Aims: The objective of the study was to isolate bacteriophages and conduct a comprehensive analysis of their potential against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) strains in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Methodology and results: Twelve Xoo strains were isolated from rice fields located in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Among these strains, three strains Xoo L019, L020 and L024, showed the highest disease index of bacterial blight. Four phages specific to Xoo were isolated from soil, water and leaf samples, and their morphologies were determined. In a test against 12 Xoo strains, phage L541, MLA23 or W41 could infect 10 of the 12 Xoo strains, while phage LBH01 could infect 8 of the 12 Xoo strains. The stability of the phages to pH, organic solvents, UV-A and UV-B was also evaluated. Conclusion, significance and impact of study The initial characterization of the phages indicates their potential as biocontrol agents against bacterial blight in rice. The study is one of the very first studies about Xoo phages in rice in Vietnam.

Objectives: The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased, particularly among individuals who have recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Health literacy is considered a “social vaccine” that helps people respond effectively to the pandemic. We aimed to investigate the association between long COVID-19 and PTSD, and to examine the modifying role of health literacy in this association. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at 18 hospitals and health centers in Vietnamfrom December 2021 to October 2022. We recruited 4,463 individuals who had recovered from COVID-19 infection for at least 4 weeks. Participants provided information about their sociodemographics, clinical parameters, health-related behaviors, health literacy (usingthe 12-item short-form health literacy scale), long COVID-19 symptoms and PTSD (Impact Event Scale-Revised score of 33 or higher). Logistic regression models were used to examine associations and interactions. Results: Out of the study sample, 55.9% had long COVID-19 symptoms, and 49.6% had PTSD.Individuals with long COVID-19 symptoms had a higher likelihood of PTSD (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.63–2.12; p < 0.001). Higher health literacy was associated with a lower likelihood of PTSD (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97–0.99; p = 0.001). Compared to those without long COVID-19 symptoms and the lowest health literacy score, those with long COVID-19 symptoms and a 1-point health literacy increment had a 3% lower likelihood of PTSD (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96–0.99; p = 0.001). Conclusion Health literacy was found to be a protective factor against PTSD and modified the negative impact of long COVID-19 symptoms on PTSD.

The spread of tuberculosis (TB), especially multidrug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB, has strongly motivated the research and development of new anti-TB drugs. New strategies to facilitate drug combinations, including pharmacokinetics-guided dose optimization and toxicology studies of first- and second-line anti-TB drugs have also been introduced and recommended. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) has arguably become the gold standard in the analysis of both endo- and exo-genous compounds. This technique has been applied successfully not only for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) but also for pharmacometabolomics analysis. TDM improves the effectiveness of treatment, reduces adverse drug reactions, and the likelihood of drug resistance development in TB patients by determining dosage regimens that produce concentrations within the therapeutic target window. Based on TDM, the dose would be optimized individually to achieve favorable outcomes. Pharmacometabolomics is essential in generating and validating hypotheses regarding the metabolism of anti-TB drugs, aiding in the discovery of potential biomarkers for TB diagnostics, treatment monitoring, and outcome evaluation. This article highlighted the current progresses in TDM of anti-TB drugs based on LC-MS bioassay in the last two decades. Besides, we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of this technique in practical use. The pressing need for non-invasive sampling approaches and stability studies of anti-TB drugs was highlighted. Lastly, we provided perspectives on the prospects of combining LC-MS-based TDM and pharmacometabolomics with other advanced strategies (pharmacometrics, drug and vaccine developments, machine learning/artificial intelligence, among others) to encapsulate in an all-inclusive approach to improve treatment outcomes of TB patients.

Backgroud: The aim of this study is to update on antibiotic resistance of common pathogenical bacteria isolated in Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital (Hue UMP Hospital). Methodology: Use of the agar disk diffusion method to test the susceptibility to antimicrobial agents of 3709 bacterial strains from infected patients hospitalized in Hue UMP Hospital in 2020 - 2022. Results: Among 3709 strains of pathogenical bacteria isolated, S.aureus was found with the rate of 29.9%, followed by E. coli (24.5%), Pseudomonas aeruginasa (17.8%), Enterococcus spp. (11.8%), Klebsiella spp (9.7%) and Acinetobacter spp (4.1%). The proportion of bacterial isolates has changed, but Staphylococcus aureus is still highest rate. S.aureus is resistant to many antibiotics, but MRSA strains have decreased significantly, from 73.3% in 2020 to 62.5% in 2022. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was resistant to some of the group A recommended antibiotics such as ceftazidime, piperacillin-tazobactam with the rate of 56.6% and 48.7%. The percentage of E. coli with ESBL strains (+) was at 28.2% - 30.3%. Enterococus spp strains are still sensitive to vancomycin (83.1% - 91.9%). The rate of Klebsiella ESBL (+) is only 6.9% to 8.2%. The strains of Acinetobacter spp were highly resistant to Piperacillin (100%) and Ceftriaxone (96.5%) but they are still sensitive to imipenems 70 - 71%, highly sensitive to Doxycillin (95.2%) and Cefotaxime (88.4%). Conclusion: Many bacterial strains are resistant to many commonly antibiotics. Providing timely, regular, and effective management of antibiotic resistance patterns for common pathogenic bacteria in hospitals, will help reduce the risk of bacterial resistance.

Objectives: Online misinformation has reached unprecedented levels during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study analyzed the magnitude and sentiment dynamics of misinformation and unverified information about public health interventions during a COVID-19 outbreak in Da Nang, Vietnam, between July and September 2020. Methods: We analyzed user-generated online information about five public health interventions during the Da Nang outbreak. We compared the volume, source, sentiment polarity, and engagements of online posts before, during, and after the outbreak using negative binomial and logistic regression, and assessed the content validity of the 500 most influential posts. Results: Most of the 54,528 online posts included were generated during the outbreak (n = 46,035; 84.42%) and by online newspapers (n = 32,034; 58.75%). Among the 500 most influential posts, 316 (63.20%) contained genuine information, 10 (2.00%) contained misinformation, 152 (30.40%) were non-factual opinions, and 22 (4.40%) contained unverifiable information. All misinformation posts were made during the outbreak, mostly on social media, and were predominantly negative. Higher levels of engagement were observed for information that was unverifiable (incidence relative risk [IRR] = 2.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33–0.62), posted during the outbreak (before: IRR = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.07–0.35; after: IRR = 0.46; 95% CI, 0.34-0.63), and with negative sentiment (IRR = 1.84; 95% CI, 1.23–2.75). Negatively toned posts were more likely to be misinformation (odds ratio [OR] = 9.59; 95% CI, 1.20–76.70) or unverified (OR = 5.03; 95% CI, 1.66–15.24). Conclusions Misinformation and unverified information during the outbreak showed clustering, with social media being particularly affected. This indepth assessment demonstrates the value of analyzing online “infodemics” to inform public health responses.

Background: and Purpose Recent studies suggested an increased incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the volume of CVT hospitalization and in-hospital mortality during the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the preceding year. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study of 171 stroke centers from 49 countries. We recorded COVID-19 admission volumes, CVT hospitalization, and CVT in-hospital mortality from January 1, 2019, to May 31, 2021. CVT diagnoses were identified by International Classification of Disease-10 (ICD-10) codes or stroke databases. We additionally sought to compare the same metrics in the first 5 months of 2021 compared to the corresponding months in 2019 and 2020 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04934020). Results: There were 2,313 CVT admissions across the 1-year pre-pandemic (2019) and pandemic year (2020); no differences in CVT volume or CVT mortality were observed. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT volumes compared to 2019 (27.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 24.2 to 32.0; P<0.0001) and 2020 (41.4%; 95% CI, 37.0 to 46.0; P<0.0001). A COVID-19 diagnosis was present in 7.6% (132/1,738) of CVT hospitalizations. CVT was present in 0.04% (103/292,080) of COVID-19 hospitalizations. During the first pandemic year, CVT mortality was higher in patients who were COVID positive compared to COVID negative patients (8/53 [15.0%] vs. 41/910 [4.5%], P=0.004). There was an increase in CVT mortality during the first 5 months of pandemic years 2020 and 2021 compared to the first 5 months of the pre-pandemic year 2019 (2019 vs. 2020: 2.26% vs. 4.74%, P=0.05; 2019 vs. 2021: 2.26% vs. 4.99%, P=0.03). In the first 5 months of 2021, there were 26 cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), resulting in six deaths. Conclusions During the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic, CVT hospitalization volume and CVT in-hospital mortality did not change compared to the prior year. COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with higher CVT in-hospital mortality. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT hospitalization volume and increase in CVT-related mortality, partially attributable to VITT.

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.

Objective: To examine the magnitude of isolated anti-HBc and other HBV serological patterns and associated predictors among adults seeking general health check-up at a large health center in Vietnam. Methods: All 564 outpatients seeking general health checkup between January 2016 and December 2016 were asked to undertake HBV surface antigen, surface antibody, IgG and IgM core antibody (anti-HBc total), platelet counts, and liver function testing. An administered questionnaire was used to collect information regarding demography, in-house sources of infection, lifestyle, health condition and treatment, and HBV vaccination. Results: Male gender (P=0.043), age (P=0.000), living in urban areas (P=0.040), HBV vaccination status (P=0.033), and ALT (P=0.040) were associated with isolated anti-HBc. HBV infection was associated with HBV vaccination status (P=0.001), ALT levels (P=0.010), AST levels (P=0.020), and platelet counts (P=0.007). Past/resolved HBV infection was associated with AST levels (P=0.005), ALT levels (P=0.014), and age (P=0.000). Conclusions: Isolated anti-HBc is quite prevalent. Predictors of isolated anti-HBc include male gender, living in rural areas, and HBV non-vaccination. The prevalence of isolated anti-HBc also increases with age. To timely detect occult HBV infection and prevent transmission, anti-HBc testing should be included in the health check-up for high risk individuals and screening program where HBV nucleic acid test is not available. To prevent transmission, clinicians need to pay more attention on those who are at risk of having isolated anti-HBc and closely follow-up patients with isolated anti-HBc and educate them about the prevention of HBV infection.

Antibiotic resistance is the most important factor leading to the failure of eradication regimens. This review focuses on the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori primary and secondary resistance to clarithromycin, metronidazole, amoxicillin, levofloxacin, tetracycline, and multidrug in Vietnam. We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Vietnamese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Vietnamese Biomedical databases from January 2000 to December 2016. The search terms included the following: H. pylori infection, antibiotic (including clarithromycin, metronidazole, amoxicillin, levofloxacin, tetracycline, and multidrug) resistance in Vietnam. The data were summarized in an extraction table and analyzed manually. Finally, Excel 2007 software was used to create charts. Ten studies (three studies in English and seven in Vietnamese) were included in this review. A total of 308, 412, 523, 408, 399, and 268 H. pylori strains were included in this review to evaluate the prevalence of H. pylori primary resistance to amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole, levofloxacin, tetracycline, and multidrug resistance, respectively. Overall, the primary resistance rates of amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole, levofloxacin, tetracycline, and multidrug resistance were 15.0%, 34.1%, 69.4%, 27.9%, 17.9% and 48.8%, respectively. Secondary resistance rates of amoxicillin, clarithromycin, metronidazole, levofloxacin, tetracycline, and multidrug resistance were 9.5%, 74.9%, 61.5%, 45.7%, 23.5% and 62.3%, respectively. In Vietnam, primary and secondary resistance to H. pylori is increasing over time and affects the effectiveness of H. pylori eradication.
Amoxicillin ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bismuth ; Clarithromycin ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Helicobacter pylori ; Helicobacter ; Humans ; Levofloxacin ; Metronidazole ; Prevalence ; Tetracycline ; Vietnam

Objective: To examine the in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of the alkaloid enriched extract (ELA) from the roots of Eurycoma longifolia. Methods: The in vitro antiinflammatory effects of ELA were evaluated by examining its inhibitory activities against nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expressions in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The level of NO produced in the culture media was determined by Griess method. The iNOS and COX-2 protein expressions were analyzed by Western blot. The in vivo effect of ELA was evaluated on LPS-induced septic shock in mice model. Mice mortality was monitored for 5 days after injection of LPS. The chemical contents of the ELA were determined by using various chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. Results: The ELA was found to exhibit a significant anti-inflammatory effect in both in vitro and in vivo models. The results demonstrated that ELA dose-dependently inhibited LPS-induced NO production as well as the protein iNOS and COX-2 expressions. In the septic shock model, ELA dose-dependently protected mice from LPS-induced mortality. Further study on the isolated components of ELA indicated that 9,10-dimethoxycanthin-6-one may contribute significantly to the anti-inflammatory effects of the extract. Conclusions: These results suggest that ELA exhibits the anti-inflammatory activity via suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators such as NO, iNOS, and COX-2 and protects mice from LPS-induced mortality in septic shock model.