A total of 160 street food samples were examined for microbiological quality and food color additives. All food samples were not used unpermitted food color additive, and the rate of microbiological contamination was 20.6%. No S.aureus were found at the lowest dilution used for all samples of cooked meat. Foods served hot had low bacterial contamination.
Food ; Safety

A total of 200 housewives at home and street vendors were interviewed by using structured questionnaires, the result has indicated the insufficient knowledge of food safety, most of them never had lessons in food handling practices. The environmental sanitary condition and food handling practices at home were better than at the street side. Stagnant wastes were found around 59% of the selling places of street vendors. 71% street foods prepared 2 hours before. Contacted foods with bare hands usually during street food preparation (89%). The practices and knowledge of food safety should be encouraged. A training guide gives clear information on how food becomes contaminated and on the measures that should be taken to avoid such contamination is essential.
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Food ; Safety ; Hygiene

Study on 210 patients including 120 atheromatous patients, 90 non-atheromatous patients at Transfusion Blood Center in HCMC. Research results showed that: the lipid-lipoprotein disorders had colleration to atheromatous. It was statistical. Hypercholesterolemia 62.6%, hypertriglycerid 51.6%, hypo HDL-C 48.3%, hyper LDL-C 45.8%. The lipid-lipoprotein disorders and atheroscelrosis on the over forty year old patients were higher than the young patients but there was no difference between male and female
Dyslipidemias ; Hyperlipidemia, Familial Combined ; Disease

Due to the observation, lipid disorder and AT III, PS, PC factors having an important role in the formation of clots in blood vessels, cerebral infarction. This study was carried out on 123 patients with cerebral infarction and 52 normal persons. Results: The normal values of AT III, PS, PC were equal to the normal values of foreigners: AT III: 115.88719.129%; PC: 108.36019.767%; PS: 109.93725.108%. The reduction of AT III, PS, and PC had the important role in cerebral infarction, especially the reduction of PS. This relationship had statistical meaning. There was relationship between AT III and triglyceride; PS and cholesterol; PS and LDL-C in patients with cerebral infarction
Cerebral Infarction ; Lipid Metabolism Disorders

Background: Beer is produced to meet people\u2019s demands. Sanitation, old technology, poor knowledge on hygiene and safety of workers is still limited. Objectives: This study aims to learn the real situation and solution to improve the practical knowledge on food hygiene and the safety of workers at beer-producing enterprises in Ha Noi. Subjects and method: The descriptive, cross-sectional study on wokers at beer-producing enterprises in Ha Noi.The data were collected from designed questionaires and analysed by Epi.infor 6.04 software. Results: The general knowledge rate on hygiene food safety of workers is 42.5%; In there, the knowledge rate on environmental hygiene of workers is 45.6%; the knowledge rate on work instrument hygiene of workers is 46.4%; the knowledge rate on personal hygiene of workers is 37.7%; the knowledge rate on food hygiene of workers is 50.9%; the knowledge rate on food poisoning of workers is 76.3%; Conclusion: There is a relationship between the practical knowledge on hygiene food safety, age and work duration.
practical knowledge ; food hygiene safety ; beer-producing enterprises

Background: Worldwide, the beer industry has developed from 2% to 8% per year during 1990 and 2000 and the number of production surpassed 140 billion liters per year in 2001. Beer is not widely recommended for the population but the fact is consumption is on the increase. Objective: To evaluate the real situation of food safety conditions and hygiene safety requirements for beer at beer production enterprises in Hanoi and study various related factors to propose appropriate solutions to improving the food safety hygiene. Subject and methods: A cross-sectional, analysis investigation was conducted in 70 private beer-production enterprises in Hanoi in 2007. Results and Conclusion: The general rate with good food hygiene safety condition was 68.6%. Among them, the good environmental hygiene condition was 82.9%; good drainage condition was 75.7%; the work area hygiene condition meeting requirements was about 74.3% (with wall and floor hygiene regulation at 57.1%); food hygiene condition meet requirement about 95.7%; good work instrument hygiene condition was 72.9% and the lowest rate of work instrument hygiene regulation was 68.8%; good personal hygiene was 80%. The bad personal hygiene and environmental hygiene condition increased the risk of food hygiene quality that did not meet the requirement by ten-folds and thirteen-folds, respectively. The bad personal hygiene condition increased the risk of tool hygiene that did not meet the requirement by 5.5 folds.
food safety ; food safety hygiene ; beer-production enterprises

Background: Herniated lumbar disc is a very common disease in the age group of 20-50 year olds the worldwide, likewise in Vietnam. There are many traditional therapies for treating this disease, such as electro-acupuncture, traditional massage, and traditional drugs... Objectives: To evaluate the effects and side-effects of combining electro-acupuncture, traditional massage, magnet-heating and lumbar traction in treating herniated lumbar disc. Subjects: 60 patients with herniated lumbar disc, over 20 years of age, were treated at the Department of Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation, Hospital of Traditional Medicine between July 2006 and October 2007. Method: Prospective, clinical case-controlled trial. Participants were divided equally into two groups: intervention and control group. The treatment lasted for 30 days. Data was analyzed by SPSS software, version 11.5. Results: After 30 days of treatment, there were significant improvements in intervention patients about Lasegue sign, elasticity of lumbar spine, and daily movements when compared to control group. Outcomes after 30 days of treatment in the control group were 16.7% of very good, 43.3% of good, and 40% of moderate. Intervention group had better results, with 46.7% of very good, 46.7% of good, and 6.6% of moderate (p <0.01). There was not any side-effect observed in this trial. Conclusion: The combination of electro-acupuncture, traditional massage, magnet - heating and lumbar traction is a safe method and is an effective treatment for herniated lumbar disc.
Electro-acupuncture ; Traditional massage ; Magnet-heating ; lumbar traction ; Herniated lumbar disc

Background: hepatitis due to virus B is now one of the leading concerns in the community health care throughout the world. Vietnam was a country located in high risk areas for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with rate of HBV infection in the community ranged from 11.3 to 25.5%, the rate of HBsAg positive in pregnant women from 12-16%. Objectives: to evaluate knowledge and practice on HBV prevention among pregnant women in Hanoi in 2005-2006 period; to study on some related factors of HBsAg positive rate. Subjectives and Method: a cross sectional study (with analysis on knowledge and practice about HBV prevention) was carried out on 1.300 pregnant women above 28 gestational weeks at Hanoi Obstetrics/Gynecology Hospital in 2005. Results: the rates of women with knowledge about HBV prevention were 38.5% at good level, 24.4% at acceptable level, and 37.7% at unacceptable level. The rates of practice on HBV prevention were 58.5% at satisfied level and 41.5% at notsatified level. Knowledge was likely related to practice, age, educational level, and HBV positive rate. Practice on HBV prevention was also related to HBV infection. Conclusions: the rates of women with knowledge about HBV prevention at good level were relatively high. The rates of practice on HBV prevention at satisfied level were relatively low. Related factors of HBsAg positive rate: knowledge and practice about HBV prevention.
Hepatitis B/ prevention & ; control ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Health Knowledge ; Attitudes ; Practice ; Pregnant Women ;

Balanophora laxiflora Hemsl. (Balanophoraceae) is a traditional medicinal plant with a diverse array of biological activities. In our exploration of new bioactive constituents from B. laxiflora, we isolated five compounds, including a new lignan, balanophorone (5), and four known phenolic compounds (1–4). The chemical structures of these compounds were determined by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, and CD. In addition, we evaluated the effects of each of the isolates (1–5) on the messenger RNA expression levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages and cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Compound 2 showed significant inhibition of LPS-induced COX-2 and TNF-α expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages, while compound 4 showed moderate cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, with IC 50 values of 18.3 and 30.7 μM, respectively. No significant effects on the viability of normal mammary epithelial cells were observed.

Balanophora laxiflora Hemsl. (Balanophoraceae) is a traditional medicinal plant with a diverse array of biological activities. In our exploration of new bioactive constituents from B. laxiflora, we isolated five compounds, including a new lignan, balanophorone (5), and four known phenolic compounds (1–4). The chemical structures of these compounds were determined by extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, and CD. In addition, we evaluated the effects of each of the isolates (1–5) on the messenger RNA expression levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages and cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Compound 2 showed significant inhibition of LPS-induced COX-2 and TNF-α expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages, while compound 4 showed moderate cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, with IC 50 values of 18.3 and 30.7 μM, respectively. No significant effects on the viability of normal mammary epithelial cells were observed.