People's desire to be in nature and how they experience it are partially heritable.

Nature experiences have been linked to mental and physical health. Despite the importance of understanding what determines individual variation in nature experience, the role of genes has been overlooked. Here, using a twin design (TwinsUK, number of individuals = 2,306), we investigate the genetic and environmental contributions to a person's nature orientation, opportunity (living in less urbanized areas), and different dimensions of nature experience (frequency and duration of public nature space visits and frequency and duration of garden visits). We estimate moderate heritability of nature orientation (46%) and nature experiences (48% for frequency of public nature space visits, 34% for frequency of garden visits, and 38% for duration of garden visits) and show their genetic components partially overlap. We also find that the environmental influences on nature experiences are moderated by the level of urbanization of the home district. Our study demonstrates genetic contributions to individuals' nature experiences, opening a new dimension for the study of human-nature interactions.

Calcium peroxide-mediated in situ formation of multifunctional hydrogels with enhanced mesenchymal stem cell behaviors and antibacterial properties.

Injectable hydrogels can serve as therapeutic vehicles and implants for the treatment of various diseases as well as for tissue repair/regeneration. In particular, the horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-catalyzed hydrogelation system has attracted much attention, due to its ease of handling and controllable gel properties. In this study, we introduce calcium peroxide (CaO2) as a H2O2-generating reagent to gradually supply a radical source for the HRP-catalyzed crosslinking reaction. This novel therapy can create stiff hydrogels without compromising the cytocompatibility of the hydrogels due to the use of initially high concentrations of H2O2. The physico-chemical properties of the hydrogels can be controlled by varying the concentrations of HRP and CaO2. In addition, the controlled and sustained release of bioactive molecules, including H2O2, O2, and Ca2+ ions, from the hydrogels could stimulate the cellular behaviors (attachment, migration, and differentiation) of human mesenchymal stem cells. Moreover, the hydrogels exhibited killing efficacy against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, dependent on the H2O2 and Ca2+ release amounts. These positive results suggest that hydrogels formed by HRP/CaO2 can be used as potential matrices for a wide range of biomedical applications, such as bone regeneration and infection treatment.

Social media, nature, and life satisfaction: global evidence of the biophilia hypothesis.

Humans may have evolved a need to connect with nature, and nature provides substantial cultural and social values to humans. However, quantifying the connection between humans and nature at a global scale remains challenging. We lack answers to fundamental questions: how do humans experience nature in different contexts (daily routines, fun activities, weddings, honeymoons, other celebrations, and vacations) and how do nature experiences differ across countries? We answer these questions by coupling social media and artificial intelligence using 31,534 social media photographs across 185 countries. We find that nature was more likely to appear in photographs taken during a fun activity, honeymoon, or vacation compared to photographs of daily routines. More importantly, the proportion of photographs with nature taken during fun activities is associated with national life satisfaction scores. This study provides global evidence of the biophilia hypothesis by showing a connection between humans and nature that contributes to life satisfaction and highlights how nature serves as background to many of our positive memories.

In situ forming and reactive oxygen species-scavenging gelatin hydrogels for enhancing wound healing efficacy.

The overexpression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) contributes to the pathogenesis of numerous diseases such as atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, cancer, and chronic inflammation. Therefore, the development of materials that can locally control the adverse effects resulting from excessive ROS generation is of great significance. In this study, the antioxidant gallic acid-conjugated gelatin (GGA) was introduced into gelatin-hydroxyphenyl propionic (GH) hydrogels to create an injectable hydrogel with enhanced free radical scavenging properties compared to pure GH hydrogels. The modified hydrogels were rapidly formed by an HRP-catalyzed cross-linking reaction with high mechanical strength and biodegradability. The resulting GH/GGA hydrogels effectively scavenged the hydroxyl radicals and DPPH radicals, and the scavenging capacity could be modulated by varying GGA concentrations. Moreover, in an in vitro H2O2-induced ROS microenvironment, GH/GGA hydrogels significantly suppressed the oxidative damage of human dermal fibroblast (hDFBs) and preserved their viability by reducing intracellular ROS production. More importantly, the ROS scavenging hydrogel efficiently accelerated the wound healing process with unexpected regenerative healing characteristics, shown by hair follicle formation; promoted neovascularization; and highly ordered the alignment of collagen fiber in a full-thickness skin defect model. Therefore, we expect that injectable GH/GGA hydrogels can serve as promising biomaterials for tissue regeneration applications, including wound treatment and other tissue repair related to ROS overexpression. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Recently, many researchers have endeavored to develop injectable hydrogel matrices that can modulate the ROS level to normal physiological processes for the treatment of various diseases. Here, we designed an injectable gelatin hydrogel in which gallic acid, an antioxidant compound, was conjugated onto a gelatin polymer backbone. The hydrogels showed tunable properties and could scavenge the free radicals in a controllable manner. Because of the ROS scavenging properties, the hydrogels protected the cells from the oxidative damage of ROS microenvironment and effectively accelerated the wound healing process with high quality of healed skin. We believe that this injectable ROS scavenging hydrogel has great potential for wound treatment and tissue regeneration, where oxidative damage by ROS contributes to the pathogenesis.

The superior photocatalytic activity of Nb doped TiO2/g-C3N4 direct Z-scheme system for efficient conversion of CO2 into valuable fuels.

In this study, we firstly aimed to use Nb as dopant to dope into the TiO2 lattice in order to narrow band gap energy or enhance photocatalytic activity of the Nb-TiO2. Then, the prepared Nb-TiO2 was combined with g-C3N4 to establish Nb-TiO2/g-C3N4 direct Z-scheme system for superior reduction of CO2 into valuable fuels even under visible light. The obtained results indicated that the band gap energy of the Nb-TiO2 (2.91 eV) was lower than that of the TiO2 (3.2 eV). In the successfully established Nb-TiO2/g-C3N4 direct Z-scheme system, the photo-excited e- in the CB of the Nb-TiO2 combined with the photo-excited h+ in the VB of the g-C3N4 preserving the existence of e- in the CB of the g-C3N4 and h+ in the VB of Nb-TiO2, and thereby, the system produced numerous amount of available e-/h+ pairs for the reduction of CO2 into various valuable fuels. In addition, the produced e- of the Nb-TiO2/g-C3N4 existing in the CB of the g-C3N4, which the potential energy is approximately -1.2 V, would be strong enough for the reduction of CO2 to generate not only CH4 and CO but also HCOOH. Among established Nb-TiO2/g-C3N4 materials, the 50Nb-TiO2/50 g-C3N4 material was the best material for the CO2 reduction.

Unsustainable development pathways caused by tropical deforestation.

Global sustainability strategies require assessing whether countries' development trajectories are sustainable over time. However, sustainability assessments are limited because losses of natural capital and its ecosystem services through deforestation have not been comprehensively incorporated into national accounts. We update the national accounts of 80 nations that underwent tropical deforestation from 2000 to 2012 and evaluate their development trajectories using weak and strong sustainability criteria. Weak sustainability requires that countries do not decrease their aggregate capital over time. We adopt a strong sustainability criterion that countries do not decrease the value of their forest ecosystem services with respect to the year 2000. We identify several groups of countries: countries, such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India, that present sustainable development trajectories under both weak and strong sustainability criteria; countries, such as Brazil, Peru, and Indonesia, that present weak sustainable development but fail the strong sustainability criterion as a result of rapid losses of ecosystem services; countries, such as Madagascar, Laos, and Papua New Guinea, that present unsustainable development pathways as a result of deforestation; and countries, such as Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone, in which deforestation aggravates already unsustainable pathways. Our results reveal a large number of countries where tropical deforestation is both damaging to nature and not compensated by development in other sectors, thus compromising the well-being of their future generations.

Clinically and microbiologically derived azithromycin susceptibility breakpoints for Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A.

Azithromycin is an effective treatment for uncomplicated infections with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi and serovar Paratyphi A (enteric fever), but there are no clinically validated MIC and disk zone size interpretative guidelines. We studied individual patient data from three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of antimicrobial treatment in enteric fever in Vietnam, with azithromycin used in one treatment arm, to determine the relationship between azithromycin treatment response and the azithromycin MIC of the infecting isolate. We additionally compared the azithromycin MIC and the disk susceptibility zone sizes of 1,640 S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A clinical isolates collected from seven Asian countries. In the RCTs, 214 patients who were treated with azithromycin at a dose of 10 to 20 mg/ml for 5 to 7 days were analyzed. Treatment was successful in 195 of 214 (91%) patients, with no significant difference in response (cure rate, fever clearance time) with MICs ranging from 4 to 16 µg/ml. The proportion of Asian enteric fever isolates with an MIC of ≤ 16 µg/ml was 1,452/1,460 (99.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 98.9 to 99.7) for S. Typhi and 207/240 (86.3%; 95% CI, 81.2 to 90.3) (P < 0.001) for S. Paratyphi A. A zone size of ≥ 13 mm to a 5-µg azithromycin disk identified S. Typhi isolates with an MIC of ≤ 16 µg/ml with a sensitivity of 99.7%. An azithromycin MIC of ≤ 16 µg/ml or disk inhibition zone size of ≥ 13 mm enabled the detection of susceptible S. Typhi isolates that respond to azithromycin treatment. Further work is needed to define the response to treatment in S. Typhi isolates with an azithromycin MIC of >16 µg/ml and to determine MIC and disk breakpoints for S. Paratyphi A.

Aetiologies of central nervous system infection in Viet Nam: a prospective provincial hospital-based descriptive surveillance study.

BACKGROUND: Infectious diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) remain common and life-threatening, especially in developing countries. Knowledge of the aetiological agents responsible for these infections is essential to guide empiric therapy and develop a rational public health policy. To date most data has come from patients admitted to tertiary referral hospitals in Asia and there is limited aetiological data at the provincial hospital level where most patients are seen. METHODS: We conducted a prospective Provincial Hospital-based descriptive surveillance study in adults and children at thirteen hospitals in central and southern Viet Nam between August 2007-April 2010. The pathogens of CNS infection were confirmed in CSF and blood samples by using classical microbiology, molecular diagnostics and serology. RESULTS: We recruited 1241 patients with clinically suspected infection of the CNS. An aetiological agent was identified in 640/1241 (52%) of the patients. The most common pathogens were Streptococcus suis serotype 2 in patients older than 14 years of age (147/617, 24%) and Japanese encephalitis virus in patients less than 14 years old (142/624, 23%). Mycobacterium tuberculosis was confirmed in 34/617 (6%) adult patients and 11/624 (2%) paediatric patients. The acute case fatality rate (CFR) during hospital admission was 73/617 (12%) in adults and to 42/624 (7%) in children. CONCLUSIONS: Zoonotic bacterial and viral pathogens are the most common causes of CNS infection in adults and children in Viet Nam.

Assessment of child health care practices in Tu Liem district, Ha Noi and Tien Hai district, Thai Binh province

Background: Child health care practices in the context of households and community is an important factor to improving the health of children. Some indexes were proposed by the World Health Organization to evaluate these practices. Objectives: To describe the knowledge and practice of pregnant women, under-5-year-old children\u2019s health care and assess the application of the survey toolkit in evaluating various indexes of healthcare practice at family and community levels. Subjects and method: By employing a structured interview, this cross-sectional survey has been conducted in Tu Liem district - Hanoi city and Tien Hai district \u2013 Thai Binh province. 120 mothers of under-5-year-old children participated in the survey. Results:98% of mothers had at least 3 antenatal visits during pregnancy. The rate of complete tetanus vaccination reached 43.3% in Tu Liem and 65% in Tien Hai. Prevalence of infant with low birth weight for age accounted for 8.3% in both districts. The percentage of children given complementary feeding at age of 6 to 9 months as the National Nutrition Program recommendations was only 30%. 65.7% and 68.5% of under-2-year-old children in Tu Liem and Tien Hai were breastfed within the first 30 minutes after delivery. There were a small proportion of mothers who gave complementary food either too early or too late, 8.3% and 8.4% in Tu Liem, 6.7% and 6.6% in Tien Hai, respectively. More than 90% of children were given normal feeding as usual during last their illness, but only 50% of children were given more fluid than usual. 98.2% of mothers knew 2 signs to immediately bring the child to health facilities. The most common injuries in under-5-year-old children were animal bites (62.5%) and falling (31.3%), however only 62.5% of mothers knew at least two measures of injury prevention. Conclusion: The toolkit for collecting data of practical index assessment can be applied at communes.

Capacity for microbiological diagnosis the etiology of communicable disease at provincial centers for preventive medicine

Background: Like other countries in the world, Vietnam has seen the appearance of many infectious diseases such as SARS, influenza A/H1N1. Therefore, monitoring and quick response to infectious diseases, increasingly require enhancing the capacity of test systems. \r\n', u'Objectives: To determine the capacity for microbiological diagnosis and etiology of communicable diseases at the provincial centers for preventive medicine.\r\n', u'Subjects and methods: With the application of the cross-sectional approach, the study was conducted on microbiology diagnostic capacity for communicable diseases surveillance and response system in 55 Provincial Preventive Medicine Centers (PPMCs)\r\n', u'Results: Laboratory testing and confirmation (isolation and bio-chemical tests, gram stain) are only available for common nitrobacteria such as Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholera, Shigella, Salmonella, and some of the respiratory bacteria as streptococcus, meningococcus, etc... in most PPMCs. ELISA/MACELISA technique for detecting virus pathogen such as Arbo viruses (Dengue, Japanese B encephalitis) and Hepatitis B, HIV is also a focus of these PPMCs. However, for diseases caused by other viruses like Polio, Rota, measles, influenza, PPMCs have only the ability to collect specimens. \r\n', u'Conclusions: Most of the cases reported in the surveillance reports are based on clinical signs, only. Case confirmation was done by hospital/regional or national laboratory. \r\n', u'\r\n', u'

Knowledge, attitude and practice towards cervical cancer and its preventive measures among parents of young adolescent girls in Tuliem district, Hanoi city and Cuchi district, Ho Chi Minh city

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the leading cancers in women worldwide.\r\n', u'Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice towards cervical cancer and its preventive measures among the parents of young adolescent girls. \r\n', u'Subjects and methods: The cross-sectional survey was conducted in Tuliem District, Hanoi and Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh city. By employing a structured interview there have been 218 fathers/mothers of young adolescent girls at secondary school age (11to14 years old) participated in the survey. \r\n', u"Results: There was a limitation in the respondents' understanding about cervical cancer. Although 83% parents have been aware of cervical cancer and 89% considered it as a fatal disease, nearly a half of them does not know any symptoms of the disease. Similarly, inadequate knowledge on causes and risk factors of the disease has been common among respondents. Only 25% of parents are aware of HPV and few knew about the transmission route of this virus. HPV vaccines are still very new for parents. Only 29.8% of interviewees have heard about HPV vaccines. However, 74.3% parents have expressed a wish to have their daughters vaccinated, once HPV vaccines are introduced in Vietnam. \r\n", u'Conclusions: Knowledge, attitude and practice towards cervical cancer among parents of young adolescent girls in these district were quite limited\r\n', u'\r\n', u'

Assessment of child health care services in Bac Giang and Ha Nam provinces

Background: The strategy of Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) was developed as an approach/tool for reducing the childhood mortality in developing countries. IMCI was approved by the Ministry of Health of Viet Nam and has been implemented in more than 3500 communal health centers nationwide. Aims: 1) To discover the quality of health care services for children under-5 and the situation of IMCI in health facilities. 2) To propose solutions to improve the quality of health care services for children. Materials and method: The cross-sectional study using quantitative and qualitative approaches conducted 58 direct observations in health workers, interviewed 58 caretakers, comprehensively interviewed 20 local leaders and technical staffs, facilitated 12 focal group discussions and reviewed 120 records of 12 commune health centers. Results: IMCI was considered by all of the participants as a comprehensive approach to improving the quality of childhood health care at first-level health facilities. IMCI contributed towards improved case management skills of health workers, improved the supply of essential drugs and supplies for child health care. As a result, the quality of health services for children under-5 has been promoted (93% of illness children were correctly assessed and classified, 84.6% of them were correctly treated and counseled). Health workers in Ly Nhan district, Ha Nam province adhered to 8.4+/-1.5 out of 10 essential steps of comprehensive child health care. Contrarily, this indicator was low in the districts of Bac Giang province (4.8+/-1.5), not much different to untrained IMCI health workers. Conclusion: IMCI is a useful strategy to improving the quality of child health care. But there were some difficulties that affected the implementation of this strategy in first-level health facilities.

Man power and organization of provincial preventive medicine centers in the northern provinces

Background: Investment to meet the man power requirements are recognized as urgent; especially to efficiently implement the National Strategy of Preventive Medicine. To strengthen the capability of provincial preventive medicine centers, the Ministry of Health has approved Decision No 05/2006QD-BYT for functions, tasks, authorization and organizational structure of Provincial Preventive Medicine Centers (PPMCs). Objectives: The study was conducted to evaluate the manpower and organization structure of northern PPMCs and provide recommendations for policy makers. Subjects and method: Using the cross-sectional descriptive method, the study covered the preventive medicine centers of 29 northern provinces between Jan to Jun 2007. The information was collected by interviews and self-reported questionnaires. Results:23/29 PPMCs have not met the criteria of man power stated in the Circular 08/2007/TTLB-BYT-BNV. Only 9/29 PPMCs were well organized in accordance with Decision 05/2006/QD-BYT of the Ministry of Health. The average number of staffs in PPMCs was 50+15. Medical staffs accounted for 53%, out of which 21.1% had postgraduate degrees; 32.2% had graduate degrees and 23.3% had been trained in preventive care. Conclusion: To meet the requirements provided by the Decision No05/2006QD-BYT, the man power and training for staffs in PPMCs should be improved and strengthened.

Assessment of knowledge and practices related to biosafety of researchers in microbiological laboratories of provincial centers for preventive medicine

Background: In recent years, due to the outbreak of new infectious diseases, re-emerging diseases and bio-terrorist threats, the biological safety for laboratories is essential\r\n', u'Objectives: to evaluate knowledge and practices related to biosafety of researchers in microbiological laboratories\r\n', u'Subjects and method: The study was carried out in the period 2006-2007. Questionnaires and checklists were used for the direct interview the knowledge and observe the practices related to biological safety of 97 laboratory technicians from microbiology laboratories of 22 provincial centers for preventive medicine, which represent for all areas in Vietnam.\r\n', u'Results: The percentage of technicians defines correctly the hazardous groups of some common pathogens are 8.2-33%. The percentage of technicians define correctly the transmission routes of Bacillus anthracis, Staphylococus, Streptococcus are 1%, 15% and 19.6%, respectively. The opinion that thay can wear the laboratory blouse out of laboratories, bring personal belongings into the laboratory and pipeting by mouth are 21.6%, 50.5% and 23.7%, respectively. Regarding laboratory practices: The percentage of technicians does not use gloves is 37.8%; pipeting by mouth: 22.6%. Over 40% technicians do not disinfect working area or washing hands with alcohol after experiments\r\n', u'Conclusion: The results of this study are a basis for planning programs to train, supervise and improve the operational quality of the microbiological laboratory of the provincial preventive health care centers.\r\n', u'\r\n', u'\r\n', u'

To evaluate preliminarily the results of the technique of PESA (Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm Aspiration) in the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Background: The male infertility accounts for approximately 40%-50%, in which the cases without sperms in semen occupy nearly 5% for Obstructive Azoospermia (OA). Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm Aspiration (PESA) in combination with serum FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) test was effective in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Objectives: To evaluate preliminarily the results of the technique of PESA in the diagnosis of OA and in combination with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for treating male infertility. Subjects and method: A longitudinal, interventional study was carried out on 110 cases of male infertility treated at the Assisted Reproductive Technology Center of National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology from August 7th 2005 to July 30th 2006. All patients underwent PESA and then testicular fine needle aspiration (TEFNA) if necessary. Results: The mean age of patients was 34.75+/-6.68 years. Among 110 patients, 54 cases (49.1%) had post-operative diagnoses of OA, 56 cases (50.9%) were diagnosed with complete azoospermia after PESA and TEFNA procedures. There were correlations between the volume of left and right testis and the probability of sperms in testing samples (p= 0.03 and =0.05, respectively). Also, serum FSH concentration related to the positive result of sperm test (p< 0.0001). Conclusion: PESA is less-invasive and exact method to the diagnosis of azoospermia. It should be done PESA for patients with testis volume >=10ml and serum FSH concentration <20mIU/mL.