We present a new camera-trap record of the Critically Endangered Chinese pangolin Manis pentadactyla in Vietnam, from a survey during January–November 2022 in Kon Ka Kinh National Park, Gia Lai Province. This record is c. 950 km south of the only other previous camera-trap records of the species in Vietnam. We obtained three camera-trap images of an individual M. pentadactyla at 1,600 m altitude, highlighting the potential importance of this Park for M. pentadactyla in Vietnam. We confirmed the identification through expert consultation and morphological analysis. This record suggests that the range of M. pentadactyla extends into central Vietnam. Further research and conservation efforts in Kon Ka Kinh National Park are required, to safeguard this enigmatic species and its habitat.

This article assesses a 10-month co-created universal school-based mental health (SBMH) promotion initiative for adolescents (10–19). The study combined quantitative and qualitative components. Pre- and post-intervention surveys were conducted in four schools in Tanzania (n = 400 baseline, 488 endline, with 100 intervention participants at both) and eight schools in Vietnam (n = 1,036 baseline, 893 endline and 436 in panel). In each country, ~90 qualitative interactions (interviews and focus groups) were held at baseline and endline with adolescents, parents, teachers and service providers (total = ~180). In Tanzania, multivariate analysis indicated significant gains among intervention participants relative to peers. Emotional literacy rose 9.5% (p = 0.007; d = 0.57). Attitudes toward help-seeking (p = 0.021; d = 0.50) and prosocial behaviors (p = 0.043, d = 0.38) also improved Active coping increased 15.6% (p = 0.006; d = 0.55). In Vietnam, emotional literacy increased 5.3% (p = 0.012, η2 = .019), and positively, emotion-focused coping declined 14.4% (p = 0.032, η2 = .015). Qualitative evidence reinforces these findings, and suggested spillover effects for nonparticipants. Overall results indicate that co-created universal SBMH initiatives can improve adolescent well-being and offer viable alternatives to limited adolescent-focused mental health services in LMICs.

We report the first case in Vietnam of transcatheter pulmonary valve-in-valve implantation using the self-expanding Pulsta valve in a young adult with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot. This case demonstrates the feasibility, safety, and early effectiveness of self-expanding valves in complex right ventricular outflow tract anatomies and highlights the importance of multimodal imaging in procedural planning.

Introduction: Nosocomial Bloodstream infection (BSI), including central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI) is important causes of morbidity and mortality. There are few studies describing the epidemiology of BSI in Viet Nam. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 3 intensive care units (ICUs) of the University Medical Center (UMC), Ho Chi Minh City from 2017 to 2022. The UMC service microbiology database was accessed to identify positive blood culture specimens during the period 2017–2022. Demographic and clinical details, antimicrobial management and patient outcome information were extracted from medical and laboratory records. Results: Of the 695 unique bacterial and fungal BSI episodes identified during the study period, 232 (33.4%) were community-acquired (CA), and 463 (66.6%) hospital-acquired (HA). The rate of BSI was 11.4% (463 cases/4.069 patients), in which CLABSI accounted for 59.8%. The incidence of CLABSI was 13.2% (307 cases/2.320 catheter patients) and the incidence rate was 5.8 cases per 1.000 catheter-days. On multivariable analysis, severe underweight, patient origin, central line placed in the femoral vein, duration catheter-days were significantly associated with CLABSI. We observed that prolonged duration catheter were the main risk CLABSI with 2.7- fold for 14-28 cathter-days (OR=2.7, 95% CI 2.4-3.1), 7.3-fold for more than 28 catheter-days (OR=7.3, 95% CI 5.7-9.4). The most common organisms were Gram-negative bacteria (76.2%), with K. pneumoniae (31.4%) and A. baumannii (12%) most prevalent. Gram-negative bacteria and Candida were more likely to cause infections in patients in critical care units. In addition, patients with BSI had significantly greater ICU costs than patients with Non-BSI (422 million VND (IQR 239–680) vs 184 million VND (IQR 18–92), p <0.05) Conclusions: Our data suggest that catheter duration is an important risk factor for CLABSI in the ICU. A significant daily increase in the risk of CLABSI after 28 days may warrant CVC replacement if intravascular access is necessary beyond that period.

Introduction: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common healthcare-associated problem. UTI has a lower mortality prevalence than other infections, but it is at high risk of leading to sepsis and increased treatment costs. Therefore, the objective of the study is to describe the epidemiology and burden of disease and determine factors associated with healthcare-associated UTI in the intensive care units (ICUs). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 4.028 patients admitted to the ICU, Neuro Surgical ICU, and ICU - Cardiovascular Surgery Department at a teaching hospital in Ho Chi Minh City from 2017 to 2022. The study collected secondary data through electronic medical records, including age, gender, diagnosis, department, urinary catheter use, urinary catheter retention time, treatment, and urine test results. Results: The prevalence of UTI in ICUs was 4.0%, of which CAUTI accounts for the highest prevalence, with the typical pathogen being E. coli. The Neuro Surgical ICU had the highest incidence and catheter-used prevalence in ICUs. UTIs were concentrated in people over 80 years old, females, and brain diseases. The length of the hospital stay was long, and the cost of the hospital stay was unaffordable, up to hundreds of millions of VND. The study found factors associated with the prevalence of UTI, such as age, gender, department, diseases, and urinary catheters. Patients with urinary catheters have a 10.98 times higher prevalence of UTI (p < 0.001; PR = 10.98, 95% CI 4.87–24.76) compared to patients without urinary catheters. Conclusions: The results of the study demonstrated that UTI remains a burden on the healthcare system, especially in ICUs. Implementing a UTI prevention package for patients with catheters is important. Besides, it is necessary to maintain continuous training for healthcare workers to properly and timely insert, remove, and replace catheters.

Introduction: Nowadays, surgical site infection is one of the four common types of healthcare-associated infections. There are many preventive measures applied and surgical hand hygiene (SHH) is the most effective and the simplest measure. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, practices of SHH among staff and the relationship between knowledge and practice of SHH in Viet Nam. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at the University Medical Center (UMC) in Ho Chi Minh City in 2022. The study employed a set of pre-prepared questions for the knowledge assessment section. For the practical assessment section, the research team conducted indirect observation through cameras and filled out a monitoring checklist. The data were analyzed using Stata 13.2. Results: Of the 271 healthcare workers, surgeons had the highest proportion at 48.7%, which was 18.6 times higher than that of anesthesiologists. The majority of healthcare workers received training on SHH, accounting for a rate of 95.6%. Among the participants, the overall compliance of SHH before entering the operative room accounted for 85.6%. The percentage of correct general knowledge reached 73.8%, and there was a relationship between correct knowledge and correct practice with p < 0.01. Conclusion: Our data suggests that having correct general knowledge of SHH is a crucial factor in accurately practicing SHH. Therefore, providing training to impart accurate knowledge about SHH to healthcare staff is necessary to enhance the overall compliance rate of SHH before entering the operating room.

Background: In University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City (UMC), shelf life of sterilized packed items has been followed by time-related principle. However, duration of sterility has not been based on strong scientific evidence. Objectives: To determine the most appropriate shelf life for sterilized products according to packaging material and sterilization methods. Methods: All the experimental and the control samples (surgical instruments and linen) were prepared by four types of packaging materials (peel pouch, nonwoven, linen, and rigid container) and three types of sterilization methods (steam, Hydrogen Peroxide, Ethylene Oxide). After sterilization, sterilized samples were stored at CSSD’s storage and tested for microbial contamination in 07 periods: after 07 days, 14 days, 01 month, 03 months, 06 months, 12 months, and 18 months. Identification of the storage environment (shelf location, temperature, and relative humidity) were recorded as the same time collected samples. Results: Positive microbial cultures were seen in 0.44% (07 samples) of 1,574 samples. Up to 18 months, no organisms was cultured from any sample of (1) autoclaved surgical instrument packages wrapped in peel pouches, nonwoven, linen, (2) Hydrogen Peroxide sterilized surgical instrument packages wrapped in nonwoven, (3) Ethylene Oxide sterilized surgical instrument packages, and (4) autoclaved linen packages wrapped in nonwoven. Organisms detected were both Gram–Positive and Gram-Negative bacteria. Just only approximately 17% control samples grew bacteria. There was no any statistically significant relationship between positive experimental samples and packaging materials, sterilization methods, or storage conditions. Conclusions: Based on results of this experiment, shelf life of sterilized packed items should be still followed by time-related principle in UMC. However, the currently shelf life can be extended to reduce unnecessary costs and increase the usage rotation.

The drivers of the unsustainable consumption of animal products have been researched, but, to date, no studies have specifically examined the interplay between perceptions of biodiversity loss consequences, beliefs in its existence and significance and the consumption of animal skin and fur products. We explore how people’s perceived consequences of biodiversity loss are associated with their consumption preferences and behaviours related to animal fur/skin products in varying scenarios of biodiversity loss beliefs. Applying Bayesian mindsponge framework analytics to a dataset of 535 Vietnamese urban residents (with 85.05% holding an undergraduate or higher degree), we found that, for people viewing biodiversity loss as real and significant, perceived consequences of biodiversity loss were negatively associated with the preference for animal skin/fur products. Conversely, when they viewed biodiversity loss as unreal or real but insignificant, the association was the reverse. Regarding the ownership of skin/fur products, among those who considered biodiversity loss insignificant, perceived consequences of biodiversity loss were correlated with owning more such products. However, for individuals who saw biodiversity loss as a major issue or denied its existence, ownership remained unaffected by perceptions of its consequences. These findings underscore the need for interdisciplinary research in sociocultural and environmental psychology to improve our understanding of the human–nature relationship and inform evidence-based policies integrating science and humanistic values.

Spatial analysis and disease mapping have the potential to enhance understanding of tuberculosis (TB) dynamics, whose spatial dynamics may be complicated by the mix of short and long-range transmission and long latency periods. TB notifications in Nam Dinh Province for individuals aged 15 and older from 2013 to 2022 were analyzed with a variety of spatio-temporal methods. The study commenced with an analysis of spatial autocorrelation to identify clustering patterns, followed by the evaluation of several candidate Bayesian spatio-temporal models. These models varied from simple assessments of spatial heterogeneity to more complex configurations incorporating covariates and interactions. The findings highlighted a peak in the TB notification rate in 2017, with 98 cases per 100,000 population, followed by a sharp decline in 2021. Significant spatial autocorrelation at the commune level was detected over most of the 10-year period. The Bayesian model that best balanced goodness-of-fit and complexity indicated that TB trends were associated with poverty: each percentage point increase in the proportion of poor households was associated with a 1.3% increase in TB notifications, emphasizing a significant socioeconomic factor in TB transmission dynamics. The integration of local socioeconomic data with spatio-temporal analysis could further enhance our understanding of TB epidemiology.

The effect of reservoir construction on medically important parasites is well known worldwide but lacks information in Vietnam. With 385 active hydropower plants and numerous water reservoirs, Vietnam provides an ideal setting for studying this issue. This study investigated trematode infection in snail first intermediate hosts from three hydropower reservoirs: Hoa Binh, Son La, and Thac Ba. In total, 25,299 snails representing 16 species were examined, with 959 individuals (8 species) shedding identifiable cercariae. Infection prevalence was highest in thiarid snails (5.4%–15.4%), followed by bithynid snails (2.9%–5.8%). Other snail species showed infection prevalence ranging from 0.3% to 2.9%. Infection prevalence varied significantly across regions, with the highest prevalence in Son La, followed by Hoa Binh and Thac Ba reservoirs. However, no significant differences were observed between snails collected from reservoirs versus canals and paddy fields. Morphological identification resulted in nine cercarial morphotypes, with pleurolophocercaria, xiphidiocercariae, and echinostome being the most common types, accounting for 89.2% of all cercarial infections. Echinostome cercariae were found in seven snail species, while the other cercarial morphotypes were shed by two to five species. Gabbia fuchsiana, Parafossarulus manchouricus, and Melanoides tuberculata were the most common hosts, each harboring five cercarial morphotypes, while Radix auricularia only released echinostome type. In conclusion, our findings highlight the endemic presence of trematodes in hydropower reservoirs and emphasize the need to consider the human-environment interaction around these reservoirs for a better understanding of disease transmission risks.