Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices on Reproductive Health Among Abortion Adolescents in Vietnam.

Background: Adolescent pregnancy is a global issue. The majority of these adolescents experience unintended pregnancy ending in abortion. Knowledge gaps and misconceptions about reproductive health are the main reasons for unintended pregnancy among adolescents. Objective: This study aims to identify knowledge, attitudes, practices, and related factors of reproductive health among adolescent post-abortion or those seeking abortion at Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital (HOGH), a tertiary hospital in Vietnam. Methods: Ours was a descriptive cross-sectional study of 103 adolescents who sought induced abortions between January 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023. Participants were interviewed directly via questionnaires to collect information. Results: The mean age of participants was 16.3 years. 64.1% of the population did not have general knowledge regarding reproductive health, 42.7% of subjects displayed incorrect attitudes regarding reproductive health. As a result, lack of knowledge and incorrect attitudes led to unsafe sex. The percentage of adolescents practicing unsafe sex is incredibly high (90.3%) thus causing unintended pregnancies. Education levels and family economic status were the main factors linked to knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding reproductive health. Conclusion: Most adolescents seeking abortion had poor KAP regarding reproductive health. Their KAP of reproductive health were linked to levels of education and family economic status. The findings emphasize the need to provide reproductive health care information and services for adolescents, and the need for appropriate attention from both family and society to the target group. We believe this will result in the improvement of their health and the avoidance of unfortunate consequences.

Dual Emission Carbon Dots for Simultaneous Detections of Pb2+ and Fe3+ Ions in Water Via Distinct Sensing Mechanisms.

Herein, dual-emission carbon dots (DE-CDs) were synthesized using a one-pot hydrothermal method. DE-CDs exhibited two well-separated peaks at 433 and 513 nm under ultraviolet excitation. The prepared DE-CDs offer selective detection of Fe3+ ions via inner filter effect (IFE) and Pb2+ ions via aggregation-induced enhancement (AIE). The obtained DE-CDs showed a good affinity for both Fe3+ and Pb2+ ions in the presence of various interfering ions. The limits of detection were 0.797 ppm and 4.739 ppm for Pb2+ and Fe3+, respectively. The finding reveals the huge potential of DE-CDs for the selective detection of multiple targets in one solution.

Mosquito Larvicidal Activity, Antimicrobial Activity, and Chemical Compositions of Essential Oils from Four Species of Myrtaceae from Central Vietnam.

Mosquitoes are important vectors of several diseases, and control of these insects is imperative for human health. Insecticides have proven useful in controlling mosquito populations, but insecticide resistance and environmental concerns are increasing. Additionally, emerging and re-emerging microbial infections are problematic. Essential oils have been shown to be promising mosquito larvicidal agents as well as antimicrobial agents. In this work, the essential oils from four species of Myrtaceae (Baeckea frutescens, Callistemon citrinus, Melaleuca leucadendra, and Syzygium nervosum) growing wild in central Vietnam have been obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatographic techniques. The essential oils have been screened for mosquito larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus, and for antimicrobial activity against Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. Callistemon citrinus fruit essential oil, rich in α-pinene (35.1%), 1,8-cineole (32.4%), limonene (8.2%), and α-terpineol (5.8%) showed good larvicidal activity with 24-h LC50 = 17.3 µg/mL against both Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus, and good antibacterial activity against E. faecalis (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 16 µg/mL) The 48-h larvicidal activities of M. leucadendra leaf essential oil, rich in α-eudesmol (17.6%), guaiol (10.9%), linalool (5.1%), (E)-caryophyllene (7.0%), and bulnesol (3.6%) were particularly notable, with LC50 of 1.4 and 1.8 µg/mL on Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus. Similarly, M. leucadendra bark essential oil, with α-eudesmol (24.1%) and guaiol (11.3%), showed good antibacterial activity against. E. faecalis. Both B. frutescens and C. citrinus leaf essential oils demonstrated anti-Candida activities with MIC values of 16 µg/mL. The results of this investigation suggest that essential oils derived from the Myrtaceae may serve as "green" alternatives for the control of mosquitoes and/or complementary antimicrobial agents.

Dry Eyes Status on Des Scale and Related Factors in Outpatients at Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology.

BACKGROUND: Dry eye (DE) can effect on quality of life by pain, inability to perform certain activities that require prolonged attention (driving, reading,…) and productivity at work and finally effect to Q0L associated with DE. OSDI is scale questionnaire is created team to measure the quality of life related to ocular surface disease. AIM: To describe the dry eye disease according to OSDI scale and related factors of this disease. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on outpatients (≥ 16-year-old) who were examined and diagnosed with dry eyes at Vietnam National Institute Of Ophthalmology from April to July 2018. Data was collected using the OSDI questionnaire. RESULTS: The average age of participants was 44.6 years; 80.9% of patients were female; 39.9% were identified having mild dry eye. The related factors have been identified that associated with severe dry eye, including age OR = 1.03 (95% CI: 1.01-1.05, p = 0.005), binocular good vision OR = 0.11 (95% CI: 0.05-0.23; p < 0.0001), medical history OR = 17.09 (95% CI: 2.24-130.25; p < 0.0001), chronic conjunctivitis OR = 0.36 (95% CI: 0.14-0.91; p = 0.027), refractive errors OR = 0.14 (95% CI: 0.04-0.48; p < 0.0001), Sjogren's syndrome OR = 31.13 (95% CI: 7.08-136.76; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Several related factors have been identified associated with severe dry eye, including: age, binocular good vision, medical history, chronic conjunctivitis, refractive errors, Sjogren's syndrome.

Chemical Constituents from the Fruiting Bodies of Hexagonia apiaria and Their Anti-inflammatory Activity.

A chemical investigation of the fruiting bodies of Hexagonia apiaria resulted in the identification of nine compounds including five new triterpenoids, hexagonins A-E (1-5), along with four known compounds. The purified constituents were examined for their anti-inflammatory activity. Among the tested compounds, hexatenuin A displayed the most significant inhibition of superoxide anion generation and elastase release. These triterpenoids may have potentials as anti-inflammatory agents.

Influenza-like illness in a Vietnamese province: epidemiology in correlation with weather factors and determinants from the surveillance system.

BACKGROUND: Seasonal influenza affects from 5 to 15% of the world's population annually and causes an estimated 250,000-500,000 deaths worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 'sentinel surveillance' for influenza-like illness (ILI) because it is simple and calls for standardized methods at a relatively low cost that can be implemented throughout the world. In Vietnam, ILI is a key priority for public health also because of its annually recurring temporal pattern. Two major factors, on which the spread of influenza depends, are the strain of the virus and its rate of mutation, since flu strains constantly mutate as they compete with host immune systems. In the context of global climate change, the role of climatic factors has been discussed, as they may significantly contribute to the cause of large outbreaks of ILI. OBJECTIVES: 1) To describe the epidemiology of ILI in Ha Nam province, Vietnam; 2) to seek scientific evidence on the association of ILI occurrence with weather factors in Ha Nam province; and 3) to analyze factors from the Ha Nam ILI surveillance system that contribute to explaining the correlation between the ILI and the weather factors. DESIGN: A data set of 89,270 monthly reported ILI cases from 2008 to 2012 in Ha Nam was used to describe ILI epidemiological characteristics. Spearman correlation analyses between ILI cases and weather factors were conducted to identify which preceding period of months and weather patterns influenced the occurrence of ILI cases. Ten in-depth interviews with health workers in charge of recording and reporting ILI cases at different levels of the ILI surveillance system were conducted to gain a deeper understanding of factors contributing to explaining the relation between the ILI and the weather factors. RESULTS: The results indicated that the ILI occurred annually in all districts of the Ha Nam province in the five studied years. An epidemic occurred in 2009 with the number of cases three times higher than the average threshold. There was a relation between the ILI cases in the previous 1 month with ILI cases of the following month. A seasonal cycle of ILI and correlation between weather elements were not clearly detected. A qualitative study showed that the number of ILI cases reported by the Provincial Preventive Medicine Centre (PPMC) in Ha Nam might not have reflected the accurate number of seasonal ILI occurring in this area. This was due to three gaps in the ILI surveillance system that initially were detected through key in-depth interviews in the Duy Tien and Binh Luc districts. They reported inconsistent ways of recording and reporting ILI cases among communes, lack of ILI survey forms, and irregular and delayed feedback from the PPMC. CONCLUSIONS: There were no clear patterns of association between weather factors and ILI cases detected from the five studied years. The number of ILI cases reported by the PPMC in Ha Nam may not reflect adequately the actual number of seasonal ILI occurring in this area due to three weak points in the ILI surveillance system initially detected through the case of the Duy Tien and Binh Luc districts. These three weak points of the system should be examined by a study conducted in the remaining districts in Ha Nam.

Triterpenoids and steroids from Ganoderma mastoporum and their inhibitory effects on superoxide anion generation and elastase release.

The methanol extracts of the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma mastoporum collected in Vietnam was purified to afford eight compounds, including three triterpenoids and five steroids. The purified compounds were examined for their inhibitory effects against superoxide anion generation and elastase release. Among the tested compounds, ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one (3) exhibited the most significant inhibition towards superoxide anion generation and elastase release with IC50 values of 2.30 ± 0.38 and 1.94 ± 0.50 µg/mL, respectively.

Impact and perspective on chronic kidney disease in an Asian developing country: a large-scale survey in North Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Asia is expected to increase along with increases of hypertension and diabetes. Most cases are not treated and progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) with an increased risk for cardiovascular complications. Renal replacement therapies are so expensive that most ESRD patients die without treatment. Thus, countermeasures against early stages of CKD are urgently needed. Nevertheless, basic information for CKD has not been reported in Vietnam. METHODS: We conducted a survey of CKD in 8,505 inhabitants aged >40 years in Vietnam. Subjects with abnormal urinary findings were further examined, including serum creatinine levels. In this study, CKD was defined as <60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) of estimated creatinine clearance by the Cockcroft-Gault method. RESULTS: We identified 3.1% of subjects as CKD (stages 3-5) with positive findings in urine test. We also found that elderly hypertension and malnutrition were independent risk factors for CKD in this population. CONCLUSION: We found a significant number of CKD patients in Vietnam. To avoid a CKD pandemic in Asia including Vietnam, we strongly suggest further analyses of risk factors and prognosis of CKD in these populations, and the development of efficient management systems suitable for Asia.