Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It is coming into use worldwide. Objective: To analyze clinical characteristics, AFP (alpha - feto protein), imaging features of liver tumors after treated with RFA or with RFA combined with TOCE. Subjects and method: Between August 2002 and October 2006, we ablated 87 HCCs in 76 patients (RFA alone, 41. TOCE - RFA, 35). Results: The mean age of patients was 52.8 \xb1 12. The male/female ratio was 5.9/1. The complication rate was 1.9% (5/254 sessions, 5/76 patients). Significant differences were observed in clinical symptoms: Weigh gain, abdominal pain relief, AFP decreased after treatment. Median survival was 30 \xb1 5.8 months in RFA group and 31 \xb1 5.4 months in TOCE - RFA group. 1 - 2 - 3 years survival rates were 74%; 56.3%; 43.8% in RFA group and 91.3%; 63.4%; 34.6% in TOCE - RFA group. Ablated lesions were of low attenuation with absence of contrast material enhancement and reduced in size. Conclusions: Our study results show that RFA is an effective and safe therapeutic technique for HCC. Good therapeutic effects on clinical symptoms, treated lesion and survival were achieved.
Carcinoma ; Hepatocellular/ therapy ; Alpha-Fetoproteins

Background: In Vietnam, there are a number of studies on the application of ATRA in treating acute promyelocytic leukemia (AML \u2013 M3) but they have still faced with certain difficulties. Objectives: (1). Study PML/RAR alpha fusion gene on the patients diagnosed with AML \u2013 M3. (2). Study the index of hematology of the PML/RAR alpha positive group. Subject and Method: 21 patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (M3) were studied. All patients were examined with morphology, coagulation and cytogenetic tests and RNA were extracted from leukemic cells and PCR for PML/RAR alpha fusion transcript. Result and conclusion: PML/RAR alpha positive in 67% including 4 patients which were not discovered t(15; 17) by cytogenetic technique. Rates of three subtype (bcr1, bcr2 and bcr3) of PML/RAR alpha were 7 patients (50%), 3 patients (21,5%) and 4 patients (28,5%), respectively. WBC and bone marrow cells of PML/RAR alpha positive group were 5.08+/-3.87 and 155.82+/-106.21. D \u2013 Dimer level was 1954.89+/-1575.28; 93% of patients in the PML/RAR alpha positive group had DIC.
Acute promyelocytic leukemia ; M3 ; PML/RAR alpha

Background: Chromosome mutation type t(8;21) has quite a high frequency in acute myelogenous leukemia, which accounted for about 15% among adult patients. From 2001, the WHO has a new classification for acute myelogenous leukemia based on genetic mutations. Form had AML1/ETO were arranged into genetic mutation group with better prognosis and ability to fully recover after chemotherapy with a high dose of cytarabin. Objective: Study AML1/ETO fusion gene on the patients diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), as well as the clinical features and some haematologic parameters of the AML1/ETO positive group. Subject and methods: 76 patients with AML were treating in the National Institute of Hematology & Blood Transfusion and the Department of Hematology & Blood Transfusion of Bach Mai Hospital from April 2007 to July 2008. These patients were studied for clinical examination, morphology and RNA were extracted from leukemic cells and PCR for AML1/ETO fusion transcript was performed. Results and conclusions: The incidence of AML1/ETO positive in the AML patients was 24%. The incidence of AML1/ETO positive in AML-M2 was 28%. In the AML1/ETO positive group: median age was 26.94+/-9.22; rate of severe anemia, hemorrhage, fever, infection, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy and gum hypertrophy was 44%, 33%, 28%, 11%, 44%, 28%, 17% and 6%, respectively. Median hemoglobin, WBC, platelet, bone marrow cell count, % blast in peripheral blood and in bone marrow was 84.41+/-28.97 g/l, 29.42+/-31.36 g/l, 42.12+/-33.83 g/l, 215.93+/-134.42 g/l, 56.21+/-26.58% and 65.14+/-16.12%, respectively.
acute myelogenous leukemia ; AML1/ETO fusion gene

Background: Vietnam is located in the endemic region of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but no data of occult HBV infection was reported at present. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of occult HBV infection in different ethnics of people and generations. Subjects and method: 80 voluteers with HbsAg negative from five different ethnics: Kinh, Tay, Mong, Giay and Dao in a Chino \ufffd?Vietnamses border province (Lao Cai) were enrolled in the study. After HBV-DNA was extracted, nested PCR of S gene and of Core-promoter/Pre-core region were used to detect HBV-DNA. Specifying nucleotide sequence was confirmed by direct sequencing. Results:The prevalence of occult HBV infection in population study was very high 73/80 (91,3%) by nested PCR of Core-promoter/Pre-core, significantly more sensitive than nested PCR of S gene (26,3%) (p<0,0001). The prevalence of occult HBV infection was notdifferent between ethnics of people or between children, adults. Conclusion: Occult HBV infection in Vietnamese is very common; however, nationwide further studies should be carried out to confirm this preliminary results and evaluate the impact of occult HBV infection in Vietnam.
Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ;

Background: Hemophilia is the most common clotting disorder in the hereditary blood clotting disorders causing harm to health and psychology. The disease can lead to disability and leave the burden on families and society as well as the development of race\r\n', u"Objectives: To study the familial characteristics of haemophiliacs treated at Regional Hematology and Blood Transfusion Center of Hue Central Hospital. Subject and method: This was a prospective study. It included 48 patients diagnosed and treated Haemophilia A and B at Regional Hematology and Blood Transfusion Center of Hue Central Hospital from 7/2005 - 8/2007. Results: In 48 patients, there were 23 patients who had obviously familial history (included 12 families). They were siblings, cousins, maternal grandfathers or mother's brothers. Among 67 haemophiliacs, 23 haemophiliacs had been studied (34.32%), 30 haemophiliacs died of the disease (44.77%). Most of them died at childhood, below age of 15 years (80.64%). Conclusion: Numbers of deaths in the family was not related to the severity of the disease. The age of clinical detection, morphology, number, site, characteristics of haemorrhage as well as the level of articuar injures were not completely the same between the haemophiliacs of the same family. \r\n", u'\r\n', u'
Hemophilia A/ history ; pathology

Background: A/H5N1 influenza virus spreads from birds to humans and cause influenza diseases with high mortality rate. Vaccination is the most effective way to protect communities from pandemic, reduce morbidity and mortality. The study of creating A/H5N1 influenza vaccines in conformity with Vietnam was the urgent need. Institute of Vaccine\u2019s Achievement (IVAC) studied production of inactivated influenza vaccine for human on egg-grown from reassortants NIBRG-14. Objectives: In order to produce experimentally A/H5N1 influenza vaccine for human in accordance with WHO requirements and set up a viable process for production of the vaccines. Subjects and method: 10 days embryonated eggs and NIBRG-14 strains were served to the study with LAL method to check endotoxin, Kijehdal method to test total protein. Results: IVAC had produced successfully 5 lots of absorbed vaccine A/H5N1 (FLUVAC) using NIBRG-14 strains and embryonated eggs. Initially, production and quality control processes had been set up at IVAC by applying the recommendations of WHO. Conclusion: The success of the study was a basis of the approval of the government to establish a influenza vaccine manufacturing facilities.
Influenza A Virus ; H5N1 Subtype ; Influenza Vaccines ; Humans ; Eggs

Background: Recently, microplate almar blue assay has been used commonly in detecting gen related to tuberculosis drug resistance, which provides results after 5-7 days with lower cost compared to traditional methods. Objective: To evaluate the application of microplate almar blue assay for rapid detection of drug resistance of M. tuberculosis strains. Subject and Method: A microplate-based assay which uses Alamar blue reagent - an oxidation reduction dye (MABA), was used for the determination of the anti-tuberculosis drug (isoniazid-INH, rifampicine-RIF, streptomycine-STR and ethabuton=EMB) resistance of 96 M. tuberculosis strains isolated from Vietnamese patients in comparison to those obtained by conversional method. Result: MABA showed to have high sensitivity and specificity in testing the sensitivity to individual anti-tuberculosis drugs (from 82.4% for STR to 93.3% for - INH and from 82.5% for EMB to 98.4% for STR; respectively), as well as for the multi-drug resistant M.tuberculosis (86.4% of sensitivity), highly correlated with the result determined by proportion method. Conclusion: MABA reveals the advantage in shortening test time, in simple performance and lower cost compared with the conversional culture based methods.
Microplate almar blue assay ; M. tuberculosis ; drug resistance

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary hepatic tumor and one of the most common cancers worldwide. HCC is a primary malignancy of hepatocellular origin. Objectives:The aim of study is to combinate therapy of transarterial chemoembolization and percutaneousethanol injection afterward emerging metatasis caused by fine needle aspiration cytology. Subjects and method: A 50 years old male patient with hepatocellular carcinoma having a diameter of tumor more than 5 cm was treated by combination of transarterial chemoembolization and percutaneous ethanol injection from December 2000. Results & Conclusion: Results of study showed that: Transarterial chemoembolization and percutaneous ethanol injection are the two of non-surgical methods for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma which are most commonly available in applied clinical activities at present. Up to now, the patient's life expectancy after therapy is more than 6 years that means the result of treatment is very good. However, the emerging metatasis into the anterior-right-Iower chest wall that was caused by fine needle aspiration cytology should be reviewed for further evaluating clinical experience, especially in cases with quite clear imaging features of untrasonography and significantly elevated AFP level higher than 200 ng/rnl.
Carcinoma ; Hepatocellular/ pathology ; therapy

Background: Hepatitis B is an infectious illness caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) which infects the liver of hominoidea, including humans, and causes an inflammation called hepatitis. Objectives: The aim of study is to clarify clinical features and molecular characteristics of HBV in chronic HBV-infected patients with A 1899 mutation. Subjects and method: HBV genotype, HBV-ONA level, HBeAg and anti-HBe in 29 chronic HBV-infected patients were determined by PCR-RFLP, Real-time PCR and ELISA, respectively. Mutations were analyzed by direct sequencing. Results: Mutations in core-promoter/precore regions of HBV genome can suppress HBeAg secretion and stimulate HBV-ONA replication. The prevalence of hepatocel- lular carcinoma (HCc): 10/29, liver cirrhosis (LC) : 15/29 are significantly higher than that in chronic hepatitis (CH) : 4/29 (P < 0.001). HbeAg seroconversion rate in CH (75%) is higher than that in HCC \r\n', u'(40%) and in LC (53.3%), but not significant (P > 0.05). ALT level is the highest in CH and the lowest in HCC \r\n', u'(P = 0.02), 8/10 (80%) HCC patients have normal range of ALT. HBV-ONA level in HCC and in LC is significantly higher than that in CH (P = 0.024). The emerging of A 1899 is often accompanied by C/G1753 mutation (37.9%) and dual core-promoter mutation T1762A1764 (79.3%). Conclusion: A1899 mutation can play a role in the pathogenesis of liver diseases in chronic HBV-infected Vietnamese.\r\n', u'
Hepatitis B virus/ growth & ; development ; physiology ; Hepatitis B ; Chronic/ pathology ; transmission

Objective: To investigate antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of the extract and fractions from Vietnamese red seaweed Laurencia dendroidea. Methods: The seaweed Laurencia dendroidea was extracted by using microwave-assisted extraction method in 80％ methanol. The seaweed extract was then fractionated using different solvents (n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol and water). These obtained fractions were evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant activities. Antioxidant activities were tested using DPPH, nitric oxide radical scavenging and metal chelating assays. The enzyme inhibition mode was determined using Lineweaver-Burk plot. For acidic and thermal stabilities, the ethyl acetate fraction was treated at pH 2.0 and 100 ℃, respectively. The residual inhibitory activity of the fraction was calculated based on the initial inhibitory activity. For in vivo antidiabetic activity, mice were divided into four groups, including normal control, diabetic control, diabetic mice treated with ethyl acetate fraction and diabetic mice treated with gliclazide. Blood glucose level of treated mice during acute and prolonged treatments was measured. To evaluate the toxicity of the ethyl acetate fraction, the body weight changes and activities of liver function enzymes (aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and gammaglutamyl transferase) were carried out. Results: The extract of Laurencia dendroidea showed strong α-glucosidase inhibitory and DPPH radical scavenging activities. Methanolic concentrations affected both α-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant activities. A 80％ aqueous methanol was the suitable solvent for extraction of enzyme inhibitors and antioxidants. Among solvent fractions, ethyl acetate fraction had the highest inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase with a mixed type of inhibition and the strongest antioxidant activities, and was stable under acidic and thermal conditions. The ethyl acetate fraction treated diabetic mice significantly reduced blood glucose level compared with the diabetic control group (13.16 mmol/L vs. 22.75 mmol/L after 3 hours of treatment). Oral administration of ethyl acetate fraction did not exhibit toxicity at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight as determined by body weight changes and liver biochemical parameters. Conclusions: Laurencia dendroidea could be a potential source for production of antidiabetic and antioxidative agents.