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Abstract Eicosanoids are key players in inflammatory diseases and cancer. Targeting their production by inhibiting Group IVA cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2α) offers a promising approach for cancer therapy. In this study, we synthesize a second generation of thiazolyl ketone inhibitors of cPLA2α starting with compound GK470 (AVX235) and test their in vitro and cellular activities. We identify a more potent and selective lead molecule, GK420 (AVX420), which we test in parallel with AVX235 and a structurally unrelated compound, AVX002 for inhibition of cell viability across a panel of cancer cell lines. From this, we show that activity of polycomb group repressive complex 2 is a key molecular determinant of sensitivity to cPLA2α inhibition, while resistance depends on antioxidant response pathways. Consistent with these results, we show that elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species and activating transcription factor 4 target gene expression precede cell death in AVX420-sensitive T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. Our findings imply cPLA2α may support cancer by mitigating oxidative stress and inhibiting tumor suppressor expression and suggest that AVX420 has potential for treating acute leukemias and other cancers that are susceptible to oxidative cell death.

This study aimed to analyze the adaptation of workers in industrial parks in Vietnam post-COVID-19 through fluctuations in their income. Data were collected from a survey of 438 workers working in industrial parks and in-depth interviews with five workers in different positions in industrial parks. The study utilized the ordinary least squares (OLS) method to quantify the factors influencing workers’ income. Additionally, the difference test method was applied to assess the income variations among workers based on their professional qualifications and occupational skills. The most significant factor identified is the experience of workers (unstandardized coefficient = 0.271), followed by the education level of workers (unstandardized coefficient = 0.128). Additionally, the study reveals that differences in professional qualifications lead to an income disparity of 1.898 million VND per month, while the variations in complementary skills contribute to an income difference of 0.592 million VND per month. Furthermore, the adaptation of workers in Vietnam’s industrial parks post-COVID-19 is at a relatively good level. From there, the study suggests several solutions to enhance workers’ income to adapt to new post-COVID-19 conditions.

Abstract In recent years, visual facial forgery has reached a level of sophistication that humans cannot identify fraud, which poses a significant threat to information security. A wide range of malicious applications have emerged, such as deepfake, fake news, defamation or blackmailing of celebrities, impersonation of politicians in political warfare, and the spreading of rumours to attract views. As a result, a rich body of visual forensic techniques has been proposed in an attempt to stop this dangerous trend. However, there is no comprehensive, fair, and unified performance evaluation to enlighten the community on best performing methods. The authors present a systematic benchmark beyond traditional surveys that provides in‐depth insights into facial forgery and facial forensics, grounding on robustness tests such as contrast, brightness, noise, resolution, missing information, and compression. The authors also provide a practical guideline of the benchmarking results, to determine the characteristics of the methods that serve as a comparative reference in this never‐ending war between measures and countermeasures. The authors’ source code is open to the public.

In this work, we study the bending vibrations of a thin wing for a profile with two axes of symmetry, taking into account the influence of torsional vibrations on them. The primary focus of the current study is on finding an analytic solution for the wing-bending equation through the Laplace transform, determining the frequency of free-bending vibrations, and constructing the amplitude-frequency response and phase-frequency response of the wing.

Urbanization, a global process entailing profound socio-economic changes, transforms land cover. This review analyzes the social-ecological drivers and outcomes of land cover change (LCC) in five politically unstable regions: Greater Cairo, Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank. Using data from 30 papers, we explored socio-political contexts and measured the social-ecological outcomes related to LCC. Remote sensing studies from 2011 to 2021 indicated predominantly negative social-ecological outcomes of urban expansion (p = 0.03), whereas, some studies indicated also positive outcomes of urban growth (p = 0.001). All studies highlighted the complex, location-specific interplay of LCC drivers. The lack of sufficient and consistent data to quantitatively assess the interlinkages between social-ecological outcomes and LCC drivers remains a challenge to better understand urbanization effects on ecosystem services.

Abstract Background Breast screening recommendation based on individual risk assessment is emerging as an alternative approach to improve compliance and efficiency to detect breast cancer (BC) early. In Vietnam, prior knowledge to stratify risk based on genetic factors is currently lacking. Methods This study recruited 892 BC patients and 735 healthy Vietnamese women from 2016 to 2021. DNA from blood samples of BC patients was first analyzed for pathogenic variants associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome (HBOC). For patients with no HBOC and healthy participants, DNA was genotyped for 398 BC susceptibility single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) by next-generation sequencing to identify significantly associated SNPs and construct a polygenic risk score (PRS). Results The prevalence of HBOC predisposition gene mutations in Vietnamese women with BC was 5.4%. HBOC cases were significantly younger and enriched in the age group of 20–39 years old. In patients with no HBOC, we found 36 SNPs significantly associated with BC that were mostly similar to other Asian ethnicities; 34 of them were used to build a PRS model achieving an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.56–0.68). Women in the top 1% PRS percentile had an odds ratio of 5.09 (95% CI: 3.10–7.86) while those in the bottom 1% had an odds ratio of 0.21 (95% CI: 0.09–0.39) to develop BC. Conclusions This study provides the first large datasets for HBOC gene analysis, BC susceptibility SNP association testing, and PRS modeling for Vietnamese women. Together, these data could aid the development of personalized BC screening recommendations for women in Vietnam.

Abstract Improved ability to assess and categorize the spatial characteristics of settlement patterns is required for a deeper understanding of how urbanization is driving land use and land cover transformation and its effects. Two approaches to the globally available settlement maps of the World Settlement Footprint 3D support a detailed assessment of spatial characteristics of settlement patterns in rural to urban landscapes and across scales: graph-based spatial network analysis and elements of fractal theory. Based on first comprehensive tests for the Punjab (India), the Nile Delta (Egypt) and the North China Plain, the results of our study suggest that the presented methods allow a quantitative and qualitative characterization and comparison of settlement patterns between different regions of the world. The approache allows to generate standardized baseline data for arbitrary regions in the world to analyze structuring principles of settlement hierarchies (e.g., self-organized fractal geometries) and their dependence on - or interaction with - cultural, political, socioeconomic, or environmental conditions.

Abstract Improving vaccine coverage among children is crucial to prevent the long-term consequences of COVID-19 infections and the emergence of resistant COVID-19 variants, especially in resource-scarce settings. This study determined factors influencing the willingness to take and pay for COVID-19 vaccine for children among Vietnamese healthcare professionals and the public. A Theory-Based discrete-choice experiment was focused on a different topic related to vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine for children, Monkeypox, the adult COVID-19 booster, the HIV vaccine, and a potential future pandemic. The recruitment period was from April to August 2022, and a total of 5700 Vietnamese individuals aged 16 and above from various regions of the country participated in the study. The data for the sub-study on the COVID-19 vaccination for children was completed by 891 of these participants. Most participants agreed on vaccination for all children. Among healthcare professionals it was 76.2% and 69.3% for the general population. Healthcare professionals were the main source of vaccine information (70.7%). Payment options of 50%, 100%, and full subsidy were the most popular. Concerns about vaccine characteristics were associated with lower acceptance among healthcare professionals and the general public. The burden of historical medical expenses negatively correlated with willingness to pay for vaccination, while service satisfaction positively correlated with willingness to pay. To develop an effective vaccination program among children in Vietnam, providing accurate information and satisfying vaccine services, primarily through knowledgeable and professional healthcare providers, can improve the willingness to vaccinate and pay for the COVID-19 vaccine.

This study tested the impact of priming peanut seeds from the VD01-2 cultivar with either 6 mg/L of abscisic acid or 20 mg/L of sodium nitroprusside to prevent damage from drought stress. Throughout the development of peanuts under drought-stress conditions, various morphological, physiological, and biochemical changes were analyzed. According to the study, it was determined that priming with SNP had a more significant effect than priming with ABA. The use of sodium nitroprusside priming resulted in an improvement in both the yield and quality of peanuts when grown under drought conditions. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the use of sodium nitroprusside priming showed an increase in chlorophyll content, gas exchange capacity, and antioxidant activities while reducing lipid peroxidation.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the severe COVID-19 pandemic on neonates and develop strategies to improve their outcomes. Methods: We conducted an observational cross-sectional study at Children's Hospital 1 (CH1) from July 25, 2021, to May 31, 2022. All neonates who had fever or respiratory symptoms or were born from mothers with COVID-19 and had a positive RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 result would be included. We classified neonates with COVID-19 into 2 groups: mild/moderate and severe for analysis. Differences between groups were analyzed using Fisher's exact test/Chi-square test for categorical variables and Student's t-test/Wilcoxon Rank Sum test for continuous variables. Results: This study included 88 newborns who had positive RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 results. The severity COVID-19 rate among neonatal cases was found to be 13.6% (12/88), with a corresponding mortality rate of 1.1% (1/88). All severe cases showed lung abnormalities as evident on chest X-ray images. In addition to respiratory symptoms, a higher incidence of gastrointestinal manifestations, such as vomiting and diarrhea, was observed in the severe group, indicating a compelling association. The administration of anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory drugs in the study group resulted in a satisfactory outcome with no significant complications. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on the well-being of neonates. The management of COVID-19 in this population presents significant challenges.

Abstract Background The increasing incidence and prevalence of childhood overweight (OW) and obesity (OB) are major global health challenges. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 2-year healthy lifestyle intervention program in reducing the incidence of OW and OB among schoolchildren aged 11–12 years in Vietnam. Methods Study design: Randomized controlled trial. Participants and interventions: In total, 733 students participated in this study. Participants were included from four schools in Hanoi based on a random cluster sampling method. Students’ health outcomes were assessed at baseline and after 2 years. Main outcomes: The primary outcomes were the incidence of OW and OB, and the secondary outcomes were the prevalence and remission of OW and OB. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used to determine the outcomes and risk factors. Results After the intervention, the prevalence of OW decreased by 9.24% in the intervention group and 3.01% in the control group. After adjustment for age and sex, the odds of overweight were 36.7% lower in the intervention group than in the control group (OR = 0.633; 95% CI: 0.434–0.925; P = 0.018). The incidence of OW was 1.31% in the intervention group compared with 5.33% in the control group. After adjustment for age and sex, the odds of incident overweight in the intervention group were 77.4% lower than in the control group (OR = 0.226; 95% CI: 0.063–0.813; P = 0.023). The proportion of patients who achieved OW remission was 41.22% in the intervention group and 28.68% in the control group. After adjustment for age and sex, the odds of OW remission of overweight were 2.219 times greater in the intervention group than in the control group (OR = 2.219; 95% CI: 1.220–4.036; P = 0.009). For most OB-related factors, there were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups. Conclusion A multicomponent healthy lifestyle intervention was effective in reducing the incidence of OW; however, it had no significant effect on OB among children aged 11–12 years in Hanoi, Vietnam. Trial registration Retrospectively registered number: UMIN000014992, 20/08/2023.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of various plant-derived carotenoid extracts on growth parameters and skin coloration of golden trevally (Gnathanodon speciosus). Five groups of fish were fed diets containing carotenoid sources from the petal extracts of the leopard tree (Caesalpinia ferrea), wild sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia), marigold (Tagetes erecta), yellow bells (Tecoma stans), Wedelia chinensis (Wedelia chinensis), along with a control group, each diet had a carotenoid concentration of 0.25 g/kg feed. The diets were based on the same fundamental ingredients and administered for 56 days. Results showed significant differences in growth parameters among the different diets, with wild sunflower and marigold petal extracts proving most effective in enhancing the skin coloration of golden trevally. High yellow (CIE b*), ranging from 17.2 to 18.8, were observed (Minolta CR-400), compared to only 12.2 ± 0.34 in the control group. Additionally, the carotenoid content in the tissue of the various groups differed significantly (p < 0.05), with the highest level of carotenoids (71.2 ± 2.9 µg/g tissue) detected in the fish skin of the dietary marigold flower group (UV-visible spectrophotometry). It is suggested that the petals of wild sunflowers and marigolds can efficiently improve body pigmentation and growth performance in golden trevally, indicating that these plant-derived carotenoids may have potential applications in aquaculture.

Tank color is an important environmental factor influencing aquaculture performance, but it remains poorly understood for juvenile giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis) under laboratory conditions. This study evaluated the effects of five different tank colors (white, blue, red, yellow, and dark grey) on growth performance, survival, feed utilization efficiency, body coloration, and biochemical composition of juvenile giant trevally. In a 28-day experiment, juvenile giant trevally with an initial mean length of 1.91 ± 0.03 cm and an initial weight of 0.24 ± 0.04 g were reared in tanks with different colors at a density of 1 fish/L, and each treatment was replicated three times. Results showed that fish reared in yellow tanks had higher growth rate, higher survival, and lower feed conversion ratio compared to those reared in white and blue tanks (p < 0.05). Fish reared in yellow and red tanks had significantly darker yellow body coloration and accumulated more carotenoids than those reared in white and dark grey tanks. Additionally, fish reared in yellow and red tanks had higher body protein content, whereas fish reared in white tanks had higher body moisture content (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that tank color could be an important factor in improving the rearing performance and skin pigmentation of juvenile giant trevally. Yellow tank color is suggested as a potential strategy to optimize juvenile giant trevally seed production in aquaculture.

Fibroma of the tendon sheath (FTS) arising from the extensor tendon of a toe is a rare event. A review of the literature reveals less than 10 such cases. The current case report describes such a very rare tumor arising from the extensor digitorum longus tendon in a 61-year old male patient. The patient presented with a 6-month history of a progressive localized swelling of his left fourth toe. The tumor was diagnosed based on clinical, radiographic, surgical and histopathologic findings. By presenting this case report, the authors hope to call attention to this rare condition as a possible differential diagnosis in patients presenting with a soft tissue mass involving the toes.

ABSTRACT Background Multi‐cancer early detection (MCED) through a single blood test significantly advances cancer diagnosis. However, most MCED tests rely on a single type of biomarkers, leading to limited sensitivity, particularly for early‐stage cancers. We previously developed SPOT‐MAS, a multimodal ctDNA‐based assay analyzing methylation and fragmentomic profiles to detect five common cancers. Despite its potential, SPOT‐MAS exhibited moderate sensitivities for early‐stage cancers. This study investigated whether integrating hotspot mutations into SPOT‐MAS could enhance its detection rates. Method A targeted amplicon sequencing approach was developed to profile 700 hotspot mutations in cell‐free DNA and integrated into the SPOT‐MAS assay, creating a single‐blood draw workflow. This workflow, namely SPOT‐MAS Plus was retrospectively validated in a cohort of 255 non‐metastatic cancer patients (breast, colorectal, gastric, liver, and lung) and 304 healthy individuals. Results Hotspot mutations were detected in 131 of 255 (51.4%) cancer patients, with the highest rates in liver cancer (96.5%), followed by colorectal (59.3%) and lung cancer (53.7%). Lower detection rates were found for cancers with low tumor mutational burden, such as breast (31.3%) and gastric (41.9%) cancers. In contrast, SPOT‐MAS demonstrated higher sensitivities for these cancers (51.6% for breast and 62.9% for gastric). The combination of hotspot mutations with SPOT‐MAS predictions improved early‐stage cancer detection, achieving an overall sensitivity of 78.5% at a specificity of 97.7%. Enhanced sensitivities were observed for colorectal (81.36%) and lung cancer (82.9%). Conclusion The integration of genetic and epigenetic alterations into a multimodal assay significantly enhances the early detection of various cancers. Further validation in larger cohorts is necessary to support broader clinical applications.

IntroductionThis qualitative study investigates the impact of quality assurance (QA) measures on the well-being and professional satisfaction of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Vietnam, focusing on the manifestations of burnout as a direct consequence of these pressures.MethodsEmploying a phenomenological approach, semi- structured interviews were conducted with 10 Vietnamese EFL teachers from two educational institutions, exploring their experiences with QA initiatives. Thematic analysis revealed a dual burden: the intensified administrative responsibilities and heightened student expectations associated with QA processes contribute significantly to stress and burnout among teachers.Results/FindingsKey findings include the emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment experienced by participants, alongside physical symptoms and mental health challenges. Teachers reported employing various coping strategies to navigate the pressures of their professional environment, highlighting their quest for professional fulfillment amidst these challenges.DiscussionThe study underscores the need for a balanced approach to QA that considers teacher well-being, advocating for policies that alleviate administrative burdens, promote work-life balance, and support professional development. Additionally, it calls for institutional prioritization of mental health resources and collaborative environments to mitigate the adverse effects of QA on teachers. The findings contribute to the discourse on QA in higher education, emphasizing the importance of supporting EFL teachers’ well-being for sustainable educational excellence.

Quarries are open pit mines, where construction materials such as granite and clay are extracted from the earth's surface, leading to a major disturbance of vegetation and subsequent degradation of ecosystem services. Assessing mining-associated degradation over time remains a challenge. This paper uses a temporal series of Landsat satellite image extracted from Google Earth Engine (GEE) for monitoring mining effects on land cover around the West African city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. We conducted a binary classification of quarry and non-quarry using Landsat 9 images. To account for varying quarry patterns, we applied the LandTrendr algorithm to analyze images from 1990 to 2022, mapping annual vegetation disturbance and recovery. This generated high-resolution land cover maps with over 90 % accuracy across 257 quarries (38 km²). LandTrendr identified disturbance years with 87 % accuracy and assessed recovery in abandoned quarries. Remote sensing accuracy was validated through fieldwork and analysis of historical aerial photos. Our findings revealed that major disturbances coincided with new quarrying activities, particularly during urban expansion from 2005 to 2019, with NDVI decreasing by 0.3 in active mining areas. Vegetation recovery was observed in 23 % of the abandoned quarries, with NDVI increases by 0.15 within five years post abandonment, particularly in clay quarries. The strongest recovery occurred in given up abandoned from 2015 to 2019, aligned with increased conservation efforts. Our approach offers valuable insights into mining impacts and vegetation resilience in semi-arid environments, informing sustainable urban planning and environmental management in rapidly transforming regions of West Africa.

Sustainable agricultural development has become a long-term trend to protect environmental health, human well-being and enhance economic profitability all over the world, especially in developing countries like Vietnam. Thus, in order to elevate the value of Durio zibethinus Murr., this study aims to extract pectin from the peels waste and initially investigate its reduced capacity in the green approach for silver nanoparticle synthesis. The extraction yield was 11.21 % for crude pectin and 6.89 % after purification. Physiochemical characterization showed that the acidic isolated pectin was low methoxy pectin with 40 % DE and has a viscosity-molecular weight of 25.5 kDa with 60 % AUA. Spherical and stable pectin-based Ag nanoparticles prepared in alkaline medium exhibit a hydrodynamic diameter approximately 100 nm and a negative potential around -50 mV. In particular, green synthesized Ag nanoparticles with negative charge outer coating demonstrated their antibacterial ability against both gram (-) Escherichia coli and gram (+) Staphylococcus aureus at the MIC of 61.8 ppm. In consequence, durian pectin probably serves as a novel reducing and stabilizing agent for size-controlled nanoparticles synthesis.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive review of previous studies on management control systems (MCS). The study tries to evaluate the key aspects that research on MCS mentioned from 1970 to 2023. Using qualitative methods and VOSviewer software, the study collected and analysed data from the Gale Academic OneFile and OpenAlex databases. The paper examined 2279 articles, including 248 from Gale Academic OneFile and 2031 from OpenAlex. The publications were collected based on articles with the keywords ‘management accounting system’ and ‘sustainable development’. After collection, the articles are classified and arranged according to 6 perspectives. The results show that during the research period (1970–2023), articles on the topic ‘Control Management’ appeared the most with 1850 times. Next are articles with ‘Business’ appearing 1658 times and ‘Computer science’ appearing 1570 times. The topic ‘Management control system’ ranked fourth with 1273 appearances. Results also show that general studies on MCS are conducted with the most significant number of articles (37), with the greatest concentration from 2020 to 2023. The decreasing level includes research on administrative control, detailed control, strategic control, control methods and cultural control. Control tools such as planning and performance measurement also received much attention. The study also found the most influential authors in MCS research (by number of citations and articles) and the countries, universities and journals with the most publications on MCS. The current study provides scholars and researchers with insights from previous investigations into essential areas of MCS. Thereby, it provides a new contribution and comprehensive assessment by highlighting what has been done and what remains to be done in research on MCS. Furthermore, our study reveals future research opportunities and agendas in MCS.

This qualitative study investigates the impact of the Japanese comic series ‘Doraemon’ on the maturity process of Vietnamese teenagers. Employing semi-structured interviews with nine Vietnamese adolescents, the research explores how this popular media influences cognitive, moral, social, and cultural development. The thematic analysis reveals four key findings: the enhancement of problem-solving skills and creativity, the development of moral reasoning and ethical decision-making, the shaping of social relationships and emotional intelligence, and the influence on cultural identity and global perspective. The study finds that ‘Doraemon’ inspires creative thinking and innovative problem-solving, resonating with developmental psychology theories on cognitive growth during adolescence. It also plays a crucial role in moral development, presenting complex ethical dilemmas that encourage reflective thinking. Furthermore, ‘Doraemon’ positively impacts social and emotional skills, aiding in the development of empathy and effective management of social relationships. Lastly, it fosters a broader understanding of cultural diversity, influencing the participants’ global outlook and cultural identity. This research contributes to the understanding of how specific media content can influence adolescent development in diverse cultural contexts. It highlights the potential of comics as tools for cognitive and moral development, social and emotional learning, and in fostering global cultural awareness. The findings have implications for educators, media producers, and policymakers in considering the role of media in adolescent development.

AbstractInternationalization of higher education (IoHE) is a globally recognized issue, encompassing Asian countries, aimed at enhancing the quality of higher education. This article presents research insights into IoHE in Asia over the past 20 years. The findings reveal that a total of 416 works related to this topic have been published in the Scopus database, involving 850 authors from various countries across the globe. A total of 414 organizations, including universities and research institutes, have contributed to this research, and 228 journals have published articles on this research topic. The research results of the author team have contributed to the development of higher education in Asia in the direction of internationalization.

This qualitative study investigates Vietnamese EFL teachers' perceptions of how their emotional maturity impacts students' learning outcomes. Amidst the growing recognition of emotional intelligence's significance in educational settings, this research focuses on the nuanced context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education in Vietnam, where cultural and language challenges present unique demands on teachers' emotional competencies. Through semi-structured interviews with nine teachers across different career stages—novice, mid-career, and near-end—the study explores themes related to emotional regulation, empathy, emotional support, and cultural sensitivity in teaching practices. Thematic analysis revealed that teachers' ability to manage their emotions, empathize with students, create supportive learning environments, and navigate cultural nuances plays a crucial role in enhancing student engagement, participation, and overall learning outcomes. These findings align with Mayer and Salovey's model of emotional intelligence and the concept of the prosocial classroom, highlighting the importance of emotional competencies in fostering effective teaching and learning environments. The study underscores the need for integrating emotional intelligence training in teacher education and professional development programs, emphasizing cultural sensitivity and inclusivity in teaching practices. This research adds to the body of knowledge on emotional intelligence in education, offering insights into its application in the EFL context and implications for teacher development and educational policy.

The clinical management of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections is more and more challenging due to its increasing incidence. In particular, MRSA bacteria exposed to ß-lactam antibiotics may exhibit genetic mutations that reduce their susceptibility to these antibiotics. The need to discover new and efficient alternatives is growing as multi-drug-resistant bacteria become more common. Plants are now recognized as natural sources of bioactive substances that have the potential to be highly effective in treating infectious diseases. Plants contain abundant secondary metabolites, several of which have demonstrated antibacterial properties in vitro. Vietnam frequently harnesses the well-known medicinal plant Cleistocalyx operculatus R. (C. operculatus R.) as an ingredient in tonic beverages. The antibacterial properties of an ethanolic extract derived from the leaves of C. operculatus R. are determined using the agar diffusion method. A kombucha culture, which is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, is used to aerobically ferment a sweetened tea infusion to create kombucha tea. Due to the supposed health benefits of kombucha, it has gained popularity among consumers. As the demand for high-quality kombucha beverages rises, brewers are seeking guidance from the scientific community to refine their products and meet evolving consumer expectations. Brewers are turning to the scientific community's understanding of kombucha in an attempt to better tailor their products to meet changing consumer expectations. Therefore, the use of C. operculatus leaves is employed in the fermentation process to produce Kombucha tea, as indicated in research on C. operculatus Kombucha. The anti-MRSA activity of the C. operculatus extract is reported with a diameter of the inhibited zone equal to 13.50 ± 0.71 mm at the concentration of 10 mg/mL, marking the first time such results have been achieved. The tea is made from C. operculatus leaves follows an optimal ratio between adding SCOBY and sugar tea solution is 1:3 mL/mL, and the time fermentation is 4 days, at room temperature (31.5 °C). Furthermore, the formulas of C. operculatus Kombucha, in synergy with sugarcane juice, are determined to have an optimal ratio of 1:3 mL/mL, preferred by approximately 40 % of customers. The results of this research contributed to the development of new Kombucha formulas, highlighting the synergy between the traditional medical plant fermented by SCOBY and the potential of industrial drink production.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important global priority for researching and developing new treatments. Because it takes so much time and money to discover a new antibiotic, the process is becoming more and more challenging. Faced with the above situations, finding new sources of antibiotics or new methods to control antibiotic-resistant bacteria, especially super-resistant varieties, is extremely urgent. For a very long time, medicinal herbs have been utilized to treat infectious disorders. In Vietnam, medicinal plants have been used in treating acute and chronic diseases since ancient times according to traditional medicine prescriptions. Thus, the purpose of this research is to collect the plant extract from medicinal herbs in Vietnam and then the anti-clinical MRSA of the plant extract is determined by the diffusion method. The maceration method is used for collecting the plant extracts. The power of anti-MRSA of plant extracts is determined by the microdilution method. The results show that MIC values of Cratoxylum cochinchinense L. fractional extract against six clinical MRSA in Vietnam are equal to 1.625 mg/mL and 3.250 mg/mL. In addition, the Cratoxylum cochinchinense L. fractional extract expresses the potential of anti-biofilm activity on MRSA ATCC33591.

Abstract Background Endocrine therapy is the most important treatment modality of breast cancer patients whose tumors express the estrogen receptor α (ERα). The androgen receptor (AR) is also expressed in the vast majority (80–90%) of ERα-positive tumors. AR-targeting drugs are not used in clinical practice, but have been evaluated in multiple trials and preclinical studies. Methods We performed a genome-wide study to identify hormone/drug-induced single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype - dependent gene-expression, known as PGx-eQTL, mediated by either an AR agonist (dihydrotestosterone) or a partial antagonist (enzalutamide), utilizing a previously well characterized lymphoblastic cell line panel. The association of the identified SNPs-gene pairs with breast cancer phenotypes were then examined using three genome-wide association (GWAS) studies that we have published and other studies from the GWAS catalog. Results We identified 13 DHT-mediated PGx-eQTL loci and 23 Enz-mediated PGx-eQTL loci that were associated with breast cancer outcomes post ER antagonist or aromatase inhibitors (AI) treatment, or with pharmacodynamic (PD) effects of AIs. An additional 30 loci were found to be associated with cancer risk and sex-hormone binding globulin levels. The top loci involved the genes IDH2 and TMEM9, the expression of which were suppressed by DHT in a PGx-eQTL SNP genotype-dependent manner. Both of these genes were overexpressed in breast cancer and were associated with a poorer prognosis. Therefore, suppression of these genes by AR agonists may benefit patients with minor allele genotypes for these SNPs. Conclusions We identified AR-related PGx-eQTL SNP-gene pairs that were associated with risks, outcomes and PD effects of endocrine therapy that may provide potential biomarkers for individualized treatment of breast cancer.

Abstract Background Southeast Asia is regarded as a hotspot for the diversity of ixodid ticks. In this geographical region, Vietnam extends through both temperate and tropical climate zones and therefore has a broad range of tick habitats. However, molecular-phylogenetic studies on ixodid tick species have not been reported from this country. Methods In this study, 1788 ixodid ticks were collected from cattle, buffalos and a dog at 10 locations in three provinces of northern Vietnam. Tick species were identified morphologically, and representative specimens were molecularly analyzed based on the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) and 16S rRNA genes. Fifty-nine tick species that are indigenous in Vietnam were also reviewed in the context of their typical hosts in the region. Results Most ticks removed from cattle and buffalos were identified as Rhipicephalus microplus, including all developmental stages. Larvae and nymphs were found between January and July but adults until December. Further species identified from cattle were Rhipicephalus linnaei, Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides, Amblyomma integrum and Haemaphysalis cornigera. Interestingly, the latter three species were represented only by adults, collected in one province: Son La. The dog was infested with nymphs and adults of R. linnaei in July. Phylogenetically, R. microplus from Vietnam belonged to clade A of this species, and R. haemaphysaloides clustered separately from ticks identified under this name in China, Taiwan and Pakistan. Amblyomma integrum from Vietnam belonged to the phylogenetic group of haplotypes of an Amblyomma sp. reported from Myanmar. The separate clustering of H. cornigera from Haemaphysalis shimoga received moderate support. Conclusions Three tick species (R. linnaei, A. integrum and H. cornigera) are reported here for the first time in Vietnam, thus increasing the number of indigenous tick species to 62. Clade A of R. microplus and at least R. linnaei from the group of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato occur in the country. There is multiple phylogenetic evidence that different species might exist among the ticks that are reported under the name R. haemaphysaloides in South and East Asia. This is the first report of A. integrum in Southeastern Asia. Graphical Abstract

ABSTRACT: Objectives: Burkholderia dolosa is a clinically important opportunistic pathogen in inpatients. Here we characterised an extensively drug-resistant and hypervirulent B. dolosa isolate from a patient hospitalised for stroke. Methods: Resistance to 41 antibiotics was tested with the agar disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration, or broth microdilution method. The complete genome was assembled using short-reads and long-reads and the hybrid de novo assembly method. Allelic profiles obtained by multilocus sequence typing were analysed using the PubMLST database. Antibiotic-resistance and virulence genes were predicted in silico using public databases and the ‘baargin’ workflow. B. dolosa N149 phylogenetic relationships with all available B. dolosa strains and Burkholderia cepacia complex strains were analysed using the pangenome obtained with Roary. Results: B. dolosa N149 displayed extensive resistance to 31 antibiotics and intermediate resistance to 4 antibiotics. The complete genome included three circular chromosomes (6 338 630 bp in total) and one plasmid (167 591 bp). Genotypic analysis revealed various gene clusters (acr, amr, amp, emr, ade, bla and tet) associated with resistance to 35 antibiotic classes. The major intrinsic resistance mechanisms were multidrug efflux pump alterations, inactivation and reduced permeability of targeted antibiotics. Moreover, 91 virulence genes (encoding proteins involved in adherence, formation of capsule, biofilm and colony, motility, phagocytosis inhibition, secretion systems, protease secretion, transmission and quorum sensing) were identified. B. dolosa N149 was assigned to a novel sequence type (ST2237) and formed a mono-phylogenetic clade separated from other B. dolosa strains. Conclusions: This study provided insights into the antimicrobial resistance and virulence mechanisms of B. dolosa.

Abstract Background Respiratory infections have long been recognized as a primary cause of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD). Additionally, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance has led to an urgent and critical situation in developing countries, including Vietnam. This study aimed to investigate the distribution and antimicrobial resistance of bacteria in patients with AE-COPD using both conventional culture and multiplex real-time PCR. Additionally, associations between clinical characteristics and indicators of pneumonia in these patients were examined. Methods This cross-sectional prospective study included 92 AE-COPD patients with pneumonia and 46 without pneumonia. Sputum specimens were cultured and examined for bacterial identification, and antimicrobial susceptibility was determined for each isolate. Multiplex real-time PCR was also performed to detect ten bacteria and seven viruses. Results The detection rates of pathogens in AE-COPD patients with pneumonia were 92.39%, compared to 86.96% in those without pneumonia. A total of 26 pathogenic species were identified, showing no significant difference in distribution between the two groups. The predominant bacteria included Klebsiella pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, followed by Acinetobacter baumannii and Streptococcus mitis. There was a slight difference in antibiotic resistance between bacteria isolated from two groups. The frequency of H. influenzae was notably greater in AE-COPD patients who experienced respiratory failure (21.92%) than in those who did not (9.23%). S. pneumoniae was more common in patients with stage I (44.44%) or IV (36.36%) COPD than in patients with stage II (17.39%) or III (9.72%) disease. ROC curve analysis revealed that C-reactive protein (CRP) levels could distinguish patients with AE-COPD with and without pneumonia (AUC = 0.78). Conclusion Gram-negative bacteria still play a key role in the etiology of AE-COPD patients, regardless of the presence of pneumonia. This study provides updated evidence for the epidemiology of AE-COPD pathogens and the appropriate selection of antimicrobial agents in Vietnam.

Association rule mining (ARM) is a technique for discovering meaningful associations within databases, typically handling discrete and categorical data. Recent advancements in ARM have concentrated on refining calculations to reveal connections among various databases. The integration of shuffled frog leaping optimization (SFLO) processes has played a crucial role in this pursuit. This paper introduces an innovative SFLO-based method for performance analysis. To generate association rules, we utilize the apriori algorithm and incorporate frog encoding within the SFLO method. A key advantage of this approach is its one-time database filtering, significantly boosting efficiency in terms of CPU time and memory usage. Furthermore, we enhance the optimization process's efficacy and precision by employing multiple measures with the modified SFLO techniques for mining such information.The proposed approach, implemented using MongoDB, underscores that our performance analysis yields notably superior outcomes compared to alternative methods. This research holds implications for fruit shape database mining, providing robust support for fruit class classification.

Purpose – The authors investigate how foreign investment in securities market informs about the future firm performance in emerging markets. Design/methodology/approach – The authors define the independent variable abnormal foreign investment (AFI) as the residuals of the foreign ownership equation. The authors regress foreign ownership on its first lag and factors and define the residuals as the AFI. The AFI is the over- or under-investment reflecting foreign conscious (clear-purpose) investment, thus better indicating how foreign investment affects firm performance. The dependent variable is Tobin’s q (Q), which represents the firm performance. Then, the authors regress the Tobin’s q next quarters (Qt + k) on the AFI current quarter (AFIt). The authors use a two-step generalized method of moments (GMM) and check endogeneity with the D-GMM model for the regression. Findings – The results show that the current AFI is positively correlated with the firm performance in each of the next four quarters (the following one year). This positive relationship is pronounced for large firms, firms with no large foreign investors, liquid firms and firms listed in the active market. The results suggest that foreign investment might choose well-productive firms already. Also, the current AFI is significantly positively correlated with stock returns in each of the next three quarters. These results suggest that the AFI is informative up to one-year period. Research limitations/implications – The results suggest that foreign investors (most of them are small) in the Vietnamese market might choose well-productive firms already. However, if the large investors have long-term investment in tangible, intangible, human capital and so on, and lead to a significant increase in firms’ performance is still the limitation of this paper. Practical implications – The results of this paper may guide investors whose portfolios are composed of stocks with foreign investment. Originality/value – This paper adds to the literature to enrich the conclusion of a positive relationship between foreign ownership and firm performance.

Abstract Drought is considered the most severe water-related disaster in the Cauto river basin, which is the longest river and the main agricultural producer in Cuba. Better understanding of drought characteristics is crucial to drought management. Given the sparsity of ground-based precipitation observations in the Cauto, this study aims at using gridded global precipitation to analyze the spatio-temporal variations of drought in this river basin. Firstly, the monthly Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS) was calibrated with the gauged precipitation using the Thiessen polygon-based method and linear least squares regression equations. Then, the gridded standardized precipitation index (SPI) with time scales of 3, 6, 9 months and drought characteristics, namely, drought frequency, duration and intensity were calculated using the calibrated CHIRPS. Finally, the spatio-temporal analysis was performed to investigate the variations of drought in the Cauto river basin in time and space. The obtained results show that the calibrated CHIRPS is highly consistent with the gauged observations and is capable of determining the magnitude, time, and spatial extent of drought events in the Cauto river basin. The trend analysis by the Mann–Kendall test reveals that although the trend is not statistically significant, the SPI tends to decrease with time in the dry season, which indicates the more severe drought. The spatial analysis indicates that the lower altitude area of the Cauto river basin is suffered from longer drought duration and higher drought intensity than the upper one. This study expresses the importance of open global precipitation data sources in monitoring and quantifying drought characteristics in data-scarce regions.

Abstract Background The duplex kidney is one of the common congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract. We present two cases of renal tumor accompanied with ipsilateral duplex kidney. The image of the tumor, renal artery system and collecting system were rendered by AI software (Fujifilm’s Synapse® AI Platform) to support the diagnosis and surgical planning. Case presentation Two Vietnamese patients (a 45-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman) with incidental cT1 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) were confirmed to have ipsilateral duplex kidneys by 3D reconstruction AI technique. One patient had a Renal score 9ah tumor of left kidney while the other had a Renal score 9 × tumor of right kidney in which a preoperative CT scan failed to identify a diagnosis of duplex kidney. Using the Da Vinci platform, we successfully performed robotic partial nephrectomy without any damage to the collecting system in both cases. Conclusion RCC with duplex kidneys is a rare condition. By utilizing a novel AI reconstruction technique with adequate information, two patients with RCC in duplex kidneys were successfully performed robotic partial nephrectomy without complication.

Deep learning (DL) and machine learning (ML) have been applied widely to satellite data of vegetation indices to infer indirect features associated with soil characteristics that affect crop performance in rain-fed environments. In this paper, we propose a DL model for prediction of plant available water capacity (PAWC) of the soil from sequential multi-modal data including time series of biomass, leaf area index (LAI), normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), and cumulative weather variables. By initiating large numbers of simulations with different soil PAWC, weather and management parameters, we explore combinations of the simulation outputs and the weather to estimate the PAWC and to determine the factors that impede the accuracy of the prediction model. Experimental results demonstrate the significant potential of our method compared with traditional ML methods. Specifically, our method increases the prediction accuracy in situations where each PAWC profile is grouped into two or five classes of PAWC. For more classes (10 classes), the model achieves more than 60% for the overall accuracy and performs well on the lowest five PAWC classes. The utilisation of sequential multi-modal data to predict soil water level provides a direction for future work to translate onto empirical datasets and also to explore the boundaries of the prediction ability of DL models.

Li–Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a hereditary disorder characterized by an increased risk of developing multiple early-onset cancers, primarily due to germline TP53 mutations. Women and men with this mutation face lifetime cancer risks of 90% and 70%, respectively. This report describes the first documented case of LFS with clinical information in Vietnam involving a 9-year-old child diagnosed with osteosarcoma who had multiple first- and second-degree relatives with cancer. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) revealed a heterozygous, pathogenic, autosomal dominant TP53 variant NM_000546.6:c.733G>A (p.Gly245Ser) and a translocation in the 3’UTR of the ATMIN gene with unknown pathogenicity in both the patient and her mother. Sanger sequencing confirmed the presence of the TP53 c.733G>A mutation, which was subsequently detected in extended family members. Of the 17 family members invited for testing, only 8, none of whom currently have cancer, agreed to participate: all tested negative for the mutation. This case highlights the importance of genetic testing for the early detection and management of cancers in LFS patients. It also underscores significant barriers to genetic screening in Vietnam, including limited access and the psychosocial consequences of testing, which emphasize the need for improved genetic counseling and surveillance strategies that are tailored to local contexts.

Purpose ― This paper aims to investigate the influence of economic freedom and its components, namely business freedom and trade freedom, on international tourist arrivals in Asian countries. Additionally, it examines the effect of important macroeconomic factors, such as foreign direct investment, exchange rates, political stability, GDP per capita, and inflation on international tourist arrivals in Asian countries. Methods ― The GMM two-step estimation system is used to analyze data from 25 Asian countries from 1995 to 2020. Findings ― The results show that economic and trade freedom positively influence tourism, while business freedom has a less distinct impact. Inflation positively contributes to tourist arrivals. Exchange rates and political stability show inconclusive effects. Implications ― The study recommends that governments prioritize expanding economic freedom to boost international tourism. Originality ― This is the first study on the impact of economic freedom on developing international tourism in Asian countries.

Cat Hoa Loc mango (Mangifera indica L.) is a well-known variety in Vietnam because of its distinct taste and aroma. However, it has a short shelf life and can suffer post-harvest losses if not handled and packaged correctly. The demand for fresh Cat Hoa Loc mangoes has been increasing worldwide, and this has led to the development of effective handling methods to extend their shelf life. To address this issue, this study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of KMnO4 and activated carbon in preserving the quality and shelf life of Cat Hoa Loc mangoes in Vietnam. The Cat Hoa Loc mango variety in Cao Lanh, Dong Thap province, was chosen for the study. The study used five replications of a completely randomized block design. Six different treatments with KMnO4 and activated carbon (1:1 ratio) were tested, including 0; 4; 8; 12; 16; 20 g/box. Six mangoes were stored in perforated cartons (36x26x9 cm) at room temperature (28-30°C) during the study period. The study evaluated several parameters to assess the quality and shelf life of the mangoes, including weight loss, fruit firmness, browning index, respiration, ethylene release rate, soluble sugar, and vitamin C. The results showed that the quality of the mangoes was extended when treated with 12 g of KMnO4 and activated carbon per box. This treatment resulted in the lowest physiological weight losses, respiration, and ethylene release rate. Furthermore, this treatment showed the highest fruit firmness, soluble sugar, and vitamin C content, as well as the longest shelf life at the end of the storage period.

Studying at postgraduate level always requires learners to do a large amount of reading for some certain academic purposes. This becomes more notable when reading must be done in a strictly limited amount of time. On this account, postgraduate students must come up with particular strategies for reading. Thus, from the critical thinking perspective, the current study was conducted to investigate the M.A. English majors’ use of reading strategies, especially critical reading skills. Through questionnaire and interview, data for analysis were collected from 30 M.A. students of English and five lecturers of English, who already completed their postgraduate program, at Thu Dau Mot University. The results showed that the participants could employ skimming and scanning. However, they seemed to be passive in evaluating sources and did not pay much attention to note-taking skills, which are considered really necessary in writing literature review for a research paper or a thesis. The findings suggest that critical reading skills should be taught at the beginning of the course in order to help M.A. students develop their critical reading skills and support them in doing their mini research projects.

Food classification has always piqued the interest of both domestic and international researchers, but numerous challenges remain. We present the dataset UIT-TASTET21, which contains over 77,000 color images of 18 traditional Vietnamese Lunar New Year dishes. We have experimented with classification using feature vectors from network architectures such as VGG16, Inception-v3, ResNet-50, Xception, and MobileNet-v2 to train support vector machines (SVMs), meeting the dataset’s challenges and laying the groundwork for the development of many optimal methods in the future that promise scientific breakthroughs in the service and commercial industries. At the same time, the authors desire to share a piece of Vietnamese cuisine’s distinctiveness with worldwide friends.

Purpose – Given the important role of change capability for organizational development and competitive advantage, the purpose of this study is to clarify the influences of transformational leadership (TL) on organizational change capability (OCC) via mediating roles of two specific aspects of trust in leadership namely disclosure-based trust and reliance-based trust. Design/methodology/approach – Structural equation modeling is applied to test the degree of influences of TL and employee trust on OCC via empirical data collected from 376 participants in 115 small and medium firms in China. Findings – The results show the positive and significant impacts of TL and aspects of employee trust in leadership on OCC. It indicated that disclosure-based trust in leadership has a greater influence on change capability in comparison with the effect of reliance-based trust in leadership. Especially, the findings have shown the evidence supporting the mediating mechanism of aspects of employee trust in leadership between TL and OCC. Research limitations/implications – This study provides the practical initiatives that highlight the importance of applying TL style to build and improve the trust of employees in their leadership for fostering OCC. Originality/value – The paper has significantly advanced and deepened insight of how transformational leaders nurture employee’s specific shades of trust in leadership for fostering OCC. The valuable findings of this study contribute to enriching the theoretical basis of organizational behavior and change management, and can be used to analyze and explain the relationships between TL, employee’s trust in leadership and organizational capability for change.

Abstract Background Vietnam’s primary mechanism of achieving sustainable funding for universal health coverage (UHC) and financial protection has been through its social health insurance (SHI) scheme. Steady progress towards access has been made and by 2020, over 90% of the population were enrolled in SHI. In 2022, as part of a larger transition towards the increased domestic financing of healthcare, tuberculosis (TB) services were integrated into SHI. This change required people with TB to use SHI for treatment at district-level facilities or to pay out of pocket for services. This study was conducted in preparation for this transition. It aimed to understand more about uninsured people with TB, assess the feasibility of enrolling them into SHI, and identify the barriers they faced in this process. Methods A mixed-method case study was conducted using a convergent parallel design between November 2018 and January 2022 in ten districts of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Quantitative data were collected through a pilot intervention that aimed to facilitate SHI enrollment for uninsured individuals with TB. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 34 participants, who were purposively sampled for maximum variation. Qualitative data were analyzed through an inductive approach and themes were identified through framework analysis. Quantitative and qualitative data sources were triangulated. Results We attempted to enroll 115 uninsured people with TB into SHI; 76.5% were able to enroll. On average, it took 34.5 days to obtain a SHI card and it cost USD 66 per household. The themes indicated that a lack of knowledge, high costs for annual premiums, and the household-based registration requirement were barriers to SHI enrollment. Participants indicated that alternative enrolment mechanisms and greater procedural flexibility, particularly for undocumented people, is required to achieve full population coverage with SHI in urban centers. Conclusions Significant addressable barriers to SHI enrolment for people affected by TB were identified. A quarter of individuals remained unable to enroll after receiving enhanced support due to lack of required documentation. The experience gained during this health financing transition is relevant for other middle-income countries as they address the provision of financial protection for the treatment of infectious diseases.

This study was undertaken to examine the effects of urbanization on the income of people in Vietnam. The research utilized data from a survey of 597 people who were impacted by urbanization in Vietnam. Research methods included: (i) The T-test difference test method, which is a method used to examine the influence of urbanization on people’s income by comparing the income differential between persons in urban regions and those in rural ones; (ii) The least squares method was used to quantify the impact of various factors on the income of people in the study area. The study concludes that people with similar education and job positions earn higher incomes if they live and work in urban areas as opposed to rural ones (the beta coefficient of the variable Place_Edu is 0.806, and the beta coefficient of the variable Place_Posit is 3.309). According to the findings of this study, individuals residing in urban areas generally have higher incomes than those living in rural areas (the beta coefficient of the Place variable is 3.140). According to research findings, urbanization has both positive and negative impacts on people’s income in Vietnam.

Abstract Fluorescence nanosilica-based cell tracker has been explored and applied in cell biological research. However, the aggregation of these nanoparticles at physiological pH is still the main limitation. In this research, we introduced a novel fluorescence nano-based cell tracker suitable for application in live cells. The silica-coated fluorescein isothiocyanate isomer (FITC-SiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) were modified with carboxymethylsilanetriol disodium salt (FITC-SiO2-COOH), integrating the dianion form of FITC molecules. This nanosystem exhibited superior dispersion in aqueous solutions and effectively mitigated dye leakage. These labeled NPs displayed notable biocompatibility and minimal cytotoxicity in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. Significantly, the NPs did not have negative implications on cell migration or angiogenesis. They successfully penetrated primary fibroblasts, human umbilical vein endothelial cells and HeLa cells in both 2D and 3D cultures, with the fluorescence signal enduring for over 72 h. Furthermore, the NP signals were consistently observed in the developing gastrointestinal tract of live medaka fish larvae for extended periods during phases of subdued digestive activity, without manifesting any apparent acute toxicity. These results underscore the promising utility of FITC-SiO2-COOH NPs as advanced live cell trackers in biological research.

Abstract Flexible bronchoscopy has revolutionized respiratory disease diagnosis. It offers direct visualization and detection of airway abnormalities, including lung cancer lesions. Accurate identification of airway lesions during flexible bronchoscopy plays an important role in the lung cancer diagnosis. The application of artificial intelligence (AI) aims to support physicians in recognizing anatomical landmarks and lung cancer lesions within bronchoscopic imagery. This work described the development of BM-BronchoLC, a rich bronchoscopy dataset encompassing 106 lung cancer and 102 non-lung cancer patients. The dataset incorporates detailed localization and categorical annotations for both anatomical landmarks and lesions, meticulously conducted by senior doctors at Bach Mai Hospital, Vietnam. To assess the dataset’s quality, we evaluate two prevalent AI backbone models, namely UNet++ and ESFPNet, on the image segmentation and classification tasks with single-task and multi-task learning paradigms. We present BM-BronchoLC as a reference dataset in developing AI models to assist diagnostic accuracy for anatomical landmarks and lung cancer lesions in bronchoscopy data.

Abstract Four isolates of the opportunistic pathogen Elizabethkingia anophelis were identified for the first time in a Vietnamese hospital and underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing and genomic characterization by whole-genome sequencing. Complete, fully circularized genome sequences were obtained for all four isolates. Average Nucleotide Identity analysis and single nucleotide polymorphism phylogenetic analysis on the core genome showed that three of the four isolates were genetically distinct, ruling out the hypothesis of a single strain emergence. Antibiotic susceptibility testing highlighted multi-resistant phenotypes against most antimicrobial families, including beta-lactams, carbapenems, aminoglycosides, quinolones, macrolides, amphenicols, rifamycins and glycopeptides. Additionally, in silico genomic analysis was used to correlate the phenotypic susceptibility to putative resistance determinants, including resistance genes, point mutations and multidrug efflux pumps. Nine different resistance genes were located inside a single resistance pocket predicted to be a putative Integrative and Conjugative Element (ICE). This novel ICE was shared by three isolates from two different lineages and displayed similarity with ICEs previously reported in various Elizabethkingia and Chryseobacterium species. The role of such ICEs in pathogenicity, genome plasticity and antimicrobial resistance gene spread within the Flavobacteriaceae family needs to be further elucidated.

Background: Among pharmacy workers, low workplace wellbeing can lead to reduced effectiveness. However, to date, studies on this issue are limited within the community pharmacy setting in Vietnam. Objectives: This study was conducted to identify the component aspects of workplace wellbeing and their associations with demographic characteristics. Methods: The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Can Tho, Vietnam. Self-administered questionnaires were hand-delivered to all pharmacy workers working at selected community pharmacies. The workplace wellbeing scale comprised 18 items. Results: In total, 382 pharmacy workers participated in this study. Factor analysis revealed three fundamental aspects to workplace wellbeing: Factor 1 – perceived self-worth and job satisfaction, Factor 2 – positive emotions with work, and Factor 3 – negative emotions with work. Factor 1 showed a positive correlation with Factor 2, with a correlation coefficient (ρ) of 0.509, while both Factor 1 (ρ = −0.399) and Factor 2 (ρ = −0.416) demonstrated negative correlations with Factor 3. Higher income was associated with higher positive emotions with work (P = 0.008), higher perceived self-worth and job satisfaction (P = 0.013), and lower negative emotions with work (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Workplace wellbeing of pharmacy workers in their professional environments was associated with financial aspects. These findings suggest that policies aimed at improving income for pharmacy workers could bring benefits to enhancing job satisfaction and workplace wellbeing.

This study examines how psychological and external factors, including perceived uncertainty, resilience, value-added attribute, mass-media coverage, and travel constraints, affect perceived arousal, and lead to the behavior of seeking information about international destinations of young travelers. The study underlines the use of the protection motivation theory and is supported by the theory of reasoned action to explore the perspectives of seeking behavior in the tourism sector. In addition, perceived arousal mediates the relationship between these variables and the information-seeking behavior of travelers. This study was conducted in Vietnam during the post-Covid pandemic, using quantitative and convenience sampling methods to collect data from 256 valid respondents. Structural equation modeling will be used to examine the extent to which the six factors above are connected to the outcome variable (information-seeking behavior). The findings reveal the impact of resilience and media coverage on perceived arousal among tourists and then positively significant to their seeking behavior. Finally, this study is empirically valuable to contribute important literature to the tourism industry and Destination Marketing Organizations, especially concerning the post-pandemic recovery.

The problem of calibrating phased array antennas in a noisy environment using an autocorrelation algorithm is investigated and a mathematical model of the autocorrelation calibration method is presented. The proposed calibration system is based on far-field scanning of the phased array antenna in an environment with internal noise and external interference. The proposed method is applied to a phased array antenna and compared with traditional rotating-element electric-field vector methods, which involve identifying the maximum and minimum vector–sum points (REVmax and REVmin, respectively). The proposed calibration system is verified for a phased array antenna at 3 GHz. Experimental verification of the mathematical model of the proposed method demonstrates that the autocorrelation method is more accurate than the rotating-element electric-field vector methods in determining the amplitude and phase shifts. The measured peak gain of the combined beam in the E-plane increased from 7.83 to 8.37 dB and 3.57 to 4.36 dB compared to the REVmax and REVmin methods, respectively, and the phase error improved from 47° to 55.48° and 19.43° to 29.16°, respectively. The proposed method can be considered an effective solution for large-scale phase calibration at both in-field and in-factory levels, even in the presence of external interference.

Conamomum vietnamense is an endemic and rare species from Vietnam. The aim of this study is to determine the chemical compositions, antibacterial and antioxidant properties of the acetone extracts obtained from the different organs of this species for the first time. A total of 82 components were identified from the acetone extracts of leaf, flower, and rhizome of C. vietnamense using Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) technique. Furthermore, the agar disk-diffusion method was also used to determine the antibacterial activity of the C. vietnamense extracts. Accordingly, the leaf extract was found to be effective against eight out of nine bacterial strains while the flower and rhizome extracts displayed activity against four out of nine tested bacteria. In addition, the three organs of C. vietnamense also possessed the high DPPH scavenging properties. The results of this study indicate that C. vietnamense extracts have the potential to be developed into pharmaceutical products in the future.

Background: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) due to deficiency of C1 Inhibitor (C1INH-HAE) is a rare, unpredictable and potentially fatal genetic disorder. There are relatively few systematic population prevalence studies, with reports from various countries of between 1 in 20,000 and 1 in 150,000. and no Australian data. The therapeutic landscape for HAE has changed dramatically in recent years with a focus on highly effective prophylaxis, with the aim of total suppression of angioedema and achievement of a normal life. Objectives: Epidemiological survey of HAE in South Australia, with description of patient characteristics, quality of life and treatment, with a focus on prophylaxis. Methods: Case ascertainment was conducted over 18 months from January 2021 to July 2022, using a range of approaches with the aim of identifying all people with C1INH-HAE in South Australia. Questionnaires were administered to consenting patients utilising established HAE-specific and general survey instruments. Results: We identified 35 people with HAE in South Australia, yielding a population prevalence of 1 in 52,400, in line with average established international prevalence. HAE was identified in 4 patients of Indigenous Australian heritage. Seventeen of 31 adult patients completed an additional multi-questionnaire survey, revealing overall satisfactory disease control. Most common prophylactic therapies were danazol, lanadelumab, and subcutaneous C1 inhibitor. Many patients (mostly male) with milder disease had responded well to low-dose danazol with good tolerance and have continued to use it, whereas patients with higher disease burden are now using newer therapies, and overall satisfaction with current prophylaxis is high. Conclusions: Prevalence of HAE in South Australia aligns with international reports. Our population survey indicates that current long-term prophylaxis therapies including danazol, lanadelumab and C1-inhibitor, applied to appropriate patients taking into account disease activity and drug risks and tolerance, are effective for HAE attack prevention and produce high levels of satisfaction.