Background: s/Aims: Liver transplantation (LT) provides a favorable outcome for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and was launched in Vietnam in 2004. In this study, we evaluated the short-term and long-term outcomes of LT and its risk factors. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed HCC patients who underwent LT at Viet Duc University hospital, Vietnam, from 01/2012–03/2022. The following data were gathered: demographics, virus infection, tumor characteristics, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, Child-Pugh and MELD scores, selection criteria, type of LT, complications, 30-day mortality, and disease-free and overall survival (DFS and OS). Results: Fifty four patients were included, the mean age was 55.39 ± 8.46 years. Nearly 90% had hepatitis B virus-related HCC. The median (interquartile range) AFP level was 16.2 (88.7) ng/mL. The average MELD score was 10.57 ± 5.95; the rate of Child-Pugh A and B were 70.4% and 18.5%, respectively. Nearly 40% of the patients were within Milan criteria, brain-dead donor was 83.3%. Hepatic and portal vein thrombosis occurred in 0% and 1.9%, respectively; hepatic artery thrombosis 1.9%, biliary leakage 5.6%, and postoperative hemorrhage 3.7%. Ninety-day mortality was 5.6%. Five-year DFS and OS were 79.3% and 81.4%, respectively. MELD score and ChildPugh score were predictive factors for DFS and OS (p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, Child-Pugh score was the only significant factor (p < 0.05). Conclusions In Vietnam, LT is an effective therapy for HCC with an acceptable complication rate, mortality rate, and good survival outcomes, and should be further encouraged.

Backgroud: The aim of this study is to update on antibiotic resistance of common pathogenical bacteria isolated in Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital (Hue UMP Hospital). Methodology: Use of the agar disk diffusion method to test the susceptibility to antimicrobial agents of 3709 bacterial strains from infected patients hospitalized in Hue UMP Hospital in 2020 - 2022. Results: Among 3709 strains of pathogenical bacteria isolated, S.aureus was found with the rate of 29.9%, followed by E. coli (24.5%), Pseudomonas aeruginasa (17.8%), Enterococcus spp. (11.8%), Klebsiella spp (9.7%) and Acinetobacter spp (4.1%). The proportion of bacterial isolates has changed, but Staphylococcus aureus is still highest rate. S.aureus is resistant to many antibiotics, but MRSA strains have decreased significantly, from 73.3% in 2020 to 62.5% in 2022. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was resistant to some of the group A recommended antibiotics such as ceftazidime, piperacillin-tazobactam with the rate of 56.6% and 48.7%. The percentage of E. coli with ESBL strains (+) was at 28.2% - 30.3%. Enterococus spp strains are still sensitive to vancomycin (83.1% - 91.9%). The rate of Klebsiella ESBL (+) is only 6.9% to 8.2%. The strains of Acinetobacter spp were highly resistant to Piperacillin (100%) and Ceftriaxone (96.5%) but they are still sensitive to imipenems 70 - 71%, highly sensitive to Doxycillin (95.2%) and Cefotaxime (88.4%). Conclusion: Many bacterial strains are resistant to many commonly antibiotics. Providing timely, regular, and effective management of antibiotic resistance patterns for common pathogenic bacteria in hospitals, will help reduce the risk of bacterial resistance.

Purpose: Laparoscopic surgery is considered a promising approach for Hartmann reversal but is also a complicated major surgical procedure. We conducted a retrospective analysis at a city hospital in Vietnam to evaluate the treatment technique and outcomes of laparoscopic Hartmann reversal (LHR). Methods: A colorectal surgery database in 5 years between 2015 and 2019 (1,175 cases in total) was retrieved to collect 35 consecutive patients undergoing LHR. Results: The patients had a median age of 61 years old. The median operative time was 185 minutes. All the procedures were first attempted laparoscopically with a conversion rate of 20.0% (7 of 35 cases). There was no intraoperative complication. Postoperative mortality and morbidity were 0 and 11.4% (2 medical, 1 deep surgical site infection, and 1 anastomotic leak required reoperation) respectively. The median time to first bowel activity was 2.8 days and median length of hospital stay was 8 days. Conclusion When performed by skilled surgeons, LHR is a feasible and safe operation with acceptable morbidity rate.

Objectives: Online misinformation has reached unprecedented levels during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study analyzed the magnitude and sentiment dynamics of misinformation and unverified information about public health interventions during a COVID-19 outbreak in Da Nang, Vietnam, between July and September 2020. Methods: We analyzed user-generated online information about five public health interventions during the Da Nang outbreak. We compared the volume, source, sentiment polarity, and engagements of online posts before, during, and after the outbreak using negative binomial and logistic regression, and assessed the content validity of the 500 most influential posts. Results: Most of the 54,528 online posts included were generated during the outbreak (n = 46,035; 84.42%) and by online newspapers (n = 32,034; 58.75%). Among the 500 most influential posts, 316 (63.20%) contained genuine information, 10 (2.00%) contained misinformation, 152 (30.40%) were non-factual opinions, and 22 (4.40%) contained unverifiable information. All misinformation posts were made during the outbreak, mostly on social media, and were predominantly negative. Higher levels of engagement were observed for information that was unverifiable (incidence relative risk [IRR] = 2.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33–0.62), posted during the outbreak (before: IRR = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.07–0.35; after: IRR = 0.46; 95% CI, 0.34-0.63), and with negative sentiment (IRR = 1.84; 95% CI, 1.23–2.75). Negatively toned posts were more likely to be misinformation (odds ratio [OR] = 9.59; 95% CI, 1.20–76.70) or unverified (OR = 5.03; 95% CI, 1.66–15.24). Conclusions Misinformation and unverified information during the outbreak showed clustering, with social media being particularly affected. This indepth assessment demonstrates the value of analyzing online “infodemics” to inform public health responses.

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.

SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7, first detected in September 2020 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, has spread quickly to many countries around the world. While some publications have described the clinical features of adult patients with the B.1.1.7 variant, little information is available on newborn patients. We report the clinical characteristics, treatment and care practices for a 21-day-old newborn patient who was confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 in Viet Nam during contact tracing after her father was confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2. The patient displayed no symptoms of COVID-19 on admission but 3 days later developed diarrhoea, vomiting, a runny nose and a productive cough. These symptoms lasted for 3 days before becoming milder for 1 day and then stopping until discharge. During treatment, the patient received Vietnamese traditional herbal peppermint extracts for cough and digestive probiotics for diarrhoeal symptoms. A saltwater solution (Sterimar 0.9%) was used to clean the patient’s sinuses. The patient was cared for and fed breastmilk by her mother, who was provided with personal protective equipment, including sterilized infant equipment, medical masks and hand sanitizer, during hospitalization. The patient’s mother tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 throughout hospitalization. In conclusion, we found no severely abnormal clinical symptoms in a newborn infected with SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 during treatment. Our case suggests that newborn patients with the B.1.1.7 variant can receive exclusive breastmilk feeding if sufficient preventive measures are provided for both mother and child.

Background: Viet Nam confirmed its first case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on 23 January 2020 among travellers from Wuhan, China, and experienced several clusters of community transmission until September. Viet Nam implemented an aggressive testing, isolation, contact tracing and quarantine strategy in response to all laboratory-confirmed cases. We report the results of SARS-CoV-2 testing during the first half of 2020 in northern Viet Nam. Methods: Between January and May 2020, 15 650 upper respiratory tract specimens were collected from 14 470 suspected cases and contacts in northern Viet Nam. All were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by real-time RT-PCR. Individuals with positive specimens were tested every three days until two tests were negative. Positive specimens from 81 individuals were cultured. Results: Among 14 470 tested individuals, 158 (1.1%) cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were confirmed; 89 were imported and 69 were associated with community transmission. Most patients (122, 77%) had negative results after two tests, while 11 and 4 still tested positive when sampled a third and fourth time, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 was isolated from 29 of 81 specimens (36%) with a cycle threshold (Ct) value <30. Seven patients who tested positive again after testing negative had Ct values >30 and negative cultures. Conclusion Early, widespread testing for SARS-CoV-2 in northern Viet Nam identified very few cases, which, when combined with other aggressive strategies, may have dramatically contained the epidemic. We observed rapid viral clearance and very few positive results after clearance. Large-scale molecular diagnostic testing is a critical part of early detection and containment of COVID-19 in Viet Nam and will remain necessary until vaccination is widely implemented.

Objective: At the time of this study, the prevention of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) relied solely on nonpharmaceutical interventions. Implementation of these interventions is not always optimal and, consequently, several cases were imported into non-epidemic areas and led to large community outbreaks. This report describes the characteristics of the first community outbreak of COVID-19 in Viet Nam and the intensive preventive measures taken in response. Methods: Cases were detected and tested for SARS-CoV-2 by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Contact tracing and active surveillance were conducted to identify suspected cases and individuals at risk. Clinical symptoms were recorded using a standardized questionnaire. Results: In Vinh Phuc province from 20 January to 3 March 2020, there were 11 confirmed cases among 158 suspected cases and 663 contacts. Nine of the confirmed cases (81.8%) had mild symptoms at the time of detection and two (18.2%) were asymptomatic; none required admission to an intensive care unit. Five prevention and control measures were implemented, including quarantining a community of 10 645 individuals for 20 days. The outbreak was successfully contained as of 13 February 2020. Discussion: In the absence of specific interventions, the intensive use of combined preventive measures can mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The lessons learned may be useful for other communities.

Three yeast strains (Hue-1, Hue-8, and Hue-19) with strong heavy metal tolerance were isolated from mangosteen from Hue city, Vietnam. They exhibited identical phenotype and phylogeny. Sequence analysis of the D1/D2 region of the LSU rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region demonstrated that the closest relative of these strains is Papiliotrema sp. with 2.12% and 3.55–3.7% divergence in the D1/D2 domain, and ITS domain, respectively. Based on the physiological, biochemical, and molecular data, the three strains belong to a novel species of Papiliotrema genus, for which the namePapiliotrema huenov sp. nov. is proposed. These strains are highly tolerant of heavy metals compared to other yeasts, being able to grow in the presence of 2 mM Pb (II), 2 mM Cd (II), and up to 5 mM Ni (II), but no growth was observed in the presence of 1 mM As (III).

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.