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We examined gender differences among people who inject drug (PWID) in Hai Phong, Vietnam in term of blood-borne infections, risk behaviors, and access to care. Using respondent-driven-sampling surveys, we recruited 3146 PWID from 2016 to 2018. Inclusion criteria included a positive urine test for heroin and recent injection marks. There were 155 female PWID (4,9%), including 82 at RDS-2016, 32 at RDS-2017 and 38 at RDS-2018. The age mean was 36.3 ± 7.2 years. The majority of female PWID had less than high school education (90.9%) and were unemployed (51.3%). There was no difference in the proportion of HIV and HCV positive by gender. However, women had several significant differences in risk behaviors than men in multivariable logistic regression. Being a woman was independently associated with being unemployed, being a sex worker, having unstable housing, having uses drugs for less than 5 years, more use of methamphetamine, having a partner who ever injected drugs, and less access to methadone treatment. Interventions targeting female PWID are needed, possibly through community organizations and peer educators.

Background Vietnam possesses a vast diversity of rice landraces due to its geographical situation, latitudinal range, and a variety of ecosystems. This genetic diversity constitutes a highly valuable resource at a time when the highest rice production areas in the low-lying Mekong and Red River Deltas are enduring increasing threats from climate changes, particularly in rainfall and temperature patterns. Results We analysed 672 Vietnamese rice genomes, 616 newly sequenced, that encompass the range of rice varieties grown in the diverse ecosystems found throughout Vietnam. We described four Japonica and five Indica subpopulations within Vietnam likely adapted to the region of origin. We compared the population structure and genetic diversity of these Vietnamese rice genomes to the 3000 genomes of Asian cultivated rice. The named Indica-5 (I5) subpopulation was expanded in Vietnam and contained lowland Indica accessions, which had very low shared ancestry with accessions from any other subpopulation and were previously overlooked as admixtures. We scored phenotypic measurements for nineteen traits and identified 453 unique genotype-phenotype significant associations comprising twenty-one QTLs (quantitative trait loci). The strongest associations were observed for grain size traits, while weaker associations were observed for a range of characteristics, including panicle length, heading date and leaf width. Conclusions We showed how the rice diversity within Vietnam relates to the wider Asian rice diversity by using a number of approaches to provide a clear picture of the novel diversity present within Vietnam, mainly around the Indica-5 subpopulation. Our results highlight differences in genome composition and trait associations among traditional Vietnamese rice accessions, which are likely the product of adaption to multiple environmental conditions and regional preferences in a very diverse country. Our results highlighted traits and their associated genomic regions that are a potential source of novel loci and alleles to breed a new generation of low input sustainable and climate resilient rice.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether it is possible to 'end an HIV epidemic' among persons who inject drugs (PWID) in a low/middle income country. DESIGN Serial cross-sectional surveys with a cohort of HIV seronegative participants with 6-month follow-up visits recruited from surveys. METHODS Surveys of PWID using respondent driven and snowball sampling were conducted in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 (N = 1383, 1451, 1444, and 1268). HIV recency testing was used to identify possible seroconversions in the window period prior to study entry. Structured interviews covering drug use histories, current drug use, and use of HIV-related services were administered by trained interviewers. Urinalysis was used to confirm current drug use. HIV and hepatitis C virus testing were conducted. Electronic fingerprint readers were used to avoid multiple participation in each survey and to link participants across surveys. A cohort of HIV seronegative participants with 6-month follow-up visits was recruited from the surveys, 480 from 2016, 233 from 2017, and 213 from 2018. RESULTS Participants were predominantly male (95%), mean age approximately 40, all reported injecting heroin, HIV prevalence ranged between 26 and 30%. We had three seroconversions in 1483 person-years at risk (PYAR) in the cohort study, and 0 in 696 PYAR among repeat survey participants, and 0 seroconversions in 1344 PYAR in recency testing. Overall HIV incidence was 0.085/100 PYAR, 95% confidence interval 0.02-0.25/100 PYAR. CONCLUSION The data from Hai Phong clearly demonstrate that it is possible to achieve very low HIV incidence - 'end an HIV epidemic' - among PWID in a middle-income country.

People who inject drugs (PWID) are a dominant risk group afflicted by blood-borne viruses, mental health disorders, and social precariousness. Risk reduction interventions are administered to PWID regardless of their characteristics or specific risks. The objective of this cross-sectional analysis was to empirically identify profiles of PWID regarding their drug use, risk behaviors, and mental health in order to tailor adapted interventions taking into account limited access to comprehensive care in middle-income countries. PWID were recruited using respondent-driven sampling. PWID with urine testing positive for heroin or methamphetamine and manifesting recent skin injection marks were enrolled. Classification of participants was based on drug use, injection, risky sexual behavior, and mental health data. This was subjected to multiple correspondence analysis followed by hierarchical cluster analysis combined with K-means methodology. From October 2016 to January 2017, 1490 participants were recruited of which 1383 were eligible and enrolled. HCV prevalence was 70.5% and HIV prevalence 29.4%. The cluster analysis identified five distinct profiles: profile 1: recent injection practices and high alcohol consumption, profile 2: at-risk injection and sexual behaviors with precarious situations, profile 3: no sexual activity and older age, profile 4: frequent injections with high methamphetamine use, and profile 5: stable partnerships and less frequent injections. Our study has identified profiles of PWID at particularly high risks, and they should thus be targeted for interventions tailored to their specific risks.

International audience; Background: After the emergence of COVID-19, a one-month strict lockdown was imposed in April 2020 in Vietnam, followed by lighter social distancing restrictions over the year. We investigated whether those measures affected people who inject drugs (PWID) in terms of risk behaviors for HIV and HCV and access to prevention and care in the city of Haiphong, a historic hotspot for HIV and drug use.Methodology: We carried out a ‘before-after’ study from 2019 to 2020 using respondent-driven sampling method to enroll PWID. They were interviewed on their socioeconomic situation, drug use and sexual behaviors, relations to care services and tested for drugs and methadone in the urine, for HIV, HCV, and HIV plasma viral load when HIV-positive. Changes following the restrictions were assessed by comparing ‘before’ to ‘after’ data.Results: 780 PWID were enrolled. Mean age was 44 years; 94% were male. All were actively injecting heroin ‘before’, versus 56% ‘after’. Among those, frequency of consumption decreased from 24 to 17 days per month. No changes were observed in the frequency and practices of methamphetamine smoking. The proportion of PWID on MMT increased from 68.7% to 75.3%, and that of PWID engaging in risky behaviors related to drug injection decreased from 6.0% to 1.5%. No HIV seroconversions were observed; HCV incidence was 2.6/100 person-years (95% CI [0.7–6.7]). 9% of PWID reported a monthly income of less than 130USD ‘before’ versus 53% ‘after’.Conclusion: The case of Hai Phong shows that it is possible, during times of COVID-19 pandemic, to maintain access to harm reduction and care and to prevent HIV and HCV transmission among PWID in a resource-limited setting where severe social distancing restrictions are implemented. Further research is needed to assess the consequences of long-term economic difficulties and the impact of actual spread of SARS-Cov2 that has since emerged in Haiphong.

Bacterial blight is one of the most devastating rice diseases that cause huge economic loss worldwide. The cause of rice blight is Gram negative bacteria Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (X. oryzae pv. Oryzae). Since both silver nanoparticles and chitosan have antibacterial, antifungal and growth-stimulating effect, this work has focused on synthesizing chitosan stabilized silver nanoparticles (AgCSs) with small sizes and in vitro evaluating antibacterial activity against X. oryzae pv. oryzae bacteria. AgCSs were chemically synthesized by reducing silver nitrate by borohydride sodium in the presence of chitosan with optimization of the concentration of the reactants. AgCSs were characterized by UV/vis absorption spectra, field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FESEM), ImageJ software, zeta potential measurement, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction. AgCSs have spherical configuration and narrow size distributions with different average sizes from 15 nm to 25 nm depending on the initial concentration of silver nitrate. All AgCSs colloidal systems were stable and exhibited no tendency for coagulation more than 5 months. It was the first time that chitosan-stabilized silver nanoparticles were assessed the in vitro antibacterial activity against bacterial blight VXO_281 strain. The disc diffusion method demonstrated that the smallest size silver nanoparticles (AgCS1) showed high antibacterial effect against the X. oryzae pv. oryzae VXO_281 strain with a concentration of more than 5 µg/mL and the inhibition zone was dose-dependent. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of AgCS1 against X. oryzae pv. oryzae VXO_281 were 2.5 µg/mL and 20 µg/mL, respectively.

International audience; Aims: To describe the current methamphetamine (MA) use epidemic among persons who inject heroin (PWID) in Hai Phong, Vietnam, and consider possibilities for mitigating adverse effects of methamphetamine use.Methods: This study conducted surveys of PWID in 2016, 2017, and 2018 (N = 1383, 1451, and 1445, respectively). Trained interviewers administered structured interviews covering drug use histories, current drug use, and related risk behaviors. The study used urinalysis to confirm current drug use, and conducted HIV and HCV testing.Results: Participants were predominantly male (95%), mean age of 40, and all reported injecting heroin. Respondents' reports of initiating MA use were rare up through early 2000s but increased exponentially through the mid-2010s. MA use was predominantly "smoking," heating the drug and inhaling the vapor using a pipe; injecting MA was rare. Current (past 30 day) MA use appears to have plateaued in 2016-2018 with 53-58% of participants reporting no use in the last 30 days, 37-41% reporting low to moderate use (1 to 19 days in last 30 days), and 5-7% reporting very frequent use (20 or more days in last 30 days). This plateau reflects a rough balance between new users and individuals ceasing use.Conclusions: MA use has become a substantial public health problem among PWID in Hai Phong. Initiation into MA use rose exponentially from 2005 to about 2015. Use of MA will likely continue for a substantial number of PWID. Currently, no medication is approved for treating MA disorders in Vietnam. Current psychosocial treatment requires highly trained counselors and months of treatment, so that psychosocial treatment for all PWID with MA disorders is likely beyond the resources available in a middle-income country such as Vietnam. Harm reduction programs implemented by community-based organization staff may provide a way to rapidly address aspects of the current MA epidemic. Such programs could emphasize social support for reducing use where possible and for avoiding escalation of use among persons continuing to use.

International audience; Objective: To estimate the residual mortality rate among people who inject drugs (PWID) in a Low-Middle Income Countries context where the HIV epidemic has been controlled and methadone coverage is high.Study design and setting: PWID from Haiphong, Vietnam, were recruited through three annual respondent-driven sampling surveys that fueled two cohorts of PWID with HIV (n = 761) and without HIV (n = 897), with bi-annual follow-up. Presumed causes of death were ascertained from medical records and/or interviews of participants family.Results: Among the 1658 participants with a median follow-up of 2 years, 67 and 36 died in the HIV-positive and HIV-negative cohort, respectively, yielding crude mortality rates of 4.3 (95% Confidence interval (CI): 3.3-5.4) per 100 person-years of follow-up (PYFU) and 1.9 (CI: 1.4-2.6) per 100 PYFU. In the HIV-positive cohort, in which 81% of participants had undetectable viral load, the two main causes of death were tuberculosis and HIV-related diseases. In the HIV-negative cohort, the two main causes of death were liver-related diseases and overdose. In a time-dependent multivariable model, "unsuppressed viral load" was associated with increased risk of mortality, whereas "being on methadone" or "being employed" was associated with a lower risk.Conclusion: Despite a very successful HIV and methadone program, the mortality remains high among PWID in Vietnam, largely due to curable infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and viral hepatitis.

Aims To describe the use of large-scale respondent driven sampling (RDS) surveys to demonstrate the “end of an HIV epidemic” (HIV incidence < 0.5/100 person-years) among persons who inject drugs (PWID) in a middle-income country. Large sample sizes are needed to convincingly demonstrate very low incidence rates. Methods 4 large surveys (Ns approximately 1500 each) were conducted among PWID in Hai Phong, Vietnam in 2016–2019. Respondent driven sampling (RDS) with a modification to add snowball sampling was used for recruiting participants. HIV incidence was measured through recency testing, repeat participants across multiple surveys and in a cohort study of PWID recruited from the surveys. RDS analytics (time to equilibria and homophilies for major variables) were used to assess similarities/differences in RDS only versus RDS plus snowball recruiting. Characteristics were compared among respondents recruited through standard RDS recruitment versus through snowball sampling. An overall assessment of the robustness of RDS to modification was made when adding a snowball sampling recruitment. Results RDS recruiting was very efficient in the first 5 weeks of each survey with approximately 180 respondents recruited per week. Recruiting then slowed considerably, and snowball sampling (permitting an individual respondent to recruit large numbers of new respondents) was added to the existing RDS recruiting. This led to recruiting within 13–14 weeks of 1383, 1451, 1444 and 1268 respondents, close to the target of 1500 respondents/survey. Comparisons of participants recruited through standard RDS method and respondents recruited through snowball methods showed very few significant differences. RDS analytics (quickly reaching equilibria, low homophilies) were favorable for both RDS recruited and total numbers of participants in each survey. DRug use and Infections in ViEtnam (DRIVE) methods have now been officially adopted in other provinces. Conclusions RDS appears to be quite robust with respect to adding a modest number of participants recruited through snowball sampling. Large sample sizes can provide compelling evidence for “ending an HIV epidemic” to policy makers in a PWID population in a middle income country setting.

International audience

BACKGROUND: Vietnam possesses a vast diversity of rice landraces due to its geographical situation, latitudinal range, and a variety of ecosystems. This genetic diversity constitutes a highly valuable resource at a time when the highest rice production areas in the low-lying Mekong and Red River Deltas are enduring increasing threats from climate changes, particularly in rainfall and temperature patterns. RESULTS: We analysed 672 Vietnamese rice genomes, 616 newly sequenced, that encompass the range of rice varieties grown in the diverse ecosystems found throughout Vietnam. We described four Japonica and five Indica subpopulations within Vietnam likely adapted to the region of origin. We compared the population structure and genetic diversity of these Vietnamese rice genomes to the 3,000 genomes of Asian cultivated rice. The named Indica-5 (I5) subpopulation was expanded in Vietnam and contained lowland Indica accessions, which had with very low shared ancestry with accessions from any other subpopulation and were previously overlooked as admixtures. We scored phenotypic measurements for nineteen traits and identified 453 unique genotype-phenotype significant associations comprising twenty-one QTLs (quantitative trait loci). The strongest associations were observed for grain size traits, while weaker associations were observed for a range of characteristics, including panicle length, heading date and leaf width. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight differences in genome composition and trait associations among traditional Vietnamese rice accessions, which are likely the product of adaption to multiple environmental conditions and regional preferences in a very diverse country. Our results highlighted traits and their associated genomic regions that are a potential source of novel loci and alleles to breed a new generation of sustainable and resilient rice.

Vietnam possesses a vast diversity of rice landraces due to its geographical situation, latitudinal range, and a variety of ecosystems. This genetic diversity constitutes a highly valuable resource at a time when the highest rice production areas in the low-lying Mekong and Red River Deltas are enduring increasing threats from climate changes, particularly in rainfall and temperature patterns.We analysed 672 Vietnamese rice genomes, 616 newly sequenced, that encompass the range of rice varieties grown in the diverse ecosystems found throughout Vietnam. We described four Japonica and five Indica subpopulations within Vietnam likely adapted to the region of origin. We compared the population structure and genetic diversity of these Vietnamese rice genomes to the 3,000 genomes of Asian cultivated rice. The named Indica-5 (I5) subpopulation was expanded in Vietnam and contained lowland Indica accessions, which had with very low shared ancestry with accessions from any other subpopulation and were previously overlooked as admixtures. We scored phenotypic measurements for nineteen traits and identified 453 unique genotype-phenotype significant associations comprising twenty-one QTLs (quantitative trait loci). The strongest associations were observed for grain size traits, while weaker associations were observed for a range of characteristics, including panicle length, heading date and leaf width. We identified genomic regions selected in both Indica and Japonica subtypes during the breeding of these subpopulations within Vietnam and discuss in detail fifty-two selected regions in I5, which constitute an untapped resource of cultivated rice diversity.Our results highlight traits and their associated genomic regions, which were identified by fine phenotyping and data integration. These are a potential source of novel loci and alleles to breed a new generation of sustainable and resilient rice.

Lead poisoning is a public health problem in many areas of the world. Children are at particularly high risk for adverse effects of lead exposure; even at low concentrations, lead can affect physical, mental, and behavioral development. Children living near lead-zinc mines are at high risk for environmental lead poisoning, especially the contaminated soil. We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study in Ban Thi Commune, northern Vietnam. 195 children (92,9% participation) aged 3-14 years old (average: 7.69 ± 2.90) were randomly selected from a list of all children prepared by the village health collaborators. 109 (55.90%) were boys and 86 (44.10%) were girls. The research measures were the lead concentration in native soil and the children’s total blood lead concentration determined by the inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method. The results showed that lead content in soil was many times higher than American Environmental Protection Agency and Vietnam standards (average 2980.23 ± 6092.84 mg/kg dry weight of soil (range 80.05 – 33820.62)). Average blood lead levels for children were 15.42 ± 6.45 μg/dL (95% CI: 14.50 -16.33 μg/dL). The percentage of children with lead levels >10 μg/dL (value considered to be lead poisoning for children according to the Ministry of Health of Vietnam) was 79.49% of the total number of children. None of the children in this study had blood lead level (BLL) that required chelation treatment according to Vietnam MOH guideline (BLL ≥45 μg/dL). There is weakly evidence that lead exposure relates to the physical development of children. Children with low lead concentrations (less than 10 μg/dL) had height and weight of 1.47-3.51 cm and 1.19-2.81 kg, greater than those with BLL >10 μg/dL (p>0.05).

In Vietnam, harm reduction programs to control HIV among people who inject drugs (PWID) were implemented approximately 10 years ago. Since then, the HIV prevalence has declined in this population, however, the impact of these programs on the rate of new HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV) infections remains unknown as high mortality can exceed the rate of new infections. We evaluated HIV and HCV incidences in a cohort of active PWID in HaiPhong in 2014, who were recruited from a community-based respondent driven sampling (RDS) survey and followed for 1 year. Only HIV-negative or HCV-negative participants not on medication assisted treatment (MAT) were eligible. HIV/HCV serology was tested at enrollment and at 32- and 64-week follow-up visits. Among 603 RDS participants, 250 were enrolled in the cohort, including 199 HIV seronegative and 99 HCV seronegative PWID. No HIV seroconversion was reported during the 206 person-years (PY) of follow-up (HIV incidence of 0/100PY, one-sided 97.5%CI:0-1.8/100 PY). Eighteen HCV seroconversions were reported for an incidence of 19.4/100 PY (95%CI;11.5-30.7). In multivariate analysis, “Injecting more than twice daily” was associated with HCV seroconversion with an adjusted odds ratio of 5.8 (95%CI;1.8–18.1). In Hai Phong, in a context that demonstrates the effectiveness of HIV control programs, the HCV incidence remains high. New strategies such as mass access to HCV treatment should be evaluated in order to tackle HCV transmission among PWID.

Background. There is a lack of information regarding health literacy (HL) in elderly people in Vietnam. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health literacy and the associated factors in elderly people in Vietnam. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 300 elderly people aged 55 years and above. Data were obtained from study participants using face-to-face interviews using designed questionnaires on sociodemographics, behaviors, and health literacy. Multiple linear regression models were performed to identify potential determinants of health literacy. Results. HL scores were 29.70±8.20 for the general HL dimension, 32.00±9.60 for the healthcare dimension, 21.97±10.06 for the disease prevention dimension, and 35.15±9.43 for the health promotion dimension. In the final model, age was negatively associated with HL (B−coefficient=−0.09, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) (-0.17 to -0.008), P=0.030). Occupation (B=4.77, 95% CI (3.18 to 6.36), P<0.001), taking care of children (B=1.68, 95% CI (0.21 to 3.15), P=0.025), social activity (B=4.61, 95% CI (2.86 to 6.37), P<0.001), doing exercises (B=2.52, 95% CI (1.07 to 3.96), P=0.001), television watching (B=2.10, 95% CI (0.75 to 3.45), P=0.002), using the Internet (B=2.93, 95% CI (1.29 to 4.57), P=0.001), and social connection (B=3.50, 95% CI (1.23 to 5.78), P=0.003) were positively associated with HL, respectively. Conclusion. Age, occupation, and a number of behaviors were significantly associated with HL in elder people. Health education campaigns should take into account the above factors as facilitating access to the Internet and providing opportunities for social networks for the elderly.

Background Achievement of HIV control among key populations through universal access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) requires a precise evaluation of the cascade of care. One of the main difficulties in obtaining an accurate community-based cascade of care is misreporting, which could represent one of the most important bias for people suffering from stigma. The primary objective was to estimate the added value of plasma antiretroviral concentration to improve the estimation of HIV cascade of careMethods We constructed the cascade of HIV care among persons who inject drugs (PWID) living in Hai Phong, Vietnam, using a community-based survey. First and second line HIV treatment contained fixed dose of lamivudine. Misreporting of HIV status and ART were identified by plasma lamivudine detection. We then compared the two methods for estimating the cascade of HIV careResults The proportion of misreporting was estimated at 30% among PWID. No specific PWID profile could be identified as associated with misreporting.Conclusions Adding plasma ARV detection to the routine data collection strongly improved the accuracy of the HIV cascade of care.

International audience; BACKGROUND: To examine the prospects for "ending the HIV epidemic" among persons who inject drugs (PWID) in Haiphong, Vietnam. Reaching an incidence of

Context Yield improvement is an important issue for rice breeding. Panicle architecture is one of the key components of rice yield and exhibits a large diversity. To identify the morphological and genetic determinants of panicle architecture, we performed a detailed phenotypic analysis and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using an original panel of Vietnamese landraces. Results Using a newly developed image analysis tool, morphological traits of the panicles were scored over two years: rachis length; primary, secondary and tertiary branch number; average length of primary and secondary branches; average length of internode on rachis and primary branch. We observed a high contribution of spikelet number and secondary branch number per panicle to the overall phenotypic diversity in the dataset. Twenty-nine stable QTLs associated with seven traits were detected through GWAS over the two years. Some of these QTLs were associated with genes already implicated in panicle development. Importantly, the present study revealed the existence of new QTLs associated with the spikelet number, secondary branch number and primary branch number traits. Conclusions Our phenotypic analysis of panicle architecture variation suggests that with the panel of samples used, morphological diversity depends largely on the balance between indeterminate vs. determinate axillary meristem fate on primary branches, supporting the notion of differences in axillary meristem fate between rachis and primary branches. Our genome-wide association study led to the identification of numerous genomic sites covering all the traits studied and will be of interest for breeding programs aimed at improving yield. The new QTLs detected in this study provide a basis for the identification of new genes controlling panicle development and yield in rice. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12870-018-1504-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

International audience

Figure S5. QQ plots and Manhattan plots for panicle morphological traits for 2014 and 2015 in the full panel, indica and japonica subpanels. (a, i) Rachis length (RL); (b, j) primary branch number (PBN); (c, k) secondary branch number (SBN); (d, l) spikelet number (SpN); (e, m) primary branch length (PBL); (f, n) primary branch internode length (PBintL); (g, o) secondary branch length (SBL); (h, p) secondary branch internode length (SBintL) for 2014 and 2015, respectively (PDF 9355 kb)

Figure S3. Correlation between SpN and PBN traits in 2014 and 2015. In grey and orange are values for 2014 and 2015, respectively. The right panel indicates the value density for the two traits in 2014 (grey) and 2015 (orange). SpN: spikelet number. PBN: primary branch number. (PDF 123 kb)

Background. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a major occupational health problematic among healthcare workers, and the prevalence is especially high among nurses. In high income countries, the prevention of MSDs is an occupational health priority. But in Vietnam, there is no data available among health professionals.Objectives. To determine the prevalence and associated factors of musculoskeletal disorders among district hospital nurses in Haiphong city.Material and Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1179 nurses working in 15 district hospitals using the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire.Results. A very high prevalence of MSDs in the past 12 months (74.7%) and during the last 7 days (41.1%), with the two most common sites being the low back (44.4%) and neck (44.1%), was found; 37.8% complained that MSDs symptoms limit their work. When analyzing factors related to MSDs, the results showed that women were 2.1 times more likely to develop MSDs than men; people with a previous history of MSDs were more likely to develop MSDs symptoms in the past 12 months than those with no history (OR = 7.1); nurses with symptoms of psychological distress and frequent absenteeism in the workplace had a higher prevalence of MSDs compared to the rest (pConclusions. Due to the high prevalence of MSDs among nurses in district hospitals in Haiphong, preventive actions are needed to improve the working conditions and to raise the awareness of nurses about MSDs prevention.

Figure S1. The phenotype variation of indica and japonica subpanels in 2014 and 2015. Primary branch number (PBN), secondary branch number (SBN), spikelet number (SpN), primary branch length (PBL), primary internode length (PBintL), secondary branch length (SBL), secondary internode length (SBintL), tertiary branch number (TBN) and rachis length (RL). The values relating to length are in cm. Statistical significance (t test p values) between the two subpanels for the different panicle morphological traits is indicated (PDF 378 kb)

Figure S2. Correlation plots and PCA in the full panel, indica and japonica subpanels over the two years including flowering time (FT), plant height (PH), tiller number (TN) and efficient tiller number (eTN). (a) Correlation plots of the full panel in 2014 (left) and 2015 (right). (b) PCA of the full panel in 2014 (left) and 2015 (right). (c) Correlation plots of the indica (left) and the japonica (right) subpanels in 2014 (top) and 2015 (bottom). Primary branch number (PBN), secondary branch number (SBN), spikelet number (SpN), primary branch length (PBL), primary internode length (PBintL), secondary branch length (SBL), secondary internode length (SBintL), tertiary branch number (TBN) and rachis length (RL). (PDF 475 kb)

Figure S4 Heatmap clustering of the accessions related to panicle morphological traits in 2014 and 2015. In red and blue are the values for indica and japonica subpanels, respectively. Primary branch number (PBN), secondary branch number (SBN), spikelet number (SpN), primary branch length (PBL), primary internode length (PBintL), secondary branch length (SBL), secondary internode length (SBintL), tertiary branch number (TBN) and rachis length (RL). (PDF 271 kb)

Background Good estimates of key population sizes are critical for appropriating resources to prevent HIV infection. We conducted two capture/recapture studies to estimate the number of PWID currently in Hai Phong, Vietnam. Methods A 2014 respondent-driven sampling (RDS) survey served as one capture, and distribution of cigarette lighters at drug use “hotspots” in 2016 served as another “capture.” A 2016 survey using RDS, conducted 1 week after lighter distribution, served as “recapture” for both captures. Recaptured participants in the two surveys were identified with a computerized fingerprint reader. Recaptured participants from the lighter distribution were asked to show their lighters. Results 1385 participants were included in the “recapture” survey. They were 94% male and had a median age of 39. All (100%) injected heroin, and HIV prevalence was 30%. 144 of the 603 participants in the 2014 survey and 152 of the 600 PWID who had received lighters were “recaptured” in the 2016 survey. After adjusting for police suppression of drug use hotspots and conducting sensitivity analyses, our best estimate of the population size from the lighter recapture was 4617 (95% CI: 4090–5143), and our best estimate from the 2014 survey recapture was 5220 (95% CI: 4568–5872). A combined best estimate of the PWID population in Hai Phong is 5000, range 4000–6000. Conclusions The capture/recapture studies produced consistent estimates. Adding a lighter/token distribution to planned RDS surveys may provide an inexpensive method for estimating PWID population size. Analyses of the estimates should include contextual information about the local drug scene.

Understanding teachers’ practices in language alternation is an essential component in the context of L2 classroom interaction and teacher talk. For novice teachers, who have to deal with a number of difficulties when experiencing a transition from teacher training institutions to the school classroom to teach for the first time, it is challenging to make a confident and effective choice regarding how and which language should be used in specific circumstances. However, there have been no studies investigating the specific issue of language alternation performed by novice teachers during their teacher-fronted instruction. To fill the gap, this study applies conversation analysis methods and findings to investigate the language alternation practices performed by novice teachers in the EFL university classroom in Vietnam. With a specific focus on language choice (Auer, 1984), the study investigates the recurring patterns of their language alternation practices, how these practices were structurally organized within different phases and sequence structures of the lesson, and the students’ subsequent actions in response to these language switches. The socially constructed manifestations of novice teachers’ language alternation practices were identified and analysed from (1) video recorded classroom observations of novice teachers and (2) audio recorded interviews with teacher educators and novice teachers to gain insights into novice teachers’ language alternation training background. The findings reveal that there was insufficient background concerning the employment of language alternation in teacher education programs for novice EFL teachers, specifically the absence of five major domains of knowledge. These include theories of teaching, teaching skills, communication skills, pedagogical reasoning and decision-making, and contextual knowledge. Without orientation and support from teacher education programs, these teachers also lacked awareness about this practice which was revealed in the focus of their lesson plans and reflection. Regarding teachers’ actual practices, a key and recurring finding is that novice teachers often started their instruction or pre-instruction in English but quickly switched to Vietnamese for immediate translation without providing any wait time or interactional space for students to show their understanding or to give responses. Their switches to English in the space of the first language, on the other hand, mostly occurred for the quick insertion of English lexical items, of the language associated with the teaching of English, and of brief comprehension checks or comments due to the convenience and availability of those inserted items at the time they were needed. Briefly stated, their language alternation behaviour reveals their orientation to what Cromdal (2005, p. 333) calls “a division in labour” for the use of the two languages: the target language played the role of temporary medium while the first language served as the main medium or vehicle of teacher instruction and class interaction. The findings also show that novice teachers employed language alternation in all phases of the lesson (1) to provide information needed in pre-entry or lead-in phases, (2) to pursue students’ understanding and responses in both lead-in and main instructional phases, (3) to scaffold students’ comprehension, responses and their task completion in a range of insert sequences, and (4) to achieve affiliation and intimacy with students in side-sequences. Their language alternation, in fact, was employed as an important tool in the organization of their instructional talk to pursue student responses and to establish understanding or a foundation for students’ epistemic status (Heritage, 2013) before the class could proceed and commence the main language learning tasks. The teachers’ actions of frequently alternating languages to provide students with social, cognitive and affective support for their second language learning or to achieve intersubjective understanding in the classroom reveal their orientation to the distribution of languages in the sequence structure: English is used to frame by opening and closing instructional sequences and Vietnamese is used as the main language of instruction and class interaction. In addition, the data show that students often adopted the teachers’ language use in their responses when the teachers’ language alternation occurred. Indeed, by switching languages teachers could prompt or steer the students’ responses, renegotiate the language of ongoing interaction, and signal their language preference in a pedagogical way.

International audience; In the present study, we have successfully developed a transformation protocol for a rice variety Taichung 65 mediated by Agrobacterium tumefacienswith high efficiency, easy manipulation and reductionin labourwork. In the protocol, we have optimized all steps of transformation, standardized components of culture media and presented several manipulation experiments. Experimental results have shown that using petri dishes with high edge (15mm) and exposing explants not only increased the rate of callus formation, but also enhanced the size and quality of calluses. Using bacterial suspension at density OD600nm= 0.1 was optimal with high GUS expression in callus (81.25%) and low contamination. During the selection phase, transformed callusesgrew better in petri dishes with high edge (15 mm) and exposing explants. Checking for the presence of R4 promoter at the molecular level showed high frequency of regenerated plantlets carrying thetransgenes (up to 90.24%). GUS expression in different tissues of transgenic plants indicated the high activity of promoter R4, leading to initiate transcription and synthesis ofGUS enzyme. Analysis of T1 plants confirmed the stable inheritance of transgene to the next generation.; Trong nghiên cứu này, chúng tôi đã cải tiến thành công quy trình chuyển gen vào giống lúa Taichung 65 thông qua vi khuẩn Agrobacterium tumefaciensvới hiệu suất chuyển gen cao, thao tác đơn giản, giảm thiểu khối lượng công việc phải làm. Trong quy trình đưa ra, chúng tôi đã tối ưu hóa các bước tiến hành, chuẩn hóa thành phần môi trường nuôi cấy và đưa ra một sốnhân tốquan trọng trong thao tác. Kết quảthí nghiệm cho thấy sửdụng đĩa petri có gờcao 15mm và phơi mẫu không chỉlàm tăng tỷlệtạo mô sẹo từphôi mà còn tăng kích thước và chất lượng mô sẹo dùng cho quátrình chuyển gen. Dịch khuẩn với mật độOD600nm= 0,1 là tối ưu với tần sốbiểu hiện gen GUS ởmô sẹo cao (81,25%) và tỷlệmẫu nhiễm thấp. Ởgiai đoạn chọn lọc sau lây nhiễm,mô sẹo phát triển tốt hơn khi tiến hành phơi mẫu và sửdụng đĩa petri có gờcao15mm. Phân tíchsựcó mặt của promoter R4 cho thấy tỷlệcây tái sinh mang cấu trúc gen biến nạp cao (90,24%). Đánh giá sựbiểu hiện của gen GUS ởcây lúa chuyển gen đã chứng tỏsựhoạt động mạnh của promoter R4, điều khiển quá trình phiên mã, dẫn tới tổng hợp enzym GUS. Kết quảphân tích cây chuyển gen ởthếhệT1 đã chứng minh sựdi truyền ổn định của gen biến nạp sang thếhệsau.