Publications by authors named "Vinh Vu"

Survivors of COVID-19 are susceptible to diminished health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and adverse psychological health, which may be exacerbated by their experiences of fear and the impact of the pandemic itself. This study aims to identify distinct fear and impact patterns related to the COVID-19 pandemic among survivors through latent profile analysis (LPA) and examine the associations of fear and impact patterns with post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and HRQoL. A total of 5,890 Vietnamese COVID-19 survivors completed the COVID-19 Impact Battery- Disability Scale (CIB-D), the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCoV-19 S), the Impact of Event Scale-Revised for PTSS, and the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) for HRQoL.

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Endobronchial tumors, though relatively uncommon, present a diverse array of pathological conditions, including both benign and malignant neoplasms. This retrospective study focuses on the surgical management of seven such cases affecting the main or lobar bronchi. The study involves a diverse patient population, ranging in age from 18 to 65 years, with a median age of 26 years.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the micro-autologous fat transplantation (MAFT)-gun technique for delivering fat to enhance facial contours, involving 31 participants treated between January 2021 and June 2023.
  • Results showed specific fat volume needs for different facial areas, with an overall high satisfaction rate of 83.9% and no reported complications.
  • The MAFT-gun technique is deemed safe and effective, significantly improving facial aesthetics and satisfaction even after a year post-surgery, suggesting closed-system fat processors as beneficial alternatives.
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A Lagrangian-particle tracking model, Delft3D-PART, combined with hydrodynamics models are used to investigate the fate and transport of buoyant plastics from Ba Lat river mouth in Red River Delta, northern Vietnam. It was found that during the dry season (Dec-Feb), 23 % (26.43 ton) of the plastics reached the shoreline while 76.

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Introduction: Augmentation rhinoplasty is one of five aesthetic surgeries in the world. Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) has been reported as a rational choice to augment the nasal dorsum and tip. However, its application for nasal tip augmentation has some debates.

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Objectives: To understand antibiotic prescribing and influencing factors to inform antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions to reduce unwanted consequences of antibiotic use in hospitals in Vietnam, a lower-middle-income country in Asia.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of doctors at three tertiary hospitals using non-probability convenience sampling, through a paper-based (Hospitals 1 and 2) or electronic (Hospital 3) survey. Questions included items on perceptions regarding antibiotic resistance and AMS, prescribing practices, knowledge, demographics and training.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the significance of adopting healthy lifestyles to mitigate the risk of severe outcomes and long-term consequences.

Objective: This study focuses on assessing the prevalence and clustering of 5 unhealthy lifestyle behaviors among Vietnamese adults after recovering from COVID-19, with a specific emphasis on sex differences.

Methods: The cross-sectional data of 5890 survivors of COVID-19 in Vietnam were analyzed from December 2021 to October 2022.

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Background: The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased, particularly among individuals who have recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Health literacy is considered a "social vaccine" that helps people respond effectively to the pandemic. We aimed to investigate the association between long COVID-19 and PTSD, and to examine the modifying role of health literacy in this association.

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Objective: Blood culture (BC) sampling is recommended for all suspected sepsis patients prior to antibiotic administration. We examine barriers and enablers to BC sampling in three Southeast Asian countries.

Design: A Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF)-based survey, comprising a case scenario of a patient presenting with community-acquired sepsis and all 14 TDF domains of barriers/enablers to BC sampling.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study evaluated the effectiveness of self-reported adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) as a substitute for HIV viral load testing among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Hai Phong, Vietnam.
  • - Researchers analyzed data from 792 PWID over two years, focusing on the accuracy of self-reporting ART adherence and its correlation with actual HIV viral load levels, finding a positive predictive value (PPV) above 90%.
  • - The findings indicate that in settings lacking access to viral load testing, self-reported ART adherence could help prioritize which PWID may need viral load testing, with high adherence generally suggesting effective HIV suppression regardless of recent methamphetamine use.
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A prototype of cross-membrane signal transduction is that extracellular binding of cell surface receptors to their ligands induces intracellular signalling cascades. However, much less is known about the process in the opposite direction, called inside-out signalling. Recent studies show that it plays a more important role in regulating the functions of many cell surface receptors than we used to think.

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Background: Towards hepatitis C elimination among people who inject drugs (PWID), we assessed the effectiveness of a strategy consisting of a community-based respondent-driven sampling (RDS) as wide screening, a simplified and integrated hospital-based care, and prevention of reinfection supported by community-based organisations (CBO), in Hai Phong, Vietnam.

Methods: Adults who injected heroin were enrolled in a RDS survey implemented in two CBO premises. Rapid HIV and HCV tests were done on site, and blood was taken for HCV RNA testing.

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Background: The present descriptive study shares the overall experience of treating all these patients where different surgical process was adopted depending on the treatment required after carefully evaluating the risk factors and comorbidities.

Methods: The present study was conducted at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Choray Hospital, Vietnam between the period of 2010 to 2020. We have treated 95 patients altogether in this duration.

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Introduction: Radiation-induced ulceration is a late-stage skin reaction after RT for cancer treatment.

Objective: The present study examined the use of a single-stage reconstructive procedure to manage radiation-related wounds.

Materials And Methods: Nine patients with radiation-induced chronic ulcer with accompanying severe complications were admitted to the Plastic, Reconstructive, and Regenerative Center of Viet Nam National Burn Hospital between October 2015 and September 2019.

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Objectives: To investigate the feasibility of retrospective prescription-based review and to describe the antibiotic prescribing patterns to provide information for an antimicrobial stewardship programme in Viet Nam.

Methods: This study was conducted in two provincial-level hospitals between February and April 2020. Reviews were done by a clinical team consisting of leaders/senior doctors of each ward to assess the optimal level (optimal/adequate/suboptimal/inadequate/not assessable) of antibiotic prescriptions.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the effectiveness of surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF) compared to non-operative treatment in patients with thoracic trauma, specifically those with flail chest.
  • A total of 166 patients were analyzed; 31.3% underwent surgical treatment, and while the surgical group had a slightly shorter hospital stay and lower pneumonia rates, these differences were not statistically significant.
  • The findings suggest that while SSRF might lead to some benefits like reduced hospital stay and lower pneumonia incidence, overall mortality rates did not differ significantly between surgical and non-surgical groups.
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  • A study in Hai Phong, Vietnam, analyzed gender differences among people who inject drugs (PWID) from 2016 to 2018, recruiting 3146 participants, including 155 female PWID, using respondent-driven-sampling surveys.
  • The average age of female PWID was 36.3 years, and most had low education levels (90.9% without high school) and unemployment (51.3%).
  • While there was no gender difference in HIV and HCV positivity, women showed distinct risk behaviors, such as higher unemployment, involvement in sex work, unstable housing, shorter drug use duration, methamphetamine use, and less access to methadone treatment, indicating a need for targeted interventions.
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Background: After the emergence of COVID-19, a one-month strict lockdown was imposed in April 2020 in Vietnam, followed by lighter social distancing restrictions over the year. We investigated whether those measures affected people who inject drugs (PWID) in terms of risk behaviors for HIV and HCV and access to prevention and care in the city of Haiphong, a historic hotspot for HIV and drug use.

Methodology: We carried out a 'before-after' study from 2019 to 2020 using respondent-driven sampling method to enroll PWID.

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Background: In most low-to-middle-income countries, HIV control at the population level among people who inject drugs (PWID) remains a major challenge. We aimed to demonstrate that an innovative intervention can identify HIV-positive PWID in the community who are not treated efficiently, and get them treated efficiently.

Methods: Between 2016 and 2020, we implemented an intervention consisting of mass HIV screening of PWID using three annual respondent-driven sampling surveys (RDSS) and a post-intervention evaluation RDSS in community-based organisation (CBO) sites, coupled with peer support to facilitate/improve access to antiretroviral and methadone therapy in Haiphong, Vietnam.

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Premature biological aging, assessed by shorter telomere length (TL) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) alterations, has been reported among people with major depressive disorders or psychotic disorders. However, these markers have never been assessed together among people who inject drugs (PWIDs), although mental disorders are highly prevalent in this population, which, in addition, is subject to other aggravating exposures. Diagnosis of mental disorders was performed by a psychiatrist using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview test among active PWIDs in Haiphong, Vietnam.

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Increased intercellular tension is associated with enhanced cell proliferation and tissue growth. Here, we present evidence for a force-transduction mechanism that links mechanical perturbations of epithelial (E)-cadherin (CDH1) receptors to the force-dependent activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR, ERBB1)-a key regulator of cell proliferation. Here, coimmunoprecipitation studies first show that E-cadherin and EGFR form complexes at the plasma membrane that are disrupted by either epidermal growth factor (EGF) or increased tension on homophilic E-cadherin bonds.

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The pig is a common model utilized to support substantiation of novel bioactive components in infant formula. However, reference ranges for outcomes to determine safety are unclear. Our objective was to use historical data to objectively define typical body and organ growth metrics of the domesticated pig in research.

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Aims: To describe the use of large-scale respondent driven sampling (RDS) surveys to demonstrate the "end of an HIV epidemic" (HIV incidence < 0.5/100 person-years) among persons who inject drugs (PWID) in a middle-income country. Large sample sizes are needed to convincingly demonstrate very low incidence rates.

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Objectives: To investigate the feasibility of establishing hospital-based antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes comprising action-planning, educational interventions and data feedback in two provincial-level hospitals in Viet Nam.

Design And Setting: This was an implementation research using participatory action process and existing resources from the Duke Antimicrobial Stewardship Outreach Network with local adjustments. A national stakeholder meeting and Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis were conducted to identify gaps and potential interventions.

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Objective: To estimate the residual mortality rate among people who inject drugs (PWID) in a Low-Middle Income Countries context where the HIV epidemic has been controlled and methadone coverage is high.

Study Design And Setting: PWID from Haiphong, Vietnam, were recruited through three annual respondent-driven sampling surveys that fueled two cohorts of PWID with HIV (n = 761) and without HIV (n = 897), with bi-annual follow-up. Presumed causes of death were ascertained from medical records and/or interviews of participants family.

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