Clinical and genetic diagnosis of thirteen Japanese patients with hereditary spherocytosis

Hereditary spherocytosis is the most frequent cause of hereditary hemolytic anemia and is classified into five subtypes (SPH1-5) according to OMIM. Because the clinical and laboratory features of patients with SPH1-5 are variable, it is difficult to classify these patients into the five subtypes based only on these features. We performed target capture sequencing in 51 patients with hemolytic anemia associated with/without morphological abnormalities in red blood cells. Thirteen variants were identified in five hereditary spherocytosis-related genes (six in ANK1 [SPH1]; four in SPTB [SPH2]; and one in each of SPTA1 [SPH3], SLC4A1 [SPH4], and EPB42 [SPH5]). Among these variants, seven were novel. The distribution pattern of the variants was different from that reported previously in Japan but similar to those reported in other Asian countries. Comprehensive genomic analysis would be useful and recommended, especially for patients without a detailed family history and those receiving frequent blood transfusions due to chronic hemolytic anemia.

Molecular and Antigenic Characterization of Avian H9N2 Viruses in Southern China

The H9N2 low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) virus has become endemic in poultry globally. In several Asian countries, vaccination against H9N2 avian influenza virus (AIV) was approved to reduce economic losses in the poultry industry.

Assessing the Effect of Bilateral Trade on Health in the Asian Region: Does Digitization Matter?

A recurrent theme of the literature and wider public discourse is that trade and digitization are good for health as it promotes economic prosperity. The present study investigates the impact of trade and digitization on health in 12 selected Asian economies for the period 1991–2019. The study applied FMOLS and DOLS approaches for confirming the panel and economy-wise findings. The core findings of the panel FMOLS confirm the significant negative impact of trade and digitization on mortality rate, and trade and digitization have significantly positively contributed to life expectancy in selected Asian countries in the long run. The study deduces some imperative policy implications related to trade, digitization, and health, specifically for Asian economies.

Bank Performance and Noninterest Income: Evidence from Countries in the Asian Region

Noninterest income (NII) is income generated by banks from sources other than interest payments. Studies conducted on the relationship between NII and bank risk for the USA and Europe have found that emphasis on income diversification lowers risk in European banks but exacerbates it in American banks. Current research on Asian banks has not led to a coherent view of the relationship between NII and bank risk. We employ data over 25 years for 24 Asian countries to examine this relationship. Using the GMM estimation approach we estimate equations for two time-periods, 1996–2007 and 2008–2018, to examine the NII-bank risk relationship in the presence of some controlling financial, macroeconomic and policy variables. Our results show that non-interest income worsens bank risk for all 24 countries as well as for sub-groups of countries. We also find that, by and large, economic growth improves bank risk while inflation above a threshold worsens it. Finally, our proxy measure for monetary policy improves bank risk though fiscal policy seems to have no effect.

Mapping Perceptions of Violence Across Asian Regions and Countries

Violence is increasing in Asia. However, limited research exists on the prevalence and types of violence across Asian regions and countries; a comprehensive study on a continental-scale in Asia has been understudied. Guided by the World Health Organization’s definition of violence, this study used World Values Survey Wave 7 ( n = 35,435) to map the perceptions of the justifiability of three categories of violence (self-inflicted, interpersonal, collective) with five subtypes (suicide, intimate partner violence against wife, child abuse, violence toward other people, political violence) in six regions and 24 countries in Asia. Findings indicate that perceptions of the justifiability of violence are significantly different across regions in Asia. Perceptions of the justifiability of various types of violence differed across Asian countries. Considering the complexity and diversity of violence across Asian regions and countries, this study may be a cornerstone for violence research in Asia.

Genetic Variation Analysis between Wild and Cultured Pangasianodon hypopthalmus Using COI and Cytochrome b Among Asian Countries

One of the top species in the aquaculture sector, known as striped catfish or Pangasianodon hypophthalmus, is an important and valuable freshwater fish in many countries. Due to the high demand for this species, their number has declined to "threatened" levels. Hence, the purpose of this study is to analyse the genetic variation of wild and cultured striped catfish collected from five producers in Asian countries; Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Philippines, by using mitochondrial DNA partial region data sequence; CO1 and cytochrome b gene. Population analyses using 395 base pairs length for CO1 and 275 base pairs length of cytochrome b partial region nucleotide sequence have shown no significance difference between wild and cultured striped catfish. Vietnam species had shown a wide range of genetic distance of the intrapopulation compared with other countries in the range of 0.000-0.040 for CO1 gene and 0.003-0.008 for cytochrome b gene. The Neighbour-joining method has also been used to construct phylogenetic trees using CO1 gene; the tree formed few subclades with mixed populations, and the tree using cytochrome b showed only Vietnam species divided into a few sub-populations. For the other four countries, Thailand, Indonesia, India, and Philippines were in the same group. Hence, this study's findings may provide a reference for inter and intra-relationships of P. hypophthalmus that may help in the aquaculture activity of this striped catfish.

An update on the distribution of the coypu, Myocastor coypus, in Asia and Africa through published literature, citizen-science and online platforms

The coypu, Myocastor coypus, has been introduced worldwide for fur farming and is widely recognized as one of the most invasive alien mammals of the world, affecting natural ecosystems, crops and possibly human health. Here we present a comprehensive up-to-date review of its distribution and status in Asia and Africa. Using a multi-source approach, we collected occurrences from published literature as well as from online biodiversity platforms (e.g. GBIF, iNaturalist), video sharing platforms, and local experts. Additionally, we used an ensemble modelling approach to predict the climatic suitability across Africa and Asia. We present an updated distribution map, including a total of 1506 spatially explicit records from 1973 to 2021, covering 1 African and 16 Asian countries. We find evidence for current populations in Kenya and five new countries since the last review of (Carter and Leonard, Wildl Soc Bull 30:162–175, 2002): Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, and identify main clusters of coypu occurrence in Western (including Transcaucasia) and East Asia. We show that warm temperate and Mediterranean areas on both continents are predicted to be climatically suitable for the coypu and highlight not only areas of possible spread, but also potential data gaps, i.e. with high suitability and low availability of concrete information (e.g. China, Southern Russia). We emphasize the importance of citizen involvement and the urgency for coypu-targeted studies in data-poor regions to obtain a clear picture of the geographical distribution and to better address management strategies.