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Background and Purpose: The AFFINITY trial (Assessment of Fluoxetine in Stroke Recovery) reported that oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and seizures. After trial medication was ceased at 6 months, survivors were followed to 12 months post-randomization. This preplanned secondary analysis aimed to determine any sustained or delayed effects of fluoxetine at 12 months post-randomization. Methods: AFFINITY was a randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults (n=1280) with a clinical diagnosis of stroke in the previous 2 to 15 days and persisting neurological deficit who were recruited at 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (4), and Vietnam (10) between 2013 and 2019. Participants were randomized to oral fluoxetine 20 mg once daily (n=642) or matching placebo (n=638) for 6 months and followed until 12 months after randomization. The primary outcome was function, measured by the modified Rankin Scale, at 6 months. Secondary outcomes for these analyses included measures of the modified Rankin Scale, mood, cognition, overall health status, fatigue, health-related quality of life, and safety at 12 months. Results: Adherence to trial medication was for a mean 167 (SD 48) days and similar between randomized groups. At 12 months, the distribution of modified Rankin Scale categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.76–1.14]; P =0.46). Compared with placebo, patients allocated fluoxetine had fewer recurrent ischemic strokes (14 [2.18%] versus 29 [4.55%]; P =0.02), and no longer had significantly more falls (27 [4.21%] versus 15 [2.35%]; P =0.08), bone fractures (23 [3.58%] versus 11 [1.72%]; P =0.05), or seizures (11 [1.71%] versus 8 [1.25%]; P =0.64) at 12 months. Conclusions: Fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke had no delayed or sustained effect on functional outcome, falls, bone fractures, or seizures at 12 months poststroke. The lower rate of recurrent ischemic stroke in the fluoxetine group is most likely a chance finding. Registration: URL: http://www.anzctr.org.au/ ; Unique identifier: ACTRN12611000774921.

Word representation plays a vital role in most Natural Language Processing systems, especially for Neural Machine Translation. It tends to capture semantic and similarity between individual words well, but struggle to represent the meaning of phrases or multi-word expressions. In this paper, we investigate a method to generate and use phrase information in a translation model. To generate phrase representations, a Primary Phrase Capsule network is first employed, then iteratively enhancing with a Slot Attention mechanism. Experiments on the IWSLT English to Vietnamese, French, and German datasets show that our proposed method consistently outperforms the baseline Transformer, and attains competitive results over the scaled Transformer with two times lower parameters.

Bacterial diseases are the chief constraint in the aquculture industry. Among them Aeromonads causes majority of production loss in fresh water ornamental fish farming. Trend of application of probiotics in any aquaculture farm is being increasing to reduce the environmental degradation caused by chemical treatment methods. In this study, Aeromonas veronii was isolated from diseased koi carp and its virulency was re-confirmed with mortality rate of 73.33 % in koi carp. Susceptibility of A. veronii to commercial probiotic mixture of Bacillus species was proved by in vitro assay where zone of inhibition of 22.67 ± 0.6 mm diameter was observed at 108 CFU mL−1. Bacillus probiotic mixture at 108 CFU g−1 maintained the gut morphology with good goblet cell count against A. veronii infection in koi carp. Thus, severe production loss due to A. veronii in ornamental fish farms can be controlled by probiotic dietary supplementation.

PURPOSE The Groningen International Study on Sentinel nodes in Vulvar cancer (GROINSS-V)-II investigated whether inguinofemoral radiotherapy is a safe alternative to inguinofemoral lymphadenectomy (IFL) in vulvar cancer patients with a metastatic sentinel node (SN). METHODS GROINSS-V-II was a prospective multicenter phase-II single-arm treatment trial, including patients with early-stage vulvar cancer (diameter < 4 cm) without signs of lymph node involvement at imaging, who had primary surgical treatment (local excision with SN biopsy). Where the SN was involved (metastasis of any size), inguinofemoral radiotherapy was given (50 Gy). The primary end point was isolated groin recurrence rate at 24 months. Stopping rules were defined for the occurrence of groin recurrences. RESULTS From December 2005 until October 2016, 1,535 eligible patients were registered. The SN showed metastasis in 322 (21.0%) patients. In June 2010, with 91 SN-positive patients included, the stopping rule was activated because the isolated groin recurrence rate in this group went above our predefined threshold. Among 10 patients with an isolated groin recurrence, nine had SN metastases > 2 mm and/or extracapsular spread. The protocol was amended so that those with SN macrometastases (> 2 mm) underwent standard of care (IFL), whereas patients with SN micrometastases (≤ 2 mm) continued to receive inguinofemoral radiotherapy. Among 160 patients with SN micrometastases, 126 received inguinofemoral radiotherapy, with an ipsilateral isolated groin recurrence rate at 2 years of 1.6%. Among 162 patients with SN macrometastases, the isolated groin recurrence rate at 2 years was 22% in those who underwent radiotherapy, and 6.9% in those who underwent IFL ( P = .011). Treatment-related morbidity after radiotherapy was less frequent compared with IFL. CONCLUSION Inguinofemoral radiotherapy is a safe alternative for IFL in patients with SN micrometastases, with minimal morbidity. For patients with SN macrometastasis, radiotherapy with a total dose of 50 Gy resulted in more isolated groin recurrences compared with IFL.

Background and Aim: Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation, a critical event in liver fibrosis, has been recently shown to be related to autophagy. Determine whether chloroquine (CQ) could affect (i) the activation of HSC in vivo and (ii) the hepatic damage in a mice acute liver injury model. Methods: The acute liver injury was induced in BALB/c mice by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 group); 24 h before and after CCl4 administration animals were treated by CQ (CCl4 + CQ group). As control, mice treated by olive oil were considered. After 48 h from CCl4/olive oil administration, blood samples, liver tissues, and HSCs were harvested for analysis. Results: In vivo, CQ attenuates CCl4-induced acute liver damage as evidenced by (i) the reduction of liver enlargement, (ii) the reduction of liver swelling and necrosis also supported by a certain decrease of circulating transaminases level, and (iii) the reduction of liver fibrosis evaluated by collagen deposition and α-sma protein expression. In HSCs isolated from CQ treated group, we observed the inhibition of autophagy proved by the increase in p62 protein and the decrease of lc3 protein. In addition, CQ reduced the expression of the HSCs activation markers α-sma/collagen-I and down-regulated the expression of the proliferative marker ki67. Conclusion: The autophagy attenuation exerted by CQ together with the reduction of the expression of the proliferation marker in HSCs can lessen the acute liver damage potentially opening the way to novel therapeutic approaches for hepatic fibrosis.

The transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy by vestibular approach (TOETVA) has been developed for early-stage thyroid cancer treatment as well as benign thyroid nodules worldwide including Viet Nam, with low rate of complications and excellent results. However, there has not been any comprehensive studies with a large number of patients and long-term follow-up in our country. Therefore, we conducted this study to evaluate the results of treatment by TOETVA for benign and malignant lesions of thyroid gland in Viet Nam. A prospective study was performed on 326 eligible patients who underwent TOETVA due to thyroid cancer and benign thyroid nodules in Department of Oncology and Palliative Care, Hanoi Medical University Hospital from July 2018 to April 2021. The clinical, surgical, and pathological characteristics, postoperative complications, and visual analog scale (VAS, 0–10 cm) score in day 1, 4, and 7 after surgery, long-term oncological and surgical outcomes were recorded. The mean age was 36.9 ± 9.8 years. 231 patients (70.9%) were diagnosed with differentiated cancer and 95 patients (29.1%) were diagnosed benign tumors of thyroid gland. In the cancer group, 12 patients (5.2%) undergone TOETVA had T3b-intraoperative-stage diagnosis, 219 patients (92.2%) were diagnosed T1 according to AJCC 8th. After 1 month of surgery, among thyroid cancer patients, there was no abnormality reported by thyroid scintigraphy and neck ultrasound as well as in unstimulated-Tg and anti-Tg values. The mean number lymph-node dissected in the cancer group was 6.1 ± 4.1 (range 0–21 nodes). However, only 2.6 ± 1.8 metastasis nodes were discovered (range 1–8 nodes), and the maximum size of these nodes was less than 2 mm. 81 patients presented occult lymph-node metastasis among thyroid cancer patients with cN0 stage (account for 35%). The occult lymph-node metastasis was 34.2% and 50% in patients diagnosed with T1 and T3b groups, respectively. The median postoperative hospital stay was 5.4 ± 0.7 days. Postoperatively, transient hypoparathyroidism was recorded in 12 patients (4.8%), transient hoarse was noted in 9 patients (3.6%), and numb chin was identified in 7 patients (2.8%). No permanent complication was noted. VAS score on first postoperative day was 4.5 ± 0.8. Median follow-up time was 12 (3–25) months. No recurrence was recorded. TOETVA is an innovative and revolutionary technique in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules, as well as early-stage differentiated thyroid cancer. The results of oncology, postoperative complications, and satisfied outcomes supported the wide application of TOETVA in Viet Nam.

Background: Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population.Methods: AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921.Findings: Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [Interpretation: Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke.Funding: National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.

The study examines the connection between Electronic Banking service quality and customer satisfaction. The study used a survey research approach. 344 participants were selected randomly for the study. The data from 302 respondents suggest that E-banking service quality dimensions (innovation, technology competence, reliability and tangibility jointly influence customer satisfaction. Further, innovation, technology competence, reliability and tangibility had positive and significant effects on customer satisfaction. All four hypotheses were supported. We, therefore, conclude that deposit money banks must optimise their E-banking service to improve customer satisfaction.

Purpose The Sedlis criteria define risk factors for recurrence warranting post-hysterectomy radiation for early-stage cervical cancer; however, these factors were defined for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) at an estimated recurrence risk of ≥30%. Our study evaluates and compares risk factors for recurrence for cervical SCC compared with adenocarcinoma (AC) and develops histology-specific nomograms to estimate risk of recurrence and guide adjuvant treatment. Methods We performed an ancillary analysis of GOG 49, 92, and 141, and included stage I patients who were surgically managed and received no neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapy. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate independent risk factors for recurrence by histology and to generate prognostic histology-specific nomograms for 3-year recurrence risk. Results We identified 715 patients with SCC and 105 with AC; 20% with SCC and 17% with AC recurred. For SCC, lymphvascular space invasion (LVSI: HR 1.58, CI 1.12–2.22), tumor size (TS ≥4 cm: HR 2.67, CI 1.67–4.29), and depth of invasion (DOI; middle 1/3, HR 4.31, CI 1.81–10.26; deep 1/3, HR 7.05, CI 2.99–16.64) were associated with recurrence. For AC, only TS ≥4 cm, was associated with recurrence (HR 4.69, CI 1.25–17.63). For both histologies, there was an interaction effect between TS and LVSI. For those with SCC, DOI was most associated with recurrence (16% risk); for AC, TS conferred a 15% risk with negative LVSI versus a 25% risk with positive LVSI. Conclusions Current treatment standards are based on the Sedlis criteria, specifically derived from data on SCC. However, risk factors for recurrence differ for squamous cell and adenocarcinoma of the cervix. Histology-specific nomograms accurately and linearly represent risk of recurrence for both SCC and AC tumors and may provide a more contemporary and tailored tool for clinicians to base adjuvant treatment recommendations to their patients with cervical cancer.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its complications are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. Because of the side effects and incomplete recovery from current therapy, stem cell therapy emerges as a potential therapy for CVD treatment, and endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) is one of the key stem cells used for therapeutic applications. The effect of this therapy required the expansion of EPC function. To enhance the EPC activation, proliferation, and angiogenesis using dronedarone hydrochloride (DH) is the purpose of this study. DH received approval for atrial fibrillation treatment and its cardiovascular protective effects were already reported. In this study, DH significantly increased EPC proliferation, tube formation, migration, and maintained EPCs surface marker expression. In addition, DH treatment up-regulated the phosphorylation of AKT and reduced the reactive oxygen species production. In summary, the cell priming by DH considerably improved the functional activity of EPCs, and the use of which might be a novel strategy for CVD treatment.

This study proposes a photonic crystal fiber made of fused silica glass, with the core infiltrated with chloroform as a new source of supercontinuum (SC) spectrum. We numerically study the guiding properties of the fiber structure in terms of characteristic dispersion and mode area of the fundamental mode. Based on the results, we optimized the structural geometries of the CHCl3-core photonic crystal fiber to support the broadband SC generations. The fiber structure with a lattice constant of 1 μm, a filling factor of 0.8, and the diameter of the first-ring air holes equaling 0.5 μm operates in all-normal dispersion. The SC with a broadened spectral bandwidth of 0.64 to 1.80 μm is formed by using a pump pulse with a wavelength of 850 nm, 120 fs duration, and power of 0.833 kW. That fiber would be a good candidate for all-fiber SC sources as cost-effective alternative to glass core fibers.

Air free-cooled data centers (DCs) have not existed in the tropical zone due to the unique challenges of year-round high ambient temperature and relative humidity (RH). The increasing availability of servers that can tolerate higher temperatures and RH due to the regulatory bodies’ prompts to raise DC temperature setpoints sheds light upon the feasibility of air free-cooled DCs in the tropics. However, due to the complex psychrometric dynamics, operating the air free-cooled DC in the tropics generally requires adaptive control of supply air condition to maintain the computing performance and reliability of the servers. This article studies the problem of controlling the supply air temperature and RH in a free-cooled tropical DC below certain thresholds. To achieve the goal, we formulate the control problem as Markov decision processes and apply deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to learn the control policy that minimizes the cooling energy while satisfying the requirements on the supply air temperature and RH. We also develop a constrained DRL solution for performance improvements. Extensive evaluation based on real data traces collected from an air free-cooled testbed and comparisons among the unconstrained and constrained DRL approaches as well as two other baseline approaches show the superior performance of our proposed solutions.

Vietnam’s central coastal region is the most vulnerable and always at flood risk, severely affecting people’s livelihoods and socio-economic development. In particular, Quang Binh province is often affected by floods and storms over the year. However, it still lacks studies on flood hazard estimation and prediction tools in this area. This study aims to develop a flooding susceptibility assessment tool using various machine learning (ML) techniques namely alternating decision tree (AD Tree), logistic model tree (LM Tree), reduced-error pruning tree (REP Tree), J48 decision tree (J48) and Naive Bayes tree (NB Tree); historical flood marks; and available data of topography, hydrology, geology, and environment considering Quang Binh province as a study area. We used flood mark locations of major flooding events in the years 2007, 2010, and 2016; and ten flood conditioning factors to construct and validate the ML models. Various validation methods, including area under the ROC curve (AUC), were used to validate and compare the models. The result of the models’ validation suggests that all models have good performance: AD Tree (AUC = 0.968), LM Tree (AUC = 0.967), REP Tree (AUC = 0.897), J48 (AUC = 0.953), and NB Tree (AUC = 0.986). Out of these, NB Tree managed to achieve the best performance in terms of flood prediction with an accuracy higher than 92 %. The final flood susceptibility map highlights 6,265 km2 (78.8 % area) with a very low flooding hazard, 391 km2 (4.9 % area) with a low flooding hazard, 224 km2 (2.8 % area) with a moderate flooding hazard, 243 km2 (3.1 %) with a high flooding hazard, and 829 km2 (10.4 % area) with very high flooding hazard. The final flooding susceptibility assessment map could add a valuable source for flood risk reduction and management activities of Quang Binh province.

Background Primary sarcomas originating from the mobile spine portends a particularly sinister outcome. Rarity of the disease process has resulted in inconsistent data due to small sample size and heterogeneity in patient selection and analytics. Methods Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Result (SEER) database from 1975 to 2017 was queried to report incidence and survival data in 712 patients in the United States. Kaplan-Meier and Cox Regression were used to determine the prognostic factors affecting survival. Results Incidence of spinal sarcoma was 0.019 per 100,000 persons in 2017 and has not significantly changed since 2000 (p > 0.05). Disease-specific 5-year survival for the entire cohort was 57%. Osteosarcoma has the worst 5-year survival (39%) and chondrosarcoma has the best 5-year survival (69%). Independent predictors of survival for the entire cohort included age, grade, and stage. Stage was an independent predictor of survival for every histologic subtype. Additional predictors of survival for spinal osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma included age, size, and grade, respectively. Conclusions The current study is an analysis of a population-based registry reporting incidence survival data for patients with sarcoma of mobile vertebral column. Survival and prognostic factors vary by histologic subtypes. There is lack of improvement in survival over the last three decades.

Pulmonary angiosarcoma is a rare clinical entity with a poor prognosis and no established therapeutic strategies. We present the first case to our knowledge of metastatic pulmonary angiosarcoma, treated with checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy, and have an excellent response. Until now, patient has been treated with immunotherapy for 1 year, and his disease is stable and well-tolerated.

This study propose a new approach through which the landslide susceptibility in Quang Nam (Vietnam) will be estimated using the best model among the following algorithms: Decision Table (DT), Naive...

Solar radiation is a sustainable, unlimited source of energy for electricity and chemical reactions, yet the conversion efficiency of actual processes is limited and controlled by photocarriers migration and separation. Enhancing the conversion efficiency would require to suppress the recombination of photogenerated electron–hole pairs and improve the low redox potentials. This can be done during the growth of step-scheme (S-scheme) heterojunctions. Here we review the charge transfer of S-scheme heterojunctions involving a reduction and oxidation photocatalyst in staggered band arrangement with Fermi level differences. We present factors determining the validation of the S-scheme mechanism with respective characterization techniques, including in situ and ex situ experiments, and theoretical studies. We show mechanistic drawbacks of traditional photocatalytic systems to highlight the advantages of S-scheme photocatalysts. We describe co-catalyst loading, bandgap tuning, and interfacial optimization that ultimately achieve highly efficient photocatalysis. Last, application for water splitting, CO2 conversion, pollutant degradation, bacterial inactivation and others is discussed.

Background: The transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy by vestibular approach (TOETVA) has been developed for thyroid microcarcinoma (TMC) treatment worldwide, with low rate of complications and excell...

Background Recent developments in robotic technology have brought significant changes in robotic video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (r-VATS) worldwide, particularly including the treatment in the thorax for the mediastinal, esophagus, and pulmonary lesions. Currently, there are only a few reports describing the procedural experience and outcomes with r-VATS. The objective of this study is to provide our initial experience using r-VATS at a single center, with specific attention to safety, efficacy, and procedural details. Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent a newly modified r-VATS procedure for various surgical operations at the thoracic department of our hospital, from July 2018 to January 2020. Multiport trocars were placed in the classic triangular arrangement as in conventional VATS (c-VATS) but with modifications based on the type of surgery. The peri- and postoperative outcomes such as duration of surgery, complications, and duration of hospital stay for these patients were reported. Results Overall, 142 patients underwent r-VATS for lobectomy (66), wedge resection (15), thymectomy (22), mediastinal tumor resection (30), pneumonectomy (4), transthoracic esophagectomy (1), esophageal tumor resection or esophageal diverticulum repair (2), diaphragm plication (1), and mediastinal tumor resection plus thymectomy (1). For the entire cohort, the median operative time was 110 min, and the median length of hospital stay was 5 days. Conversion to open thoracic surgery was reported only in a total of 3 (2.1%) patients of pneumonectomy (1.4%) and mediastinal tumor resection (0.70%). All our patients were managed successfully with no postoperative complications and mortality. Conclusion Our method of r-VATS was found to be safe and effective and may be applied to different surgical operations. Adequate and proper training of thoracic surgeons is immediately needed for the transition from c-VATS to r-VATS. The utility and advantages of triangular trocar configuration for r-VATS require further refinement and research before it can be routinely adopted in clinical practice. Trial registration Retrospectively registered.

In recent years, machine learning techniques have been developed and used to build intelligent information systems for solving problems in various fields. In this study, we have used Optimized Inference Intelligence System namely ANFIS-PSO which is a combination of Adaptive Neural-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) for the estimation of shear strength parameters of the soils (Cohesion “C” and angle of internal friction “φ”). These parameters are required for designing the foundation of civil engineering structures. Normally, shear parameters of soil are determined either in the field or in the laboratory which require time, expertise and equipments. Therefore, in this study, we have applied a hybrid model ANFIS-PSO for quick and cost-effective estimation of shear parameters of soil based on the other six physical parameters namely clay content, natural water content, specific gravity, void ratio, liquid limit and plastic limit. In the model study, we have used data of 1252 soft soil samples collected from the different highway project sites of Vietnam. The data was randomly divided into 70:30 ratios for the model training and testing, respectively. Standard statistical measures: Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Correlation Coefficient (R) were used for the performance evaluation of the model. Results of the model study indicated that performance of the ANFIS-PSO model is very good in predicting shear parameters of the soil: cohesion (RMSE = 0.075, MAE = 0.041, and R = 0.831) and angle of internal friction (RMSE = 0.08, MAE = 0.058, and R = 0.952).

Introduction: The external quality assessment (EQA) for microbiological laboratories is one of the most commonly used services for quality assurance. In Vietnam, the majority of EQA samples are imported from foreign markets, involving high costs, complicated procedures and further making it difficult to ensure quality in terms of transport and management. The objective of this study was to develop a process for producing lyophilized urine samples containing pathogens (Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis), evaluating the homogeneity and stability of the produced samples and the subsequent application of these samples in the launching trial program of the clinical microbiology program. Methods: The production process of was established according to ISO Guide 34:2009. The homogeneity and stability of production samples were evaluated according to the guidance of ISO 13528:2015. Produced samples were preserved at 2-8°C and assessed for stability after 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks. Samples were subsequently utilized in the clinical microbiology EQA program, wherein they were sent to 26 laboratories located in several different regions across Vietnam. Results: The production process thus conceived comprised eight steps that ensured the homogeneity of the samples produced. Two sets of quality samples were produced and stability within12 weeks. Approximately 92% of the laboratories met the set target. Conclusions: The eight-step process to produce presumptive lyophilized urine samples has successfully developed. The produced samples reach the criteria for EQA samples and suitable to apply on clinical microbiology EQA scheme at national scale.

The main objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the performance of different machine learning (ML) algorithms, namely, Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Extreme Learning Machine (ELM), and Boosting Trees (Boosted) algorithms, considering the influence of various training to testing ratios in predicting the soil shear strength, one of the most critical geotechnical engineering properties in civil engineering design and construction. For this aim, a database of 538 soil samples collected from the Long Phu 1 power plant project, Vietnam, was utilized to generate the datasets for the modeling process. Different ratios (i.e., 10/90, 20/80, 30/70, 40/60, 50/50, 60/40, 70/30, 80/20, and 90/10) were used to divide the datasets into the training and testing datasets for the performance assessment of models. Popular statistical indicators, such as Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), and Correlation Coefficient (R), were employed to evaluate the predictive capability of the models under different training and testing ratios. Besides, Monte Carlo simulation was simultaneously carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed models, taking into account the random sampling effect. The results showed that although all three ML models performed well, the ANN was the most accurate and statistically stable model after 1000 Monte Carlo simulations (Mean R = 0.9348) compared with other models such as Boosted (Mean R = 0.9192) and ELM (Mean R = 0.8703). Investigation on the performance of the models showed that the predictive capability of the ML models was greatly affected by the training/testing ratios, where the 70/30 one presented the best performance of the models. Concisely, the results presented herein showed an effective manner in selecting the appropriate ratios of datasets and the best ML model to predict the soil shear strength accurately, which would be helpful in the design and engineering phases of construction projects. Validerad;2021;Nivå 2;2021-02-09 (johcin)

Multiple osteolytic lesions are usually associated with bone metastasis. However, brown tumor should also be included in the differential diagnosis. Brown tumor is a rare benign lesions in skeletal system, encountered in patients with uncontrolled primary or secondary hyperparathyroidism. In our case report, we present a 35 - year - old female with multifocal brown tumor that difficultiy in differential diagnosis of metastasis of malignant parathyroid. Additionally, the treatment and follow up after parathyroidectomy are also emphasized. Methods The SCARE 2020 Guideline [ 1 ]

Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most powerful platforms that incorporates several other technological components within itself. The IoT ecosystem comprises devices, communications, protocols, analytics, cloud, automation, etc. Its magnitude keeps on increasing with the addition of tools and services. While IoT has many advantages like connectivity, efficiency, and convenience, it is a known fact that privacy and security issues are prevalent in the IoT network. To minimize the security and privacy issues, we propose a blockchain-based solution. In this paper, we design policies based on smart contacts, which is a self-enforcing agreement embedded in computer code managed by a blockchain. We propose three different policies: Hardware and Device Security Policies, Access and Authentication policies, and Application security for the IoT network. Since blockchain-based solutions ensure trust and stability, this may be one of the most robust techniques to alleviate the IoT network’s security and privacy issues. Also, we calculate the throughput and latency of the IoT enabled blockchain network and compare the power consumption of the IoT device at the time of data request with other proposed systems.

An internal hernia is the protrusion of visceral contents through a congenital or acquired defect in the peritoneum or mesentery within the abdominal cavity. In approximately 0.6–5.8% of patients with small intestinal obstruction, the cause is internal hernia, with paraduodenal hernias accounting for approximately 40% of cases. Here, we present the case of a 51-year-old man diagnosed with obstruction of the small intestine caused by a hernia on the left side of the duodenum. The treatment involved returning the bowel loops to the normal position and closing the hernia pocket using Prolene 2.0 sutures. The duration of the surgery was 30 min. Five days later, the patient’s condition was stable and he was discharged from the hospital; at the 32-month postoperative follow-up, he remained in stable condition with no recurrence. An abdominal computed tomography scan is valuable for early diagnosis of paraduodenal hernia in the absence of complications, and the cause can be identified and the bowel returned to the normal position by endoscopic surgery, with closure of the hernia pocket if the intestine does not stick to the pocket.

In this paper, we developed highly accurate ensemble machine learning models integrating Reduced Error Pruning Tree (REPT) as a base classifier with the Bagging (B), Decorate (D), and Random Subspa...

Background Psychometric properties are regarded as one of the significant contributors related to diabetes treatment efficacy. Diabetes-related distress (DD) is one of the emotional burdens. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of DD and to determine its associated factors among Vietnamese diabetic patients. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at a single medical center in the central of Vietnam. A total of 138 eligible DM outpatients were invited and a total of 112 patients who completed the questionnaire were utilized in this analysis using convenience sampling. DD was assessed using the diabetes distress scale (DDS). The participant's sociodemographic and clinical information was obtained through face-to-face interviews and medical records. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine independent factors associated with the presence of DD. Results Approximately, 12.5% of the patients experienced DD based on DDS self-administered questionnaire. The rates of mild/moderate and high distress were 8.0% and 4.5%, respectively. DD was found to be significantly higher in type 1 DM (p=0.04), insulin only in treatment regime (p=0.04), physical inactivities (p=0.02), times of mild hypoglycemia (time/month) (p=0.01), and fasting plasma glucose (mmol/l) (p=0.04). The occurrence of distress among DM patients was negatively correlated with their age and amount of physical exercise. Meanwhile, poor HbA1c control (HbA1c≥7%) was associated with an increased occurrence of diabetes distress. Conclusion The findings of single medical center in Vietnam highlights that DD is prevalent among DM patients. It should be of marked concerns, particularly the type 1 diabetic patients, younger age, and poor glycemic control patients.

PURPOSE To evaluate a screening tool for identifying which patients admitted to the oncology ward of a Vietnamese hospital should be referred to specialist palliative care (PC). METHODS We performed a cross-sectional survey of consecutive patients hospitalized in the Department of Oncology and Palliative Care at Hanoi Medical University Hospital between June 2019 and September 2019. We translated a validated 11-item screening tool into Vietnamese and used a total score of ≥ 5 as a positive screen. RESULTS One hundred participants were recruited. Forty-four patients (44%) screened positive. Of these, 37 (84%) had locally advanced or metastatic disease, 31 (70%) had uncontrolled symptoms, and 43 (98%) requested a PC consultation. A score ≥ 5 was significantly more common in patients with stage IV disease versus earlier stage, performance status of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) 2 versus ECOG 0, and when life-limiting complications of cancer were present. Screening identified four patients overlooked by oncologists as needing referral, and 34% of patients requesting a referral had scores < 5. CONCLUSION This screening tool provided oncologists with easy-to-use criteria for referring patients for PC. At the same time, it relieved the work load for under-resourced PC physicians by screening out requests with low-level need. This tool should be part of routine assessment on admission in all oncology units in Vietnam.

To isolate circulating tumor cells (CTC) from women with advanced cervical cancer and estimate the impact of CTCs and treatment on overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS). A total of 7.5 mL of whole blood was drawn pre-cycle 1 and 36 days post-cycle 1 from patients enrolled on Gynecologic Oncology Group 0240, the phase III randomized trial that led directly to regulatory approval of the antiangiogenesis drug, bevacizumab, in women with recurrent/metastatic cervical cancer. CTCs (defined as anti-cytokeratin+/anti-CD45− cells) were isolated from the buffy coat layer using an anti-EpCAM antibody-conjugated ferrofluid and rare earth magnet, and counted using a semiautomated fluorescence microscope. The median pre-cycle 1 CTC count was 7 CTCs/7.5 mL whole blood (range, 0–18) and, at 36 days posttreatment, was 4 (range, 0–17). The greater the declination in CTCs between time points studied, the lower the risk of death [HR, 0.87; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.79–0.95)]. Among patients with high (≥ median) pretreatment CTCs, bevacizumab treatment was associated with a reduction in the hazard of death (HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.32–1.03) and PFS (HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.36–0.96). This effect was not observed with low (< median) CTCs. CTCs can be isolated from women with advanced cervical cancer and may have prognostic significance. A survival benefit conferred by bevacizumab among patients with high pretreatment CTCs may reflect increased tumor neovascularization and concomitant vulnerability to VEGF inhibition. These data support studying CTC capture as a potential predictive biomarker.

Currently, the number of mining workers quitting their jobs is increasing, while coal mining enterprises are facing many difficulties in labor recruitment. To reach current production requirements and future development, coal enterprises need to retain workers for their operation. In this study, we tested 7 factors affecting the job satisfaction of coal workers, the study showed that 4 factors including relationship, income, job and corporation culture affect positively employee satisfaction while job opportunities and working conditions reduce the level of job satisfaction. The research results may be a suggestion to help coal enterprises to devise appropriate solutions to improve job satisfaction of workers, so that they can ensure the maintenance of human resources for production.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are widely used for establishing large scale topological maps. Recently, drones have been integrated with high-quality GNSS receivers which allows real time kinematic positioning (RTK), so are called UAV/RTK. This technology is beneficial to surveyors as they do not need to establish many ground control points in mapping such a complex terrain as open-pit mines. DJI Phantom 4 RTK (P4K) is a UAV/RTK which is of much interest due to its small size and low cost. For open-pit mines, the takeoff position of P4K needs to be seriously considered because of its influence on the accuracy of the digital surface model (DSM) and safety of survey flights. This article presents the method of determining the optimal takeoff positions for UAV in large scale mapping for open pit mines. To evaluate this method, a site of steep and rugged terrain with an area of 80 hectares at the Coc Sau coal mine was chosen as the study area. The results indicate that two optimal locations with altitudes of +50 m and +160 m could be used for taking off the P4K. The accuracy of DSM generated from UAV images using the optimal positions satisfied the accuracy requirement of large scale topological maps at the deepest area of the mine (the altitude of -60 m).

In this study, we have investigated rainfall induced landslide susceptibility of the Uttarkashi district of India through the developmentof different novel GIS based soft computing approaches namel...

To determine the long-term potential benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in subgroups of high-risk stage I mucinous ovarian cancer patients using a predictive scoring algorithm.Data were collected from the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2014. Based on demographic and surgical characteristics, a novel 10-year survival prognostic scoring system was developed using Cox regression.There were 2041 eligible patients with stage I mucinous ovarian cancer including 1362 (67%) with stage IA/IB disease, 598 (29%) with stage IC disease, and 81 (4%) with stage I disease not otherwise specified. Median age was 52 with a range of 13-90 years old. 737 (36%) patients were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy was more common in patients with stage IC relative to stage IA/IB disease (69% vs. 21%, P 0.001) or with poorly-differentiated relative to well-differentiated tumors (69% vs. 23%, P 0.001). Unadjusted 10-year survival was 81% relative to 79% for patients treated with vs. without chemotherapy, respectively (P = 0.46). Patients were predicted to exhibit a low- or a high-risk of death using a multivariate Cox regression model with age, stage, grade, lymphovascular space invasion and ascites. Risk of death without vs. with adjuvant chemotherapy was similar in low-risk patients (88% vs. 84%; HR = 0.80, 95%CI = 0.56-1.15, P = 0.23) and worse in high-risk patients (51% vs. 74%; HR = 1.58, 95%CI: 1.05-2.38, P = 0.03) with stage I mucinous ovarian cancer.A predictive scoring algorithm may provide prognostic information on long-term survival and identify high-risk stage I mucinous ovarian cancer patients who might achieve a survival benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.

Objective To compare the longer-term development outcomes in children born after freeze-only versus fresh embryo transfer (ET) in women with an ovulatory cycle. Design Long-term follow-up study (NCT04099784) of babies born alive after the first ET in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing ongoing pregnancy and live birth rates after use of a freeze-only versus fresh ET strategy (NCT02471573). Setting Private clinic. Patient(s) Of 391 couples randomized to each treatment group in the RCT, 132 (97 singleton/35 twins) and 123 (95 singleton/28 twins) in the freeze-only and fresh ET groups had live birth; 113 parents (86%) from the freeze-only group (147 babies) and 99 (80%) from the fresh ET group (120 babies) returned questionnaires for this follow-up study. Intervention(s) Use of a freeze-only or fresh ET strategy after controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with a follicle-stimulating hormone/gonadotropin-releasing antagonist protocol. Main Outcome Measure(s) Developmental status at ≥2 years after birth, determined using the Developmental Red Flags and Ages & Stages Third Edition (ASQ-3) Questionnaires. Result(s) Mean age of children at the end of follow-up was 37 months. Height (95.0 ± 6.1 vs. 95.7 ± 5.6 cm) and weight (14.9 ± 2.6 vs. 14.8 ± 2.6 kg) were similar in the freeze-only and fresh ET groups (results were similar when singletons and twins were analyzed separately). Overall, ASQ-3 scores for problem solving were significantly better in the freeze-only versus fresh ET group (overall: 53.6 ± 8.4 vs. 51.1 ± 10.2), with no significant between-group difference when singletons (52.3 ± 10.1 vs. 51.0 ± 9.9) and twins (55.0 ± 5.5 vs. 51.4 ± 11.1) were analyzed separately. Fine motor skills scores were numerically higher (with P values approaching statistical significance) in the freeze-only versus fresh ET group in the overall analysis (47.8 ± 11.6 vs. 44.9 ± 12.6) and twins (49.85 ± 8.72 vs. 43.93 ± 12.71), but not singletons (46.0 ± 13.4 vs. 45.4 ± 12.6). The overall proportion of children with abnormal ASQ-3 (6.8% vs. 8.3%) or abnormal Red Flags (5.4% vs. 6.7%) findings in the freeze-only and fresh ET groups was low and did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusion(s) These data provide physicians with additional information on which to base decisions about the relative merits of different approaches to infertility treatment. There do not appear to be any grounds for concern about worse outcomes after use of a freeze-only strategy. However, additional studies comparing childhood development after a freeze-only strategy, fresh ET, and natural cycles are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

Electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction powered by renewable electricity offers a path to produce valuable products from CO2 —this earth-scale human waste— and to store intermittent renewable energy in the form of chemical fuels. Recently, single metal atoms (SMAs) immobilized on a conductive substrate have been shown as effective catalysts for the electrochemical CO2 reduction, opening the door to a new generation of low-cost and high-performance catalysts for fuel and chemical production. The unique physical and chemical properties of a single-atomic structure, the homogeneity of the active sites, combined with tunable coordination environment are essential for realizing highly active and selective catalysts. In this review, we focus on the structure-performance relationship in SMA catalysts for CO2 reduction from both theoretical and experimental aspects. We discuss why SMA catalysts exhibit distinct catalytic performance compared to their counterpart nanoparticles. Recent strategies for improving the CO2 reduction selectivity and activity by tuning the nature and coordination environment of SMA active sites are described. Finally, we highlight potential applications of SMA catalysts in practical CO2 reduction conditions, critical challenges and the path toward efficient electrochemical CO2 reduction catalysis based on SMAs.

Several typical econometric analyses, namely fuzzy coalitional games, regression for causal inference, statistical quality control, and prediction in machine learning, are examined in this paper to point out that soft computing components such as fuzzy theory and random set theory have a major role to play. The examination of these statistical analyses suggests an extended use of random fuzzy sets, based upon theory of random fuzzy sets, to improve empirical research.

Nowaday, plant cell, tissue and organ culture has become a standard and popular propagation method for many crops including ornamental plants, medicinal plants, fruit trees and green vegetables. The advantage of this method is that it can generate a huge number of genetically identical seedlings, effectively control the pathogenicity in order to produce disease-free plants, become a tool for conservation and development of genetic sources and support study of physiological characteristics of plants. However, this method still has some limitations such as abnormal physiological morphology and anatomical structure; necrosis and deformities plants; stomata loss of function, etc. These abnormalities have great impacts on shoot multiplication as well as the growth and development of the plants after transplanted from the culture vessels to the nursery stage. The components of in vitro culture conditions such as culture system, composition and content of nutrients, plant growth regulators used in the culture medium, light, temperature and humidity, age and origin of explants, etc., are the main causes of the abnormalities. Therefore, optimization of culture system to improve the quality of seedlings has always been one of the main targets of commercial micropropagation. In this review, we focused on some frequently abnormal symptoms in micro - propagation such as vitrification, yellowing and abscission of leaves; microbial contamination; necrosis of shoot-tip, roots and tissues culture; browning of explants and medium culture and other restrictions. More over, this report showed some the effective solutions to overcome these abnormal phenomena.

Choriocarcinoma is a malignant tumor that typically appears in gonadal organs and primarily occurs in women of reproductive age. Being a primary extragonadal choriocarcinoma, primary pulmonary choriocarcinoma (PPC) is an extremely rare condition. Due to the rarity of PPC, no standardized treatment has been established so far. However, surgery combined with adjuvant chemotherapy appears to be the most optimal treatment. Here, we report a rare case of a man with PPC that was successfully treated with surgery followed by chemotherapy.

Development of zoning and flood-forecasting models is essential for making optimal management decisions before and after floods. The Komijan watershed of Markazi Province, Iran is often affected by floods that have caused great material damage and loss of life. The main objective of this study is to use a new machine-learning method to create three models: best-first decision tree (BFT), a bagging best-first decision tree (BBFT) ensemble and a dagging best-first decision tree (DBFT) ensemble to spatially predict flood probability. Twelve conditioning-factor measures for 272 locations of past floods were used to train and test three models. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), sensitivity (SST), specificity (SPF), accuracy (ACC), kappa (K), and root mean square error (RMSE) are applied to compare and validate the models. The results are that all three models performed well in mapping, flood probabilities (AUC > 0.904). The BBFT model was best, however, with an AUC = 0.96. Based on the results of the Relief-F attribute evaluation method, two soil and slope factors were weighted highest among the parameters, indicating that they are the most important flood-conditioning factors. These models may improve identification of zones that are most susceptible to flooding, improving the capacity for risk management and providing more detailed information for managers and decision-makers.

In Space applications, the scaling of transistors has made integrated circuits (ICs) more susceptible to soft errors, caused by radiation strikes. When a soft error causes a bit flip in a memory device, this event is referred to as a Single Event Upset (SEU). Since SEU errors degrade system performance and eventually lead to system failure, the design of radiation-resilient memory is substantial. This paper presents a radiation resilient SRAM with a self-refresh scheme for lowering the number of errors in each row below a threshold number. The proposed self-refresh operation reads out the stored data and performs single error correction using a simple algorithm during its hold/idle mode. A 4KB SRAM test chip in 65nm CMOS technology demonstrates a significant reduction in errors with the self-refresh operation. When the SRAM test chip was exposed to accelerated proton radiation with an energy level of 39.38 MeV, the self-refresh scheme reduces the number of uncorrectable errors by $25\times $ and $8\times $ lesser for the fluence of $9.82\times 10^{11}$ particles/cm2 and $49.1\times 10^{11}$ particles/cm2, respectively.

Background: In Vietnam, surgery or aspiration is preferred to treat thyroid cysts however each of them still have limitations. Purposes of this study were to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ethanol ablation in treating thyroid cysts and determine factors that predict the outcome of treatment. Methods: This prospective study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Institutional Review Board of Family hospital and written informed consent for procedures was obtained. From May 2018 to March 2019, 23 patients who underwent treatment for thyroid cysts by EA were enrolled in this study and were followed up for 1 month at Family hospital. The primary endpoint was efficient after one month as the volume reduction ratio was ≥ 50%. Secondary endpoints were improvements in symptoms, cosmetic scores, and safety. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used. Results: In the finding, from May 2018 to March 2019, only 17 patients who matched inclusion criteria were included in the analyst, including 7 purely thyroid cysts, and 10 predominantly cystic nodules. Mean volume decreased significantly from 5.21 ± 3.37 ml to 2.35 ± 2.52 ml in corresponding to 52.87% of volume reduction with p < 0.05. Ethanol ablation (EA) success rate was 52.90% after 1 month. Symptoms and cosmetic scores were improved significantly. The thyroid function was constant. No adverse events occurred. Purely thyroid cyst was a predictive factor contributing to the success of EA. Conclusion: EA seems likely to be a safe and an efficient therapy for patients who had purely or predominantly cystic thyroid nodules.

The incorporation of renewable and sustainable energy sources in electric grids has been acknowledged as a potential strategy to solve the ever-growing environmental issues that result from the use...

Recent experimental studies have often described the interface of the graphene/semiconductor (G/S) junction in terms of conventional metal/semiconductor (M/S) contact models, but the details of the...

We report the southernmost record of the Rhinoceros Snake, Gonyosoma boulengeri (Mocquard, 1897) from Phu YenProvince, southern Vietnam, based on a single specimen collected from forest in the Ca Range. This record extendsthe distribution of G. boulengeri approximately 600 km south of previous records in Vietnam (Quang Binh Province,central Vietnam). A detailed description of a hemipenis is also provided for the first time.

BACKGROUND: Despite promising advances in stem cell-based therapy, the treatment of ischemic cardiovascular diseases remains a big challenge due to both the insufficient in vivo viability of transplanted cells and poor angiogenic potential of stem cells. The goal of this study was to develop therapeutic human cardiac progenitor cells (hCPCs) for ischemic cardiovascular diseases with a novel M13 peptide carrier. METHOD: In this study, an engineered M13 peptide carrier was successfully generated using a QuikChange Kit. The cellular function of M13 peptide carrier-treated hCPCs was assessed using a tube formation assay and scratch wound healing assay. The in vivo engraftment and cell survival bioactivities of transplanted cells were demonstrated by immunohistochemistry after hCPC transplantation into a myocardial infarction animal model. RESULTS: The engineered M13(RGD+SDKP) peptide carrier, which expressed RGD peptide on PIII site and SDKP peptide on PVIII site, did not affect morphologic change and proliferation ability in hCPCs. In contrast, hCPCs treated with M13(RGD+SDKP) showed enhanced angiogenic capacity, including tube formation and migration capacity. Moreover, transplanted hCPCs with M13(RGD+SDKP) were engrafted into the ischemic region and promoted in vivo cell survival. CONCLUSION: Our present data provides a promising protocol for CPC-based cell therapy via short-term cell priming of hCPCs with engineered M13(RGD+SDKP) before cell transplantation for treatment of cardiovascular disease. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13770-020-00244-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In this study, we have developed five spatially explicit ensemble predictive machine learning models for the landslide susceptibility mapping of the Van Chan district of the Yen Bai Province, Vietn...