ABSTRACT
Background: No previous studies have examined the relationship between stress, anxiety, and depression among pharmacists in Vietnam. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the correlation between stress, anxiety, depression, and job satisfaction among hospital pharmacists in Vietnam. Methods: The study comprised a 12-month cross-sectional survey in Can Tho City, Vietnam, with 11 conveniently selected hospitals. Out of 305 the distributed questionnaires, 303 were completed (99.3% response rate). The 21-item depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) assessed stress, anxiety, and depression (21 items), while job satisfaction was measured using a 44-item questionnaire. Results: The study revealed a prevalence of 15.5% for stress, 27.1% for anxiety, and 20.5% for depression among hospital staff. Additionally, the majority of hospital staff (72.9%) reported being satisfied with their job. Those with more than 2 children (95% CI = 1.183-14.519) were nearly 4 times as likely to experience higher stress. Female respondents (95% CI = 1.34-5.92) and those who rented (95% CI = 1.05-3.55) were more likely to encounter anxiety. Those living outside Can Tho City (95% CI = 1.32-9.88) were at a 3.61 times higher risk of depression, while individuals who had been working at the hospital for 5 to 10 years (95% CI = 0.17-0.82) had a lower risk of depression. Increased depression (aOR = 0.441; 95% CI = 0.21-0.94) was linked to job dissatisfaction. Conclusion: Depression was significantly associated with job dissatisfaction. The study findings suggest that management agencies should implement prevention and intervention strategies to reduce mental health issues among hospital pharmacists.
ABSTRACT
Azithromycin, a macrolide antibiotics, is one of the frequently used drugs in the children and elder. However, due to these population difficulty in swallowing and inefficient absorption, and azithromycin inherent poor solubility, bitter taste, and instability in the stomach acidic condition, it is a challenge to reach high oral bioavailability of this drug. To overcome these issues, we developed and characterized the effervescent granules containing azithromycin solid dispersion. Firstly, the solid dispersion was prepared, employing both wet grinding and solvent evaporation methods, with different types/amounts of polymers. The optimal solid dispersion with ß-cyclodextrin at a drug:polymer ratio of 1:2 (w/w), prepared by the solvent evaporation method, significantly enhanced the azithromycin solubility 4-fold compared to the free drug, improved its bitterness from "bitter" to "normal", possessed intermolecular bonding between the drug and polymer, and transformed the azithromycin molecules from crystalline to amorphous state. Secondly, the effervescent granules incorporating the solid dispersion were formulated with varied excipients of sweeteners, gas-generators, pH modulators, and glidants/lubricants. The optimal formula satisfied all the properties stated in the Vietnamese Pharmacopoeia. In summary, the final effervescent granules product could be further investigated in in-vivo and in clinical settings to become a potential azithromycin delivery system with high bioavailability for the children and elder.
ABSTRACT
Ganoderma lucidum (Fr.) P. Karst. (Ganodermataceae), commonly called Linhzhi, is traditionally employed in the treatment of human diseases, including hepatitis, liver disorders, hypercholesterolemia, arthritis, bronchitis, and tumorigenic diseases. In this study, the fingerprint profiles of five different strains of G. lucidum originated from Japan, Korea, China, and Vietnam, five samples of G. lucidum growing on Erythrophloeum fordii Oliv. in Vietnam, and five related Linhzhi species (Ganoderma applanatum, Ganoderma australe, Ganoderma clossum, Ganoderma subresinosu, and Ganoderma sp.) were investigated for triterpene derivatives using high-pressure, thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). The HPTLC fingerprint profiles demonstrated significant differences between G. lucidum and other related Linhzhi species in the presence of triterpene derivatives. Evaluation for the cytotoxicity of these samples against four cancer cell lines, including A549, MCF7, PC3, and HepG2, displayed various levels of cytotoxic effects, with IC50 values of: 15.6-46.3 µg/mL on the A549 cancer cell line, of 18.4-43.6 µg/mL on the MCF7 cancer cell line, of 10.0-32.1 µg/mL on the PC3 cancer cell line, and of 10.6-27.6 µg/mL on the HepG2 cancer cell line. Conclusively, these data contributed to the literature on the cytotoxic activities and fingerprint analysis of triterpenes by the HPTLC technique for distinguishing Ganoderma species from Vietnam and other Asian countries.
ABSTRACT
Traditional/herbal medicine has gained increasing interests recently, especially in Asian countries such as Vietnam, due to its diverse therapeutic actions. In the treasure of Vietnamese medicinal plants, one of the potential herbs is the roots of Sophora flavescens Ait. (SF, "Kho sam" in Vietnamese). However, limited information has been reported on the Vietnamese SF compositions and their respective alkaloids' anti-acetylcholinesterase action. Thus, this study investigated the extractions, isolations, identifications, and in-vitro antioxidant, cytotoxicity, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities, of the SF root extracts and their purified alkaloid compounds. To this end, four pure compounds were successfully isolated, purity-tested by HPLC, and structurally identified by spectroscopic techniques of FTIR, MS, and NMR. These compounds, confirmed to be oxysophocarpine, oxymatrine, matrine, and sophoridine, were then determined their therapeutic actions. The SF extracts and the compounds did not possess significant antioxidant activity using the DPPH and MDA assays, and cytotoxicity action using the MTT assay on the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. On the other hand, the SF total extract yielded a moderate acetylcholinesterase inhibition effect, with an IC50 of 0.1077 ± 0.0023 mg/mL. In summary, the SF extract demonstrated potential effects as an anti-acetylcholinesterase agent and could be further researched to become a pharmaceutical product for diseases related to acetylcholine deficiency, such as dementia.
