Investigation of Urinary Metabolites of Organophosphate Esters in Hanoi, Vietnam: Assessment Exposure and Estimated Daily Intake.

In recent years, organophosphate esters (OPEs) have become one of the most common additives in various consumer products worldwide, therefore the exposure and impact of OPEs on human health are drawing a lot of attention. In this study, three metabolites of OPEs including bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCIPP), diphenyl phosphate (DPhP) and diethyl phosphate (DEP) were investigated in first-morning void urine samples taken from a population (age range: 3-76 years old) in Hanoi, Vietnam. The most dominant urinary OPE metabolite was DEP with the geometric mean of specific gravity adjust (SG-adjusted) concentration were 1960 ng mL-1 and detected frequency (DF) of 98%. Followed by DPhP (8.01 ng mL-1, DF: 100%) and BDCIPP (2.18 ng mL-1, DF: 51%). The results indicated that gender and age might have associations with the OPE metabolites variation in urine samples. The levels of OPE metabolites in urine samples from females were slightly higher than in males. An increase in age seems to have an association with a decrease in DPhP levels in urine. Exposure doses of parent OPEs were evaluated from the unadjusted urinary concentration of corresponding OPE metabolite. The estimated exposure doses of triethyl phosphate (TEP) (mean: 534,000 ng kg-1 d-1) were significantly higher than its corresponding reference dose, suggesting the high potential risk from the current exposure doses of TEP to human health. The results of this work provided the initial information on the occurrence of three OPE metabolites in urine from Hanoi, Vietnam and estimated exposure dose of corresponding parent OPEs.

Mixed-methods needs assessment for development of school-based mental health implementation science capacity in low- and middle-income countries: Vietnam as a case example.

Worldwide, the majority of youth reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). School-based mental health (SBMH) services are particularly important in LMIC, in part because of LMIC's limited mental health infrastructure. Among the challenges to developing SBMH in LMIC are limited implementation science (IS) capacity, critical for identifying barriers to evidence-based intervention (EBI) use and dissemination, etc., specific to the local country context. A key step in IS capacity development is conducting a needs assessment, to identify barriers (and their solutions) to IS development itself within the local context. The present study conducted an IS needs assessment focused on SBMH in the Southeast Asian LMIC of Vietnam. Seventy-five Vietnamese mental health professionals in SBMH-related fields participated in a mixed-methods study. Vietnamese SBMH researchers and practitioners most likely to have experience and/or interest in IS were selected for study recruitment. Professionals' formal understanding of and experience with IS as a scientific field was highly limited. However, after reading a brief but detailed description of IS, participants' interest in IS training was high, and their mean rating of its potential utility for Vietnam to develop SBMH was 4.7 on a 1-5 scale. Participants also reported on barriers and potential solutions for EBI use in SBMH in Vietnam. Contrary to expectations, the most frequent and severe barriers were not financial but related to limited stakeholder engagement. Overall, these and other study results provide some suggestions how IS capacity to support SBMH may be most efficiently developed in settings such as Vietnam. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Occurrence, biomagnification, and risk assessment of parabens and their metabolites in marine fish: The case study of Vietnam.

Parabens have emerged as the primary preservative of choice in numerous consumer goods, prompting growing apprehension regarding their potential for human exposure. The study employed the optimized QuEChERs sample extraction method and the UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS system to generate the initial contamination profiles of seven parabens and their four metabolites in a total of 114 fish samples found along the coastline of Vietnam. The findings of the study indicated that methylparaben was the predominant substance detected, exhibiting the highest concentration in the largehead hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) species at 32.8 ng g-1 dry weight (dw). Additionally, the metabolites with the highest detectable concentrations in the largehead hairtail were found to be 4-HB and 3,4-DHB, with levels of 8822.0 ng g-1 dw and 3490.8 ng g-1 dw, respectively. Besides, the study reveals notable variations in paraben concentrations across three distinct regions in Vietnam, namely the Central, North, and South (Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.05). The trophic magnification factors (TMF) for methylparaben, ethylparaben, ethyl protocatechuate, and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid exhibited values exceeding 1, indicating substantial biomagnification of these substances within the marine food web of Vietnam. Additionally, noteworthy positive associations have been observed between methylparaben and ethylparaben, as well as their respective metabolites. Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that there is no direct impact of seafood consumption on human health in Vietnam.

Authentication of ST25 rice using temperature-perturbed Raman measurement with variable selection by Incremental Association Markov Blanket.

A temperature-perturbed transmission Raman measurement was demonstrated for the discrimination of ST25 and non-ST25 rice samples. ST25 rice is a premium long-grain Vietnamese rice with the aroma of pandan leaves and the scent of early sticky rice. Raman spectra of rice samples were acquired with temperature perturbation ranging from 20 to 50 °C, and the variables (intensities of peaks) with greater discrimination were selected from the spectra using Incremental Association Markov Blanket (IAMB) for authentication. The combination of four, seven, and four variables selected from the spectra at 20, 30, and 50 °C, respectively, yielded the highest accuracy of 97.9%. The accuracies in the single-temperature measurements were lower, suggesting that the combination of mutually complementary spectral features acquired at these temperatures is synergetic to recognize the compositional differences between two sample groups, such as in the amylose/amylopectin ratio and the protein constituent.

Occurrence and ecological risk assessment of organophosphate esters in surface water from rivers and lakes in urban Hanoi, Vietnam.

In this study, an investigation on the pollution status, distribution, and ecological risk to the aquatic organisms of six organophosphate tri-esters (tri-OPEs) and two organophosphate tri-esters (di-OPEs) in surface water in urban Hanoi, Vietnam were conducted. In 37 surveyed water samples (6 rivers and 17 lakes), all eight targeted OPEs were discovered with a detection frequency (DF) of 41-100% and the concentration varied largely from below the method detection limit (

Pretreatments of lignocellulosic and algal biomasses for sustainable biohydrogen production: Recent progress, carbon neutrality, and circular economy.

Lignocellulosic and algal biomasses are known to be vital feedstocks to establish a green hydrogen supply chain toward achieving a carbon-neutral society. However, one of the most pressing issues to be addressed is the low digestibility of these biomasses in biorefinery processes, such as dark fermentation, to produce green hydrogen. To date, various pretreatment approaches, such as physical, chemical, and biological methods, have been examined to enhance feedstock digestibility. However, neither systematic reviews of pretreatment to promote biohydrogen production in dark fermentation nor economic feasibility analyses have been conducted. Thus, this study offers a comprehensive review of current biomass pretreatment methods to promote biohydrogen production in dark fermentation. In addition, this review has provided comparative analyses of the technological and economic feasibility of existing pretreatment techniques and discussed the prospects of the pretreatments from the standpoint of carbon neutrality and circular economy.

Understanding Vietnam's drug policy for amphetamine-type stimulants misuse.

INTRODUCTION: The emergence of widespread amphetamine-type stimulants (ATSs) usage has created significant challenges for drug control and treatment policies in Southeast Asian countries. This study analyses the development of drug policies and examines current treatment program constraints in Vietnam to deal with ATS misuse. The aim was to gain insights that may be useful for national and international drug-related policy development and revision. METHODS: A desk review of national policy documents and 22 in-depth key informant interviews were conducted from 2019 to 2021. Thematic content analysis was employed to identify key themes and their connections. RESULTS: Analysis identified Vietnam's 30-year history of developing policies and formulating strategies to reduce supply, demand, and harm from illicit drugs. With the increasing number of people who use ATS (PWUA), Vietnam has recently promoted harsh policy and law enforcement to deter drug use and supply. This policy trend prevails in many Asian countries. The three main constraints in dealing with ATS misuse emerged from punitive and restrictive drug policies. First, the general public believed that Centre-based compulsory treatment (CCT) is the only appropriate treatment for all types of illicit drug addiction despite its low-quality service provision. The rigid drug policy has led to social persuasion with impractical expectations for CCT effectiveness. Second, the emphasis on punishment and detention has hampered new drug treatment service development in Vietnam. CCT has become monopolistic in the context of impoverished services. Third, people who use drugs tend to hide their needs and avoid formal treatment and support services, resulting in declined social coherence. CONCLUSION: While new drugs are constantly evolving, the current law enforcement approach potentially constrains expertise to adopt effective treatment services. This study suggests that the top-down policing mechanism presently hinders the development of an appropriate intervention strategy for ATS misuse and diminishes social support to service providers.

Assessment of the Impact of Pharmacist-led Transitions of Care Services in a Primary Health Center.

Background: The impact of pharmacist-led transition of care services with collaborative drug therapy management has shown to improve patients' outcomes and decrease health costs. Compelling statistics show higher readmission rates for under-insured patients compared with insured patients at primary health care clinics. Methods: This is a single center, prospective, cohort study designed to examine team-based collaborative drug therapy management and its effect on therapeutic outcomes of under-insured patients with target chronic diseases managed in a primary health center. Targeted chronic diseases included dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, anticoagulation disorders, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and heart failure. The primary outcome measures included percentage of time in therapeutic international normalized ratio (INR) and percentage of patients at targeted goals of blood pressure, lipids, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Secondary outcomes included reduced emergency department visits, number of patient encounters, hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge, and disease exacerbation rates. Results: Patients were at INR goal 58% of the time compared with 52% at baseline (P = .66). There was a 9% improvement in mean HbA1c in the intervention group when compared with baseline (9.6% vs 10.9%, P = .03). With pharmacist intervention, 73.8% of the patients had their blood pressure at goal compared with 50% at baseline (P = .14). A limited number of patients were readmitted for different reasons, including uncontrolled disease states. Conclusions: The pharmacist-physician collaborative drug therapy management led to improved blood pressure control, average HbA1c, and time in therapeutic INR range. A decrease in health care utilization was also identified.

A comparative impact evaluation of two human resource models for community-based active tuberculosis case finding in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.

BACKGROUND: To achieve the WHO End TB Strategy targets, it is necessary to detect and treat more people with active TB early. Scale-up of active case finding (ACF) may be one strategy to achieve that goal. Given human resource constraints in the health systems of most high TB burden countries, volunteer community health workers (CHW) have been widely used to economically scale up TB ACF. However, more evidence is needed on the most cost-effective compensation models for these CHWs and their potential impact on case finding to inform optimal scale-up policies. METHODS: We conducted a two-year, controlled intervention study in 12 districts of Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. We engaged CHWs as salaried employees (3 districts) or incentivized volunteers (3 districts) to conduct ACF among contacts of people with TB and urban priority groups. Eligible persons were asked to attend health services for radiographic screening and rapid molecular diagnosis or smear microscopy. Individuals diagnosed with TB were linked to appropriate care. Six districts providing routine NTP care served as control area. We evaluated additional cases notified and conducted comparative interrupted time series (ITS) analyses to assess the impact of ACF by human resource model on TB case notifications. RESULTS: We verbally screened 321,020 persons in the community, of whom 70,439 were eligible for testing and 1138 of them started TB treatment. ACF activities resulted in a + 15.9% [95% CI: + 15.0%, + 16.7%] rise in All Forms TB notifications in the intervention areas compared to control areas. The ITS analyses detected significant positive post-intervention trend differences in All Forms TB notification rates between the intervention and control areas (p = 0.001), as well as between the employee and volunteer human resource models (p = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: Both salaried and volunteer CHW human resource models demonstrated additionality in case notifications compared to routine case finding by the government TB program. The salaried employee CHW model achieved a greater impact on notifications and should be prioritized for scale-up, given sufficient resources.

Tuberculosis among economic migrants: a cross-sectional study of the risk of poor treatment outcomes and impact of a treatment adherence intervention among temporary residents in an urban district in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of avoidable deaths. Economic migrants represent a vulnerable population due to their exposure to medical and social risk factors. These factors expose them to higher risks for TB incidence and poor treatment outcomes. METHODS: This cross-sectional study evaluated WHO-defined TB treatment outcomes among economic migrants in an urban district of Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. We measured the association of a patient's government-defined residency status with treatment success and loss to follow-up categories at baseline and performed a comparative interrupted time series (ITS) analysis to assess the impact of community-based adherence support on treatment outcomes. Key measures of interest of the ITS were the differences in step change (ß6) and post-intervention trend (ß7). RESULTS: Short-term, inter-province migrants experienced lower treatment success (aRR = 0.95 [95% CI: 0.92-0.99], p = 0.010) and higher loss to follow-up (aOR = 1.98 [95% CI: 1.44-2.72], p < 0.001) than permanent residents. Intra-province migrants were similarly more likely to be lost to follow-up (aOR = 1.86 [95% CI: 1.03-3.36], p = 0.041). There was evidence that patients > 55 years of age (aRR = 0.93 [95% CI: 0.89-0.96], p < 0.001), relapse patients (aRR = 0.89 [95% CI: 0.84-0.94], p < 0.001), and retreatment patients (aRR = 0.62 [95% CI: 0.52-0.75], p < 0.001) had lower treatment success rates. TB/HIV co-infection was also associated with lower treatment success (aRR = 0.77 [95% CI: 0.73-0.82], p < 0.001) and higher loss to follow-up (aOR = 2.18 [95% CI: 1.55-3.06], p < 0.001). The provision of treatment adherence support increased treatment success (IRR(ß6) = 1.07 [95% CI: 1.00, 1.15], p = 0.041) and reduced loss to follow-up (IRR(ß6) = 0.17 [95% CI: 0.04, 0.69], p = 0.013) in the intervention districts. Loss to follow-up continued to decline throughout the post-implementation period (IRR(ß7) = 0.90 [95% CI: 0.83, 0.98], p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: Economic migrants, particularly those crossing provincial borders, have higher risk of poor treatment outcomes and should be prioritized for tailored adherence support. In light of accelerating urbanization in many regions of Asia, implementation trials are needed to inform evidence-based design of strategies for this vulnerable population.

Target screening analysis of 970 semi-volatile organic compounds adsorbed on atmospheric particulate matter in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Vietnam's rapid economic development has resulted in dramatic increases in construction and the number of transportation vehicles. There is now growing public concern regarding increasing air pollution, especially in big cities; however, little information is available on air quality, particularly regarding semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) adsorbed on atmospheric particulate matter. Here, we determined the frequency and concentrations of 970 SVOCs in 48 air particle samples collected by means of high-volume air sampling in Hanoi, Vietnam, by using a target screening method and a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry database. A total of 118 compounds (12.2% of the target compounds) were detected at least once in the samples, and the number of chemicals detected in each sample ranged from 85 to 103 (median, 92). For samples collected near a heavily trafficked road, the concentrations of target compounds in the samples were higher in samples collected during the day than in those collected at night, whereas the opposite was true for samples collected in a highly populated residential area with industrial activities related to the production of fresh noodles. Sixteen PAHs were detected at high concentrations in nearly 100% of the samples. Eighteen pesticides were detected, with permethrin being detected the most frequently (>70% samples), which can be explained by the use of permethrin-based Permecide 50 EC for dengue fever control during the sampling period. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (i.e., bisphenol A, 4-nitrophenol) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (diethyltoluamide, caffeine) were detected in over 90% of the samples. Seven sterols, five phthalate compounds and five organophosphorus flame retardants were detected in the samples. This is the first comprehensive survey of SVOCs adsorbed on atmospheric particulate matter in Vietnam, and as such, this study provides important new information about the frequency and concentrations of atmospheric SVOC contamination. The variety of chemicals detected in this study implies an abundance of pollution sources; further investigations to determine these pollution sources and the risks posed by the detected SVOCs to human health are warranted.

The political and scientific challenges in evaluating compulsory drug treatment centers in Southeast Asia.

BACKGROUND: In Vietnam, like many countries in Southeast Asia, the commonly used approach of center-based compulsory drug treatment (CCT) has been criticized on human rights ground. Meanwhile, community-based voluntary methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) has been implemented for nearly a decade with promising results. Reform-minded leaders have been seeking empirical evidence of the costs and effectiveness associated with these two main treatment modalities. Conducting evaluations of these treatments, especially where randomization is not ethical, presents challenges. The aim of this paper is to discuss political challenges and methodological issues when conducting cost-effectiveness studies within the context of a non-democratic Southeast Asian country. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the political and scientific challenges that were experienced in the study design, sample size determination, government approval and ethics approvals, participant recruitment, data collection, and determination of sources, and quantification of cost and effectiveness data was undertaken. As a consequence of the non-randomized design, analysis of patient characteristics for both treatment types was undertaken to identify the magnitude of baseline group differences. Concordance between self-reported heroin use and urine drug testing was undertaken to determine the reliability of self-report data in a politically challenging environment. RESULTS: We demonstrate that conducting research around compulsory treatment in a non-democratic society is feasible, yet it is politically challenging and requires navigation between science and politics. We also demonstrate that engagement with the government decision makers in the research conception, implementation, and dissemination of the results increases the likelihood of research evidence being considered for change in a contentious drug policy area. CONCLUSIONS: Local empirical evidence on the comparative cost-effectiveness of CCT and MMT in a Southeast Asian setting is critical to consideration of more holistic, humane, and effective drug-dependence treatment approaches, but the garnering of such evidence is very challenging.

Cost-effectiveness of center-based compulsory rehabilitation compared to community-based voluntary methadone maintenance treatment in Hai Phong City, Vietnam.

INTRODUCTION: In Vietnam, two dominant approaches for heroin treatment are center-based compulsory rehabilitation (CCT), funded by the Vietnamese government and community-based voluntary methadone maintenance treatment (MMT), funded primarily by international donors. Recent reduction in international funding requires more efficient allocation of government funding for public health programs. A cost-effectiveness analysis comparing two approaches provides a useful source of evidence to inform the government about funding reallocation. METHODS: The study was a combined retrospective and prospective, non-randomized cohort comparison over three years of CCT and MMT in Vietnam, conducted between 2012 and 2014, involving 208 CCT participants and 384 MMT participants with heroin dependence. The primary end-point was drug-free days over three years. Total costs, including both program and participant personal costs were measured and cost-effectiveness compared. Mixed effects regression analyses were used to analyze effectiveness data and non-parametric bootstrapping method was used to compare cost-effectiveness. RESULTS: Over three years, MMT costed on average VND85.73 million (US$4108) less than CCT (95% CI: -VND76.88 million, -VND94.59 million). On average, a MMT participant had 344.20 more drug-free days compared to a CCT participant (p<0.001). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for MMT was -VND0.25 million (US$11.99) (95% CI: -VND0.34 million, -VND0.19 million) per drug-free day suggesting MMT is the more cost effective alternative. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to CCT, MMT is both less expensive and more effective in achieving drug-free days. If the government of Vietnam invests in MMT instead of CCT, it is potentially a cost-saving strategy for reducing illicit drug use among heroin dependent individuals.

Potential years of life lost (PYLL) caused by asbestos-related diseases in the world.

BACKGROUND: We applied the well-established, but rather under-utilized, indicator of Potential Years of Life Lost (PYLL) to estimate the global burden of mesothelioma and asbestosis. METHODS: We analyzed all deaths caused by mesothelioma and asbestosis that were reported by 82 and 55 countries, respectively, to the World Health Organization (WHO) from 1994 to 2010. RESULTS: The 128,015 and 13,885 persons who died of mesothelioma and asbestosis, potentially lost a total of 2.18 million and 180,000 years of life (PYLL), or, an annual average PYLL of 201,000 years and 17,000 years, respectively. The average PYLL per decedent were 17.0 and 13.0 years for mesothelioma and asbestosis, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The current burden of asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) in terms of PYLL is substantial. The future burden of ARDs can be eliminated by stopping the use of asbestos.

National use of asbestos in relation to economic development.

BACKGROUND: National disparities in asbestos use will likely lead to an unequal burden of asbestos diseases. OBJECTIVES: As economic status may be linked to asbestos use, we assessed, globally, the relationship between indicators of national economic development and asbestos use. METHODS: For the 135 countries that have ever used asbestos, per capita asbestos use (kilograms per capita per year) was compared with per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in 1990 Geary-Khamis dollars (GKD) for the period 1920-2003. Countries were grouped into three income levels (high, middle, and low) that were adapted from the 2003 World Bank categories. RESULTS: The historical pattern of asbestos use followed the environmental Kuznets curve in which use by high-income countries peaked when incomes attained 10,000-15,000 GKD and essentially ceased at income levels over 20,000 GKD. Currently, middle- and low-income countries are increasing their use of asbestos, closely following the paths once traced by higher income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Developing countries have the opportunity to eliminate asbestos use sooner than high-income countries and thus reduce the future burden of asbestos diseases.