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.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of physiological intracytoplasmic sperm injection (PICSI) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in terms of the fertilization rate and embryo quality using sibling oocyte cycles. Methods: This prospective, cross-sectional study collected data from 76 couples who underwent their first cycle at the Hue Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Vietnam, between May 2019 and November 2021. The inclusion criteria were cycles with at least eight oocytes and a sperm concentration of 5×106/mL. Sperm parameters, sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF), fertilization, and the quality of cleavage-stage embryos on day 2 and blastocysts on day 5 were examined. Results: From 76 ICSI cycles, 1,196 metaphase II (MII) oocytes were retrieved, half of which were randomly allocated to either the PICSI (n=592) or ICSI (n=604) treatment group. The results showed no significant difference between the two groups in terms of fertilization (72.80% vs. 75.33%, p=0.32), day 2 cleavage rate (95.13% vs. 96.04%, p=0.51), blastulation rate (52.68% vs. 57.89%), and high-quality blastocyst rate (26.10% vs. 31.13%, p=0.13). However, in cases where SDF was low, 59 cycles consisting of 913 MII oocytes produced a considerably higher blastulation rate with PICSI than with ICSI (50.49% vs. 35.65%, p=0.00). There were no significant differences between the pregnancy outcomes of the PICSI and ICSI embryo groups following embryo transfer. Conclusion Using variable sperm quality provided no benefit for PICSI versus ICSI in terms of embryo outcomes. When SDF is low, PICSI appears to be able to produce more blastocysts.

Ischemic colitis (IC) is an underreported chronic disease characterized by the hypoperfusion of the bowel mucosa. The diagnosis and treatment may be challenging because its clinical course resembles other colitis or even colorectal malignancies. This paper reports an untypical case to underline the diversity of IC manifestation. A 68-year-old man with several comorbidities was admitted because of abdominal pain with a 6-month duration and a mass in the left lower quadrant. Colonoscopy revealed erosive pseudomembranous colitis narrowed colon segments with ulcerated mucosa mimicking colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. The stool cultures and Clostridium difficile toxin tests were negative. After the failure of conservative therapy, the Hartmann procedure with temporary ileostomy was performed uneventfully. The histological results of the surgical specimens revealed IC with focal pseudomembranous areas.

As the associations of sperm DNA fragmentation with morphology have not been examined in detail, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between abnormalities of morphological details and DNA integrity in human sperm. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, men from infertile couples were enrolled at Hue Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Vietnam. Conventional semen parameters, including morphological details, were analyzed following the World Health Organization 2010 criteria. Sperm DNA fragmentation was evaluated using a sperm chromatin dispersion assay. The relationships and correlations between semen parameters, sperm morphology, and the type of halosperm and the DNA fragmentation index (DFI) were analyzed. Results: Among 130 men in infertile couples, statistically significant differences were not found in the sperm halo type between the normal and abnormal sperm morphology groups. The percentage of round-head spermatozoa was higher in the DFI >15% group (16.98%±12.50%) than in the DFI ≤15% group (13.13% ±8.82%), higher values for amorphous heads were found in the DFI >15% group, and lower values for tapered heads were observed in the DFI ≤15% group; however, these differences were not statistically significant. Small-halo sperm and the DFI were positively correlated with round-head sperm (r=0.243, p=0.005 and r=0.197, p=0.025, respectively). Conclusion: The rate of general sperm morphological abnormalities in semen analysis was not related to sperm DNA integrity. However, round sperm heads were closely associated with sperm DNA fragmentation.

ABSTRACT This study aims to compare the effect of fTCP-contained toothpaste in combination with 950 ppm fluoride on primary dentin caries surface to ordinary 1100 ppm fluoride toothpaste by using estimation statistics. Dental caries with deep lesion and dentin exposure from nine primary teeth were cut into two equal parts and randomly divided into two groups in a before-after study. Each group was brushed with one type of toothpaste two times per day for 28 days and rested in artificial saliva. SEM images of cavity bottom surfaces and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) were used to determine the percentage of calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), fluoride (F) and oxygen (O) at six continuous measured areas from the surface of the cavity bottom into 45 µm depth before and after brushing. About 95% confidence interval of the mean difference was calculated by performing bootstrap resampling with 5000 resamples followed by comparison analysis. The percentage of Ca, P, F, O was shifted after treatment. There was no difference between the two groups. The SEM images reflected a similar illustration of EDX data. The combination of fTCP and 950 ppm fluoride in toothpaste showed equivalent effectiveness to the 1100 ppm fluoride toothpaste in primary dentin caries.
Fluorosis, Dental ; Dental Caries

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of posterior nasal neurectomy on the treatment of nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, sneezing, and post-nasal discharge in intractable rhinitis patients. Methods: Design: Preliminary case series. Setting: Tertiary University Medical Center. Participant: Ten (10) patients with intractable rhinitis underwent endoscopic posterior nasal neurectomy in both sides. Symptoms were compared pre- and post-operatively one month and one year after surgery using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores. Endoscopic pre- and one-month post-operative Lund-Mackay scores were also compared. Results: All four mean nasal symptom scores were reduced significantly at 1-month follow-up for nasal congestion (1.5 ± 1.08 vs 4.1 ± 0.5687, p = .00001), rhinorrhea (0.7 ± 0.823 vs 3.4 ± 0.966, p = .00001) post-nasal discharge (0.9 ± 0.994 vs 2.4 ± 1.5, p = .03), and sneezing (1.1 ± 0.738 vs 3 ± 0.943, p = .02). Mean endoscopic scores were also reduced significantly at one month, from 12.9 ± 2.55 to 4.2 ± 3, p = 0.0001.In the 6 patients that followed up at 1-year, post-operative mean nasal symptoms were still significantly better for congestion (0.6667 ± 0.8165 vs 4 ± 0.632, p = 0.00001), rhinorrhea (0.6667 ± 0.5164 vs 3.67 ± 1.033, p = .001), post-nasal discharge (0.1667 ± 0.40825 vs 2.17 ± 1.835, p = .033), sneezing (0.5 ± 0.54772 vs 3.17 ± 0.983, p = 0.0001). Mean post-operative VAS nasal scores and endoscopic scores were well associated (Correlation Coefficient -.648, p = .048). Conclusion Posterior nasal neurectomy could be considered as a safety and effective way to treat intractable rhinitis patients in Vietnam.
Rhinitis, Vasomotor

Advanced age is one of the risk factors for vascular diseases that are mainly caused by impaired nitric oxide (NO) production. It has been demonstrated that endothelial arginase constrains the activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and limits NO generation. Hence, arginase inhibition is suggested to be vasoprotective in aging. In this study, we examined the effects of intravenous injection of Piceatannol, an arginase inhibitor, on aged mice. Our results show that Piceatannol administration reduced the blood pressure in aged mice by inhibiting arginase activity, which was associated with NO production and reactive oxygen species generation. In addition, Piceatannol administration recovered Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II phosphorylation, eNOS phosphorylation and eNOS dimer stability in the aged mice. The improved NO signaling was shown to be effective in attenuating the phenylephrine-dependent contractile response and in enhancing the acetylcholine-dependent vasorelaxation response in aortic rings from the aged mice. These data suggest Piceatannol as a potential treatment for vascular disease.
Administration, Intravenous* ; Aging ; Animals ; Arginase* ; Blood Pressure ; Injections, Intravenous ; Mice* ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; Phosphorylation ; Protein Kinases ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Risk Factors ; Vascular Diseases ; Vasodilation

PURPOSE: Peroxynitrite plays a critical role in vascular pathophysiology by increasing arginase activity and decreasing endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate whether arginase inhibition and L-arginine supplement could restore peroxynitrite-induced endothelial dysfunction and determine the involved mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with SIN-1, a peroxynitrite generator, and arginase activity, nitrite/nitrate production, and expression levels of proteins were measured. eNOS activation was evaluated via Western blot and dimer blot analysis. We also tested nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and performed a vascular tension assay. RESULTS: SIN-1 treatment increased arginase activity in a time- and dose-dependent manner and reciprocally decreased nitrite/nitrate production that was prevented by peroxynitrite scavenger in HUVECs. Furthermore, SIN-1 induced an increase in the expression level of arginase I and II, though not in eNOS protein. The decreased eNOS phosphorylation at Ser1177 and the increased at Thr495 by SIN-1 were restored with arginase inhibitor and L-arginine. The changed eNOS phosphorylation was consistent in the stability of eNOS dimers. SIN-1 decreased NO production and increased ROS generation in the aortic endothelium, all of which was reversed by arginase inhibitor or L-arginine. N(G)-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) prevented SIN-1-induced ROS generation. In the vascular tension assay, SIN-1 enhanced vasoconstrictor responses to U46619 and attenuated vasorelaxant responses to acetylcholine that were reversed by arginase inhibition. CONCLUSION: These findings may explain the beneficial effect of arginase inhibition and L-arginine supplement on endothelial dysfunction under redox imbalance-dependent pathophysiological conditions.
15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5,13-dienoic Acid ; Acetylcholine ; Arginase* ; Arginine ; Blotting, Western ; Endothelium ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III* ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Peroxynitrous Acid ; Phosphorylation* ; Reactive Oxygen Species

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To compare the performance of a modified Glasgow Blatchford score (mGBS) to the Glasgow Blatchford score (GBS) and the pre-endoscopic Rockall score (RS) in predicting clinical interventions in Vietnamese patients with acute nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AN-VUGIB). METHODS: A prospective multicenter cohort study was conducted in five tertiary hospitals from May 2013 to February 2014. The mGBS, GBS, and pre-endoscopic RS scores were prospectively calculated for all patients. The accuracy of mGBS was compared with that of GBS and pre-endoscopic RS using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Clinical interventions were defined as blood transfusions, endoscopic or radiological intervention, or surgery. RESULTS: There were 395 patients including 128 (32.4%) needing endoscopic treatment, 117 (29.6%) requiring blood transfusion and two (0.5%) needing surgery. In predicting the need for clinical intervention, the mGBS (AUC, 0.707) performed as well as the GBS (AUC, 0.708; p=0.87) and outperformed the pre-endoscopic RS (AUC, 0.594; p<0.001). However, none of these scores effectively excluded the need for endoscopic intervention at a threshold of 0. CONCLUSIONS: mGBS performed as well as GBS and better than pre-endoscopic RS for predicting clinical interventions in Vietnamese patients with ANVUGIB.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Blood Transfusion ; Cohort Studies* ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies* ; ROC Curve ; Tertiary Care Centers

Background: Dengue fever remains a major public health problem in Vietnam. It was transmitted through two main Aedes species, namely Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in which Aedes aegypti played the predominant role in transmitting the dengue viruses (accounted for 94% of the Aedes genus).Different groups of insecticides have been widely used in the community. As a consequence, it increased the resistance level of Aedes vectors to the insecticides. Therefore, a new synthesized insecticide was required for future control and prevention of dengue epidemics. \r\n', u'Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of Cynoff 25 ULV in suppressing Aedes species in Vietnam. \r\n', u'Subjects and methods: The study was conducted in the entomology laboratory and in the fields of Ha Tay province. ULV spraying was implemented in Hiengiang commune, Thuongtin district, in comparison with a control area, Van Mo commune in Ha Dong town.\r\n', u'Results and conclusions: : Cynoff 25 ULV had a high efficacy that kills over 90% of 2 dengue vector species, namely Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopicctus after 24 hours exposure at the distance of 30 meters from the brass nozzle of a STIHL SR 400 sprayer. In the field trials, Cynoff 25 ULV also had high efficacy in killing Aedes species, e.g. 100% of Aedes species were killed after spraying and the effects lasted for 3 months for Aedes aegypti and one month for Aedes albopictus species. The insecticide had no side-effects or any other adverse effects to humans, livestock and the environment in the intervention areas. \r\n', u'
cynoff 25 ULV ; aedes species ; dengue vectors