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Chronic leg ulcer is one of the diabetic complications causing continuous pain and higher mortality risk. The therapeutic treatment of chronic diabetic wounds can be studied through animal models which simulate the human pathology. Experimental diabetes in mice induced by streptozotocin (STZ) is an easy method with low cost. There have been several studies using STZ for diabetic mice model of cutaneous excisional wound. However, those procedures are different in many factors such as dose of STZ, mouse weight, blood glucose level and the method for assessing health status in mice. We have constructed the criteria to evaluate the health status of the experimental mice including skin color, fur condition, ability to move and body condition. These criteria of health status wereused together with the blood glucose level to evaluate the male mice’s sensitivity to a single high dose (100-150 mg/kg) of STZ. Approximately 40 % of 20–28 g weighted mice, which were injected by 125 mg/kg STZ, developed diabetes in a good health status in the first two weeks after injection. Mice with blood glucose level higher than 200 mg/dL had damaged islet and stably high blood glucose as well as stable health status after two weeks carrying wounds. The wound healing process of the diabetic wounded mice occured relatively slower than that of the control group (non diabetic). The model of diabetic wounded mice has been used to evaluate of the wound healing effect of the rhPDGF-BB protein which has been used in the treatment of chronic wounds caused by human diabetes.

For the very first time, ordered mesoporous hydrotalcite like compound containing Mg, Al and Co was prepared through co-condensation and co-condensation-evaporation methods using CTAB as a structure directing agent. The co-condensation and co-condensation-evaporation methods were established at 80 °C for 48 h under alkaline media followed by drying and calcination at 400 °C for 3 h for removing the directing agent from the porous system. Controlling pore width of the material was also studied by applying two method: hydrothelmal treatment and using another template. The results confirmed that the co-condensation-evaporation method was better than the co-condensation one because it could produce high ordered mesoporous channels. The controlling also pointed out that bothe methods could be used for narrowing and reducing the pore width of the material. Structural charactizations of these two materials were analyzed by many techniques including Small Angle X-Ray Diffraction (SAXRD), Wide Angle X-Ray Diffraction (WAXRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer, Emmett and Teller Theory (BET).

Highlights • Many risk factors including age, sex, chronic exposure to solar radiation, tobacco, alcohol consumption, viral factors autoimmune diseases and using immunosuppressant drugs are associated with developing lip cancer. • Treatment with tumor excision, lymph node dissection and reconstruction by local flap is primary treatment for patients with lower lip cancer. • Bilateral V-Y advancement flap can be utilized in the reconstruction of lip cancer in case of large defect, as well as guarantee safety and adequate cosmetic and function for low-income patients., Introduction Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of lower lip comprises over 25% of oral cancer. Surgical treatment plan for SCC patients includes tumor excision, lymph node dissection and reconstruction. Case presentation A 68-year-old patient was admitted with 1-year history of tumor in his lower lip. Examination revealed a large lower lip tumor with expansion to the upper lip and a 2 cm submental lymph node. Biopsy result of the tumor was SCC and fine needle aspiration result of the lymph node was metastasis SCC. He underwent a complete removal of the lower lip and 1/3 external of the upper lip plus dissection of bilateral cervical lymph node plus reconstruction with local flap. After a 4-hour operation and 14-day hospitalization, patient recovered with flap in excellent condition and without any complications. Conclusion Treatment with tumor excision, lymph node dissection and reconstruction by local flap is primary treatment for patients with lower lip cancer. Choice of reconstruction method depends on various factors, whereas V-Y advancement flap presents dominant advantage in lower lip cancer treatment.

The Loopamp™MTBC detection kit (TB-LAMP) was designed to replace the sputum smear microscopy for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. We evaluated its performance at a peripheral laboratory in Vietnam. The sensitivity of TB-LAMP was 45.5% (28.1%-63.6%), which was equal to 3-sputum smear microscopy but lower than that of Xpert MTB/RIF (87.8% [71.8%-96.6%]). In patients with culture-confirmed TB, sensitivity was 80% (51.9%-95.7%) in smear-positive and 16.7% (3.5%-41.4%) in smear-negative cases. The specificity of TB-LAMP was 95.1% (92.7%-96.9%), which was lower than that of smear microscopy (98.9% [97.5%-99.7%]) and Xpert MTB/RIF (99.3% [98.1%-99.9%]) (P

The kinetic parameters of thermoluminescene (TL) glow peaks of chilli powder irradiated by gamma rays with the different doses of 0, 4 and 8 kGy (i.e. activation energies (E), order of kinetics (b), trapping and recombination probability coefficients (R) and frequency factors (s)) have been determined and evaluated by glow curve deconvolution (GCD) method using the glow curve data to estimate lifetime of TL traps. The kinetic parameters of TL glow peaks are calculated by modeled first-, second-, generalorders of kinetics (GOK) thanking to the computer by using the R package TGCD. The results obtained as comparing the lifetime values of the three samples showed that the values of the 8 kGy irradiated-samples were the lowest whereas the 4 kGy irradiated-samples’value were greater than the non-irradiated samples’ one time.

The important problem of designing underwater pistol was analysed and calculated the dynamics of firing mechanism. On the basis of analyzing the performance of the underwater pistol, the paper presents a theoretical model for analysing the dynamics of firing mechanism of underwater pistol with the with the resistance of water acting on firing pin and slide. The result of this research can be applied to design the underwater pistol and underwater firearm.

We conducted a cross-sectional study in Tuyen Quang Province, a mountainous province in northern Vietnam, to examine rates of psychological distress among 241 patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Using the Kessler psychological distress Scale, we found that approximately one-fourth (26.8%) of respondents suffered from mental health pathologies. Physical health problems, current drug use, and alcohol abuse were found to be associated with mental health problems among the participants. Our findings highlight the high prevalence of psychological distress among MMT patients in northern Vietnam, and the need to integrate mental and physical health care services, as well as behavioral health counseling, into currently existing MMT clinics in this region.

In this paper, we study two parametric weak and strong vector quasivariational inequality problems of the Minty type. The stability properties of the exact solution sets and approximate solution sets for these problems such as the upper semicontinuity, the lower semicontinuity, the Hausdorff lower semicontinuity, the continuity and the Hausdorff continuity are obtained. The results presented in the paper improve and extend the main results in the literature.

Introduction. In advanced gastric cancer, preoperative chemotherapy is associated with survival benefit. FOLFIRI has demonstrated promising results in terms of survival and tolerance, especially in patients with poor performance status. Case Presentation. A 59-year-old male, diagnosed with pT4bN2M0 gastric cancer, underwent gastrointestinal anastomosis and three cycles of EOX chemotherapy. Due to disease progression, he was switched to FOLFIRI regimen. After 12 cycles, the patient received a subtotal gastrectomy and D2 lymphadenectomy. Microscopic examination achieved pCR, and the patient has been surviving 34 months without recurrence. No severe toxicities of chemotherapy were recorded. Conclusions. FOLFIRI might be a safe and effective option in neoadjuvant treatment for advanced gastric cancer among patients with poor performance status or progression after first-line chemotherapy.

Knowledge of sediment transport in an estuary is essential for addressing many issues ranging from morphodynamics and water quality. Nhat Le estuary is the largest estuary with respect to river discharge in Quang Binh province, Vietnam and plays very important role in providing a safe navigation to fishing and recreational. In the tidal shallow-water estuarine area with high seasonal variation of river discharge, the sediment transport in Nhat Le estuary are complex. At the estuary, strong variation of the erosion and deposition processes have been occurring at the high frequency raise a concern of what reason can be attributable to the process. While a number of studies have explored the hydrodynamic regime in Nhat Le estuary, few have attempted to conclude which factor predominantly contribute to sediment transport and river mouth morphology in the area. To better understand we used a high-resolution hydrodynamic model (Delft3D) fully coupled with wave and sediment transport models to examine the importance of the principal factors controlling the morphology in the Nhat Le estuary. We conducted field experiments during both dry and wet seasons in 2018 to collect water levels, currents, waves, and sediment samples. The variation of the morphology in spatially and at single points under different scenarios are discussed. Model predictions suggest that wind-wave have significantly influence on sediment transport and river morphology with the effect accounted for nearly 95% whereas river discharge and tide play minor role.

This study aimed to elucidate virus, host and environmental dynamics of Vietnamese H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) during 2014–2017. Epidemiologically, H5 HPAIVs were frequently detected in apparently healthy domestic and Muscovy ducks and therefore these are preferred species for H5 HPAIV detection in active surveillance. Virologically, clade 2.3.2.1c and 2.3.4.4 H5 HPAIVs were predominant and exhibited distinct phylogeographic evolution. Clade 2.3.2.1c viruses clustered phylogenetically in North, Central and South regions, whilst clade 2.3.4.4 viruses only detected in North and Central regions formed small groups. These viruses underwent diverse reassortment with existence of at least 12 genotypes and retained typical avian-specific motifs. These H5 HPAIVs exhibited large antigenic distance from progenitor viruses and commercial vaccines currently used in poultry. Bayesian phylodynamic analysis inferred that clade 2.3.2.1c viruses detected during 2014–2017 were likely descended from homologous clade viruses imported to Vietnam previously and/or preexisting Chinese viruses during 2012–2013. Vietnamese clade 2.3.4.4 viruses closely shared genetic traits with contemporary foreign spillovers, suggesting that there existed multiple transboundary virus dispersals to Vietnam. This study provides insights into the evolution of Vietnamese H5 HPAIVs and highlights the necessity of strengthening control measures such as, preventive surveillance and poultry vaccination.

This paper reported preparation of novel order mesoporous Mg–Al–Co hydrotalcite based catalysts through sol–gel procedure using precursors such Mg(NO3)2, Al(NO3)3 and Co(NO3)2 and Na2CO3. The catalyst also contained both acidity and basicity being very convenient for decarboxylation process of vegetable oil to green hydrocarbons. The alkaline media was maintained at pH 10 during the processes. Molar ratio of metal cations and temperature of the sol–gel processes were investigated for their effect in the mesoporous structure formation. The results showed that the procedure should be established at 70 °C with the molar Mg/Al/Co ratio of 1/5/0.2. Acidity and basicity of the mesoporous hydrotalcite based catalyst were demonstrated for their co-existence. The as-synthesized material at the suitable conditions was used as catalyst for decarboxylation of jatropha oil to obtain green hydrocarbons mainly belonging to diesel fraction. The decarboxylation was carried out at 400 °C for 3 h in closed auto-pressurized reactor exhibiting a yield of diesel involving hydrocarbons of over 70% after distillation and analysis. The result also confirmed that the acidity and basicity greatly accelerated the activity of the catalyst. Some techniques were used to characterizing the catalyst including XRD, SEM, TEM, TGA, NH3-TPD, CO2-TPD and BET, and GC–MS was also used to analyze the main product composition.

A total of 3,045 environmental samples and oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs from apparently healthy poultry have been collected at three live bird markets (LBMs) at which practices were applied to reduce avian influenza (AI) virus transmission (intervention LBMs) and six conventional LBMs (non-intervention LBMs) in Thua Thien Hue province in 2014 to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention LBMs. The 178 AI viruses, including H3 (19 viruses), H4 (2), H5 (8), H6 (30), H9 (114), and H11 (5), were isolated from domestic ducks, muscovy ducks, chickens, and the environment. The prevalence of AI viruses in intervention LBMs (6.1%; 95% CI: 5.0-7.5) was similar to that in non-intervention LBMs (5.6%; 95% CI: 4.5-6.8; x(2) = 0.532; df = 1; P = 0.53) in the study area. Eight H5N6 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses were isolated from apparently healthy ducks, muscovy ducks, and an environmental sample in an intervention LBM. The hemagglutinin genes of the H5N6 HPAI viruses belonged to the genetic Glade 23.4.4, and the antigenicity of the H5N6 HPAI viruses differed from the H5N1 HPAI viruses previously circulating in Vietnam. Phylogenetic and antigenic analyses of the H6 and H9 viruses isolated in both types of LBMs revealed that they were closely related to the viruses isolated from domestic birds in China, Group II of H6 viruses and Y280 lineage of H9 viruses. These results indicate that the interventions currently applied in LBMs are insufficient to control AI. A risk analysis should be conducted to identify the key factors contributing to Al virus prevalence in intervention LBMs. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In Table 1, the data and footnotes use an outdated analysis and do not correctly describe the contents of the table. Please see the correct Table 1 here. In Table 2 and Table 4, the headings Rural and Remote are swapped in the fifteenth and sixteenth rows. The fifteenth row should be Remote and the sixteenth row should be Rural. Please see the correct Table 2 and Table 4 here. (Table Presented).

Rice farmers in the Mekong Delta are not only experiencing challenges due to climate change but are also expected to increase production through sustainable intensification. Increased production and mechanization, such as using combine harvesters leave farmers with more rice straw in the field, which farmers often choose to burn resulting in adverse health effects, increased air pollution and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Farmer adoption of recently promoted sustainable rice straw management practices is low. The present study, therefore, investigated factors influencing the acceptance of different rice straw management practices. 111 smallholder rice farmers participated in the study. Farmers’ perceptions of risks, benefits and their acceptance of eight different rice straw management practices including burning, soil incorporation, composting, mushroom and biogas production, and different collection methods, was investigated via a survey questionnaire. Results show that farmers often burn their rice straw even though they perceive high risks, few benefits and expressed low levels of acceptance for rice straw burning. Acceptance of rice straw management practices differs between practices; however, benefit perceptions are the strongest predictor for all practices followed by knowledge about climate change. Risk perceptions were a weak predictor for some practices including burning and biogas production. The regression models explain up to 50% of the variance. Results show that the experiential system determines farmers’ perception of practiced straw management options. This study also shows that even though climate change is not psychologically distant to farmers, sustainable behavior will depend on the acceptability, feasibility and perceived benefit of options provided.

Synthesizing Vietnamese tone plays an important role in Vietnamese text-to-speech systems. To accomplish this, the first important step is to determine the pitch-markers of voice utterances and this technique is still an open issue. In this paper, we propose a simple and efficient algorithm that locates the pitch-markers at the peaks of the cumulative signal of each voiced part of the input utterance. The experimentation has shown that the proposed algorithm presents pitch-markers with high accuracy and based on this obtained result, we have already synthesized Vietnamese complex tones such as the drop and the broken tones for isolated syllables with clear hearing.

Background: The expansion of methadone maintenance treatment in mountainous areas in still limited and little is known about its health impacts on drug users. This study aimed to examine health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and health care access among patients engaging in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in Tuyen Quang, a mountainous province in Vietnam. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey with 241 patients conveniently recruited in two MMT clinics (Son Duong and Tuyen Quang). EuroQol-5 Dimensions – 5 levels (EQ-5D-5 L) and Visual analogue scale (VAS) were employed to measure HRQOL. Multivariate logistic and tobit regressions were used to determine the factors associated with HRQOL and health care utilization. Results: The overall mean score of the EQ-5D index and EQ-VAS were 0.88 (SD=0.20) and 81.8% (SD=15.27%), respectively. Only 8.7% utilized inpatient services, and 14.9% used outpatient services. Being more highly educated, suffering acute diseases, and using health service within the last 12 months were associated with a decreased EQ-5D index. Individuals who were multiple substance abusers and those who recently had inpatient care were more likely to have a lower VAS. Older respondents, those taking their medications at the more impoverished clinic, substance abusers, and individuals who were struggling with anxiety/depression or their usual daily activities were more likely to use both inpatient and outpatient care.Conclusions: In summary, we observed good HRQOL, but high prevalence of anxiety/depression and low rates of service utilization among MMT patients in Tuyen Quang province. To improve the outcomes of MMT services in mountainous areas, it is necessary to introduce personalized and integrative services models with counseling and interventions on multiple substance use. Published version

Background: Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) improves patients’ ability to access HIV-related services and reduces needle sharing and other risky HIV-related behaviors. However, patients may continue to engage in risky sexual practices. In this study, we evaluate sexual behaviors of MMT patients in a mountainous province in Northern Vietnam. Methods: We explored the health status, MMT and substance use history, and sexual practices of 241 male MMT patients in Tuyen Quang province. Health status was investigated using the EuroQOL-5 Dimensions-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5 L). Multivariate logistic regression was employed to assess associated factors. Results: Most patients (66.4%) reported having at least one sexual partner within the previous twelve months. Most of these partners were spouses or primary partners (72.6%). About 8.3% of patients had casual partners, and 5.8% had visited sex workers; of those who engaged in casual sexual relationships, 90.9% reported using condoms. Current drug use and living in a remote area were associated with an increased odd of having two or more sexual partners, while anxiety or depression was associated with lower odds. Conclusion: This study highlights a low proportion of having sexual risk behaviors among MMT patients in Vietnamese mountainous settings. Integrating education about safe sexual practices into MMT services, along with providing medical care and ensuring methadone treatment adherence, is an important component in HIV risk reduction for these patients who were at risk of unsafe sexual practices. Published version

The adsorbent is prepared by the montmorillonite co-modification with starch for the removal of Pb (II) ions from aqueous solution. The Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopies were used to determine the structure and characteristics of the adsorbent. The main factors affecting the removal of Pb (II) ions were investigated, including the effect of pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage and the initial concentration of Pb (II). Batch process can be used for adsorption and equilibrium studies. The experimental data were fitted using Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models. The Langmuir isotherm best fitted the experimental data with R2> 0.99 and maximum Pb (II) adsorption capacity of 21.5 mg/g indicated monolayer adsorption. Kinetic studies using pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order rate models showed that the process complied well with the pseudo second-order rate model.

International audience; In Vietnam, a country with high tuberculosis (137/100.000 population) and multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB burdens (7.8/100.000 population), little is known about the molecular signatures of drug resistance in general and more particularly of second line drug (SLD) resistance. This study is specifically focused on Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates resistant to four first-line drugs (FLDs) that make TB much more difficult to treat. The aim is to determine the proportion of SLD resistance in these quadruple drug resistant isolates and the genetic determinants linked to drug resistance to better understand the genetic processes leading to quadruple and extremely drug resistance (XDR). 91 quadruple (rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol and streptomycin) FLD resistant and 55 susceptible isolates were included. Spoligotyping and 24-locus MIRU-VNTR techniques were performed and 9 genes and promoters linked to FLD and SLD resistance were sequenced. SLD susceptibility testing was carried out on a subsample of isolates. High proportion of quadruple-FLD resistant isolates was resistant to fluoroquinolones (27%) and second-line injectable drugs (30.2%) by drug susceptibility testing. The sequencing revealed high mutation diversity with prevailing mutations at positions katG315, inhA-15, rpoB531, embB306, rrs1401, rpsL43 and gyrA94. The sensitivity and specificity were high for most drug resistances (>86%), but the sensitivity was lower for injectable drug resistances (

Background Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the tuberculosis (TB) pathogen, despite a low level of genetic diversity, has revealed a high variety of biological and epidemiological characteristics linked to their lineages, such as transmissibility, fitness and propensity to acquire drug resistance. This has important implications for the epidemiology of TB. We conducted this first countrywide cross-sectional study to identify the prevalent M. tuberculosis lineages and to assess their epidemiological associations and their relation to drug resistance. The study was conducted among isolates acquired in reference hospitals across Vietnam. Isolates with drug susceptibility testing profiles were identified for their lineages by spoligotyping. Logistic regression was used to investigate the association of M. tuberculosis lineages with location, age and sex of the patients and drug resistance levels. Results Results showed that the most prevalent lineage was Beijing (55.4 %), followed by EAI (27.5 %), T (6.4 %), LAM (1.3 %), Haarlem (1 %) and Zero type (0.3 %). The proportion of Beijing isolates in the North (70.4 %) and the South (68 %) was higher than in the Centre (28 %) (OR = 1.7 [95 % CI: 1.4–2.0], p

Neutron activation analysis using nuclear reactor has been used widely to determine of content of elements in environment, biology, geology, archaeology, etc. In this report, determination of content of some elements in the human blood by method of instrumental neutron activation analysis using Dalat nuclear reactor coupled with processing of results by k-zero method (using k0-Dalat code) and by relative one (using standard samples) is presented. 50 samples of the human blood are mainly collected from public objects in Lamdong province. They are prepared and activated together with the standard samples at the dry channel No. 7-1 and the rotary specimen rack (wet channel) of the reactor. Then they are directly measured by the HPGe gamma spectrometer and the measured data are processed. The experimental results for determination of ranges of contents and average values for 8 elements respectively are Na (1.06 - 2,48; 1.71 ± 0.30 mg/ml), Cl (1.10 - 3.75; 2.66 ± 0.71 mg/ml), Fe (0.26 - 0.72; 0.49 ± 0.09 mg/ml), K (0.31 - 1.14; 0.73 ± 0.15 mg/ml), Zn (4.55 - 13.97; 8.08 ± 1.24 μg/ml), Rb (2.73 - 7.92; 5.11 ± 0.86 μg/ml), Se (0.04 - 0.18; 0.08 ± 0.03 μg/ml) and Sc (0.22 – 1.61; 0.56 ± 0.24 ng/ml). Besides, content of sodium to be determined by the k-zero method and the relative one are compared also. The results for determination of contents of 8 elements in the human samples to be compared with those of other authers are shown that this method has had confidence, and it could be applied routinely in determination of contents of multi-elements.

At present, thickness measurement of materials based on effect of backscattering gamma has been used widely in industry in our country. This report presents research in thickness of some materials such as paper, plastic, aluminum and steel using the specialized system of MYO-101 (with using scintillation detector of YAP(Ce) and gamma-ray of 60 keV of source of Am-241) by Monte-Carlo simulation with using the code of MCNP, and the simulation was checked by experimental measurements. The results show that the experiment and the simulation are in agreement in the error limit. This research can be useful for training activities in the field of application of nuclear technique in industry in Vietnam.

ObjectivesWith the rise in methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) for drug users in Vietnam, there has been growing interest in understanding if and how often MMT patients engage in concurrent illicit drug use while on methadone therapy in various settings. This study examined factors associated with concurrent opioid use among patients on MMT in a mountainous area in Vietnam.SettingOne urban and one rural MMT clinics in Tuyen Quang province.ParticipantsSurvey participants consisted of patients who were taking MMT at the selected study sites. A convenience sampling approach was used to recruit the participants.Primary and secondary outcome measuresParticipants were asked a series of questions about their socioeconomic status, current alcohol and tobacco use, health problems (measured by the EuroQol-Five Dimension-Five Level instrument), psychological distress (measured by Kessler score), and factors associated with current and/or previous drug use. Regression models were used to determine factors associated with concurrent drug use among MMT patients.ResultsAmong the 241 male MMT patients included in the study, 13.4% reported concurrent opioid use. On average, the longer patients had been enrolled in MMT, the less likely they were to concurrently use drugs. Conversely, patients with higher levels of psychological distress were more likely to engage in concurrent drug use while on MMT.ConclusionLonger duration of MMT was significantly correlated with reduced illicit drug use among participants. Higher levels of psychological distress were associated with increased use of illicit drugs among MMT patients. Regardless of distance, long-term MMT is still effective and should be expanded in mountainous areas.

Human Activity Recognition (HAR) is one of the most important areas of computer vision research. The biggest difficulty for HAR system is that the camera could only film in one direction, leading to a shortage of data and low recognition results. This paper focuses on researching and building new models of HAR, including Principal Components Analysis (PCA), Linear discriminant Analysis (LDA) is to reduce the dimensionality and size of data, contributing to high recognition accuracy. First, from the 3D motion data, we conducted a pretreatment and feature extraction of objects. Next, we built a recognition model corresponding to each feature extraction method and we used Support Vector Machine (SVM) model to train. Finally, we used weighted methods to combine the results of the model to train and give the final results. The paper experiment on CMU MOCAP database and the percentage receiving proposed method is higher than that from the previous method.

In 1940, two cultivation methods for siliceous marine algae were developted in Japan. Fujinaga determined that Skeletonema costatum and Chaetoceros sp. Algae originally were the main food of larval shrimps from the phase of Zoea until the phase of Postlavae. In Viet Nam, by early 1970's, the cultivation of high value aquatic products started to atract attention. In this context, many researchs have been focus on algae cultivation in order to find the suitable species for local condition. In this study, Chaetoceros calcitrans algae were massed on TT3 medium with cell density of 20.104 cell.ml-1, 40.104cell.ml-1, 60.104 cell.ml-1, 80.104 cell.ml-1. The optimal cell density was 60.104 cell.ml-1. Chaetoceros calcitrans algae was cultured on Liao medium, TT3 medium, ƒ2 medium. Using Chaetoceros calcitrans algae as supplemental fresh food for white shrims larval from the phase of Nauplius to the phase of 3 Mysis improved the larvae quality and increased the survial rate of larvae from 42 percentage to 76 percentage.

The purpose of this work was to study the mechanism of drug resistance of M2 channel proteins by analyzing the interactions between the drugs amantadine and rimantadine and M2 channel proteins (including the wild type and the three mutants V27A, S31N, and G34A) and the drug binding pathways, by use of a computational approach. Our results showed that multiple drug-binding sites were present in the M2 channel, and the trajectory of the drugs through the M2 channel was determined. A novel method was developed to investigate of free energy profiles of the ligand-protein complexes. Our work provides a new explanation of the large amount of experimental data on drug efficacy.

Objectives A major measure of treatment success for drug users undergoing rehabilitation is the ability to enter the workforce and generate income. This study examines the absenteeism and productivity among people who inject drugs (PWID) enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in Northern Vietnam. Setting We conducted a cross-sectional study in two clinics in Tuyen Quang province. Participants A total of 241 patients enrolled in MMT. Primary and secondary outcome measures Patients’ work productivity was measured using the WPAI-GH instrument (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: General Health V2.0). We also collected additional characteristics about participants’ employment history, such as proficient jobs, whether they actively found a new job and be accepted by employers. Results Most of the participants (>90%) were employed at the time of the study. Rates of absenteeism (missed work), presenteeism (impairment while working) and overall loss of productivity were 15.8%, 5.6% and 11.2%, respectively, as measured by the WPAI-GH questionnaire. The most proficient job was ‘freelancer’ (17.5%), followed by ‘blue-collar worker’ (10.6%) and ‘farmer’ (10.2%). Only 26.8% of patients reported that they actively sought jobs in the past. About half of them had been refused by employers because of their drug use history and/or HIV status. We found no statistically significant difference between patients enrolled in MMT for 1 year. Factors associated with higher work productivity included not endorsing problems in mobility, self-care or pain; being HIV-negative and having greater MMT treatment adherence. Conclusion Our study highlights the high employment rate and work productivity among PWID in MMT programmes in remote areas of Northern Vietnam. The results can help to improve the quality and structure of MMT programmes across Vietnam and in other countries.

We conducted this study to determine the relationships between the use of self-regulated learning strategies (SRL) and depression scores among medical students. An accelerated prospective cohort study among 623 students at a public medical university in Vietnam was carried out during the academic year 2012-2013. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (21 items) was used to measure depression scores as the primary research outcome, and to measure anxiety and stress scores as the confounding variables. Fourteen SRL subscales including intrinsic/extrinsic goal orientation, task value, self-efficacy for learning, control of learning beliefs, rehearsal, elaboration, organization, critical thinking, meta-cognitive strategies, time and study environment, effort regulation, peer learning, and help seeking were measured using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. Data were collected at two points in time (once each semester). There were 744 responses at the first time (95.88%) and 623 at time two (drop-out rate of 16.26%). The generalized estimating equation was applied to identify any relationships between the use of each SRL subscale and depression scores at time 2, adjusting for the effects of depression at time 1, anxiety, stress, within cluster correlation, and potential demographic covariates. Separate multivariate GEE analysis indicated that all SRL subscales were significantly negatively associated with depression scores, except for extrinsic goal orientation and peer learning. Whereas full multivariate GEE analysis revealed that self-efficacyT1, help-seekingT1, time and study environmentT2 were found to be significantly negatively associated with depressionT2, adjusting for the effects of depressionT1, anxiety, stress, and demographic covariates. The results should be used to provide appropriate support for medical students to reduce depression.

INTRODUCTION: Microscopic [corrected] Observation Drug Susceptibility (MODS) has been shown to be an effective and rapid technique for early diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). Thus far only a limited number of studies evaluating MODS have been performed in children and in extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. This study aims to assess relative accuracy and time to positive culture of MODS for TB diagnosis in children admitted to a general pediatric hospital in Vietnam. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Specimens from children with suspected TB were tested by smear, MODS and Lowenstein-Jensen agar (LJ). 1129 samples from 705 children were analyzed, including sputum (n=59), gastric aspirate (n=775), CSF (n=148), pleural fluid (n=33), BAL (n=41), tracheal fluid (n=45), other (n=28). 113 TB cases were defined based on the "clinical diagnosis" (confirmed and probable groups) as the reference standard, in which 26% (n=30) were diagnosed as extra-pulmonary TB. Analysis by patient shows that the overall sensitivity and specificity of smear, LJ and MODS against "clinical diagnosis" was 8.8% and 100%, 38.9% and 100%, 46% and 99.5% respectively with MODS significantly more sensitive than LJ culture (P=0.02). When analyzed by sample type, the sensitivity of MODS was significantly higher than LJ for gastric aspirates (P=0.004). The time to detection was also significantly shorter for MODS than LJ (7 days versus 32 days, P

Collection is still a major challenge in the supply chain of rice straw to prepare feedstock for further use. Straw needs to be gathered from the field and compressed into bales to make it compact and easy to transport. With the introduction of combine harvesters, the collection of rice straw has become harder and more costly. This created negative impacts on other businesses that use rice straw. Mechanization of rice straw collection was introduced in Vietnam in 2013 and it has rapidly developed since. Most of the rice straw produced in the dry season in the Mekong River Delta (MD) of Vietnam is collected for mushroom and for livestock fodder production or for use as mulching materials. In order to quantify the performance of the mechanical operation of rice straw collection, this study conducted an analysis of energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emission (GHGE), and cost of rice straw collection in the MD for five collection machines that operated on the same field, the same rice variety, and the same harvest time under a demonstration in the MD. With rice straw yield of 4.72 t per ha, the collection machines operated at a capacity of 0.87–2.47 t per hour. This mechanized operation can reduce labor requirement by 90%. Specific weight of baled straw was from 73 to 104 kg per cubic meter, which is heavier by 50–100% than that of loose-form straw, at a moisture content of 12.4 (±1.21)% in wet basis. Total energy consumption, ranging from 351 to 588 MJ per ton of straw collected, accounted for 10–17% of the total energy input using this collected straw for biogas production. Energy consumption from fossil fuels results in GHGE of 60–165 kg CO2 equivalent per ton of collected straw. The cost of straw collection, which ranged from US$12 to US$18 per ton of straw in the MD, accounted for 10–20% of the total investment cost of biogas or mushroom production. This study illustrated the feasibility of the mechanization of rice straw collection for further processing. Despite the GHGE of this may cause through the consumption of fossil fuels, mechanized rice straw collection creates more benefits such as avoiding in-field burning, producing feedstock for further sustainable processing, and adding value to rice production.

Background Stigma and discrimination may adversely affect the benefits of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) for drug users, especially in disadvantaged settings. This study assessed stigma and discrimination against MMT patients in the mountainous and rural areas in Vietnam and explored their associated factors to inform implementation strategies. Methods We interviewed 241 MMT patients in two clinics: one in Tuyen Quang Province’s inner city and the other in Son Duong District, to assess stigma and discrimination that patients perceived and experienced. Socioeconomic status, health behaviors, health status, and history of drug abuse were examined. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were used to explore factors associated with stigma and discrimination. Results The majority of respondents reported experiencing stigma and discrimination including blame/judgment (95.1%), shame (95.1%), disclosure (71.4%), and the fear of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission by others (74.1%). Unemployed patients were more likely to experience discrimination (Coef = −1.18, 95% CI = −1.87; −0.89). Those who were taking an antiretroviral were more likely to disclose their health status (Coef = 2.27, 95% CI = 0.6; 3.94). In addition, a higher likelihood of being blamed/judged and shamed was associated with those who suffered from anxiety/depression (Coef = 1.59, 95% CI = 0.24; 2.93 and Coef = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.36; 1.79, respectively). Conclusions MMT patients in these mountainous areas perceived high levels of stigma and discrimination which were associated with mental health disorders, unemployment, and HIV infection. These findings highlighted the importance of reducing drug use and HIV-related stigma against high-risk populations. Besides, psychosocial and familial supports, as well as job referrals, also play crucial roles in terms of promoting quality of life among MMT patients.