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Background: High-resolution anorectal manometry (HRAM) has been developed to improve measurement of anorectal functions. This study aims to identify normal HRAM values in healthy young Vietnamese adults.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study at the National Hospital of Traditional Medicine (Hanoi, Vietnam) from July through December 2014. Healthy young adults were invited to participate in the study. All anorectal measurement values were performed using the ISOLAB high-resolution manometry system. Differences between groups were analyzed using Student's t-tests.Results: Thirty healthy young adults, including 15 males and 15 females aged 19-26 years, were recruited. Mean functional anal canal length was 3.4 ± 0.5 cm (range: 2.4-4.8 mm). Mean maximum resting pressure, mean maximum squeezing pressure, mean maximum coughing pressure, and mean maximum strain pressure were 65.5, 168.0, 125.9, and 84.2 mm Hg, respectively. All anal pressure values were significantly different between males and females. For rectal sensation measurements, only the volume at first sensation was significantly higher in males than in females.Conclusions: This study provides normal HRAM value for healthy young adults in Vietnam. Sex may influence anal pressure and first rectal sensation values in this cohort. Further studies should be conducted in order to improve the quality of HRAM normal values and to confirm the effects of sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Doppler-guided transanal hemorrhoidal dearterialization (THD) was considered a less invasive and innovative method to treat hemorrhoidal disease, but it may impact the anal area during dearterialization and mucopexy. Thus, this study aimed to assess any changes in anorectal manometry of grade III and IV hemorrhoidal patients following THD treatment.Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted with patients who had grades III and IV hemorrhoidal disease. The patients were treated using THD at the Department of Surgery in the National Hospital of Traditional Medicine (Hanoi, Vietnam) between June 2012 and December 2013. Anorectal manometry was performed prior to THD and again between 6 and 12 months following the procedure.Results: A total of 40 patients were enrolled in the study, including 32 with grade III hemorrhoids and 8 with grade IV hemorrhoids. The proportion of male patients (65%) was higher than that of female patients (35%), and the majority of patients (82.5%) were > 40 years old. The mean duration of symptoms prior to treatment was 12.3 years. The mean length of the anal sphincter was unchanged before and after THD (3.64 ± 0.40 cm prior to treatment vs. 3.66 ± 0.48 cm following treatment; p = 0.57). Significant differences in treatment-related changes were detected for all anorectal manometric measurements except maximum squeezing pressure (p < 0.05). No patient showed anal stenosis or fecal incontinence.Conclusion: The THD technique did not change the length of the anal sphincter 6 months after hemorrhoid treatment. The values of anal pressure and rectal sensation decreased almost significantly between treatment and the follow-up visit. We suggest that further studies, which include larger sample sizes, should be conducted to confirm THD effectiveness in terms of anorectal functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Asia Pacific Evaluation of Cardiovascular Therapies (ASPECT) Collaboration was established to better understand the characteristics of patients undergoing PCI and cardiac interventions across the Asia Pacific region, including STEMI. The aim of this study was to compare STEMI patient characteristics across Asia Pacific (AP) countries in order to understand regional differences. Methods Each site across Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Hong Kong provided de-identified individual patient data. Comparison of characteristics by sites were performed using one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis or Chi-squared tests, using Stata 14.2. Results Of the 12,620 cases, there were more males (p < 0.001) and the average of patients' age ranged from 55 (Malaysia) to 68 (Vietnam) years old. Family history of coronary artery disease was not common amongst Hong Kong (1%) and Singaporean (12%) patients, and most patients did not have history of congestive heart failure, peripheral vascular disease or coronary artery bypass grafting. History of dyslipidaemia varied significantly among patients in Malaysia (98%) and Vietnam (12%) (p < 0.001). About 37% of the Malaysian patients had previous myocardial infarction, which is greater than twice of other cohorts (p < 0.001). Most cohort had either normal or mild ejection fraction (EF) but 40% of the Singaporean patients had severely reduced EF (p < 0.001). Conclusions Patient characteristics varied significantly across AP countries. On-going analyses will focus on the impact of varying patient characteristics on clinical outcomes. Key messages As characteristics varied, prevention and procedural strategies need to be adapted carefully. Additional input from other AP countries will better inform these strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to assess the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity among adults in urban Hanoi, Vietnam; and compare these results to previous estimates among adults in urban Ho Chi Minh City. Survey participants were residents in urban Hanoi, Vietnam and aged between 25-74 years. Data from a cross-sectional biomedical survey conducted in 2004 were collected; which included a questionnaire, physical examination and blood tests. The age-standardised prevalence of overweight and obesity in 2004, using Asian-specific body mass index cut-offs, were 28.6% and 2.1%, respectively. The prevalence of overweight/obesity (combined) was similar in males (29.7%) and females (31.5%), and generally increased with age. The prevalence of overweight/obesity was considerably lower if the standard cut-off values of the World Health Organization were used. The age-standardised prevalence of underweight was 13.3%; and that of 'increased risk'/'substantially increased risk' waist circumference (combined) was 27.9% in males and 25.7% in females, respectively. Almost one in three adults in urban Hanoi were overweight or obese in 2004 and more than one in ten were underweight (based on Asian-specific cut-off values). This prevalence of overweight/obesity is similar to that for adults in urban Ho Chi Minh City, but the prevalence of underweight is lower. While low body weight remains a concern, overweight and obesity are an increasing problem for urban Vietnamese adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]