The evolutionary dynamics of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in south-central Vietnam reveals multiple clades evolving from Chinese and Cambodian viruses

Nguyen, T.H.,Than, V.T.,Thanh, H.D.,Nguyen, V.Q.,Nguyen, K.H.,Nguyen, D.T.,Park, J.H.,Chung, I.S.,Jeong, D.G.,Chang, K.T.,Oh, T.K.,Kim, W. Pergamon Press 2015 Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectiou Vol.42 No.-

In Vietnam, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), such as that caused by H5N1 viruses, is the most highly contagious infectious disease that has been affecting domestic poultry in recent years. Vietnam might be an evolutionary hotspot and a potential source of globally pandemic strains. However, few studies have reported viruses circulating in the south-central region of Vietnam. In the present study, 47 H5N1-positive samples were collected from both vaccinated and unvaccinated poultry farms in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam during 2013-2014, and their genetic diversity was analyzed. A common sequence motif for HPAI virus was identified at HA-cleavage sites in all samples: either RERRRKR/G (clades 2.3.2.1c and 2.3.2.1a) or REGRRKKR/G (clade 1.1.2). Phylogenetic analysis of HA genes identified three clades of HPAI H5N1: 1.1.2 (n=1), 2.3.2.1a (n=1), and 2.3.2.1c (n=45). The phylogenetic analysis indicated that these Vietnamese clades may have evolved from Chinese and Cambodian virus clades isolated in 2012-2013 but are less closely related to the clades detected from the Tyva Republic, Bulgaria, Mongolia, Japan, and Korea in 2009-2011. Detection of the coexistence of virus clades 2.3.2.1 and the very virulent 1.1.2 in the south-central regions suggests their local importance and highlights concerns regarding their spread, both northwards and southwards, as well as the potential for reassortment. The obtained data highlight the importance of regular identification of viral evolution and the development and use of region-specific vaccines.

Influence of a cocktail of protease and xylanase in different energy densities of corn- and soybean-meal-based diet on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass quality, and gas emission in broilers

Nguyen, D.H.,Tran, H.N.,Yun, H.M.,Kim, I.H.,Plaizier, J. Canadian Science Publishing 2018 Canadian journal of animal science Vol.98 No.2

<P> A total of 480 one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers with an average initial body weight (BW) of 42 ± 1 g was randomly divided into four treatments (8 replicates/treatment, 15 birds/replicate) by their BW to evaluate the influence of a cocktail of protease and xylanase in different energy density of corn- and soybean-meal-based diet on broilers. This experiment lasted for 35 d and there were two phases; starter (1-18 d) and finisher (19-35 d). The experiment was a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with two levels of metabolizable energy and the cocktail enzyme with 200 mg of protease kg<SUP>−1</SUP> diet and 100 FXU xylanase kg<SUP>−1</SUP> diet. Both high-nutrient density and cocktail enzyme supplementation increased (P @@<@@ 0.05) the body weight gain (BWG) during day 1-18 and day 1-35 as well as dry matter retention on day 35. Broilers fed the high-nutrient-density diets had higher (P @@<@@ 0.05) energy retention on day 35 and relative breast muscle weight. Broilers fed the cocktail enzyme diets significantly increased nitrogen (N) retention and decreased the levels of ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) emission. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of the cocktail enzyme component improved BWG, N retention, and reduced excreta noxious gas emission in broilers. </P>

Development of a microfluidic perfusion 3D cell culture system

Park, D H,Jeon, H J,Kim, M J,Nguyen, X D,Morten, K,Go, J S IOP 2018 Journal of micromechanics and microengineering Vol.28 No.4

<P>Recently, 3-dimensional <I>in vitro</I> cell cultures have gained much attention in biomedical sciences because of the closer relevance between <I>in vitro</I> cell cultures and <I>in vivo</I> environments. This paper presents a microfluidic perfusion 3D cell culture system with consistent control of long-term culture conditions to mimic an <I>in vivo</I> microenvironment. It consists of two sudden expansion reservoirs to trap incoming air bubbles, gradient generators to provide a linear concentration, and microchannel mixers. Specifically, the air bubbles disturb a flow in the microfluidic channel resulting in the instability of the perfusion cell culture conditions. For long-term stable operation, the sudden expansion reservoir is designed to trap air bubbles by using buoyancy before they enter the culture system. The performance of the developed microfluidic perfusion 3D cell culture system was examined experimentally and compared with analytical results. Finally, it was applied to test the cytotoxicity of cells infected with Ewing’s sarcoma. Cell death was observed for different concentrations of H<SUB>2</SUB>O<SUB>2</SUB>. For future work, the developed microfluidic perfusion 3D cell culture system can be used to examine the behavior of cells treated with various drugs and concentrations for high-throughput drug screening.</P>

Genetic and phylogenetic characterizations of a novel genotype of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N8 viruses in 2016/2017 in South Korea

Kim, Y.I.,Park, S.J.,Kwon, H.I.,Kim, E.H.,Si, Y.J.,Jeong, J.H.,Lee, I.W.,Nguyen, H.D.,Kwon, J.J.,Choi, W.S.,Song, M.S.,Kim, C.J.,Choi, Y.K. Elsevier Science 2017 INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION Vol.53 No.-

<P>During the outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N6 viruses in 2016 in South Korea, novel H5N8 viruses were also isolated from migratory birds. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the HA gene of these H5N8 viruses belonged to clade 2.3.4.4, similarly to recent H5Nx viruses, and originated from A/Brk/Korea/Gochang1/14(H5N8), a minor lineage of H5N8 that appeared in 2014 and then disappeared. At least four reassortment events occurred with different subtypes (H5N8, H7N7, H3N8 and H10N7) and a chicken challenge study revealed that they were classified as HPAI viruses according to OIE criteria. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.</P>

Decomposition of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) on Ni(100) and Ni₃Al(100) surfaces from first-principles

Hernandez, J.M.,Lim, D.H.,Nguyen, H.V.P.,Yoon, S.P.,Han, J.,Nam, S.W.,Yoon, C.W.,Kim, S.K.,Ham, H.C. Pergamon Press ; Elsevier Science Ltd 2014 International journal of hydrogen energy Vol.39 No.23

Spin-polarized density functional theory studies of hydrogen sulfide (H<SUB>2</SUB>S) adsorption and decomposition on Ni(100) and Ni<SUB>3</SUB>Al(100) surfaces were conducted to understand the aluminum (Al) alloying effect on H<SUB>2</SUB>S dissociation. For such purpose, we first determined the near surface structure of fully ordered Ni<SUB>3</SUB>Al alloy along the [100] direction by calculating the Al segregation energy to the surface and then examined the adsorption energies of the adsorbates (H<SUB>2</SUB>S, HS, S, and H) and the activation barriers for the H<SUB>2</SUB>S and HS decomposition by using Climbing Image-Nudged Elastic Band method. We found that regardless of the way to terminate the surface, Al atom in bimetallic Ni<SUB>3</SUB>Al(100) tends to exist in the first surface layer, rather than in the second or third layer, and the Ni<SUB>3</SUB>Al(100) surface can substantially retard the H<SUB>2</SUB>S decomposition by reducing the adsorption energy of sulfur compounds compared to the pure Ni(100) case. Finally, we presented how the Al in Ni<SUB>3</SUB>Al modifies the activity of surface Ni atoms toward the sulfur compounds by calculating the local density of states and charge distribution in alloying components. This work hints the importance of knowing how to properly tailor the reactivity of Ni based materials to enhance the resistance for sulfur poisoning.

Facile synthesis of cobalt oxide/reduced graphene oxide composites for electrochemical capacitor and sensor applications

Nguyen, T.T.,Nguyen, V.H.,Deivasigamani, R.K.,Kharismadewi, D.,Iwai, Y.,Shim, J.J. Elsevier 2016 SOLID STATE SCIENCES Vol.53 No.-

<P>Reduced graphene oxide sheets decorated with cobalt oxide nanoparticles (Co3O4/rGO) were produced using a hydrothermal method without surfactants. Both the reduction of GO and the formation of Co3O4 nanoparticles occurred simultaneously under this condition. At the same current density of 0.5 A g(-1), the Co3O4/rGO nanocomposites exhibited much a higher specific capacitance (545 F g(-1)) than that of bare Co3O4 (100 F g(-1)). On the other hand, for the detection of H2O2, the peak current of Co3O4/rGO was 4 times higher than that of Co3O4. Moreover, the resulting composite displayed a low detection limit of 0.62 mM and a high sensitivity of 28,500 mu A mM(-1)cm(-2) for the H2O2 sensor. These results suggest that the Co3O4/rGO nanocomposite is a promising material for both supercapacitor and non-enzymatic H2O2 sensor applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.</P>

Evidence of multiple reassortment events of feline-to-human rotaviruses based on a rare human G3P[9] rotavirus isolated from a patient with acute gastroenteritis

Nguyen, T.H.,Than, V.T.,Thanh, H.D.,Kim, W. Pergamon Press 2016 Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectiou Vol.46 No.-

<P>A rare human/feline-like rotavirus G3P[9] strain, CAU14-1-262, from a 2-year-old girl with severe gastroenteritis was isolated and sequenced. The 11 gene segments of the CAU14-1-262 strain possessed a novel genotype constellation, G3-P[9]-I3-R3-C3-M3-A3-N3-T1-E3-H6, which was identified for the first time. Phylogenetic analysis of this strain identified the following genome origins: VP7, VP4, VP6, VP1-VP3, NSP1, NSP2, and NSP4 genes possessed an AU-1-like genotype 3 constellation with high sequence identity to those of the feline and human/feline-like rotaviruses; NSP5 possessed a H6 lineage, with highest sequence identity to the human/feline-like E2541 strain; and the NSP3 gene possessed a Wa-like genotype 1 constellation with high sequence identity to those of the of human rotaviruses. These results provided evidence of multiple reassortment events in G3P[9] rotavirus CAU14-1-262 and possibility of feline-to-human interspecies transmission. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.</P>

Influence of low-protein diets and protease and bromelain supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood urine nitrogen, creatinine, and faecal noxious gas in growing-finishing pigs

Nguyen, D.H.,Lee, S.I.,Cheong, J.Y.,Kim, I.H.,Plaizier, J. Canadian Science Publishing 2018 Canadian journal of animal science Vol.98 No.3

<P> A total of 180 crossbred pigs [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc] with an average body weight of 22.61 ± 1.23 kg were used in an 18 wk study to determine the effect of protease and bromelain in low-protein diets in grower-finisher pigs. Dietary treatments included: T1, basal diet treatment; T2, low-protein treatment; T3 (T2 + 0.2 g kg<SUP>−1</SUP> protease); and T4 (T2 + 0.3 g kg<SUP>−1</SUP> bromelain). Pigs fed protease- and bromelain-supplemented diets increased average daily gain and gain to feed ratio at week 18, dry matter and nitrogen digestibility at week 6, as well as energy digestibility at week 12, compared with low-protein diet (P @@<@@ 0.05). Pigs fed T3 and T4 diets led to a trend of decreased (P @@<@@ 0.05) blood urine nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine concentrations at the 12th wk. A reduction of ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) emission was observed in pigs fed the dietary protease and bromelain supplementation at the 6th wk (P @@<@@ 0.05). There was no effect on all parameters between the protease and bromelain supplementation treatments. In conclusion, supplementation of protease and bromelain to low-protein diet enhanced growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and reduced NH3 and H2S in growing-finishing pigs. </P>

Numerical study of the indentation formation of a compound droplet in a constriction

Hoe D. Nguyen,Truong V. Vu,Phan H. Nguyen,Binh D. Pham,Nang X. Ho,Cuong T. Nguyen,Vinh T. Nguyen 대한기계학회 2021 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.35 No.4

A compound droplet deforming in a constricted tube widely appears in drug delivery and microfluidic devices. In such a constriction, an indentation can present at the trailing surface of the droplet. However, this aspect has not been fully investigated and understood so far. This study focuses on the effects of some dimensionless parameters on the negative curvature, i.e., indentation, at the trailing surface of a compound droplet moving through a constricted tube. The presence of the constriction at the middle of the tube length enhances the droplet indentation. Numerical results were obtained for the capillary number Ca (varied in range of 0.1 - 1.0), the inner-to-outer droplet radius ratio R 21 (varied in range of 0.2 - 0.9), the droplet-to-tube radius ratio R 10 (varied in range of 0.2 - 0.9), the inner-to-outer interfacial tension coefficient ratio σ 21 (varied in range of 0.1 - 6.4), and the normalized depth of the constriction d/R (varied in range of 0.0 - 0.8). The results reveal that the most influencing factor is Ca, increasing its value leads to the increment of the maximum indentation at the trailing surface of the inner and outer droplets. The indentation is also increased with increasing the value of R 10and d/R. In contrast, increasing R 21 results in a decrease in the indentation at the trailing surface of the outer droplet. When increasing σ 21 , the indentation at the trailing surface of the inner one is quickly suppressed, while the outer droplet is minorly affected. We also point out the patterns of the trailing surface of the inner and outer droplets and their transitions from one to the other patterns in the diagrams based on these parameters.

Targeted and controlled drug delivery system loading artersunate for effective chemotherapy on CD44 overexpressing cancer cells

Tran, T. H.,Nguyen, T. D.,Nguyen, H.,Nguyen, H. T.,Kim, J. O.,Yong, C. S.,Nguyen, C. N. Springer Science + Business Media 2016 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.39 No.5

<P>Poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles with negative surface charge were reversed to positive by cationic surfactant-DDAB before being coated with an anionic polymer, hyaluronic acid, to improve their site-specific intracellular delivery against CD44 receptor overexpressing cancer cells. Incorporating artesunate (ART)-a promising anticancer drug into PLGA/HA nanoparticles, is expected not only to overcome its poor aqueous solubility and stability but also enhance the activities. The obtained particles were characterized by dynamic light scattering, zeta potential measurements, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cancer cell internalization of the NPs was evaluated by flow cytometry and cytotoxicity of the NPs was tested by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay. PLGA/HA nanoparticles showed greater extent of cellular uptake to SCC-7 and MCF-7 cells, indicating their affinity with CD44 receptor-mediated endocytosis. Almost 60 % of ART was released into the outer media after 48 h. In vitro fluorescence sorting demonstrated that PLGA/HA had highly efficient targeting and accumulation into CD44 receptor overexpression cells. The significant reduction in cell viability as well as greater induction of apoptosis suggested a potential in anticancer therapy of ART loaded PLGA/HA.</P>