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This open-label, single-center, Phase 3 study (NCT03546842) assessed the immunogenicity and safety of the nine-valent human papillomavirus (9vHPV; HPV6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58) vaccine in Vietnamese males and females, with the aim to support 9vHPV vaccine licensure in Vietnam. Participants aged 9–26 years received three 9vHPV vaccine doses (Day 1, Month 2, Month 6). Serum samples were obtained on Day 1 (pre-vaccination) and at Month 7 (one month post-Dose 3) for the measurement of anti-HPV antibodies. Geometric mean titers (GMTs) and seroconversion percentages were obtained using the HPV-9 competitive Luminex immunoassay. Injection-site adverse events (AEs), systemic AEs, serious AEs (SAEs), and study discontinuations due to AEs were recorded. Of 201 participants enrolled, 200 (99.5%) received ≥1 vaccine dose. All participants who received the three-dose regimen (198/200, 98.5%) seroconverted for all 9vHPV vaccine types by Month 7. Robust anti-HPV GMT responses were also observed. Half of participants (50.5%) reported ≥1 AE; the majority were injection-site-related (45.0%) and mild (43.0%). There were no deaths, vaccine-related SAEs, or discontinuations due to AEs. Administration of three 9vHPV vaccine doses was highly immunogenic and resulted in acceptable seropositivity percentages for all vaccine HPV types. The 9vHPV vaccine was generally well tolerated among this study population. Region of origin: Vietnam Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier NCT03546842

Since the end of the 1990s, unexplained outbreaks of acute encephalitis in children coinciding with litchi harvesting (May–July) have been documented in the Bac Giang Province in northern Vietnam. A retrospective ecologic analysis of data for 2004–2009 involving environmental, agronomic, and climatic factors was conducted to investigate the suspected association between the outbreaks and litchi harvesting. The clinical, biological, and immunologic characteristics of the patients suggested a viral etiology. The ecologic study revealed an independent association between litchi plantation surface proportion and acute encephalitis incidence: Incidence rate ratios were 1.52 (95% CI 0.90–2.57), 2.94 (95% CI 1.88–4.60), and 2.76 (95% CI 1.76–4.32) for second, third, and fourth quartiles, respectively, compared with the lowest quartile. This ecologic study confirmed the suspected association between incidence of acute encephalitis and litchi plantations and should be followed by other studies to identify the causative agent for this syndrome.

During the past 2 months, emergence of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused global public health concern (1,2). In light of the rapid global expansion of the disease, we [...]

Sustainable development goals call for urgent action with an aim to spur socio-economic growth along with the protection of the environment and resources. However, these goals are difficult to be achieved when finances are not mobilized to mitigate harmful resources. In return, numerous green bond manifestations appeared in the market, which are viewed as a bridge to have successful implementation of sustainable development goals. Therefore, the study is aimed to explore the relevance of green bonds, financialization, and sustainable environmental change mitigation technologies for environmental change in ASEAN economies. The initial outcomes confirm the long-run cointegration association between study variables and also explore the slope heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependencies. To explore the causal connections between the study variables, the current study employs CS-ARDL technique. The study finds significant contributions of sustainable environmental change mitigation technologies and green bonds in the reduction of pollution, hence improving climate quality. The short-run infers similar results with relatively lower magnitudes of coefficients as compared to the long-run. Negative error correction terms are used to confirm the stability of the model, which implies sustained convergence towards "steady-state equilibrium" in case of expected deviations. The results offer practical implications and recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: At the time of this study, the prevention of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) relied solely on nonpharmaceutical interventions. Implementation of these interventions is not always optimal and, consequently, several cases were imported into non-epidemic areas and led to large community outbreaks. This report describes the characteristics of the first community outbreak of COVID-19 in Viet Nam and the intensive preventive measures taken in response. Methods: Cases were detected and tested for SARS-CoV-2 by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Contact tracing and active surveillance were conducted to identify suspected cases and individuals at risk. Clinical symptoms were recorded using a standardized questionnaire. Results: In Vinh Phuc province from 20 January to 3 March 2020, there were 11 confirmed cases among 158 suspected cases and 663 contacts. Nine of the confirmed cases (81.8%) had mild symptoms at the time of detection and two (18.2%) were asymptomatic; none required admission to an intensive care unit. Five prevention and control measures were implemented, including quarantining a community of 10 645 individuals for 20 days. The outbreak was successfully contained as of 13 February 2020. Discussion: In the absence of specific interventions, the intensive use of combined preventive measures can mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The lessons learned may be useful for other communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]