Search

(1) Background: The dysfunction and reduced proliferation of peripheral CD8+ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells have been observed in both aging and cancer patients, thereby challenging the adoption of immune cell therapy in these subjects. In this study, we evaluated the growth of these lymphocytes in elderly cancer patients and the correlation of peripheral blood (PB) indices to their expansion. (2) Method: This retrospective study included 15 lung cancer patients who underwent autologous NK cell and CD8+ T cell therapy between January 2016 and December 2019 and 10 healthy individuals. (3) Results: On average, CD8+ T lymphocytes and NK cells were able to be expanded about 500 times from the PB of elderly lung cancer subjects. Particularly, 95% of the expanded NK cells highly expressed the CD56 marker. The expansion of CD8+ T cells was inversely associated with the CD4+:CD8+ ratio and the frequency of PB-CD4+ T cells in PB. Likewise, the expansion of NK cells was inversely correlated with the frequency of PB-lymphocytes and the number of PB-CD8+ T cells. The growth of CD8+ T cells and NK cells was also inversely correlated with the percentage and number of PB-NK cells. (4) Conclusion: PB indices are intrinsically tied to immune cell health and could be leveraged to determine CD8 T and NK cell proliferation capacity for immune therapies in lung cancer patients.

The interplay between mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) and preservation conditions is critical to maintain the viability and functionality of these cells before administration. We observed that Ringer lactate (RL) maintained high viability of bone marrow–derived MSCs for up to 72 h at room temperature (18°C–22°C), whereas adipose‐derived and umbilical cord‐derived MSCs showed the highest viability for 72 h at a cold temperature (4°C–8°C). These cells maintained their adherence ability with an improved recovery rate and metabolic profiles (glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration) similar to those of freshly harvested cells. Growth factor and cytokine analyses revealed that the preserved cells released substantial amounts of leukaemia inhibitory factors (LIFs), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor‐A (VEGF‐A), as well as multiple cytokines (eg IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐8, MPC‐1 and TNF‐α). Our data provide the simplest clinically relevant preservation conditions that maintain the viability, stemness and functionality of MSCs from perinatal and adult tissue sources.

Purpose This study aims to examine the linear and non-linear effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement on trade receivables of listed firms in China. Furthermore, this paper analyzes whether CSR explains the provision for doubtful trade receivables. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a sample of listed firms in China over the period from 2008 to 2015. System generalized method of moments is used to estimate dynamic panel models. Findings CSR is positively related to trade receivables, in line with previous studies in this field. Nonetheless, the investigation of the non-linear effect of CSR reveals that CSR has an inverted U-shaped relationship with trade receivables. This implies that at low levels, CSR is more likely to be a tool to mitigate risk and/or build a trusting relationship between suppliers and buyers; whereas, at high levels, CSR is more prone to be subject to agency cost. The authors further find that CSR has a U-shaped relationship with the provision for bad trade receivables, which substantiates the above link between CSR and trade receivables. Originality/value Previous studies have extensively examined the link between trade credit extension and firm performance and determinants of trade credit. CSR can be connected to trade receivables in some ways, but very little effort has been exerted in verifying this relationship. In addition, CSR is linearly linked to trade receivables in previous literature, but theoretically, it can be expected to have a non-linear relationship with trade receivables. Furthermore, CSR has not been examined as a determinant of the provision for doubtful trade receivables. The authors aim to void the gaps here by using a sample of listed firms in China.

Background: Postpartum fatigue is a severe concern for mothers worldwide, and fatigue has a high prevalence rate. Fatigue symptoms impact postpartum maternal role attainment and are also considered to affect her quality of life adversely. Objective: This study aimed to identify interventions strategy reducing postpartum fatigue. Methods: Literature reviews were conducted with PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar database. Inclusion criteria (1) randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies (2) strategies on mothers with postpartum fatigue study (3) English. Full text. Two reviewers will independently perform selection articles, quality assessment, and data extraction. The methodology's quality and evidence level will be graded using the modified Jadad Scale. Results: Eight studies were included (819 postpartum women and, executed nine kinds of interventions). Aerobic gymnastic exercise used DVD significantly decreased levels of postpartum fatigue and also significantly improved stress and postpartum sleep quality. The professionally-led telephone support significantly decreased fatigue and depression, anxiety, stress, and significantly higher self-care behavior. In addition, most instruments used to measure postpartum fatigue are Postpartum Fatigue Scale (PFS) and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSC). Conclusions: Aerobic gymnastic exercise used DVD and professionally-led telephone support are recommended as strategic interventions for reducing postpartum fatigue.

Graphene has been extensively considered an ideal additive to improve the mechanical properties of many composite materials, including rubbers, because of its novel strength, high surface area, and remarkable thermal and electron conductivity. However, the pristine graphene shows low dispersibility in the rubber matrix resulting in only slightly enhanced mechanical properties of the rubber composite. In this work, graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were modified with dioctyl phthalate (DOP) to improve the dispersibility of the graphene in the natural rubber (NR). The distribution of the DOP-modified GNPs in the NR matrix was investigated using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. The effect of the modified GNPs’ contents on the mechanical properties of the GNPs/NR composite was studied in detail. The results showed that the abrasion resistance of the graphene-reinforced rubber composite significantly improved by 10 times compared to that of the rubber without graphene (from 0.3 to 0.03 g/cycle without and with addition of the 0.3 phr modified GNPs). The addition of the modified GNPs also improved the shear and tensile strength of the rubber composite. The tensile strength and shear strength of the NR/GNPs composite with a GNPs loading of 0.3 phr were determined to be 23.63 MPa and 42.69 N/mm, respectively. Even the presence of the graphene reduced the other mechanical properties such as Shore hardness, elongation at break, and residual elongation; however, these reductions were negligible, which still makes the modified GNPs significant as an effective additive for the natural rubber in applications requiring high abrasion resistance.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 237 pediatric patients diagnosed with gastroduodenal inflammation and ulcer at two hospitals in Vietnam from March 2019 to April 2022. Pediatric patients with positiveIn 237 pediatric patients (51.1% males) with a median age of 10.3 years (range 5-16 years), endoscopic images showed that inflammatory lesions and peptic ulcers accounted for 69.2% and 30.8%, respectively. Resistance rates ofThe proportions of resistance to CLR, AMX, MTZ, and LEV were extremely high, in contrast to TET, which was lower in pediatric patients. Our study suggests that the standard triple therapy with CLR should be limited as the empiric therapy for pediatric patients, and we should consider using eradication regimens with TET for children over 8 years of age if the medical facility is not qualified to perform antibiotic susceptibility tests of

PurposeThis research investigates the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and bank risk-taking in Vietnam and introduces the constraint factor to see whether this link alters with different levels of constraint.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of commercial banks in Vietnam from 2008 to 2017, this study employs two-step system generalized method of moments (Sys GMM) with a finite sample correction mechanism to estimate the models.FindingsThe results suggest that CSR activities reduce bank risk-taking, and this relationship is only present in the case of financially constrained banks. Unconstrained banks, on the other hand, are more likely to invest in unnecessary CSR, thus reducing bank performance and increasing bank risk-taking.Research limitations/implicationsThe first implication from this study is that CSR activities might be considered as a risk-mitigating tool and should be invested in that respect. Secondly, regulatory units and investors should be more cautious about CSR expenditures since this type of spending could increase default risk, especially for banks with easy access to external financing. One particular limitation of this study is the low number of observations available for banks in Vietnam. Future studies could use texture analysis to expand the sample or consider macro-level governance characteristics to examine which factors might modify the relationship between CSR and bank risk.Originality/valueVery limited studies discussed the link between corporate social responsibility and bank performance and bank risk. There are even fewer papers examining the relationship between CSR and risk, and most of these papers deal with advanced economies. Furthermore, no studies investigate the interaction effect of CSR and financial constraint, which should be prevalent in developing countries on bank risk. As a consequence, the current study seeks to verify the impact of financial constraints on the link between CSR and bank risk.

PurposeAnti-N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis is caused by altered patients’ immune reactions. This study reports the first patient with severe neurologic sequelae after NMDA receptor encephalitis treated with allogeneic umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (UC-MSCs) via intrathecal route.MethodsUC-MSCs were obtained from a healthy donor and expanded under a xeno- and serum-free condition. The patient received three intrathecal UC-MSC infusions at the dose of 106 cells/Kg. The outcome was accessed using the German Coma Recovery Scale (CRS), the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), the Gross Motor Function Measure–88 (GMFM-88), Manual Ability Classification System (MACS), Modified Ashworth Scale, and the Denver II test.ResultsA 5-year-old girl suffered from a permanent vegetative state with diffuse cerebral atrophy due to NMDA receptor encephalitis despite intensive treatment of immunosuppressive medicaments and IVIG. After three UC-MSC infusions, her cognition and motoric functions improved progressively. In the last visits, she could walk, practice writing, and count numbers. Urinary and bowel functions were completely controlled. Cerebral atrophy reduced on brain MRI.ConclusionsThe outcomes of this patient suggest a potential cell therapy for autoimmune encephalitis and its neurological consequences.

Background: Laparoscopic-assisted endorectal pull-through (LAEPT) procedure in the management of high-type anorectal malformations (ARMs) was first introduced in 1998 and is quickly accepted worldwide. However, evidence on long-term outcomes of this technique is constrained. This study aims to evaluate the long-term outcomes of LAEPT for high-type ARMs in Vietnamese pediatrics. Materials and Methods: A longitudinal study was carried out from January 2009 to July 2014 in 56 patients

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of multimarket contacts on bank stability in the Vietnamese banking system between 2006 and 2015.Design/methodology/approachThe system generalized method of moments proposed by Arellano and Bover (1995) is used to examine the relationship between multimarket contacts and bank stability.FindingsThe findings show that multimarket contacts among Vietnamese commercial banks improve bank stability. In addition, more x-efficient banks appear to be more stable. The same is true for banks with less holding liquid assets, for those with less excessive lending, for smaller banks, for those with the greater level of intermediation and for those with a higher level of foreign ownership. Listed banks are found to be less-risk taking than unlisted banks.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt to examine the relationship between multimarket contacts and bank stability in an emerging market in the Asia-Pacific region.

Large scale human genome projects have created tremendous human genome databases for some well-studied populations. Vietnam has about 95 million people (the 14th largest country by population in the world) of which more than 86% are Kinh people. To date, genetic studies for Vietnamese people mostly rely on genetic information from other populations. Building a Vietnamese human genetic variation database is a must for properly interpreting Vietnamese genetic variants. To this end, we sequenced 105 whole genomes and 200 whole exomes of 305 unrelated Kinh Vietnamese (KHV) people. We also included 101 other previously published KHV genomes to build a Vietnamese human genetic variation database of 406 KHV people. The KHV database contains 24.81 million variants (22.47 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 2.34 million indels) of which 0.71 million variants are novel. It includes more than 99.3% of variants with a frequency of >1% in the KHV population. Noticeably, the KHV database revealed 107 variants reported in the human genome mutation database as pathological mutations with a frequency above 1% in the KHV population. The KHV database (available at https://genomes.vn) would be beneficial for genetic studies and medical applications not only for the Vietnamese population but also for other closely related populations.

In this study, the silanized coal fly ash (CFA) and silanized nano-/micro-glass fiber (nGF) were simultaneously embedded in vinyl ester resin for improvement in both mechanical properties and mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of carbon fiber-based composite material. The used CFA particles have thermal power plant origin and were grinded with the help of ball mill to obtain the uniform size. The methacryloxy groups were attached to surface of both ground CFA and pristine nGF via silanization process. The homologous mixtures of S-nGF and S-CFA in vinyl ester resin were obtained with the help of high-speed mechanical stirrer and ultrasonic technique. The sheet molding compound method and hot curing process were applied to fabricate the carbon fiber-filled vinyl ester resin-based composite. Many techniques such as FTIR, EDS, rheological testing, mode I interlaminar fracture toughness, tensile strength and SEM were used to investigate the characteristics of silanized additives, the uncured matrices as well as the carbon fiber-based composite materials. The incorporation of both 0.1 wt% S-nGF and 1 wt% S-CFA into VE resin helps to improve the tensile strength, tensile modulus and the mode I interlaminar fracture toughness (GIC) of carbon fiber-based composites (CFRP) by 61.39%, 39.83% and 48.61%, respectively, when compared with pristine composite material. The fracture toughness surface of modified VE was tougher and rougher as a result of higher fracture toughness, while the pristine VE exhibited the smooth surface.

(1) Colorectal cancer (CRC) is an increasingly prevalent disease with a high mortality rate in recent years. Immune cell-based therapies have received massive attention among scientists, as they have been proven effective as low-toxicity treatments. This study evaluated the safety and effectiveness of autologous immune enhancement therapy (AIET) for CRC. (2)An open-label, single-group study, including twelve patients diagnosed with stages III and IV CRC, was conducted from January 2016 to December 2021. Twelve CRC patients received one to seven infusions of natural killer (NK)-cell and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL). Multivariate modelling was used to identify factors associated with health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) scores. (3)After 20–21 days of culture, the NK cells increased 3535-fold, accounting for 85% of the cultured cell population. Likewise, CTLs accounted for 62.4% of the cultured cell population, which was a 1220-fold increase. Furthermore, the QoL improved with increased EORTC QLQ-C30 scores, decreased symptom severity, and reduced impairment in daily living caused by these symptoms (MDASI-GI report). Finally, a 14.3 ± 14.1-month increase in mean survival time was observed at study completion. (4)AIET demonstrated safety and improved survival time and HRQoL for CRC patients in Vietnam.

Frailty, a specific condition of increased vulnerability and reduced general health associated with aging in older people, is an emerging problem worldwide with major implications for clinical practice and public health. Recent preclinical and clinical studies have supported the safety of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) in the treatment of frailty. Comprehensive study is needed to assess the interrelationship between the condition of frailty and the effects of MSC-based therapy. This randomized controlled phase I/II trial aims to investigate the safety and potential therapeutic efficacy of the allogeneic administration of umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) in combination with the standard treatment for frailty in Vietnam. Moreover, this study describes the rationales, study designs, methodologies, and analytical strategies currently employed in stem cell research and clinical studies. The primary outcome measures will include the incidences of prespecified administration-associated adverse events and serious adverse events. The potential efficacy will be evaluated based on improvements in frailty conditions (including those determined through a physical examination, patient-reported outcomes, quality of life, immune markers of frailty, metabolism analysis, and cytokine markers from patient plasma). This clinical trial and stem cell analysis associated with patient sampling at different time points aim to identify and characterize the potential effects of UC-MSCs on improving frailty based on the stem cell quality, cytokine/growth factor secretion profiles of UC-MSCs, cellular senescence, and metabolic analysis of patient CD3+ cells providing fundamental knowledge for designing and implementing research strategies in future studies. Clinical Trials Registration Number: NCT04919135

Biliary atresia (BA) is a progressive inflammation and fibrosis of the biliary tree, characterized by the obstruction of bile flow led to liver failure, scarring and cirrhosis. This study aimed to explore the elusive etiology of BA by conducting whole exome sequencing (WES) for 41 children with BA and their parents (35 trios, including one family with two BA diagnosed children and five child-mother cases). We exclusively identified and validated a total of 28 variants (17 X-linked, six de novo and five homozygous) in 25 candidate genes from our BA cohort. These variants were among the 10% most deleterious and having a low minor allele frequency against three employed databases: Kinh Vietnamese (KHV), gnomad and 1000 Genome project. Interestingly, AMER1, INVS and OCRL variants were repeatedly found in unrelated probands, and were firstly reported in a BA cohort. Liver specimens and blood samples showed identical variants, suggesting that somatic mutations were unlikely to occur during the morphogenesis. In agreement with earlier attempts, this study implicated a genetical heterogeneity and non-Mendelian inheritance of BA.

IntroductionThe global prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasing, and it has become a major public health burden worldwide, including in Vietnam. A large body of preclinical and clinical studies supports the safety of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) in the treatment of lung injury, including COPD. The aim of this trial is to investigate the safety and potential therapeutic efficacy of allogeneic administration of umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) as a supplementary intervention in combination with standard COPD medication treatments in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD based on the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2019 and Vietnam Ministry of Health’s guidelines.Methods and analysisThis matched case–control phase I/II trial is conducted at Vinmec Times City International Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam between June 2020 and December 2021. In this study, 40 patients will be enrolled and assigned into two age-matched, gender-matched and COPD condition-matched groups, including a UC-MSC group and a control group. Both groups will receive standard COPD medication treatment based on the GOLD 2019 guidelines and the Vietnam Ministry of Health protocol. The UC-MSC group will receive two doses of thawed UC-MSC product with an intervention interval of 3 months. The primary outcome measures will include the incidence of prespecified administration-associated adverse events and serious adverse events. The efficacy will be evaluated based on the absolute changes in the number of admissions, arterial blood gas analysis, lung function and lung fibrosis via CT scan and chest X-ray. The clinical evaluation will be conducted at baseline and 3, 6 and 12 months postintervention.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was secured from the Ethical Committee of Vinmec International Hospital (number:166/2019/QĐ-VMEC) and Vietnam Ministry of Health (number:2002/QĐ-BYT). The results will be reported to trial collaborators, publication in peer-reviewed academic journals.Trial registration numberNCT04433104.

Background To present a surgical technique of single-incision laparoscopic-assisted endorectal pull-through (SILEP) with suspension sutures using conventional instruments for Hirschsprung disease (HD) and its long-term follow-up outcomes. Methods The procedure began with a 1 cm transumbilical skin incision. Three separate punctures were made in the fascia with a 5 mm scope in the middle and 5 mm and 3 mm ports for working instruments on the left and right, respectively. The first suspension suture was placed to secure the sigmoid colon to the abdominal wall. A window was created through the rectal mesentery, and dissection around the rectum was carried out. The second suspension suture was performed to suspend the rectovesical peritoneal fold or the rectovaginal peritoneal fold to the abdominal wall. Dissection around the rectum was continued downward to approximately 1 cm below the peritoneal fold. Then, the operation was completed by a transanal approach. Results Forty patients underwent SILEP from March 2013 to April 2015. The median age was 2.7 months (ranging from 1 to 17 months). The mean operative time was 96 ± 23 min. No conversion to an open operation was required. The average hospitalization time was 4.5 ± 2 days. There were no intraoperative or perioperative complications. Long-term follow-up results were obtained from 38 patients. A frequency of defecation from every other day to twice a day was noted for 33 patients (86.8%) and more often for 5 patients (13.2%). Two patients had enterocolitis (5.2%). Conclusion Single-incision laparoscopic rectal pull-through with suspension sutures using conventional instruments is feasible and safe for HD with good long-term outcomes.

Human bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (BM‐MSCs) represent promising stem cell therapy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but the results of autologous BM‐MSC administration in T2DM patients are contradictory. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that autologous BM‐MSC administration in T2DM patient is safe and that the efficacy of the treatment is dependant on the quality of the autologous BM‐MSC population and administration routes. T2DM patients were enrolled, randomly assigned (1:1) by a computer‐based system into the intravenous and dorsal pancreatic arterial groups. The safety was assessed in all the treated patients, and the efficacy was evaluated based on the absolute changes in the hemoglobin A1c, fasting blood glucose, and C‐peptide levels throughout the 12‐month follow‐up. Our data indicated that autologous BM‐MSC administration was well tolerated in 30 T2DM patients. Short‐term therapeutic effects were observed in patients with T2DM duration of, Human bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (BM‐MSCs) represent promising stem cell therapy for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but the results of autologous BM‐MSC admniistration in T2DM patients are contradicted. Our data indicated that autologous BM‐MSC administration was well tolerated in 30 T2DM patients. The potential therapeutic effects of the treatments were observed in patients with less than 10 years of T2DM and a BMI

The literature on the relationship between bank credit and trade credit is mixed between the substitution and complementarity effects. The extant studies only investigate the linear relationship between the two factors, thus missing some important implications from any non-linear relationship that could exist. The current study investigates the linear and non-linear impacts of short-term bank debt on trade credit, using a sample of 622 listed non-financial firms in Vietnam from 2011 to 2019. The research results contribute to reconciling the mixed findings about the impact of short-term debt on trade credit by showing that short-term debt tends to reduce the use of the latter at high levels of short-term debt. However, at lower levels, the substitution effect is weaker. Together, the pattern between the two factors depicts an inverted U-shaped relationship. This implies that in the relation between the two short-term funding sources, the levels of short-term debt could indicate financial constraints firms face when accessing capital markets.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection causes gastritis, duodenal and gastric ulcers, and gastric cancer. H. pylori eradication efficacy is low worldwide, and antibiotic resistance is the leading cause of therapy failure; therefore, this study was performed to determine the characteristics of antibiotic resistance of H. pylori in children with gastritis, duodenal and gastric ulcer. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 237 pediatric patients diagnosed with gastroduodenal inflammation and ulcer at two hospitals in Vietnam from March 2019 to April 2022. Pediatric patients with positive H. pylori tests continued to do E-tests to measure the minimum inhibitory concentration of the antibiotic so that we could prescribe effective antibiotics based on the sensitivity. Results: In 237 pediatric patients (51.1% males) with a median age of 10.3 years (range 5–16 years), endoscopic images showed that inflammatory lesions and peptic ulcers accounted for 69.2% and 30.8%, respectively. Resistance rates of H. pylori were 80.6% to clarithromycin (CLR), 71.7% to amoxicillin (AMX), 49.4% to metronidazole (MTZ), 45.1% to levofloxacin (LEV), and 11.4% to tetracycline (TET); dual resistance to AMX + CLR was 64.2%, AMX + LEV 35%, AMX + MTZ 33.3%, CLR + MTZ 32.5%, and TET + MTZ 7.2%. The frequency of clarithromycin resistance was significantly increased, particularly in pediatric patients who had received prior H. pylori treatment. The percentage of amoxicillin resistance increased with age; amoxicillin resistance of H. pylori was more prevalent among pediatric patients with peptic ulcers than those with gastroduodenal inflammation and higher in males than females. Conclusions: The proportions of resistance to CLR, AMX, MTZ, and LEV were extremely high, in contrast to TET, which was lower in pediatric patients. Our study suggests that the standard triple therapy with CLR should be limited as the empiric therapy for pediatric patients, and we should consider using eradication regimens with TET for children over 8 years of age if the medical facility is not qualified to perform antibiotic susceptibility tests of H. pylori in the Mekong Delta.

BackgroundTo present the surgical technique and long-term follow-up outcomes of single incision laparoscopic-assisted endorectal pull-through (SILEP) with suspension sutures using conventional instruments for Hirschsprung disease. MethodsThe procedure began with a 1cm transumbilical skin incision. Three separate punctures were made onto the fascia for a 5mm scope in the middle, a 5mm and 3mm ports for working instruments on the left and right, respectively. The first suspension suture was performed to secure the sigmoid colon to the abdominal wall. A window was created through the rectal mesentery, and dissection around the rectum was carried out. The second suspension suture was performed to suspense the rectovesical peritoneal fold or the rectovaginal peritoneal fold to the abdominal wall. Dissection around the rectum was continued downward to approximately 1cm below the peritoneal fold. The operation was completed by a transanal approach. Results40 patients underwent SILEP from March 2013 to April 2015. The median age was 2.7 months (ranged from 14 days to17 months). The mean operative time was 94.7 ± 20 minutes. No conversion to open operation was required. Mean hospital stay was 4.1±1.3 days. There were no intraoperative or perioperative complications. Long term follow-up results were obtained in 38 patients. The number of defecation from 1-2 times per day was noted in 36 patients (94.7%) and from 3-4 times per day in 2 patients (5.2%). Two patients had enterocolitis (5.2%).ConclusionSingle site laparoscopic rectal pull-through with suspension sutures using conventional instruments is feasible and safe for Hirschsprung disease with good long-term outcomes.

Background Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a severe condition in premature infants that compromises lung function and necessitates oxygen support. Despite major improvements in perinatal care minimizing the devastating effects, BPD remains the most frequent complication of extreme preterm birth. Our study reports the safety of the allogeneic administration of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (allo-UC-MSCs) and the progression of lung development in four infants with established BPD. Methods UC tissue was collected from a healthy donor, followed by propagation at the Stem Cell Core Facility at Vinmec Research Institute of Stem Cell and Gene Technology. UC-MSC culture was conducted under xeno- and serum-free conditions. Four patients with established BPD were enrolled in this study between May 25, 2018, and December 31, 2018. All four patients received two intravenous doses of allo-UC-MSCs (1 million cells/kg patient body weight (PBW) per dose) with an intervening interval of 7 days. Safety and patient conditions were evaluated during hospitalization and at 7 days and 1, 6 and 12 months postdischarge. Results No intervention-associated severe adverse events or prespecified adverse events were observed in the four patients throughout the study period. At the time of this report, all patients had recovered from BPD and were weaned off of oxygen support. Chest X-rays and CT scans confirmed the progressive reductions in fibrosis. Conclusions Allo-UC-MSC administration is safe in preterm infants with established BPD. Trial registration This preliminary study was approved by the Vinmec International Hospital Ethics Board (approval number: 88/2019/QĐ-VMEC; retrospectively registered March 12, 2019).

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent somatic stem/progenitor cells that can be isolated from various tissues and have attracted increasing attention from the scientific community. This is due to MSCs showing great potential for incurable disease treatment, and most applications of MSCs involve tissue degeneration and treatment of immune- and inflammation-mediated diseases. Conventional MSC cultures contain fetal bovine serum (FBS), which is a common supplement for cell development but is also a risk factor for exposure to animal-derived pathogens. To avoid the risks resulting from the xenogeneic origin and animal-derived pathogens of FBS, xeno-free media have been developed and commercialized to satisfy MSC expansion demands for human clinical applications. This review summarized and provided an overview of xeno-free media that are currently used for MSC expansion. Additionally, we discussed the influences of different xeno-free media on MSC biology with particular regard to cell morphology, surface marker expression, proliferation, differentiation and immunomodulation. The xeno-free media can be serum-free and xeno-free media or media supplemented with some human-originating substances, such as human serum, human platelet lysates, human umbilical cord serum/plasma, or human plasma-derived supplements for cell culture medium. These media have capacity to maintain a spindle-shaped morphology, the expression of typical surface markers, and the capacity of multipotent differentiation and immunomodulation of MSCs. Xeno-free media showed potential for safe use for human clinical treatment. However, the influences of these xeno-free media on MSCs are various and any xeno-free medium should be examined prior to being used for MSC cultures.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex disorder with an unclear aetiology and an estimated global prevalence of 1%. However, studies of ASD in the Vietnamese population are limited. Here, we first conducted whole exome sequencing (WES) of 100 children with ASD and their unaffected parents. Our stringent analysis pipeline was able to detect 18 unique variants (8 de novo and 10 ×-linked, all validated), including 12 newly discovered variants. Interestingly, a notable number of X-linked variants were detected (56%), and all of them were found in affected males but not in affected females. We uncovered 17 genes from our ASD cohort in which CHD8, DYRK1A, GRIN2B, SCN2A, OFD1 and MDB5 have been previously identified as ASD risk genes, suggesting the universal aetiology of ASD for these genes. In addition, we identified six genes that have not been previously reported in any autism database: CHM, ENPP1, IGF1, LAS1L, SYP and TBX22. Gene ontology and phenotype-genotype analysis suggested that variants in IGF1, SYP and LAS1L could plausibly confer risk for ASD. Taken together, this study adds to the genetic heterogeneity of ASD and is the first report elucidating the genetic landscape of ASD in Vietnamese children.