Adaptation and validation of the Vietnamese Translated Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire / Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies

Objectives.@#There is no existing Vietnamese diabetes knowledge questionnaire. This impedes assessment of patient knowledge that will be helpful in providing effective diabetes intervention. We aimed to validate the Vietnamese Translated Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ).@*Methodology@#Translation and adaptation strictly followed the guidelines of Beaton et al. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, test-retest reliability was assessed by Fleiss’ Kappa coefficient, and validity value was determined among type 2 diabetes patients in a general hospital.@*Results@#The Vietnamese version of the DKQ had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha for all items = 0.898) and stability (Kappa coefficient >0.600). The average score for all equivalence criteria was 1.00, demonstrating good equivalence to the original. The significant difference between knowledge score and education level (p <0.001) confirmed construct validity.@*Conclusion@#Our study provided a reliable Vietnamese version of the DKQ. Future studies may apply the version in different regions in Vietnam to determine external validity.

Effectiveness of educational interventions on knowledge and counseling regarding common cold management: The case of community pharmacists in Hue, Vietnam

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of educational interventions on the knowledge andcounseling practice of community pharmacists in Hue, Vietnam with respect to common cold management.Method: Thirty-eight pharmacists were invited to participate in educational initiatives, including in-class training andreference to a printed pocket handbook. The knowledge was measured before and after the interventions via a paperbased test, and actual practice was evaluated via a pseudo customer experiment a week later.Results: The interventions significantly improved pharmacists’ knowledge (p = 0.001). In the pre-test, only 37.4%of the participants provided correct answers, but this increased to 83.9% in the post-test. In the pseudo customerexperiment, pharmacists asked about patient identification, age, and symptoms (93.3%, 80.0%, and 80.0%,respectively) but not about medical and medication histories or allergies (less than 20%). All pharmacists offeredadvice as regards dosage, but only half of them shared information on drug names and indications. A third providedguidance on drug interactions. Practices related to inappropriate drug dispensing included the issuance of incorrectmedications or the sale of prescription-only drugs to customers with no prescriptions.Conclusion: Although educational interventions effectively enhance the knowledge and counseling practice ofpharmacists, a huge gap continues to exist between these variables.

Adjustment of Modified Carbapenem Inactivation Method Conditions for Rapid Detection of Carbapenemase-Producing Acinetobacter baumannii

BACKGROUND: The existing modified carbapenem inactivation methods (mCIMs) recommended by the CLSI for detecting carbapenemase production have not been applicable for Acinetobacter baumannii. We evaluated the influence of matrices used in mCIMs and CIMTris on the stability of the disks for detecting carbapenemase producers and suggested optimal mCIM conditions for detecting carbapenemase-producing A. baumannii. METHODS: Seventy-three A. baumannii isolates characterized for antimicrobial susceptibility and carbapenemase encoding genes were tested for carbapenemase production using mCIM and CIMTris. The influence of the matrices (Tryptic soy broth [TSB] and Tris-HCl) used in these methods on the stability of the meropenem (MEM) disk was also evaluated. The mCIM conditions were adjusted to enhance screening sensitivity and specificity for detecting carbapenemase-producing A. baumannii. RESULTS: The matrices had an impact on the stability of the MEM disk after the incubation period (two or four hrs). TSB nutrient broth is an appropriate matrix for mCIM compared with Tris-HCl pH 7.6, which leads to the loss of MEM activity in CIMTris. The sensitivity and the specificity of the optimal mCIM were both 100%. CONCLUSIONS: We established optimal mCIM conditions for simple, accurate, and reproducible detection of carbapenemase-producing A. baumannii.

Anti-inflammatory components of the Vietnamese starfish Protoreaster nodosus

BACKGROUND: In the present study, we examined the inhibitory effects of a methanolic extract, dichloromethane fraction, water layer, and polyhydroxylated sterols (1-4) isolated from the Vietnamese starfish Protoreaster nodosus on pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-12 p40, IL-6, and TNF-α) production in LPS-stimulated bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). RESULTS: The methanolic extract and dichloromethane fraction exerted potent inhibitory effects on the production of all three pro-inflammatory cytokines, with IC50 values ranging from 0.60 ± 0.01 to 26.19 ± 0.64 µg/mL. Four highly pure steroid derivatives (1-4) were isolated from the dichloromethane fraction and water layer of P. nodosus. Potent inhibitory activities were also observed for (25S)5α-cholestane-3ß,4ß,6α,7α,8ß,15α,16ß,26-octol (3) on the production of IL-12 p40 and IL-6 (IC50s = 3.11 ± 0.08 and 1.35 ± 0.03 µM), and for (25S) 5α-cholestane-3ß,6α,8ß,15α,16ß,26-hexol (1) and (25S)5α-cholestane-3ß,6α,7α,8ß,15α,16ß,26-heptol (2) on the production of IL-12 p40 (IC50s = 0.01 ± 0.00 and and 1.02 ± 0.01 µM). Moreover, nodososide (4) exhibited moderate inhibitory effects on IL-12 p40 and IL-6 production. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of the anti-inflammatory activity from the starfish P. nodosus. The main finding of this study is the identification oxygenated steroid derivatives from P. nodosus with potent anti-inflammatory activities that may be developed as therapeutic agents for inflammatory diseases.

The Protective Effect of Eupatilin against Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Injury Involving 5-Lipoxygenase in Feline Esophageal Epithelial Cells

In this study, we focused to identify whether eupatilin (5,7-dihydroxy-3',4',6-trimethoxyflavone), an extract from Artemisia argyi folium, prevents H2O2-induced injury of cultured feline esophageal epithelial cells. Cell viability was measured by the conventional MTT reduction assay. Western blot analysis was performed to investigate the expression of 5-lipoxygenase by H2O2 treatment in the absence and presence of inhibitors. When cells were exposed to 600 microM H2O2 for 24 hours, cell viability was decreased to 40%. However, when cells were pretreated with 25~150 microM eupatilin for 12 hours, viability was significantly restored in a concentration-dependent manner. H2O2-treated cells were shown to express 5-lipoxygenase, whereas the cells pretreated with eupatilin exhibited reduction in the expression of 5-lipoxygenase. The H2O2-induced increase of 5-lipoxygenase expression was prevented by SB202190, SP600125, or NAC. We further demonstrated that the level of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) was also reduced by eupatilin, SB202190, SP600125, NAC, or nordihydroguaiaretic acid (a lipoxygenase inhibitor) pretreatment. H2O2 induced the activation of p38MAPK and JNK, this activation was inhibited by eupatilin. These results indicate that eupatilin may reduce H2O2-induced cytotoxicity, and 5-lipoxygenase expression and LTB4 production by controlling the p38 MAPK and JNK signaling pathways through antioxidative action in feline esophageal epithelial cells.

Qualitative assessment of washed human normal sperm after cryopreservation

Background: Sperm cryopreservation becomes a relatively routine process in assisted reproductive centers. However, there must be ensured quality of washed human normal sperm and cryopreservation to successful fertilization. Objective: To evaluate the quality of washed human normal sperm after cryopreservation. Subjects and method: 30 normal semen samples, each sample was divided into two parts for washed and unwashed spermatozoa. All samples were cryopreserved in 1, 2 and 30 days. Evaluating and comparing the quality of sperm before and after which washed, pre-cryopreservation and post-cryopreservation between the groups were performed. Results: The quality of sperm after washing was more significantly improved than before washing. Post-cryopreservation, the quality of sperm was reduced time by time but within an accepted limitation. There was not a significant difference between the two ways of preparation before cryopreservation. Conclusions: The quality of sperm at post-cryopreservation was reduced (both washed sperm and unwashed sperm). The quality of washed sperm is reduced continuously with time, but there was no difference between the two studied groups.

Effects of Cryopreservation on Morphological Characteristics of Washed Spermatozoa from Normozoospermia

Introduction: Successful cryopreservation of spermatozoa must ensure normal newborns after the preservation time. This method frequently can potentially contain cross-infected risks during the cryopreservation process in the liquid nitrogen environment (such as HCV, HIV). A number of researchers reveal that these risks can be eliminated by washing spermatozoa before cryopreservation. However, the problem is whether cryopreservation of washed spermatozoa still retains its morphology and function or not? \r\n', u'Objectives: To evaluate the change of sperm morphology characteristics after which washed sperm cryopreserved from normozoospermia. \r\n', u'Subjects and method: 30 normal semen samples; each sample was divided into two aliquots of washed and unwashed spermatozoa. All samples were cryopreserved in stages of 1, 2 and 30 days. We compared the percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology before and after which was washed, pre - cryopreservation and post - cryopreservation between the groups. \r\n', u'Results: The percentage 0 spermatozoon with normal morphology after washing was more significantly increased than prior to washing. Post - cryopreservation, this percentage was reduced time by time but acceptable. There is no significant difference between the two ways of preparation before cryopreservation. The percentage of spermatozoa with abnormal head and neck increased significantly after cryopreservation. \r\n', u'Conclusion: The percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology post - cryopreservation was reduced in both washed sperm and unwashed sperm samples. This percentage was reduced time by time, but there is no difference between the two groups studied. \r\n', u'\r\n', u'