Epidemiology and Prevention of Prostate Cancer in Vietnam

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men worldwide and a leading cause of mortality. Incidences continues to rise and vary substantially between populations. Although the prevalence of prostate cancer is relatively low in Vietnam, some hospital-based reports have shown an upward trend in recent years. While certain non-modifiable factors such as age, race and genetics are known to be mainly responsible, the literature has also suggested that environmental exposures can delay the onset of this disease. The present study provides a review of the epidemiology of prostate cancer in Vietnam by systematically searching several electronic databases. The results confirm an increasing trend of prostate cancer over the past decade, with age-standardised rate more than doubled from 2.2 per 100,000 men in 2000 to 4.7 per 100,000 men in 2010. However, no study has been found on modifiable risk factors, with the exception of one in vitro experiment that showed the inhibitory effect of garlic on the growth of prostate cancer cells. The lack of epidemiological information poses a difficulty to develop public health interventions to prevent this emerging malignant disease in Vietnam

Ultrasound-assisted extraction of GAC peel : an optimization of extraction conditions for recovering carotenoids and antioxidant capacity

The peel of Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng.), which is considered as waste of Gac processing, has been found to possess high levels of carotenoids and other antioxidants. This study aimed at determining the optimal conditions of an ultrasound-assisted extraction for recovering carotenoids and antioxidant capacity from Gac peel. A response surface methodology using the Box–Behnken design was employed to investigate the impact of extraction time, temperature and ultrasonic power on the recovery of total carotenoid and antioxidant capacity. The results showed that an extraction time of 76 min, temperature of 50 °C and ultrasonic power of 250 W were the optimal conditions for the extraction. The experimental carotenoid yield and antioxidant capacity obtained under the optimal extraction conditions were validated as 269 mg/100 g DW (dry weight) and 822 µM TE (Trolox equivalent)/100 g DW, respectively. These values were not significantly different from the values predicted by the models. The HPLC analysis for carotenoid composition showed that β-carotene, lycopene and lutein were the principal carotenoids of the extract, which constitute 86% of the total carotenoid content. Based on the obtained results, the ultrasound-assisted extraction using ethyl acetate under the above optimal conditions is suggested for the simultaneous recovery of carotenoids and antioxidant capacity from Gac peel

Dietary patterns and risk factors for Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Fijian, Japanese and Vietnamese populations

Diabetes mellitus is now a serious and increasing problem in Asian countries, where dietary patterns have shifted toward Westernized foods and people are becoming more sedentary. In order to elucidate the relationship of dietary habits to the development of diabetic risk factors, the dietary patterns of 200 Fijian, 171 Japanese and 181 Vietnamese women of 30–39 years of age were investigated using 3 day–24 h recall or dietary records. Anthropometric measurements and glycosuria tests were also conducted. The dietary trends of Fijians and Japanese have changed drastically in the past 50 years, while Vietnamese have been minimally influenced by Western dietary habits. The mean 24 h dietary intake showed that Fijians had the highest energy intake. Energy intake from fat was only 13% for Vietnamese, but over 30% for Japanese and Fijians. Percentage of body fat was higher in Vietnamese than in Japanese, though there were no significant differences in body mass index (BMI). In the overweight and obese women, Vietnamese had higher abdominal obesity than Japanese. The prevalence of obesity (BMI � 30 kg/m2) was 63.0% for Fijians, 1.8% for Japanese and 1.1% for Vietnamese. Glycosuria testing yielded the most positive cases among Fijians. Dietary transition and dietary excess appear to be potential risk factors for diabetes in Fijian women

The baseline characteristics and interim analyses of the high-risk sentinel cohort of the Vietnam Initiative on Zoonotic InfectiONS (VIZIONS)

The Vietnam Initiative for Zoonotic Infections (VIZIONS) includes community-based 'high-risk sentinel cohort' (HRSC) studies investigating individuals at risk of zoonotic infection due to occupational or residential exposure to animals. A total of 852 HRSC members were recruited between March 2013 and August 2014 from three provinces (Ha Noi, Dak Lak, and Dong Thap). The most numerous group (72.8%) corresponded to individuals living on farms, followed by slaughterers (16.3%) and animal health workers (8.5%). Nasal/pharyngeal and rectal swabs were collected from HRSC members at recruitment and after notifying illness. Exposure to exotic animals (including wild pigs, porcupine, monkey, civet, bamboo rat and bat) was highest for the Dak Lak cohort (53.7%), followed by Ha Noi (13.7%) and Dong Thap (4.0%). A total of 26.8% of individuals reported consumption of raw blood over the previous year; 33.6% slaughterers reported no use of protective equipment at work. Over 686 person-years of observation, 213 episodes of suspect infectious disease were notified, equivalent of 0.35 reports per person-year. Responsive samples were collected from animals in the farm cohort. There was noticeable time and space clustering of disease episodes suggesting that the VIZIONS set up is also suitable for the formal epidemiological investigation of disease outbreaks

[Mo 3 S 13 ] 2− Cluster Decorated Sulfur-doped Reduced Graphene Oxide as Noble Metal-Free Catalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Electrolyzers

Non‐noble metal catalysts represent a central direction of seminal scientific research in electrocatalysis due to the high cost and scarcity of present Pt‐based catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in particular. Here, we develop a novel hybrid material of [Mo3S13]2− clusters decorated sulfur doped reduced graphene oxide (Mo3S13‐SrGO) as a HER catalyst for water electrolyzers. Doped S elements act as anchor points for [Mo3S13]2− cluster attachment via forming doped S−Mo coordinate bonds, which increase stability of the hybrid catalyst as well as contribute additional active sites for the HER. SrGO supports substantially enhance the activity of the hybrid catalyst, maintaining high catalyst utilization at high loading. In standard electrochemical tests, the Mo3S13‐SrGO catalyst exhibits a Tafel slope of about 40 mV per decade and a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at 174 mV overpotential, which are significantly better than those exhibited by unsupported [Mo3S13]2− clusters with a Tafel slope of 53 mV per decade and an overpotential of 244 mV at 10 mA cm−2. Further, the hybrid catalyst exhibits a good working stability in acidic media. In the form of nanostructured powder, Mo3S13‐SrGO can be readily processed into porous electrodes for practical applications using standard manufacturing technologies

Encapsulation of carotenoid-rich oil from Gac peel : optimisation of the encapsulating process using a spray drier and the storage stability of encapsulated powder

The carotenoid-rich oil recovered from Gac peel, a waste from Gac fruit processing, has been encapsulated with a mixture of whey protein concentrate and gum Arabic using a spray drier. A response surface methodology using Box-Behnken design was employed to investigate the effects of the ratio of oil to the wall material, inlet temperature and the emulsion feeding rate on the retention of total carotenoid and antioxidant capacity of the encapsulated powder. The encapsulated powder obtained under the optimal spray drying conditions has been stored at 5 °C and 20 °C for 6 months to evaluate the storage stability of the carotenoids. The results showed that the optimal conditions for the encapsulation process were 160 ̊C of inlet temperature and 180 mL/h of feeding rate for the emulsion of 24.5% total solids that contained a ratio of 3:10 of oil to wall material. Under the optimal conditions, 80% of carotenoids and 82% of antioxidant capacity were retained in the encapsulated powder compared to those in the infeed oil. During 6 months of storage, the encapsulated powder showed significant higher retention of carotenoids compared to the oil at both storage temperatures. The results suggest that carotenoids recovered from Gac peel should be encapsulated for better storage stability

Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng.) : a rich source of bioactive compounds and its potential health benefits

Summary: Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng.) is a tropical vine originating from South and South-East Asia. Gac fruit has traditionally been used in Asia to provide red colour for cuisines and enhance visional health. Recently, Gac fruit has emerged as a potential source of carotenoids, especially lycopene and β-carotene. Carotenoids and other identified bioactives from this fruit including phenolics, flavonoids and trypsin inhibitors are associated with many beneficial bioactivities such as antioxidant, anticancer and provitamin A activities. In addition to the traditional utilisation, commercial products like Gac powder and Gac oil have been manufactured as natural colourants and medicinal supplements. This paper is a review of the scientific literature on the nutritional composition, biological activities and processing of Gac fruit

Effects of pretreatments and air drying temperatures on the carotenoid composition and antioxidant capacity of dried gac peel

Gac fruit contains a high level of carotenoids in the seed membrane (aril), pulp, and peel. However, only the aril is commercially processed and the peel is currently discarded. This study investigated different pretreatments and drying temperatures on the colour, content of carotenoids and antioxidant activity of air-dried Gac peel. The results showed that pre-treatments of Gac peel prior to drying and the drying temperature significantly affected the colour, carotenoid content and antioxidant capacity of the dried peel. Peel treated with ascorbic acid and dried at 70C retained the highest levels of carotenoids and ABTS antioxidant capacity. These results suggest that the pre-treatment with ascorbic acid solution can be applied to prevent the loss of carotenoids and antioxidant capacity caused by drying of Gac peel