HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY ASSAY FOR DETERMINATION OF MOXIFLOXACIN IN HUMAN PLASMA

A simple reversed phase HPLC method with UV detection has been successfully developed and validated for determination of moxifloxacin in human plasma. The sample pretreatment involves only single-step protein precipitation with tricloroacetic acid. Moxifloxacin was measured in plasma using a validated HPLC method with UV detector at 295 nm, C18 column (25cm×4.5mm, 5µm), a mixture of phosphate buffer pH 4.0 and acetonitrile (70:30, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min. Retention time of moxifloxacin was found to be 7.4 min. The mean recovery for the drug was obtained 97.30%. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range of 0.3 to 25.0 µg/mL with coefficient correlation of 0.9991. This method was successfully applied for therapeutic drug monitoring

Differential Cytotoxicity of Curcumin-Loaded Micelles on Human Tumor and Stromal Cells

peer reviewedAlthough curcumin in the form of nanoparticles has been demonstrated as a potential anti-tumor compound, the impact of curcumin and nanocurcumin in vitro on normal cells and in vivo in animal models is largely unknown. This study evaluated the toxicity of curcumin-loaded micelles in vitro and in vivo on several tumor cell lines, primary stromal cells, and zebrafish embryos. Breast tumor cell line (MCF7) and stromal cells (human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells, human fibroblasts, and human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells) were used in this study. A zebrafish embryotoxicity (FET) assay was conducted following the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Test 236. Compared to free curcumin, curcumin PM showed higher cytotoxicity to MCF7 cells in both monolayer culture and multicellular tumor spheroids. The curcumin-loaded micelles efficiently penetrated the MCF7 spheroids and induced apoptosis. The nanocurcumin reduced the viability and disturbed the function of stromal cells by suppressing cell migration and tube formation. The micelles demonstrated toxicity to the development of zebrafish embryos. Curcumin-loaded micelles demonstrated toxicity to both tumor and normal primary stromal cells and zebrafish embryos, indicating that the use of nanocurcumin in cancer treatment should be carefully investigated and controlled.3. Good health and well-bein

Spatiotemporal evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Delta variants during large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19, Vietnam, 2021

We analyzed 1,303 SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequences from Vietnam, and found the Alpha and Delta variants were responsible for a large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19 in 2021. The Delta variant was confined to the AY.57 lineage and caused >1.7 million infections and >32,000 deaths. Viral transmission was strongly affected by nonpharmaceutical interventions

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

Vietnamese university students' perspective on Peter Pan Syndrome

An increasing number of people, especially university students, are presenting Peter Pan Syndrome in society. Peter Pan Syndrome is a concept used to characterize the person who refuses to comply with the characteristics of the adult when reaching adulthood. The people with Peter Pan Syndrome are immature in emotion, behavior, and cognition. The main objective is to investigate the perception of Peter Pan Syndrome and the level of Peter Pan Syndrome among university students. Convenience sampling was used to collect data from 400 undergraduate students (186 males and 214 females) from three universities in Vietnam. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that the manifestations of Peter Pan Syndrome in students in three dimensions of emotion, behavior, and cognition. This study contributes to the general discussion underway about the definition of Peter Pan Syndrome and the symptoms of Peter Pan Syndrome. Future research should carefully consider the potential effects of Peter Pan Syndrome among undergraduate students to assist families and educators in developing appropriate education and coping strategies

The impact of trust on intellectual property right protection: a cross-national study

Purpose – This study aims to empirically investigate how difference in social trust explains the heterogeneity of intellectual property right (IPR) protection (proxied by software piracy rate) across countries. Specifically, the authors also examine whether this effect is complementary or substitute to legal and economic factors. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use both ordinary least square and two-stage least square regressions to investigate this effect. Findings – The authors find that there is also a complementary effect between trust and rule of law in reducing the violation of IPRs. Originality/value – Although the literature by now has documented the solid relationship between trust and the quality of formal institutions, only few studies have explored more specific measures of institutional consequences. Thus, this study is the first study investigating the role of trust, a valuable social capital dimension, on IPR protection

Notes on culturable endophytic microorganisms isolated from 14 medicinal plants in Vietnam: a diversity analysis to predict the host-microbe correlations

Endophytes can generate a cornucopia of marvelous bioactive secondary metabolites useful for mankind but their biodiversity and associations with host plants are still elusive. In this study, we explored the culturable endophytic microorganisms associated with 14 medicinal plants that are of high socio-economic value and/or reportedly endemic to northern Vietnam. Specifically, we isolated the endophytic microorganisms by applying surface sterilization methods and identified them based on morphological and rDNA sequence analyses. Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used to analyze the correlations between the taxonomic affiliations of the culturable endophytes and the characteristics of their hosts. Most of the culturable endophytes obtained were bacteria (80), and few of those were actinomycetes (15) and fungi (8). Many of them are reported to be endophytes of medicinal plants for the first time. A number of plants (5) are also reported for the first time to contain microbial endophytes, while some plants with powerful pharmaceutical potential harbor unique endophytes. Furthermore, our results reveal a strikingly close relation between the compositions of bacterial and fungal isolates from plants having anti-bacterial activity and those from plants having anti-inflammatory activity, or between the compositions of the microbial endophytic isolates from plants having anti-cancer activity and those from plants having antioxidant activity. Altogether, the results provide new findings which can be inspiring for further in-depth studies to explore and exploit the relationships between medicinal plants and their associated endophytes in northern Vietnam and world-wide.3. Good health and well-bein

The double burden of malnutrition in Vietnamese school-aged children and adolescents: a rapid shift over a decade in Ho Chi Minh City

Background/objectives: Vietnam is undergoing a nutrition transition, which is leading to marked shifts in body size at the population level, but up-to-date data are lacking. We therefore quantified the prevalence of undernutrition (stunting and thinness) and overnutrition (overweight, obesity, and abdominal obesity) in school-aged children in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMc), Vietnam, and compared this with previous estimates. Subjects/methods: A cross-sectional survey of 10,949 children (6–18 years old) from 30 schools in HCMc, Vietnam in 2014–2015 was used to ascertain the nutritional status of children and adolescents. Different international classification systems (WHO, IOTF, IOTF for Asian children) were used to assess the prevalence of under and overnutrition. Comparisons were made with previous surveys in HCMc. Results: Regardless of definitions used, the prevalence of overnutrition was high, particularly in primary school children (20–30% were overweight, 20–30% were obese, and 50% had abdominal obesity), in boys, and urban children. Undernutrition was more prevalent in high-school children (8% were stunted, and 6–18% were thin, versus 2 and 2–9% in primary children, respectively), and in rural areas. Comparisons with previous surveys indicated substantial increases in overnutrition and decreased in undernutrition since 2009 in all age groups. Conclusions: Overnutrition is increasingly common in school-aged children and adolescents in HCMc, while over and undernutrition continue to coexist. These findings highlight an urgent need for greater efforts to control malnutrition in children in HCMc