Introducing a Competency Framework for Educational Researchers: The Case of Vietnam.

In this paper, based on the established Vitae Researcher Development Framework (RDF), we introduce a new framework, tailor-made specifically for Vietnamese educational researchers, namely, Vietnam's Framework for Educational Researchers (VFER). VFER is expected to serve as a tool for Vietnamese educational researchers to self-evaluate their skills and support them in developing their career qualities from junior to senior career ladders. The framework includes four domains with ten subdomains and 28 indicators. To date, VFER has been implemented in some Vietnamese universities of pedagogical education. We expect that other research fields will look to VFER as a reference to build their own research capacity framework.

A case report of primary pulmonary artery intimal sarcoma.

Primary pulmonary artery sarcoma is a rare tumor that mimics pulmonary embolism. Patients may present with cough, dyspnea, chest pain, and weight loss. The diagnosis is challenging. Herein, we report a case of 29-year-old female patient who had presented with dyspnea, fatigue for 2 weeks. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography scan suggests pulmonary embolism. We decided to perform surgical embolectomy. The histopathological results, however demonstrated primary pulmonary artery intimal sarcoma. The patient died 1-month post-surgery because of respiratory and circulatory failure.

A 32-Year-Old Man With Dyspnea and Stridor.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 32-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of dyspnea on exertion for 2 months. Dyspnea occurred in both inspiration and expiration with an associated wheeze that was more pronounced with exertion. He had no other medical history or allergies. The patient was a current one-pack-a-day smoker for the past 5 years. He denied any close personal contact or recent exposure to any patients with active TB. He denied any current symptoms of chest pain, cough, fever, or changes in weight. On a prior admission for similar symptoms, the patient had been diagnosed with asthma and treated with an inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting beta-agonist with no change or improvement in symptoms.

Prevalence of and risk factors associated with depression among nursing students acting on the frontline of COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction: The widespread devastation caused by the ongoing waves of COVID-19 imposed a significant burden on the healthcare labor force. At the frontline in the battle against the deadly COVID-19 virus, nursing students in Vietnam were at a much-increased risk of developing mental health conditions. This study aims to identify the prevalence of depression and its related factors, along with coping strategies used by nursing students in the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. Materials and methods: The study was cross-sectional in nature, with convenient sampling at the epicenters of COVID-19 outbreaks in Vietnam (N = 191) from April to November 2021. After conducting a questionnaire pilot, the data was collected strictly using an internet-based approach. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 items were used to identify the risk of depression among nursing students. The Chi-square test was used to assess the differences between coping strategies among nursing students. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify risk factors associated with depression. Findings: The percentage of nursing students affected by depression was 21.5%, and almost half of the nursing students (49.2%) had no coping strategies for dealing with mental health concerns. Among the remaining nursing students, video-based mental consultation was the most popular method (25.7%). Being females (AOR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.1-6.7), collecting bio-samples (AOR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.4-6.2), providing support to vaccination spots (AOR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.1-5.1), and not vaccinating against COVID-19 (AOR: 3.1, 95% CI: 1.1-9.1) were found as risk factors for depression among nursing students. Conclusion: Our research revealed a significant number of nursing students suffering from depressive symptoms and underscoring the need for more effective methods of dealing with this condition. Depression management and coping skills focusing on female populations and those whose direct contacts with infectious sources should be implemented in the nursing curricula and continuous training credits. Those trainings, would support future nurses in handling crisis situations better.

Scalable Fabrication of Modified Graphene Nanoplatelets as an Effective Additive for Engine Lubricant Oil.

The use of nano-additives is widely recognized as a cheap and effective pathway to improve the performance of lubrication by minimizing the energy loss from friction and wear, especially in diesel engines. In this work, a simple and scalable protocol was proposed to fabricate a graphene additive to improve the engine lubricant oil. Graphene nanoplates (GNPs) were obtained by a one-step chemical exfoliation of natural graphite and were successfully modified with a surfactant and an organic compound to obtain a modified GNP additive, that can be facilely dispersed in lubricant oil. The GNPs and modified GNP additive were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The prepared GNPs had wrinkled and crumpled structures with a diameter of 10-30 µm and a thickness of less than 15 nm. After modification, the GNP surfaces were uniformly covered with the organic compound. The addition of the modified GNP additive to the engine lubricant oil significantly enhanced the friction and antiwear performance. The highest reduction of 35% was determined for the wear scar diameter with a GNP additive concentration of approximately 0.05%. The mechanism for lubrication enhancement by graphene additives was also briefly discussed.

Constructing a knowledge-based heterogeneous information graph for medical health status classification.

Applying Pearson correlation and semantic relations in building a heterogeneous information graph (HIG) to develop a classification model has achieved a notable performance in improving the accuracy of predicting the status of health risks. In this study, the approach that was used, integrated knowledge of the medical domain as well as taking advantage of applying Pearson correlation and semantic relations in building a classification model for diagnosis. The research mined knowledge which was extracted from titles and abstracts of MEDLINE to discover how to assess the links between objects relating to medical concepts. A knowledge-base HIG model then was developed for the prediction of a patient's health status. The results of the experiment showed that the knowledge-base model was superior to the baseline model and has demonstrated that the knowledge-base could help improve the performance of the classification model. The contribution of this study has been to provide a framework for applying a knowledge-base in the classification model which helps these models achieve the best performance of predictions. This study has also contributed a model to medical practice to help practitioners become more confident in making final decisions in diagnosing illness. Moreover, this study affirmed that biomedical literature could assist in building a classification model. This contribution will be advantageous for future researchers in mining the knowledge-base to develop different kinds of classification models.

Evaluation of the Effect of 5 QT-Positive Drugs on the JTpeak Interval - An Analysis of ECGs From the IQ-CSRC Study.

The JTpeak interval has been proposed as a new biomarker to demonstrate mixed ion channel effects, potentially leading to reduced late-stage electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring for mildly QT-prolonging drugs. ECG waveforms from the IQ-CSRC study were used. Twenty healthy subjects were enrolled with 6 subjects on placebo and 9 subjects on each of 5 mildly QT-prolonging drugs - moxifloxacin, dofetilide, ondansetron, dolasetron, and quinine - and 1 negative drug, levocetirizine. A vector magnitude lead was derived from 12-lead ECGs, and measurements were made on a median beat from three 10-second replicates. Data were analyzed using a linear concentration-response model with QTcF and heart rate corrected JTpeak (JTpeak_c) as dependent variables. For moxifloxacin, dofetilide, and ondansetron, all pure hERG blockers, slopes of the concentration (C)-QTcF and C-JTpeak_c relationships were positive and statistically significant. With the prespecified linear model, the predicted effects on ΔΔQTcF and ΔΔJTpeak_c were 11.4 and 9.4 milliseconds for moxifloxacin at the geometric mean Cmax on day 1, 9.0 and 11.7 milliseconds for dofetilide and 11.5, and 7.9 milliseconds for ondansetron, respectively. In contrast, dolasetron and quinine, both with additional ion channel effects, prolonged QTcF with a positive C-ΔQTcF slope and predicted ΔΔQTcF effect on day 1 of 6.2 and 11.4 milliseconds, whereas the C-ΔJTpeak_c slope and the predicted ΔΔJTpeak on day 1 were negative (-0.3 and -7.5 milliseconds per ng/mL). Pure hERG-blocking drugs prolonged both the QTc and the JTpeak_c intervals, whereas drugs with mixed ion channel effects, including peak sodium inhibition, prolonged QTcF but not the JTpeak_c interval.

Validity and Reliability of a Virtual Reality Game in Evaluating the Projected Frontal Plane Knee Angle When Landing From a Drop Vertical Jump.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the validity and reliability of the peak frontal plane knee angle evaluated by a virtual reality (VR) netball game when landing from a drop vertical jump. STUDY DESIGN: Laboratory. METHODS: Forty participants performed 3 drop vertical jumps evaluated by 3-dimensional motion analysis and 3 drop vertical jumps evaluated by the VR game. Limits of agreement for the peak projected frontal plane knee angle and peak knee abduction were determined. Participants were given a consensus category of "above threshold" or "below threshold" based on a prespecified threshold angle of 9° during landing. Classification agreement was determined using kappa coefficient, and accuracy was determined using specificity and sensitivity. Ten participants returned 1 week later to determine intrarater reliability, standard error of the measure, and typical error. RESULTS: The mean difference in detected frontal plane knee angle was 3.39° (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03° to 5.74°). Limits of agreement were -10.27° (95% CI, -14.36° to -6.19°) to 17.05° (95% CI, 12.97° to 21.14°). Substantial agreement, specificity, and sensitivity were observed for the threshold classification (κ = .66; 95% CI, .42 to .88; specificity = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.78 to 1.0; and sensitivity = 0.75; 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.95). The game exhibited acceptable reliability over time (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC3,1 = .844), and error was approximately 2°. CONCLUSION: The VR game reliably evaluated a projected frontal plane knee angle. Although the knee angle detected by the VR game is strongly related to peak knee abduction, the accuracy of detecting the exact angle was limited. A threshold approach may be a more accurate approach for gaming technology to evaluate frontal plane knee angles when landing from a jump.

A novel treatment of central serous chorioretinopathy with topical anti-inflammatory therapy.

A 45-year-old Caucasian female with diagnosis of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) did not improve on conventional observational approach. She was not willing to proceed with photocoagulation or photodynamic therapy. An unconventional approach of topical anti-inflammatory (ketorolac, dexamethasone and hydrocortisone) preparation was prescribed. The course of her CSCR responded well on this unconventional treatment, but relapsed on cessation or tapering of treatment. After 18 weeks of treatment with a gradual taper, her condition resolved. The present case highlights an alternative but unconventional treatment of CSCR with prolonged use of anti-inflammatories.

Sunlight-related factors and the 10-year incidence of age-related maculopathy.

PURPOSE: To examine the associations among iris, skin, or hair color, and skin sun sensitivity and the 10-year incidence of age-related maculopathy (ARM). METHODS: The Blue Mountains Eye Study (BMES) recruited 3654 participants aged 49+ years at baseline (1992-1994, 82.4% participation rate). Re-examinations of 2335 participants (75.1% of survivors) were done after 5 years (1997-1999) and 1952 (76.5% of survivors) after 10 years (2002-2004). Retinal photographs were graded using the Wisconsin ARM Grading System and incident ARM confirmed using the side-by-side grading method. Iris, skin, and hair color, and sun-related skin damage were assessed and skin sun-sensitivity questions were asked at baseline. Ten-year ARM incidence was calculated using Kaplan Meier methods and discrete logistic models were used to assess associations after adjusting for age, sex, and smoking. RESULTS: After adjustment, no significant associations were found between iris or hair color and either late- or early-incident ARM. Compared to persons with fair skin, those with very fair skin had an increased risk of developing geographic atrophy (multivariate adjusted risk ratio, RR = 7.6; 95% confidence interval, CI = 3.0-19.6). In contrast, compared to persons with average skin sun sensitivity, persons who reported that their skin would usually burn and tan with difficulty had a reduced risk of neovascular ARM (RR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.0-0.7). Sun-related skin damage was not associated with late or early ARM. CONCLUSIONS: In this older cohort, we did not find a consistent pattern of association between sunlight-related factors and ARM incidence, except that persons with very fair skin might have an increased risk of geographic atrophy, consistent with our 5-year incidence data. The protective association between skin sensitivity to sun damage and neovascular ARM could have be the result of confounding by sun-avoidance behavior among persons sensitive to sunburn.

How emotional arousal and valence influence access to awareness.

The effect of emotion on visual awareness is largely unknown. Pairs of natural images were presented side by side on a screen in a binocular rivalry setup. The amount of time that each image of a pair dominated perception was computed. Our results showed: (A) A main effect of arousal: Dominance durations of the more arousing picture of iso-valence pairs were longer. (B) No effect of valence: Dominance durations of pleasant and unpleasant pictures of iso-arousal pairs were similar. (C) An interaction between arousal and valence: The more pleasant picture of iso-arousal pairs of low arousal level dominated conscious perception. The less pleasant picture of iso-arousal pairs of high arousal level dominated conscious perception. Our findings suggest that the emotional content of a stimulus affects the extent to which it dominates awareness. While arousal and valence interactively affect access to awareness, only arousal exerts an independent control of such access.

Australian prospective study of cataract surgery and age-related macular degeneration: rationale and methodology.

BACKGROUND: Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed ophthalmic procedure worldwide. While benefits gained from cataract surgery outweigh surgical risks, there have been concerns that older persons may have an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) after cataract surgery. OBJECTIVE: The Australian Prospective Study of Cataract Surgery and Age-Related Macular Degeneration Study aims to assess the risk of AMD in a large cohort of older patients following cataract surgery. The current report describes the study rationale, design and methodology. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. PARTICIPANTS: Approximately 2000 cataract surgical patients aged 65 years or older are being recruited from both public and private sources in western Sydney, Australia. METHODS: At study visits, participants are interviewed using standardized questionnaires to obtain information on demographic, medical, and ocular conditions and AMD risk factors, together with data on general health and vision-related quality of life. Eye examinations include visual acuity, intraocular pressure, keratometry and A-scan measurements, plus lens and retinal photography, following pupil dilatation. Retinal photographs taken before cataract surgery, and at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery are graded for early and late AMD lesions, using the Wisconsin age-related maculopathy grading system. The 1-month post-operative retinal photographs supplement the baseline macular assessment for cases in which cataract occludes a clear view of the macula pre-operatively. It is intended that study participants will be followed for up to five years post-operatively to clarify the question of whether aphakic or pseudophakic, compared to phakic eyes, have a greater risk of developing AMD.

Optical coherence tomography findings of acute traumatic maculopathy following motor vehicle accident.

PURPOSE: To describe two cases of acute traumatic maculopathy using optical coherence tomography (OCT) following high-speed motor vehicle accidents. DESIGN: Case reports. METHODS: Patients were examined soon after the accident using Snellen visual acuity (VA), dilated fundus examination, and OCT. Re-examination was conducted two weeks to one month later. RESULTS: Both patients experienced an immediate reduction in VA of between 20/120 and 20/200. An abnormal yellow foveal reflex was noted at fundus examination in both cases. OCT revealed outer retinal thickening under the fovea and of the neurosensory retina with preservation of the inner retinal architecture and foveal pit. These OCT changes resolved approximately within two weeks of the accidents with near resolution of the visual disturbance in both cases. CONCLUSIONS: We describe two cases of acute traumatic maculopathy, including its appearance on OCT imaging.

Relation of age-related macular degeneration and cognitive impairment in an older population.

BACKGROUND: The aetiology of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cognitive impairment is poorly understood. A link between cognitive impairment and AMD has been proposed although only a weak association was found in population-based studies. PURPOSE: To assess cross-sectional associations between AMD and cognitive impairment in an older Australian population. METHODS: The Blue Mountains Eye Study examined 3,509 persons aged 49+ years during 1997-2000. AMD lesions were assessed from retinal photographs using the Wisconsin System. Mini-mental state examination (MMSE), demographics, lifestyle factors and medical history were collected at interview. MMSE score was categorised as high-normal (28-30), low-normal (24-27) and impaired (< 24). A modified MMSE excluded five vision related items and was dichotomised as normal (18-22) and impaired (0-17). Logistic regression was used to assess associations after adjusting for age, sex, visual impairment, stroke, current smoking status, hypertension, alcohol consumption and post-high-school qualification. RESULTS: Prevalence rates for late and early AMD were 1.5% (n = 50) and 8.3% (n = 273), respectively. Cognitive impairment was present in 18.0% in persons with late AMD and 8.4% with early AMD, compared to 2.6% in persons without AMD. After multivariate adjustment, late AMD was associated with low normal MMSE (odds ratio (OR): 2.2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1-5.0) and cognitive impairment (OR: 3.7, CI: 1.3-10.6). Using the modified MMSE, the multivariate association between late AMD and cognitive impairment remained (OR: 2.2, CI: 1.0-5.0). No significant association was found between cognitive impairment and early AMD. CONCLUSIONS: We found a significant, cross-sectional association between late AMD and cognitive impairment in a sample of older Australians that appeared to be independent of visual impairment. The association was weaker but remained significant after excluding vision-related items from the MMSE.

Cataract surgery in patients with age-related maculopathy: preoperative diagnosis and postoperative visual acuity.

PURPOSE: To report the reliability in detecting age-related maculopathy (ARM) lesions before cataract surgery and postoperative visual acuity (VA) in cataract surgery patients with ARM. METHODS: Medical records of surgical patients in a large public hospital, west of Sydney, were reviewed retrospectively. Detection of ARM lesions was compared before and after surgery to determine sensitivity and specificity of preoperative diagnoses. Postoperative VA was assessed 4 weeks after surgery. RESULTS: Data were available for 721/784 eyes (92.0%) of 656 patients aged 60 years or older. ARM lesions were detected in 98 eyes (13.6%) before and 92 eyes (12.8%) after surgery. Sensitivities for detecting late ARM lesions, soft drusen and retinal pigment epithelium abnormalities preoperatively were 100%, 94% and 69%, respectively. Corresponding specificities were 100%, 100% and 77%, respectively. Postoperative VA achieved or remained 6/12 or better in 81.6% of eyes. CONCLUSION: A high sensitivity and specificity in detecting late ARM lesions and soft drusen preoperatively, and a good postoperative VA outcome is achievable in patients with preoperative early ARM lesions.

Pterygium, pinguecula, and 5-year incidence of cataract.

PURPOSE: To assess longitudinal associations between pterygium, pinguecula, and 5-year incident cataract. DESIGN: Population-based cohort study. METHODS: The Blue Mountains Eye Study examined 3,654 residents aged > or =49 years during 1992 to 1994 and reexamined 2,335 (75.1% of survivors) 5 years later. Slit-lamp examination recorded pterygium and pinguecula. Cataract was assessed using masked grading of lens photographs. Incidence was assessed in participants without cataract at baseline. Eye-specific data were analyzed using generalized estimating equation models, adjusting for age, sex, smoking, diabetes, and corticosteroid use. RESULTS: Pinguecula was associated with a borderline-significant, increased risk of developing cortical cataract (adjusted odds ratio, 1.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.0 to 1.7). We found no significant association between baseline pterygium and the incidence of cortical, nuclear, or posterior subcapsular cataract. CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal data from the same study population provide weak support for cross-sectional associations between pinguecula and cortical cataract previously reported from our study.

Pterygium/pinguecula and the five-year incidence of age-related maculopathy.

PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between baseline pterygium and pinguecula and the five-year incidence of age-related maculopathy (ARM). DESIGN: Population-based longitudinal study. METHODS: The Blue Mountains Eye Study examined 3654 residents aged 49+ years during 1992 to 1994 and then re-examined 2335 (75.1% of survivors) after five years. Retinal photographs were graded using the Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading System. Slit-lamp examination recorded pterygium and pinguecula. Eye-specific data were analyzed using generalized estimating equation models. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, gender, and smoking, eyes with pterygium or previous pterygium surgery had a higher risk of incident late ARM, odds ratio (OR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1 to 10.3, early ARM (OR 1.8, CI 1.1 to 2.9) and soft drusen (OR 2.0, CI 1.9 to 3.4), than eyes without pterygium. We found no association between pinguecula and incident ARM. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that pterygium was associated with a two- to threefold increased risk of incident late and early ARM.

Systemic and ocular comorbidity of cataract surgical patients in a western Sydney public hospital.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the frequency of major systemic and ocular comorbidities among cataract surgical patients attending a large general public hospital. METHODS: Consecutive patients aged 60+ years who had undergone cataract surgery at Westmead Hospital from July 2001 to December 2002 were included. Preoperative information was obtained from patient medical records. RESULTS: A total of 773 cataract surgical procedures were performed during the 18-month period, including 668 (86.4%) aged 60+ years. Complete data were available for 653 eyes (97.8%); 62.2% were women. The mean age at surgery was 74.6 (+/- 7.2) years. Frequent systemic comorbidities included: angina (20.2%), previous myocardial infarct (15.0%), diabetes (27.5%) and hypertension (56.3%); 12.5% were current smokers. Major preoperative ocular comorbidities included age-related maculopathy (12.6%), diabetic retinopathy (9.0%) and glaucoma (10.6%). Preoperatively, 21.7% of this group had severe visual impairment (visual acuity [VA] <6/60), 30.6% had moderate impairment (VA <6/24 ->or=6/60) and 30.6% had mild impairment (VA <6/12 ->or=6/24); 28.5% had presenting VA >or=6/12. CONCLUSION: The data indicate a high frequency of comorbid systemic and ocular diseases among cataract surgical patients.

Ingrowing toenails: management practices and research outcomes.

The ingrowing toenail, often seen as a trivial condition, can be a substantial source of pain and potential morbidity in high-risk patients. Furthermore, this malady is commonly seen by the general practitioner who possesses little training in the management of the condition. Compounding the problem is the myriad of reported nonsurgical and surgical treatments. This article reviews the topic of ingrowing toenails and offers treatment options based on a review of the literature.