Development and Validation of a New Short-Form Health Literacy Instrument (HLS-SF12) for the General Public in Six Asian Countries.

Background: No comprehensive short-form health literacy (HL) survey tool has been available for general use across Asia.

Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a short-form HL instrument derived from the 47-item European Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47).

Methods: A population survey ( = 10,024) was conducted from 2013 to 2015 using the HLS-EU-Q47 in 1,029 participants from Indonesia, 1,845 from Kazakhstan, 462 from Malaysia, 1,600 from Myanmar, 3,015 from Taiwan, and 2,073 from Vietnam.

Antimicrobial activity of rhodomyrtone isolated from (Aiton) Hassk.

Rhodomyrtone was isolated from the leaves of (Aiton) Hassk grown in Vietnam using chromatographic methods. Its chemical structure was confirmed by means of spectroscopic data analysis. The pH drop measurement, enzyme activity assays and fluorescence stain were used to examine rhodomyrtone anticaries activity.

Discrepancies in prevalence trends for HIV, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus in Haiphong, Vietnam from 2007 to 2012.

We previously reported a significant reduction in the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) from 2007 to 2012 in people who inject drugs (PWID; 35.9% to 18.5%, p < 0.

Measuring health literacy in Asia: Validation of the HLS-EU-Q47 survey tool in six Asian countries.

Background: Health literacy has been increasingly recognized as one of the most important social determinants for health. However, an appropriate and comprehensive assessment tool is not available in many Asian countries. This study validates a comprehensive health literacy survey tool European health literacy questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) for the general public in several Asian countries.

A functional polymorphism in the NKG2D gene modulates NK-cell cytotoxicity and is associated with susceptibility to Human Papilloma Virus-related cancers.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted agent worldwide and is etiologically linked to several cancers, including cervical and genital cancers. NKG2D, an activating receptor expressed by NK cells, plays an important role in cancer immune-surveillance. We analyzed the impact of a NKG2D gene variant, rs1049174, on the incidence of HPV-related cancers in Vietnamese patients and utilized various molecular approaches to elucidate the mechanisms of NKG2D receptor regulation by rs1049174.

Change in the Prevalence of HIV-1 and the Rate of Transmitted Drug-Resistant HIV-1 in Haiphong, Northern Vietnam.

We previously reported a significant decrease in HIV-1 prevalence, with no increase in drug-resistant HIV-1 among injecting drug users (IDU), female sex workers (FSW), and blood donors (BD), in Haiphong, Vietnam, from 2007 to 2009. In 2012, 388 IDU, 51 FSW, and 200 BD were recruited for further analysis. None had a history of antiretroviral treatment.

Application of an M-cell-targeting ligand for oral vaccination induces efficient systemic and mucosal immune responses against a viral antigen.

Oral mucosal vaccination is an alternative method to overcome the pitfalls of current injection-based vaccines, such as pain and high cost of vaccination. It is a feasible and economic vaccine application, especially in developing countries. However, achieving effective antigen delivery into mucosal lymphoid organs and efficient immune stimulation are prerequisites to successful oral mucosal vaccination.

Prevalence of HBV infection among different HIV-risk groups in Hai Phong, Vietnam.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Hai Phong, northern Vietnam, was characterized by analyzing the prevalence and genotype distribution of HBV as well as co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) among five different risk groups for HIV infection. Plasma samples were collected from intravenous drug users (n=760, anti-HIV-1 antibody positive rate: 35.9%), female sex workers (FSWs; n=91, 23.