Antibacterial activities of the extracts of Mimosa pudica L. an in-vitro study

Mimosa pudica L., also called sensitive plant or touch-me-not, belongs to the genus Mimosa (Family: Mimosaceae). This plant grows as a weed in nearly every parts of Vietnam and is used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of some diseases. This study aims to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the water and ethanol extracts of this plant by using disc diffusion method. The total flavonoid as quercetin equivalent (QE) per gram (dry weight) of these two extracts was also estimated. The result of tests for in-vitro antibacterial activity indicates that the ethanol extract showed significant activity against E.coli, S.aureus, B.subtilis and S.typhi with the zone of inhibition was 11mm, 19mm, 17mm and 16mm respectively. The water extract only inhibited the growth of S.aureus (14mm) and B.subtilis (15mm) and there was no resistance against E.coli and S.typhi. The analysis of total flavonoid content found that the ethanol extract contains higher amount of flavonoid than water extract and flavonoid is responsible mainly for the antibacterial activity of Mimosa pudica L

Acceptance and user experiences of a wearable device for the management of hospitalized patients in COVID-19–designated wards in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: action learning project

Background: Wearable devices have been used extensively both inside and outside of the hospital setting. During the COVID-19 pandemic, in some contexts, there was an increased need to remotely monitor pulse and saturated oxygen for patients due to the lack of staff and bedside monitors. Objective: A prototype of a remote monitoring system using wearable pulse oximeter devices was implemented at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from August to December 2021. The aim of this work was to support the ongoing implementation of the remote monitoring system. Methods: We used an action learning approach with rapid pragmatic methods, including informal discussions and observations as well as a feedback survey form designed based on the technology acceptance model to assess the use and acceptability of the system. Based on these results, we facilitated a meeting using user-centered design principles to explore user needs and ideas about its development in more detail. Results: In total, 21 users filled in the feedback form. The mean technology acceptance model scores ranged from 3.5 (for perceived ease of use) to 4.4 (for attitude) with behavioral intention (3.8) and perceived usefulness (4.2) scoring in between. Those working as nurses scored higher on perceived usefulness, attitude, and behavioral intention than did physicians. Based on informal discussions, we realized there was a mismatch between how we (ie, the research team) and the ward teams perceived the use and wider purpose of the technology. Conclusions: Designing and implementing the devices to be more nurse-centric from their introduction could have helped to increase their efficiency and use during the complex pandemic period

Publisher Correction:Implementing a context-driven awareness programme addressing household air pollution and tobacco: a FRESH AIR study

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Quantifying the Emergence of Dengue in Hanoi, Vietnam: 1998–2009

Dengue is the most common vector-borne viral disease of humans, causing an estimated 50 million cases per year. The number of countries affected by dengue has increased dramatically in the last 50 years and dengue is now a major public health problem in large parts of the tropical and subtropical world. It is of considerable importance to understand the factors that determine how dengue becomes newly established in areas where the risk of dengue was previously small. Hanoi in North Vietnam is a large city where dengue appears to be emerging. We analyzed 12 years of dengue surveillance data in order to characterize the temporal and spatial epidemiology of dengue in Hanoi and to establish if dengue incidence has been increasing. After excluding the two major outbreak years of 1998 and 2009 and correcting for changes in population age structure over time, we found there was a significant annual increase in the incidence of notified dengue cases over the period 1999–2008. Dengue cases were concentrated in young adults in the highly urban central areas of Hanoi. This study indicates that dengue transmission is increasing in Hanoi and provides a platform for further studies of the underlying drivers of this emergence

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

Đo lường chất lượng dịch vụ tiền gửi tiết kiệm cá nhân tại Ngân hàng Nông nghiệp và Phát triển Nông thôn Việt Nam - Mười năm nhìn lại

Nghiên cứu nhằm so sánh kết quả nghiên cứu năm 2020 với kết quả của chính nghiên cứu tương tự được thực hiện 10 năm trước, trong đó có so sánh kỳ vọng và nhận thức của khách hàng về dịch vụ tiền gửi tiết kiệm cá nhân tại Ngân hàng Nông nghiệp và Phát triển Nông thôn Việt Nam (Agribank), bằng cách sử dụng công cụ nghiên cứu SERVQUAL, dưới dạng so sánh các chỉ tiêu và một phần so sánh các biến số. Qua khảo sát 280 khách hàng đang giao dịch tại các chi nhánh và phòng giao dịch Agribank về kỳ vọng và nhận thức dịch vụ trong quý 4 năm 2019, sử dụng kết quả Cronbach’s Alpha và EFA của nghiên cứu trước, việc phân tích cho thấy chất lượng dịch vụ được đo lường qua mô hình hiệu chỉnh gồm 4 chỉ tiêu: độ tin cậy, chất lượng tương tác, môi trường dịch vụ và giá cả. Kết quả so sánh có cho thấy những chỉ tiêu đã thay đổi ít nhiều trong vòng 10 năm qua, theo hướng tích cực hơn. Đồng thời, nghiên cứu này cũng đề xuất cho Ban quản lý Agribank một số việc nên làm nhằm ngày càng giảm khoảng cách kỳ vọng – nhận thức của khách hàng, cũng như cập nhật liên tục những ứng dụng mới trong nền kinh tế mở, hội nhập

Enhancement in Photocatalytic Efficiency of Commercial TiO2 Nanoparticles by Calcination: A Case of Doxycycline Removal

In this study, the pure and calcined forms of Degussa TiO2 were applied for photocatalytic removal of doxycycline - a broad-spectrum tetracycline antibiotic. The calcination of TiO2 at 500 °C enhanced the photocatalytic efficiency of the TiO2 under optimal operational conditions of 5 ppm of doxycycline, 0.25 g/L of TiO2, pH 6.5, 120 min, and room temperature. In addition, the changes in morphology, crystal structure, and optical properties of the materials before and after calcination were observed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The reaction kinetics of the doxycycline removal was also investigated based on the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model with a correlation coefficient R2 of >80%. Results showed that the photocatalytic ability of TiO2 is stable and enhanced after being calcined at a suitable temperature of 500 °C. This opens up the potential application of TiO2 in the treatment of emerging organic pollutants in water. Copyright © 2022 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).