Objectives: Vertebral fracture is both common and serious among adults, yet it often goes undiagnosed. This study aimed to develop a shape-based algorithm (SBA) for the automatic identification of vertebral fractures. Methods: The study included 144 participants (50 individuals with a fracture and 94 without a fracture) whose plain thoracolumbar spine X-rays were taken. Clinical diagnosis of vertebral fracture (grade 0 to 3) was made by rheumatologists using Genant’s semiquantitative method. The SBA algorithm was developed to determine the ratio of vertebral body height loss. Based on the ratio, SBA classifies a vertebra into 4 classes: 0 = normal, 1 = mild fracture, 2 = moderate fracture, 3 = severe fracture). The concordance between clinical diagnosis and SBAbased classification was assessed at both person and vertebra levels. Results: At the person level, the SBA achieved a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 62% (95% CI, 51%–72%). At the vertebra level, the SBA achieved a sensitivity of 84% (95% CI, 72%–93%), and a specificity of 88% (95% CI, 85%–90%). On average, the SBA took 0.3 s to assess each X-ray. Conclusions The SBA developed here is a fast and efficient tool that can be used to systematically screen for asymptomatic vertebral fractures and reduce the workload of healthcare professionals.

Genus Penicillium comprising the most important and extensively studied fungi has been well-known as a rich source of secondary metabolites. Our study aimed to analyze and investigate biological activities, including in vitro anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties, of metabolites from a marine-derived fungus belonging to P. levitum. The chemical compounds in the culture broth of P. levitum strain N33.2 were extracted with ethyl acetate. Followingly, chemical analysis of the extract leaded to the isolation of three ergostane-type steroid components, namely cerevisterol (1), ergosterol peroxide (2), and (3β,5α,22E)-ergosta-6,8(14),22-triene-3,5-diol (3). Among these, (3) was the most potent cytotoxic against human cancer cell lines Hep-G2, A549 and MCF-7 with IC 50 values of 2.89, 18.51, and 16.47 ㎍/mL, respectively, while the compound (1) showed no significant effect against tested cancer cells. Anti-inflammatory properties of purified compounds were evaluated based on NO-production in LPS-induced murine RAW264.7 macrophages. As a result, tested compounds performed diverse inhibitory effects on NO production by the macrophages, with the most significant inhibition rate of 81.37 ± 1.35% at 25 ㎍/mL by the compound (2). Interestingly, compounds (2) and (3) exhibited inhibitory activities against pancreatic lipase and α-glucosidase enzymes in vitro assays. Our study brought out new data concerning the chemical properties and biological activities of isolated steroids from a P. levitum fungus.

BACKGROUND: Raising awareness and educating people regarding practices for skin cancer or melanoma prevention are critical in the context of the adversely increasing effects of global climate change. This study aimed to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding skin cancer prevention and to determine the associated factors to knowledge, attitudes, and practices among dermatological patients in Vietnam. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 590 dermatological patients between 18 and 82 years of age, who received an examination or treatment from the National Hospital of Dermatology in Hanoi, Vietnam, from September to December 2018. The respondents' attitudes on skin cancer and cancer prevention were assessed via face-to-face interviews with a structured questionnaire conducted by trained interviewers. RESULTS: Of the 590 respondents, the majority of people had correct responses to the question regarding skin cancer knowledge. Among the total participants, 39.8% thought that they were at risk of skin cancer, and 13.8% believed their occupation increased their skin cancer risk. The majority of respondents used hats (94.9%) and sunscreen skin coats (89.5%) and went into the shade (86.3%) when exposed to the sun. Women were less likely to be aware of their skin cancer risk but were more likely to practice prevention behaviors. CONCLUSION Our results show that dermatological patients have acceptable knowledge towards skin cancer prevention, but still need to change their behavior to prevent the risk of skin cancer. This study highlights the importance of education to raise awareness regarding skin cancer in order to promote practice prevention strategies for skin cancer in Vietnam.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cities ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Male ; Melanoma ; prevention & control ; psychology ; Middle Aged ; Skin Diseases ; etiology ; Skin Neoplasms ; prevention & control ; psychology ; Vietnam ; Young Adult

Objective: To document the evolution and optimization of the Zika virus (ZIKV) disease surveillance system in southern Viet Nam in 2016 and to describe the characteristics of the identified ZIKV-positive cases. Methods: We established a sentinel surveillance system to monitor ZIKV transmission in eight sites in eight provinces and expanded the system to 71 sites in 20 provinces in southern Viet Nam in 2016. Blood and urine samples from patients who met the case definition at the sentinel sites were tested for ZIKV using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction at the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City (PI-HCMC). We conducted descriptive analysis and mapped the ZIKV-positive cases. Results: In 2016, 2190 specimens from 20 provinces in southern Viet Nam were tested for ZIKV at PI-HCMC; 626 (28.6%), 484 (22.1%), 35 (1.6%) and 1045 (47.7%) tests were conducted in the first, second, third and fourth quarters of the year, respectively. Of these tested specimens, 214 (9.8%) were ZIKV positive with 212 (99.1%) identified in the fourth quarter. In the fourth quarter, the highest positivity rate was those in age groups 30–39 years (30.0%) and 40–59 years (31.6%). Of the 214 ZIKV-positive patients, 210 (98.1%) presented with rash, 194 (90.7%) with fever, 149 (69.6%) with muscle pain, 123 (57.5%) with joint pain and 66 (30.8%) with conjunctivitis. Discussion The surveillance system for ZIKV disease underwent several phases of optimization in 2016, guided by the most up-to-date local data. Here we demonstrate an adaptable surveillance system that detected ZIKV-positive cases in southern Viet Nam.

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.