Antibiotic-Resistant Gram-negative Bacteria Carriage in Healthcare Workers Working in an Intensive Care Unit

Duong Bich Thuy,Duong Minh Cuong,Campbell James,Nguyen Van Minh Hoang,Nguyen Huu Hien,Bui Thi Bich Hanh,Nguyen Van Vinh Chau,McLaws Mary-Louise 대한감염학회 2021 Infection and Chemotherapy Vol.53 No.3

Little is known about antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) intestinal carriage among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Vietnam. All HCWs at a tertiary intensive care units were asked to undertake weekly rectal swabs. Among 40 participants, 65% (26/40) carried extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL)/AmpC β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli. Two HCWs colonized with ESBL/AmpC β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae. One HCW colonized with Acinetobacter baumannii. No one carried Pseudomonas spp.. A quarter (10/40) of HCWs were identified as persistent and frequent carriers. There is an urgent need to screen antibiotic-resistant GNB among HCWs and improve HCWs’ hand hygiene compliance to reduce the transmission of antibiotic-resistant GNB in the hospital.

A Statistical Data-Filtering Method Proposed for Short-Term Load Forecasting Models

Duong Minh Bui,Phuc Duy Le,Tien Minh Cao,Hung Nguyen,Trang Thi Pham,Duy Anh Pham 대한전기학회 2020 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.15 No.5

Reliability assessment of the SCADA-system based load data is necessary for improving accuracy of short-term load forecasting (STLF) methods in a distribution network (DN). Specifi cally, the reliability evaluation of the load data is to properly eliminate noise/outliers caused by random power consumption behaviors or the sudden change in load demand from industrial and residential customers in the DN. Thus, this paper proposes a novel statistical data-fi ltering method, working at an input data pre-processing stage, which will evaluate the reliability of input load data by analyzing all possible data confi dence levels in order to fi lter-out the noise/outliers for accuracy improvement of diff erent short-term load forecasting models. The proposed statistical data-fi ltering method is also compared to other existing data-fi ltering methods (such as Kalman Filter, Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN), Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA)). Moreover, several case studies of short-term load forecasting for a typical 22 kV distribution network in Vietnam are conducted with an Artifi cial Neural Network (ANN) model, a Long Short-Term Memory Recurrent Neural Network (LSTM-RNN) model, a combined model of Long Short-Term Memory Network and Convolutional Neural Network (LSTM-CNN), and a conventional Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model to validate the statistical data-fi ltering method proposed. The achieved results demonstrate which the STLF using ANN, LSTM-RNN, LSTMCNN, and ARIMA models with the statistical data-fi ltering method can all outperform those with the existing data-fi ltering methods. Additionally, the numerical results also indicate that in case the SCADA-based load data is normally distributed, time-series forecasting models should be more preferred than neural network models; otherwise, when the SCADA-based load data contains multiple normally distributed sub-datasets, neural network-based prediction models are highly recommended.

Efonidipine Inhibits JNK and NF-κB Pathway to Attenuate Inflammation and Cell Migration Induced by Lipopolysaccharide in Microglial Cells

Nguyen Ngoc Minh,Duong Men Thi Hoai,Nguyen Phuong Linh,Bui Bich Phuong,Ahn Hee-Chul,Cho Jungsook 한국응용약물학회 2022 Biomolecules & Therapeutics(구 응용약물학회지) Vol.30 No.5

Efonidipine, a calcium channel blocker, is widely used for the treatment of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. In our preliminary study using structure-based virtual screening, efonidipine was identified as a potential inhibitor of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 3 (JNK3). Although its antihypertensive effect is widely known, the role of efonidipine in the central nervous system has remained elusive. The present study investigated the effects of efonidipine on the inflammation and cell migration induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) using murine BV2 and human HMC3 microglial cell lines and elucidated signaling molecules mediating its effects. We found that the phosphorylations of JNK and its downstream molecule c-Jun in LPS-treated BV2 cells were declined by efonidipine, confirming the finding from virtual screening. In addition, efonidipine inhibited the LPS-induced production of pro-inflammatory factors, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and nitric oxide. Similarly, the IL-1β production in LPS-treated HMC3 cells was also inhibited by efonidipine. Efonidipine markedly impeded cell migration stimulated by LPS in both cells. Furthermore, it inhibited the phosphorylation of inhibitor kappa B, thereby suppressing nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in LPS-treated BV2 cells. Taken together, efonidipine exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-migratory effects in LPS-treated microglial cells through inhibition of the JNK/NF-κB pathway. These findings imply that efonidipine may be a potential candidate for drug repositioning, with beneficial impacts on brain disorders associated with neuroinflammation.

An online Indigenous Knowledge Database on Climate Change Adaptation of Farmers in the Vietnam Mekong Delta

Van Hoa Nguyen,Thi Mai Phung Bui,Thanh Phong Le,Hoang Tung Nguyen,Minh Tuyen Truong,Minh Nhut Do,Van Nha Duong 인간식물환경학회 2022 인간식물환경학회지 Vol.25 No.6

Background and objective: For countries vulnerable to climate change as Vietnam, indigenous knowledge (IK) might assist in revealing the values of local people's adaptations to environmental stresses and potentially support decision-making. Despite IK can provide the adaptive capacity of local people's activities within environmental contexts, but it is rapidly vanishing. This study aimed to describe the documentation of IK associated with climate change adaptation of farmers in the Vietnam Mekong Delta (VMD). Methods: We focused on collecting and establishing online access to IK documents through collaboration between IK holders, public sector, collecting institutions, and researchers in the five agro-ecological zones of the VMD. An online IK database for storing IK documents has been designed and implemented based on the web application schema. Results: Through interviews, we gathered IK from farming practices that are well-adapted to climate risks such as floods, droughts, and saltwater intrusions as well as traditional knowledge being used to forecast weather, flood, and saltwater intrusion. The database for storing IK documents has been successfully deployed using free and open-source software. The database currently contains more than 260 IK documents, with their location on agro-ecological zones displayed on a web-based map. Conclusion: We have captured and provided an online access to IK on climate change adaptation of the farmers in the VMD. This research is expected as an initial strategy for long-term sustainable development of the agriculture system in this region.

Chemical constituents of the Annona glabra fruit and their cytotoxic activity.

Hien, Nguyen Thi Thu,Nhiem, Nguyen Xuan,Yen, Duong Thi Hai,Hang, Dan Thi Thuy,Tai, Bui Huu,Quang, Tran Hong,Tuan Anh, Hoang Le,Kiem, Phan Van,Minh, Chau Van,Kim, Eun-Ji,Kim, Seung Hyun,Kang, Hee Kyoun Swets Zeitlinger 2015 PHARMACEUTICAL BIOLOGY Vol.53 No.11

<P>Traditional Chinese medicines have attracted increasing interest as potential sources of novel drugs with a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities. Annona glabra Linn (Annonaceae) is used in traditional medicine as an anticancer drug. Phytochemical investigation of this plant led to the isolation of acetogenins, ent-kauranes, peptides, and alkaloids. In addition, compounds exhibited anticancer, anti-HIV-reserve, and antimalaria.</P>

Efficacy of electrochemically activated water solution in gingivitis treatment

Dinh‑Toi Chu,Van‑Huy Pham,Thien Chu‑Dinh,Truong Nhu Ngoc Vo,Duc Long Duong,Van Nhon Bui,Minh Son Tong,Thi Thu Phuong Nguyen,Quynh Anh Le,Khanh‑Hoang Nguyen 한국약제학회 2019 Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation Vol.49 No.3

Mouthwash is one of the most commonly oral healthcare products for prevention and treatment of gum diseases. Dr. ECA is a disinfectant solution manufactured by a Vietnamese company and has been licensed for oral healthcare, but its effect on gingivitis is still unclear. To evaluate the effectiveness of this product in the treatment of gingivitis, we conducted a clinical study in 60 students diagnosed with gingivitis to compare the results of gingivitis treatment using Dr. ECA and a control mouthwash (a demonstrated anti-gingivitis product). The data showed that in the treated group, the rate of good Gingivitis Index (GI) before treatment was 46.67%, but after 2 and 4 weeks of using Dr. ECA that rate was increased to 96.67% and 100%, respectively. The percentage of patients with bleeding on probing was 63.33% but declined sharply after 2 weeks of treatment to 6.67%, and further reduced to 3.33% after 4 weeks of treatment. The treatment outcomes in were similar in the Dr. ECA treated group and control one with no statistically significant difference. Our results suggest that the electrolyte saline solution Dr. ECA is effective in treating gingivitis. Its effects are similar to other mouthwash products that had been approved and marketed.