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Introduction: Autoimmune bullous dermatoses (ABD) represent a heterogeneous group of blistering disorders that may be debilitating with high morbidity. Clinical, histological, and direct immunofluorescence (DIF) studies are essential in establishing an accurate diagnosis of ABD, which is essential for its clinical management. Our study objective was to perform a systematic evaluation of ABD cases in a patient population at an academic medical center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and determine the degree of concordance of clinical, histological, and DIF findings in ABD. Methodology: A systematic retrospective cross-sectional study was performed on 92 patients diagnosed with ABD by clinical, histological, and DIF studies at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, between September 2019 and September 2021. The clinical histories, H and E stained tissue sections, and DIF stains were evaluated by pathologists at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Results: ABD was evaluated as a whole and subdivided into an intraepidermal blister subgroup and a subepidermal blister subgroup. The analysis of paired diagnostic methods (clinical, histological, and DIF) for concordance with the final diagnosis was performed and showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the paired methods (McNemar’s test, p > 0.05). There was moderate concordance between the clinical, histological, and DIF diagnoses among all ABD cases (Brennan-Prediger coefficient Kappa test, κBP = 0.522, CI = 0.95). In the intraepidermal blister subgroup, the diagnostic accuracies of the histology and DIF stains were comparable to each other, and both were more accurate than a clinical diagnosis alone. In the subepidermal blister subgroup, there was no statistically significant difference in each pair of the three diagnostic methods (clinical, histological, and DIF) (McNemar’s test, p > 0.05). The concordance between the clinical, histological, and DIF diagnoses was high for the intraepidermal blister subgroup (Kappa test, κBP = 0.758, CI = 0.95). However, the concordance between the clinical, histological, and DIF diagnoses was slight for the subepidermal blister subgroup (Kappa test, κBP = 0.171, CI = 0.95). Conclusion: Histological evaluation is highly accurate in the diagnosis of the intraepidermal blister subgroup, but it is not as accurate in the diagnosis of the subepidermal blister subgroup in the Vietnamese patient cohort in which clinical, histological, and DIF studies were performed. DIF stains are a crucial diagnostic tool for ABD in this patient population.

Abstract Background Laccase-based biosensors are efficient for detecting phenolic compounds. However, the instability and high cost of laccases have hindered their practical utilization. Results In this study, we developed hierarchical manganese dioxide–copper phosphate hybrid nanoflowers (H–Mn–Cu NFs) as excellent laccase-mimicking nanozymes. To synthesize the H–Mn–Cu NFs, manganese dioxide nanoflowers (MnO2 NFs) were first synthesized by rapidly reducing potassium permanganate using citric acid. The MnO2 NFs were then functionalized with amine groups, followed by incubation with copper sulfate for three days at room temperature to drive the coordination interaction between the amine moieties and copper ions and to induce anisotropic growth of the petals composed of copper phosphate crystals, consequently yielding H–Mn–Cu NFs. Compared with those of free laccase, at the same mass concentration, H–Mn–Cu NFs exhibited lower K m (~ 85%) and considerably higher V max (~ 400%), as well as significantly enhanced stability in the ranges of pH, temperature, ionic strength, and incubation periods evaluated. H–Mn–Cu NFs also catalyzed the decolorization of diverse dyes considerably faster than the free laccase. Based on these advantageous features, a paper microfluidic device incorporating H–Mn–Cu NFs was constructed for the convenient visual detection of phenolic neurotransmitters, including dopamine and epinephrine. The device enabled rapid and sensitive quantification of target neurotransmitters using an image acquired using a smartphone. Conclusions These results clearly show that H–Mn–Cu NFs could be potential candidates to replace natural laccases for a wide range of applications in biosensing, environmental protection, and biotechnology. Graphical Abstract

In this work, the bismuth-terephthalate frameworks (Bi-BDC) were prepared by a facile solvothermal approach. The prepared Bi-BDC MOFs were characterized by XRD, TGA, FT-IR, SEM, and UV-vis DRS analyses. The results indicated that the synthesis temperature affected the crystallinity and morphologies of the Bi-BDC frameworks. Notably, the produced Bi-BDC at low temperatures (80 and 100 oC) exhibited enhanced light absorption ability. The photodegradation experiment of rhodamine (RhB) showed that the prepared Bi-BDC-100 sample had the highest removal efficiency of ca. ∼ 98% after 270 min of visible LED light illumination. In addition, the HPLC-MS analysis revealed that RhB was photocatalytically degraded over the Bi-BDC via the carboxylation and dealkylation mechanism. Furthermore, the removal efficiency of the organic pollutant was optimized by monitoring the effects of catalyst dosage, dye concentration, and pH media. Finally, cyclic tests implied that the synthesized Bi-BDC MOF had good stability and reusability.

This study presents a facile self‐healing electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding composite by sandwiching a layer of silver nanowires (AgNWs) between two layers of self‐healing polyurethane (SPU). The AgNWs layer forms an interconnected conductive network that effectively reflects and absorbs electromagnetic radiation, providing efficient EMI shielding. The SPU layers contribute autonomous healing of mechanical damages and restoring structural integrity and conductive pathways. The composite films exhibit remarkable EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) (up to 64.6 dB), exceptional mechanical toughness (106.4 MJ/m3), and self‐healing capabilities, outperforming conventional shielding materials. The synergy between AgNWs and SPU layers offers lightweight, flexible, tough, and self‐healing properties, making this material highly promising for applications in wearable electronics, aerospace, and automotive industries where durability and long‐term reliability are critical. Highlights: Facile fabrication of sandwiched AgNWs layer between SPU films.Sandwiched AgNWs/SPU films with exceptional EMI shielding.AgNWs form conductive networks for efficient EMI shielding.Remarkable mechanical toughness of 106.4 MJ/m3 and self‐healing capability.Potential shielding materials for lightweight, wearable electronics, aerospace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to analyse the asymmetric impacts of world oil price on macroeconomic variables in Vietnam, including domestic oil price, inflation and output growth. Design/methodology/approach – The mixed data sampling (MIDAS) approach is employed to examine the impact of world oil price changes on macroeconomic variables as the former is high-frequency data (daily), and the latter is low-frequency data, usually monthly or quarterly. Findings – Changes in world oil price cause asymmetric impacts on domestic oil price and inflation, but no significant effects on output growth. In terms of magnitude, a positive change in world oil price causes a stronger effect than a negative change in world oil price. In terms of timing, a positive change in world oil price causes a slow pass-through impact on domestic oil price and inflation. Meanwhile, domestic oil price and inflation decrease quickly following a negative change in world oil price. Originality/value – This study investigates the asymmetric impact of oil price on the Vietnam economy in terms of both magnitude and timing, which is not explored by previous studies. In addition, it exploits daily information of oil price changes to analyse macroeconomic variables in lower frequency by employing MIDAS approach.

This study is devoted to the synthesis of King Orange peel essential oil in water nanoemulsions combined with nanosilver by ultrasonic method supported by mechanical stirring for antibacterial application. The samples were characterized by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), Ultraviolet–visible (UV-Vis), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Dynamic light scattering (DLS) methods. According to the above-experimental results, it was found that the emulsions based on orange essential oil (without nanosilver) and the ones combined with nanosilver have the average particle size from 66.2 nm and 42.9 nm, respectively. The obtained nanoemulsions were also tested to examine their antibacterial ability against Escherichia coli (E. coli) by the disc diffusion method. It has been also found that nanoemulsions based on orange essential oil supported by nanosilver have the superior antibacterial ability, compared with individual components of the materials.

A hierarchical nanostructure consisting of uniform copper oxide nanowires vertically grown on three-dimensional copper framework (CuO NWs/3D-Cu foam) was prepared by a two-step synthetic process. The uniform CuO NWs anchored onto the 3D foam exhibited outstanding electrocatalytic activity towards hydrogen peroxide reduction due to the unique one‐dimensional direction with its excellent catalytic activity and large surface area of 3D substrate, which enhanced electroactive sites and charge conductivity. As a result, a wide linear detection range of 1 µM–1 mM, good sensitivity of 8.87 µA/(mM ⋅ cm2), low detection limit of 0.98 µM, and rapid response time of 5 s to hydrogen peroxide were achieved under a working potential of −0.4 V in phosphate buffer solution (pH of 7.4). In addition, the CuO NWs/3D-Cu foam material showed excellent selectivity to hydrogen peroxide and good resistance against poisonous interferents, including ascorbic acid, dopamine, urea, uric acid, and potassium chloride. Furthermore, the CuO NWs/3D-Cu foam presented good reproducibility, stability, and accurate detection for hydrogen peroxide in real sample; therefore, it may be considered to be a potential free-standing hydrogen peroxide sensor in practical analysis applications. Keywords: Copper oxide nanowires, Three-dimensional substrate, Electrocatalyst, Hydrogen peroxide detection, Self-supported sensors

To develop an appropriate programmatic response to the concentrated HIV epidemic, program managers require reliable estimates of the sizes of the key populations. This study attempts to estimate the population size of people who inject drugs (PWID) in Thai Nguyen-a province in the northern part of Vietnam. Two source capture-recapture population size estimates were calculated using data from two respondent driven sampling survey rounds conducted in 5 selected districts from May to August 2019. The population size of the PWID was calculated based on the number of PWID recruited in each survey and 'recaptured' during the first and the second survey. Additionally, personal network size data collected in the RDS was used to measure the population of PWID using the Successive Sampling Population Size Estimate (SS-PSE) method. The population of PWID estimated in five selected districts using the two capture-recapture method (CRC) (median = 5,396, 95% CI: 4,011-9,100) was slightly lower than estimated using SS-PSE with RDS survey 1 (median = 5,580, 95% CI: 3,024-9,272) and higher than when using SS-PSE with RDS survey 2 (median = 4,793; 95% CI: 2,310-8,618). The provincial PWID population estimates based on various approaches (e.g. extrapolation based on the prevalence of PWID in the districts) ranged from 6,498 (95% CI: 4,829-10,957) to around 6,807 (95% CI: 5,341-10,527). A provincial estimate of 6,782 PWID, with a confidence interval ranging from 5,312 to 10,527, will help guide planning and resource allocation to support appropriate levels of HIV prevention, care, and treatment services in the Thai Nguyen province.

An effective strategy to detect biological thiols (biothiols), including glutathione (GSH), cysteine (Cys), and homocysteine (Hcy), holds significant incentive since they play vital roles in many cellular processes and are closely related to many diseases. Here, we demonstrated that hybrid nanoflowers composed of crystalline copper phosphate and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) served as a functional unit exhibiting dual catalytic activities of biothiol oxidase and HRP, yielding a cascade reaction system for a sensitive one-pot fluorescent detection of biothiols. The nanoflowers were synthesized through the anisotropic growth of copper phosphate petals coordinated with the amine/amide moieties of HRP, by simply incubating HRP and copper(II) sulfate for three days at room temperature. Copper phosphates within the nanoflowers oxidized target biothiols to generate H2O2, which activated the entrapped HRP to oxidize the employed Amplex UltraRed substrate to produce intense fluorescence. Using this strategy, biothiols were selectively and sensitively detected by monitoring the respective fluorescence intensity. This nanoflower-based strategy was also successfully employed for reliable quantification of biothiols present in human serum, demonstrating its great potential for clinical diagnostics.

Flexible electronics require thermally conductive materials with excellent mechanical flexibility to dissipate heat and ensure optimal performance. This work reports the development of metallic ionic cross-linked thermally conductive and mechanically flexible films composed of aramid nanofibers (ANFs) and exfoliated graphene fluoride (EGF) nanosheets. EGF was prepared by liquid exfoliation of fluorinated graphite and incorporated into ANF films fabricated by vacuum filtration. Metallic ion (Al3+) treatment was used to improve interfacial interactions between the EGF fillers and ANF matrix. The EGF-reinforced ANF composite films displayed excellent in-plane thermal conductivity up to 19.48 W/mK for the sample with 50 wt % EGF, owing to the high intrinsic thermal conductivity of EGFs and their preferential alignment along the in-plane direction. The composite films also exhibited outstanding mechanical flexibility and durability, with tensile strength >150 MPa even at 50 wt % EGF content, enabled by efficient stress transfer across the EGF–ANF interface. Thermal conductivity was thermally stable up to 200 °C. The unique combination of high in-plane thermal conductivity, mechanical flexibility, and thermal stability illustrates the potential of ANF/EGF films for effective thermal management in flexible electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Novel biomarkers for screening, diagnosis and monitoring the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), one of the most common cancers in Vietnam, are urgently required. Increasing evidence suggests that microRNA-141 (miR-141) is associated with NPC, owing to its ability to affect the expression of genes that modulate tumorigenesis. Unfortunately, research on miR-141 expression in Vietnamese patients is limited. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to evaluate miR-141 expression and assess whether miR-141 might be a potential biomarker for diagnosis of NPC in Vietnamese patients. Total RNA isolated from 40 NPC biopsy samples and 37 non-cancerous samples was analyzed by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR. The miR-141 expression levels were compared between NPC biopsy and non-cancerous samples. The frequency of miR-141 detection was 37.50% and 10.80% in the NPC and non-cancerous samples, respectively (p = 0.0143). The miR-141 expression was 5.27 times higher in tumor samples than non-cancerous samples. Additionally, the RR (Relative risk) and OR (Odds ratio) were 1.83 (95%CI = 1.2576–2.6675, p = 0.0016) and 4.95 (95%CI = 1.4625–16.7541, p = 0.01), respectively. In conclusion, miR-141 was up-regulated in the biopsy samples and thus may be a potential biomarker for NPC in the Vietnamese population.