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The SPOT-MAS assay “Screening for the Presence Of Tumor by Methylation And Size” detects the five most common cancers in Vietnam by evaluating circulating tumor DNA in the blood. Here, we validated its performance in a prospective multi-center clinical trial, K-DETEK. Our analysis of 2795 participants from 14 sites across Vietnam demonstrates its ability to detect cancers in asymptomatic individuals with a positive predictive value of 60%, with 83.3% accuracy in detecting tumor location. We present a case report to support further using SPOT-MAS as a complementary method to achieve early cancer detection and provide the opportunity for early treatment.

The paper aims to investigate the impact of income diversification on commercial banks’ profitability in Vietnam. Using a panel data set of 33 Vietnamese commercial banks during the period from 2006 to 2020, the empirical analysis shows the more diverse in revenue sources, the higher banks’ financial performance. The research provides some recommendations that banks should look forward to diversifying their income, particularly income from non-traditional activities, in order to improve competitiveness, reduce risk, and raise profitability and policies that encourage banks to diversify their incomes should be enacted. This will not only be beneficial for banks but also helps to mitigate the risk for banking industry and maintain its stability. The main results are robust to a different measure of financial performance and controlling for the period of economic crisis.

Aim: This study exploited hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-specific circulating DNA methylation profiles to improve the accuracy of a current screening assay for HCC patients in high-risk populations. Methods: Differentially methylated regions in cell-free DNA between 58 nonmetastatic HCC and 121 high-risk patients with liver cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis were identified and used to train machine learning classifiers. Results: The model could distinguish HCC from high-risk non-HCC patients in a validation cohort, with an area under the curve of 0.84. Combining these markers with the three serum biomarkers (AFP, lectin-reactive AFP, des-γ-carboxy prothrombin) in a commercial test, μTASWako®, achieved an area under the curve of 0.87 and sensitivity of 68.8% at 95.8% specificity. Conclusion: HCC-specific circulating DNA methylation markers may be added to the available assay to improve the early detection of HCC.

The present provides molecular data for species of Habenaria diphylla (Nimmo) Dalzell, H. khasiana Hook.f. and H. rostellifera Rchb.f. collected from Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve, Vietnam for the first time. Along with other DNA sequences from GenBank database, the phylogenetic trees for Habenaria species from Vietnam have been established.

NOx emissions cause many negative impacts on the living environment. The photocatalysis of semiconductors is superior for nitric oxide (NO) degradation due to their low redox potential. In this report, we combine SnO2-x/g-C3N4 heterojunction photocatalyst toward the high selectivity into green products under visible light illumination. Results show that SnO2-x/g-C3N4 heterojunction degraded 40.8% of NO, which is 1.6 times higher than that of g-C3N4. In addition, the selectivity coefficient of SnO2-x/g-C3N4 is higher 3 times than both pure SnO2-x and g-C3N4. Furthermore, SnO2-x/g-C3N4 expresses a superior stability for NO photocatalytic-degradation after five cycles. The scavenger trapping test results, and electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis also provide more understanding of the charge transfer mechanism of materials. SnO2-x/g-C3N4 heterojunction shows a high removal efficiency of NO gas, making it an up-and-coming environmental treatment candidate.

The paper aims to investigate the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices on the financial performance of oil and gas firms in Asian countries by using a panel data set that includes 23 firms from 7 Asian countries from 2004 to 2017. The empirical results support the research hypothesis that CSR practices have a negative impact on the financial performance of oil and gas companies. This means CSR practices may impose a substantial burden on firms in the oil and gas industry. In addition, we find that different CSR practices have different sizes of impact on firm financial performance. In particular, environment practice has the biggest impact, social practice ranks second, and governance practice has the weakest impact. The main results are also confirmed by several robustness tests.

Photocatalysis has been studied and considered as a green and practical approach in addressing environmental pollution. However, factors that affect photocatalytic performance have not been systematically studied. In this work, we have presented a comprehensive roadmap for characterizing, interpreting, and reporting semiconductors' electrical and optical properties through routinely used techniques such as diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, electrochemical techniques (Mott-Schottky plots), photoluminescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy in the context of photocatalysis. Having precisely studied the band structure of three representative photocatalysts, we have presented and highlighted the essential information and details, which are critical and beneficial for studies of (1) band alignments, (2) redox potentials, and (3) defects. Further works with a comprehensive understanding of the band structure are desirable and hold great promise.

Aims: Early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) provides substantially better survival rates. This study aimed to develop a blood-based screening assay named SPOT-MAS (‘screen for the presence of tumor by DNA methylation and size’) for early CRC detection with high accuracy. Methods: Plasma cell-free DNA samples from 159 patients with nonmetastatic CRC and 158 healthy controls were simultaneously analyzed for fragment length and methylation profiles. We then employed a deep neural network with fragment length and methylation signatures to build a classification model. Results: The model achieved an area under the curve of 0.989 and a sensitivity of 96.8% at 97% specificity in detecting CRC. External validation of our model showed comparable performance, with an area under the curve of 0.96. Conclusion: SPOT-MAS based on integration of cancer-specific methylation and fragmentomic signatures could provide high accuracy for early-stage CRC detection.

Vietnam has a high thalassemia burden. We collected blood samples from 5880 pregnant Vietnamese women during prenatal health checks to assess thalassemia carrier frequency using combined gap-polymerase chain reaction (gap-PCR) and targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS). Thalassemia carriers were identified with prevalence of 13.13% (772), including 7.82% (460) carriers of α-thalassemia (α-thal), 5.31% (312) carriers of β-thalassemia (β-thal), and 0.63% (37) concurrent α-/β-thal carriers. Deletional mutations (368) accounted for 80.0% of α-thal carriers, of which,

Purpose: Starting from the goal of economic development associated with environmental protection activities, this study examines the factors affecting the application of environmental accounting (EA) in manufacturing enterprises in Vietnam. Methodology: This study is conducted using a combination of qualitative research methods (review of previous theories and research papers related to the research) and a quantitative research model (testing the degree of the appropriateness of the scale and the theoretical model through Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), multivariable regression analysis to determine the relationship between factors affecting the application environmental accounting in manufacturing enterprises in Vietnam. Results: Multivariable regression analysis shows that all factors (six factors) included in the study have an impact on the application of environmental accounting in manufacturing enterprises in Vietnam. Which stakeholder pressure has the strongest impact and financial resources have the weakest effect on the application of EA in these enterprises. Originality/Value: This study provides empirical evidence about the impact of each factor on the application of environmental accounting, thereby helping state management agencies, professional associations, and businesses in the process of developing and promulgating policies affecting these factors to promote the application of environmental accounting in Vietnamese enterprises.

A kidney transplant has become an option for many people with end-stage kidney failure. However, not all patients are likely to receive a kidney transplant. This study is conducted to identify some characteristics of patients with renal transplant indications for kidney transplantation from 26 hospitals in Hanoi. According to the research results, in 2020, Hanoi has 3,220 patients on dialysis with the average age of 54, mainly from 46-65, more males than females. More than 95% of the causes of dialysis are chronic glomerulonephritis, hypertension, and diabetes; up to 65% of the dialysis time is over 5 years, blood type O patients account for 43% and 25% of dialysis patients with hepatitis C. Out of a total of 3,220 patients, 2,400 (74%) of patients have indicated a kidney transplant with an average age of nearly 49 years, of which men (55%) are more than women (45%); dialysis time less than 5 years accounts for the highest percentage with 43%, 25% of patients with indicated kidney transplantation are HCV positive; chronic kidney failure due to chronic glomerulonephritis and hypertension, diabetes are two main groups of causes, accounting for 94% of dialysis patients who are indicated for transplant.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to carry out an empirical investigation about how the level of market concentration or competitiveness of the banking system and institutional quality are associated with bank’s financial stability. Design/methodology/approach This study uses dynamic panel data techniques on the sample of 133 developing and emerging countries over the years 2002–2020. Findings The authors document several significant findings. First, there is evidence that bank stability is positively associated with the level of market concentration. The result is in line with the concentration–stability view that banks operating in a more concentrated market tend to be more stable than those in a less concentrated market. Second, the results confirm that the quality of the institutional environment plays a critical role in improving the stability of banks in developing and emerging countries. Third, the authors find that institutional development can moderate the effect of market concentration (or competitiveness of the banking system) on bank stability. Specifically, the results show that better institutional quality enhances the positive influence of bank concentration on the bank’s financial stability in developing and emerging countries. These results are robust to different specifications with the alternative measures of bank stability and market concentration. Originality/value This study provides further understanding regarding the effects of the level of market concentration or competitiveness of the banking system and institutional quality on bank stability in 133 developing and emerging countries over the years 2002–2020.

This article presents a high fundamental frequency subterahertz (sub-THz) CMOS oscillator with a single core. The proposed structure with a capacitive load reduction circuit increases the fundamental oscillation frequency by decreasing the parasitic capacitances of the buffer transistor and inductor and minimizing the loss caused by the gate resistance of the buffer stage. To achieve high output power, the proposed oscillator combines the differential output signals through a differential-to-single (DTS) transformer. A push–push oscillator based on the high fundamental frequency oscillator is also introduced to increase the operating frequency further. The proposed oscillators are implemented in a 65-nm CMOS process. Measurements of the fundamental oscillator reveal an output power of 0.285 mW at 251 GHz, while consuming 21 mA from a 1.3-V supply voltage. The measured operating frequency of the push–push oscillator is 432 GHz.

Moisturizers play an essential role in maintaining the integrity of the skin barrier by increasing stratum corneum hydration (SCH) and reducing transepidermal water loss (TEWL). According to dermatology and allergy guidelines, moisturizers should be applied on the skin within 3 min after bathing or showering. However, there is very little evidence supporting this recommendation. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of immediate and delayed moisturizing after bathing/washing on the improvement of SCH and TEWL.This was a crossover study of 60 healthy Vietnamese volunteers aged 18-25 years. In each subject, SCH and TEWL levels were measured at three areas: non-moisturized, immediate moisturizing after washing, and delayed moisturizing at 30 min after washing.In non-moisturized skin, SCH and TEWL levels were significantly different from the baseline at 60 min after washing, while significantly decreased TEWL levels were observed immediately after moisturizing. In addition, moisturized skin had significantly higher SCH and lower TEWL levels compared with non-moisturized areas at every time point (p 0.05). Interestingly, the percentage changes of SCH and TEWL levels from baseline did not differ between immediately and delayed moisturized areas.Tested moisturizer helped increase SCH and decrease TEWL; however, there was no difference in moisturizing effectiveness between immediate and delayed moisturizing in healthy skin. The recommendation of immediate application of moisturizers after bathing/washing should be reconsidered, and more studies are needed to establish a stronger recommendation.

To demonstrate the prevalence of maternal mosaic monosomy X (MMXO) in a cohort of pregnant women in Vietnam. All 105,594 singleton pregnant women undergoing noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS) between January 2019 and February 2021 in Vietnam were analyzed by measuring discordance between size- and count-based z-scores for chromosome X (ChrX) to identify suspected cases of MMXO and validated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on maternal blood. We identified 295 (0.279%) suspected MMXO cases. After FISH analysis, MMXO was confirmed in 125 cases (42.37%), revealing the MMXO prevalence of 0.118% (95% CI: 0.097–0.139%) in this cohort. We found a relatively high prevalence of MMXO in Vietnamese pregnant women and demonstrated a strong influence of MMXO on the ChrX z-score using a count-based method, resulting in false positives. The size-based method is not sensitive to MMXO and therefore achieves higher PPV.

Photocatalysis has been studied and considered as a green and effective approach in addressing environmental pollution. However, factors that affect photocatalytic performance have not been systematically studied. In this work, we have presented a comprehensive roadmap for characterizing, interpreting, and reporting semiconductors' electrical and optical properties through routinely used techniques such as diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), electrochemical techniques (Mott-Schottky plots), photoluminescence (PL), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS ), and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) in the context of photocatalysis. Having deeply and precisely studied the band structure of three representative photocatalysts, we have presented and highlighted essential information and details, which are critical and beneficial for studies of (1) band alignments, (2) redox potentials, and (3) defects. Further works with a comprehensive understanding of band structure are desirable and hold great promise.