EVALUATION OF PRESCRIBING INDICATORS FOR PEADIATRIC OUTPATIENTS UNDER SIX YEARS OLD IN DISTRICT HOSPITALS OF CAN THO CITY IN THE PERIOD OF 2015-2016

Objective: Examining and comparing the primary and supplementary prescribing indicators in pediatric outpatients under six years old. Methods: We performed a comparative cross-sectional study, over nine months, from September 2015. 800 prescriptions for peadiatric patients under 6 y old were collected at 8 district hospitals in Can Tho city to evaluate the primary and supplementary prescribing indicators. The sample was collected prospectively by the systematic selection, with the interval between the patients is 5. The data was analysed and compared to the standard drug use indicators in developing countries recommended by WHO. Results: Average number of drugs per encounter: 4.1, percentage of drugs prescribed by generic name: 94.2%, percentage of encounters with an antibiotic prescribed: 85.8%, percentage of drugs prescribed from essential drugs list by Ministry of Health: 78.7%, percentage of encounters with a corticoid prescribed: 41.7%, percentage of encounters with a vitamin prescribed: 13.1%, average drug cost per encounter: 37.5 thousands VND, percentage of drug costs spent on antibiotics: 55.2%, percentage of drug costs spent on essential drugs: 75.7%, percentage of drug costs spent on corticoid: 1.9%, percentage of drug costs spent on vitamin: 1.4%. Conclusion: The results of this research have identified some issues in outpatient prescribing, which may lead to intervention studies for evaluating changes in these issues in the outpatient clinic

Razão jurídica na educação de bachelados em direitos do Vietnã

The article deals with the issues of practice, training and formation of legal reasoning in bachelor of laws education in Vietnam. The analysis and comparison of practice, education, formation of legal reasoning in legal education at some universities in the world and in Vietnam show that Bachelor of Laws educational activities in Vietnam are in the development stage in terms of enrollment size. There has not been any education program and instructional practices designed for legal reasoning. As a consequence, learners’ legal reasoning has not yet developed—a typical kind of thinking that is only obtained by those who study laws. In the current international integration context, it is very necessary to add legal reasoning as an indispensable philosophy to concretize it in the structure of bachelor of laws education programs. This change is considered necessary to narrow the gap in bachelor of laws education in Vietnam with other countries.El artículo trata las cuestiones de la práctica y la formación del razonamiento jurídico en la educación de licenciatura en derecho en Vietnam. El análisis y la comparación de la práctica, la educación, la formación del razonamiento legal en la educación jurídica en algunas universidades del mundo y en Vietnam muestran que las actividades educativas de la licenciatura en derecho en Vietnam están en la etapa de desarrollo en cuanto al tamaño de inscripciones. No ha habido ningún programa educativo ni prácticas de instrucción diseñadas para el razonamiento legal. Como consecuencia, el razonamiento legal de los estudiantes aún no se ha desarrollado. En el actual contexto de integración internacional, es necesario agregar el razonamiento jurídico como filosofía para concretarlo en la estructura de programas educativos de licenciatura en Derecho. Este cambio se considera necesario para reducir la brecha en la educación de licenciatura en derecho en Vietnam con otros países.Este artigo trata das questões de prática, treinamento e formação do raciocínio jurídico na educação de bacharelado em Direito no Vietnã. A análise e comparação da prática, educação e formação do raciocínio jurídico na educação jurídica em algumas universidades do mundo e no Vietnã mostram que as atividades educacionais de bacharelado em Direito no Vietnã estão em fase de desenvolvimento em termos da quantidade das matrículas. Não tem havido nenhum programa educacional e práticas instrucionais projetadas para o raciocínio jurídico. Como consequência, o raciocínio jurídico dos estudantes ainda não se desenvolveu. No atual contexto de integração internacional, é muito necessário acrescentar o raciocínio jurídico como filosofia indispensável para concretizá-lo na estrutura dos programas educacionais de bacharelado em Direito. Esta mudança é considerada necessária para diminuir a lacuna na educação de bacharelado em Direito no Vietnã com outros países

ANALYSIS OF PRESCRIPTION INDICATORS FOR OUTPATIENTS WITH HEALTH INSURANCE IN OUTPATIENTS DEPARTMENT AT CAN THO UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND PHARMACY HOSPITAL IN THE PERIOD 2017-2018

Objective: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the drug prescription parameters and to find out the elements had an influence on the prescribing practice of doctors’. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to collect 300 outpatient drug prescriptions and 30 questionnaires of physicians during the period of 2017-2018. The data were analyzed according to WHO’s the guideline. Results: Average number of drug per prescription: 3.73, percentage of drugs prescribed by generic or international name (INN): 100%, percentage of prescriptions with an antibiotic prescribed: 24%, of β-lactam antibiotics group, including cephalosporin (31.17%) and aminopenicillin (27.27%), accounted for the highest percentage of using in antibiotic groups with a total of 58.44%, of corticosteroid: 12%, of vitamin: 27.3%, of drugs prescribed including in the Essential Medicines List issued by the Ministry of Health: 35.3%. Average drug cost per prescription: 88,867 VNĐ. Percentage of drug costs for antibiotics (%): 7.48%, of corticosteroids (%): 1.85% and of vitamins (%): 5.25%. Conclusion: The results of this research have identified some prescription indicators and elements affect the prescription indicators such as drug information, patient, drug, which may lead to intervention studies for evaluating changes in these issues in the outpatient clinic

Evaluation of factors related to entrepreneurial intentions among young pharmacists in the Mekong Delta region: a cross - sectional study in Vietnam

At present, a new wave of entrepreneurship has emerged and made a significant impact in Vietnam despite challenges. The study aims to assess the factors related to the entrepreneurial intentions of young pharmacists in 2023 in the Mekong Delta region. A cross-sectional descriptive method was conducted, involving interviews with 815 young pharmacists living in the Mekong Delta region, via a pre-designed research questionnaire. Results showed that 6 out of 43 variables were eliminated after Cronbach’s alpha was run. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin coefficient (0.5–0.923) indicated statistical significance and suitable conditions for Exploratory Factor Analysis. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling results were consistent with market data. With the impact of difficulties, attitude, perception of behavioral control, subjective norms, achievement needs on knowledge, and knowledge on entrepreneurial intentions (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the study successfully collected samples and gained a deeper understanding of the factors influencing the entrepreneurial intentions of young pharmacists

HMU fluorinze mouthwash enhances enamel remineralization: An in vitro study

BACKGROUND: Fluoride therapy has long been used extensively to prevent dental caries. Fluoride appears in variety of dental care products such as mouthrinse, dentifrice, gel, etc. HMU fluorinze is the first mouthwash containing fluoride in Vietnam. AIM: This research was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of HMU Fluorinze mouthwash on remineralizing enamel in laboratory conditions. METHODS: 20 third molars teeth were cleaned and covered with nail polish , except for a 3x3 mm square on their buccal surfaces. These teeth went through two steps: demineralization using Coke and remineralization for 20 days: 1) using standard calcifying solution (control group) and 2) using standard calcifying solution + HMU Fluorinze mouthwash 2 times/day (experimental group). The mineralization index of enamel structure after demineralization and remineralization was assessed by DIAGNOdent pen 2190. RESULTS: The mineralization indexes of the control group and experimental group at baseline were 3.65 ± 0.76 and 3.35 ± 0.64, after demineralization were in turn of 21.78 ± 4.48 and 20.25 ± 2.26; and after remineralization were 6.30 ± 1.03 and 3.90 ± 1.24. The different figures  between the two groups after remineralization shows statistical significance (p<0.01). Group B using HMU fluorinze mouthwash after 20 days did not differ from the original results (p = 0.272), in contrast with the control group (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: HMU fluorinze mouthwash has better mineralization effect than standard calcifying solution

Criteria of “persistent vomiting” in the WHO 2009 warning signs for dengue case classification

Introduction: Dengue is a viral disease that spreads rapidly in the tropic and subtropic regions of the world and causes 22,000 deaths annually. In 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a new classification of dengue infections, which divided them into three categories: dengue without warning sign (D), dengue with warning sign (DWS), and severe dengue (SD). However, researchers have been using different criteria to define persistent vomiting; therefore, we aimed to evaluate the ability of the number of vomiting times in early prediction of SD development among D/DWS patients. Method: A hospital-based cohort study was conducted in Ben Tre-south of Vietnam. We enrolled confirmed dengue patients with D and DWS at admission. The final classification was determined on the discharged day for every patient based on the classification of WHO 2009 without using vomiting symptom, using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to evaluate the ability of the number of vomiting times in early prediction of SD development among D/DWS patients. Result: The prevalence of vomiting symptom was higher in SD group than D/DWS group (92 versus 46 %, p = 0.006), and the median of the number of vomiting times was higher in SD group than D/DWS group (2.5 versus 0, p = 0.001). To distinguish SD from D/DWS, the ROC curve of the number of vomiting episodes showed that the area under the curve was 0.77; with the cut point of two, the sensitivity and specificity were 92 and 52 %, respectively. Conclusion: The number of vomiting times could be a good clinical sign which can early predict SD from the group of D/DWS. We suggest the definition of persistent vomiting should be vomiting two times or more per day

Evaluation of microscopic observation drug susceptibility assay for diagnosis of multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis in Viet Nam

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Early diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) is important for the elimination of TB. We evaluated the microscopic observation drug susceptibility (MODS) assay as a direct rapid drug susceptibility testing (DST) method for MDR-TB screening in sputum samples</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All adult TB suspects, who were newly presenting to Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital from August to November 2008 were enrolled into the study. Processed sputum samples were used for DST by MODS (DST-MODS) (Rifampicin (RIF) 1 μg/ml and Isoniazid (INH) 0.4 μg/ml), MGIT culture (Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tube) and Lowenstein Jensen (LJ) culture. Cultures positive by either MGIT or LJ were used for proportional DST (DST-LJ) (RIF 40 μg/ml and INH 0.2 μg/ml). DST profiles on MODS and LJ were compared. Discrepant results were resolved by multiplex allele specific PCR (MAS-PCR).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seven hundred and nine TB suspects/samples were enrolled into the study, of which 300 samples with DST profiles available from both MODS and DST-LJ were analyzed. Cording in MODS was unable to correctly identify 3 Mycobacteria Other Than Tuberculosis (MOTT) isolates, resulting in 3 false positive TB diagnoses. None of these isolates were identified as MDR-TB by MODS. The sensitivity and specificity of MODS were 72.6% (95%CI: 59.8, 83.1) and 97.9% (95%CI: 95.2, 99.3), respectively for detection of INH resistant isolates, 72.7% (95%CI: 30.9, 93.7) and 99.7% (95%CI: 98.1, 99.9), respectively for detecting RIF resistant isolates and 77.8% (95%CI: 39.9, 97.1) and 99.7% (95%CI: 98.1, 99.9), respectively for detecting MDR isolates. The positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) of DST-MODS were 87.5% (95%CI: 47.3, 99.6) and 99.3% (95%CI: 97.5, 99.9) for detection of MDR isolates; and the agreement between MODS and DST-LJ was 99.0% (kappa: 0.8, <it>P </it>< 0.001) for MDR diagnosis. The low sensitivity of MODS for drug resistance detection was probably due to low bacterial load samples and the high INH concentration (0.4 μg/ml). The low PPV of DST-MODS may be due to the low MDR-TB rate in the study population (3.8%). The turnaround time of DST-MODS was 9 days and 53 days for DST-LJ.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The DST-MODS technique is rapid with low contamination rates. However, the sensitivity of DST-MODS for detection of INH and RIF resistance in this study was lower than reported from other settings.</p

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

5-year inventory management of drug products using ABC-VEN analysis in the pharmacy store of a specialized public hospital in Vietnam

In developing economies, expenses of healthcare delivery have risen disproportionally to the monetary backing supplied by the federal government. However, issues relating to inventory control alongside regulating the pharmaceutical market have been recognized. We conducted a systematic categorization based on ABC and VEN analysis for available drugs at Can Tho Dermatological Hospital (CTDH) from 2016–2020, thereby making evidence-based recommendations for public authorities to attain rationality in monitoring the stock supply network. Results revealed that ratio of Category I with the highest cost and importance to the annual revenues was barely 88%. Meanwhile, fractions of Category II and III to the overall expenses were 5–10% and below 5%, respectively. Given scarce funds, it is crucial that Essential drugs be utilized effectively. Thanks to ABC-VEN integrated matrix, we uncovered medicines for which significant savings could be achieved. This method has proven to be a powerful tool in decision-making for importation and stockholding

5-year inventory management of drug products using ABC-VEN analysis in the pharmacy store of a specialized public hospital in Vietnam

In developing economies, expenses of healthcare delivery have risen disproportionally to the monetary backing supplied by the federal government. However, issues relating to inventory control alongside regulating the pharmaceutical market have been recognized. We conducted a systematic categorization based on ABC and VEN analysis for available drugs at Can Tho Dermatological Hospital (CTDH) from 2016–2020, thereby making evidence-based recommendations for public authorities to attain rationality in monitoring the stock supply network. Results revealed that ratio of Category I with the highest cost and importance to the annual revenues was barely 88%. Meanwhile, fractions of Category II and III to the overall expenses were 5–10% and below 5%, respectively. Given scarce funds, it is crucial that Essential drugs be utilized effectively. Thanks to ABC-VEN integrated matrix, we uncovered medicines for which significant savings could be achieved. This method has proven to be a powerful tool in decision-making for importation and stockholding