Speciation of Arsenic in Environmental Samples of the Nha Trang Harbor,Vietnam, Using HPLC Coupled HG-AAS

A coupled High Performance Liquid Chromatography – Hydride Generation-Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy system was used to determine the speciation of Arsenic in samples from the Nha Trang Harbor, Vietnam. Concentrations of Arsenic in seawater, pore water, suspended solid, and sediment were 4.12–9.81 μg/L, 13.10–24.32 μg/L, 1.87–6.42 μg/g, and 3.37–9.06 μg/g, respectively. Extraction using H₃PO₄ + NH₂OH·HCl and ultrasonic digestion was optimized to yield a 76–85% of total Arsenic. Arsenic (III) was the most abundant species in suspended solids and sediments whereas Arsenic (V) represented for 30–50% of Arsenic (III) concentration. Monomethylarsonic acid and Dimethylarsinic acid species were undetectable.     

Impact of pharmacist interventions during transition of care in older adults to reduce the use of healthcare services: A scoping review

BackgroundCurrent literature has shown increasing risk of error in transition of care between different healthcare settings, especially in the older population. Moreover, drug-related hospital readmission has been reported due to lack of appropriate communication. However, the literature is not clear about the impact of pharmacist interventions during transition of care of older adults on the reduction in use of healthcare services.ObjectiveThe goal of the scoping review was to describe the impact of pharmacist interventions during transitions of care for older adults on the use of healthcare services.MethodsMEDLINE was searched for randomized controlled trials and controlled studies that analyzed pharmacist interventions during transition of care of older adults with regard to use of healthcare services. Four reviewers, grouped in pairs, independently screened all references published from 1990 to 2019 and extracted and analyzed the data. A pharmaceutical model of 8 pharmacist-led interventions was adapted from literature to compare the included studies.ResultsThere were 1527 publications screened, 17 of which met inclusion criteria. Pharmacist-led interventions decreased the use of healthcare services in 11 of these studies. The majority of studies were of very good or good quality based on Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Pharmacist were implicated at all times during the transition of care process (i.e. admission/during stay, discharge and post-discharge) in 4 of the effective studies, whereas none did in the not effective studies. More interventions were accomplished by pharmacists in studies with positive outcomes.ConclusionBy diversifying their interventions at different moments throughout transition of care, pharmacists can reduce the use of healthcare services for older adults during transition of care. This scoping review also shows the need to better understand key components of post-discharge interventions and to have a dynamic pharmaceutical model accepted by the scientific community.     

A new geranyl flavanone from Macaranga triloba

A new geranyl flavanone, 2′-hydroxy-macarangaflavnone A (1), and a known 4′,7-dihydroxy-8-methylflavan were isolated from the leaves of Macaranga triloba (Euphorbiceae). The structure of 1 was elucidated based on spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D NMR analysis.     

Maternal body mass index and gestational weight gain and their association with perinatal outcomes in Viet Nam

Objective

To examine the association between gestational weight gain and maternal body mass index (BMI) among Vietnamese women and the risk of delivering an infant too small or too large for gestational age.

Methods

A prospective health-facility-based study of 2989 pregnant Vietnamese women was conducted in the city of Nha Trang in 2007–2008. Cubic logistic regression was used to investigate the association of interest. Infants were classified into weight-for-gestational-age categories according to weight centiles for the Asian population. Gestational age was based on the date of last menstrual period and adjusted by the results of first-trimester ultrasound.

Findings

BMI was low (< 18.5), normal (18.5–22.9) and high (≥ 23.0) in 26.1%, 65.4% and 8.5% of the women, respectively. In each of these BMI categories, the percentage of women who delivered infants too small for gestational age was 18.1, 10.0 and 9.4, respectively, and the mean gestational weight gain was 12.5 kg (standard deviation, SD: ± 3.6), 12.2 kg (SD: ± 3.8) and 11.5 kg (SD: ± 4.7), respectively. Among women with low BMI, the risk of delivering an infant too small for gestational age ranged from approximately 40% if the gestational weight gain was < 5 kg to 20% if it was 5–10 kg.

Conclusion

Having a low BMI, commonly found in Viet Nam, puts women at risk of delivering an infant too small for gestational age, especially when total maternal gestational weight gain is < 10 kg.     

Drug delivery global summit--evaluating emerging technologies

Two day-long sessions at the Drug delivery global summit, organised by SMi Group Ltd, were devoted to discussion on critical aspects of drug delivery, including advances in drug delivery systems and their applications to new products, with a primary focus on oral systems, but also highlighting recent progress in inhalation, parenteral and transdermal delivery. The event included case studies from big pharma, biotech and drug delivery companies to illustrate emerging delivery technologies and how they can be applied to develop innovative products. The conference created a platform for discussion on a range of topics from scientific issues and challenges to ways of establishing mutually beneficial relationships between technology and pharma companies.     

Helix I of beta-arrestin is involved in postendocytic trafficking but is not required for membrane translocation, receptor binding, and internalization

beta-Arrestins bind to phosphorylated, seven-transmembrane-spanning, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), including the type 1 angiotensin II receptor (AT(1)R), to promote receptor desensitization and internalization. The AT(1) R is a class B GPCR that recruits both beta-arrestin1 and beta-arrestin2, forming stable complexes that cotraffic to deep-core endocytic vesicles. beta-Arrestins contain one amphipathic and potentially amphitropic (membrane-targeting) alpha-helix (helix I) that may promote translocation to the membrane or influence receptor internalization or trafficking. Here, we investigated the trafficking and function of beta-arrestin1 and beta-arrestin2 mutants bearing substitutions in both the hydrophobic and positively charged faces of helix I. The level of expression of these mutants and their cytoplasmic localization (in the absence of receptor activation) was similar to wild-type beta-arrestins. After angiotensin II stimulation, both wild-type and beta-arrestin mutants translocated to the cell membrane, although recruitment was weaker for mutants of the hydrophobic face of helix I. For all beta-arrestin mutants, the formation of deep-core vesicles was less observed compared with wild-type beta-arrestins. Furthermore, helix I conjugated to green fluorescent protein is not membrane-localized, suggesting that helix I, in isolation, is not amphitropic. Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer analysis revealed that both wild-type and beta-arrestin mutants retained a capacity to interact with the AT(1)R, although the interaction with the mutants was less stable. Finally, wild-type and mutant beta-arrestins fully supported receptor internalization in human embryonic kidney cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts deficient in beta-arrestin1 and -2. Thus, helix I is implicated in postmembrane trafficking but is not strongly amphitropic.     

Mortality and failure among tuberculosis patients who did not complete treatment in Vietnam: a cohort study

Background  

Tuberculosis treatment failure and death rates are low in the Western Pacific Region, including Vietnam. However, failure or death may also occur among patients who did not complete treatment, i.e. reported as default or transfer-out. We aimed to assess the proportion failures and deaths among new smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients with reported default or transfer-out.     

Genetic diversity and molecular identification of mosquito species in the Anopheles maculatus group using the ITS2 region of rDNA.

The species diversity and genetic structure of mosquitoes belonging to the Anopheles maculatus group in Southeast Asia were investigated using the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA). A molecular phylogeny indicates the presence of at least one hitherto unrecognised species. Mosquitoes of chromosomal form K from eastern Thailand have a unique ITS2 sequence that is 3.7% divergent from the next most closely related taxon (An. sawadwongporni) in the group. In the context of negligible intraspecific variation at ITS2, this suggests that chromosomal form K is most probably a distinct species. Although An. maculatus sensu stricto from northern Thailand and southern Thailand/peninsular Malaysia differ from each other in chromosomal banding pattern and vectorial capacity, no intraspecific variation was observed in the ITS2 sequences of this species over this entire geographic area despite an extensive survey. A PCR-based identification method was developed to distinguish five species of the group (An. maculatus, An. dravidicus, An. pseudowillmori, An. sawadwongporni and chromosomal form K) to assist field-based studies in northwestern Thailand. Sequences from 187 mosquitoes (mostly An. maculatus and An. sawadwongporni) revealed no intraspecific variation in specimens from Thailand, Cambodia, mainland China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam, suggesting that this identification method will be widely applicable in Southeast Asia. The lack of detectable genetic structure also suggests that populations of these species are either connected by gene flow and/or share a recent common history.     

Bioactive Triterpenes from the Root of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge

Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) is a well‐known medicinal herb in the oriental medicine. The current study on bioactive triterpenoid in the root of S. miltiorrhiza led to the isolation of a new highly hydroxylated ursane‐type triterpene, urs‐12‐ene‐2α,3β,7β,16α‐tetraol (1) and five known ones including 2β‐hydroxypomolic acid (2), maslinic acid (3), asiatic acid (4), ursolic acid (5), and oleanolic acid (6). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses and comparison with literature data. The antiproliferative testing against HL‐60 cells revealed that the new compound 1 and ursolic acid (5) showed weak and moderate activities with IC₅₀ values of 42.2 and 11.7 μM. In addition, compounds 1–3 showed inhibitory effect on ghrelin activity. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.