Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a major public health problem. Objective: To find the causes and the treatment results for acute exacerbation of COPD at Department of Respiratory of Bach Mai Hospital. Subjects and method: A study conducted in 87 patients treated by an acute exacerbation of COPD at Department of Respiratory of Bach Mai Hospital from March to August 2005. Results and conclusions: 88.5% of patients were men. Severe patients were most common in age over 55 years. The risk factor was smoking (over 66.7%). 47.8% of patients were in III stage and 37.7% were in IV stage. The cause of acute exacerbation of COPD was bronchial surinfection (83.9%); and 37.9% of them refused an antibiotic or bronchodilatators at home when they had severe symptoms of exacerbation. Most of them did not have enough condition in their homes for treatment (oxygen, aerosol machine). After 20 days (16.69 \xb1 8.7 days) treated by antibiotics, bronchodilatators, corticoid and oxygen, 90.8% of our patients were at good health. 2 of them were died by severe disease.
Pulmonary Disease ; Chronic Obstructive/ therapy

Background: Dihydroartemisinin 40mg and piperaquine phosphate 320mg (DHA-PQP) drug combination and piperaquin phosphate (PQP) material was first successfully produced in Vietnam \r\n', u'Objective: to study influences of the fixed combination antimalaria drug dihydroartemisinin plus piperaquine in reproductive progress of mice\r\n', u"Subjects and methods: This study was carried out at the Department of Malaria treatment and research, National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology (NIMPE), between September, 2006 and March, 2007. The influences of the fixed combination antimalarial drug 40 mg dihydroartemisinin (DHA) plus 320 mg piperaquine phosphate (PQP), with PQP produced firstly in Vietnam, in mice's reproductive progresses were investigated in three generations (including the parent and FI, F2 child generations). \r\n", u'Results: In all three generations, study indices among the treated and control groups were not significantly different (the values P > 0.05). These indices included the rate of fecundation, numbers of fetuses of each mother mouse, numbers of offspring of each mother mouse, mean body weights of offspring. Early lethal fetuses, lately lethal fetuses, monsters and innate abnormally offspring were not found in P, FI and F2 generations. The necessary feeding - day numbers that offspring of P and F 1 generations reached their body weights about 20g were different insignificantly (the values P> 0.05) among the treated and control groups. \r\n', u'Conclusion: The combination DHA-PQP was found to cause no genome mutations in mice at the oral dose of 120 mg per kg per day for 5 consecutive days. \r\n', u'
Dihydroartemisinin ; piperaquine ; fixed combination antimalarial drug ; rate of fecundation ; early lethal fetuses ; lately lethal fetuses ; monsters and innate abnormally offspring ; genome mutations ; fetuses

Background: Piperaquin (PQ) is an anti-malaria drug, which belong to bisquinoline class. Vietnam has successfully produced PQ (both base and phosphate) since 2004. Objective: To evaluate acute oral toxicities of Piperaquine phosphate and the fixed combination anti-malarial drug Dihydroartemisinin plus Piperaquine in mice. Subject and Method: This study was conducted at National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology between June and October, 2005. The acute oral toxicities of piperaquine phosphate (PQP) and the fixed combination anti-malaria drug (40 mg dihydroiutemisinin plus 320 mg piperaquine phosphate (DHA-PQP), with the materials produced by Institute of chemistry) in mice were investigated. Result: PQP had a medium toxicity. Inhibition of mice's central nervous systems was the main toxicity exhibition. At the high doses of PQP, mice's convulsion was observed before their deaths. The infralethal dose (LDo), absolute lethal dose (LD100) and mean lethal dose (LD50) of PQP were 900, 2300 and 1643.98 (1537.6 \u2013 1758.92) mg/kg, respectively. The fixed combination DHA-PQP had a less toxicity than PQP powder, with LDo, LD100 and LD50 were 1400, 2800 and 2050.06 (1943.63 \u2013 2157.14) mg per kg of body weight, respectively. Conclusion: At the high doses of DHA-PQP, this combination also inhibited mice's central nervous systems. Mice convulsed strongly before their deaths. All died mice were operated for observing visually their organs such as hearts, livers, kidneys, lungs, vesicles and intestines. No abnormal signals were found.
Piperaquine phosphate ; toxicity ; Dihydroartemisinin

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: 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

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 AND PURPOSE: Dravet syndrome is a rare and severe type of epilepsy in infants. The heterogeneity in the overall intellectual disability that these patients suffer from has been attributed to differences in genetic background and epilepsy severity. METHODS: Eighteen Vietnamese children diagnosed with Dravet syndrome were included in this study. SCN1A variants were screened by direct sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. Adaptive functioning was assessed in all patients using the Vietnamese version of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, and the results were analyzed relative to the SCN1A variants and epilepsy severity. RESULTS: We identified 13 pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants, including 6 that have not been reported previously. We found no correlations between the presence or type of SCN1A variants and the level of adaptive functioning impairment or severity of epilepsy. Only two of nine patients aged at least 5 years had an adaptive functioning score higher than 50. Both of these patients had a low frequency of convulsive seizures and no history of status epilepticus or prolonged seizures. The remaining seven had very low adaptive functioning scores (39 or less) despite the variability in the severity of their epilepsy confirming the involvement of factors other than the severity of epilepsy in determining the developmental outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Our study expands the spectrum of known SCN1A variants and confirms the current understanding of the role of the genetic background and epilepsy severity in determining the developmental outcome of Dravet syndrome patients.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Child* ; Epilepsies, Myoclonic* ; Epilepsy ; Genetic Background ; Humans ; Infant ; Intellectual Disability ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Population Characteristics ; Seizures ; Status Epilepticus ; Weights and Measures

Objective: The purpose of this survey was to estimate the prevalence of viral load (VL) suppression and emergence of HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) among individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 36 months or longer in Viet Nam using a nationally representative sampling method. Methods: The survey was conducted between May and August 2014 using a two-stage cluster design. Sixteen ART clinics were selected using probability proportional to proxy size sampling, and patients receiving ART for at least 36 months were consecutively enrolled. Epidemiological information and blood specimens were collected for HIV-1 VL and HIVDR testing; HIVDR was defined by the Stanford University HIVDR algorithm. Results: Overall, 365 eligible individuals were recruited with a mean age of 38.2 years; 68.4% were men. The mean time on ART was 75.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 69.0–81.9 months), and 93.7% of the patients were receiving non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based regimens. Of the 365 individuals, 345 (94.7%, 95% CI: 64.1–99.4%) had VL below 1000 copies/mL and 19 (4.6%, 95% CI: 2.8-–7.5) had HIVDR mutations. Discussion Our nationally representative survey found a high level of VL suppression and a low prevalence of HIVDR among individuals who received ART for at least 36 months in Viet Nam. Continued surveillance for HIVDR is important for evaluating and improving HIV programs.

As authorities braced for the arrival of the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), infrastructure investments and government directives prompted action in central Viet Nam to establish capacity for genomic surveillance sequencing. From 17 November 2021 to 7 January 2022, the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang sequenced 162 specimens from 98 150 confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases in the region collected from 8 November to 31 December 2021. Of these, all 127 domestic cases were identified as the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, whereas 92% (32/35) of imported cases were identified as the B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant, all among international flight passengers. Patients were successfully isolated, enabling health-care workers to prepare for additional cases. Most (78%) of the 32 Omicron cases were fully vaccinated, suggesting continued importance of public health and social measures to control the spread of new variants.