The efficacy and tolerability of proteoglycan F in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled trial.

Objective: To identify the efficacy and tolerability of Proteoglycan F in patients with primary knee OA.: A 24-week randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial with two arms: (1) Proteoglycan F (received 10 ​mg proteoglycan daily, for 24 weeks) and (2) control group (received placebo). Knee symptoms and joint cartilage status (evaluated by ultrasound and MRI of knee joints), quality of life, serum cytokine levels IL-1β and TNF-α), and safety evaluation were measured before, during, and after the treatment.

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 as a biomarker for lupus nephritis.

Background: Lupus nephritis (LN) is a serious manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to identify serum insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 (IGFBP-2) as a novel non-invasive biomarker for clinical disease and renal pathology in pediatric LN.

Methods: A cross-sectional study on 93 newly diagnosed LN children who were biopsy-proven, 35 SLE children with no renal involvement as disease controls, and 30 healthy controls (HC) with age and gender-matched.

Endotracheal intubation performance at a large obstetric hospital delivery room, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Introduction: Intrapartum-related events account for nearly 700,000 neonatal deaths globally yearly. Endotracheal intubation is a cornerstone in preventing many of these deaths, but it is a difficult skill to acquire. Previous studies have described intubation performances in high-income countries, but data from low- and middle-income countries are lacking.

Incidence of Intrapartum-Related Events at the Largest Obstetric Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam: A Retrospective Study.

Every year, 2.4 million neonates die during their first month of life and even more suffer permanent injury. The main causes are intrapartum-related events, prematurity, and infection, with sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia being the worst affected regions.

Oro-Dental Health and Primary Nephrotic Syndrome among Vietnamese Children.

Primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS) is common in children, affecting the soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. This study aimed to investigate the percentage of dental caries, gingivitis, hypertrophic gingivitis, and developmental defects of enamel (DDE) in children with PNS. The association of PNS with these diseases and oral care behavior was also assessed.

Assessment of biofertilizer use for sustainable agriculture in the Great Mekong Region.

A growing concern on the deleterious effects of chemical inputs to the environment has been on the rise from the excessive use of chemical inputs leading to soil and water pollution, destruction to fauna and microbial communities, reduced soil fertility and increased crop disease susceptibility. In the Great Mekong Region (GMR), a large majority of the population relies on agriculture and faces severe challenges including decline in soil fertility, increased pests and diseases, leading to lower ecosystem productivity. In this region, over-dependence on chemical fertilizers also continues to impact negatively on soil health and the wider ecosystem.

From silicone and hormone injecting to sex reassignment surgery: the precarious road to becoming female of transgender funeral performers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

This paper examines aspects of feminisation among a group of transwomen funeral performers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It highlights the health hazards faced by members of this vulnerable social group as the result of the use of non-medically prescribed hormone therapy, silicone injection and sex reassignment surgery in the absence of legal provision regulating these practices. The analysis is conducted against the backdrop of overlapping discourses of sex and gender identity, class, medicalisation and politics, both locally and globally.

Gendered Vulnerabilities in Times of Natural Disasters: Male-to-Female Violence in the Philippines in the Aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan.

The precarious situation faced by women and girls in the wake of climate-related disasters is illustrated through fieldwork conducted in Eastern Visayas in the Philippines, one of the regions most affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. However, this article illustrates that these heightened levels of gendered violence faced by women and girls are not a result of the disaster alone; rather, they are rooted in the inequalities inherent in the social construction of gender prior to the catastrophe, which then become sharpened as efforts to survive become more urgent.

Factors associated with physical growth of children during the first two years of life in rural and urban areas of Vietnam.

Background: Differences between urban and rural settings can be seen as a very important example of gaps between groups in a population. The aim of this paper is to compare an urban and a rural area regarding child growth during the first two years of life as related to mother's use of antenatal care (ANC), breastfeeding and reported symptoms of illness.

Methods: The studies were conducted in two Health and Demographic Surveillance Sites, one rural and one urban in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Birth weight and delivery practice in a Vietnamese rural district during 12 year of rapid economic development.

Background: Since the Doi Moi reform 1986 economic conditions in Vietnam have changed significantly and positive health and health care developments have been observed. International experience shows that improved economic conditions in a country can reduce the risk of perinatal mortality, decrease the risk of low birth weight and increase the mean birth weight in newborns. The Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (HDSS) FilaBavi in Bavi district outside Hanoi city has been operational since 1999.

Physical growth during the first year of life. A longitudinal study in rural and urban areas of Hanoi, Vietnam.

Background: Good infant growth is important for future health. Assessing growth is common in pediatric care all over the world, both at the population and individual level. There are few studies of birth weight and growth studies comparing urban and rural communities in Vietnam.