Lovastatin for adult patients with dengue: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Dengue is the most important vector-borne viral infection of man, with approximately 2 billion people living in areas at risk. Infection results in a range of manifestations from asymptomatic infection through to life-threatening shock and haemorrhage. One of the hallmarks of severe dengue is vascular endothelial disruption. There is currently no specific therapy and clinical management is limited to supportive care. Statins are a class of drug initially developed for lipid lowering. There has been considerable recent interest in their effects beyond lipid lowering. These include anti-inflammatory effects at the endothelium. In addition, it is possible that lovastatin may have an anti-viral effect against dengue. Observational data suggest that the use of statins may improve outcomes for such conditions as sepsis and pneumonia. This paper describes the protocol for a randomised controlled trial investigating a short course of lovastatin therapy in adult patients with dengue. METHODS/DESIGN: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will investigate the effects of lovastatin therapy in the treatment of dengue. The trial will be conducted in two phases with an escalation of dose between phases if an interim safety review is satisfactory. This is an exploratory study focusing on safety and there are no data on which to base a sample size calculation. A target sample size of 300 patients in the second phase, enrolled over two dengue seasons, was chosen based on clinical judgement and feasibility considerations. In a previous randomised trial in dengue, about 10% and 30% of patients experienced at least one serious adverse event or adverse event, respectively. With 300 patients, we will have 80% power to detect an increase of 12% (from 10% to 22%) or 16% (from 30% to 46%) in the frequency of adverse events. Furthermore, this sample size ensures some power to explore the efficacy of statins. DISCUSSION: The development of a dengue therapeutic that can attenuate disease would be an enormous advance in global health. The favourable effects of statins on the endothelium, their good safety profile and their low cost make lovastatin an attractive therapeutic candidate. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number ISRCTN03147572

Lovastatin for the Treatment of Adult Patients With Dengue: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Dengue endangers billions of people in the tropical world, yet no therapeutic is currently available. In part, the severe manifestations of dengue reflect inflammatory processes affecting the vascular endothelium. In addition to lipid lowering, statins have pleiotropic effects that improve endothelial function, and epidemiological studies suggest that outcomes from a range of acute inflammatory syndromes are improved in patients already on statin therapy. METHODS: Following satisfactory review of a short pilot phase (40 mg lovastatin vs placebo in 30 cases), we performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 5 days of 80 mg lovastatin vs placebo in 300 Vietnamese adults with a positive dengue NS1 rapid test presenting within 72 hours of fever onset. The primary outcome was safety. Secondary outcomes included comparisons of disease progression rates, fever clearance times, and measures of plasma viremia and quality of life between the treatment arms. RESULTS: Adverse events occurred with similar frequency in both groups (97/151 [64%] placebo vs 82/149 [55%] lovastatin; P = .13), and were in keeping with the characteristic clinical and laboratory features of acute dengue. We also observed no difference in serious adverse events or any of the secondary outcome measures. CONCLUSIONS: We found lovastatin to be safe and well tolerated in adults with dengue. However, although the study was not powered to address efficacy, we found no evidence of a beneficial effect on any of the clinical manifestations or on dengue viremia. Continuing established statin therapy in patients who develop dengue is safe.Chinese Clinical Trials Registration. ISRCTN03147572

Attitudes toward Self-Disclosure on Facebook: A Review of Perception, Emotion and Behavior in University Students

A number of social networking platforms have emerged as a result of the development of information and communication technology which have become increasingly user-friendly and full with valuable features. The social networking site with most users is Facebook. Teenagers, particularly college students use Facebook most frequently to study, gain information, entertain themselves and connect with others through self-disclosing personal information on the Facebook profile page. This quantitative study aimed to analyze the attitude of pedagogical students regarding self-disclosure on Facebook as represented through cognition, emotion and behavior concerning academic achievement. The survey was completed by 535university student’s majority in pedagogy. There were 41 students who used it for less than three years between three to five years by 218 students and 276 students who use it more than five years. The questionnaire was self-reported by participants to assess university students' attitudes toward self-disclosure on Facebook. The results indicate that pedagogical students with excellent academic achievement and more than five years of Facebook experience had the highest-level attitude toward self-disclosure on Facebook. The results indicate a positive relationship between cognition, emotion and influence factors students' Facebook attitudes. Future research on methods that enhance student positive disclosure can benefit from this study. Future research should examine how self-disclosure on Facebook relates to other aspects, such as Facebook usage time, financial state and perception of advantages and its disadvantages of Facebook in order to evaluate students' attitudes objectively

Enhancing land use efficiency for tea cultivation: A case study in Quang Binh District, Ha Giang Province

The study aims to evaluate the efficiency of tea land use in Quang Binh district across three aspects: economic, social, and environmental. The study utilized random survey data from 60 tea-growing households, combined with both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Findings indicated that the total tea cultivation area remained relatively stable between 2020 and 2024; however, economic efficiency sharply declined in 2024 due to disruptions in export markets and a significant drop in tea prices. Tea cultivation continues to be highly accepted by local populations, especially among ethnic minorities, owing to its compatibility with traditional practices and its role in ensuring employment and land tenure stability. Additionally, tea cultivation contributes to increasing land cover, maintaining and protecting soil quality, and reducing land degradation. Nonetheless, the declining wages of daily labor and limited market connectivity threaten the long-term sustainability of economic, social, and environmental aspects of tea cultivation. To enhance effective land use, a comprehensive approach is necessary, which includes rational land planning, adoption of sustainable farming techniques, increased application of organic and biological inputs, and strengthened training and technology transfer. These measures support long-term economic and environmental sustainability in tea-growing regions, while also increasing production and improving soil health

Effect of enriching live feeds with HUFA on growth and survival of clownfish Amphiprion ocellaris (Cuvier, 1830) larvae

The aims of this study was to evaluate the effect of HUFA-enriched live feed in rearing Nemo fish larvae (Amphiprion ocellaris), 5 treatments were set up (each treatment was repeated in triplicate) with 5 concentrations of HUFA (Super Selco) (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 ppm). After 45 days of culture with HUFA-enriched live feeds of different concentrations, the total length-TL as well as the specific growth rate (SGRL) in body length and survival rate of Nemo fish larvae in the treatments had significant differences (p 0.05). In the enriched live prey diet of 100 ppm Selco, TL, SGRL and the survival rate of Nemo fish larvae were the highest (10.01 ± 0.150 mm, 7.20 ± 0.099%/day and 82.67 ± 0.881%, respectively). Lowest TL, SGRL and survival rate were obtained in larvae fed with the control diet (8.65 ± 0.051 mm, 6.23 ± 0.041%/day and 68.70 ± 0.881%, respectively). The results of this experiment suggest that the optimal Selco concentration used to enrich live feeds for Nemo fish larvae is 100 ppm, which can improve the production efficiency of Nemo stock

Factors Affecting University Brand Management in Vietnam: An Exploratory Study at Private Universities in Hanoi

The research is aimed at identifying factors affecting university brand management by surveying private universities in Hanoi. Despite the vast amount of brand literature, it has received little attention in higher education settings, making the exploratory research method an appropriate choice. When observing the current situation from an unexplored perspective, the exploration design is a reasonable choice. Face-to-face and online interviews were conducted to exchange information and analyze the interaction of factors in brand management activities and the future university development orientation. Brand behavior and brand management of the university, competitiveness enhancement, and policies on university branding are among the factors that have a significant impact

Vietnamese nursing students\u27 perspectives on learning environments: A multisite benchmarking study to inform future initiatives

This study investigated Vietnamese undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing students\u27 perceptions (n=891) of their education environment during university and clinical experiences in health care, within new competency-based curriculum contexts in four universities across Vietnam. Results inform future change in nursing education provision at both organisation and national level

Occupational injury of Vietnamese seafarers on aboard merchant vessels

BACKGROUND: Seafaring is an arduous and highly specialized profession, with many potential risks of accidents and injuries to the working seafarers. This study aims to describe the characteristics of occupational injuries and some related factors of Vietnamese seafarers on board merchant vessels. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Injured seafarers working on ships of 3 shipping companies in Hai Phong, Vietnam for 2 years, from January 2021 to December 2022, were considered in the study. The retrospective descriptive method was used to collect data on occupational injuries. RESULTS: Forty-six injured seafarers out of a total of 1250 seafarers were included. The incidence of occupational injuries among seafarers was 46 per 1250 (3.7%). The overall injury incidence was 18.4 per 1000 seafarers per year over the 2-year study period. The most common time for injury accidents was at night (54.3%) and the place where injuries occurred was mainly on the deck of the ship (71.7%). Causes of occupational injuries included slipping (32.6%), closing cargo hatch covers (13.0%), unloading cargo (13.0%), and repairing ship engines (10.9%). The nature of injuries was mainly soft tissue injuries (52.2%); sprains, dislocations (15.3%); fractures (10.9%); burns (6.5%). Injuries to the shoulder, forearm, and hand (52.2%); thighs, legs, feet (32.6%); head (6.5%). Some factors related to injury include working experience less than 10 years, OR = 2.45 (95%CI: 1.36–4.42); intermediate education level, OR = 2.30 (95%CI: 1.17–4.54); non-officer, OR = 2.76 (95%CI: 1.36–5.59). Deck group crew, OR = 2.19 (95%CI: 1.14– 4.18); deadweight tonnage of ships under 10 thousand tons, OR = 5.88 (95%CI: 2.07–16.73) compared to ships over 50 thousand tons. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational injuries are a major health problem among Vietnamese seafarers. To prevent occupational injuries, it is necessary to improve living and working conditions on board ships and strengthen training and practice of occupational safety and hygiene on board ships