Presence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Antibodies Among Vietnamese Healthcare Workers by Dosing Interval for ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccine.

BACKGROUND: Before the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant arrived in Vietnam, case rates suggested seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was low. Beginning in March 2021, we assessed different dosing schedules and adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) for ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine among healthcare workers (HCWs). METHODS: We performed a prospective cohort study to estimate the prevalence of IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 before and after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination. We conducted antibody testing among HCWs in February 2021 (baseline), before the second dose (June-July 2021), and 1 and 3 months after the second dose. We detected antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 using Tetracore® FlexImmArray™, and surrogate neutralizing antibodies using GenScript cPass™. Neither assay can distinguish natural from vaccine-induced antibodies. We assessed AEFIs through interview post-dose 1 and 1 month post-dose 2. RESULTS: Before vaccination, 1/617 participants (0.16%) had antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. Of these 617, 405 were vaccinated with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 with 4-8- (60%), 9-12- (27%), or ≥13-week (13%) intervals between the 2 doses. Three months following series completion, 99% and 97% of vaccinated participants had ≥1 sample with detectable antibodies and surrogate neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, respectively. We observed no significant differences among those with different dosing intervals at last follow-up. All participants reported PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 during the study; 2 (0.5%) were laboratory-confirmed. AEFIs were more frequent post-dose 1 (81%) vs post-dose 2 (21%). CONCLUSIONS: In this population, regardless of dosing interval, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 induced antibodies within 3 months of the second dose. These findings may offer flexibility to policymakers when balancing programmatic considerations with vaccine effectiveness.

The association between symptoms of mental disorders and health risk behaviours in Vietnamese HIV positive outpatients: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: A high prevalence of symptoms of mental disorders (SOMD) has been found among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). Additionally, SOMD may impact on the prevalence of high-risk health behaviours (HRB). This study investigates the relationship between SOMD and HRB in a large sample of Vietnamese HIV positive outpatients. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 400 outpatients at two HIV/AIDS clinics in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, selected using a systematic sampling technique. Validated scales were used to measure SOMD, specifically symptoms of depression, anxiety, alcohol use disorder (AUD), substance use disorder (SUD) and HIV associated dementia (HAD). Participants completed a self-report questionnaire assessing HRB during the preceding 12 months including unsafe sexual practices and illicit drug use. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations between SOMD and HRB. RESULTS: The majority of participants (63.5%) were male and the median age was 34.0 years. Unsafe sexual practices and illicit drug use were reported by 13.8 and 5.5% of participants. The prevalences of HAD, depression, AUD, anxiety and SUD symptoms were 39.8, 36.5, 13.3 10.5, 3.3% respectively. There was no association between SOMD and HRB either with or without adjusting for correlates of HRB, except between symptoms of SUD and illicit drug use. PLHIV who had symptoms of SUD were more likely to use illicit drugs (adjusted Odds Ratio 81.14, 95% CI 12.55-524.47). CONCLUSIONS: While the prevalence of SOMD among HIV positive outpatients was high, most SOMD were not associated with increased HRB. Only illicit drug use was predicted by symptoms of SUD. Screening PLHIV for symptoms of SUD may be useful for detecting people likely to be engaging in illicit drug use to reduce the risk of secondary disease transmission.

Continuing Medical Education in Vietnam: A Weighted Analysis from Healthcare Professionals' Perception and Evaluation.

PURPOSE: Continuing medical education (CME) is a compulsory requirement for every health professional. However, to date, little is known about the effectiveness of CME in Vietnam. This study assessed CME programs based on attendees' perception and evaluation. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted during a five-month period in all 62 CME courses at a university hospital. A self-report, anonymous questionnaire was distributed to the participants during the course and was collected at the end of the course. The questionnaire included questions about demographic characteristics, experiences during the course and participants' perception and evaluation as measured by the 19-item Program Evaluation Instrument (PEI). A higher score on the PEI indicates a higher level of positive reaction toward CME programs. RESULTS: Among 1312 participants in the analysis, the majority were females (58.1%) with a mean age of 34.5 (SD = 10.6) years. Almost all participants had good, positive perceptions toward CME. However, about 5% of participants reported CME a waste of time. Participants reported a high score on the PEI (95.0±8.9) and all four dimensions including program objectives (20.7±2.2), learner's objectives (18.8±2.3), teacher's behavior (25.7±2.7) and program satisfaction (29.7±3.4). While there was no association between demographic characteristics and PEI score, attendance rate during the courses and perceptions toward CME were positively associated with PEI score. CONCLUSION: CME programs receive positive reaction and evaluation from healthcare professionals and are helpful in providing and updating knowledge, attitude and practice in Vietnam. However, further studies are needed in other settings and specialties to fully understand the effectiveness of CME in Vietnam.

Feasibility and Safety of Laparoscopic Radical Colectomy for T4b Colon Cancer at a University Hospital in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: The choice of optimal treatment strategies for T4b colon cancers has still been discussed, particularly the initiation of neoadjuvant therapy or surgery. We conducted this study to evaluate the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic multivisceral resection for T4b colon cancers. METHODS: We used the retrospective design to include all 43 patients with T4b colon cancer at a university hospital in Vietnam from March 2017 to March 2019. All patients were followed 30 days after the surgery, and information about the day of the first flatus, length of hospital stay, iatrogenic complications, postoperative morbidity, mortality, and adjuvant chemotherapy was collected. RESULTS: The mean operating time was 187 minutes (ranging from 80 to 310), the mean blood loss was 64.3 ml (5-200), and the conversion rate was 2.3%. The mean number of lymph nodes harvested was 15.5 (SD = 8.06), and 33 patients (76.7%) had at least 12 lymph nodes harvested. A total of 21 patients (48.8%) had lymph node metastases with a mean number of lymph node metastases of 1.89 (SD = 3.4). The radial resection margin was R0 in all 43 patients (100%). The median time until the first flatus and hospital stay were 3 days (2-5) and 7.1 (6-11) days, respectively. There was no mortality at 30 days postoperatively, and one patient had iatrogenic complication (2.3%). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic radical colectomy was feasible and safe for patients with T4b colon cancer except those requiring major and complicated reconstruction.

Randomized controlled trial of mechanical bowel preparation for laparoscopy-assisted colectomy.

INTRODUCTION: The benefit of mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) before open colon surgery has been debated over the last decade. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effect of MBP on the outcome of patients who underwent elective laparoscopic colectomy. METHODS: Patients who were scheduled to undergo elective laparoscopic colon resection with primary anastomosis were randomly allocated to a preoperative MBP group (either two bottles of sodium phosphate or 2-L polyethylene glycol) or a no-MBP group. Anastomotic leakage and other complications such as surgical-site infection and extra-abdominal complications were recorded postoperatively. RESULTS: In this study, 122 patients were recruited and randomly allocated to the MBP group (n = 62) or the no-MBP group (n = 60). Demographic and clinical characteristics were not significantly different between the two groups. The rate of abdominal complications, including anastomotic leak and surgical-site infection, was 16.2% in the MBP group and 18.3% in the no-MBP group (P = 0.747). Anastomotic leakage occurred in four patients (6.5%) in the MBP group and in two patients (3.3%) in no-MBP group (P = 0.680). About 29% of patients in the MBP group still had either liquid or solid content in the bowel. No significant difference was found between the length of hospital stay in the MBP group and the no-MBP group (9.0 ± 2.9 vs 8.4 ± 1.9 days, P = 0.180). CONCLUSIONS: Elective laparoscopic colectomy without MBP is safe and offers acceptable postoperative morbidity.