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Hypercholesterolemia is a major cause of cholesterol build-up in the coronary arteries, which can subsequently lead to heart disease or atherosclerosis. Cholesterol levels can be lowered by cholesterol-lowering drugs but some of these drugs may have harmful side effects, while supplementation of Lactobacillus has shown the potential to reduce serum cholesterol levels by virtue of bile salt hydrolase (bsh) activity. In this study, Lactobacillus plantarum VFE-04, L. rhamnosus VFE-08, and L. plantarum VFE-14, had been isolated from Vietnamese healthy adults, were able to deconjugate glycodeoxycholate (GDC) on MRS plates and MRS broth supplemented with GDC. In addition, deconjugating activity of L. plantarum VFE-04, L. rhamnosus VFE-08, and L. plantarum VFE-14 were also found in cell-free extract as expressed by amount of glycine that released in the supernatant. Four bsh genes including bsh1, bsh2, bsh3, and bsh4 have been identified by PCR in these strains. In addition, L. plantarum VFE-04, L. rhamnosus VFE-08, and L. plantarum VFE-14 also showed high ability to resist bile salts and low pH. The results of 16S rRNA gene analyses showed that L. plantarum VFE-04, L. rhamnosus VFE-08, and L. plantarum VFE-14 and had high similarity scores with L. plantarum ZZU 23 (100%), L. rhamnosus JCM 1136 (99%) and L. plantarum S7 (98.65%), respectively. This study suggests that L. plantarum VFE-04, L. rhamnosus VFE-08, and L. plantarum VFE-14 have the potential to be explored as probiotics in the management of hypercholesterolaemia in near future.

IntroductionThe widespread devastation caused by the ongoing waves of COVID-19 imposed a significant burden on the healthcare labor force. At the frontline in the battle against the deadly COVID-19 virus, nursing students in Vietnam were at a much-increased risk of developing mental health conditions. This study aims to identify the prevalence of depression and its related factors, along with coping strategies used by nursing students in the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam.Materials and methodsThe study was cross-sectional in nature, with convenient sampling at the epicenters of COVID-19 outbreaks in Vietnam (N = 191) from April to November 2021. After conducting a questionnaire pilot, the data was collected strictly using an internet-based approach. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 items were used to identify the risk of depression among nursing students. The Chi-square test was used to assess the differences between coping strategies among nursing students. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify risk factors associated with depression.FindingsThe percentage of nursing students affected by depression was 21.5%, and almost half of the nursing students (49.2%) had no coping strategies for dealing with mental health concerns. Among the remaining nursing students, video-based mental consultation was the most popular method (25.7%). Being females (AOR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.1–6.7), collecting bio-samples (AOR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.4–6.2), providing support to vaccination spots (AOR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.1–5.1), and not vaccinating against COVID-19 (AOR: 3.1, 95% CI: 1.1–9.1) were found as risk factors for depression among nursing students.ConclusionOur research revealed a significant number of nursing students suffering from depressive symptoms and underscoring the need for more effective methods of dealing with this condition. Depression management and coping skills focusing on female populations and those whose direct contacts with infectious sources should be implemented in the nursing curricula and continuous training credits. Those trainings, would support future nurses in handling crisis situations better.

Postpartum Depression (PPD) is a burden on women's mental health after delivery, predominantly occurring in the 1st year. PPD poses a threat to the mother's life and affects the quality of childcare. Early detection by family members of depressive symptoms is critical. This study aimed to examine the role of family members in reporting depressive symptoms of PPD among new mothers. A cross-sectional study was conducted, where 56 family members were asked to report depressive symptoms observed in new mothers. At the same time, the new mothers were also screened for PPD using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). Binary logistic regression was performed. Depressive symptoms of new mothers reported by family members, including emotional and behavioral disturbance, being under stress, high anxiety, isolation, changing lifestyle, and inability to take care of their children, were found as predictors of PPD.

Gilbert’s syndrome (GS) is the most common inherited disorder of bilirubin metabolism, non-lethal, affecting 3-12% of the population. The genetic variants of the UDP- glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) gene might reduce the gene transcription activity and its enzyme expression, which affects the ability to conjugate glucuronidation in the liver. This study aimed to identify genetic variants of UGT1A1 in two Vietnamese sibling brothers with jaundice manifestations suspected GS. The peripheral blood samples of patients were used to extract genome DNA and sequence the enhancer, promoter, and coding all five exons of UGT1A1. Two pathogenic variants c.-3279T>G located in the phenobarbital responsive enhancer module (gtPBREM) and A(TA)7TAA of the TATA box in the promoter region were identified. They are twice common pathogenic variants that were reported in almost hyperbilirubinemia individuals from different populations. The obtained results improved the accuracy of medical diagnosis and warned the patients to be cautious in case they have to use medical drugs in the future.

To date, many fluorescence- and gel-based multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays have been developed for the simultaneous detection of multiple infectious agents of respiratory disease in poultry. However, PCR assays are not available for other important emerging respiratory bacteria, such as Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT). We aimed to fill this gap by establishing a new duplex PCR method for the simultaneous detection of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) and ORT. Multiplex primer design software was used to select the compatible multiplex primer pairs. It was determined that an annealing temperature of 65 °C and an initial concentration of 2.5 pmol/µL for each primer set were the most suitable conditions for multiplex PCR. The assay was confirmed to be specific, as it only detected the target pathogens, even in the presence of six non-target agents. The limit of detection was up to 103 copies/µL of template DNA for both ILTV and ORT. In the screening of 304 field samples, 23, 88, and 44 were positive for both ILTV and ORT, solely for ILTV, and solely ORT, respectively.

In this paper, we propose a variationally consistent technique for decreasing the maximum eigenfrequencies of structural dynamics related finite element formulations. Our approach is based on adding a symmetric positive-definite term to the mass matrix that follows from the integral of the traction jump across element boundaries. The added term is weighted by a small factor, for which we derive a suitable, and simple, element-local parameter choice. For linear problems, we show that our mass-scaling method produces no adverse effects in terms of spatial accuracy and orders of convergence. We illustrate these properties in one, two and three spatial dimension, for quadrilateral elements and triangular elements, and for up to fourth order polynomials basis functions. To extend the method to non-linear problems, we introduce a linear approximation and show that a sizeable increase in critical time-step size can be achieved while only causing minor (even beneficial) influences on the dynamic response.

Primary accessory breast cancer is an extremely rare pathology, representing less than 1% of all breast cancers, and it is found in more than 90% of cases in the axilla. The diagnosis of accessory axillary breast cancer (AABC) is often late and at an advanced stage, with an average delay of 40.5 months. Histological sampling and immunohistochemical results confirm the diagnosis. Most patients are diagnosed with stage II disease or higher, so it is considered to have a poor prognosis. There is no proper management for AABC; it follows the guidelines for orthotopic pectoral breast cancer. We therefore report the case of a 50-year-old woman diagnosed with grade II invasive ductal carcinoma found in accessory axillary breast, treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by a wide local resection and axillary lymph node dissection.

This article provides a snapshot of the development of nursing education and practice in Vietnam and the impact of historical and socioeconomic factors of the last few decades. The Vietnamese government has played an instrumental role in shaping the professionalization of nursing while also presenting challenges to the evolving profession with its sometimes-conflicting policies/strategies. To tackle these challenges, the increased involvement of nursing experts who have in-depth understanding of contemporary nursing practice is warranted.

Studies on symptom clusters among cancer patients have been conducted intensively. However, the concept seems not to be well defined, hindering its utilization in clinical practice.The aim of this paper is to reconceptualize symptom cluster and discuss areas of future research.A cluster of symptoms should not be viewed as simply as a group of symptoms appearing together. It should be clinically relevant, and symptom members should be interactive or have a mutual etiology. A cluster is declared as stable if its "quality" or "nature" is remained instead of merely having the same number of symptoms. Importantly, each symptom cluster should have a sentinel symptom. The sentinel symptom could be the one that predicts the presence of the cluster or could be the one that significantly interacts with other symptoms. The search for symptom clusters, which are common among various patient groups, might be helpful in some aspects. However, to better understand them, symptom clusters should be examined in specific populations.The nature of the relationship between symptom members, clinical relevance, sentinel symptom, stability, and prevalence are important features of a symptom cluster. More explorations into these properties by future studies are suggested.

Background: Postpartum depression (PPD) is commonly seen in women after birth and can lead to adverse effects on both the health of mothers and child(ren) development. In Vietnam, there have been a number of studies examining the rate and risk factors of PPD, but none has provided a systematic review.Aim: This current literature review aims to summarize and synthesize the current state of knowledge of studies conducted in Vietnam to provide a comprehensive understanding of the PPD phenomena during the last 10 years.Data Sources: A literature search was conducted relying on the most common online databases—MEDLINE/PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, which included articles if they (i) examined prevalence or risk factors of PPD; (ii) were conducted among Vietnamese participants using either quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method, and (iii) were published from 2010 to 2020. After the filtering process, 18 articles were eligible to be reviewed.Results: Research studies in Vietnam on PPD are conducted among women at and after 1-month delivery. The rate of PPD reported in Vietnam among mothers at postnatal time points from 1 to 12 months ranged from 8.2 to 48.1%. Risk factors can be clustered into three groups: personal factors, family factors, and environmental factors.Recommendation: Further research studies should focus on examining PPD at an earlier stage within the first month after birth. The investigation of risk factors in a comprehensive manner for Vietnamese mothers would also be recommended.

Avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV) is a causative agent of respiratory disease complex in turkeys and chickens that has recently been detected in Vietnam. Due to its novelty, this study was conducted to elucidate the distribution of aMPV in several provinces in northern Vietnam. By the application of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and nested Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), this study demonstrated the circulation of aMPV in 12 out of 14 cities/provinces with positive rates of 37.6% and 17.2%, respectively. All nested RT-PCR positive samples were aMPV subgroup B. By pairing the detection results with age groups, it was observed that aMPV infections occurred in chickens of all ages. Additionally, by genetic characterization, aMPV strains were demonstrated to not be attenuated vaccine viruses and to belong to at least two genetic clades. Overall, the obtained results provided insights into the prevalence of aMPV and indicated a greater complexity of respiratory diseases in chickens in Vietnam.

Background Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is a rare inherited disorder characterized by skin fragility leading to trauma‐induced subepidermal blisters and healing with scarring. DEB is caused by mutations in COL7A1, the gene encoding for type VII collagen (COLVII). The DEB inheritance trait is divided into dominant dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DDEB) and recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB). Methods Whole‐exome sequencing (WES) was performed for identifying mutations in six affected individuals of five Vietnamese families. Results Three novel variants in total of eight variants were found in five families. The first novel variant causing glycine substitution (c.8279G>A, p.G2760E), the remaining two novel variants resulted in splice site affecting (c.4518+2delT and c.5821‐2A>G). Functional analysis indicated that the splice site at c.4518+2delT resulted in a skipping of exon 43, leading to an in‐frame deletion of 12 amino acids. Conclusion Our finding expands the spectrum of COL7A1 mutations and reports altered splicing at c.4518+2delT during the processing of the pre‐mRNA. This study provides an additional scientific basis for diagnosis, genetic counseling, and prognosis purposes of EB patients., Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is a rare inherited disorder characterized by skin fragility leading to trauma‐induced subepidermal blisters and healing with scarring. DEB is caused by mutations in COL7A1, the gene encoding for type VII collagen (COLVII). Whole‐exome sequencing (WES) was performed for identification of mutations in six affected individuals of five Vietnamese families. Three novel variants out of eight variants were found in five families.

In this study, an electro-Fenton (EF) process using carbon felt (CF) as the cathode and titanium/ platinum (Ti/Pt) as the anode was tested for removing rhodamine B (RhB) and other organic dyes in water. Characterization of the CF material was conducted by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The influence of various environmental factors (i.e. solution pH, current density, catalyst dosage, RhB concentration, and type of dyes and electrolytes) on the dye removal was investigated. The results show that the maximum removal efficiency of RhB was 98% within 15 min at the optimal conditions of 50 mgRhB/L, 0.05 M Na2SO4, pH 3, 0.1 mM Fe2+, and 6.67 mA/cm2. The decomposition of RhB follows a pseudofirst-order model with the decomposition rate constant of 0.256 min–1. Radical quenching experiments show that superoxide plays a key role in RhB degradation. Finally, results show that CF has high stability and degradation efficiency, which is suitable as a cathode for the removal of organic dyes in wastewater.

Environmental pollution has become a problem not only for one nation, one region but also for the common concern of all humanity. The process of socio-economic development of the countries in the world has led to tremendous impacts on the environment, causing the human environment to change and become increasingly degraded. important. These are climate change - global warming, depletion of the ozone layer and acid rain ... especially air pollution caused by transportation. In Vietnam, environmental pollution in big cities is becoming a pressing problem. The problem of overcrowding of transport in big cities, which has been very difficult, now adds a serious situation of pollution that is increasing to worrying levels. What a challenging problem that is posing on the shoulders of managers. The paper presents the realities of environmental pollution, especially air pollution from vehicle emissions. Besides, also initially offering solutions to reduce pollution caused by urban transport in Vietnam.

Environmental pollution has become a problem not only for one nation, one region but also for the common concern of all humanity. The process of socio-economic development of the countries in the world has led to tremendous impacts on the environment, causing the human environment to change and become increasingly degraded. important. These are climate change - global warming, depletion of the ozone layer and acid rain ... especially air pollution caused by transportation. In Vietnam, environmental pollution in big cities is becoming a pressing problem. The problem of overcrowding of transport in big cities, which has been very difficult, now adds a serious situation of pollution that is increasing to worrying levels. What a challenging problem that is posing on the shoulders of managers. The paper presents the realities of environmental pollution, especially air pollution from vehicle emissions. Besides, also initially offering solutions to reduce pollution caused by urban transport in Vietnam.

Background. Obtaining tumor specimens and re-evaluating targeted markers is recommended, if possible, in breast cancer patients who relapsed after curative treatment. The biomarker status changes in rebiopsied tumors have been demonstrated to have considerable clinical implications. Objectives. To identify the changes of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status between the primary and recurrent lesions. Materials and Methods. We conducted a study among 67 patients with recurrent breast cancer, recruited from January 2014 to September 2018 in the Vietnam National Cancer Hospital to compare ER, PR, and HER2 status between the primary and recurrent lesions. For each patient, a specimen of their primary tumor and another specimen of recurrent lesions underwent pathological assessment. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to determine ER, PR, and HER2 status in both specimens. Results. Biomarker status conversion rates (in both directions) between primary and recurrent tumors were 26.9% for ER, 38.8% for PR, and 22.4% for HER2. Overall, IHC subtypes (hormone receptor positive, HER2 amplified, and triple-negative) changed in 25 out of 67 (37.3%) cases. Conversion rates were not statistically significantly different between patients with different recurrent sites and times of recurrence. Eight out of 13 initially triple-negative patients (61.5%) had a change to positive status of either ER, PR, or HER2. Conclusion. A substantial discordance in ER, PR, and HER2 status were observed between primary breast cancer tissues and recurrent lesions. Rebiopsy could bring new therapeutic opportunities in the management of patients with recurrent breast cancer.

A key advantage of isogeometric discretizations is their accurate and well-behaved eigenfrequencies and eigenmodes. For degree two and higher, however, optical branches of spurious outlier frequencies and modes may appear due to boundaries or reduced continuity at patch interfaces. In this paper, we introduce a variational approach based on perturbed eigenvalue analysis that eliminates outlier frequencies without negatively affecting the accuracy in the remainder of the spectrum and modes. We then propose a pragmatic iterative procedure that estimates the perturbation parameters in such a way that the outlier frequencies are effectively reduced. We demonstrate that our approach allows for a much larger critical time-step size in explicit dynamics calculations. In addition, we show that the critical time-step size obtained with the proposed approach does not depend on the polynomial degree of spline basis functions.

Armoured scales (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) belong to the largest scale insect family and are among the most invasive insects in the world. Accurate identification of armoured scales is essential for systematic and phylogenetic studies; biogeography; trade and plant quarantine; and pest management, particularly biological control. Several species are serious pests of citrus. Records of past field surveys conducted in Viet Nam between 1967 and 2010 indicated the presence of 28 species on citrus there. Discrepancies in these records, and the retention of specimens of only five species in collections, led us to undertake surveys throughout the citrus-growing regions of the country in 2013 and 2014 to verify previous records and conserve voucher specimens. The presence of 21 diaspidid species was confirmed based on morphological and molecular data. The species observed were common but rarely abundant. Populations in commercial orchards may have been influenced by use of pesticides, but most species were recorded also in gardens and orchards where pesticide use was uncommon. Natural enemies were abundant, but were not thoroughly documented for all the diaspidids we observed. An identification key to the species collected is provided. Differences between our findings and previous records from Viet Nam, from Yunnan and Guangxi in China, and from Indochinese countries neighbouring Viet Nam, indicate the need for extensive surveys to fully document the diaspidid fauna on citrus in the region.

Blends of poly(styrene)-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) and poly(lactide) (PLA) were deposited in the form of thin films on the surface of modified silicon wafers and exposed to tetrahydrofuran (THF) vapor annealing. It was shown that in specific experimental conditions, a core-shell morphology consisting in cylinders with a PMMA shell and a PLA core, within a continuous matrix of PS, was formed. In this case, PLA naturally segregated in the core of the PMMA cylinders, minimizing the PS/PLA interaction, which constitutes the most incompatible pair (the interaction strength between the various components was confirmed in thin films of the corresponding polymer blends). Compared to other block copolymer/homopolymer blends described in the literature, this system exhibits unexpected high increase of the characteristic lengths of the system (center-to-center distance and diameter). This was attributed to a partial solubilization of the PLA in the PMMA corona (the two polymers are highly compatible), inducing an enhanced level of PS and PLA stretching caused by the strong repulsion between these two polymers. The selective extraction of the PLA yielded to porous domains with small dimensions (6 ± 2.5 nm), reaching the performances that are currently attained in highly incompatible block polymers with low molecular weight. Further PMMA removal revealed a second porosity level, with higher pores diameter and center-to-center distance compared to the neat PS-b-PMMA system. This work highlights how PS-b-PMMA, that currently represents one of the industrial standards nanoporous template precursors, can be modified in an easy and costless approach using PLA homopolymer addition.

Background: Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of healthcare quality. Better satisfaction is associated with greater adherence to treatment and better health outcomes. Primary care is considered the basic structure of many healthcare systems. Evaluation of healthcare provision is essential in the ongoing assessment and consequent quality improvement of healthcare services. Objective: To describe and analyze the determinants associated with patient assessment and satisfaction in primary care. Methods: The survey was conducted with 519 households and 209 patients at 18 commune health centers. The questionnaire included sociodemographic variables, health status, and use and satisfaction with primary care services. We undertook descriptive analyses, bivariate correlations to study the relationship between levels of satisfaction and the explanatory variables for demographics, health status and health services for households and patients. Results: The majority of households and patients were satisfied with the health care services at primary health care facilities. Satisfaction of waiting time, communication and counseling by healthcare providers was high. We found significant associations between the level of satisfaction and owning health insurance card, the first contact point assigned at CHCs, the severity of illness episodes, and health condition of participants. Conclusions: The results provide evidence on factors that should be taken into account in the planning and development of health policies with respect to the quality and delivery of primary care services in order to enhancing the satisfaction of clients. Key words: consumer satisfaction, patient satisfaction, primary care, quality indicators

Background: Patients’ expectations are considered to influence their satisfaction with the service provided. This can be used to provide a deeper understanding and better approach to improve health care delivery. Objectives: This study was to identify patients' expectations forhealth care services at commune health centers in Huong Thuy Town, Thua Thien Hue province. Methods: A cross-sectional study with data collected from 423 people in Huong Thuy, using the 38-item standardized questionnaire to measure patients' expectations of primary care. A five score Likert scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree was used to report people’s expectation towards primary care services at commune health centers. Results: Among five important features of primary care, patient expectations for aspects of the medical care were the highest ranking. Aspects that achieved the lowest expectations were the availability and accessibility. The items such as “Facilities should be well equipped and modern”, “Doctor should guide patient in taking medicines correctly” and “Doctor should make patient feel free and comformtable to talk about health issues” received the highest scores. Conclusions: The study provides evidence on what patients expect for primary care service, thus helps to improve primary care quality, especially on the aspects that patients rate highest priorities. Key words: primary care, patient’s expectation, commune health center

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of share repurchase announcements on the stock price of rival firms in the same industry in Vietnam during 2010–2017. Design/methodology/approach Both event study and t-test are employed to test the effects of share repurchase announcements on rival firms. In addition, cross-sectional analysis by ordinary least square regression is also applied for investigating the heterogeneous effects due to information transfer. Findings The finding shows that stock repurchase announcements result in a positive and significant valuation effect for both announcing firms and rival firms in Vietnam. Furthermore, the degree of signal to the industry is conditional on the degree of signal about the announcing firms as a contagious effect. Intra-industry effects are more favorable when profit performance of rival firms is good and when leverage of rival firms is low. Practical implications Rival firms can seize opportunities surrounding share repurchase announcements in the same industry in Vietnam. However, due to firm characteristics, intra-industry effects of stock repurchases differ among industries. Originality/value By examining different methods, the paper attributes valuable results to investigate the stock price behavior of rival firms in the same industry when firms announce stock repurchase in Vietnam.

Three-phase two-level inverters using space vector modulation (SVPWM) technology are one of the most popular inverter architectures today. The process of designing and manufacturing inverter systems usually goes through the following stages: simulation, hardware design, software programming on MCU, editing … In this article, we will focus on problem researching and implementing the SVPWM algorithm on an Arduino in detail. Besides, it is also based on the experimental survey of the inverter’s parameters, analyzing and proposing improved solutions for the inverter to operate optimally. SVPWM algorithm is tested on Arduino Mega 2560 board and small power inverter model.

Background: Evidences around the world in the recent time have affirmed the key role in Disease prevention and mortality rate decreasing.WHO in 2008 recommended contries should improve the primary care system and use primary care as a model to achieve the effectiveness and equity in Health. Evaluation of the quality of primary care services at commune health centers has been very crucial. Objectives: To assess the practice of the principles of primary care at commune health centers of Thua Thien Hue province.Subjects and Methods:Cross-sectional descriptive study of 860 adult people used the healh care services at commune health center at 4 districts in Thua Thien Hue province: Phu Loc, Nam Dong, Huong Thuy and Hue. The study used the Primary Care Assessment tools PCAT from John Hopkins University. Results:First Contact - Utilization was the highest score (3.25 ± 0.93), Affiliation (3.17 ± 0.90), Ongoing care (2.87 ± 0.50), Comprehensiveness – services available (2.75 ± 0.52);The low scores included Coordination of care (2.47 ± 0.97), Culture - based access (2.37 ± 1.17), Community - based orientation (2.35 ± 0.82), Comprehensiveness – services provided (2.22 ± 0.84), Coordination of care - Information system (2.03 ± 0.79 );Total average of primary care was 19.00 ± 3.46, and the total average of expanded primary care was 25.75 ± 5.42. Key words: primary care, principles of primary care, commune health center

World production of farmed crustaceans was 7.8 million tons in 2016. While only making up approximately 10% of world aquaculture production, crustaceans are generally high-value species and can earn significant export income for producing countries. Viet Nam is a major seafood producing country earning USD 7.3 billion in 2016 in export income with shrimp as a major commodity. However, there is a general lack of genomic resources available for shrimp species, which is challenging to obtain due to the need to deal with large repetitive genomes, which characterize many decapod crustaceans. The first tiger prawn (P. monodon) genome assembly was assembled in 2016 using the standard Illumina PCR-based pair-end reads and a computationally-efficient but relatively suboptimal assembler, SOAPdenovo v2. As a result, the current P. monodon draft genome is highly fragmented (> 2 million scaffolds with N50 length of

Although it has been a half-century since dioxin-contaminated herbicides were used to defoliate the landscape during the Vietnam War, dioxin contamination &ldquo, hotspots&rdquo, still remain in Vietnam. Environmental and health impacts of these hotspots need to be evaluated. Intellectual disability (ID) is one of the diseases found in the children of people exposed to the herbicides. This study aims to identify genetic alterations of a patient whose family lived in a dioxin hotspot. The patient&rsquo, s father had a highly elevated dioxin concentration. He was affected with undiagnosed moderate ID. To analyze de novo mutations and genetic variations, and to identify causal gene(s) for ID, we performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) of the proband and his parents. Two de novo missense mutations were detected, each one in ETS2 and ZNF408 genes, respectively. Compound heterozygosity was identified in CENPF and TTN genes. Existing knowledge on the genes and bioinformatics analyses suggest that EST2, ZNF408, and CENPF might be promising candidates for ID causative genes.

Objectives: 1. To explore the utilization of medical services in Phu Loc District, Thua Thien Hue Province; 2. To examine some related factors to medical services utilization in Phu Loc District, Thua Thien Hue Province. Methods: A cross sectional study using questionnaire interview of 3258 residents in 800 households. Results: There were 352 people got sick during the one month period before interview of whom 95,3% respondents were sick one time and most cases were mild illness (60,5%). Respiratory problems accounted for the largest proportion. Among sick people, 33,8% of them used medical services at Commune Health Center (CHC), 20,2% treated at hospital, 12,8% used private clinic; and self treatment was still high (33,2%). Age group, the perceived serious level of illness, and having health insurance are significantly associated with the medical services utilization. The main reasons for using CHC are having health insurance (83,2%) and that CHC is near their home (75,6%). The major reason for not using CHC is the low quality of medical service at CHC (45,9%). Waiting time, the trust to medical staff, and satisfaction with consultation time are associated with the choice of health facilities. When assessing the quality of primary care of health facilities using the Primary Care Assessment Tools (PCAT), CHC had the highest score in the Comprehensiveness domain and the private clinics achieved the highest score in the Ongoing Care domain.

The selective staining by ruthenium tetroxide (RuO4) was used in combination with Atomic Force Microscopy and calcination to discriminate and assign microphases at the surfaces of films of complex polymer systems. This paper evaluates this technique on thin films of polystyrene-b-polylactide (PS-b-PLA) and polystyrene-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) and demonstrates its efficiency on complex thin film of binary blend of PS-b-PMMA and PLA. This method overcomes difficulties in the interpretation of AFM images by assigning PS microphase. In addition we show that this methodology could yield nanostructured inorganic materials with tunable structures such as perforated layers or nanowires that could find potential applications in the fabrication of high specific surface area Ru oxide-based materials.

Objective The objectives of this case report are as follows: to describe the process of establishing a national laboratory information management system (LIMS) program for clinical and public health laboratories in Vietnam; to evaluate the outcomes and lessons learned; and to present a model for sustainability based on the program outcomes that could be applied to diverse laboratory programs. Methods This case report comprises a review of program documentation and records, including planning and budgetary records of the donor, monthly reports from the implementer, direct observation, and ad-hoc field reports from technical advisors and governmental agencies. Additional data on program efficacy and user acceptance were collected from routine monitoring of laboratory policies and operational practices. Results LIMS software was implemented at 38 hospital, public health and HIV testing laboratories in Vietnam. This LIMS was accepted by users and program managers as a useful tool to support laboratory processes. Implementation cost per laboratory and average duration of deployment decreased over time, and project stakeholders initiated transition of financing (from the donor to local institutions) and of system maintenance functions (from the implementer to governmental and site-level staff). Collaboration between the implementer in Vietnam and the global LIMS user community was strongly established, and knowledge was successfully transferred to staff within Vietnam. Conclusion Implementing open-sourced LIMS with local development and support was a feasible approach towards establishing a sustainable laboratory informatics program that met the needs of health laboratories in Vietnam. Further effort to institutionalize IT support capacity within key government agencies is ongoing.

Objectives: We surveyed the cutaneous fungal pathogens and the causative fungi species by clinical types from 181 patients in Hue Medicine and Pharmacy of hospital. Materials and methods: A crossectional survey for describe on 181 patients with positive direct examination from samples, including skin, hair and nail scrapings. These specimens were cultured on Sabouraud agar – Chloramphenicol medium or Sabouraud agar – Chloramphenicol – Cycloheximide medium or two kinds of media. Dermatophytes and nondermatophyte moulds were identified by the microscopic morphology. Identification of Candida species and other yeast pathogens based on the Dalmau technique and colorimetric sugar utilisation test. Results: The results were as follows: - The cutaneous fungal pathogens: + Dermatophytes was 90.64%, in which Trichophyton species was 82.91% T.rubrum 58.01%, T. mentagrophytes 14.36%, T.tonsurans 3.33%, T.violaceum 2.76%, T. erinacei 1.66%, T.schoenleini 1.10%, T.soudanense 0.55%, T.verrucosum 1.10%), Microsporum species was 7.18% M.gypseum 4.42%, M.canis 2.21%, M.persicolor 0.55%), and Epidermophyton floccosum was 0.55%. + Yeasts was 7.71%, in which C. albicans was 3.86%, C. parapsilopsis was 1.10%, C. tropicalis was 0.55%, C.famata was 0.55%, C.guilliermondii 0.55% and Trichosporon cutaneum was 1.10%. + Nondermatophytes moulds were 1.65%, in which Fusarium solani was 0.55%, Fusarium onysix was 0.55% and Scopulariopsis was 0.55%. - The causative fungi species by clinical types: Tinea capitis: T.rubrum (33.33%), T.mentagrophytes (33.33%), M.canis (33.33%). Tinea unguium: T.rubrum (66.66%), T.schoenleini (16.67%), Fusarium solani (16.67%). Tinea manuum and intertrigo: T.rubrum (16.67%), T.mentagrophytes (16.67%), M.gypseum (16.66%), Candida albicans (50.00%). Tinea pedis: T.rubrum (63.64%), T.mentagrophytes (9.09%), T.violaceum (9.09%), T.soudanense (9.09%), M.persicolor (9.09%). Tinea corporis: T.rubrum (57.70%), T.mentagrophytes (17.31%), T.violaceum (1.92%), T.tonsurans (1.92%),T. Erinacei (5.77%), T.verrucosum (1.92%), M.gypseum (9.62%), M.canis (1.92%), Fusarium onysix (1.92%). Tinea cruris: T.rubrum (60.32%), T.mentagrophytes (17.46%), T.violaceum (3.17%), T.tonsurans (7.94%), T.schoenleini (1.59%), T.verrucosum (1.59%), M.gypseum (3.17%), M.canis (3.17%), Epidermophyton floccosum (1.59%). Mutiple clinical type: T.rubrum (85.71%), T. mentagrophytes (10.71%), T.violaceum (3.58%). Paronychia - onychomychosis : Candida albicans (36.37%), Candida parapsilopsis (18.18%), Candida tropicalis (9,09%), Candida famata (9.09%), Candida guilliermondii (9.09%) và Trichosporon cutaneum (18.18%). Conclusion: Dermatophytes was the most prevalent cutaneous fungal infection (90.61%), followed by yeasts (7.74%) and then nondermatophytes moulds (1.65%). As the causative dermatophytes species, Trichophyton rubrum was the most frequently isolated pathogen (58.01%). T.rubrum and T.mentagrophytes were isolated from all the dermatophytosis clinical types. Candida sp and Trichosporon cutaneum were etiological agent of paronychia - onychomycosis.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of cutaneous fungal disease and the related factors of 415 attending patients at Parasitology Laboratory, Hue University Hospital. Materials and methods: A crossectional survey for describe on 415 patients of clinically suspected dermatomycose lesions at the Dermatology Clinic. The samples of skin, hair and nails were collected and were examined by KOH 20% solution to diagnose fungal disease. We interviewed patients to get some related factors. Results: 1. The prevalence of fungal disease was 51.81 and clinical types included: tinea corporis 33.02%, tinea cruris 29.30%, tinea pedis 6.05%, paronychia - onychomycosis 5.58%, tinea capitis 3.72%, tinea unguium 3.72%, tinea mannum and interdigital of fingers 3.72%, multiple clinical type 14.88%. 2. Factors associated with cutaneous fungal disease included: Age: age group from 16 to 25 had the highest prevalence fungal infection (73.95%); Gender: males were more infected (71.16%) than females (28.84%); Occupation: the prevalence cutaneous fungal disease of students (58.85%), farmers (62.50%), blue - collar workers (58.33%) and craftsmen (62.50%) were higher than other occupations; Habitat: living in rural and dormitory had the prevalence cutaneous fungal disease higher than private house in urban; Drug using for previous treat: treating with corticoides were more affected than antibiotics and other drugs, living facilities and personal characteristics: unavailable freshwater, physical activities, usual sweat. Conclusion: The prevalence of cutaneous fungal disease in patients of clinically suspected dermatomycose lesion was 51.81%. Tinea corporis is the commonest clinical type. Related factors of this disease were age, gender, occupation, habitat, previous treating by corticoides, unavailable freshwater, physical activities, usual sweat. Key words: Cutaneous fungal disease, clinical types, tinea. Key words: Cutaneous fungal disease, clinical types, tinea

In this study, we employed an in vitro model to examine the effects of endocrine disruptors (EDs) in the regulation of growth hormone (GH) gene, an important hormone in growth, development and body composition. The rat pituitary cells, GH3, were treated with alkyl-phenols (APs), i.e., 4-tert-octyl-phenol (OP), p-nonyl-phenol (NP) or bisphenol A (BPA) for 24h in a dose-dependent manner (10(-5), 10(-6) and 10(-7)M) and in a time-dependent fashion (1, 3, 6, 12 and 24h) at a high concentration (10(-5)M). An anti-estrogen, ICI 182,780, was used to examine the potential involvement of estrogen receptor (ER) in the induction of GH by EDs through an ER-mediated pathway. Treatment with OP, NP and BPA induced a significant increase in GH gene expression at high and medium doses at 24h. ED-exposure induced a marked increase in GH gene transcription as early as 6h and peaked at 12h. Co-treatment with ICI 182,780 significantly attenuated ED-induced GH expression in GH3 cells. Interestingly, the level of in vitro GH release was significantly increased at 24h in response to OP, NP or BPA, whereas co-treatment with ICI 182,780 significantly reversed ED-induced GH secretion, indicating that ER may take part in both GH gene transcription and its release in these cells. In addition, the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs), protein kinases B (Akt) or G protein in response to OP, NP or BPA at 24h was observed in this study. Exposure to these APs resulted in a rapid and significant activation of ERK phosphorylation, reflecting that EDs-induced response may involve both genomic and non-genomic pathways in these cells. Taken together, these results may provide new insight into the mode of ED-induced action in GH gene regulation as well as the biological pathway underlying these molecular events.

A variety of environmental chemicals may possess the potential to interact with various endocrine factors and consequently cause adverse effects on the reproductive, central nervous, and immune systems via the endocrine system(s). In this study, we used the GH3 cell line as an in vitro model to determine the effects of potential endocrine disruptors (EDs) on the induction of calbindin-D9k (CaBP-9k), a useful biomarker for detecting the estrogenic activities of EDs. A rat pituitary cell line, GH3, was treated with octyl-phenol (OP), nonyl-phenol (NP), and bisphenol A (BPA) in a dose-dependent manner (10 � 5 ,1 0 � 6 , and 10 � 7 M) for 24 h. To determine the time dependency, the cells were exposed to a high concentration (10 � 5 M) of OP, NP, and BPA and harvested at different time points (1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h). An antiestrogen, ICI 182,780, was used to examine the potential involvement of the estrogen receptor (ER) in the induction of CaBP-9k by EDs via an ER-mediated pathway. Treatment with OP, NP, and BPA induced a significant increase in CaBP-9k expression at both the transcriptional and translational levels in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, ED exposure caused a significant increase in CaBP-9k messenger RNA (mRNA) expression at 6 h, whereas induction of CaBP-9k protein was observed as early as 1 h after treatment. However, both CaBP-9k mRNA and protein expression peaked at 24 h following treatment. The differential response of CaBP-9k mRNA and protein to EDs may be explained by translational efficiency. Cotreatment with ICI 182,780 significantly reversed ED-induced CaBP-9k expression in GH3 cells, suggesting that EDs may trigger the induction of CaBP-9k via an ER-mediated pathway in these cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate for the first time that a single in vitro exposure to OP, NP, or BPA results in an increase in CaBP-9k expression in GH3 cells, after 24 h. These results may contribute to our understanding of the relationship between the molecular events evoked by ED exposure and its biological effects on the pituitary gland in humans and animals. This in vitro model, in combination with a single injection in vivo method developed by us, may be important for elucidating additional details of the mode of action of xenoestrogens and may provide reliable tests for screening estrogenic agonists and antagonists.

This paper presents a design study of an interactive fridge aimed at encouraging people to prevent domestic food waste. The project implemented a prototype which consists of three main objects: i) Stickers help grouping similar food together; ii) Sliders visualize food expiration date into colors in order to help people be aware of food states; iii) LCD Screen provides graphic and sound feedback when people use their fridge to make the fridge more fun to use. To ground our design, we used design thinking as a guideline process. We evaluated the prototype using qualitative analysis of interview data. The findings show that the prototype motivated people grouping food and increased their awareness of the availability of food items in the fridge, the prototype also encouraged people in using food before expiration date. This paper offers three main contributions. Firstly, we identified three major problems that lead to domestic food waste. Secondly, we proposed a new design to address the problems. Thirdly, we applied design thinking as a design method to solve problems that related to domestic food waste.

Two main results are presented in this paper. (i) Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with uniform size-distribution and controllability in the range of 20–50 nm were synthesized by seeding and growing at ambient conditions. The single-crystal Ag nano-seeds were created by reduction of AgNO3 in presence of citrate surfactant at 70 °C. Then, importantly, the fresh AgCl precursor was used in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone to adjust the reaction rate with ascorbic acid to generate Ag for growing on the surface of single-crystal Ag nano-seeds. The AgNPs size could be well-controlled by varying the amount of Ag nano-seeds while keeping the AgCl precursor concentration to be constant. (ii) The large 2D-arrays with homogeneous and dense monolayers of AgNPs were prepared on ITO substrates by hybrid method, in which the key technological point is the surface functionalization of AgNPs using mixed alkanethiols (dodecanethiol:octadecanethiol = 6:1). We have used the fabricated 2D-arrays from the 50 nm AgNPs as a surface enhanced Raman scattering substrate to take the Raman scattering spectra of rhodamine B (RhB), glucose and viral pathogen (H5N1) at very low concentrations of 10−10 M, 10−12 M and 4 ng μl−1, respectively.

Estrogen (E2; estradiol) plays a key role in the regulation of many pituitary hormones. It exerts its effects by binding to the intracellular estrogen receptor (ER), which then functions as a transcription factor. Although E2 has been shown to regulate calbindin-D(9k) (CaBP-9k) in the female reproductive system of rodents, the effects of E2 on the regulation of CaBP-9k in male rats remain to be elucidated. To investigate E2-induced regulation of the pituitary CaBP-9k gene, immature male rats were injected with E2 daily for 3 consecutive days with a dose of 40 microg/kg body weight (BW). The expression levels of CaBP-9k mRNA and protein were analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively, in the absence and presence of ICI 182,780 (ICI), an E2 antagonist. In addition, the tissue localization of CaBP-9k was determined by immunohistochemistry. CaBP-9k was localized in the cytoplasm of a specific cell type (acidophils) in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland and highly expressed in the intermediate lobe. Exposure to E2 increased the number of cells that stained positive for CaBP-9k. To determine which ER subtype is involved in CaBP-9k regulation in the pituitary, the immature rats were treated with propyl pyrazole triol (PPT, an ERalpha-selective ligand) or diarylpropionitrile (DPN, an ERbeta-selective ligand) for 3 days. Pituitary CaBP-9k expression was mainly mediated by PPT in immature male rats, whereas no significant alteration of pituitary CaBP-9k gene expression was observed after DPN treatment. In addition, the estrogenicity of PPT in the induction of CaBP-9k expression was completely blocked by an estrogen antagonist, ICI, indicating that pituitary CaBP-9k expression is solely induced by ERalpha. Taken together, these results suggest that pituitary CaBP-9k is induced by E2 in male rats and its expression is predominantly regulated by ERalpha, but not ERbeta.

As a member of family of cytosolic calcium binding proteins, Calbindin-D9k (CaBP-9k) is expressed in female reproductive system and regulated by steroid hormones, estrogen (E2) and progesterone (P4), but its expression and role in pituitary gland have not been elucidated yet. Thus, in this study, we elucidated the expression of CaBP-9k mRNA and protein in pituitary gland of rats. During estrous cycle of rats, pituitary CaBP-9k level fluctuated, and its mRNA was highly elevated during an E2-dominant stage (proestrus and estrus), whereas its level disappeared at a P4-dominant stage (metestrus and diestrus). In parallel with CaBP-9k mRNA, an increased level of CaBP-9k protein was observed during proestrus and estrus, suggesting that pituitary CaBP-9k may be up-regulated by E2. In addition, spatial CaBP-9k expression was attested by immunohistochemistry. Pituitary CaBP-9k protein was localized in the cytoplasm of a specific cell type in the anterior lobe, and the positive cells were abundant at proestrus and estrus. The CaBP-9k-positive cells were mainly localized in the acidophils producing growth hormones and prolactin. To verify hormonal regulation of pituitary CaBP-9k in this tissue, immature rats were treated with a physiological dose of E2 in the absence or presence P4 for 3 days. In a time-dependent experiment, pituitary CaBP-9k protein was induced at 48 h after the final E2 injection. A significant increase in CaBP-9k protein was caused by E2, whereas P4 antagonized E2-stimulated CaBP-9k expression as similarly observed in the uterus. Taken together, these results indicated for the first time that pituitary CaBP-9k expression is regulated during estrous cycle, and its expression is mainly controlled by E2 and antagonized by P4, suggesting that pituitary CaBP-9k in female rats may be involved in the central function of the reproduction system.

This report highlights the fabrication of fluorescence biosensors based on CdTe quantum dots (QDs) for specific detection of H5N1 avian influenza virus. The core biosensor was composed of (i) the highly luminescent CdTe/CdS QDs, (ii) chromatophores extracted from bacteria Rhodospirillum rubrum, and (iii) the antibody of ?-subunit. This core part was linked to the peripheral part of the biosensor via a biotin?streptavidin?biotin bridge and finally connected to the H5N1 antibody to make it ready for detecting H5N1 avian influenza virus. Detailed studies of each constituent were performed showing the image of QDs-labeled chromatophores under optical microscope, proper photoluminescence (PL) spectra of CdTe/CdS QDs, chromatophores and the H5N1 avian influenza viruses.