EVALUATION OF CITIZENS' SATISFACTION WITH THE QUALITY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM

Citizen satisfaction is one of the essential factors reflecting the quality of public administrative services provided by state administrative agencies. The study aims to assess citizens' satisfaction with the quality of public administrative services in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Research data were collected from survey results using questionnaires from 792 survey samples in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Research results have shown that citizens are satisfied with the quality of public administrative services in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. At the same time, there are six factors affecting citizens' satisfaction with the quality of public administrative services, including (1) Reliability; (2) Service capacity of staff; (3) Service attitude of staff; (4) The service level of staff; (5) Infrastructure; (6) Administrative procedures. Research results show no difference in citizen satisfaction in gender, age and education groups. Besides, the survey area group has a difference in citizen satisfaction. The research results have theoretical and practical significance for public administration in Vietnam. From the research results, several contents are discussed and proposed to improve citizens' satisfaction with the quality of public administrative services in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Treatment outcomes from the largest antiretroviral treatment program in Myanmar (Burma): a cohort analysis of retention after scale-up.

Article approval pendingAntiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage in Myanmar is well below average. This study describes retention and baseline predictors of prognosis from the largest ART program in the country

A rare case report on bilateral scrotal lipoma — the largest tumor in Vietnam

Scrotal lipoma is benign and still, one of the rarest cancers, with very few cases previously reported in the world. The exact pathogenesis of lipomas remains unknown. Scrotal lipomas can be classified into three categories based on their origins: scrotal lipoma, spermatic cord and tunica vaginalis tumor, and primary scrotal lipoma. The disease may be misdiagnosed or diagnosed inaccurately. We present a case of a 46-year-old male with a giant bilateral scrotal lipoma presenting as scrotal swelling and discomfort, which was first diagnosed as an inguinal hernia. Computed tomography, ultrasound, and fine needle aspiration were performed and aroused a suspicion of lipoma. An operation was performed, and the tumor was completely excised and histologically confirmed as a lipoma. To our knowledge, this is the largest scrotal tumor reported in Vietnam, which led to not only diagnostic but also treatment challenges. Therefore, it is significant to report similar cases that can help clinicians diagnose and handle such tumors in a timely manner

A deletion mutation in nfxB of in vitro-induced moxifloxacin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa confers multidrug resistance

The modulation of efflux pump functions under fluoroquinolone (FQ) exposure is of great concern as it could result in occurrence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains. In this study, MDR mechanism in Pseudomonas aeruginosa induced via moxifloxacin (MOX) pressure was investigated. After serial MOX [concentration of 0.5 × the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)] exposure, the fully susceptible P. aeruginosa ATCC 9027 strain has increased its MIC not only toward MOX (1→128 mg/L) but also to other antibiotics. Furthermore, this MOX-exposed strain did not revert to antibiotic-sensitive phenotype when being cultured in antibiotic-free medium for 12 days. No mutation was observed for FQ-target (gyrA and parC) or most investigated efflux regulatory genes (mexT, mexR, and nalC) except nfxB in which a 100-bp deletion was found. This associated with the elevated expression of multidrug efflux pump operon (mexCD-oprJ) which could directly result in MDR phenotype

Multiple Recurrent Acute Ischemic Strokes Treated by Thrombectomy in a Patient with Acute Pulmonary Embolism

BACKGROUND: Thrombectomy is recommended to treat for an acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patient with anterior large vessel occlusion. However, there were neither detailed guidelines nor systematic reviews of acute ischemic stroke patients having multiple times or re-occluded arteries. CASE REPORT: In our case report, we struggled a multiple (4-times) AIS patient underwent by one intravenous r-tpA and 3 remaining of endovascular treatment of thrombectomy. Especially, the finding of both pulmonary embolism and cerebral arteries occlusion in this patient made us difficult to decide the appropriate treatment plan. The patient was considered having multiple cardiac thrombi pumping out to the brain and pulmonary vessels even in treatment with NOAC (New Oral Anticoagulant). Our priority, normally, was to recanalize the brain vessels compared to the pulmonary arteries. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, based on this noticed case study, we want to share our experiences on the diagnosis of ischemic stroke, the strategy in treatment and prevention with anticoagulant therapy

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

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

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