An Assessment of Cough Medicine Dispensing Practice to Children Under Two Years Old in Pharmacies in Ho Chi Minh City Using Simulated-Patient Method

Over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medications (CCMs) have been used to treat the symptoms of upper respiratory infection in children for decades. The safety of CCMs in children has been questioned. The data on knowledge of pharmacists in supplying cough medicines for children under two years have been limited. This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacists’ dispensing decisions to manage the cough in children under two years old. A descriptive cross-sectional was carried out in 300 pharmacies in 15 districts in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The pharmacists were interviewed by a simulated patient. The results showed that, information that pharmacists actively asked the client about the patient and disease symptoms was limited. Most pharmacists did not provide adequate instructions and counsel about using drugs for clients. Only 22/300 (7.33%) of pharmacists appropriately provided cough medicines for children under 2 years old. The main reason of inappropriateness was the deficiency of knowledge about updated contraindication of N-acetylcysteine (93.17%). Pharmacists in pharmacies located in districts 3, 11 and Binh Thanh had higher rate of rational provision than those in other districts. A good and full understanding of the patient symptom helped the pharmacists supply cough medicines more reasonably. The limited caution of pharmacists and the low proportion of pharmacists updating contraindication of N-acetylcysteine should be considered as a warning sign in pharmacy practice in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

PROBLEMS IN VIETNAMESE-ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF RELATIVE CLAUSES FOR ENGLISH-MAJORED JUNIORS AT TAY DO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

Realistically, Vietnamese-English translation is not easy for Vietnamese students to master, and relative clauses are not typical in Vietnamese. Therefore, learners cannot avoid mistakes in their translation practice. Concerned researchers carried out a study to identify common Vietnamese-English translation errors in terms of English relative clauses. The participants were 60 juniors from the Bachelor of English course at Tay Do University. Test papers and interviews were employed as the instruments. The collected data from the two instruments mentioned above were all analyzed carefully afterward. The results of the study showed that the students suffered from a variety of grammar and vocabulary problems hindering them from translating Vietnamese into English correctly. Article visualizations

A STUDY ON PROBLEMS IN SPEAKING OF ENGLISH-MAJORED FRESHMEN AT TAY DO UNIVERSITY AND SOME SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

In this globalization era, there have been drastic changes taking place all over the world. People’s desires are fulfilled when they clearly express their ideas and opinions to others. Thus, they need to learn speaking skills in order to fulfill their ambitions, desires, and goals. However, it is so difficult for students to master this skill because they encounter some common problems when speaking. Therefore, the research entitled "A study on problems in speaking of English-majored freshmen at Tay Do University and some suggested solutions" was carried out in order to identify common problems in English speaking of English majored freshmen at Tay Do University and provide some suggested solutions. In this study, questionnaires and interview papers were used as the main instruments to collect the data. The participants were 80 English-majored freshmen in the two classes of English course 16 including 16A and 16B at Tay Do University. The study's findings revealed that freshmen majoring in English had several common problems with vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, the influence of mother tongue, and psychology in speaking. It is expected that this study will assist English-majored freshmen at Tay Do University in recognizing and overcoming obstacles in the process of speaking.  Article visualizations

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE COMMON ERRORS OF WORD FORM USED IN WRITING OF THE FRESHMEN: A CASE STUDY

English has been used all across the world, including in Vietnam. From middle school to high school and even university, Vietnamese students have numerous opportunities to engage with English grammar, but there is still a significant gap between their understanding and the correct application of English grammar. In fact, Grammar has a significant impact on the writing skills of Vietnamese students in general, and especially the first-year students of English majors who were not much exposed to writing in high school, so they are not yet used to writing at a higher level. The majority of errors in their writings are due to the influence of their mother tongue and a lack of frequent practice and their misuse of word forms, as a matter of fact, the expected results have not been satisfactory. Based on the general insight into the writing competence of the freshmen, the study titled “An investigation into the common errors of word forms made in the writings of the freshmen: A case study” was done with the English-major students. A close survey was deliberately done with 142 paragraphs written by the first-year students to investigate the common errors of word forms made in their writings. From what was collected, the study subsequently offered some suggestions for helping the students improve their writing skills.  Article visualizations

AN INVESTIGATION INTO DIFFICULTIES IN ENGLISH LISTENING OF FRESHMEN MAJORING IN ENGLISH AT A UNIVERSITY IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM

English is a very popular language in the world. However, learning a foreign language is not an easy process for learners, especially the English listening process. In fact, most learners believe that it is hard for them to master this skill. Therefore, the research “An Investigation into Difficulties in English Listening of Freshmen Majoring in English at a University in the Mekong Delta” was conducted with the purpose of helping these students to recognize clearly their own problems in English listening. Statistical data were collected from eighty-five English-majored freshmen. The main instrument of the study was a questionnaire. The findings of the research would point out the students’ difficulties in linguistics, including vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, intonation and accent; background knowledge; and difficulties from their own minds. One more notable purpose of this research is that thanks to the results, students can now solve their own problems, so that they can study better. Article visualizations

Extract and fraction of cashew nut testa ameliorate the hyperglycemic mice induced by Streptozotocin and high-fat diet

Drug strategy is a standard method for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), a non-communicable disease with increasing prevalence, which may cause side effects. Therefore, natural compounds with limited adverse effects have come back into vogue for treating T2D. This study aims to evaluate the effects on rehabilitating hyperglycemic mice of cashew nut testa (husk) extract and fraction known as potential bio-substances for improvement in T2D. First, the hyperglycemic mice were induced with a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 weeks and then were injected with streptozotocin (STZ, dozen for injection was 40 mg/kg/week) for 2 weeks. Next, the confirmed hyperglycemic mice were treated with pioglitazone (HG+PG group), total extract (HG+TE group), and saponin-rich fraction (HG+SRF group) for 3 weeks. Then, the evaluation was based on body mass; blood glucose (BG) level; BG tolerance, lipid profile, pancreatic histology and the expression IRS-1 in the pancreas. The results showed that body mass and BG level significantly increased in hyperglycemic mice. After substance treatment, there was no change in body mass in TE and SRF groups. However, BG level of HG+TE group mice significantly decreased compared to hyperglycemic mice and only BG tolerance of HG+SRF group was improved. Besides, HG+TE and HG+SRF groups modulated the triglyceride, HDL and LDL close to those expressed in normal mice. In addition, histological images of the pancreas revealed the restoration in both HG+TE and HG+SRF groups. Simultaneously, the IRS-1 expression in HG+TE group pancreas was restored to its expression in normal mice. These results demonstrate that the TE and SRF of cashew nut testa could ameliorate BG, lipid profile and pancreatic IRS-1 expression and restore the damaged pancreas and islets in hyperglycemic mice

Synthesis and application of Fe3O4/GO/PVP composite material for methylene blue adsorption

In this study, Fe3O4/GO/PVP (FGP) was successfully synthesized and efficiently applied for absorbing methylene blue. First, GO was synthesized by Hummer’s method from waste home-batteries. The chemical co-precipitation method was used to fabricate Fe3O4/GO from a mixture solution of GO, Fe3+, Fe2+. Polyvinylpyrrolidone PVP was selected to functionalize Fe3O4/GO and form Fe3O4/GO/PVP for improving dispersibility purpose in aqueous solution. The obtained Fe3O4/GO/PVP was characterized by XRD, FT-IR, BET, FE-SEM, UV-Vis techniques. Moreover, the effecting factors as pH, time adsorption, initial concentration of methylene blue were conducted. Adsorption isotherm models were also identified. The results showed that specific surface area of FGP-3 was 70.0 m2.g-1, the Freundlich isotherm model was suitable and the Dubinin - Radushkevich isotherm model showed that the process was physical adsorption. The maximum capacity (qmax) was 30.4 mg.g-1. These findings prove Fe3O4/GO/PVP as an inexpensive and efficient adsorbent for removal of cationic dyes

Clinical and Microbiological Features of Pediatric Endopthalmitis After Open Globe Injury in the North of VietNam

BACKGROUND: Pediatric endophthalmitis after open-globe injury had its clinical features, microbiological profile different from those in aldults. In Viet Nam, there was no report on the clinical and microbiological characteristic of pediatric posttraumatic endophthalmitis. Therefore, we conduct this study. AIM: To describe clinical features, ultrasound results, gram stain and culture results of endophthalmitis in pediatric open globe injuries. METHODS: Prospective non-controlled study. Case series of 30 eyes presenting with post-traumatic endophthalmitis between 2015 and 2016 were reviewed. RESULTS: Mean age was 8.03 ± 3.99 years. Metallic and organic etiologies were most common causes for injuries (n = 11). 27 cases had penetrating corneal trauma. Dense opaque vitreous was seen in 25 eyes. Retinal necrosis < 1 quadrant and chorioretinal abscess > 1 quadrant were most common fundus lesions. Dense vitreous opacity on ultrasound was most common (n = 28). Gram stain bacteria positivity was 93.3%, gram-positive were isolated in 63.3%. Vitreous samples were more often positive than aqueous (P = 0,002). CONCLUSION: Posttraumatic endophthalmitis in children is more common in boys aged 6-10 years and most often caused by injury with metallic and organic matter. Culture results were very low. Vitreous samples were more often positive than aqueous. Gram-positive bacteria were the most common causative organism

Randomized trial assessing home use of two pregnancy tests for determining early medical abortion outcomes at 3, 7 and 14days after mifepristone

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the accuracy, feasibility and acceptability of two urine pregnancy tests in assessing abortion outcomes at three time points after mifepristone administration.Study designThis randomized trial enrolled women seeking early medical abortion at two hospitals in Vietnam. Investigators randomly allocated participants to at-home administration of a multilevel urine pregnancy test (MLPT) or a high sensitivity urine pregnancy test (HSPT) to assess their abortion outcomes. A baseline test was administered on the same day as mifepristone. Participants performed and interpreted results of pregnancy tests taken 3, 7 and 14days after mifepristone. Ultrasound exam determined continuing pregnancy.ResultsSix hundred women enrolled, and 300 received each test. A percentage of 97.4 (584) had follow-up, of whom 13 women had continuing pregnancies. The specificity of MLPT at detecting absence of continuing pregnancy was 63.9%, 90.4% and 97.1% at study day 3, 7 and 14. The specificity of HSPT was 6.0%, 19.8% and 62.2%, respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) of MLPT at detecting continuing pregnancy was 6.4% at day 3 and rose to 46.7% at day 14. In contrast, the PPV for HSPT was 2.2% at day 3 and rose to 6.5% at day 14. At all three time points, the sensitivity and negative predictive values for both tests were 100.0%. Most women found their assigned tests easy to use and would prefer future home follow-up with a pregnancy test.ConclusionsThe MLPT enables women to assess their abortion outcomes more reliably than with HSPT. With MLPT, women can know their outcomes as early as 3 days after mifepristone.ImplicationsMedical abortion service delivery with an MLPT to obtain a baseline (preabortion) human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) estimate and a second follow-up MLPT 1 to 2 weeks later can establish whether there has been a drop in hCG, signifying absence of a continuing pregnancy. Used this way, MLPTs can enable women to assess their abortion status outside of a clinic setting and without serum hCG testing and/or ultrasound