Integration of Traditional and Western Medicine in Vietnamese Populations: A Review of Health Perceptions and Therapies.

In Vietnam, two types of traditional medicine (TM) are practiced: thuoc nam, medicine of the South, and thuoc bac, medicine of the North, both of which are largely based on herbal drugs used by different Vietnamese ethnic groups. This review presents recently published information from various databases regarding TM, especially herbal drugs, and its integration with Western medical practices outside and inside Vietnam. We first discuss the integration of traditional and modern health concepts by Vietnamese immigrants living outside Vietnam. Next, we describe native and emigrated health education and practices of pharmacy students, health professionals, and citizens living in Vietnam. Finally, we report the recent biological validation of medicinal plants and non-herbal therapies emerging from Vietnamese TM and their current and potential medical uses as identified by Western approaches. The main example described here involves utilization of the tree Artocarpus tonkinensis by the ethnic minority of Black Hmong in northern Vietnam, who use a decoction of its leaves to treat arthritis and backache without apparent adverse effects. Our comprehensive review emphasizes that, although Vietnam has a very rich collection of TM practices (particularly the use of herbal drugs), these therapies should be biologically and clinically validated with modern Western methods for optimal integration of Western and traditional medicine in global populations

A Decision Support Model for Measuring Technological Progress and Productivity Growth: The Case of Commercial Banks in Vietnam

The interactive relationship between the banking system and enterprise makes up the role that affects a national economy. Significantly, the relationship between banking and technology has become tighter over the past few decades. An assessment of bank performance is critical for understanding their position and provides valuable information to practitioners. In this paper, we assess the performance of the top 18 commercial banks in Vietnam during 2015–2019. The assessment utilizes two data envelopment analysis (DEA) models while involving the banks’ performance in six dimensions, including assets, deposits, operating expenses, liabilities as inputs, while treating loans and net income as outputs. Using the Malmquist measurement, the total productivity growth indexes of the banks are obtained, which are decomposed into technical and technological evolutions. Window analysis is used to compute the efficiencies of the banks in every single year in 2015–2019. From the results of Malmquist, most banks are found to decrease their Malmquist productivity indexes from 2015 to 2019, wherein both of their technical and technological indexes declined. Window analysis indicates B6-SHBank, B1-Vietinbank, and B18-PetrolimexGroup as the most efficient banks during 2015–2019, and in the interim, B16-BaoVietBank, B11-NationalCitizen, and B13-VietnamMaritime ranked on the bottom line. The managerial implications of this research help to reflect the comprehensive insights of the top Vietnamese commercial bank performance and offer a strategic guideline for decision-makers toward sustainable development in the banking industry

Water molds isolated from eggs and fry of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) in the Mekong Delta of Viet Nam

This study was carried out to isolate and identify fungal isolates causing fungal infected in the eggs and fries of stripped catfish in An Giang and Dong Thap Provinces. A total of 20 and 85 fungal isolates were isolated from infection fries and eggs samples of stripped catfish, respectively. All fungal isolates were identified as belonging to two genera Saprolegnia and Achlya. The optimal temperature for vegetative growth of four isolates Achlya sp. and Saprolegnia sp. was 30°C and 25°C, respectively. The vegetative growth of these isolates were able to tolerate up to 1% NaCl. The hatching rate of eggs challenge with fungus Achlya AG1213 at low and high dose were 48.7% and 34.0%, respectively. The hatching rate of eggs challenge with fungus Saprolegnia AG1219 at low and high dose were 55.3% and 32.0%, respectively. However, The hatching rate of eggs was 72.3% in the control group. This is the first report on fungi isolated from striped catfish eggs and fries at hatcheries in the Mekong Delta Vietnam

A real-world cohort study of first-line afatinib in patients with EGFR-mutant advanced non-small cell lung cancer in Vietnam

Abstract Background This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of first-line afatinib treatment in a real-world setting in Vietnam. Methods This retrospective study was conducted across nine hospitals in Vietnam. Advanced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who received afatinib as first-line therapy between April 2018 and June 2022 were included, and patient medical records were reviewed. Key outcomes were overall response rate (ORR), time-to-treatment failure (TTF), and tolerability. Results A total of 343 patients on first-line afatinib were eligible for the study. EGFR exon 19 deletion (Del19) alone was detected in 46.9% of patients, L858R mutation alone in 26.3%, and other uncommon EGFR mutations, including compound mutations, in 26.8%. Patients with brain metastases at baseline were 25.4%. Patients who received 40 mg, 30 mg, and 20 mg as starting doses of afatinib were 58.6%, 39.9%, and 1.5%, respectively. The ORR was 78.1% in the overall population, 82.6% in the Del19 mutation subgroup, 73.3% in the L858R mutation subgroup, and 75.0% in the uncommon mutation subgroup (p > 0.05). The univariate and multivariate analyses indicate that the ORR increased when the starting dose was 40 mg compared to starting doses below 40 mg (83.9% vs. 74.3%, p = 0.034). The median TTF (mTTF) was 16.7 months (CI 95%: 14.8–18.5) in all patients, with a median follow-up time of 26.2 months. The mTTF was longer in patients in the common EGFR mutation subgroup (Del19/L858R) than in those in the uncommon mutation subgroup (17.5 vs. 13.8 months, p = 0.045) and in those without versus with brain metastases at baseline (17.5 vs. 15.1 months, p = 0.049). There were no significant differences in the mTTF between subgroups based on the starting dose of 40 mg and  0.05). The most common treatment-related adverse events (any grade/grade ≥ 3) were diarrhea (55.4%/3.5%), rash (51.9%/3.2%), paronychia (35.3%/5.0%), and stomatitis (22.2%/1.2%). Conclusions Afatinib demonstrated clinical effectiveness and good tolerability in Vietnamese EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients. In our real-world setting, administering a starting dose below 40 mg might result in a reduction in ORR; however, it might not have a significant impact on TTF