Clinical, Laboratory Characteristic, and Treatment of Human Toxocariasis in Northern Vietnam.

Background: We determined the occurrence frequency of Clinical signs, subclinical characteristics on positive anti-IgG Toxocara ELISA cases, and clinical response results after 1 month of albendazole-specific treatment. Methods: A number of 103 clinically treated patients were studied between 2018 and 2019 in two hospitals. Relevant data are collected from examination and medical records such as age, sex, job, resident, clinical and sub-clinical signs. Sera samples were subjected to anti-IgG Toxocara antigen using ELISA. Results: The median age of the patient was 43.6 ± 14.4 years. The most common symptom groups were the skin and mucosa (88.3%), followed by neurological symptoms (44%). There are 76.7% of patients with risk factors for contact with pet dogs and cats. The majority of eosinophils in the normal range (< 8%) accounted for 85.4%, the major results of the OD value of ELISA were in the group (≥ 0.3-< 1.5) accounted for 75.7%. The skin and mucosa lesions in toxocariasis patients related to IgE values were statistically significant (P <0.05). The effectiveness of anthelmintic treatment is low with nearly half of patients having no clinical symptoms after 1 month of post-treatment. It is statistically significant between exposure to dogs/cats and treatment outcomes on clinical symptoms (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Toxocara infections in Vietnamese people often have skin allergies and liver damage, rarely with severe neurological symptoms. The efficacy of albendazole treatment after one month is not clear. In the near future, research with a confirmatory test other than Anti-IgG Toxocara ELISA is needed to screen for inhospital diagnosis.

The Relationship Between Dry Eye in Adults with Indications for Kidney Transplantation and Influence Factors.

PURPOSE: Patients with end-stage renal failure are susceptible to dry eye disease. This study explores the relationship between dry eye disease and influence factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The control group consisted of 57 healthy subjects who were kidney donors. They were of the same age and sex as the kidney transplant recipients. The outcome variable was the dry eye condition of the participants. The Schirmer test confirmed dry eye disease, TBUT (breakup time test), and the Eye Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, using linear regression to evaluate the association. RESULTS: The total number of subjects was 146 (89 kidney recipients and 57 kidney donors). When univariate analysis found the level of visual acuity, the age group involved was statistically significant, while the other factors were not statistically significant. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, age (odds ratio: 2.8, p<0.05), smoking history (odd ratio: 0.1, p<0.05), corneal conjunctival calcification (odd ratio: 0.2, p<0.05); central corneal thickness (odd ratio: 1.02, p<0.05) is considered to be an influence factor for disease progression. CONCLUSION: Age group, smoking history, corneal central thickness, and conjunctival calcification are factors for dry eye disease in patients preparing to receive a kidney. These results reinforce the evidence for multifactorial dry eye disease in patients with renal impairment.

Identification of Trombiculid Chigger Mites Collected on Rodents from Southern Vietnam and Molecular Detection of Rickettsiaceae Pathogen.

Trombiculid "chigger" mites (Acari) are ectoparasites that feed blood on rodents and another animals. A crosssectional survey was conducted in 7 ecosystems of southern Vietnam from 2015 to 2016. Chigger mites were identified with morphological characteristics and assayed by polymerase chain reaction for detection of rickettsiaceae. Overall chigger infestation among rodents was 23.38%. The chigger index among infested rodents was 19.37 and a mean abundance of 4.61. A total of 2,770 chigger mites were identified belonging to 6 species, 3 genera, and 1 family, and pooled into 141 pools (10-20 chiggers per pool). Two pools (1.4%) of the chiggers were positive for Orientia tsutsugamushi. Ricketsia spp. was not detected in any pools of chiggers. Further studies are needed including a larger number and diverse hosts, and environmental factors to assess scrub typhus.

Evaluation of Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin and Kidney Injury Molecule-1 as Diagnostic Markers for Early Nephropathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was evaluating the early diagnostic value of two specific tubular markers neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) in diabetes nephropathy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study was carried in three groups of patients from 10/2017 to 10/2018 in Military Hospital 103. Group I included 30 healthy peoples with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) >60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and urine albumin creatinine ratio (uACR) <30 mg/g. Group II included 30 type 2 diabetic patients having uACR <30 mg/g, eGFR >60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Group III included 30 type 2 diabetic patients having uACR >30 mg/g, eGFR >60 mL/min/1.73 m2. RESULTS: Urine KIM-1 and NGAL increased progressively from control group (57.29 ± 25.91 pg/mL; 25.71 ± 13.69 ng/mL) to the group of diabetic patients with uACR <30 mg/g (167.06 ± 44.01 pg/mL; 37.42 ± 10.89 ng/mL) and the group of diabetic patients with uACR ≥30 mg/g) (p < 0.05). There were moderate correlations between KIM-1 (r = 0.48, p < 0.05) and NGAL (r = 0.45, p < 0.05) with uACR. There was a mild correlation between KIM-1 and NGAL (r = 0.29, p < 0.05). KIM-1 and NGAL are the independent tests to detect diabetic nephropathy. The sensivity and specificity of KIM-1 with cut-off value of 174.95 pg/mL were 62.37% and 73.48%, respectively; the sensivity and specificity of NGAL with cut-off value of 35.2 ng/mL were 60.45% and 70.37%, respectively. CONCLUSION: KIM-1 and NGAL in urine are independent markers for early diagnostic diabetic nephropathy.