Utilizing the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire to measure symptoms of depression among Vietnamese adolescents in Hanoi, Vietnam, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: This study aimed to measure depression among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hanoi, Vietnam and its associated factors by using the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ) instrument. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among students from grades 6 to 9 within two secondary schools in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. A structured questionnaire was used, including information about personal characteristics, perception of COVID-19, and SMFQ. Factor analysis, Multivariate logistic and Tobit regression models were used. Results: Among 2378 students, 8.8% had depressive symptoms. The mean SMFQ score was 4.5 (SD=5.0). Being female, studying in higher grades, perceived low household income, higher perceived impacts of COVID-19 on health and higher perceived impacts of COVID-19-related quarantine on life were positively associated with factors' scores, SMFQ score and depressive symptoms. Meanwhile, having better academic performance, living with parents and having higher perceived knowledge about COVID-19 were negatively associated with factors scores, SMFQ score and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms were common among secondary school students in Hanoi, Vietnam, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tailored interventions to improve pandemic-related knowledge and family and school support should be warranted for the students to enhance their mental well-being.

Prevalence and factors associated with long COVID and mental health status among recovered COVID-19 patients in southern Thailand.

Mental health disorders have become a growing public health concern among individuals recovering from COVID-19. Long COVID, a condition where symptoms persist for an extended period, can predict psychological problems among COVID-19 patients. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of long COVID and mental health status among Thai adults who had recovered from COVID-19, identify the association between the mental health status and long COVID symptoms, and investigate the risk factors associated with the correlation between long COVID and mental health outcomes. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 939 randomly selected participants in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, southern Thailand. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 was used to investigate mental health symptoms, and a checklist comprised of thirteen common symptoms was used to identify the long COVID among participants. Logistic regression models were used to investigate the risk factors associated with mental health status and long COVID symptoms among participants. Among the 939 participants, 104 (11.1%) had depression, 179 (19.1%) had anxiety, and 42 (4.8%) were stressed. A total of 745 participants (79.3%) reported experiencing at least one symptom of long COVID, with fatigue (72.9%, SE±0.02), cough (66.0%, SE±0.02), and muscle pain (54.1%, SE±0.02) being the most frequently reported symptoms. All long COVID symptoms were significantly associated with mental health status. Shortness of breath, fatigue, and chest tightness were the highest risk factors for mental health status among COVID-19 patients. The final multivariable model indicated that female patients (OR = 1.89), medical history (OR = 1.92), and monthly income lower than 5,000 Thai baht (OR = 2.09) were associated with developing long COVID symptoms and mental health status (all p<0.01). This study provides valuable insights into the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on mental health and enhances understanding of the mechanisms underlying the condition for predicting the occurrence of mental health issues in Thai COVID-19 patients.

Prevalence and predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress among recovered COVID-19 patients in Vietnam.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a high prevalence of mental health distress has been reported among people who have recovered from the disease. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress as well as identify predictors among recovered COVID-19 patients after more than six months of being discharged in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. Material and methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted among 549 eligible participants recruited by stratified sampling. Data was collected using the depression, anxiety and stress scale - 21 items had Content Validity Index = 0.9, and Cronbach's alpha for depression, anxiety and stress sub-scales were 0.95, 0.81, and 0.86, respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to measure the prevalence levels and distribution of characteristics of the participant, while factors influencing depression, anxiety, and stress were predicted using binary logistic regression. Results: The overall prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress were 24.8% (95% CI: 21.2-28.6), 41.5% (95% CI: 37.4-45.8), and 25.3% (95% CI: 21.7-29.2), respectively. The predictors of depression were living in urban area (OR = 1.97; 95% CI: 1.27-3.08), holding a bachelor's degree (OR:3.51; 95% CI: 1.13-10.8), having a high monthly income (OR: 2.57; 95% CI: 1.03-6.38), diabetes (OR: 2.21; 95% CI: 1.04-4.68), heart disease (OR: 3.83; 95% CI: 1.79-8.17), respiratory disease (OR: 3.49; 95% CI: 1.24-9.84), and diarrhea (OR: 4.07; 95% CI: 1.06-15.6). Living in the urban area (OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.07-2.29), having sleep disturbance (OR: 2.32; 95% CI: 1.56-3.46), and fatigue (OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.03-2.39) were predictors for anxiety. Having respiratory disease (OR: 3.75; 95% CI: 1.47-9.60) or diarrhea (OR: 4.34; 95% CI: 1.18-15.9) were predictors of stress. Conclusion: People who have recovered from COVID-19 should be assessed for symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Primary healthcare providers should develop interventions to support their recovery.

N-Containing Carbon-Coated ß-Si3 N4 Enhances Si Anodes for High-Performance Li-Ion Batteries.

The lithiation/delithiation properties of α-Si3 N4 and ß-Si3 N4 are compared and the carbon coating effects are examined. Then, ß-Si3 N4 at various fractions is used as the secondary phase in a Si anode to modify the electrode properties. The incorporated ß-Si3 N4 decreases the crystal size of Si and introduces a new NSiO species at the ß-Si3 N4 /Si interface. The nitrogen from the milled ß-Si3 N4 diffuses into the surface carbon coating during the carbonization heat treatment, forming pyrrolic nitrogen and CNO species. The synergistic effects of combining ß-Si3 N4 and Si phases on the specific capacity are confirmed. The operando X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data indicate that ß-Si3 N4 is partially consumed during lithiation to form a favorable Li3 N species at the electrode. However, the crystalline structure of the hexagonal ß-Si3 N4 is preserved after prolonged cycling, which prevents electrode agglomeration and performance deterioration. The carbon-coated ß-Si3 N4 /Si composite anode shows specific capacities of 1068 and 480 mAh g-1 at 0.2 and 5 A g-1 , respectively. A full cell consisting of the carbon-coated ß-Si3 N4 /Si anode and a LiNi0.8 Co0.1 Mn0.1 O2 cathode is constructed and its properties are evaluated. The potential of the proposed composite anodes for Li-ion battery applications is demonstrated.

Dermal Papilla Cell Proliferation of Phytochemicals Isolated from Chestnut Shells (Castanea crenata).

Castanea crenata (Fagaceae) is a species of chestnut tree that is endemic to the Republic of Korea and Japan. While its kernels are consumed, chestnut by-products such as shells and burs, which account for 10-15% of the total weight, are discarded as waste. Phytochemical and biological studies have been carried out to eliminate this waste and develop high-value products from its by-products. In this study, five new compounds (1-2, 6-8) along with seven known compounds were isolated from the shell of C. crenata. This is the first study to report diterpenes from the shell of C. crenata. Comprehensive spectroscopic data including 1D, 2D NMR, and CD spectroscopy were used to determine the compound structures. All isolated compounds were examined for their ability to stimulate dermal papilla cell proliferation using a CCK-8 assay. In particular, 6ß,7ß,16α,17-Tetrahydroxy-ent-kauranoic acid, isopentyl-α-L-arabinofuranosyl-(1→6)-ß-D-glucopyranoside, and ellagic acid exhibited the most potent proliferation activity of all.

In vitrocellular biocompatibility andin vivodegradation behavior of calcium phosphate-coated ZK60 magnesium alloy.

Calcium phosphate (Ca-P) surface coating is a simple but effective way to enhance both corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of ZK60 magnesium alloy. However, cell compatibility on different Ca-P layers coated on ZK60 alloy has seldom been investigated. In this study, the effects of type, morphology and corrosion protection of several Ca-P coatings formed at pH 6.5, 7.8 and 10.2 on cell behavior were examined by using an osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1. Furthermore,in vivobehavior in rabbits of the alloy coated with the optimum Ca-P layer was also studied. It was found that the surface factors governed the cell morphology and density. The coating morphology plays a dominant role in these surface factors. The sample coated at pH 7.8 showed the best cellular biocompatibility, suggesting that the hydroxyapatite (HAp) layer formed at pH 7.8 was the optimum coating. In rabbits, this optimum coating enhanced remarkably the corrosion resistance of the alloy. During implantation, the outermost crystals of the HAp coating were shortened and thinned due to the dissolution of HAp caused by the body fluid of the rabbits. It is indicated that ZK60 alloy coated at pH 7.8 can be applied as a biodegradable implant.

Thickness measurement of material plates using low-activity sources with various energies in gamma-ray transmission technique.

This study proposes an approach based on the gamma-ray transmission technique to accurately determine the thickness of material plates using a low-activity source. For this purpose, we have set up an experimental configuration without collimators for both source and detector. Besides, a Monte Carlo simulation model using MCNP6 code has been created with the same geometric parameters as the empirical one. The calibration curves of thickness measurement were constructed for various energies of the incident gamma rays in the range of 123-661.7 keV and two materials of aluminum and copper using Monte Carlo simulation data. The thickness of the material plate was determined by applying experimental data to a known calibration curve. For a given material and gamma energy, the measurable thickness range (MTR) was estimated by investigating the dependence of the expected relative error on the thickness of the material plate. The obtained results show that the approach is feasible with the relative deviation between the measured and reference thicknesses of mostly less than 2% and the relative uncertainty of less than 3%. Such an approach could suggest a practical and cost-effective evaluation tool for optimizing the configuration to achieve a given accuracy corresponding to each type of material.

Auctioning approaches for ecosystem services - Evidence and applications.

Auctions have attracted growing attention as bidding mechanisms for soliciting or allocating payments for a wide range of ecosystem services (ES). This paper reviews the latest scientific knowledge on ES auctioning approaches. Using systematically selected academic articles, we trace and discuss the development of ES auction literature across space, time, target ecosystem, and mechanism type. We integrate previous attempts to organize this body of work to produce a composite factor map of entry points to more specialized sub-literatures engaging with current issues in auction design and implementation. The results show that most academic work focuses on reverse auctions, where landowners bid their willingness to accept contracts to protect or promote ES provisioning, but we also locate several forward (i.e. beneficiaries bid their willingness to pay for ES) and mixed mechanisms. We critically analyze major advantages and challenges for each approach, emphasizing issues related to transaction costs and accessibility for participants and agencies. Overall, our findings suggest that ES auctions have a robust track record but remain administratively and logistically challenging. Further investment in open-source tools, shared infrastructure, and other efforts to make auctions more accessible to researchers, agencies, and participants alike is strongly indicated.

Objective speech intelligibility prediction using a deep learning model with continuous speech-evoked cortical auditory responses.

Auditory prostheses provide an opportunity for rehabilitation of hearing-impaired patients. Speech intelligibility can be used to estimate the extent to which the auditory prosthesis improves the user's speech comprehension. Although behavior-based speech intelligibility is the gold standard, precise evaluation is limited due to its subjectiveness. Here, we used a convolutional neural network to predict speech intelligibility from electroencephalography (EEG). Sixty-four-channel EEGs were recorded from 87 adult participants with normal hearing. Sentences spectrally degraded by a 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 8-channel vocoder were used to set relatively low speech intelligibility conditions. A Korean sentence recognition test was used. The speech intelligibility scores were divided into 41 discrete levels ranging from 0 to 100%, with a step of 2.5%. Three scores, namely 30.0, 37.5, and 40.0%, were not collected. The speech features, i.e., the speech temporal envelope (ENV) and phoneme (PH) onset, were used to extract continuous-speech EEGs for speech intelligibility prediction. The deep learning model was trained by a dataset of event-related potentials (ERP), correlation coefficients between the ERPs and ENVs, between the ERPs and PH onset, or between ERPs and the product of the multiplication of PH and ENV (PHENV). The speech intelligibility prediction accuracies were 97.33% (ERP), 99.42% (ENV), 99.55% (PH), and 99.91% (PHENV). The models were interpreted using the occlusion sensitivity approach. While the ENV models' informative electrodes were located in the occipital area, the informative electrodes of the phoneme models, i.e., PH and PHENV, were based on the occlusion sensitivity map located in the language processing area. Of the models tested, the PHENV model obtained the best speech intelligibility prediction accuracy. This model may promote clinical prediction of speech intelligibility with a comfort speech intelligibility test.

First confirmed case of infant botulism caused by Clostridium botulinum type A(B) in a 10-month-old infant in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Infant botulism is a rare but sometimes life-threatening toxemia caused by ingestion of Clostridium botulinum spores. Although cases of infant botulism have probably occurred in Vietnam in the past, they have never been diagnosed and reported. Herein, we report the isolation of C. botulinum type A(B) from the stool of a 10-month-old infant during hospitalization.

Isolation of indole-3-acetic acid-producing Azospirillum brasilense from Vietnamese wet rice: Co-immobilization of isolate and microalgae as a sustainable biorefinery.

Production of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is well documented in various studies for the bacteria that inhabit the rhizosphere of plants, but with roots of wet rice, the outstandings have been not yet elucidated. This study began with the isolation of bacteria type strain Azospirillum sp. and developed the investigation to a screening of their ability in IAA production. This screening conducted a selection of only bacteria that was capable of the production of IAA with its content of over 25 µg. mL-1 for sequencing. Of 10 isolates only one resulted from the type strain Azospirillum brasilense (A. brasilense) with a similarity of 100%. Various factors that influence A. brasilense in biosynthesizing IAA such as temperature, pH, nitrogen presence and concentration of tryptophan in the culture medium were examined. The results indicated that the culture conditions were suitable for IAA biosynthesis at pH 6.5, 30 °C, culture media with nitrogen, and 0.1% trytophan. The next survey on the role of the immobilization of this bacteria with microalgae in alginate was highlighted to its support in microalgal growth. With the co-immobilization of bacteria and microalgae, the density of Chlorella vulgaris was significantly increased during 15-day culture, inducing 2.2 times of cell content in culture batch microalgae immobilized A. brasilense higher than that free-bacteria.

Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Biogas Wastewater: Management of Manure Livestock and Hygiene Aspects Using Influent, Effluent, Sewage Canal Samples, Vegetable, and Soil Samples.

Cryptosporidium and Giardia are two water- and foodborne protozoan parasites that can cause diarrheal diseases. Poor microbial quality, sanitation conditions, and hygiene practices at exposure to biogas wastewater are important risk factors for human and animal infection. This study highlights the presence and level of both parasites in the environment in relation to biogas waste reuse in Vietnam. A total of 239 samples were collected from different types of samples in the studied districts in Bac Giang province in 2020 via direct immunofluorescent detection to study the occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. (oo)cysts. Among the samples, Cryptosporidium was found in 19 (7.9%) with concentration from 1.104 to 3.105 oocysts/100 mL, while Giardia in 40 (16.7%) with concentration from 1.104 to 2.106 cysts/100 mL, respectively. In detail, the results show that the percentages of positive detection of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in influent, effluent, sewage canal, and vegetables were 13.1% (11/84), 6.0% (5/83), 15.4% (2/13) and 5.9% (1/17) and 26.2% (22/84), 7.2% (6/83), 7.7% (1/13) and 5.9% (1/17), respectively. The results show a trend of decreasing Cryptosporidium and Giardia densities, without statistical significance. Although these parasites decreased after biogas treatment, the remaining loads observed in biogas effluent can reach the watercourses and soil receiving it. Further investigations are needed to contribute to a general understanding of the risk of protozoan parasites, as well as strategies to control and reduce the contamination of environmental water sources and plants and reduce the burden of the pathogens in biogas wastewater in Vietnam.

Revealing differential importance of word categories in spoken sentence comprehension using phoneme-related representation.

Background: Verbal communication comprises the retrieval of semantic and syntactic information elicited by various kinds of words (i.e., parts of speech) in a sentence. Content words, such as nouns and verbs, convey essential information about the overall meaning (semantics) of a sentence, whereas function words, such as prepositions and pronouns, carry less meaning and support the syntax of the sentence. Methods: This study aimed to identify neural correlates of the differential information retrieval processes for several parts of speech (i.e., content and function words, nouns and verbs, and objects and subjects) via electroencephalography performed during English spoken-sentence comprehension in thirteen participants with normal hearing. Recently, phoneme-related information has become a potential acoustic feature to investigate human speech processing. Therefore, in this study, we examined the importance of various parts of speech over sentence processing using information about the onset time of phonemes. Results: The distinction in the strength of cortical responses in language-related brain regions provides the neurological evidence that content words, nouns, and objects are dominant compared to function words, verbs, and subjects in spoken sentences, respectively. Conclusions: The findings of this study may provide insights into the different contributions of certain types of words over others to the overall process of sentence understanding.

Emergence of mobile tigecycline resistance gene tet(X4)-harbouring Shewanella xiamenensis in a water environment.

OBJECTIVES: Tigecycline resistance mediated by the mobile tigecycline-inactivating enzyme gene tet(X) in Gram-negative bacteria is an emerging concern for global public health. However, limited information is available on the distribution of tet(X) in the natural environment. In this study, we investigated the presence of tet(X) in environmental Gram-negative bacteria. METHODS: A carbapenem- and tigecycline-resistant Shewanella xiamenensis isolate (NUITM-VS1) was obtained from an urban drainage in Hanoi, Vietnam, in March 2021. Whole-genome sequencing analysis was performed by long- and short-read sequencing, resulting in a complete genome sequence. Antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in the genome were detected based on the custom ARG database, including all known tigecycline resistance genes. RESULTS: Shewanella xiamenensis isolate NUITM-VS1 harboured the tet(X4) gene and the blaOXA-48 carbapenemase gene on the chromosome. tet(X4) was flanked by IS91 family transposase genes, suggesting that the acquisition of tet(X4) was mediated by this mobile gene element (MGE), whereas no MGE was found surrounding blaOXA-48, consistent with previous findings that blaOXA-48-like ß-lactamase genes are species-specific intrinsic ARGs in Shewanella spp. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a tet(X4)-harbouring Shewanella sp. isolate. Our results provide genetic evidence of the complexity of the dynamics of clinically important ARGs among bacteria in the water environment.

First report of foodborne botulism due to Clostridium botulinum type A(B) from vegetarian home-canned pate in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Even one case of foodborne botulism constitutes a public health emergency. We report a series of cases with delayed treatment due to delayed diagnosis. Clostridium botulinum type A(B) was isolated from vegetarian home-canned pate, but not from stool samples. These are the first recorded cases of foodborne botulism in Hanoi.

A breakthrough dynamic-osmotic membrane bioreactor/nanofiltration hybrid system for real municipal wastewater treatment and reuse.

This study designed a Dynamic-Osmotic membrane bioreactor/nanofiltration (OsMBR/NF) system for municipal wastewater treatment and reuse. Results indicated that a continuously rotating FO module with 60 RPM in Dynamic-OsMBR system could enhance shear stress and reduce cake layer of foulants, leading to higher flux (50%) compared to Traditional-OsMBR during a 40-operation day. A negligible specific reverse salt flux (0.059 G/L) and a water flux of 2.86 LMH were recorded when a mixture of 0.1 M EDTA-2Na/0.1 M Na2CO3/0.9 mM Triton114 functioned as draw solution (DS). It was found that the Dynamic-OsMBR/NF hybrid system could effectively remove pollutants (∼98% COD, ∼99% PO43-P, ∼93% NH4+-N, > 99% suspended solids) from wastewater. In short, this developed system can be considered a breakthrough technology as it successfully minimizes membrane fouling by shear force, and achieves high water quality for reuse by two membrane- barriers.

A Transferable IncC-IncX3 Hybrid Plasmid Cocarrying blaNDM-4, tet(X), and tmexCD3-toprJ3 Confers Resistance to Carbapenem and Tigecycline.

Tigecycline is a last-resort antimicrobial against carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE). However, mobile tigecycline resistance genes, tet(X) and tmexCD-toprJ, have emerged in China and have spread possibly worldwide. Tet(X) family proteins function as tigecycline-inactivating enzymes, and TMexCD-TOprJ complexes function as efflux pumps for tigecycline. Here, to the best of our knowledge we report a CPE isolate harboring both emerging tigecycline resistance factors for the first time. A carbapenem- and tigecycline-resistant Klebsiella aerogenes strain, NUITM-VK5, was isolated from an urban drainage in Vietnam in 2021, and a plasmid, pNUITM-VK5_mdr, cocarrying tet(X) and tmexCD3-toprJ3 along with the carbapenemase gene blaNDM-4 was identified in NUITM-VK5. pNUITM-VK5_mdr was transferred to Escherichia coli by conjugation and simultaneously conferred high-level resistance against multiple antimicrobials, including carbapenems and tigecycline. An efflux pump inhibitor reduced TMexCD3-TOprJ3-mediated tigecycline resistance, suggesting that both tigecycline resistance factors independently and additively contribute to the high-level resistance. The plasmid had the IncX3 and IncC replicons and was estimated to be a hybrid of plasmids with different backbones. Unlike IncX3 plasmids, IncC plasmids are stably maintained in an extremely broad range of bacterial hosts in humans, animals, and the environment. Thus, the future global spread of multidrug resistance plasmids such as pNUITM-VK5_mdr poses a public health crisis. IMPORTANCE Tigecycline is important as a last-resort antimicrobial and effective against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, such as carbapenem-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), whose infections are difficult to treat with antimicrobials. Since 2019, mobile tigecycline resistance genes, tet(X) and tmexCD-toprJ, and their variants have been reported mainly from China, and it has become important to understand their epidemiological situation and detailed genetic mechanisms. In this study, we identified a bacterial isolate coharboring tet(X) and tmexCD-toprJ on the same plasmid. A Klebsiella aerogenes isolate in Vietnam carried both these tigecycline resistance genes on a transferable plasmid leading to high-level resistance to multiple clinically important antimicrobials, including carbapenem and tigecycline, and could actually transfer the plasmid to other bacteria. The spread of such a multidrug resistance plasmid among bacterial pathogens should be of great concern because there are few antimicrobials to combat bacteria that have acquired the plasmid.

A study on the sensitivity of the measurement of liquid density at different scattering angles using a gamma scattering technique.

This study aims to evaluate the sensitivity of the measurement of liquid density at different scattering angles using a gamma scattering technique. To perform this, the linear calibration curves of the ratio R (R is the ratio of the area under a single scattering peak for a liquid relative to that for water) versus the liquid density were constructed at different scattering angles. The sensitivity of the measurement is defined as the slope coefficient of these linear calibration curves. The results obtained from the Monte Carlo simulation data showed that the sensitivity of the measurement at different scattering angles including 70°, 80°, 90°, 100°, 110°, 120°, 130°, and 140° changes in the range from 0.44 to 0.48. Also, the results obtained from the experiment when performing the measurements at scattering angles of 90°, 100°, 110°, and 120° ranged from 0.46 to 0.48. This confirms that the dependence of the sensitivity of the measurement on scattering angle is insignificant. Besides, for every experimental dataset, we used each of 8 above-obtained calibration curves, in turn, to determine the densities of 8 liquids which yield the relative deviation between the measured density and the reference one is mostly less than 5%, the relative deviation of remaining cases (64 of 256 measurements) is in the range of 5.0%-9.9%.

The Drought-Mediated Soybean GmNAC085 Functions as a Positive Regulator of Plant Response to Salinity.

Abiotic stress factors, such as drought and salinity, are known to negatively affect plant growth and development. To cope with these adverse conditions, plants have utilized certain defense mechanisms involved in various aspects, including morphological, biochemical and molecular alterations. Particularly, a great deal of evidence for the biological importance of the plant-specific NAM, ATAF1/2, CUC2 (NAC) transcription factors (TFs) in plant adaptation to abiotic stress conditions has been reported. A previous in planta study conducted by our research group demonstrated that soybean (Glycine max) GmNAC085 mediated drought resistance in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. In this study, further characterization of GmNAC085 function in association with salt stress was performed. The findings revealed that under this condition, transgenic soybean plants overexpressing GmNAC085 displayed better germination rates than wild-type plants. In addition, biochemical and transcriptional analyses showed that the transgenic plants acquired a better defense system against salinity-induced oxidative stress, with higher activities of antioxidant enzymes responsible for scavenging hydrogen peroxide or superoxide radicals. Higher transcript levels of several key stress-responsive genes involved in the proline biosynthetic pathway, sodium ion transporter and accumulation of dehydrins were also observed, indicating better osmoprotection and more efficient ion regulation capacity in the transgenic lines. Taken together, these findings and our previous report indicate that GmNAC085 may play a role as a positive regulator in plant adaptation to drought and salinity conditions.

CD47 as a potential biomarker for the early diagnosis of severe COVID-19

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Most SARS-CoV-2 infections are mild or even asymptomatic. However, a small fraction of infected individuals develops severe, life-threatening disease, which is caused by an uncontrolled immune response resulting in hyperinflammation. Antiviral interventions are only effective prior to the onset of hyperinflammation. Hence, biomarkers are needed for the early identification and treatment of high-risk patients. Here, we show in a range of model systems and data from post mortem samples that SARS-CoV-2 infection results in increased levels of CD47, which is known to mediate immune escape in cancer and virus-infected cells. Systematic literature searches also indicated that known risk factors such as older age and diabetes are associated with increased CD47 levels. High CD47 levels contribute to vascular disease, vasoconstriction, and hypertension, conditions which may predispose SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals to COVID-19-related complications such as pulmonary hypertension, lung fibrosis, myocardial injury, stroke, and acute kidney injury. Hence, CD47 is a candidate biomarker for severe COVID-19. Further research will have to show whether CD47 is a reliable diagnostic marker for the early identification of COVID-19 patients requiring antiviral therapy.