Myxomycetes recorded from three lowland tropical forests in Vietnam

Abstract The first report of myxomycetes from Vietnam was in 2009 by van Hooff, who listed 23 species, including one (Cribraria tecta) new to science, from moist chamber cultures prepared with samples of dead leaves, lychee husks, woody twigs and herbaceous stems. Two other species, both new to science, were reported in a recent paper. The project reported herein investigated the occurrence of myxomycetes in moist chamber cultures prepared with samples of various types of dead plant material collected in three lowland tropical forests in Vietnam. These samples were randomly collected from Cuc Phuong, Bu Gia Map and Nam Cat Tien national parks in the late dry season or between the dry season and the rainy season during 2012 and 2013. From 360 moist chambers, 43 species of myxomycetes representing 19 genera were recorded. The most abundant species were Arcyria cinerea, Collaria arcyrionema, Cribraria microcarpa, Cribraria violacea, Perichaena chrysosperma and Perichaena depressa. The taxonomic composition of the assemblage of species associated with the three study areas was found to be similar to what has been reported from Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, the other regions of SE Asia for which comparable studies have been carried out. In brief, the present project added 32 new records of myxomycetes for Vietnam, increasing the total number of species known from the country to 57

Development of a Good Clinical Practice inspection checklist to assess clinical trial sites in Vietnam

Background Assessing the capacity of a healthcare institution to conduct and manage clinical research studies is challenging, especially in developing countries where resources are limited. The objective of this study was to develop a practical and transparent tool for the Vietnam Ministry of Health (MOH) to assess institutions’ capacity to lead clinical trials in line with local and international regulations. Methods We reviewed the literature, relevant official international and national guidelines, regulations and checklists for clinical sites’ assessment to identify key indicators of clinical research capacity. We developed a Good Clinical Practice (GCP) inspection checklist consisting of a questionnaire with 30 key criteria, including 16 core criteria and 14 recommended criteria, related to four central aspects of clinical research management (ie, governance, operations, infrastructures and human resources). Following a detailed review and assessment by a panel of experts, sponsors and academic investigators, we assessed the checklist’s applicability in a pilot study involving 10 sites with various clinical research experiences. Results Independently of their clinical research experience, all participating institutions fulfilled most of the core criteria. In contrast, a significant variability was observed in the compliance to recommended capacity criteria, especially those related to governance (certifications and reporting) as well as operations (existence of a clinical research coordination unit or electronic trial management system). Conclusions A GCP inspection checklist was successfully developed to support the MOH in the assessment of institutions’ capacity to conduct clinical research. Additional efforts from all stakeholders are now warranted to provide local sites with sustainable capacity development resources that will further build up and harmonise Vietnamese clinical research settings

Comparison of degradation kinetics of tannery wastewater treatment using a nonlinear model by salt-tolerant Nitrosomonas sp. and Nitrobacter sp.

Conventional biological treatment has been reported to be ineffective for pollutant removal in tannery wastewater due to high salinity. To overcome it, this work used salt-tolerant bacteria (STB) isolated from a membrane bioreactor to evaluate the organic and nutrient removal through a series of batch experiments. Compared with the control, the STB reactor enhanced the reduction of persistent organics by 11% based on the double exponential decay model. Besides, the removal of NH4+-N is 26% higher, satisfying the first-order decay model. The nitrification was inhibited entirely in control during 48 h, whilst the assimilation process involved 55% of total nitrogen removal. In the STB reactor, nitrification occurred after 12 h, resulting in significantly increased NO2--N and NO3--N concentrations according to the logistic function. Although nitrification was successfully activated, C/N ratios and free ammonia were identified as limiting factors for STB activity, requiring mitigation strategies in further studies

Socio-demographic factors of cesarean births in Nha Trang city, Vietnam: a community-based survey

Background: The cesarean section rate in Vietnam has been increasing especially in urban area. However, limited evidence identified regarding socio-demographic factors of the cesarean section birth. The objective of this study was to determine the current cesarean birth rate and the associated socio-demographic factors among mothers in Nha Trang city, south-central Vietnam. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted between October and November in 2016 as part of a Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage survey conducted in 27 communes of Nha Trang city. From each commune, 120 mothers and their children less than 2 years old were randomly selected. Mothers were asked to answer standardized questions regarding socio-demographic information and mode of birth. Multivariate logistic regression was adopted to examine associations between socio-demographic variables and mode of birth. Results: Of 3148 participants, the number of cesarean births was 1396 (44.3 %). Older maternal age (? 30 years old), having another child going to school or kindergarten, monthly income more than 644 USD, gestational weeks at birth over 42 weeks, and low (< 2500 g) or high (? 3500 g) birth weight were associated with higher likelihood of cesarean births. Conclusion: The CS rate obtained in this study was more than twice of what is recommended by the World Health Organization, which is consistent with the previous nation-wide study in Viet Nam. Further monitoring is suggested to examine the non-medical reason for the increased CS rate