Background: According to statistical data of the Vietnam Ministry of Health, there were 124,223 people with positive HIV, 23,661 AIDS patients and 13,649 AIDS- related deaths up to April 30th 2007. The major transmission route is injection. Objectives: (1) To compare the characteristics of drug use in users with different time. (2) To describe the health issues and health service access of young male drug users. Subjects and method: A cross-sectional survey was carried out using a combination of medical anthropology and epidemiology methods. 1.115 young male drug users in Ha Noi between September 2004 and September 2005 were divided into 4 groups of the equivalence number, but with different drug using history. Results and conclusion: The newer drug users (within 2 years) started using drug later than the older ones, more of them started using by injecting; they transfer from smoking/sniffing to injecting as well as trying and using more different types of drugs together in shorter time than others. The proportion of HIV (+) infection in these people was higher, which states the necessity of intervention to help them enhance their knowledge to prevent HIV infection amongst themselves. Mental health care is also needed for drug users, the demand for mental health care increases with the time of drug usage.
young male heroin users

Background: In Vietnam, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is quickly spreading, almost totally in young people and among injecting drug users.The transition phase from smoking to injecting is very important for the life of injecting drug users because it is a risk factor of disease transmission. Objectives: (1) To analyze the transition phase from smoking/sniffing to injecting of the young male heroin users in Ha Noi. (2) To describe some factors related to the transition phase in these people. Subjects and method: A cross-sectional study carried out from September 2004 to September 2005 at 9 districts in Ha Noi city. The subjects were 1115 young men aged 16 to 29 years, who has been living in Ha Noi for over 6 months and smoked/sniffed heroin within the last 30 days. Results and conclusions: The average time of drug user in the 1115 subjects was 4.7 years. The majority started using drug at the age of 18.4 +/- 3.1 years. In which, 71 % consume the drugs by injection. The average time from smoking to injecting is 2.49 +/- 2.2 years. The main reasons for injecting drugs were for being faster \u2018on the height\u2019 (42%) and cheaper (40%). Some factors related to the transition phase included: age of the first heroin use, year of the first heroin use, situation for migrating into Ha Noi, knowledge level, the kind of drug used for the first time. Young people began using heroin in the year 2000 had a quicker transition phase than those using heroin before 1997 (p< 0.01).
injecting drug user ; drug user ; heroin

Introduction: Hepatitis C is a dangerous disease and if left untreated can have serious consequences to the patients. While hepatitis C is difficult to treat, its vaccine is still unavailable. Previous studies have showed that there is a low rate of drug users having HCV tests. This means HCV infections does not have any great importance attached to it amongst the drug user group.\r\n', u'Objectives: To discover the status of HCV infection among drug users in Hanoi and to analyse the associated factors. \r\n', u'Subjects and methods: This crossover descriptive study was conducted in Hanoi. Research objects consisted of only men within the 16 - 25 years old age group, who used heroin from 09/2005 to 12/2006. These participants were interviewed and tested for HIV, HCV and HBV.\r\n', u'Results: HCV prevalence is 35.1 %. Especially, the research has indicated that 100% of HIV infected cases have also contracted HCV. This co - infectious status can be a challenge to subjects when they experience ARV treatment. The mean age of surveyed participants is 19. 83.6% of them have attended secondary school. 30.1 % have taken part in illegal earning activities. \r\n', u'Conclusion: HCV infection was discovered in the early drug injection stage. The proportion of HIV infection among injecting drug users is 28.24 times compared to the smoking drug users.\r\n', u'
HeV ; HIV ; Injecting drug user

Background: The combination of dihydroartemisinin and piperaquine is interested because of its efficiency and safety in treating malaria. Objective: To evaluate the influences of the fixed combination anti-malarial drug dihydroartemisinin plus piperaquine in constitutions and some biochemical and haematological indices of rabbits. Subject and Method: The sub-chronic toxicity of the fixed combination anti-malarial drug of 40 mg dihydroartemisinin plus 320 mg piperaquine phosphate (DHA-PQP), with the materials produced by Institute of Chemistry, in rabbits was investigated. Rabbits were treated daily by oral route with DHA-PQP at the dose regimens of 64 and 100 mg/kg per day for 28 consecutive days. Result and Conclusion: DHA-PQP did not affect on rabbits' constitutions. Generally, all rabbits had normal ingestions, activities, and defecations. Rabbits' body weights increased regularly along the study period and significantly increased between day 28 and day 0 (P < 0.05). At the dose regimen of 64 mg/kg per day for 28 consecutive days, DHA-PQP did not change significantly rabbits' biochemical indices (including GOT, GPT, bilirubin, creatinine and protein) and haematological. These changes were insignificantly different between the treated and control groups at the same study points (P > 0.05). With the dose regimen of 100 mg/kg, the combination did not affect significantly (P>0.05) on some rabbits' biochemical and haematological indices. But hemoglobin, erythrocyte count and rate of monocytes increased significantly on day 14 comparing to that the control group (P < 0.05) and became in normal limits on day 29 (P > 0.05). Protein concentration also increased significantly on days 14 and 29 comparing to that of day 0 (P < 0.05).
Dihydroartemisinin plus piperaquine combination ; constitutions ; haematological

BACKGROUND: In order to provide essential scientific evidence on the population's health status and social health determinants as well as the current capacity of the health care system in Vietnam to health policy makers and managers, Vietnam Ministry of Health, Hanoi University of Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, and Ho Chi Minh University of Medicine and Pharmacy collaborated with Seoul National University (Korea) and conducted a health system survey in the Quoc Oai district (of Hanoi capital) that represented northern rural Vietnam. METHODS: The study design was a cross-sectional study. The survey covered different topics (more than 200 questions) and was administered in three separate questionnaires: 1) Basic information of all household members; 2) Household characteristics; and 3) Individual characteristics. Socio-demographic characteristics among the households and individuals were collected from 2,400 households sampled by multi-stage cluster sampling method: more than 200 questions. RESULTS: The household size of Quoc Oai was larger than the national average and there was no significant difference in gender composition. In addition, the proportions of pre-elderly, age 55–64, and elderly group (65 years old and over) were higher than the national population statistics. In this context, demographic transition has begun in Quoc Oai. CONCLUSION: This study design description provides the basic information about a baseline survey of a future prospective cohort (as a part of a collaborative project on strengthening the health system in Vietnam) to the prospective data user of this survey.
Aged ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Delivery of Health Care ; Family Characteristics ; Health Policy ; Humans ; Methods ; Pharmacy ; Population Characteristics ; Population Dynamics ; Prospective Studies ; Public Health ; Seoul ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vietnam

The optimal condition for Moringa oleifera root barks extraction was determined using response surface methodology and Box-Behnken Design. The actual optimal condition of the factors was 65 o C, ethanol 60%, 40 (mL/g) liquid-to-solid ratio with 240 minutes extraction time. The enrichment of phenolic compounds sharply affected the antioxidant, and inhibitions of α-amylase enzyme, as well as, the anti-inflammatory effect of the extract from M. oleifera root barks. The extract in the optimal condition exhibited better 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging and α-amylase inhibitory activities than those of positive controls.Also, the extract showed weak hydroxyl free radical scavenging and nitric oxide (NO) production inhibitory effects. These revealed a simple and promising method for the preparation of bioactive products from the root bark of M. oleifera.

Background: Preeclampsia is a complex disease caused by pregnancy, with many complications for both mother and fetus, but there is no specific treatment. The purpose of the study is to describe clinical characteristics and survey some risk factors for preeclampsia. Materials and methods: The case-control study included 205 pregnant women with preeclampsia and 205 pregnant women without preeclampsia. Results: In the preeclampsia group, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and BMI were 154.9 ± 15.5 mmHg, 96.0 ± 9.7 mmHg and 23.7 ± 3.5 kg/m2, respectively; edema (58.5%), history of preeclampsia (14.1%), early-onset preeclampsia (28.8%) and severe preeclampsia (42.4%). Early onset increased the risk of severe preeclampsia with OR = 3.98 (95% CI: 2.10 - 7.55). 10.8% had complications, in the mother including HELLP syndrome, eclampsia, coagulation disorders and in the fetus including fetal distress, intrauterine growth retardation and premature birth. Maternal age ≥ 35 years old, history of miscarriage, BMI were associated with preeclampsia, with OR 3.36 (95% CI: 2.06 - 5.46); 1.67 (95% CI: 1.04 - 2.67); 6.66 (95% CI: 4.19 - 10.59), respectively. Conclusion: Severe preeclampsia accounted for a high rate, was associated with early onset, and complications were recorded in both mother and fetus. Maternal age, history of miscarriage and overweight were factors that increase the risk of preeclampsia.

Surgical sperm retrieval (SSR) is currently one of the most common procedures in in vitro fertilization (IVF). However, a gap between the guidelines and routine clinical practice regarding antibiotic use in SSR, which might lead to antibiotic resistance, is a challenging problem worldwide. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May 1, 2021, to July 15, 2021, to investigate antibiotic usage by medical professionals when performing SSR in IVF centers in Vietnam. The confidential questionnaire comprised 12 items, including characteristics of the study population, awareness of antimicrobial resistance, attitude toward prescribing antibiotics, and current practice of prescribing antibiotics when performing SSR. Surveys were completed by 30 of 45 registered IVF centers (66.7%). Among 67 physicians working at those centers, the age and work-experience years (mean ± standard deviation [s.d.]) were 38.6 ± 6.6 years and 11.2 ± 7.0 years, respectively. Over 60% of them held a degree in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and over four-fifths were men. Most respondents "often/very often/always" raised awareness of antimicrobial resistance to their patients (83.3%), but only half of them "often/occasionally" prescribed antibiotics to patients with SSR in cases where the prescription would be optional. About one-tenth of respondents followed the recommendation from the American Urological Association using "prophylaxis only" for SSR patients. For more invasive SSR, physicians tended to prescribe more complicated and sometimes inappropriate regimens. In conclusion, antibiotic usage in SSR was not always appropriate among IVF centers. Further studies may define specific recommendations for regimens, intervention strategies, and programs to promote appropriate antibiotic use for SSR patients among IVF specialists.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use* ; Sperm Retrieval ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Semen ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Practice Patterns, Physicians'

Backgrounds: Fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) is commonly used in colorectal cancer screening programs. Many studies have compared different FOBT methods, but the correlation between traditional red cell microscopy and FOBT remains unclear. Objectives: 1) To evaluate the rate of positive FOBT in patients with different disease groups; 2) To compare the sensitivity and specificity of red blood cells detection in fresh stool by microscopy technique and FOBT. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 120 patients from Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital who requested a stool test from 4/2021 to 4/2022. Fresh stool samples were examined for the presence of red blood cells using traditional microscopy and FOBT technique. Results: The overall positivity rate of FOBT was 20%, and in the group of gastrointestinal diseases (n = 24), clinical anemia (n = 21), hepatobiliary diseases (n = 26) and other diseases (n = 49), it was 37.5%, 23.8%, 11.5% and 14.3%, respectively. In comparison with the FOBT technique, microscopic RBC detection had a sensitivity of 33.3% and a specificity of 100%. Conclusions: A high rate of fecal occult blood tests was observed in patients with gastrointestinal disorders. Microscopic erythrocyte detection has low sensitivity and many disadvantages compared to the rapid test. This rapid test should be widely used in clinical practice to aid in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding