment methods using a fractional regression model to produce risk-adjusted SCRQoL scores for the comparative analysis. In a sensitivity analysis, we applied multiple imputation to missing data to validate our findings. RESULTS: We found that the mean values of the risk-adjusted SCRQoL of informal carers in England were 1.4-2.9% and 0.3-0.5% higher than in Finland and Austria, and the mean values of the risk-adjusted SCRQoL of carers in Austria were 0.8-2.7% higher than in Finland. Differences in the mean values of the country-specific risk-adjusted SCRQoL scores were small and statistically non-significant. English informal carers were less healthy and co-resided with care resipients more often than carers in Austria or Finland. CONCLUSION: Small differences between the risk-adjusted SCRQoL scores between Austria, England and Finland are consistent with the observation that the countries provide different types of support for informal carers. Our results help local and national decision-makers in these countries to benchmark their informal care support systems.

Hemojuvelin-mediated hepcidin induction requires both bone morphogenetic protein type I receptors ALK2 and ALK3.

ABSTRACT: Hemojuvelin (HJV) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein of the repulsive guidance molecule family acting as a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) coreceptor to induce the hepatic iron regulatory protein hepcidin. Hepcidin causes ubiquitination and degradation of the sole known iron exporter ferroportin, thereby limiting iron availability. The detailed signaling mechanism of HJV in vivo has yet to be investigated. In the current manuscript, we used an established model of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated liver-specific overexpression of HJV in murine models of hepatocyte-specific deficiency of the BMP type I receptors Alk2 or Alk3. In control mice, HJV overexpression increased hepatic Hamp messenger RNA (mRNA) levels, soluble HJV (sHJV), splenic iron content (SIC), as well as phosphorylated small mothers against decapentaplegic protein (pSMAD1/5/8) levels. In contrast, in Alk2fl/fl;Alb-Cre and Alk3fl/fl;Alb-Cre mice, which present with moderate and severe iron overload, respectively, the administration of AAV-HJV induced HJV and sHJV. However, it did not rescue the iron overload phenotypes of those mice. Serum iron levels were induced in Alk2fl/fl;Alb-Cre mice after HJV overexpression. In phosphate-buffered saline-injected Alk3fl/fl;Alb-Cre mice, serum iron levels and the expression of duodenal ferroportin remained high, whereas Hamp mRNA levels were decreased to 1% to 5% of the levels detected in controls. This was reduced even further by AAV-HJV overexpression. SIC remained low in mice with hepatocyte-specific Alk2 or Alk3 deficiency, reflecting disturbed iron homeostasis with high serum iron levels and transferrin saturation and an inability to induce hepcidin by HJV overexpression. The data indicate that ALK2 and ALK3 are both required in vivo for the HJV-mediated induction of hepcidin.

A new species of Habrophorula from Vietnam and an updated key to species of the genus (Hymenoptera, Apidae).

The rare bee genus Habrophorula Lieftinck, 1974 is recorded for the first time from Vietnam. The genus is represented by a new species, Habrophorulabelladeceptrix Tran, Engel & Nguyen, sp. nov., from Cao Bang Province and can be most easily confused with H.nigripes Wu from China. The species is most easily differentiated by the unique form of the male terminalia but can also be distinguished by differences in integumental and setal coloration. A revised key is provided to the species of the genus. Females of the new species were collected at flowers of Saurauiaroxburghii Wall. and Saurauianapaulensis DC. (Actinidiaceae); males were collected at flowers of Lantanacamara L. (Verbenaceae).

Evaluation of Color and Pigment Changes in Tomato after 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) Treatment.

The Polar Qualification System (PQS) was applied on hue spectra fingerprinting to describe color changes in tomato during storage. The cultivar 'Pitenza' was harvested at six different maturity stages, and half of the samples were subjected to gaseous 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment. Reference color parameters were recorded with a vision system colorimeter instrument, and the fruit pigment concentration was assessed with the DA-index®. Additionally, acoustic firmness (Stiffness) was measured. All acquired reference parameters were used to grade fruit in the supply chain. The applied 1-MCP treatments were used to control the ripening of climacteric horticultural produce. Both the DA-index® and stiffness values, presented as chlorophyll concentration and acoustic firmness, showed significant differences among maturity stages and treated and control samples and in their kinetics during storage. The machine vision parameter PQS-X was significantly affected by 1-MCP treatment (F = 10.18, p < 0.01), while PQS-Y was primarily affected by storage time (F = 18.18, p < 0.01) and maturity stage (F = 11.15, p < 0.01). A significant correlation was achieved for acoustic firmness with normalized color (r > 0.78) and PQS-Y (r > 0.80), as well as for the DA-index® (r > 0.9). The observed color changes agreed with the reference measurements. The significant statistical effect on the PQS coordinates suggests that hue spectra fingerprinting with this data compression technique is suitable for quality assessment based on color.

Agarose-based 3D culture improved the developmental competence of oocyte-granulosa complex isolated from porcine preantral follicle.

Various models have been established to culture whole follicles of the Preantral stage; however, the process remains inefficient and is an ongoing challenge formation. It is reported that oocyte-cumulus-granulosa complexes (OCGCs) isolated from Early Antral follicles (EAFs) undergo in vitro growth (IVG) and acquire meiotic competence in some animals. However, IVG for the oocyte-granulosa complexes (OGCs) from Preantral Follicles (PAFs) has not been firmly established. The present study indicated that the use of a modified medium with Ascorbic Acid (50 µM) facilitated granulosa cell proliferation, promoted cumulus cell differentiations, and increased antrum formation for the OGCs isolated from PAFs (0.3-0.4 mm). However, the two-dimensional 96-well plate system (2D) experienced smaller size follicles and could not prolong more than 10 days of IVG. Another method is to use an Agarose matrix 3D system to provide a soft, non-adhesive base that supports the IVG of OGCs isolated from PAFs and promotes cell proliferation, antrum formation, and maintenance for 14 days. OGCs that were grown using this method retained their spherical morphology, which in turn helped to attain healthy granulosa cells and maintain their connection with oocytes, in addition, these oocytes significantly increased diameter and lipid content, indicating developmental competence. Our result indicated that the OGCs from PAFs after IVG undergo a change in chromatin morphology and expression of acetylation of histone H3 at lysine 9 (Ac-H3-K9) and methylation of histone H3 at lysine 4 (Me-H3-K4), similar to the in vivo oocytes isolated from the ovary. Likewise, IVG oocytes cultured for maturation showed full cumulus expansion and reached mature oocytes. Furthermore, after in vitro maturation, IVG oocytes underwent the first cleavage following parthenogenetic activation. In conclusion, while most studies used whole follicles from the Preantral stage for IVG, our research finding was the first to reveal that oocytes isolated from the final stage of PAFs can migrate out of the follicle and undergo IVG under suitable conditions.

Spectrum of WAS gene mutations in Vietnamese patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.

BACKGROUND: WAS gene mutational analysis is crucial to establish a definite diagnosis of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS). Data on the genetic background of WAS in Vietnamese patients have not been reported. METHODS: We recruited 97 male, unrelated patients with WAS and analyzed WAS gene mutation using Sanger sequencing technology. RESULTS: We identified 36 distinct hemizygous pathogenic mutations, with 17 novel variants, from 38 patients in the entire cohort (39.2%). The mutational spectrum included 14 missense, 12 indel, five nonsense, four splicing, and one non-stop mutations. Most mutations appear only once, with the exception of c.37C>T (p.R13X) and c.374G>A (p.G125E) each of which occurs twice in unrelated patients. CONCLUSION: Our data enrich the mutational spectrum of the WAS gene and are crucial for understanding the genetic background of WAS and for supporting genetic counseling.

Sex Differences in Clustering Unhealthy Lifestyles Among Survivors of COVID-19: Latent Class Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the significance of adopting healthy lifestyles to mitigate the risk of severe outcomes and long-term consequences. OBJECTIVE: This study focuses on assessing the prevalence and clustering of 5 unhealthy lifestyle behaviors among Vietnamese adults after recovering from COVID-19, with a specific emphasis on sex differences. METHODS: The cross-sectional data of 5890 survivors of COVID-19 in Vietnam were analyzed from December 2021 to October 2022. To examine the sex differences in 5 unhealthy lifestyle behaviors (smoking, drinking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and sedentary behavior), the percentages were plotted along with their corresponding 95% CI for each behavior. Latent class analysis was used to identify 2 distinct classes of individuals based on the clustering of these behaviors: the "less unhealthy" group and the "more unhealthy" group. We examined the sociodemographic characteristics associated with each identified class and used logistic regression to investigate the factors related to the "more unhealthy" group. RESULTS: The majority of individuals (male participants: 2432/2447, 99.4% and female participants: 3411/3443, 99.1%) exhibited at least 1 unhealthy behavior, with male participants being more susceptible to multiple unhealthy behaviors. The male-to-female ratio for having a single behavior was 1.003, but it escalated to 25 for individuals displaying all 5 behaviors. Male participants demonstrated a higher prevalence of combining alcohol intake with sedentary behavior (949/2447, 38.8%) or an unhealthy diet (861/2447, 35.2%), whereas female participants tended to exhibit physical inactivity combined with sedentary behavior (1305/3443, 37.9%) or an unhealthy diet (1260/3443, 36.6%). Married male participants had increased odds of falling into the "more unhealthy" group compared to their single counterparts (odds ratio [OR] 1.45, 95% CI 1.14-1.85), while female participants exhibited lower odds (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.51-0.83). Female participants who are underweight showed a higher likelihood of belonging to the "more unhealthy" group (OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.89-1.39), but this was not observed among male participants (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.41-0.89). In both sexes, older age, dependent employment, high education, and obesity were associated with higher odds of being in the "more unhealthy" group. CONCLUSIONS: The study identified notable sex differences in unhealthy lifestyle behaviors among survivors of COVID-19. Male survivors are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors compared to female survivors. These findings emphasize the importance of tailored public health interventions targeting sex-specific unhealthy behaviors. Specifically, addressing unhealthy habits is crucial for promoting post-COVID-19 health and well-being.

Impact of long COVID-19 on posttraumatic stress disorder as modified by health literacy: an observational study in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased, particularly among individuals who have recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Health literacy is considered a "social vaccine" that helps people respond effectively to the pandemic. We aimed to investigate the association between long COVID-19 and PTSD, and to examine the modifying role of health literacy in this association. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at 18 hospitals and health centers in Vietnam from December 2021 to October 2022. We recruited 4,463 individuals who had recovered from COVID-19 infection for at least 4 weeks. Participants provided information about their sociodemographics, clinical parameters, health-related behaviors, health literacy (using the 12-item short-form health literacy scale), long COVID-19 symptoms and PTSD (Impact Event Scale-Revised score of 33 or higher). Logistic regression models were used to examine associations and interactions. RESULTS: Out of the study sample, 55.9% had long COVID-19 symptoms, and 49.6% had PTSD. Individuals with long COVID-19 symptoms had a higher likelihood of PTSD (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.63-2.12; p<0.001). Higher health literacy was associated with a lower likelihood of PTSD (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99; p=0.001). Compared to those without long COVID-19 symptoms and the lowest health literacy score, those with long COVID-19 symptoms and a 1-point health literacy increment had a 3% lower likelihood of PTSD (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99; p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Health literacy was found to be a protective factor against PTSD and modified the negative impact of long COVID-19 symptoms on PTSD.

The solitary wasp genus Orancistrocerus from Vietnam, with descriptions of two new species (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae).

New data are presented for the potter wasp genus Orancistrocerus van der Vecht (Eumeninae, Odynerini) occurring in Vietnam. Two species are described as new to science: Orancistrocerusthanhnhatsp. nov. and O.thanghensp. nov.Orancistrocerusaterrimuserythropus van der Vecht is synonymized with Orancistrocerusaterrimusaterrimus (de Saussure); the male genitalia of this species are described for the first time. An updated key is presented to all species of the genus.

RNA therapeutics for neurological disease.

Neurological disorders are the group of diseases that primarily affect the center nervous system, which could lead to a significant negative impact on the ability of learning new skills, speaking, breathing, walking, judging, making decision, and other essential living skills. In the last decade, neurological disorders have significantly increased their impact to our community and become the one of leading causes of disability and death. The World Health Organization has identified neurological disorders including Alzheimer's disease and other dementia as the health crisis for the modern life. Tremendous ongoing research efforts focus on understanding of disease genetics, molecular mechanisms and developing therapeutic interventions. Because of the urgent need of the effective therapeutics and the recent advances in the toolkits and understanding for developing more drug-like RNA molecules, there is a growing interest for developing RNA therapeutics for neurological disorders. This article will discuss genetics and mechanisms of neurological disorders and how RNA-based molecules have been used to develop therapeutics for this group of diseases, challenges of RNA therapeutics and future perspectives on this rising therapeutic intervention tool.

Discovery of the male of Okinawepipona yty Nguyen, 2018 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from Vietnam.

The male of Okinawepipona yty Nguyen, 2018 is described and illustrated for the first time, together with its genitalia, based on specimens from Y Ty, Lao Cai, Vietnam. In addition, the male genitalia of O. curcipunctura Nguyen & Xu, 2014 is also described for the first time. Based on these descriptions, a discussion is provided regarding the male genitalia of eumenine wasps in general.

The first epidemiology of urolithiasis in Northern Vietnam: Urinary stone composition, age, gender, season, and clinical features study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to analyze the compositions of urinary stones and investigate their distributions in different ages, genders, seasons, and clinical features of Northern Vietnamese patients. METHODS: A total of 231 patients with urinary stones from Northern Vietnam were collected and analyzed composition from 1/2021-12/2022. For all patients, age, sex, stone location, stone side, urine pH, and hospitalized date (month) were collected. RESULTS: Kidney stones are more frequently found in men than women with the male: female urinary stones ratio in this study being 1.96:1. The highest stone prevalence appeared between 60 and 69 years old. The most common stone composition was calcium oxalate, followed by calcium phosphate, uric acid, struvite, and cysteine. Mix stones of CaOx and CaP were more prevalent than pure stones. Males submitted more CaOx, CaP, and UA stones, whereas females were susceptible to infectious stones. Stones were more frequently found on the left side of the upper urinary tract (51.9%) than on the right side (27.3%) and lower urinary tract (7.8%). Cultural tendency leads to a smaller number of stones during the Lunar new year (February), and Ghost month (August).

Small molecule regulators of microRNAs identified by high-throughput screen coupled with high-throughput sequencing.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate fundamental biological processes by silencing mRNA targets and are dysregulated in many diseases. Therefore, miRNA replacement or inhibition can be harnessed as potential therapeutics. However, existing strategies for miRNA modulation using oligonucleotides and gene therapies are challenging, especially for neurological diseases, and none have yet gained clinical approval. We explore a different approach by screening a biodiverse library of small molecule compounds for their ability to modulate hundreds of miRNAs in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons. We demonstrate the utility of the screen by identifying cardiac glycosides as potent inducers of miR-132, a key neuroprotective miRNA downregulated in Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Coordinately, cardiac glycosides downregulate known miR-132 targets, including Tau, and protect rodent and human neurons against various toxic insults. More generally, our dataset of 1370 drug-like compounds and their effects on the miRNome provides a valuable resource for further miRNA-based drug discovery.

The role of nutritional risk evaluation in predicting adverse outcomes among patients with severe COVID-19 in Vietnam.

Introduction: As sufficient nutrition helps alleviate catabolic stress and modulate the systemic inflammatory response of the body, it plays an indispensable role in the good prognosis of critically ill patients. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the malnutrition of patients with severe COVID-19 and its association with adverse treatment outcomes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study in two provincial hospitals in Hanoi from February to April 2022. Participants were patients with severe COVID-19 admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Malnutrition risk were evaluated by Nutritional Risk Screening-2002 (NRS), Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM), Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI), and the adverse prognosis was assessed by Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II). The multivariate receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to estimate the predictive ability of those criteria regarding worse treatment results. Results: The percentages of malnutrition measured by NRS, GLIM, PNI, and BMI were 62.6, 51.5, 42.9, and 16.6%, respectively. Patients with more severe malnutrition assessed by GLIM, PNI, and having above target fasting blood glucose (FBG) (≥10.0 mmol/L) were more likely to have higher APACHE scores. PNI had a better diagnostic performance than NRS and BMI (AUC = 0.84, 0.81, and 0.82, respectively). In addition, FBG revealed a good prognostic implication (AUC = 0.84). Conclusion: A relatively high percentage of patients experienced moderate and severe malnutrition regardless of screening tools. Individuals at higher risk of malnutrition and high FBG were predicted to have more adverse treatment outcomes. It is recommended that nutritional screening should be conducted regularly, and personalizing nutritional care strategies is necessary to meet patients' nutrient demands and prevent other nutrition-related complications.

Challenges to Accurate Estimation of Methane Emission from Septic Tanks with Long Emptying Intervals.

Septic tanks in low- and middle-income countries are often not emptied for a long time, potentially resulting in poor pollutant removal efficiency and increased greenhouse gas emissions, including methane (CH4). We examined the impact of long emptying intervals (4.0-23 years) on the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) removal efficiency of 15 blackwater septic tanks and the CH4 emission rates of 23 blackwater septic tanks in Hanoi. The average BOD removal efficiency was 37% (-2-65%), and the average CH4 emission rate was 10.9 (2.2-26.8) g/(cap·d). The emptying intervals were strongly negatively correlated with BOD removal efficiency (R = -0.676, p = 0.006) and positively correlated with CH4 emission rates (R = 0.614, p = 0.001). CH4 emission rates were positively correlated with sludge depth (R = 0.596, p = 0.002), but against expectation, negatively correlated with BOD removal efficiency (R = -0.219, p = 0.451). These results suggest that shortening the emptying interval improves the BOD removal efficiency and reduces the CH4 emission rate. Moreover, the CH4 emission estimation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is a positive conversion of BOD removal, might be inaccurate for septic tanks with long emptying intervals. Our findings suggest that emptying intervals, sludge depth, and per-capita emission factors reflecting long emptying intervals are potential parameters for accurately estimating CH4 emissions from septic tanks.

The potter wasp genus Allorhynchium from Vietnam, with descriptions of three new species and a new country record (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae).

Species of the potter wasp genus Allorhynchium van der Vecht (Eumeninae: Odynerini) occurring in Vietnam are presented. Seven species have been recorded from Vietnam. Of them, three species are described as new to science: Allorhynchiumlatum Nguyen, Tran & MT Nguyen, sp. nov., A.moerum Nguyen & AD Nguyen, sp. nov., and A.setosum Nguyen & Engel, sp. nov., and one species, A.argentatum (Fabricius, 1804), is recorded from Vietnam for the first time. An updated key to the Oriental species of the genus is presented.