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Summary: While US Asian and Pacific Islander adults have lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels than White adults, ethnic subgroup data remain limited. In a large California population, the adjusted prevalence of 25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L) was 1.5- to 2.7-fold higher for Asian/Pacific Islander compared to White adults, with substantial variation by ethnicity. Purpose: US Asian and Pacific Islander (PI) adults generally have lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels than non-Hispanic White (NHW) adults, but subgroup data remain limited. We compared sex- and ethnicity-specific prevalence of low 25(OH)D among older Asian/PI and NHW adults. Methods: Data from 102,556 Asian/PI and 381,724 NHW adults aged 50–89 years with measured 25(OH)D in 2012–2019 and body mass index (BMI, within ± 1 year) were examined in a California healthcare system. Low 25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L) was examined by race and ethnicity. Covariates included age, smoking, BMI, and season of measurement. Modified Poisson regression was used to estimate prevalence ratios (aPR), adjusting for covariates. Results: Among 31,287 Asian/PI men and 71,269 Asian/PI women, the prevalence of low 25(OH)D was 22.6% and 14.7%, respectively, significantly higher than observed for 122,162 NHW men (12.3%) and 259,562 NHW women (9.9%). Within Asian/PI subgroups, low 25(OH)D prevalence ranged from 17 to 18% (Korean, Japanese, Filipino), 22 to 24% (Chinese, Vietnamese), 28% (South Asian), and 35% (Native Hawaiian/PI) among men and 11 to 14% (Japanese, Filipina, Chinese, Korean), 17 to 18% (South Asian, Vietnamese), and 26% (Native Hawaiian/PI) among women. The corresponding aPRs (NHW reference) for men and women were as follows: Native Hawaiian/PI, 2.70 and 2.34; South Asian, 2.56 and 2.07; Vietnamese, 2.17 and 2.31; Chinese, 2.04 and 1.89; Korean, 1.60 and 1.85; Filipino, 1.58 and 1.52; and Japanese, 1.58 and 1.49 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: In a large US healthcare population of older Asian/PI adults, low 25(OH)D prevalence was 1.5- to 2.7-fold higher for Asian/PI compared to NHW adults, with substantial variation by sex and ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Without data on speech accuracy of Vietnamese-English speakers, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are unable to assess accurately this population for speech sound disorders. This study explored the heretofore uninvestigated speech accuracy and use of Vietnamese-English bilingual individuals residing in the USA. Participants included six individuals from a 3-generation household (two US-born children and four Vietnam-born adults). Each participant completed a language history questionnaire and single-word articulation tests in Vietnamese and English. Percentage Consonants Correct – Revised and Percentage Consonant Clusters Correct were compared across participants and generations. Phoneme errors were analysed to identify adult influence on child productions. Heritage language use and speech accuracy generally showed an inverse relationship with length of stay, but the children's productions were nearly without error in both languages. Only the mother exerted apparent influence on the children's speech development, though only in Vietnamese. The children's English productions were unaffected by any adult's productions. Clinicians working with children from this background should consider not only familial influence on speech sound accuracy but should anticipate high levels of speech accuracy in both English and Vietnamese. When working with adults, SLPs should be aware that deviant speech productions might be due to typical Vietnamese-English speech development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: Previous research has revealed much about the syntactic and social variables conditioning code-switching (i.e., the alternation between two or more languages in a discourse or utterance); however, little is known about the phonological effects. Our work explores this area by asking two main questions: (1) Does lexical tone affect code-switching between a tonal language and a non-tonal language? and (2) Is this effect (or lack thereof) observable cross-linguistically? Methodology: We examine natural code-switching production between Cantonese and English, Mandarin and English, and Vietnamese and English. We use a semi-automatic natural-language processing method to process and extract relevant variables, including tonal categories at switch points. Data and analysis: Data include transcribed natural speech from three bilingual corpora: the HLVC corpus (Cantonese/English, 25 speakers), the SEAME corpus (Mandarin/English, 20 speakers), and the CanVEC corpus (Vietnamese/English, 45 speakers). We use logistic mixed-effects models to examine tonal effects, taking into account other factors such as frequency and grammatical category. Findings/conclusion: We found a robust tonal effect in Cantonese/English, a less robust effect in Mandarin/English, and no effect in Vietnamese/English. This indicates there is a tonal effect in code-switching between a tonal and a non-tonal language, but this effect is language-dependent. We also found a specific T3 'step-up' pattern at Cantonese-English switch points and offered some possible phonological explanations. Originality: This is the first study that systematically investigates tonal effects in code-switching across different language pairs, using comparable data and methods. Our finding of a Cantonese-English T3 'step-up' pattern is also a novel discovery that hitherto has not been documented. Significance/implications: Theoretically, our findings support Clyne's 'facilitation theory' in code-switching at a prosodic level. Empirically, we nevertheless emphasised the complexity of different prosodic features and social variables in play, thereby rejecting the idea of 'predicting' code-switching solely based on linguistic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the relationship between nature relatedness (NR) on subjective positive well-being (life satisfaction) and mental disorders (depression, stress, and anxiety) in Vietnamese university students. 340 Hue University students voluntarily took part in the survey. The Nature Relatedness Scale, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale and Satisfaction with Life Scale were used. Bivariate correlation, single regression, and moderation analysis were conducted to investigate the relationship between NR and the mental health of university students and the moderating role of NR. Higher levels of NR significantly predicted higher levels of life satisfaction but did not significantly predict fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. NR significantly moderated the link between life satisfaction and depression, anxiety, and stress. The findings of this study imply that efforts to enhance students' mental health should include efforts to promote their NR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about how insecure attachment affects aggressive behavior and well‐being among Vietnamese youth. Using structural equation modeling, we investigate the mediating role of subjective social status (SSS) on the paths from insecure attachment to overt aggressive behavior (OAB) and psychological well‐being (PW) in a sample of 1753 Vietnamese adolescents (Mage = 16.136, SD = 0.784) and test whether the results will be replicated in another sample of 601 Vietnamese young adults (Mage = 19.93, SD = 1.35). Participants complete a survey comprising demographic information, attachment styles, SSS, OAB, and PW questionnaires. Our main findings include: (a) anxious attachment positively related to OAB in both samples, (b) anxious attachment was only negatively associated with adolescents' PW, (c) avoidant attachment was positively correlated to OAB in adolescents but negatively correlated in young adults, and (d) avoidant attachment was negatively related to PW in both samples. In addition, (e) in adolescents, the mediation role of SSS was significant in all paths, but (f) SSS only mediated the link from avoidant attachment to PW of young adults. The present study suggests that aggressive behavior might not be associated with social status or attachment in the same way in adolescents compared to young adult Vietnamese samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Bayesian AUC-guided dosing of vancomycin is suggested for pediatric patients, preferably obtaining 2 concentrations with at least 1 trough concentration (ie. Peak and trough concentration - traditional sampling). However, this approach achieves optimal performance only when using a population pharmacokinetic (popPK) model of vancomycin suitable for the targeted population. Besides, obtaining 2 concentrations at the exact time in pediatrics poses challenges. This study aims to establish a popPK model of vancomycin in Vietnamese pediatric patients and explores the capability of Midpoint Concentration instead of traditional sampling; (2) Methods: This study included pediatric patients = 3 months in two pediatric hospitals with a combined 2000 beds. The popPK analysis was performed by using a non-linear mixed-effect modeling approach with Monolix 2023R1®. Monte Carlo simulation was conducted using Simulx 2023R1® to explore if any Midpoint Concentration (Cmid) between Peak Concentration (Cpeak) and Trough Concentration (Ctrough) can replace traditional sampling in predicting the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of vancomycin; (3) Results and discussion: A total of 289 vancomycin concentrations from 98 patients with a median age of 1.86 [IQR 0.92 - 3.22] years, were included. The final model was as follows: CL (L/h) = 0.433*(BW/13.86)^0.777*(0.46/SCr)^0.83*(ln(age)/3.26)^2.16; and Vd (L) = 11.5*(BW/13.86)^0.777 (BW: kg, SCr: mg/dL, age: day). The internal validation demonstrated that the final model successfully described the observed data with bootstrap analysis, WRES, NPDE, and pcVPC plots showing good prediction performance. Compared to 2-point monitoring, the accuracy and precision of AUC calculating from Cmid were below 10% (4.6% and 5.7% respectively); (4) Conclusions: The popPK model of vancomycin in Vietnamese pediatric patients over 3 months old was well established, with body weight, age, and serum creatinine identified as significant covariates. A single concentration between peak and trough concentrations could be an feasible approach for dosing and monitoring vancomycin therapy in pediatrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY QUESTION In non-male factor infertile couples, are there any differences in the developmental outcomes between children born through ICSI and conventional IVF (cIVF)? SUMMARY ANSWER In this preliminary study, ICSI and cIVF seem to have a comparable effect on developmental outcomes after 12 months in children born to non-male factor infertile couples. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY ICSI, an invasive technique, has raised concerns about potential developmental abnormalities in children. Limited data are available regarding the developmental outcomes of ICSI-conceived infants born to non-male factor infertile couples. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This prospective cohort study involved a follow-up of all children aged 12 months or older who were born from pregnancies resulting from either ICSI or cIVF as part of a previous randomized controlled trial (RCT) (NCT03428919). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS In the original RCT, 1064 women were randomly assigned to the ICSI or cIVF groups (532 women for each group). Follow-up was conducted with 155 couples (195 children) in the ICSI group and 141 couples (185 children) in the cIVF group. The Vietnamese version of the Ages & Stages Third Edition Questionnaires (ASQ-3) and the Development Red Flags questionnaires were completed by the participants. A total of 141 (90.1%) women (177 children) in the ICSI group and 113 (80.1%) women (145 children) in the cIVF group returned fully completed questionnaires. The primary outcomes were the developmental outcomes based on responses to the ASQ-3 and the Red Flags questionnaire. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The mean age of children at follow-up was 19.5 ± 5.0 months in the ICSI group and 19.3 ± 5.5 months in the cIVF group. The mean height and weight of children in both groups were similar. The overall proportion of children with any abnormal ASQ-3 score did not differ significantly between the ICSI and cIVF groups (16.9% vs 13.1%, P  = 0.34). The proportion of children with Red Flag signs was also comparable between the two groups (6.2% vs 9.2%, P  = 0.36, ICSI vs cIVF, respectively). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Despite a reasonably high follow-up response rate, there is a potential risk of sampling bias, and overall, the number of children with developmental abnormalities was very small. The study relied solely on questionnaires as screening tools, rather than incorporating additional behavioral observations or physical developmental tests; this may have affected the statistical power and the significance of between-group comparisons. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The current findings contribute to the existing evidence and support the comparative safety of ICSI and cIVF regarding early childhood development. However, more extensive and prolonged follow-up data for these children are needed to draw definitive conclusions. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) No external funding was received for this study, and no authors reported conflicting interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT04866524 (clinicaltrials.gov). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refugee livelihood studies have mostly focused on policy and international aid programming and have yet to explore refugee people's long-term development beyond the initial resettlement period. This article examines the experiences of Vietnamese, Bosnian, and Tamil refugees resettled in Australia during the height of the multicultural agenda in the 1980s and 1990s. Drawing on fifty oral histories, the article argues that refugees' struggle and transformation of trauma in the past fuelled civic engagement in their new host communities. It explores the nexus of refugee lived experiences, livelihoods, and post-traumatic growth in the context of multicultural Australia to consider refugee livelihood as a long-term process. Crossing disciplinary boundaries of history and psychology, the article shows how some refugees re-interpret their trauma as motivation for positive change, a manifestation of post-traumatic growth, expressed as civic engagement, including becoming political actors in response to their histories of trauma, resistance, and growth beyond resettlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of online learning modalities has increasingly become prevalent, particularly with the advent of COVID-19, aiming to ensure student access to learning materials. This significant shift towards offering online educational formats compels educational institutions to alter their approach and develop curricula to guarantee an optimal student experience and satisfaction within the online environment. The aim of this research is to comprehensively examine the key factors that significantly impact the satisfaction of undergraduate students with online learning in Vietnamese universities. The quantitative research methodology was implemented through the collection of surveys from a total of 437 Vietnamese students. Utilizing the PLS-SEM statistical approach, the findings reveal that technology, communication, course, outcome, and motivation for learning have significant positive influences on students' satisfaction with online education during the COVID-19 pandemic, while the effect of instructors' attitude and the sudden change from traditional to online classes have been found with as nonsignificant. Valuable implications and practical recommendations are suggested for educational organizations and institutions in Vietnam to enhance specific activities that promote students' satisfaction with online learning and improve teaching methods provided by instructors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing ethnography and the theoretical paradigm of language ideology (Silverstein, M. 1979. "Language structure and linguistic ideology." In The Elements: A Parasession on Linguistic Units and Levels, edited by P. Clyne, W. Hanks, and H. Carol, 193–247. Chicago Linguistic Society), this article examines how ideologies of language inform language practices among migrant workers in a Vietnamese restaurant in South Texas. Data is drawn from participant observations, audio-recorded interactions, semi-structured interviews with participants, and collection of artifacts. Findings suggest that the participants hold certain ideologies, namely, (1) standardised English as an impediment or a resource, (2) polite language as access to community membership and career opportunities, and (3) multilingualism as a marketable commodity. Those beliefs, in turn, shape their trajectory of language practices and socialisation patterns. The participants' language ideologies, therefore, do not exist separately as a theoretical divide, nor a static social construct, but constantly evolve, mutually inform, and contest each other, dynamically transformed during their socialisation process. The paper concludes with the emphasis on exploring linguistic dynamics, such as language ideologies and multilingual turn in language socialisation, across similar transnational communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to determine whether bilinguals activate the figurative meaning of an idiom that is specific to one language when they are exposed to its translation in their other language. We used a cross-modal priming task in which participants heard L2 English sentences that ended with an idiom translated from their L1. They then saw a visually presented stimulus that was either related to the meaning of the L1 idiom, a matched control word, or a nonword, and made a lexical decision. Three experiments were run, each with a different group of bilinguals (French–English, Vietnamese–English, and Indonesian–English), and each with a monolingual English control group. In all three studies, the effect of relatedness for bilinguals and monolinguals differed, demonstrating cross-language activation of idiom meanings. Evidence was obtained that suggested that culture-specific information in idioms influenced processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to identify factors associated with Vietnamese-Australian parents' language use and attitudes towards home language maintenance. Vietnamese-Australian parents (n = 151) with children aged under 18 completed a survey regarding demographic factors and factors conceptualised by Spolsky's language policy theory: language practices, language ideologies, and language management. Bivariate analyses and multiple regression models were conducted to explore associations between parents' language use and their attitudes towards home language maintenance and associated factors. Parents' language use with their child was significantly associated with their language practices (parents' language use in social situations). Parents' language use in social situations was significantly associated with language practices (parents' Vietnamese and English proficiency, parents' language use with their child), language management (frequency of attendance at community events), and one demographic factor (age). Parents' attitudes towards home language maintenance was significantly associated with language ideology factors (perceptions of cultural identity, belief in the importance of English language maintenance, belief that home language strengthens relative bonds and widens career options), and one demographic factor (income). The results can be used to assist families with Vietnamese heritage to maintain their home language by informing targeted approaches to supporting language maintenance at the community and family level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spermatogenesis is a process of cell differentiation to produce fertilized sperm. Testis-expressed 15 (TEX15), an important gene in spermatogenesis, has been reported to be linked with male infertility in various populations. This study aimed to assess the association of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) TEX15 rs323347 with male infertile individuals in a Vietnamese cohort and further analyze the haplotypes of TEX15 rs323346 and TEX15 rs323347. A total of 401 unrelated males, including 202 male infertility patients and 199 healthy controls were genotyped for TEX15 rs323347 using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCRRFLP). Using statistical methods, the results showed that the allele frequencies of TEX15 rs323347 were in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) (p-value > 0.05), but its genotype frequencies were not significantly different between male infertility patient and control groups (p-values > 0.05). However, the CA haplotype of the two variants (rs323346 and rs323347) increased the risk of male infertility (p = 0.046, OR = 2.547, 95% CI = 0.982-6.602). Thus, this study would enrich the knowledge of the impact of genetic factors on male infertility in the Vietnamese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces an effective method for improving dependency parsing which is based on a graph embedding model. The model helps extract local and global connectivity patterns between tokens. This method allows neural network models to perform better on dependency parsing benchmarks. We propose to incorporate node embeddings trained by a graph embedding algorithm into a bidirectional recurrent neural network scheme. The new model outperforms a baseline reference using a state-of-the-art method on three dependency treebanks for both low-resource and high-resource natural languages, namely Indonesian, Vietnamese and English. We also show that the popular pretraining technique of BERT would not pick up on the same kind of signal as graph embeddings. The new parser together with all trained models is made available under an open-source license, facilitating community engagement and advancement of natural language processing research for two low-resource languages with around 300 million users worldwide in total. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over the past 5 years, the number of Vietnamese migrant workers in Japan has grown rapidly to become the largest group of migrant workers in the country. They hold various statuses of residence and are subjected to multifactorial stressors. Aims: The current study's aim is to investigate the association between psychological distress experienced by Vietnamese workers and their work environment. Another aim is to discuss issues involving migrant workers by comparing the characteristics of workers in the major statuses of residence. Methods: The study applied a cross-sectional design, and included a nationwide self-administered online questionnaire that was conducted in Vietnamese in 2022. The questionnaire included the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), workplace interpersonal factors as well as factors related to work and health. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate factors associated with psychological distress. Results: Of 933 Vietnamese workers, 37% were grouped as distressed under the K10 cutoff. Fewer opportunities to speak with Japanese co-workers, lower welfare and workload ratings, and the visa statuses including 'Technical Intern Training' were significantly associated with psychological distress. Unexpectedly, those in 'Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (ESI)' category who are deemed to hold better conditions demonstrated the highest amounts of distress. Conclusion: Outside of unsatisfactory working environments, differing situations depending on status of residence could produce various sources of distress. The difficult aspects of Japan's distinct culture seem to contribute to their distress, especially for those who have more interactions with Japanese co-workers. A push for a multicultural society, where migrant workers can pursue proactive life designs of their own choosing, is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The patellofemoral joint is a complex joint that plays a crucial role in knee joint function and stability. This study aims to describe the MRI characteristics of the patellofemoral joint in Vietnamese adults. Subjects and Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 280 patients at Hue UMP Hospital from May 2020 to May 2021. All patients underwent knee MRI using Siemens Magnetom Amira 1.5 Tesla. The evaluation parameters included the morphology of the patella and the femoral trochlea. Results: The study found that the morphological parameters of the patellar joint varied significantly between genders and age groups. The mean largest patellar transverse diameter was 4.26 ± 0.37 cm, the average length of the lateral joint facet was 2.5 ± 0.26 cm, and the medial joint facet was 2.0 ± 0.25 cm. The patellar height was 4.07 ± 0.35 cm. The indexes of patellar morphology were higher in men than in women, except for the lateral-medial facet ratio. The most common Wiberg classification was type B (63.9%), followed by type C (25.4%), and type A was the least common (10.7%). There was a statistically significant difference in the patellar measurements between different age groups. There was a weak negative linear correlation between the dimensions of the largest transverse diameter, the length of the articular surface, the patellar articular angle, and the age of the patient. Additionally, there was a moderate inverse linear relationship between patellar height and patient age. Conclusion: This study highlights the significant variations in patellar morphology based on gender and age. The findings emphasize the importance of careful assessment and consideration of these variations in the imaging evaluation of the patellofemoral joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To test effects of German on anticipation in Vietnamese, we recorded eye-movements during comprehension and manipulated i) verb constraints (different vs. similar in German and Vietnamese) and ii) classifier constraints (absent in German). In each of two experiments, participants listened to Vietnamese sentences like "Mai mặc một chiếc áo." ('Mai wears a [classifier] shirt.'), while viewing four objects. Between experiments, we contrasted bilingual background: L1 Vietnamese–L2 German late bilinguals (Experiment 1) and heritage speakers of Vietnamese in Germany (Experiment 2). Both groups anticipated verb-compatible and classifier-compatible objects upon hearing the verb/classifier. However, when the (verb) constraints differed (e.g., Vietnamese: mặc 'wear (a shirt/#earrings)' – German: tragen 'wear (a shirt/earrings)'), the heritage speakers were distracted by the object (earrings) compatible with the German (but not the Vietnamese) verb constraints. These results demonstrate that competing information in the two languages can interfere with anticipation in heritage speakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Aims Methods & Procedures Main contribution Conclusions & Implications WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS What is already known on the subject What this paper adds to the existing knowledge What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The dialect spoken by children influences diagnostic decision‐making regarding the identification and severity of speech sound disorder (SSD).The primary objective was to review papers that examined the influence of dialect on the identification of SSD in Vietnamese‐speaking children.Five studies of mono‐ and multilingual Vietnamese‐speaking children living in Vietnam and Australia were reviewed to examine the influence of dialect on the assessment and analysis children's speech. The main Vietnamese dialects (Standard, Northern, Central, Southern) differ in the production of consonants, vowels and tones.Most speech assessments define correct production using the standard dialect of a language. Insights from recent studies of Vietnamese provide recommendations for also considering dialect in diagnostic decision‐making. First, we recommend adding column(s) to the assessment score sheet that includes the dialectal variants spoken by adults in the child's family or community. Second, we calculate the accuracy of production twice, based on the standard form and dialectal form. Third, we report the percentage of consonants correct—standard (PCC‐S) and percentage of consonants correct—dialect (PCC‐D).Diagnostic decision‐making is influenced by dialectal variation in children's speech, so speech and language therapists need to compare standard and dialectal productions when undertaking assessments, analysis and diagnostic decision‐making. Most speech assessments use the standard form of a dialect as the correct production. The standard dialect is used for diagnosis of SSD and identification of intervention targets. This paper examines five research studies of Vietnamese to identify ways to consider dialect in speech and language therapy assessment and analysis. Vietnamese provides a complex environment for this examination since there are numerous Vietnamese dialects and they differ according to consonants, vowels and tones. Speech and language therapists are encouraged to add column(s) to their assessment score sheet that includes the dialectal variants spoken by adults and to report the PCC‐S and PCC‐D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Worldwide migration represents a major challenge of the 21st century. Despite the strong association between acculturation and mental health, research findings on underlining mechanisms remain inconsistent. Prior research urges to investigate sample characteristics in a more structured manner. Aims: The purpose of this study was to systematically investigate factors impacting acculturation and depressive symptoms in a large, not exclusively clinical, sample of Vietnamese migrants in Germany. Method: This study investigated, with multiple regressions, factors (age at arrival, gender, education, religiousness, language skills, residence status, economic status, occupational status, migration motivation, duration of stay, and depressive symptoms) impacting the two dimensions of acculturation, dominant society immersion (DSI) and ethnic society immersion (ESI), in a not exclusively clinical sample (n = 582) of first-generation Vietnamese migrants in Germany. Further, this study examined the relationship between depressive symptoms, DSI and ESI with correlations and acculturation strategies with an ANOVA. Results: Integration (72.5%) was the most common acculturation strategy, followed by separation (26.8%). In contrast, assimilation (0.5%) and marginalization (0.2%) were very rare acculturation strategies. As predictive factors for DSI lower depressive symptoms scores, male gender, higher education, and better German language skills were found significant. For ESI, less German language skills and older age at arrival were found to be significant. Higher ESI and DSI were correlated to lower depressive symptom scores. Compared to the three other acculturation strategies, integration was linked to the lowest depressive symptoms scores. Conclusions: The current study identified crucial factors in the acculturation process, such as depressive symptoms, language skills, education, gender, and age at arrival. Our findings emphasize that immersion into both the dominant and the ethnic culture plays an essential supportive role in the mental health of migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a new Vietnamese multi-domain task-oriented dialogue corpus which is fully labeled with rich information on dialogue structure and contextual information. The corpus contains 1910 dialogues, with a total of more than 18,000 turns in four domains (i.e., ProductInfo, OrderInfo, Shipping and Chatchit). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first dialogue corpus towards building automated conversations in e-commerce. We describe the rigorous annotation process of labelling rich information about dialogue segmentation, dialogue acts (DAs, a.k.a communicative functions), dependency relations, rhetorical relations and slot-values on both user and system sides. This corpus will alleviate the shortage of dialogue datasets in low-resource languages, namely Vietnamese. It can be exploited in diverse contexts to facilitate research toward building complete dialogue systems. The large size and rich annotation of the corpus make it suitable to investigate a variety of different tasks in conversational systems. In this paper, we perform extensive experiments and report preliminary results for future studies in this interesting yet unexplored field. Specifically, we illustrate the usage of the corpus in developing key modules such as natural language understanding, belief tracking, dialogue policy management and natural language generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reminiscence therapy (RT) is an evidence-based treatment for alleviating depression and improving life satisfaction among elders, yet less is known about its efficacy in diverse ethnic groups. We report on the evaluation of a cultural adaptation of the RT intervention that combines reminiscence with three innovative elements: including family members in RT; conducting community events for participants to present their artwork and life-story books created during the intervention; and using ethnically matched bilingual community workers. The 12-week intervention with pre- and post-test assessments was completed by 73 Hispanic and 92 Vietnamese elders (mean age = 75 years; 62% female; mostly foreign-born, with limited English proficiency). Paired t -tests indicated statistically significant improvement in depression, loneliness, and life satisfaction. Sixty-two percent of participants noted improved relationships with family/friends through improved communication and shared understanding of the participant's life story. Fifty percent of respondents participated in a community event and the qualitative comments noted improved connection with their community through listening to others' life experiences and sharing their own. Participant perceptions of ethnically matched community workers were positive, but several indicated they could work with someone from a different ethnic background. Similar to general RT findings, the culturally adapted RT intervention demonstrated improvement in depression, loneliness, and life satisfaction among elders from two different ethnic backgrounds. Implications for future projects are discussed based on the findings and experience of conducting this intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The NUDT15 variants impact thiopurine dose selection in acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients. The ability to rapidly detect variants is important in clinical practice. This study aims to develop a simple polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure for detecting NUDT15 variants in Vietnamese patients. Materials and Methods Sanger sequencing was used to determine NUDT15 variants from 200 patients. We designed primers and optimized the PCR procedure for detection of wild-type and variant alleles and compared with Sanger sequencing results. Results The inserted variant c.55_56insGAGTCG was detected by differences in size through conventional PCR. The tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system PCR was successful in detecting two variations, c.52G > A and c.415C > T. The sensitivity and specificity of PCR procedure achieved 100% when compared to 200 Sanger sequencing results. Conclusion Our PCR procedure is suitable for replacing Sanger sequencing to detect the NUDT15 variants in clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pregnancy has major effects that make hematology parameters outside of normal reference ranges. Therefore, we conducted this study to establish reference intervals for Vietnamese pregnant women. Methods: From June 2023 to Augst 2023, blood samples from 879 eligible pregnant women were run on DxH 900 hematology analyzer and ACL TOP 550 coagulation analyzer. The tested parameters are prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), white blood cell (WBC) and its differentials (neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils), red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), RBC distribution width (RDW), RBC distribution width standard deviation (RDW-SD), platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume (MPV). A non-parametric method was used to establish the 2.5th and 97.5th percentile reference intervals. Results: PT, APTT decrease but fibrinogen increases during pregnancy. Physiological adaptations of pregnancy result in a decrease in RBC count, but an increase in WBC count and no changes in platelet count. The reference intervals for PT (seconds), APTT (seconds), fibrinogen (mg/dL), in the first trimester were 10.30–12.88, 25.40–35.46, 280.28–559.00, in the second trimester were 9.80–11.66, 24.05–33.23, 347.75–593.35, in the third trimester were 9.60–11.40, 23.40–31.80, 330.28–628.56, respectively. The reference intervals for main hematology parameters which are WBC (× 109/L), RBC (× 1012/L), HGB (g/dL), HCT (%), PLT (× 109/L) in the first trimester were 6.33–15.24, 3.73–5.32, 10.33–13.95, 32.22–42.29, 169.66–413.88, in the second trimester were 6.99–15.55, 3.33–4.98, 9.71–13.17, 30.26–40.07, 172.34–372.19, in the third trimester were 6.22–14.14, 3.54–4.98, 9.80–13.97, 31.11–42.70, 151.30–417.14, respectively. Conclusions: Most established referenced intervals from each trimester differ from other trimesters. These trimester-specific reference ranges for Vietnamese pregnant women will aid clinicians in entepreting parameters and help other laboratories adopt these ranges after validating. Trial registration: This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT05929326. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asian and Asian Americans (A/AA) are a group overlooked in general health outcomes but especially occupational safety and health outcomes. In the United States, the beauty service microbusiness industry (e.g., nail salons) predominantly employs immigrant Asian women who regularly encounter a plethora of occupational hazards (e.g., harmful chemical exposures -toluene, formaldehyde, bloodborne pathogens, fungi. However, due to the precariousness of beauty service jobs, cultural and linguistic barriers, and social determinants of health, A/AA beauty service workers face complex occupational safety and health challenges that require interdisciplinary collaboration and cultural competency to address. This commentary will discuss a multi-level approach including specific outreach partners that will offer the required diverse skillsets necessary for improving the occupational safety and health for this worker population in this microbusiness industry. Implications and suggestions for interventions and policy changes are also recommended utilizing the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities' Research Framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine the mental health status and related factors among Vietnamese migrants in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an online cross-sectional survey between September 21 and October 21, 2021. Along with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scores, we collected data on demographics, changes in socioeconomic status due to the pandemic, language proficiency, social support, and health conditions. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify factors related to symptoms of depression and anxiety. Among 621 participants who completed the questionnaire, moderate-to-severe symptoms of depression (PHQ-9 score ≥ 10 points) and mild-to-severe symptoms of anxiety (GAD-7 score ≥ 5 points) were observed in 203 (32.7%) and 285 (45.9%) individuals, respectively. Factors related to depressive symptoms were age (95% confidence interval [CI]=0.89-0.99), pre-existing health conditions (95% [CI]=1.61–3.76), and a low subjective socioeconomic status (95% [CI]=1.64–3.71). Factors related to anxiety symptoms were being single (95% [CI]=1.01–2.93), having pre-existing health conditions (95% [CI]=1.63–3.88), subjective socioeconomic status (95% [CI]=1.87–3.97), and absence of a partner to discuss one's health with (95% [CI]=1.11–2.47). Vietnamese migrants in Japan experienced a decrease in income, worsening working conditions, and poor mental health status during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further investigations are necessary to find an effective way to increase their social support and mitigate socioeconomic adversities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Male infertility is a growing health problem, which affects approximately 7% of the global male population. Nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) is one of the most severe forms of male infertility caused by genetic defects, including chromosome structural abnormalities, Y chromosome microdeletions, or single-gene alterations. However, the etiology of up to 40% of NOA cases is unidentified. By whole-exome sequencing, we detected a homozygous 5-bp-deletion variant in exon 4 of the TEX12 gene (c.196-200del, p.L66fs, NM_031275.4) in two brothers with NOA of a nonconsanguineous Vietnamese family. This deletion variant of 5 nucleotides (ATTAG) results in a premature stop codon in exon 4 and truncation of the C-terminal. Segregation analysis by Sanger sequencing confirmed that the deletion variant was inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. The 1st and 3rd infertile sons were homozygous for the deletion, whereas the 2nd fertile son and both parents were heterozygous. The new deletion mutation identified in TEX12 gene caused loss of function of TEX12 gene. The loss of TEX12 function has already caused infertility in male mice. Therefore, we concluded that the loss of TEX12 function may cause infertility in men. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported so far indicating disruption of human TEX12, which leads to infertility in men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored leisure constraints and facilitators of marriage migrant women. Qualitative interviews with 20 Vietnamese marriage migrant women in South Korea were conducted. At the individual level, language skills, financial resources, time, personal leisure orientation and preference, and capacity for individual mobility were identified as the constraints and facilitators of leisure for the marriage migrant women. At the interpersonal level, family served as both the leisure constraint and facilitator of this group. At the context and system level, the Multicultural Family Support Centre was highlighted as a facilitator, while transportation acted as both a facilitator and constraint of the leisure of migrant women. This study sheds light on the impacts of a diverse amalgam of facilitators and constraints of leisure participation among marriage migrant women. Implications for leisure planners, human resources managers of organisations, and the government are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decades after the arrival of the Vietnamese boat people (1979-1981), we reassess their economic integration, along with that of a second wave (1982-1990). We compare current occupational locations and weekly earnings across the two waves and between the Vietnamese and immigrants born in China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and North and West Europe (arriving 1979-1990). Occupational and earnings profiles document that the second Vietnamese wave has done less well than the first. Birthplace differences in demographic characteristics and educational attainments help explain labor market inequalities between the two waves and between the Vietnamese and other groups. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15562948.2021.1957190. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) face challenges in transcription and diagnosis of speech sound disorders (SSD) in multilingual children due to ambient language influences and cross-linguistic transfer. The VietSpeech Multilingual Transcription Protocol, a 4-step process to undertake impressionistic transcription of multilingual speech was tested using data from Vietnamese-Australian children (n = 69) and adult family members (n = 85). The transcription team included an English-speaking SLP, a Vietnamese-English-speaking linguist and accredited interpreter, and two Vietnamese-English-speaking SLPs. (1) Training: The team completed training together in Vietnamese and English phonology. (2) Speech assessment: The participants were assessed using the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP) in English and the Vietnamese Speech Assessment (VSA). (3) Transcription comparison: Inter-rater reliability for 10 children and 12 adults was calculated using consonant-by-consonant agreement. For English the 3-way inter-rater agreement was 92.62% for children and 88.69% for adults. For Vietnamese the 4-way inter-rater agreement was 86.57% for children and 96.05% for adults. There was a significant correlation between speech accuracy and inter-rater reliability for children's consonants in English (r = 0.95) and Vietnamese (r = 0.91), and adults' consonants in English (r = 0.90), but not for Vietnamese (r = 0.49). Reliability was influenced by phoneme class and whether the target consonant was shared between languages. (4) Rule generation and consensus: Rules based on near functional equivalence were implemented to maintain consistency and reach consensus. SLPs who do not speak clients' home languages can be supported to transcribe multilingual speech by working with multilingual teams, and understanding personal limitations during multilingual speech assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to establish and evaluate the validity and reliability of the Vietnamese version of the inhaler use scale for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was conducted with 150 participants who were admitted to the Outpatient Department of Pulmonary Diseases in Vietnam, using a face-to-face interview technique. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test, Bartlett's test, and exploratory factor analysis were used to assess construct validity. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient were used to evaluate the reliability of the scale. RESULTS: In the results of exploratory factor analysis with eigenvalues > 1.00, 3 factors of scale appeared. The total variance of the questionnaire was 78.78%, where variances of each component were 34.16%, 26.88%, and 17.73%, respectively. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of scale in the first test and re-test after 4 weeks were 0.913 and 0.901, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.826. CONCLUSION: The validity and reliability of the Vietnamese version of the inhaler use scale study were found to be equivalent to the original author-developed scale and it can be applied to measure the factors affecting behavioral intention in Vietnamese chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To assemble a core battery of culturally and linguistically appropriate neuropsychological measures that can be administered to Vietnamese-speaking patients with suspected dementia. Methods Test instruments in Vietnamese were identified through systematic searches of PubMed, PsychInfo, and Google Scholar, and in consultation with two Vietnamese-speaking cultural brokers. Results A battery assessing the domains of attention, executive function, verbal and visual episodic memory, basic language abilities, visuospatial/visuoconstruction abilities, and mood/anxiety was assembled that included core measures developed either specifically for a Vietnamese-speaking population, or were validated/normed with a Vietnamese-speaking sample either in Vietnam or Vietnamese-speaking persons in the U.S. Supplemental measures were selected that can be administered using translated instructions with U.S. English normative data. The rationale for test selection and caveats for their clinical use are presented. Conclusions The number of neuropsychological measures identified in Vietnamese and/or with Vietnamese normative data was sparse. Given the large and growing population of Vietnamese-speaking residents in the U.S. and the aging of these communities, it is imperative to develop additional, appropriately designed and normed instruments to provide culturally competent assessments to better serve these individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to a survey published by the National Center for Health Statistics, depression can affect people of any age, but the prevalence of the condition was shown to be second greatest among people aged 65 and older. The most significant repercussion of late-life depressed syndrome is an increase in the overall death rate, which can be attributed to either suicide or other illnesses. The primary objective of this research is to evaluate the impacts of depression caused by biological factors, interpersonal variables, and other socially linked factors on Vietnamese senior people. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) was used to evaluate and screen the elderly for signs of geriatric depression in the final data set, which included 630 males (40.1% of the total) and 942 females (59.9% of the total). The participants ranged in age from 60 to 80 years and were all older than that. The most important findings revealed that aspects of this study, such as gender and the amount of time spent sleeping each day, had the potential to operate as predictors of elderly depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, causes, medical interventions, and mortality outcome of acute gastrointestinal bleeding (AGIB) among COVID-19 patients hospitalized during the delta pandemic in Vietnam. The medical records of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in a tertiary hospital in Vietnam from July to October 2021 were retrospectively collected. Data regarding age, sex, comorbidities, COVID-19 severity, onset time of AGIB, therapeutic interventions for AGIB, and mortality outcome were analyzed. Of 1567 COVID-19 inpatients, 56 (3.6%) had AGIB. The independent risk factors for AGIB in COVID-19 inpatients included age (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01–1.04, p =.003), male sex (OR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.06–3.26, p =.03), chronic liver disease (OR = 6.21, 95% CI: 2.97–13.00, p <.001), and chronic kidney disease (OR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.01–4.65, p =.047). Among 34 AGIB patients undergoing endoscopy, upper AGIB was determined in 24 (70.6%) patients. Peptic ulcer disease and hemorrhagic erosive gastritis were the most common causes (64.7%, 22/34). The therapeutic interventions for AGIB included blood transfusion (76.8%, 43/56), endoscopic hemostasis (23.5%, 8/34), and surgery (1.8%, 1/56). The mortality rate in the AGIB group was significantly higher than that in the non-AGIB group (46.4% vs. 27.7%, OR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.32–3.87, p =.002). However, the majority (76.9%) of deaths in COVID-19 inpatients with AGIB were not bleeding-related. Age, male sex, chronic liver disease, and chronic kidney disease are risk factors for AGIB among COVID-19 inpatients. Peptic ulcer disease is the most common cause. COVID-19 inpatients with AGIB have a higher risk of mortality, but a large percentage of deaths are not bleeding-related. Since there is not enough information of sudden digestive tract bleeding among Asian populations with COVID-19, this study aimed to measure the proportion of existing cases, causes, medical treatments and deaths of sudden digestive tract bleeding in COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized during the Delta-variant pandemic in Vietnam. We collected medical records of 1567 COVID-19 patients from a specialty hospital in Vietnam from July to October 2021. Sudden digestive tract bleeding was present in 3.6% of COVID-19 inpatients. The risk of sudden digestive tract bleeding was higher in COVID-19 patients who were old, male, or had long-term liver or kidney disease. The most common cause of sudden digestive tract bleeding among COVID-19 inpatients were stomach ulcers. In addition, COVID-19 inpatients with sudden digestive tract bleeding had a higher risk of death, but a large proportion of deaths were not bleeding-related. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores have been widely used as the language entry requirements for international students in many English-medium universities. However, research on the predictive validity of IELTS on subsequent academic performance has been inconclusive. Additionally, despite the proliferation of IELTS preparation courses, very few attempts have been made to explore the extent to which these courses support course takers' development of knowledge and skills needed for their subsequent university study. This paper investigated (a) the predictive validity of IELTS results on the subsequent academic performance of Vietnamese international students at UK universities, and (b) the extent to which an IELTS preparation course in Vietnam supported its course takers in their subsequent academic study in the UK. Questionnaires with 80 Vietnamese international students from 31 universities across the UK showed that there was a positive significant correlation between these students' IELTS scores and their academic results. Follow-up interviews with two undergraduates and two postgraduates who had previously studied in the same IELTS preparation course, but were studying different academic disciplines at different institutions in the UK, and analysis of the materials used in their IELTS preparation course and university courses revealed that the course positively supported these students' subsequent academic study, but certain skills and knowledge needed in their academic study were not effectively covered in the IELTS preparation course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In-Home Supportive-Services (IHSS) caregivers provide personal care assistance to low-income older adults. According to the California Social Service Department, 20.2% of IHSS caregivers spoke Vietnamese in one county. The purpose of this project was to improve the knowledge and skills among these Vietnamese American caregivers by providing a language-specific and culturally appropriate education on personal care. Methods: The project used a pre- and post-test design. Under the guidance of nursing faculty, four Vietnamese-speaking nursing students provided a 2-hr educational program on personal care (e.g., bathing, oral care) to registered Vietnamese IHSS caregivers. A pre- and post-survey was conducted. Results: Overall, 55 caregivers completed the surveys. The surveys showed significant increases in confidence in knowledge and skills related to personal care topics (all p s <.001). Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that the cultural and language-specific education was effective in increasing knowledge and confidence of Vietnamese IHSS caregivers related to personal care for older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infant feeding practices are a key modifiable risk factor for childhood overweight and obesity; and important for lifelong health and wellbeing. Despite the growing Australian immigrant population, it is unclear how infant feeding practices may differ between ethnicities living in Australia. Few studies have examined the infant feeding practices of Vietnamese mothers who migrate and give birth to infants in Australia - termed Vietnamese-born mothers. The aim of this study was to examine differences in infant feeding practices (breastfeeding, formula feeding and complementary feeding (other fluids and solids)) in Vietnamese-born mothers compared with Australian-born mothers living in Australia.Method: This study analysed the Australian National Infant Feeding Survey dataset (2010-11), a large national cross-sectional survey measuring feeding practices of infants aged 0-24 months old. Infant feeding practices of Vietnamese-born mothers (n = 261) and a random sub-sample of Australian-born mothers (n = 261) were compared. Associations between ethnicity and infant feeding practices were examined through logistic and linear regression adjusting for maternal age, socioeconomic status, body mass index (BMI) at start of pregnancy, infant age at survey completion and parity. Compliance with the Australian national infant feeding guidelines was also assessed.Results: Compliance with infant feeding guidelines was low, with differences in infant feeding practices between groups. At the time of survey completion, when infants were on average 7.2 months old, compared with infants of Australian-born mothers, infants to Vietnamese-born mothers were significantly younger when first exposed to fruit juice (b = -2.41, 95%CI: -4.54- -0.28); less likely to be exposed to solids (AOR: 0.15, 95%CI: 0.05-0.44) and more likely to be exposed to formula milks (AOR: 2.21, 95%CI: 1.10-4.43); toddler milks (AOR: 16.72, 95%CI: 3.11-90.09) and fruit juice (AOR: 2.37, 95%CI: 1.06-5.32) (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Low adherence with breastfeeding (low breastfeeding and high infant formula use) and other fluids (toddler milks and fruit juice) recommendations outlined by the Australian infant feeding guidelines were observed in this group of Vietnamese-born mothers. To optimise feeding and growth in Vietnamese-Australian children, culturally appropriate infant feeding support targeting breastfeeding durations, reducing reliance on infant formula, and reducing inappropriate introduction to other fluids should be the focus of infant feeding promotion within these mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: In Vietnam, H. pylori bacteria has a resistance rate of 63% to the antibiotic clarithromycin. The initial therapy of H. pylori eradication with a standard three-drug regimen has low efficacy. Objective: Assess the efficacy of H. pylori eradication therapy which uses a four-drug regimen of rabeprazole-bismuth-tetracycline-tinidazole in patients with duodenal ulcers. (2) Methods: We performed gastrointestinal endoscopy on patients with a diagnosis of duodenal ulcers, gastric mucosa biopsy for a rapid urease test, and histopathology to diagnose H. pylori bacteria before and after treatment. Treatment for eradication of H. pylori bacteria using a rabeprazole-bismuth-tetracycline- tinidazole regimen was prescribed for 14 days. (3) Results: The rate of successful H. pylori eradication treatment according to per protocol (PP) and intention to treat (ITT) was 91.3% (95%CI: 84.8-96.7) and 82.4% (95%CI: 74.5-89.2) respectively. The success rate of H. pylori eradication therapy in males was 96.0% (95%CI: 92-100), higher than in females, which was 70.6% (95%CI: 47.1-88.2), p < 0.01. (4) Conclusions: Treatment of H. pylori with rabeprazole-bismuth-tetracycline-tinidazole regimen is highly effective. Men had higher H. pylori eradication results than women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transnational organizations are primarily studied from the perspective of first-generation migrants and how cross-border interactions shape their identities. This study focusses on transnational activism among the second-generation, the children of refugees, asking how refugee status affects second-generation transnationalism. By analysing the case study of Vietnamese refugees in the United States, the largest refugee re-settlement effort in American history, the article analyses an originally curated database of transnational organizations (n = 632), as well as a survey of 80 organizational leaders. Findings show that participation in transnational organizations offers new ways of understanding one's identity and social mobility in the United States and in Vietnam. This transnational point of reference includes transnational labour market opportunities and the transforming of identities from learning about silenced histories in refugee families. Transnational activism creates an alternative reference category for integration outside the common reference groups including intergenerational mobility, native co-ethnics, and the general US population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) is a congenital condition in which granulocytes mature abnormally owing to a variety of genetic defects, resulting in immunodeficiency. Among the several genetic variations related to SCN, heterozygous mutations in the ELANE gene encoding neutrophil elastase account for approximately 60% of the genetic causes. Here, we present three patients from different Vietnamese families who were susceptible to infectious diseases such as lung abscesses, sepsis, cellulitis, and septicemia. Moreover, their hematological and immunological parameters were below the reference range. Whole exome sequencing (WES) analysis was performed in all cases harboring three previously described disease-causing mutations, including p.Arg103Pro, p.Trp156Arg, and p.Arg81Pro in the ELANE gene (NM_001972.4). These mutations were confirmed by the Sanger sequencing method in the patients, helping to identify de novo mutations in all cases. Our data increase more evidence for the function of ELANE in SCN, as well as raise awareness of this rare disease in the context of frequent infections in Vietnam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension is uncontrolled in over 50% hypertensive population in Vietnam which indicated a compelling need for new hypertension guidelines. The highlights were composed of three parts: the diagnosis of arterial hypertension, the recommendation of home blood pressure monitoring, and the treatment of hypertension. Our guideline applied flexibility based upon the "essential" and "optimal" concepts in the diagnosis and management of hypertensive patients according to the socio‐economic status of Vietnam. Hypertension is defined as an office systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg which is equivalent to a 24‐hr ambulatory blood pressure monitoring average of ≥130/80 mmHg or home blood pressure monitoring average of ≥135/85 mmHg. We established an integrated hypertensive diagnostic algorithm for adults with the optimal option by the role of out‐of‐office blood pressure measurement, especially home blood pressure monitoring, which is fully recommended in this guideline. The threshold and target of hypertension treatment were individualized in safety range and effective evidence‐based medicine. We also update for the management of resistant hypertension, hypertension in diabetic patients, hypertension with heart failure, and with other comorbidities. Vietnam has tried on the best strategy for improving the control of hypertension and recently received several achievements in the world, especially in the Asian region. Because the conditions for conducting our national data have not been fully conducted, we have to adapt from existing guidelines so there are still certain limitations that need to be supplemented and adjusted in the upcoming version. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) plays a critical role in the treatment of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). NUDT15 and TPMT gene variants have been strongly associated with myelotoxicity caused by using 6-MP. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the frequency of NUDT15 and TPMT polymorphisms, as well as the impact of NUDT15 variants on the use of 6-MP to treat pediatric ALL in Vietnam. Sanger sequencing was applied to detect NUDT15 and TPMT gene variants in 70 pediatric ALL patients. Duration of drug interruption, level of neutropenia, and 6-MP tolerance dose were recorded. NUDT15 variants were detected from 23 out of 70 (32.9%) patients. Three well-known haplotype variants were identified as NUDT15 *2 (p.V18_V19insGV and p.R139C), *3 (p.R139C), and *6 (p.V18_V19insGV); besides, a novel NUDT15 p.R11Q was not previously reported. The NUDT15 wild-type, heterozygous variant, and homozygous variant genotypes were 67.1%, 30.1%, and 2.8%, respectively. Two TPMT heterozygous polymorphisms were TPMT*3C and *6, accounted for 2.8%. Patients with intermediate and low activity NUDT15 were given the median 6-MP tolerance dose of 55.2 and 37.2 versus 69.5 mg/m2/day of patients with NUDT15 normal activity (p = 0.0001). Patients with homozygous variant diplotype were drastically sensitive to 6-MP, with an average dose intensity of 49.6%, compared to 73.6% and 92.7% of those with heterozygous and wild-type diplotype, respectively (p = 0.0001). Our results suggest that 6-MP dose adjustment should be based on NUDT15 variants in pediatric Vietnamese ALL patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: We examined the association between caregivers' psychological status and their older family members' (care recipients) mental health in the Vietnamese American community (N = 58 dyads). Methods: Logistic regression models were used. Results: Caregivers and care recipients were on average 53 and 75 years old, immigrated at ages 32 and 51, and had 10 and 6 years of formal education, respectively. Approximately two‐thirds of caregivers provided care for 20+ h/week for 7 years with the majority of care recipients reporting fair or poor health. Care recipients' physical and cognitive health had a significant association with their depressive symptoms. However, care recipients acting as burdened caregivers' "company" helped themselves and felt less depressed (OR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.80, 0.99). Conclusion: Leveraging the tradition of Vietnamese multigeneration households, we should promote being a good company to each other that will help the caregiver‐care recipient dyad, as well as their family unit when planning future interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of validated instruments to measure gratitude in Vietnamese adolescents; this issue is regarded as a significant impediment to progress in implementing empirical research on the gratitude of Vietnamese adolescents. The aim of this study, therefore, was to validate the Vietnamese translation of the Gratitude Questionnaire (GQ) and the Revised Short Gratitude, Resentment, and Appreciation Test (S‐GRAT), using two independent samples of Vietnamese adolescents in two studies. In Study 1, Sample 1 (N = 365, female n = 173) completed the Vietnamese GQ (GQ‐VN) and S‐GRAT (S‐GRAT‐VN). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the 5‐item version of the GQ‐VN and the 15‐item version of the S‐GRAT‐VN fitted the data adequately. Both instruments showed satisfactory internal consistency. In Study 2, Sample 2 (N = 202, female n = 93) completed the GQ‐VN and S‐GRAT‐VN, along with the Satisfaction With Life Scale. The GQ‐VN and S‐GRAT‐VN were found to be positively correlated with each other and with the construct of life satisfaction, confirming the convergent and predictive validity of the two questionnaires. All the findings support the validity and reliability of the Vietnamese GQ and S‐GRAT in a sample of Vietnamese adolescents. These two instruments, therefore, may facilitate the evaluation of factors associated with adolescent dispositional gratitude in Vietnamese settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In English, Dutch, and other Germanic languages the initial phonological unit used in word production has been shown to be the phoneme; conversely, others have revealed that in Chinese this is the atonal syllable and in Japanese the mora. The current paper is, to our knowledge, the first to report chronometric data on Vietnamese phonological encoding. Vietnamese, a tonal language, is of interest as, despite its Austroasiatic roots, it has clear similarities with Chinese through extended contact over a prolonged period. Four experiments (i.e., masked priming, phonological Stroop, picture naming with written distractors, picture naming with auditory distractors) have been conducted to investigate Vietnamese phonological encoding. Results show that in all four experiments both onset effects as well as whole syllable effects emerge. This indicates that the fundamental phonological encoding unit during Vietnamese language production is the phoneme despite its apparent similarities to Chinese. This result might have emerged due to tone assignment being a qualitatively different process in Vietnamese compared to Chinese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2019, a questionnaire was conducted among foreigners living in the Czech Republic focused on gambling, in which 110 respondents from Vietnam and 80 respondents from Ukraine answered. Firstly, the Attitudes towards gambling scale (ATGS-8) was used to discover respondents' attitudes to gambling. Secondly, their experience with gambling was examined with the help of the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) which allowed, among others, to estimate the level of prevalence of problem gambling in these groups. The methods used allowed us to compare both the Ukrainians to Vietnamese as well as Ukrainians and Vietnamese to Czechs, as similar survey was conducted among the major population of the country in 2017. The overall score of attitudes to gambling is slightly higher for the citizens of Ukraine (17.97) and Vietnam (18.29) compared to the majority. The Vietnamese living in the Czech Republic also have a significantly higher proportion of people in the category of pathological gamblers as based on the PGSI index (Vietnamese 4.2%), whilst the value of this index for Ukrainians (0.7%) is similar to the one of the majority. The analysis of immigrants' gambling behaviour shows that Ukrainians are more like the majority population. The Vietnamese immigrants differ from both the majority population and Ukrainians in terms of attitudes whilst gambling is for them as common problem as alcohol consumption, and an even bigger problem than smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vietnamese women have a higher incidence rate of cervical cancer and are less likely to have ever been screened for cervical cancer than their White counterparts in the US. This review synthesizes findings from published interventions to promote cervical cancer screening in this vulnerable population. Articles were identified through a systematic search of PsycInfo, Embase, Pubmed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials in October 2022. Articles were included if they were published in a peer-reviewed journal, written in English, included one or more interventions promoting cervical cancer screening, assessed at least one outcome relevant to screening, and included a sample of ≥ 70% Vietnamese participants. Quality assessment scores were computed using the Downs and Black Checklist. Fifteen articles met review inclusion criteria. Studies were, on average, of good quality. Most studies were conducted in the US (n = 12), used a quasi-experimental design (n = 9), and employed multiple intervention strategies (n = 12). Intervention strategies included educational sessions, lay health worker (LHW) outreach, small media, mass media, patient navigation, and community or healthcare-based strategies. The most common study outcomes were screening intention and receipt. All but two studies reported improved cervical cancer screening outcomes following intervention. Findings support the effectiveness of multicomponent culturally tailored interventions to improve cervical cancer screening outcomes in immigrant Vietnamese women. Further research is needed to determine whether these interventions will be as successful in non-US countries and to address broader community- and healthcare-based factors in screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myers-Scotton’s Matrix Language Framework (MLF) has long been extremely influential, claiming ‘universality of support, no matter which languages are involved’. Support for this model, however, has largely come from language pairs that are typologically different in terms of their clausal word order, or else have vastly different inventories of inflectional morphology. My aim in this work is thus to test the extent to which the underlying principles of the MLF can be applied to Vietnamese–English, that is, two languages that are both subject–verb–object (SVO) and highly analytic.I apply the MLF’s main principles, i.e. the System Morpheme Principle and the Morpheme Order Principle, to Vietnamese–English codeswitching data to determine the extent to which the matrix language of each utterance could be straightforwardly established.Data come from the Canberra Vietnamese English corpus (CanVEC), which contains 45 speakers from both first- and second-generation immigrants. I provide both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the MLF performance on this dataset.Results show that MLF model fails to account for the majority of the CanVEC bilingual data, including both first- and second-generation speakers’ production. I further highlight, on empirical grounds, the equivocal nature of assuming speakers’ monolingual code as a basis of comparison, the ‘Composite ML’ notion, and the assumption of null elements in mixed speech.This is the first study that examines Vietnamese–English language contact with respect to the matrix language, using natural language production from the Vietnamese–English bilingual community in Canberra. This is also the first that empirically shows how various parts of the MLF can be both quantitatively and qualitatively problematic.This work addresses a lacuna in the field, where work on minority languages and their speech communities is still much more limited, especially in comparison to English and other Indo-European languages. The data and analysis offered here serve as a modest contribution in this direction, allowing us to address existing biases and to reexamine ‘universal’ assumptions of various kinds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence approach to speech acquisition theorises the influence of intrinsic capabilities (e.g., maturation), interactional capabilities, and extrinsic contexts (e.g., ambient phonology). Intrinsic and extrinsic influences were examined via a case study of a 3-generation Vietnamese-English family with two brothers (C1 aged 5;6 and C2 aged 3;10), their mother (M), grandfather (GF) and grandmother (GM). Their speech was assessed using the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP) and the Vietnamese Speech Assessment (VSA). Standard Australian English/Standard Vietnamese productions were defined as 'correct', even though the adults spoke different Vietnamese dialects. Their percentage of standard consonants correct (PSCC) was: C1 (English:92.27%, Vietnamese:89.05%), C2 (E:86.47%, VN:86.13%), M (E:90.34%, VN:96.35%), GF (E:82.61%, VN:97.81%), GM (VN:99.27%). Percentages were higher when dialectal variants were included. C1 and C2 had more pronunciation matches with English (86.96%) than Vietnamese (79.56%). C1's pronunciation matched: M (E:85.02%, VN:83.94%), GF (E:79.23%, VN:77.37%), GM (VN:73.72%) and C2's pronunciation matched: M (E:79.23%, VN:73.72%), GF (E:73.91%, VN:75.18%), GM (VN:72.26%). There was evidence of ambient phonology influences and cross-linguistic transfer. For example, in Vietnamese 'r' is produced as /ʐ/ or /r/ , but was produced by C1 as [ɹ] (English approximant) and by C2 [w] (age-appropriate/ɹ/substitution). The children demonstrated maturation influences for late-occurring English consonants (e.g., English /θ/ →[f]). This study found evidence for the emergence approach and recommends knowledge of the ambient phonology augments traditional child-focused understandings of children's speech acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U.S. Vietnamese have high cervical cancer incidence and low human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine initiation. Using the P3 model, we explored practice-, provider-, and patient-level determinants of U.S. Vietnamese parents' HPV vaccine decision-making for their adolescents. We conducted a cross-sectional, online survey (04/2020–12/2020) with U.S. Vietnamese parents who had ≥ 1 adolescent ages 9–18. We assessed HPV vaccination outcomes (initiation, willingness to initiate, completion) and provider recommendation. Modified Poisson regressions were used to identify practice-, provider- and patient-level correlates of outcomes. The sample (n = 408) was 44 years old on average; 83% were female and 85% had a Bachelor's degree. Around half of adolescents were female (51%) and 13–18 year old (54%). Only 41 and 23% of parents had initiated and completed the HPV vaccine series for their child, respectively. Initiation was associated with receiving provider recommendation (either low- or high-quality), while willingness to initiate was associated with receiving high-quality recommendation. Both initiation and willingness to initiate was negatively associated with parental perception that their child was too young for a "sexually transmitted infection (STI)-preventing vaccine." Provider recommendation was associated with higher parental U.S. acculturation and the child being older and female. Provider-facing interventions should promote high-quality, age-based, gender-neutral HPV vaccine recommendation. These and population- and individual-facing interventions should recognize the need for additional parental education, particularly related to misconceptions regarding STI prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune dysregulation-Polyendocrinopathy-Enteropathy-X-linked (IPEX) syndrome is a life- threatening congenital autoimmune disorder caused by mutations in the forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3) gene. Typical clinical manifestations of IPEX patients are early onset of intractable diarrhea, type 1 diabetes mellitus, and skin diseases. However, other autoimmune types such as severe food allergies, autoimmune cytopenias, autoimmune respiratory illness, and mesangial glomerulonephritis may complicate IPEX diagnosis. In this study, we report a Vietnamese 1-year-old boy with IPEX syndrome due to a hemizygous missense mutation, c.1190G>A (p.Arg397Gln), in exon 12 of the FOXP3 gene (NM_014009.4). The child had dermatitis, diarrhea, respiratory infections, and splenomegaly. The patient's serum routine test results were expected, except for white blood cells and neutrophils were higher than the normal, while IgA concentration was slightly below the normal range. However, he got no signal of diabetes or failure to thrive. Whole exome sequencing was applied to identify a genetic variant, and variant validation was examined using Sanger sequencing. The patient’s genetic mutation was inherited from his mother, an obligate carrier. His father had a normal genotype. This study is the first report of IPEX syndrome in a Vietnamese patient with a mutation in the FOXP3 gene detected by WES. This study provides further evidence for the role of mutations in the FOXP3 gene in patients with IPEX syndrome and demonstrates the need for genetic counselling and prenatal testing. Our results also show that WES sequencing is an effective tool in diagnosing genetic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]