Proteomic Profiling of Small Extracellular Vesicles Isolated from the Plasma of Vietnamese Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Reveals Some Potential Biomarkers

Background: Considering the poor prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the objective of this study was to examine the potential of plasma-derived vesicles as a source of lung cancer-specific proteins. Extracellular vesicle (EV) cargos are specific to the source cells, hence they have the potential of being a source of cancer-specific proteins.  Methods: The proteins differently expressed in cancer were determined and derived from EVs isolated from the plasma of NSCLC patients at the National Lung Hospital. To this end, purification was done using gel filtration chromatography and ultracentrifugation. In addition, nano liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) was used for analyzing. Results: Fifty-seven EV-derived proteins related to NSCLC were highlighted in this research. Some of them have not been addressed before, such as EEF1A1 (elongation factor 1-α1), KPNB1 (Importin subunit beta 1), SRC (proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase) and ACTC1 (actin, alpha cardiac muscle 1). This list was further confirmed through a comparison with ExoCarta and Vesiclepedia. Conclusion: This study is the first work to show the involvement of several novel proteins of small EV (EEF1A1, KPNB1, SRC, and ACTC1) in the progression of NSCLC. The results suggested that they could serve as novel biomarkers for non-small cell lung cancer in the future.     

Genetic and epigenetic alterations of the EGFR and mutually independent association with BRCA1, MGMT,and RASSF1A methylations in Vietnamese lung adenocarcinomas

Genetic and epigenetic alterations importantly contribute to the pathogenesis of lung cancer. In the study, we measured the frequency and distribution of molecular abnormalities of EGFR as well as the aberrant promoter methylations of BRCA1, MGMT, MLH1, and RASSF1A in Vietnamese lung adenocarcinomas. We investigated the association between genetic and epigenetic alteration, and between each abnormality with clinicopathologic parameters. Somatic EGFR mutation that was found in 49/139 (35.3%) lung adenocarcinomas showed a significant association with young age, female gender, and non-smokers. EGFR overexpression was identified in 82 tumors (59.0%) and statistical relationships with EGFR or BRCA1 methylation but not EGFR mutation. In addition, EGFR, BRCA1, MGMT, MLH1, and RASSF1A methylations were found in 33 (23.7%), 41 (29.5%), 46 (33.1%), 28 (20.1%), and 41 (29.5%) cases of a total of 139 lung adenocarcinomas, respectively. The RASSF1A methylation was found to be linked to the smoking habit. Methylations in MGMT and RASSF1A were also found to correlate with metastasis status. Furthermore, the distribution of EGFR mutation and that of BRCA1, MGMT or RASSF1A methylation were significantly exclusive in lung adenocarcinomas. The main finding of our study demonstrate that epigenetic abnormalities might play a critical role for the lung tumorigenesis in patients with smoking history and metastasis, and partly affect the predictive value of EGFR mutations through blocking expression due to promoter EGFR hypermethylation. Mutually exclusive distribution of genetic and epigenetic alterations reflects differently biological characteristics in the etiology of lung adenocarcinomas.     

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.     

Comparison of local risk factors for children's atopic symptoms in Hanoi, Vietnam

BACKGROUND: A 1999 study in Hanoi, Vietnam using the International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire showed a high prevalence of atopic symptoms. Identifying risk factors for symptoms in these children may help in understanding the causes for these high estimates. METHODS: An ISAAC questionnaire with supplemental questions on environmental variables was distributed to 5495 school children in Hanoi and a suburban district, Dong Anh. The response rate was 65.7%. RESULTS: In Dong Anh, the following were among the significant age and gender adjusted associations: pig ownership [odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval), OR = 1.79 (1.18-2.70) for doctor-diagnosed asthma (DDA), OR = 1.72 (1.08-2.78) for doctor diagnosed hay fever (DDHF)] and farming [OR = 1.67 (1.27-2.19) for ever asthma, OR = 1.51 (1.09-2.09) for DDHF]. In multivariate models, tuberculosis (TB) was a significant predictor of atopic symptoms [Hanoi: OR = 3.09 (1.10-8.70) for DDA, Dong Anh: OR = 3.71 (1.40-9.84) for DDA, OR = 4.66 (1.88-11.57) for DDHF]. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are contrary to the "hygiene hypothesis". Recent immunologic and epidemiologic studies refute the inverse association between allergy and TB and may be one explanation for the positive association in this study. The positive association with pig ownership and farming may be because of exposures on farms in a developing country that may be different from exposures in farms of developed countries.     

Detection and characterization of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli from young children in Hanoi, Vietnam

Diarrhea continues to be one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among infants and children in developing countries. Escherichia coli is an emerging agent among pathogens that cause diarrhea. The development of a highly applicable technique for the detection of different categories of diarrheagenic E. coli is important. We have used multiplex PCR by combining eight primer pairs specific for enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC), enterohemorrhagic E. coli, enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). This facilitates the identification of five different categories of diarrheagenic E. coli from stool samples in a single reaction simultaneously. The prevalences of diarrheagenic E. coli were 22.5 and 12% in the diarrhea group and the control group, respectively. Among 587 fecal samples from Vietnamese children under 5 years of age with diarrhea, this technique identified 132 diarrheagenic E. coli strains. This included 68 samples (11.6%) with EAEC, 12 samples (2.0%) with EIEC, 39 samples (6.6%) with EPEC, and 13 samples (2.2%) with ETEC. Among the 249 age-matched controls, 30 samples were positive for diarrheagenic E. coli. The distribution was 18 samples (7.2%) with EAEC, 11 samples (4.4%) with EPEC, and 1 sample (0.4%) with ETEC.     

Long-pulsed 1064-nm and 755-nm lasers for C1 leg veins on skin type IV patients: a side-by-side comparison

Lasers in Medical Science - Long-pulsed 1064-nm (LP1064) and 755-nm (LP755) lasers have been demonstrated as effective treatments for leg veins. However, few studies of these treatments on Asian...