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.

Age-dependent immune response in pigs against foot-and-mouth disease virus in vitro.

Foot-and-mouth disease, one of the most contagious diseases in cloven-hoofed animals, causes significant economic losses. The pathogenesis of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) infection is known to differ with age of the animals. In this study, we aimed to reveal the difference in immunological response in the initial stage of FMDV infection between piglets and adult pigs. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from 3 piglets (8 weeks old) and 3 pigs (35 weeks old) that were not vaccinated against FMDV. O-type FMDV (2 × 102 median tissue culture infectious dose) was inoculated into porcine PBMCs and the cells were incubated at 37.0°C under 5% CO2 for various time periods (0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 h). The total RNA was obtained from the FMDV-inoculated PBMCs after each time point, and the virus titer was investigated in these RNA samples. Furthermore, dynamics of mRNA expression of the six tested cytokines (interferon [IFN]-α, IFN-γ, interleukin [IL]-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α) in FMDV-inoculated porcine PBMCs were evaluated by time-series analysis to determine the differences, if any, based on the age of the pigs. The PBMCs of piglets contained the highest quantity of FMDV mRNA at 6 hours post-inoculation (hpi), and the PBMCs of pigs had the highest quantity of FMDV mRNA at 3 hpi. The mean cycle threshold-value in the PBMCs steadily decreased after the peak time point in the piglets and pigs (6 and 3 hpi, respectively). The dynamics of mRNA expression of all cytokines except TNF-α showed age-dependent differences in FMDV-inoculated PBMCs. The mRNA expression of most cytokines was more pronounced in the piglets than in the pigs, implying that the immune response against FMDV showed an age-dependent difference in pigs. In conclusion, within 48 hpi, the 8-week-old piglets responded more rapidly and were more sensitive to FMDV infection than the 35-week-old pigs, which could be associated with the difference in the pathogenesis of FMDV infection among the pigs. These results provide valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the age-dependent differences in immune response in pigs against FMDV infection.

Effectiveness and Tolerability of First-Line Afatinib for Advanced EGFR-Mutant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of Afatinib as first-line treatment of advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a real-world setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of Vietnamese patients  with advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC treated with first-line afatinib at the National Cancer Hospital from 1st January 2018 to 31st October 2020. Patients' demographic, clinical and treatment data were captured. Objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), time to treatment failure (TTF) and tolerability were evaluated. We used Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank test for survival, and Cox regression model for multivariate analysis. RESULTS: A total of 44 patients were included. Common EGFR mutations (Del 19/L858R) were detected in 61% patients. Fifty percent of patients with uncommon mutations had compound mutations of G719X, L861Q and S768I. The ORR was 75% while DCR rate was 98%. The median TTF was 12.3 months (95% CI: 7.2-17.3); the mTTFs were 12.3 and 10.8 months for patients with common and uncommon mutations (p = 0.001), respectively, and 14.0 and 7.5 months for patients with Del 19 and L858R mutations (p = 0.067), respectively. Afatinib 30 mg once daily was the most common starting (77%) and maintenance (64%) doses. The mTTFs were 12.3 and 7.5 months for patients with 30 mg starting dose vs 40 mg dose (p = 0.256), respectively. Diarrhea, skin rash, paronychia and fatigue were observed in 32%, 30%, 25% and 9%, respectively. There was no grade 4 toxicity except three patients with grade 3 paronychia. CONCLUSIONS: First-line afatinib is beneficial for Vietnamese patients with advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC with a good response rate and prolonged TTF with manageable adverse event profile. Baseline brain metastasis status and starting doses do not significantly impact TTF.
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Knowledge and practice on prevention of mosquito-borne diseases in livestock-keeping and non-livestock-keeping communities in Hanoi city, Vietnam: A mixed-method study.

Mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) are causing high morbidity and mortality for humans. Urban livestock keeping is still common in cities around the world. The animals may serve as reservoirs for zoonotic MBDs, which increase the risks for humans. Here we assess the knowledge and practices related to MBDs in households with livestock and without livestock and explore the perceptions of the health care sector about MBDs and livestock keeping in Hanoi city of Vietnam in a cross-sectional study. A quantitative survey was conducted including 513 households with and without livestock-keeping in six districts and complemented with qualitative surveys with four health staff from Hanoi Center of Disease Control and three district health centers. The quantitative survey indicated that the participants possessed basic knowledge on MBDs with an average score of 18.3 out of 35, of which non-livestock-keeping households had a better knowledge than households keeping livestock (p<0.05). Both household categories had low score, 3.5 out of 11, regarding preventive practices against MBDs. The negative binomial model showed that occupation and location of living were factors associated to the knowledge on MBDs. Farmers were likely to have better preventive practices as compared to office workers (p<0.05). Those who had better knowledge also had more adequate preventive practices against MBDs (p<0.001). The qualitative survey revealed that livestock keeping was determined as increasing risks of MBDs due to the increase of mosquito population. It is recommended that community campaigns to raise the awareness and change behavior on MBDs should be organized based on collaboration between the health sector and the veterinary sector for households with and without livestock living in central urban and peri-urban areas. Further studies are needed to confirm the association between urban livestock keeping and potential increasing risks of MBDs such as dengue and Japanese encephalitis.