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Simulation is a helpful preliminary step for implementing a patient workflow management system. Simulation is based on the process model (the clinical practice guideline) and the organization model (human and technological resources), permitting the detection of blockages in the care delivery organization and finding the optimal resource allocation. Our study uses stochastic Petri net (SPN) to illustrate part of the medical practice within a stroke unit. In particular, we modeled the medical activities following the guidelines for the ischemic stroke treatment adopted by the Thai Nguyen National Hospital Stroke Unit. Several parameters have been estimated using a database of about 100 ischemic stroke patients collected and eliciting knowledge from the neurologists. This is the first time we have applied SPN to model and analyze system performance for emergency stroke patients using the SPN model. We can apply it to any medical examination and treatment system if we need to survey the system’s capacity. Thereby detecting barriers or limitations of the system to provide solutions to overcome and improve the system’s efficiency.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious global public health problem. Detecting the changes of adenosine deaminase (ADA), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) released from macrophages and monocytes is greatly valuable in the diagnosis of TB. Hence, this study was designed to determine the optimal cut-off points of ADA, IL-1β, IL-2, TNF-α, and IFN-γ, allowing to differentiate pleural TB (PLTB), peritoneal TB (PTB), and meningeal TB (MTB). The study included 386 patients with pleural effusion, 47 patients with peritoneal effusion, and 134 patients with encephalitis and meningoencephalitis suspect of TB. ADA was determined by an enzyme kinetics method; cytokine concentration was measured by a test based on the competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay principle. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value were calculated and described. In the aspiration fluid, ADA activity was greatly different between PLTB, PTB, and MTB groups with values of 37.5 U/L, 30.5 U/L, and 8.1 U/L and sensitivity and specificity of 87.7% and 83.4%; 100% and 88.9%; 97.3% and 98.6%, respectively. Similar, IFN-γ concentrations were distinctively different between PLTB, PTB, and MTB patients (with values of 120 pg/mL, 200 pg/mL, and 30 pg/mL with sensitivity and specificity of 80.3% and 80.9%; 80.0% and 92.6%; 98.6% and 61.7%, respectively). The determination of ADA and IFN-γ levels in the aspiration fluid is potentially considered a highly sensitive and specific test for differentiating PLTB, PTB, and MTB.

The aim of the present study was to determine Kirsten Ras sarcoma virus (KRAS) mutations and the associations of KRAS mutations with clinicopathological features and treatment outcomes in Vietnamese non-polyp colon cancer (NPCC) patients. The data in the present study covered 194 patients with non-polyp colon cancers at stages II or III, according to the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system, in northern Vietnam from January 2016 to August 2020. All patients underwent radical surgery and adjuvant therapy with FOLFOX4 or XELOX. Subsequently, the recruited patients were followed-up with scheduled hospital exams for diagnosing recurrence. Genomic DNA samples were prepared from dissected tumors and specific sequences of the KRAS gene were amplified by polymerase chain reactions (PCR). The mutations at codons 12, 13, 59, 60, 61, 117 and 146 of the gene were determined. Possible associations of the KRAS mutations with clinicopathological properties and the survival of patients were analysed. The KRAS mutation rate was 47.9% in Vietnamese patients with NPCC, of those, mutations in exon 2 accounted for 91.4% of all detected mutations. The mutated-KRAS patients exhibited a significantly higher rate of anemia. Moreover, the KRAS mutation rate was higher in females (57.1%) than in males (39.8%). The KRAS mutation rate was also higher in patients with right colon cancers. Furthermore, KRAS mutations were an independent prognosis for poor disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in stage II patients. Among left-sided colon patients, mutated KRAS was a significant predictive factor for poor DFS but not for OS. The present study revealed a very high mutation rate of KRAS in Vietnamese patients with NPCC. The data of the present study indicated that the mutation status was associated with female patients and right-sided tumors. The KRAS mutations were a negative factor for the survival of patients with stage II NPCC and patients with left-sided colon cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TBR225 is one of the most popular commercial rice varieties in Northern Vietnam. However, this variety is highly susceptible to bacterial leaf blight (BLB), a disease caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) which can lead to important yield losses. OsSWEET14 belongs to the SWEET gene family that encodes sugar transporters. Together with other Clade III members, it behaves as a susceptibility (S) gene whose induction by Asian Xoo Transcription-Activator-Like Effectors (TALEs) is absolutely necessary for disease. In this study, we sought to introduce BLB resistance in the TBR225 elite variety. First, two Vietnamese Xoo strains were shown to up-regulate OsSWEET14 upon TBR225 infection. To investigate if this induction is connected with disease susceptibility, nine TBR225 mutant lines with mutations in the AvrXa7, PthXo3 or TalF TALEs DNA target sequences of the OsSWEET14 promoter were obtained using the CRISPR/Cas9 editing system. Genotyping analysis of T0 and T1 individuals showed that mutations were stably inherited. None of the examined agronomic traits of three transgene-free T2 edited lines were significantly different from those of wild-type TBR225. Importantly, one of these T2 lines, harboring the largest homozygous 6-bp deletion, displayed decreased OsSWEET14 expression as well as a significantly reduced susceptibility to a Vietnamese Xoo strains and complete resistance to another one. Our findings indicate that CRISPR/Cas9 editing conferred an improved BLB resistance to a Vietnamese commercial elite rice variety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice breeding was conducted for a long time during historical times and is an important job in Vietnam because rice is the major food for domestic consumption and export. In this review, we have provided a comprehensive insight into the importance of promising rice germplasm resources, breeding achievements, and breeding approaches as well as discussed challenges and perspectives of rice breeding in this country. With rice germplasm and wild rice relative resources with rich and various genetic diversity, their useful genes and traits have been exploited and integrated into commercial varieties as the final outputs of rice breeding programs. New achievements of the modern genetics era have been approached and effectively contributed to breeding activities in this country. Genome sequences, molecular breeding, and mutation are powerful tools and playing vital roles in developing new varieties with characteristics of interest that should be followed by the current market demands. In the last decades, there has been a plethora of newly generated varieties by Vietnamese scientists and rice breeders and approved by the state authorities. However, very few domestic mega varieties have prevailed over the imported varieties. Therefore, rice breeding in this country is faced with big challenges, including limitations of backgrounds, budgets, and even talents in basic research to compete with other rice-producing countries. The target goals and long-term approaches for rice breeding should be paid explicitly in priority to ensure national food security and the advantage and development of rice breeding in this country.