The Relationship between Online Learning and Student Satisfaction with Training Quality in Private Universities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aims to explore the relationship between the influential factors of online learning and the satisfaction of economics and business majors with the quality of their training in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 900 students in private universities completed a questionnaire. The principal findings of this research are that the students are satisfied with their online learning and that learning conferencing software is the most important driving factor leading to the students’ satisfaction when compared with learning conditions and learning devices. Another interesting finding is that the experience of using learning conferencing software results in a slight difference in the students’ perceived level of satisfaction, adding that users with more than two years’ experience are more satisfied with their training quality than users with less than one year’s experience. However, the results also show that students want to switch to offline learning when the pandemic is over. This study should, therefore, be of value to higher education authorities wishing to understand their students’ perceptions of online learning. In addition, results from the study suggest more managerial approaches as well as improve the online teaching quality during the pandemic

ISOLATION AND SELECTION OF LIPASE-PRODUCING BACTERIA IN VIETNAM

Joint Research on Environmental Science and Technology for the Eart

Temporal fluctuation of multidrug resistant salmonella typhi haplotypes in the mekong river delta region of Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: typhoid fever remains a public health problem in Vietnam, with a significant burden in the Mekong River delta region. Typhoid fever is caused by the bacterial pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi), which is frequently multidrug resistant with reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolone-based drugs, the first choice for the treatment of typhoid fever. We used a GoldenGate (Illumina) assay to type 1,500 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and analyse the genetic variation of S. Typhi isolated from 267 typhoid fever patients in the Mekong delta region participating in a randomized trial conducted between 2004 and 2005. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: the population of S. Typhi circulating during the study was highly clonal, with 91% of isolates belonging to a single clonal complex of the S. Typhi H58 haplogroup. The patterns of disease were consistent with the presence of an endemic haplotype H58-C and a localised outbreak of S. Typhi haplotype H58-E2 in 2004. H58-E2-associated typhoid fever cases exhibited evidence of significant geo-spatial clustering along the Sông H u branch of the Mekong River. Multidrug resistance was common in the established clone H58-C but not in the outbreak clone H58-E2, however all H58 S. Typhi were nalidixic acid resistant and carried a Ser83Phe amino acid substitution in the gyrA gene. SIGNIFICANCE: the H58 haplogroup dominates S. Typhi populations in other endemic areas, but the population described here was more homogeneous than previously examined populations, and the dominant clonal complex (H58-C, -E1, -E2) observed in this study has not been detected outside Vietnam. IncHI1 plasmid-bearing S. Typhi H58-C was endemic during the study period whilst H58-E2, which rarely carried the plasmid, was only transient, suggesting a selective advantage for the plasmid. These data add insight into the outbreak dynamics and local molecular epidemiology of S. Typhi in southern Vietnam

A Multi-Center Randomised Controlled Trial of Gatifloxacin versus Azithromycin for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Typhoid Fever in Children and Adults in Vietnam

BACKGROUND: Drug resistant typhoid fever is a major clinical problem globally. Many of the first line antibiotics, including the older generation fluoroquinolones, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin, are failing. OBJECTIVES: We performed a randomised controlled trial to compare the efficacy and safety of gatifloxacin (10 mg/kg/day) versus azithromycin (20 mg/kg/day) as a once daily oral dose for 7 days for the treatment of uncomplicated typhoid fever in children and adults in Vietnam. METHODS: An open-label multi-centre randomised trial with pre-specified per protocol analysis and intention to treat analysis was conducted. The primary outcome was fever clearance time, the secondary outcome was overall treatment failure (clinical or microbiological failure, development of typhoid fever-related complications, relapse or faecal carriage of S. typhi). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We enrolled 358 children and adults with suspected typhoid fever. There was no death in the study. 287 patients had blood culture confirmed typhoid fever, 145 patients received gatifloxacin and 142 patients received azithromycin. The median FCT was 106 hours in both treatment arms (95% Confidence Interval [CI]; 94-118 hours for gatifloxacin versus 88-112 hours for azithromycin), (logrank test p = 0.984, HR [95% CI] = 1.0 [0.80-1.26]). Overall treatment failure occurred in 13/145 (9%) patients in the gatifloxacin group and 13/140 (9.3%) patients in the azithromycin group, (logrank test p = 0.854, HR [95% CI] = 0.93 [0.43-2.0]). 96% (254/263) of the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi isolates were resistant to nalidixic acid and 58% (153/263) were multidrug resistant. CONCLUSIONS: Both antibiotics showed an excellent efficacy and safety profile. Both gatifloxacin and azithromycin can be recommended for the treatment of typhoid fever particularly in regions with high rates of multidrug and nalidixic acid resistance. The cost of a 7-day treatment course of gatifloxacin is approximately one third of the cost of azithromycin in Vietnam. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN67946944

Clinically and microbiologically derived azithromycin susceptibility breakpoints for Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A.

Azithromycin is an effective treatment for uncomplicated infections with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi and serovar Paratyphi A (enteric fever), but there are no clinically validated MIC and disk zone size interpretative guidelines. We studied individual patient data from three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of antimicrobial treatment in enteric fever in Vietnam, with azithromycin used in one treatment arm, to determine the relationship between azithromycin treatment response and the azithromycin MIC of the infecting isolate. We additionally compared the azithromycin MIC and the disk susceptibility zone sizes of 1,640 S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A clinical isolates collected from seven Asian countries. In the RCTs, 214 patients who were treated with azithromycin at a dose of 10 to 20 mg/ml for 5 to 7 days were analyzed. Treatment was successful in 195 of 214 (91%) patients, with no significant difference in response (cure rate, fever clearance time) with MICs ranging from 4 to 16 μg/ml. The proportion of Asian enteric fever isolates with an MIC of ≤ 16 μg/ml was 1,452/1,460 (99.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 98.9 to 99.7) for S. Typhi and 207/240 (86.3%; 95% CI, 81.2 to 90.3) (P 16 μg/ml and to determine MIC and disk breakpoints for S. Paratyphi A

Cassaine Diterpenoid Amide from Stem Bark of Erythrophleum fordii Suppresses Cytotoxic and Induces Apoptosis of Human Leukemia Cells

Cassaine diterpenoids amides from the stem bark of Vietnamese Erythrophleum fordii Oliver were screened for their cytotoxic activity against human cancer cells. The cell proliferation assay results showed that, among the active compounds, 3β-acetyl-nor-erythrophlamide (3AEP) exhibited the most potential cytotoxicity against human leukemia HL-60 and KG cells with IC50 values of 12.0 ± 1.2 and 18.1 ± 2.7 µM, respectively. Treatment of 3AEP resulted in the apoptosis of HL-60 cells via the activation of caspase 3, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Molecular docking in silico results showed that the 3AEP can bind to both the procaspase-3 allosteric site and the PARP-1 active site, with binding energies of −7.51 and −9.63 kcal/mol respectively. These results indicated that the stem bark of Vietnamese E. fordii and its cassaine diterpenoid amides may be useful in the apoptosis induction of human leukemia cancer cells

Streamlining apartment provider evaluation: A spherical fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making model

In the context of the thriving real estate market in developing countries like Vietnam, understanding consumer preferences and effectively addressing them through a comprehensive multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework is paramount for real estate providers. This study presents a two-stage MCDM model that integrates the Delphi technique and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) based on Spherical Fuzzy Sets (SFSs). Initially, the SF-Delphi technique validates critical criteria influencing customers' apartment selection in Vietnam. Secondly, the SF-TOPSIS method evaluates the top ten apartment providers. To ensure robustness and validity, a comparative analysis compares the results with those from the Intuitionistic Fuzzy TOPSIS (IF-TOPSIS) and Fuzzy TOPSIS (F-TOPSIS) methods. Subsequently, five rank correlation coefficients (Spearman, Kendall, Goodman-Kruskal, Weighted rank measure of correlation, Weighted Similarity) are used to assess the relationships between various TOPSIS techniques applied to apartment suppliers in Vietnam. The correlation coefficients demonstrate strong agreement among the TOPSIS methods, with the smallest coefficient being 0.7778, surpassing the threshold of 0.7. This high level of consistency confirms the efficacy of the proposed TOPSIS approach with different Fuzzy Sets in reliably evaluating customers' preferences for apartment suppliers. Notably, the legal aspect's prominence underscores its critical role in shaping customer choices, emphasizing the significance of considering legal factors in the context of apartment supply and demand in Vietnam. Furthermore, using SFSs makes this approach particularly suited to capture consumer perceptions within the dynamic and uncertain business environment characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA)

Nectandrin B Activates Endothelial Nitric-Oxide Synthase Phosphorylation in Endothelial Cells: Role of the AMP- Activated Protein Kinase/Estrogen Receptor /Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt Pathway

We revealed previously that nectandrin B isolated from Myris-tica fragrans (nutmeg, Myristicaceae) functions as a potent AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator and showed its antiobesity effect. In this study, we investigated whether nectandrin B affects phosphorylation of endothelial nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS) in human endothelial cells. Nectandrin B in-creased the phosphorylation of eNOS and nitric oxide (NO) production in a concentration-dependent manner and maximal effect was found at 10 g/ml. Nectandrin B activates AMPK, presumably via Ca2/calmodulin kinase II activation and nectandrin B-stimulated eNOS phosphorylation was reversed by AMPK inhibition. Both the enzyme activity of phosphatidyl-inositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and the estrogen receptor (ER)-depen-dent reporter gene transcription were enhanced by nectandrin B. ER inhibition by specific antagonist or small interfering siRNA (siRNA) suppressed nectandrin B-mediated eNOS phos-phorylation. Moreover, AMPK inhibition significantly reversed the activation of ER-dependent transcription and PI3K activa-tion in response to nectandrin B. Nectandrin B evoked endo-thelium-dependent relaxation in rat aortic rings, and this was blocked by inhibition of AMPK, ER, or PI3K. These results suggest that potent AMPK activator nectandrin B enhances NO production via eNOS phosphorylation in endothelial cells and ER-dependent PI3K activity is required

Low-Grade Inflammation in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Its Correlation with Maternal Insulin Resistance and Fetal Growth Indices

Kien Xuan Nguyen,1,&ast; Tien Bui Minh,2,&ast; Hoa Trung Dinh,3,4 Tien Viet Tran,5 Tuan Dinh Le,5,&ast; Nga Phi Thi Nguyen,6 Thi Thanh Hoa Tran,3 Trinh Hien Vu,3 Lan Ho Thi Nguyen,3 Kien Trung Nguyen,2 Nguyen Huy Thong,6 Khanh Do,6 Trung Kien Nguyen,7 Hung Nguyen Dao,8 Son Tien Nguyen6,&ast; 1Department of Military Medical Command and Organization, Vietnam Medical Military University, Ha Noi, Vietnam; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Thai Binh, Vietnam; 3Department of Requested Treatment, National Hospital of Endocrinology, Ha Noi, Vietnam; 4National Hospital of Endocrinology, Ha Noi, Vietnam; 5Department of Infectious Diseases, Military Hospital 103, Vietnam Medical Military University, Hanoi, Vietnam; 6Department of Rheumatology and Endocrinology, Military Hospital 103, Vietnam Military Medical University, Ha Noi, Vietnam; 7Hematology and Blood Transfusion Center, Military Hospital 103, Vietnam Military Medical University, Ha Noi, Vietnam; 8Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Military Hospital 103, Vietnam Military Medical University, Ha Noi, Vietnam&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Son Tien Nguyen, Department of Rheumatology and Endocrinology, Military Hospital 103, Vietnam Military Medical University, 160 Phung Hung Street, Phuc La Ward, Ha Dong District, Hanoi City, Vietnam, Email [email protected]: Chronic low-grade inflammation (LGI) plays a role in the pathogenesis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). LGI, on the one hand, promotes insulin resistance and at the same time, affects fetal development. The study aimed to use clinically feasible means to evaluate the association between maternal LGI and maternal insulin resistance and fetal growth indices by ultrasound in the third trimester.Methods: A crossectional and descriptive study on 248 first-time diagnosed GDM in Vietnam.Results: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR) indices were significantly higher in GDM than in normal glucose-tolerant pregnancies (p = 0.048 and 0.016, respectively). GDM with LGI witnessed significantly higher systolic blood pressure, BMI, HbA1c, and significantly lower quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) than those without LGI. After adjusting for maternal BMI, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), age, and parity, C-reactive protein (CRP) was positively correlated with HOMA2-IR (B=0.13, p< 0.01) and Mathews index (B=0.29, p< 0.01). Regarding fetal characteristics, LGI was associated with fetal growth indices in the third trimester of GDM. NLR was negatively correlated with estimated fetal weight (EFW) (B=− 64.4, p< 0.05) after adjusting for maternal BMI and FPG. After adjusting for maternal BMI, FPG, age, and parity, PLR was negatively correlated with biparietal diameter (B=− 0.02, p< 0.01) and abdominal circumference (AC) (B=− 0.16, p< 0.05), and EFW (B=− 1.1, p< 0.01), and head circumference (HC) (B=− 0.06, p< 0.01); CRP was negatively correlated with AC (B=− 0.16, p< 0.001), EFW (B=− 85.3, p< 0.001), and HC (B=− 5.0, p< 0.001).Conclusion: In the third trimester, LGI was associated with maternal glucose and insulin resistance in GDM. Moreover, LGI was associated with fetal characteristics in ultrasonic images. There were negative correlations between LGI and fetal developmental characteristics.Keywords: gestational diabetes mellitus, low-grade inflammation, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, fetal ultrasound parameter

Anti-inflammatory effects of alkaloid enriched extract from roots of Eurycoma longifolia Jack

Objective: To examine the in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of the alkaloid enriched extract (ELA) from the roots of Eurycoma longifolia. Methods: The in vitro antiinflammatory effects of ELA were evaluated by examining its inhibitory activities against nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expressions in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The level of NO produced in the culture media was determined by Griess method. The iNOS and COX-2 protein expressions were analyzed by Western blot. The in vivo effect of ELA was evaluated on LPS-induced septic shock in mice model. Mice mortality was monitored for 5 days after injection of LPS. The chemical contents of the ELA were determined by using various chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. Results: The ELA was found to exhibit a significant anti-inflammatory effect in both in vitro and in vivo models. The results demonstrated that ELA dose-dependently inhibited LPS-induced NO production as well as the protein iNOS and COX-2 expressions. In the septic shock model, ELA dose-dependently protected mice from LPS-induced mortality. Further study on the isolated components of ELA indicated that 9,10-dimethoxycanthin-6-one may contribute significantly to the anti-inflammatory effects of the extract. Conclusions: These results suggest that ELA exhibits the anti-inflammatory activity via suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators such as NO, iNOS, and COX-2 and protects mice from LPS-induced mortality in septic shock model