Vitamin D status of pregnant and non-pregnant women of reproductive age living in Hanoi City and the Hai Duong province of Vietnam

Vitamin D insufficiency during pregnancy has been associated with a number of adverse outcomes for both mother and child. Vitamin D insufficiency has been well described in many populations of both pregnant and non-pregnant women of childbearing age, but there is a lack of data on women living in South-East Asia. We measured plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D in a representative sample of pregnant (n=64) and non-pregnant (n=477) women (15-49 years) living in Hanoi City (n=270) and rural Hai Duong Province (n=271) in northern Vietnam. Mean 25-hydroxyvitamin D (95% confidence interval) concentration was 81 (79, 84)nmolL(-1) . Mean 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration differed between urban and rural (78 vs. 85nmolL(-1) ; P=0.016), farming and non-farming (89 vs. 77nmolL(-1) ; P<0.001) but not pregnant and non-pregnant or older vs. younger women. Only one woman had a 25-hydroxyvitamin D less than 25nmolL(-1) , a concentration indicative of vitamin D deficiency. Of the women, 7% and 48% of the women were vitamin D insufficient based on cut-offs for plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D of 50 and 75nmolL(-1) , respectively. Mean plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations of these Vietnamese women were much higher than those reported in other studies of pregnant and non-pregnant women in the region.     

A sensitive real-time PCR for detection and subgrouping of human respiratory syncytial virus

Improved diagnostic tools for rapid detection, quantitation, and subgrouping of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are needed to aid the development and evaluation of novel intervention strategies. A quantitative real-time RT-PCR using specific locked nucleic acid (LNA) probes was developed to identify RSV and to distinguish RSV subgroups A and B (RSV LNA assay). RSV subgroup diversity and the relationship between viral load and disease severity in confirmed RSV infections were also explored. 264 archived respiratory specimens from pediatric patients were tested in parallel using the commercial multiplex Seeplex™ RV detection kit (Seegene) and the novel RSV LNA assay. The LNA assay demonstrated a significantly higher sensitivity than Seeplex, improving overall detection rates from 24% (64/264) to 32% (84/264). Detection limits of 9.0 × 10¹ and 6.0 × 10² copies/mL were observed for RSV A and B, respectively. RSV A was detected in 53/84 (63%) cases, and 31/84 (37%) were positive for RSV B. This novel method offers a rapid, quantitative, highly specific and sensitive approach to laboratory diagnosis of RSV.     

Helminth infections among people using wastewater and human excreta in peri-urban agriculture and aquaculture in Hanoi, Vietnam

Objective To assess the prevalence of helminth infections and their associated risks in a community using both wastewater and human excreta in agriculture and aquaculture. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted in a peri‐urban area in Hanoi, Vietnam. Data on the demography, socioeconomics and sanitation were collected from a survey of 400 agricultural households. Parasitological examination for the eggs of Ascaris sp., Trichuris sp. and hookworm was performed on single stool specimens obtained from study household members’ 15–70 years and 0–72 months of age. Results Of 807 stool samples collected from 620 adults and 187 children, 39% were infected with helminths. The prevalence of infections with Ascaris sp., Trichuris sp. and hookworm was 21.6%, 9.8% and 21.8%, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that being an adult, female gender, living in a household without a latrine, excreta composted for less than 1 month and use of fresh human excreta were significantly associated with co‐infection with all three helminths. Being an adult was an independent determinant for infections with individual helminths. The absence of a latrine and use of stored urine for irrigation were associated with an increased risk of Ascaris infection. Risk factors for Trichuris infection were inadequately composted excreta and year‐round wastewater contact; risk factors for hookworm infection were female gender, household without a latrine and use of fresh human excreta. Conclusion Wastewater exposure did not pose a major risk for helminth infection in this community. Instead, lack of sanitation facilities and use of fresh or inadequately composted human excreta in agriculture were important risk factors.     

Antimalarial and cytotoxic activities of ethnopharmacologically selected medicinal plants from South Vietnam

Malaria is a major global public health problem and the alarming spread of drug resistance and limited number of effective drugs now available underline how important it is to discover new antimalarial compounds. An ethnopharmacological investigation was undertaken of medicinal plants traditionally used to treat malaria in the South Vietnam. Forty-nine plants were identified, 228 extracts were prepared and tested for their in vitro activity against Plasmodium falciparum, and assessed for any cytotoxicity against the human cancer cell line HeLa and the embryonic lung MRC5 cell line. In a first screening at a concentration of 10 microg/ml, 92 extracts from 46 plants showed antiplasmodial activity (parasite growth inhibition >30%). The IC(50) values of the most active extracts were determined as well as their selectivity towards Plasmodium falciparum in comparison to their cytotoxic effects against the human cell lines. Six plants showed interesting antiplasmodial activity (IC(50) ranging from 0.4 to 8.6 microg/ml) with a good selectivity: two Menispermaceae, Arcangelisia flava (L.) Merr. and Fibraurea tinctoria Lour., and also Harrisonia perforata (Blanco) Merr. (Simaroubaceae), Irvingia malayana Oliv. ex Benn. (Irvingiaceae), Elaeocarpus kontumensis Gagn. (Elaeocarpaceae) and Anneslea fragrans Wall. (Theaceae).     

TTO utility scores measure quality of life in patients with visual morbidity due to diabetic retinopathy or ARMD

PURPOSE To evaluate the utility scores in patients with varying degrees of visual morbidity due to diabetic retinopathy or ARMD. METHODS Patients with vision =20/40 in one eye due to diabetic retinopathy or ARMD were enrolled. Utility scores were measured by the time trade-off (TTO) method after stratifying the patient population with visual impairment in the better eye (group 1, 20/20 to 20/40; group 2, 20/50 to 20/100; group 3, 20/200 to no light perception). RESULTS Sub-group analysis revealed that subjects in group 1 were willing to give up a median of 1 year as compared to 3 years by the subjects in group 3 for perfect bilateral visual acuity (P &lt; 0.05). The median utility score was 0.94 for group 1, 0.96 for group 2 and 0.80 for group 3. While the utility scores for groups 1 and 2 were comparable (P &gt; 0.05), there was a significant difference in the utility scores between groups 1 and 3 and between groups 2 and 3 (P &lt; 0.05). There was no significant effect on the utility scores of age, educational level or prior ocular surgery. CONCLUSION Substantial visual loss secondary to diabetic retinopathy or ARMD is associated with a significant decrease in utility scores. However, TTO scores were not sensitive enough to demonstrate a difference between subjects with mild (group 1) and moderate (group 2) visual loss in the better eye secondary to diabetic retinopathy or ARMD.     

越南药用植物研究与开发概况

介绍了越南传统医学的基本情况和越南药用植物的研究与开发进展,对中、越在传统医学、药用植物研究及国际贸易等方面的合作进行了展望。     

SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Hippopotamus,Hanoi, Vietnam

While investigating the death of a hippopotamus at a zoo in Hanoi, Vietnam, we isolated SARS-CoV-2 and sequenced the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene from different organs. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the SARS-CoV-2 strain was closely related to 3 human SARS-CoV-2 strains in Vietnam.     

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and its determinants among Vietnamese teachers: a web-based cross-sectional survey

ObjectivesThis paper aimed to describe acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine and its determinants among Vietnamese teachers.MethodsThis was a web-based cross-sectional survey with a sample of 17,176 teachers from kindergarten to high school who currently reside in Vietnam. A participant who exhibited “acceptance” towards the vaccine gave the following response: “have the readiness to get COVID-19 vaccine”.ResultsAbout 88% of all participants were accepting of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 70.4% were willing to pay (WTP) for it. The vaccine acceptance rate increased by age with odds ratios (OR) of 1.65 (1.41–1.93), 1.96 (1.67–2.29), and 2.4 (1.95–2.95) for the age groups 30–39, 40–49, and 50–59 respectively, when compared to the 18–29 age group. Male were found to be more likely to accept the vaccination than females (OR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.02–1.31); teachers without a chronic disease were 4.13 times (95% CI: 2.67–6.37) more likely to accept the vaccine than those with an underlying condition. Willingness to pay and beliefs about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine were major factors in driving participants'' responses.ConclusionA high proportion of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance is a promising indicator of high coverage among this priority group for vaccination. Communication campaigns should consider addressing determinants uncovered by this study to achieve better vaccine acceptance.