AMRViz enables seamless genomics analysis and visualization of antimicrobial resistance.

We have developed AMRViz, a toolkit for analyzing, visualizing, and managing bacterial genomics samples. The toolkit is bundled with the current best practice analysis pipeline allowing researchers to perform comprehensive analysis of a collection of samples directly from raw sequencing data with a single command line. The analysis results in a report showing the genome structure, genome annotations, antibiotic resistance and virulence profile for each sample. The pan-genome of all samples of the collection is analyzed to identify core- and accessory-genes. Phylogenies of the whole genome as well as all gene clusters are also generated. The toolkit provides a web-based visualization dashboard allowing researchers to interactively examine various aspects of the analysis results. Availability: AMRViz is implemented in Python and NodeJS, and is publicly available under open source MIT license at https://github.com/amromics/amrviz .

Long-term outcome of retroperitoneoscopic one-trocar-assisted pyeloplasty: a single-center and single-surgeon experience.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the long-term outcomes of retroperitoneoscopic one-trocar-assisted pyeloplasty (OTAP) for ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) in children. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included 70 pediatric cases, all under the age of 5, diagnosed with UPJO and treated with the OTAP technique between May 2011 and June 2013 by a single surgeon. A single 10 mm operative scope with a 5 mm working channel was utilized to mobilize the ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) and exteriorize it through the trocar insertion site. Subsequently, conventional Anderson-Hynes dismembered pyeloplasty was conducted extracorporeally. Patient's demographics, operative time, hospital stay, complications, and success rate were evaluated. RESULTS: Seventy pediatric patients (65 males and 5 females) underwent OTAP, with ages at the time of operation ranging from 1 month to 5 years (mean = 22.6 ± 18.6 months). The mean operative time was 74.8 ± 15.2 min. There was a significant reduction in the mean renal pelvis size from 34.3 ± 8.1 mm preoperatively to 13.8 ± 4.7 mm postoperatively (p < 0.05). Moreover, the mean differential renal function (DRF) increased from 47.9 ± 9.8% preoperatively to 51.2 ± 5.9% postoperatively (p < 0.05). All patients experienced an uneventful postoperative recovery, with a median hospital stay of 3.4 days. The success rate was 95.7%, with a median follow-up time of 75 months (range: 6-125 months). CONCLUSION: OTAP is a safe and feasible minimally invasive technique to correct ureteropelvic junction obstruction in children. It could be considered as a treatment of choice for children under the age of 5 as it combines the advantages of open and retroperitoneoscopic pyeloplasty and presents excellent long-term outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT06349161 April 4th, 2024, retrospectively registered.

Pasa: leveraging population pangenome graph to scaffold prokaryote genome assemblies.

Whole genome sequencing has increasingly become the essential method for studying the genetic mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and for surveillance of drug-resistant bacterial pathogens. The majority of bacterial genomes sequenced to date have been sequenced with Illumina sequencing technology, owing to its high-throughput, excellent sequence accuracy, and low cost. However, because of the short-read nature of the technology, these assemblies are fragmented into large numbers of contigs, hindering the obtaining of full information of the genome. We develop Pasa, a graph-based algorithm that utilizes the pangenome graph and the assembly graph information to improve scaffolding quality. By leveraging the population information of the bacteria species, Pasa is able to utilize the linkage information of the gene families of the species to resolve the contig graph of the assembly. We show that our method outperforms the current state of the arts in terms of accuracy, and at the same time, is computationally efficient to be applied to a large number of existing draft assemblies.

Toward sustainable development goals in gender inequality: an analysis of gender preferences among urban pregnant women in a Southeast Asian country.

BACKGROUND: Gender-biased discrimination and preferences are global phenomena, particularly son preferences. However, updated evidence about this issue in Vietnam has not yet been provided. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the gender preferences among pregnant women and identify associated factors of such preferences. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in two hospitals in Vietnam with 732 pregnant women. Gender preferences for their child were asked, along with socio-demographic (e.g., education, occupation) and pregnancy characteristics (e.g., pressure to have a son, gender of first child, the importance to have a son of family members, and information sources on pregnancy care) by using face-to-face interviews and a structured questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to determine factors associated with gender preferences. RESULTS: About 51.9% of the participants had no gender preference, while, among those who had a gender preference, 26.5% preferred sons, and 21.6% preferred daughters. Only 6.2% had pressure to have a son. Having the first child who was female (OR = 4.16, 95%CI = 1.54-11.25), having the pressure to have a son (OR = 6.77, 95%CI = 2.06-22.26), and higher self-perceived importance to have a son (OR = 3.05, 95%CI = 1.85-5.02) were positively associated with son preference. Otherwise, women having partners with high school education or above (OR = 2.04, 95%CI = 1.06-3.91), living with parents-in-law (OR = 2.33; 95%CI = 1.25-4.34), the higher number of pregnancies, and a higher degree of importance in having a son regarding parents-in-law (OR = 2.15, 95%CI = 1.38-3.35) associated with higher odds of preferring daughter. CONCLUSION: This study showed that gender preference was common among pregnant women, but the pressure to have a son was low. Further education programs and legal institutions should be implemented to improve gender inequality and gender preference in society.

Factor Structures of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Instruments in Exploring Depressive Symptoms of Suburban Population.

Background: This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and assess the relationship between the PHQ-9 domain and demographics and health behaviors in Vietnamese people. Materials and Methods: The PHQ9 was administered to 899 participants. Exploratory factor and reliability analyses were performed. Tobit regression and Ordered logistic regression were further performed to determine factors associated with the PHQ-9 score and characteristics of depression. Results: The 2-factor model of PHQ-9, including factor 1 "Somatic" and factor 2 "Cognitive/Affective," showed good psychometric properties. The Cronbach's alpha value showed high internal consistency in two factors (0.84 and 0.80, respectively). Gender, health behavior exercising, drinking, and health status had associations with both factors of the PHQ-9 model. Conclusion: The PHQ-9 scale is a valid and reliable instrument to assess depression in the Vietnam population. This scale can be a useful screening tool for depression; however, further validation studies in other populations are required.

Women's holistic self-care behaviors during pregnancy and associations with psychological well-being: implications for maternal care facilities.

BACKGROUND: Self-care behaviors during pregnancy significantly impacts mother and children's health. This study aimed to explore the self-care behaviors and the associations of these behaviors with the psychological well-being of women during pregnancy, as well as the mediating effects of different social support with these associations. METHODS: A cross-sectional data of 562 pregnant women at Hanoi Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital and Ca Mau Obstetrics & Pediatrics in Vietnam were analyzed. Questions about self-care behaviors, pregnancy characteristics, social support, and psychological well-being were asked. Multivariate regression models were performed. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to test the mediating effects of different social support with the association between self-care behaviors and psychological well-being. FINDINGS: Only 13% of pregnant women often or always did physical exercise at least three times a week, and 40% consumed enough fiber and five servings of vegetables a day. Only 78.7% always avoided alcohol drinking, and 53.9% of pregnant women avoided being exposed to second-hand smoking and 71,7% avoided using traditional medicine without physicians' prescriptions. Around 66% of pregnant women always or often had prenatal care checkups as scheduled. Information sources, social support and childbirth expectation were major drivers for self-care practices. SEM model showed that social support mediated the relationship between maternal health behaviors and mental well-being. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the remarkable gaps in self-care practices among our pregnant women, which were significantly associated with their mental well-being. Social support-oriented consultancy and interventions should be warranted for improving behaviors and the mental well-being of pregnant women in Vietnam.

HiC-TE: a computational pipeline for Hi-C data analysis to study the role of repeat family interactions in the genome 3D organization.

MOTIVATION: The role of repetitive DNA in the 3D organization of the interphase nucleus is a subject of intensive study. In studies of 3D nucleus organization, mutual contacts of various loci can be identified by Hi-C sequencing. Typical analyses use binning of read pairs by location to reduce noise. We use binning by repeat families instead to make similar conclusions about repeat regions. RESULTS: To achieve this, we combined Hi-C data, reference genome data and tools for repeat analysis into a Nextflow pipeline identifying and quantifying the contacts of specific repeat families. As an output, our pipeline produces heatmaps showing contact frequency and circular diagrams visualizing repeat contact localization. Using our pipeline with tomato data, we revealed the preferential homotypic interactions of ribosomal DNA, centromeric satellites and some LTR retrotransposon families and, as expected, little contact between organellar and nuclear DNA elements. While the pipeline can be applied to any eukaryotic genome, results in plants provide better coverage, since the built-in TE-greedy-nester software only detects tandems and LTR retrotransposons. Other repeats can be fed via GFF3 files. This pipeline represents a novel and reproducible way to analyze the role of repetitive elements in the 3D organization of genomes. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: https://gitlab.fi.muni.cz/lexa/hic-te/. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Parent-Child Relationship Quality and Internet Use in a Developing Country: Adolescents' Perspectives.

Objective: The goal of the study was to explore the relationship between parent-children relationships related to using the internet among kids and potentially associated factors. Materials and Methods: A sample of 1.216 Vietnamese students between the ages of 12 and 18 agreed to participate in the cross-sectional online survey. Data collected included socioeconomic characteristics and internet use status of participants, their perceived changes in relationship and communication between parents and children since using the internet, and parental control toward the child's internet use. An Ordered Logistic Regression was carried out to determine factors associated with parent-children relationship since using the internet. Results: The characteristics of the relationship between children and their parents since using the Internet were divided into three levels: deterioration (7.0%), stability (78.2%), and improvement (14.8%). The topics that children most often communicate with their parents include learning, housework, and future directions. Two-way interactive activities, such as supporting parents to use the Internet, have a positive impact on the parent-child relationship. Stubborn parental control, such as establishing rules about contact or allowing Internet access and setting up global positioning system (GPS) to track negatively affecting parent-child relationships. Conclusion: Findings indicated that changes in the quality of the parent-child relationship were self-assessed by participants regard to kids' internet use, especially in the COVID-19 epidemic context. Educational campaigns and programs to raise awareness of parents as to the dangers and negative influences that their children may encounter online, psychology of children's behaviors and effects of different responding strategies are recommended.

Determinants of Intention to Use Artificial Intelligence-Based Diagnosis Support System Among Prospective Physicians.

Background: This study aimed to develop a theoretical model to explore the behavioral intentions of medical students to adopt an AI-based Diagnosis Support System. Methods: This online cross-sectional survey used the unified theory of user acceptance of technology (UTAUT) to examine the intentions to use an AI-based Diagnosis Support System in 211 undergraduate medical students in Vietnam. Partial least squares (PLS) structural equational modeling was employed to assess the relationship between latent constructs. Results: Effort expectancy (ß = 0.201, p < 0.05) and social influence (ß = 0.574, p < 0.05) were positively associated with initial trust, while no association was found between performance expectancy and initial trust (p > 0.05). Only social influence (ß = 0.527, p < 0.05) was positively related to the behavioral intention. Conclusions: This study highlights positive behavioral intentions in using an AI-based diagnosis support system among prospective Vietnamese physicians, as well as the effect of social influence on this choice. The development of AI-based competent curricula should be considered when reforming medical education in Vietnam.

Factors Associated With the Intention to Participate in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Frontline Prevention Activities Among Nursing Students in Vietnam: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Introduction: Medical students have been serving as a key part of the frontline health workforce responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic globally. Their contribution is especially important in the resource-scarce settings of developing nations such as Vietnam. Yet, the intention of medical students, in particular, nursing students, to participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities has not been well-understood. This study aimed to examine factors associated with the intentionto participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities among Vietnamese nursing students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 597 students in December 2020 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Information regarding the socioeconomic characteristics of participants, their source of COVID-19 related knowledge, and their perception and attitude toward participating in COVID-19 frontline activities [based on Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)] was collected. A hierarchical regression model was employed to examine the association between intentions of students and associated factors. Results: A positive intention to participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities was found (mean score of 25.3 over 35; SD = 4.4; min = 5; max = 35). Attitude toward behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) was found to be significantly associated with the intention of students. These variables explained the 37% variation in the intention of students in the model. Among three factors, subjective norm showed the strongest correlation with intention of students (ß = 0.358; p < 0.001). Obtaining information from official sources and community was also found to be positively correlated with intention to participate. Conclusion: Most of the respondents reported a positive intention to participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities. The findings suggested that the TPB was a good instrument to predict the intention to perform behavior among Vietnamese students. Enhancing the positive attitude of students, encouraging family and community supports, and providing adequately essential resources will contribute to optimizing the participation of students to confront COVID-19.

Assessing Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Pain Management Among Nurses Working in a Geriatric Hospital in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Nurses play a pivotal role in pain management. Knowing more about nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding pain is important as we develop multidisciplinary pain services. Therefore, this study aimed to assess knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management among nurses in a geriatric hospital and its associated factors. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A survey was conducted of nurses worked at the National Geriatric Hospital over a 3-month period. The Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain (KASRP) was utilized to assess nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward pain management. Four domains were defined based on KASRP, included cancer-related pain, pain assessment, pharmacology and substance abuse and physical dependence. Knowledge and attitudes regarding pain were classified as poor, fair, or good (≤50%, 50% - 75%, or ≥75% of the KASRP score). Multivariate Tobit regression models were applied to identify factors associated with the knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management. RESULTS: Of 154 participants completed the survey, 72.2% (111 participants) had poor knowledge and attitudes regarding pain management. The participants had a correct mean score of 45.2% (SD = 2.2). Nurses' knowledge of pain assessment was poor, with the proportion of correct answers to nine questions ranging from 2.6% to 50%. 44.8% of nurses reported never or rarely using pain assessment tools. Nurses who had previous training regarding pain at medical universities had significantly higher scores of knowledge and attitudes compared to those without training. Nurses who often use pain assessment tools had a significantly higher level of knowledge and attitudes than those who never or rarely use them. CONCLUSION: This study highlights significant deficits of knowledge and negative attitudes regarding pain management among nurses. The subject of pain management should be applied and enhanced in the nursing undergraduate curriculum. Nurses' active participation in pain management should be encouraged by healthcare providers for older patients.

Real-time resolution of short-read assembly graph using ONT long reads.

A streaming assembly pipeline utilising real-time Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) sequencing data is important for saving sequencing resources and reducing time-to-result. A previous approach implemented in npScarf provided an efficient streaming algorithm for hybrid assembly but was relatively prone to mis-assemblies compared to other graph-based methods. Here we present npGraph, a streaming hybrid assembly tool using the assembly graph instead of the separated pre-assembly contigs. It is able to produce more complete genome assembly by resolving the path finding problem on the assembly graph using long reads as the traversing guide. Application to synthetic and real data from bacterial isolate genomes show improved accuracy while still maintaining a low computational cost. npGraph also provides a graphical user interface (GUI) which provides a real-time visualisation of the progress of assembly. The tool and source code is available at https://github.com/hsnguyen/assembly.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Elderly Outpatients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in National Geriatric Hospital, Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes-related complications have become increasingly prevalent and complicated to manage, especially among frail older adults with co-morbidities, poor physical function, and impaired cognition. Thus, knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of elderly diabetic patients play an essential role in controlling the disease and its complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 176 diabetic patients at the outpatient clinics, National Geriatric Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam from August to November 2015. Patients' knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding diabetes mellitus were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis and multivariate Tobit regression model were used to identify factors associated with knowledge, attitude, practice about diabetes mellitus. RESULTS: Of 176 diabetic patients, patients' knowledge was divided into two main groups: "Diabetes definition and management" (mean score = 57.7 ± 25.6) and "Targets for diabetic control" (mean score = 66.1 ± 30.4). Patients scored high points of attitudes toward diabetes severity and its complications (mean score = 95.8 ± 13.0); however, knowledge and practice scores were only moderate (mean score = 68.1 ± 16.8). There were only 8.5% of people having daily self-blood glucose monitoring. Advanced age, low educational level, rural area, and duration of diabetes less than 5 years were negative associated with knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding diabetes mellitus. This study also shows that frailty and co-morbidities/diabetic complications could impair patients' knowledge. CONCLUSION: Older patients with diabetes had high levels of perceived severity attitudes on diabetes mellitus. However, the knowledge and practice levels were still inadequate. Pragmatic diabetic health literacy, counseling and education programs, as well as home-based treatments are viable options to improve health outcomes.

How have excessive electronics devices and Internet uses been concerned? Implications for global research agenda from a bibliometric analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Excessive use of electronic devices has become a major global problem. However, little is known about the development and current landscape of research concerning this field. This study aimed at exploring the overall publication trend and topics of research on the overuse of electronic devices and the Internet from 1971 to 2017. METHODS: We systematically searched the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases for published articles on the excessive use of electronic devices and the Internet. Data regarding the publication volume, international collaborations, and geographical locations were analyzed by bibliometrics analysis. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) was undertaken to categorize publications into different research topics. RESULTS: A total of 2,276 papers from the WOS and 600 papers from the Scopus were included. We found a dramatic increase in the number of scientific papers towards addiction to electronic devices and the Internet. The United State led in all publication parameters including the total number of papers and total citations. China, Korea and Taiwan were among the most prolific countries/regions. Smartphone addiction was the main concern, and the relationship between the overuse of electronic devices and the Internet and mental health issues have been highlighted. On the other hand, our study found a limited appearance of discussion on effective treatment and intervention. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The findings of this study call for more national and international cooperation in evaluating and intervening addiction to electronic devices and the Internet to gather more knowledge about this phenomenon and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.

Nanopore sequencing as a scalable, cost-effective platform for analyzing polyclonal vector integration sites following clinical T cell therapy.

BACKGROUND: Analysis of vector integration sites in gene-modified cells can provide critical information on clonality and potential biological impact on nearby genes. Current short-read next-generation sequencing methods require specialized instruments and large batch runs. METHODS: We used nanopore sequencing to analyze the vector integration sites of T cells transduced by the gammaretroviral vector, SFG.iCasp9.2A.ΔCD19. DNA from oligoclonal cell lines and polyclonal clinical samples were restriction enzyme digested with two 6-cutters, NcoI and BspHI; and the flanking genomic DNA amplified by inverse PCR or cassette ligation PCR. Following nested PCR and barcoding, the amplicons were sequenced on the Oxford Nanopore platform. Reads were filtered for quality, trimmed, and aligned. Custom tool was developed to cluster reads and merge overlapping clusters. RESULTS: Both inverse PCR and cassette ligation PCR could successfully amplify flanking genomic DNA, with cassette ligation PCR showing less bias. The 4.8 million raw reads were grouped into 12,186 clusters and 6410 clones. The 3'long terminal repeat (LTR)-genome junction could be resolved within a 5-nucleotide span for a majority of clusters and within one nucleotide span for clusters with ≥5 reads. The chromosomal distributions of the insertional sites and their predilection for regions proximate to transcription start sites were consistent with previous reports for gammaretroviral vector integrants as analyzed by short-read next-generation sequencing. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that it is feasible to use nanopore sequencing to map polyclonal vector integration sites. The assay is scalable and requires minimum capital, which together enable cost-effective and timely analysis. Further refinement is required to reduce amplification bias and improve single nucleotide resolution.

Burden of injuries in Vietnam: emerging trends from a decade of economic achievement.

BACKGROUND: Vietnam has been one of the fastest-growing world economies in the past decade. The burden of injuries can be affected by economic growth given the increased exposure to causes of injury as well as decreased morbidity and mortality of those that experience injury. It is of interest to evaluate the trends in injury burden that occurred alongside Vietnam's economic growth in the past decade. METHODS: Results from Global Burden of Disease 2017 were obtained and reviewed. Estimates of incidence, cause-specific mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, disability-adjusted life years were analysed and reported for 30 causes of injury in Vietnam from 2007 to 2017. RESULTS: Between 2007 and 2017, the age-standardised incidence rate of all injuries increased by 14.6% (11.5%-18.2%), while the age-standardised mortality rate decreased by 11.6% (3.0%-20.2%). Interpersonal violence experienced the largest increase in age-standardised incidence (28.3% (17.6%-40.1%)), while exposure to forces of nature had the largest decrease in age-standardised mortality (47.1% (37.9%-54.6%)). The five leading causes of injury in both 2007 and 2017 were road injuries, falls, exposure to mechanical forces, interpersonal violence and other unintentional injuries, all of which increased in incidence from 2007 to 2017. Injury burden varied markedly by age and sex. CONCLUSIONS: The rapid expansions of economic growth in Vietnam as well as improvements in the Sociodemographic Index have occurred alongside dynamic patterns in injury burden. These results should be used to develop and implement prevention and treatment programme.

Epidemiology of facial fractures: incidence, prevalence and years lived with disability estimates from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study.

BACKGROUND: The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) has historically produced estimates of causes of injury such as falls but not the resulting types of injuries that occur. The objective of this study was to estimate the global incidence, prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) due to facial fractures and to estimate the leading injurious causes of facial fracture. METHODS: We obtained results from GBD 2017. First, the study estimated the incidence from each injury cause (eg, falls), and then the proportion of each cause that would result in facial fracture being the most disabling injury. Incidence, prevalence and YLDs of facial fractures are then calculated across causes. RESULTS: Globally, in 2017, there were 7 538 663 (95% uncertainty interval 6 116 489 to 9 493 113) new cases, 1 819 732 (1 609 419 to 2 091 618) prevalent cases, and 117 402 (73 266 to 169 689) YLDs due to facial fractures. In terms of age-standardised incidence, prevalence and YLDs, the global rates were 98 (80 to 123) per 100 000, 23 (20 to 27) per 100 000, and 2 (1 to 2) per 100 000, respectively. Facial fractures were most concentrated in Central Europe. Falls were the predominant cause in most regions. CONCLUSIONS: Facial fractures are predominantly caused by falls and occur worldwide. Healthcare systems and public health agencies should investigate methods of all injury prevention. It is important for healthcare systems in every part of the world to ensure access to treatment resources.

Retooling phage display with electrohydrodynamic nanomixing and nanopore sequencing.

Phage display methodologies offer a versatile platform for the isolation of single-chain Fv (scFv) molecules which may be rebuilt into monoclonal antibodies. Herein, we report on a complete workflow termed PhageXpress, for rapid selection of single-chain Fv sequences by leveraging electrohydrodynamic-manipulation of a solution containing phage library particles to enhance target binding whilst minimizing non-specific interactions. Our PhageXpress technique is combined with Oxford Nanopore Technologies' MinION sequencer and custom bioinformatics to achieve high-throughput screening of phage libraries. We performed 4 rounds of biopanning against Dengue virus (DENV) non-structural protein 1 (NS1) using traditional methods (4 week turnaround), which resulted in the isolation of 19 unique scFv clones. We validated the feasibility and efficiency of the PhageXpress method utilizing the same phage library and antigen target. Notably, we successfully mapped 14 of the 19 anti-NS1 scFv sequences (∼74%) with our new method, despite using ∼30-fold less particles during screening and conducting only a single round of biopanning. We believe this approach supersedes traditional methods for the discovery of bio-recognition molecules such as antibodies by speeding up the process for the development of therapeutic and diagnostic biologics.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice about Dengue Fever among Patients Experiencing the 2017 Outbreak in Vietnam.

There is a gap in the literature on the understanding of the general Vietnamese population toward dengue fever (DF). This study aimed to explore knowledge, attitudes, practice (KAP) of dengue fever among Vietnamese participants and the potential associated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 330 patients at the Bach Mai Hospital in Northern Vietnam. A Tobit regression model was utilized to investigate the associated factors. The average knowledge score was 4.6/19. Respondents perceived their risk of DF infection to be very low (39.5%) to low (20.7%) and had a neutral attitude about the necessity of hospitalization when being infected with DF (60.9%). A total of 17.6%, 9.8% and 6.6% of respondents reported frequently changing water, properly disposing of waste and covering water storage containers to eliminate larvae. Gender, education level, duration of illness and travel history were correlated with knowledge. Occupation, the presence of DF in the neighborhood, mosquito density at home and DF symptom severity were associated with attitudes. Occupation, mosquito density at home, type of patient, knowledge and attitudes were associated with practices. To enhance the KAP towards DF, further efforts should first be directed to improve knowledge through education, especially at the school level and people in less developed areas.

Social Determinants of Stigma and Discrimination in Vietnamese Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B.

Vietnam is among the countries with the highest prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and individuals who suffer from CHB oftentimes perceive high levels of stigma and discrimination. Our study aimed to provide evidence on the prevalence of stigma against hepatitis B virus (HBV), HBV infection, and social determinants of stigma and discrimination in patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Viet-Tiep Hospital, Hai Phong, Vietnam. Stigma and discrimination against CHB in the last month were measured via four dimensions: (1) Blame/Judgment; (2) Shame; (3) Discrimination in different settings; (4) Disclosure of CHB status. Multivariate Logistic and Tobit regressions were used to identify factors associated with CHB-related stigma and discrimination. Among 298 enrolled patients, 4.8% experienced blame/judgement, 10.2% perceived shame, 48.5% felt discriminated in healthcare facilities, and 90.6% disclosed their health status with spouses/partners. Factors associated with lower odds of CHB-related stigma/discrimination included living with spouses/partners, old age, being employed, and the existence of comorbidities was linked with higher odds of stigma. Anti-stigma programs should target those who are younger and have comorbidities. This could be done by community-based interventions which focus on inaccurate beliefs about viral hepatitis. Furthermore, families, healthcare providers, and society should play a crucial role in supporting CHB patients.