Observations were based on examination of 54 operators who have worked for 5-20 years in telecom cars. Authors concluded that the changes in electrocardiographic indicators are still within the physiologic limits.
Electrocardiography ; diagnosis

Background: s/Aims: Hepatolithiasis and choledocholithiasis are frequent pathologies and unfortunately, with the current treatment strategies, the recurrence incidence is still high. This study aimed to assess the outcomes of laparoscopic choledochotomy using cholangioscopy via the percutaneous-choledochal tube for the treatment of hepatolithiasis and choledocholithiasis in Vietnamese patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study of patients with hepatolithiasis and/or choledocholithiasis who underwent laparoscopic choledochotomy using intraoperative cholangioscopy via percutaneous-choledochal tube at the Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, 108 Military Central Hospital, from June 2017 to March 2020. Results: A total of 84 patients were analyzed. Most patients were females (56.0%) with a median age of 55.56 years. Among them, 41.8% of patients had previous abdominal operations, with 33.4% having choledochotomy. All patients underwent successful laparoscopic common bile duct exploration followed by T-tube drainage without needing to convert to open surgery. Most patients (64.3%) had both intrahepatic and extrahepatic stones. The rate of stones ≥ 10 mm in diameter was 64.3%. Biliary strictures were observed in 19.1% of patients during cholangioscopy. Complete removal of stones was achieved in 54.8% of patients. Intraoperative complications were encountered in two patients, but there was no need to change the strategy. The mean operating time was 121.85 ± 30.47 minutes.The early postoperative complication rate was 9.6%, and all patients were managed conservatively. The residual stones were removed through the T-tube tract by subsequent choledochoscopy in 34/38 patients, so the total success rate was 95.2%. Conclusions Laparoscopic choledochotomy combined with cholangioscopy through the percutaneous-choledochal tube is a safe and effective strategy for hepatolithiasis and/or choledocholithiasis, even in patients with a previous choledochotomy.

Background: In countries that cholera outbreaks commonly occurs, surveillance of surface water is important to control the epidemics. Kappa phage (K139) of Vibrio cholerae is related to epidemic El Tor and O139 strains in various countries. Objectives: To study the relationships between V. cholerae 01 and vibriophages in surface water in Thai Binh and Hai Phong city and to determine the predictors of cholera outbreaks. Subjects and method: Total of 82 water samples were collected by shrimp swab method in Hai Phong and Thai Binh in June and September 2007, where cholera outbreaks occurred. The enriched culture method and direct peR were applied to define the relationships between vibriophages and V. cholerae 01 in surface water. Results: The rates of detecting kappa junction with chromosomes of V. cholerae 01 in Hai Phong and Thai Binh were 10% and 15% in June 2007, 35% and 41% in September 2007. The rates of detecting vibriophages in Hai Phong and Thai Binh were 15% and 15% in June 2007, 25% and 36% in September 2007. The rates of Fs1 and Fs2 detected by PCR method were 70% and 100% in Hai Phong at June and September 2007, and were 57% and 100% in Thai Binh at June and September 2007, respectively. V. cholerae 01, O139 weren\u2019t found in water samples. Conclusion: The presences of vibriophages (kappa phage and fs1 fs2) in surface water contaminated with V. cholerae 01 were dependent on the ability of the vibriophages to infect and lyse these bacteria. Vibriophages played a role in the transfer of cholera toxin and pathogenic factors. Surveillance by detecting V. cholerae 01 and vibriophages in surface water may be a feasible means of predicting outbreaks of cholera before a significant number of cases occur.
Vibrio cholerae 01 ; vibriophages ; surface water ; cholera outbreaks

Vietnam is undergoing a rapid social and economic developments resulting in speedy urbanization, changes in methods for animal production, food marketing systems, and food consumption habits. These changes will have major impacts on human exposures to food poisoning. The present case study aimed to estimate hospitalization costs of foodborne diarrhea cases in selected health facilities in Vietnam. This is a facility-based cost-of-illness study conducted in seven health facilities in Northern Vietnam. All suspect cases of foodborne diarrhea, as diagnosed by doctors, who admitted to the studied health facilities during June-August, 2013 were selected. Costs associated with hospitalization for foodborne diseases were estimated from societal perspective using retrospective approach. We included direct and indirect costs of hospitalization of foodborne diarrhea cases. During the study period, 87 foodborne diarrhea cases were included. On average, the costs per treatment episode and per hospitalization day for foodborne diarrhea case were US$ 106.9 and US$ 33.6 respectively. Indirect cost (costs of times to patient, their relatives due to the patient's illness) made up the largest share (51.3%). Direct medical costs accounted for 33.8%; direct non-medical costs (patient and their relatives) represented 14.9%. Cost levels and compositions varied by level of health facilities. More attentions should be paid on prevention, control of foodborne diarrhea cases in Vietnam. Ensuring safety of food depends on efforts of everyone involved in food chain continuum, from production, processing, and transport to consumption.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; *Cost of Illness ; Diarrhea/*economics/epidemiology ; Female ; Foodborne Diseases/*economics/epidemiology ; Health Care Costs/*statistics & numerical data ; Hospitalization/*economics ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Sex Distribution ; Vietnam/epidemiology ; Young Adult

Ethmoid myoepithelial carcinoma is a rare tumor, with only 14 cases reported to date. This report discusses the largest tumor of this type ever recorded in the ethmoid region. The tumor caused extensive damage to facial structures, complicating treatment. The patient’s age and comorbidities increased the risk of intraoperative bleeding, presenting challenges to the complete removal of the tumor and the reconstruction of the damaged structures. To reduce the risk of intraoperative hemorrhage, shorten the surgery time, and manage potential heartrelated complications, arterial embolization was performed using gelatin sponges and coils. Definitive surgery was then carried out using a skin flap and mucosal flap to successfully reconstruct the defect. Postoperative radiotherapy was deemed unnecessary. The patient recovered well, with a satisfactory aesthetic outcome. No recurrence was observed during a 3-year follow-up period.

In this study, twenty-five yeast strains were isolated from soil samples collected in the gold mining ore in Gia Lai, Vietnam. Among them, one isolate named GL1 T could highly tolerate Cu 2+ up to 10 mM, and the isolates could also grow in a wide range of pH (3–7), and tem perature (10–40 ℃). Dried biomass of GL1 was able to remove Cu 2+ effectively up to 90.49% with a maximal biosorption capacity of 18.1 mg/g at pH 6, temperature 30 ℃, and incuba tion time 60 min. Sequence analysis of rDNA indicated this strain was closely related to Rhodotorula mucilaginosa but with 1.53 and 3.46% nucleotide differences in the D1/D2 domain of the 28S rRNA gene and the ITS1-5.8S rRNA gene-ITS2 region sequence, respect ively. Based on phylogenetic tree analysis and the biochemical characteristics, the strain appears to be a novel Rhodotorula species, and the name Rhodotorula aurum sp. nov. is pro posed. This study provides us with more information about heavy metal-tolerant yeasts and it may produce a new tool for environmental control and metal recovery operations.

Health financing has been considered as an important building block of a health system and has a key role in promoting universal health coverage in the Vietnam. This paper aims to describe the pattern of health expenditure, including total health expenditure and composition of health expenditure, over the last two decades in Vietnam. The paper mainly uses the data from Vietnam National Health Account and Vietnam Living Standards Survey. We also included data from other relevant published literature, reports and statistics about health care expenditure in Vietnam. The per capita health expenditure in Vietnam increased from US$ 14 in 1995 to US$ 86 in 2012. The total health expenditure as a share of GDP also rose from 5.2% in 1995 to 6.9% in 2012. Public health expenditure as percentage of government expenditure rose from 7.4% in 1995 to nearly 10% in 2012. The coverage of health insurance went up from 10% in 1995 to 68.5% in 2012. However, health financing in Vietnam was depending on private expenditures (57.4% in 2012). As a result, the proportion of households with catastrophic expenditure in 2012 was 4.2%. The rate of impoverishment in 2012 was 2.5%. To ensure equity and efficient goal of health system, policy actions for containing the health care out-of-pocket payments and their poverty impacts are urgently needed in Vietnam.
Developing Countries/*economics ; Financing, Government/economics/trends ; Health Expenditures/*statistics & numerical data/*trends ; *Healthcare Financing ; Insurance, Health/*economics/*trends ; Vietnam/epidemiology

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the workload of healthcare workers (HCWs), impacting their health. This study aimed to assess sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and identify factors associated with poor sleep among HCWs in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1000 frontline HCWs were recruited from various healthcare facilities in Vietnam between October 2021 and November 2021. Data were collected using a 3-part self-administered questionnaire, which covered demographics, sleep quality, and factors related to poor sleep. Poor sleep quality was defined as a total PSQI score of 5 or higher. Results: Participants’ mean age was 33.20±6.81 years (range, 20.0-61.0), and 63.0% were women. The median work experience was 8.54±6.30 years. Approximately 6.3% had chronic comorbidities, such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus. About 59.5% were directly responsible for patient care and treatment, while 7.1% worked in tracing and sampling. A total of 73.8% reported poor sleep quality. Multivariate logistic regression revealed significant associations between poor sleep quality and the presence of chronic comorbidities (odds ratio [OR], 2.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17 to 5.24), being a frontline HCW directly involved in patient care and treatment (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.16 to 2.16), increased working hours (OR, 1.84; 95% CI,1.37 to 2.48), and a higher frequency of encountering critically ill and dying patients (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.95). Conclusions The high prevalence of poor sleep among HCWs in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic was similar to that in other countries. Working conditions should be adjusted to improve sleep quality among this population.

Methods: This study included 41 patients with single-level grades 1 or 2 LS from February 2023 to February 2024. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for back and leg pain and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Bridwell fusion grades were evaluated via lumbar spine computed tomography performed 6 months postoperatively. Results: Over a mean follow-up period of 10.6 months (range, 7–18 months), significant improvements were observed in VAS scores for low back pain (from 7.8±0.8 to 2.1±1.4) and leg pain (from 8.1±1.3 to 1.9±1.5) as well as ODI scores (from 50.4±15.4 to 14.8±10.5). The cohort consisted of patients with grades 1 (73.2%) and 2 LS (26.8%) at L4–L5 (58.6%), L5–S1 (34.1%), and L3–L4 (7.3%) levels. The mean operation time was 182.8±36.4 minutes, with a mean intraoperative blood loss of 190.5±81.3 mL and a mean hospital stay of 7.2±3.6 days. Successful fusion (Bridwell grades I/II) was achieved in 82.9% of the cases, with a 4.9% incidence of cage subsidence. Minor complications included durotomies in two patients (4.9%), whereas no major complications, such as nerve root injury, hardware-related issues, or postoperative infections, were reported. Conclusions The described BE-LIF technique, using HA bone grafts, which are an autologous bone from the preserved IAP, and a TLIF cage, is a viable, safe, and effective option for treating low-grade LS. This approach achieves favorable clinical outcomes and high fusion rates, which provides a cost-effective alternative to advanced surgical implants.

Methods: This study included 41 patients with single-level grades 1 or 2 LS from February 2023 to February 2024. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for back and leg pain and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Bridwell fusion grades were evaluated via lumbar spine computed tomography performed 6 months postoperatively. Results: Over a mean follow-up period of 10.6 months (range, 7–18 months), significant improvements were observed in VAS scores for low back pain (from 7.8±0.8 to 2.1±1.4) and leg pain (from 8.1±1.3 to 1.9±1.5) as well as ODI scores (from 50.4±15.4 to 14.8±10.5). The cohort consisted of patients with grades 1 (73.2%) and 2 LS (26.8%) at L4–L5 (58.6%), L5–S1 (34.1%), and L3–L4 (7.3%) levels. The mean operation time was 182.8±36.4 minutes, with a mean intraoperative blood loss of 190.5±81.3 mL and a mean hospital stay of 7.2±3.6 days. Successful fusion (Bridwell grades I/II) was achieved in 82.9% of the cases, with a 4.9% incidence of cage subsidence. Minor complications included durotomies in two patients (4.9%), whereas no major complications, such as nerve root injury, hardware-related issues, or postoperative infections, were reported. Conclusions The described BE-LIF technique, using HA bone grafts, which are an autologous bone from the preserved IAP, and a TLIF cage, is a viable, safe, and effective option for treating low-grade LS. This approach achieves favorable clinical outcomes and high fusion rates, which provides a cost-effective alternative to advanced surgical implants.