Mangrove dieback and leaf disease in Sonneratia apetala and Sonneratia caseolaris in Vietnam

Even though survival rates for mangrove restoration in Vietnam have often been low, there is no information on fungal pathogens associated with mangrove decline in Vietnam. Therefore, this research was undertaken to assess the overall health of mangrove afforestation in Thanh Hoa Province and fungal pathogens associated with tree decline. From a survey of 4800 Sonneratia trees, the incidence of disorders was in the order of pink leaf spot > shoot dieback > black leaf spot for S. caseolaris and black leaf spot > shoot dieback > pink leaf spot for S. apetala. Approximately 12% of S. caseolaris trees had both pink leaf spot and shoot dieback, while only 2% of S. apetala trees had black leaf spot and shoot dieback. Stem and leaf samples were taken from symptomatic trees and fungi were cultured in vitro. From ITS4 and ITS5 analysis, four main fungal genera causing leaf spots and shoot dieback on the two Sonneratia species were identified. The most frequently isolated fungal taxa were Curvularia aff. tsudae (from black leaf spot),Neopestalotiopsis sp.1 (from stem dieback), Pestalotiopsis sp.1 (from pink leaf spot), and Pestalotiopsis sp.4a (from black leaf spot). The pathogenicity of the four isolates was assessed by under-bark inoculation of S. apetala and S. caseolaris seedlings in a nursery in Thai Binh Province. All isolates caused stem lesions, and Neopestalotiopsis sp.1 was the most pathogenic. Thus, investigation of fungal pathogens and their impact on mangrove health should be extended to other afforestation projects in the region, and options for disease management need to be developed for mangrove nurseries

Establishment of a Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Registry in Vietnam: Rationale and Methodology

Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Background: In lower- and middle-income countries across Asia there has been a rapid expansion and uptake of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, there has been limited routine collection of related data, particularly around quality, safety and cost. The aim of this study was to assess the viability of implementing routine collection of PCI data in a registry at a leading hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam. Method: A Vietnamese data collection form and collection strategy were developed in collaboration with the Vietnam National Heart Institute. Information on patient characteristics, treatments, and outcomes was collected through direct interviews using a standardised form and medical record abstraction, while PCI data was read and coded into paper forms by interventional cardiologists. Viability of the registry was determined by four main factors: 1) being able to collect a representative sample; 2) quality of data obtained; 3) costs and time taken for data collection by hospital staff; and 4) level of support from key stakeholders in the institute. Results: Between September 2017 and May 2018, 1,022 patients undergoing PCI were recruited from a total of 1,041 procedures conducted during that time frame. The estimated mean time to collect information from patients before discharge was 60 minutes. Of the collected data fields, 98% were successfully completed. Most hospital staff surveyed indicated support for the continuation of the activity following the implementation of the pilot study. Conclusions: The proposed methodology for establishing a PCI registry in a large hospital in Vietnam produced high quality data and was considered worthwhile by hospital staff. The model has the potential opportunity for replication in other cardiac catheterisation sites, leading to a national PCI registry in Vietnam

Stigma experienced by people living with HIV who are on methadone maintenance treatment and have symptoms of common mental disorders in Hanoi, Vietnam: a qualitative study

Background: Stigma around human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), injection drug use (IDU), and mental health disorders can be co-occurring and have different impacts on the well-being of people living with HIV (PWH) who use drugs and have mental health disorders. This stigma can come from society, health professionals, and internalized stigma. A person who has more than one health condition can experience overlapping health-related stigma and levels of stigma which can prevent them from receiving necessary support and healthcare, serving to intensify their experience with stigma. This study investigates HIV, drug use, and mental health stigmas in three dimensions (social, internalized, and professional) around PWH on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) who have common mental disorders (CMDs) including depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders in Hanoi, Vietnam.Please check and confirm whether corresponding author's email id is correctly identified.The cooresponding author's email is correct Methods: We conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews (IDIs) (n = 21) and two focus group discussions (FGDs) (n = 10) with PWH receiving MMT who have CMD symptoms, their family members, clinic health care providers, and clinic directors. We applied thematic analysis using NVIVO software version 12.0, with themes based on IDI and FGD guides and emergent themes from interview transcripts. Results: The study found evidence of different stigmas towards HIV, IDU, and CMDs from the community, family, health care providers, and participants themselves. Community and family members were physically and emotionally distant from patients due to societal stigma around illicit drug use and fears of acquiring HIV. Participants often conflated stigmas around drug use and HIV, referring to these stigmas interchangeably. The internalized stigma around having HIV and injecting drugs made PWH on MMT hesitant to seek support for CMDs. These stigmas compounded to negatively impact participants’ health. Conclusions: Strategies to reduce stigma affecting PWH on MMT should concurrently address stigmas around HIV, drug addiction, and mental health. Future studies could explore approaches to address internalized stigma to improve self-esteem, mental health, and capacities to cope with stigma for PWH on MMT. Trial registration: NCT04790201, available at clinicaltrials.gov

Words Matter? Gender Disparities in Speeches, Evaluation and Competitive Performance

This dissertation consists of three main chapters exploring gender disparities in persuasion tactics, competitive performance, and evaluation patterns in the context of high-profile debate tournaments. The first chapter examines gender disparities in persuasion tactics and evaluation patterns in debate speech transcripts. The second chapter investigates the causal impact of the gender composition of committees on the success chances of female contestants. The final main chapter explores whether the gender of opponents causally affects the competitive performance of participants

Mangrove forest landcover changes in coastal Vietnam: A case study from 1973 to 2020 in Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces

Mangrove forests can ameliorate the impacts of typhoons and storms, but their extent is threatened by coastal development. The northern coast of Vietnam is especially vulnerable as typhoons frequently hit it during the monsoon season. However, temporal change information in mangrove cover distribution in this region is incomplete. Therefore, this study was undertaken to detect change in the spatial distribution of mangroves in Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces and identify reasons for the cover change. Landsat satellite images from 1973 to 2020 were analyzed using the NDVI method combined with visual interpretation to detect mangrove area change. Six LULC classes were categorized: mangrove forest, other forests, aquaculture, other land use, mudflat, and water. The mangrove cover in Nghe An province was estimated to be 66.5 ha in 1973 and increased to 323.0 ha in 2020. Mangrove cover in Thanh Hoa province was 366.1 ha in 1973, decreased to 61.7 ha in 1995, and rose to 791.1 ha in 2020. Aquaculture was the main reason for the loss of mangroves in both provinces. Overall, the percentage of mangrove loss from aquaculture was 42.5% for Nghe An province and 60.1% for Thanh Hoa province. Mangrove restoration efforts have contributed significantly to mangrove cover, with more than 1300 ha being planted by 2020. This study reveals that improving mangrove restoration success remains a challenge for these provinces, and further refinement of engineering techniques is needed to improve restoration outcomes

Frailty prevalence and association with health-related quality of life impairment among rural community-dwelling older adults in Vietnam

10.3390/ijerph16203869International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1620386

The effect of nitrogen concentration on nitrogen use efficiency and related parameters in cultivated rices (Oryza sativa L. subsp. indica and japonica and O. glaberrima Steud.) in hydroponics

Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in cultivated rice has become of utmost importance due to ecological and economical consequences of nitrogen (N) losses. However, detailed information on the components of NUE-physiological, absorption and agronomical NUEs-is lacking. The present study aimed to determine the components of NUE for three cultivars of Asian and African rices [IR64 (Oryza sativa indica), Azucena (O. sativa japonica) and TOG7105 (O. glaberrima)] exposed to a wide range of N supply, from excess to deficiency-from 4× to 1/8× of the standard Yoshida solution (1×). Increasing the N supply to 2× or 4× did not induce much change for most parameters, including tissue N concentrations and pNUE. However, aNUE and agNUE decreased gradually as the N supply increased from 1/2× to 4×. In contrast, lowering the N supply, particularly to 1/4× or 1/8×, induced a significant decrease in most measured parameters, except NUEs. The pNUE increased gradually when lowering the N supply from 1× to 1/8×, while aNUE and agNUE were maximal at 1/2 and/or 1/4× according to the cultivar. In contrast, the Fv/Fm and PSII values remained unchanged. Differences between cultivars were low. However, the O. glaberrima cultivar showed a significantly lower aNUE and agNUE than both O. sativa cultivars under low N supply (1/4 and 1/8×). These results demonstrate that all NUE components were sharply and differentially affected by low N supply, while the PSII remained unaffected. These results are important for determining the cultivar and N supply with the best balance between intensive and sustainable rice cultivation. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Depressive symptoms among elderly diabetic patients in Vietnam

10.2147/DMSO.S179071Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity: Targets and Therapy11659-66

Health-related quality of life in elderly diabetic outpatients in Vietnam

10.2147/PPA.S162892Patient Preference and Adherence121347-135

Cultural characteristics and cordycepin production of some Cordyceps militaris strains under artificial cultivation conditions

Cordyceps militaris, a precious medical mushroom, has attracted wide attention in industrial fields. Currently, the degeneration phenomenon of C. militaris commercial strains is amongst the major challenges for cultivation at the industrial scale. The screening for superior strains with high yield and medicinal value is considered a realistic approach to overcome degeneration problems. In the present study, the mycelial growth, primordia formation, yield performance, and cordycepin content of five strains (DT1, DT2, DT3, DT4, and DT5) under artificial cultivation conditions were investigated. All strains showed mycelial growth on SDAY and liquid medium. The strains were successfully cultivated in brown rice medium and required 18 (strain DT3) to 25 days (strain DT5) to form primordia. Additionally, morphological characteristics of fruiting bodies varied among the strains. Strains DT4 and DT3 exhibited the highest fruiting body length with 74.23 ± 5.13 mm and 72.63 ± 2.62 mm, respectively whereas the highest diameter was recorded for strains DT1 (4.05 ± 0.18 mm) and DT2 (3.63 ± 0.12 mm). Of note, among the investigated strains, strain DT3 exhibited the highest biological efficiency (8.95 ± 0.07%) and cordycepin content (1.68 mg/g). Therefore, strain DT3 could be selected as a potential strain for commercial cultivation