Parenchymal-sparing anatomical hepatectomy based on portal ramification of the right anterior section: A prospective multicenter experience with short-term outcomes.

Backgrounds/Aims: Parenchymal-sparing anatomical hepatectomy (Ps-AH) based on portal ramification of the right anterior section (RAS) is a new technique to avoid unnecessarily transecting too much liver parenchyma, especially in cases of major anatomical hepatectomy. Methods: We prospectively assessed 26 patients with primary hepatic malignancies having undergone major Ps-AH based on portal ramification of the RAS from August 2018 to August 2022 (48 months). The perioperative indications, clinical data, intra-operative index, pathological postoperative specimens, postoperative complications, and follow-up results were retrospectively evaluated. Results: Among the 26 patients analyzed, there was just one case that had intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma The preoperative level of α-Fetoprotein was 25.2 ng/mL. All cases (100%) had Child-Pugh A liver function preoperatively. The ventral/dorsal RAS was preserved in 19 and 7 patients, respectively. The mean surgical margin was 6.2 mm. The mean surgical time was 228.5 minutes, while the mean blood loss was 255 mL. In pathology, 5 cases (19.2%) had microvascular invasion, and in the group of HCC patients, 92% of all cases had moderate or poor tumor differentiation. Six cases (23.1%) of postoperative complications were graded over III according to the Clavien-Dindo system, including in three patients resistant ascites or intra-abdominal abscess that required intervention. Conclusions: Parenchymal-sparing anatomical hepatectomy based on portal ramification of the RAS to achieve R0-resection was safe and effective, with favorable short-term outcomes. This technique can be used widely in clinical practice.

Psychological impacts of COVID-19 on Vietnamese health workers over the prolonged restricted COVID-19 responses: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed the psychological impact posed by COVID-19 and its associated factors on the healthcare workforce nationwide during the peak of Vietnam's fourth outbreak. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: Our study was conducted in 61 provinces of Vietnam. METHODS: A total of 2814 healthcare professionals in 61/63 provinces of Vietnam. An online questionnaire using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scales was distributed randomly to a subgroup of 503 respondents. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: To determine the impact of COVID-19 on the psychological of health workers, we conducted analyses to test a primary hypothesis related to participants based on three main scales including PHQ-9, PSS-4 and GAD-7 scales. RESULTS: Nearly half (49.7%) of healthcare workers experienced mild depression symptoms, 34.0% underwent moderate anxiety symptoms and 49.3% reported high-stress levels. Respondents who had a monthly income below 5 million VND (~US$212) and had more than 3 days of duty per week had a higher score on the anxiety scales. Compared with medical doctors, nurses/midwives had lower PHQ-9 (Coef=-2.53; 95% CI=-3.71 to -1.36) and GAD-7 scores (Coef=-2.36; 95% CI=-3.56 L to -1.16). Increased workload and work time was the harmful factor that increase the PHQ-9, GAD-7 or PSS-4 scores. More than half (53.9%) of respondents stated no demand for mental healthcare services. CONCLUSIONS: Health workers who gained less financial rewards are reported to have higher levels of mental distress than others, implying the need for a raise in basic salary as well as compensation and encouragement schemes. To tackle hesitancy in seeking mental help, integrating online mental health therapy with e-health consultations via social media can be strategically implemented to augment service delivery, and simultaneously enhance the standard of mental health services.

Upregulation of miRNA-155 in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients.

BACKGROUND: The upregulation of miRNA-155 (miR-155) has been associated with oncogenesis of many human tumors, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the profile of miR-155 in Vietnamese NPC patients has not been investigated. The current study aimed to evaluate the miR-155 expression and assess whether miR-155 is a potential biomarker for diagnosis of NPC in Vietnamese patients. METHODS: In current case-control study, total of RNA was isolated from 60 biopsy NPC samples and 60 non-cancerous swab samples were analyzed by Reverse-transcription PCR, qualitative Real-time PCR. RESULTS: The frequency of miR-155 detection were 78.33%, 15.0% in NPC and non-cancerous samples (P<0.05), respectively. The miR-155 expression level was 4.92 times higher in tumor samples than non-cancerous sample. CONCLUSION: Taken together, miR-155 in NPC was upregulated. It may serve as a potential biomarker for NPC in the Vietnamese population.

Molecular Screening of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: Detection of LMP-1, LMP-2 Gene Expression in Vietnamese Nasopharyngeal Swab Samples.

Objective: This study aimed to characterize the expression of LMP-1, LMP-2 in clinical swab samples in order to find out the potential molecular based biomarker for NPC diagnosis and screening, which could offer a chance in development of rapid method for NPC diagnosis in Vietnamese population. Materials and Methods: A total of 93 nasopharyngeal carcinoma swab samples and 100 healthy nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected to evaluate LMP-1, LMP-2 expression by Real-time reversed PCR. Results: we figured out the significant association between the expression of LMP-1 (counting for 48.39%), LMP-2 (counting for 39.78%) and NPC. No LMP-1 expression was observed, and only 1 of 100 specimens was detected with LMP-2 positive in healthy samples. In the combination of LMP-1 (+) and/or LMP-2 (+), the frequency of positive was 53.76%, greater than each gene expression. Additionally, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value of assay were 99.00%, 98.04%, 69.72%, and 77.02%, respectively. Additionally, the LMP-2 expression level was 5.50 times higher in NPC samples than non-cancerous samples. Conclusion: Our results indicated the molecular invasive method based on the expression of LMP-1, LMP-2 in swab samples would be a promising supplement in NPC diagnosis, screening in the near future in Vietnam.

miR-141 is up-regulated in biopsies from Vietnamese patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Novel biomarkers for screening, diagnosis and monitoring the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), one of the most common cancers in Vietnam, are urgently required. Increasing evidence suggests that microRNA-141 (miR-141) is associated with NPC, owing to its ability to affect the expression of genes that modulate tumorigenesis. Unfortunately, research on miR-141 expression in Vietnamese patients is limited. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to evaluate miR-141 expression and assess whether miR-141 might be a potential biomarker for diagnosis of NPC in Vietnamese patients. Total RNA isolated from 40 NPC biopsy samples and 37 non-cancerous samples was analyzed by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR. The miR-141 expression levels were compared between NPC biopsy and non-cancerous samples. The frequency of miR-141 detection was 37.50% and 10.80% in the NPC and non-cancerous samples, respectively (p = 0.0143). The miR-141 expression was 5.27 times higher in tumor samples than non-cancerous samples. Additionally, the RR (Relative risk) and OR (Odds ratio) were 1.83 (95%CI = 1.2576-2.6675, p = 0.0016) and 4.95 (95%CI = 1.4625-16.7541, p = 0.01), respectively. In conclusion, miR-141 was up-regulated in the biopsy samples and thus may be a potential biomarker for NPC in the Vietnamese population.

miR-141 is up-regulated in biopsies from Vietnamese patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract: Novel biomarkers for screening, diagnosis and monitoring the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), one of the most common cancers in Vietnam, are urgently required. Increasing evidence suggests that microRNA-141 (miR-141) is associated with NPC, owing to its ability to affect the expression of genes that modulate tumorigenesis. Unfortunately, research on miR-141 expression in Vietnamese patients is limited. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to evaluate miR-141 expression and assess whether miR-141 might be a potential biomarker for diagnosis of NPC in Vietnamese patients. Total RNA isolated from 40 NPC biopsy samples and 37 non-cancerous samples was analyzed by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR. The miR-141 expression levels were compared between NPC biopsy and non-cancerous samples. The frequency of miR-141 detection was 37.50% and 10.80% in the NPC and non-cancerous samples, respectively (p = 0.0143). The miR-141 expression was 5.27 times higher in tumor samples than non-cancerous samples. Additionally, the RR (Relative risk) and OR (Odds ratio) were 1.83 (95%CI = 1.2576-2.6675, p = 0.0016) and 4.95 (95%CI = 1.4625-16.7541, p = 0.01), respectively. In conclusion, miR-141 was up-regulated in the biopsy samples and thus may be a potential biomarker for NPC in the Vietnamese population.