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Abstract Background High-resolution anorectal manometry (HRAM) has been developed to improve measurement of anorectal functions. This study aims to identify normal HRAM values in healthy young Vietnamese adults. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study at the National Hospital of Traditional Medicine (Hanoi, Vietnam) from July through December 2014. Healthy young adults were invited to participate in the study. All anorectal measurement values were performed using the ISOLAB high-resolution manometry system. Differences between groups were analyzed using Student’s t-tests. Results Thirty healthy young adults, including 15 males and 15 females aged 19–26 years, were recruited. Mean functional anal canal length was 3.4 ± 0.5 cm (range: 2.4–4.8 mm). Mean maximum resting pressure, mean maximum squeezing pressure, mean maximum coughing pressure, and mean maximum strain pressure were 65.5, 168.0, 125.9, and 84.2 mm Hg, respectively. All anal pressure values were significantly different between males and females. For rectal sensation measurements, only the volume at first sensation was significantly higher in males than in females. Conclusions This study provides normal HRAM value for healthy young adults in Vietnam. Sex may influence anal pressure and first rectal sensation values in this cohort. Further studies should be conducted in order to improve the quality of HRAM normal values and to confirm the effects of sex.

We investigated whether the market places a higher value on banks with employee share ownership plans (ESOPs) than on those without them. Using a variety of empirical models, we found that ESOPs increased the market value of banks. However, this positive effect occurred only when banks were transparent or located in countries with strong shareholder protection. Our findings demonstrated that if banks were opaque or shareholder protection was weak, outside investors' concerns about managerial entrenchment in widely held banks and behind‐the‐scenes relationships between majority shareholders and managers in closely held banks outweighed the perceived benefits of ESOPs. Our study contributes to the literature by proposing a novel approach to study the effects of ESOPs through the prism of conflict of interest theory. Our findings also shed light on stakeholders' rationales for opposing or adopting ESOPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel meta-heuristic algorithm named Egret Swarm Optimization Algorithm (ESOA) is proposed in this paper, which is inspired by two egret species’ hunting behavior (Great Egret and Snowy Egret). ESOA consists of three primary components: a sit-and-wait strategy, aggressive strategy as well as discriminant conditions. The learnable sit-and-wait strategy guides the egret to the most probable solution by applying a pseudo gradient estimator. The aggressive strategy uses random wandering and encirclement mechanisms to allow for optimal solution exploration. The discriminant model is utilized to balance the two strategies. The proposed approach provides a parallel framework and a strategy for parameter learning through historical information that can be adapted to most scenarios and has well stability. The performance of ESOA on 36 benchmark functions as well as 3 engineering problems are compared with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Genetic Algorithm (GA), Differential Evolution (DE), Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO), and Harris Hawks Optimization (HHO). The result proves the superior effectiveness and robustness of ESOA. ESOA acquires the winner in all unimodal functions and reaches statistic scores all above 9.9, while the scores are better in complex functions as 10.96 and 11.92.

Background: Retinoblastoma (RB), an intraocular malignancy commonly diagnosed in children, is mostly caused by inactivating mutations of both alleles of the RB1 gene. Early genetic screening for RB1 gene mutations would greatly improve treatment outcomes and patient management. Methods: In this study, both somatic and germline mutations were detected in blood and tumour samples of 42 RB patients using direct sequencing and multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification. Results: In total, 34 different mutations were found in 36 patients, including 1 SNP, 4 large deletions, 5 splicing sites, 1 missense, 7 frameshifts and 17 nonsense mutations. There were five novel mutations and one unreported which have not been found in large databases such as Leiden Open Variation Database (LOVD) and ClinVar. Conclusion: A higher rate of RB patients carrying heterozygous germline mutation and highly prevalent with pathogenic truncated mutation, hence, early detection of RB is essential for vision salvation and genetic counselling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study promotes a new algorithm for estimating the water pollution propagation with the primary goal of providing more reliable and high quality estimates to decision makers. To date, the widely used variational method suffers from the large computational burden, which limits its application in practice. Moreover, this method, considering the initial state as a control variable, is very sensitive in specifying initial error, especially for unstable dynamical systems. The Neural Network Filter (NNF), proposed in the present paper, is aimed at overcoming these two drawbacks in the variational method: by its nature, the NNF is sequential (no batch large assimilation window used) and stable even for unstable dynamics, with the gain parameters as control variables. The NNF, developed in the present paper, is a Neural Network Filter (NNF) version of the Singular Evolutive Interpolated Kalman Filter (SEIKF). One of the new versions of this NNF is that it uses structure of the gain of SEIKF0 taken by the SEIKF at the first time moment of correction process. To deal with the uncertainty of the system parameters and of the noise covariance, the proposed Neural Network SEIKF0 named by NNSEIKF0 makes use of the covariance of a reduced rank iterated during assimilation process and of some pertinent gain parameters tuned adaptively to yield the minimum prediction error for the system output. The computational burden in implementation of the NNSEIKF0 is reduced drastically due to applying the optimization tool known as a simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (SPSA) algorithm, which requires only two integrations of the numerical model. No iterative loop is required at each assimilation instant as usually happens with the standard gradient descent optimization algorithms. Data assimilation experiment, carried out by the SEIKF0 and NNSEIKF0, is implemented for the Thanh Nhan Lake in Hanoi and the performance comparison between the NNSEIKF0 and SEIKF0 is given to show the high efficiency of the proposed NNSEIKF0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new diterpene (1) along with eight known compounds (2-9) were isolated from Excoecaria agallocha leaves. The structure and relative configuration of new compound were established on the basis of spectroscopic data analysis and confirmed by NMR chemical shifts calculation with DP4+ probability. Cytotoxicity of the isolated compounds were also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an adaptive fuzzy controller is designed for the robot-manipulator. The synthesized controller ensures that 1) the close-loop system is globally stable and 2) the tracking error converges to zero asymptotically and a cost function is minimized. The fuzzy controller is synthesized from a collection of IF-THEN rules. The parameters of the membership functions characterizing the linguistic terms change according to some adaptive law for the purpose of controlling a plant to track a reference trajectory. The proposed control scheme is demonstrated in a typical nonlinear plant two link manipulator. The computer simulation of control is done by the language MATLAB. The results of simulation show that the adaptipresented results are analyzed.

In this paper, an adaptive fuzzy controller is designed for the robot-manipulator. The synthesized controller ensures that 1) the close-loop system is globally stable and 2) the tracking error converges to zero asymptotically and a cost function is minimized. The fuzzy controller is synthesized from a collection of IF-THEN rules. The parameters of the membership functions characterizing the linguistic terms change according to some adaptive law for the purpose of controlling a plant to track a reference trajectory. The proposed control scheme is demonstrated in a typical nonlinear plant two link manipulator. The computer simulation of control is done by the language MATLAB. The results of simulation show that the adaptive controller well operates and provides good qualities of the control system. The presented results are analyzed.

Background: Allopurinol, a common anti-hyperuricemia drug, is well known as an inducer of severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions (SCARs). One of the most well-defined risk factors of allopurinol-induced SCARs is the presence of polymorphic alleles of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes, such as HLA-B*58:01 and HLA-C*03:02 alleles. There is no commercial test or published in-house protocol for the specific detection of the HLA-C*03:02 allele. In this article, we established for the first time a simple allele-specific (AS) PCR method to identify HLA-C*03:02 allele carriers, and at the same time, determine their zygosities. Methods: A two-step AS-PCR protocol, using four primer sets, was designed to specifically amplify and differentiate the HLA-C*03:02 allele from 17 other HLA-C alleles found in Vietnamese people. The protocol was validated with PCR-sequencing-based typing (SBT) of 100 samples of unknown genotypes. Results: The PCR protocol can detect the HLA-C*03:02 allele and determine the zygosity. The results of this protocol were highly consistent with those of the SBT (ĸ = 0.98, p < 0.001). Regarding the specific detection of the HLA-C*03:02 allele, the PCR protocol had a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI: 91.61– 100%) and specificity of 98.3% (95% CI: 90.9– 99.7%). The protocol was used to determine the distribution of the HLA-C*03:02 allele in 810 unrelated Vietnamese Kinh people, 14.2% of which were HLA-C*03:02 carriers, the allele frequency was 7.5%. Conclusion: A novel AS-PCR protocol with a sensitivity of 100% for the detection of the HLA-C*03:02 allele was established. The protocol can be used for personalized treatment with allopurinol in order to minimize the risk of SCARs in Vietnamese people as well as in other Asian populations with similar genetic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We derive a Z-score measure reflecting downside bank insolvency risk, drawing on a Chebyshev inequality in terms of the lower semivariance. As then illustrated empirically for US banks, this may provide a useful alternative, or robustness check, to the more commonly used Z-score measure based on the standard Chebyshev inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered van der Waals (vdW) materials, consisting of atomically thin layers, are of paramount importance in physics, chemistry, and materials science owing to their unique properties and various promising applications. However, their fast and large‐scale growth via a general approach is still a big challenge, severely limiting their practical implementations. Here, we report a universal method for rapid (~60 min) and large‐scale (gram scale) growth of phase‐pure, high‐crystalline layered vdW materials from their elementary powders via microwave plasma heating in sealed ampoules. This method can be used for growth of 30 compounds with different components (binary, ternary, and quaternary) and properties. The ferroelectric and transport properties of mechanically exfoliated flakes validate the high crystal quality of the grown materials. Our study provides a general strategy for the fast and large‐scale growth of layered vdW materials with appealing physiochemical properties, which could be used for various promising applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of variational data assimilation for a nonlinear evolution model is formulated as an optimal control problem to find the initial condition function (analysis). The operator of the model, and hence the optimal solution, depend on the parameters which may contain uncertainties. A response function is considered as a functional of the solution after assimilation. Based on the second-order adjoint techniques, the sensitivity of the response function to the parameters of the model is studied. The gradient of the response function is related to the solution of a non-standard problem involving the coupled system of direct and adjoint equations. The solvability of the non-standard problem is studied. Numerical algorithms for solving the problem are developed. The results are applied for 2D hydraulic and pollution models. Numerical examples on computation of the gradient of the response function are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2006, typhoon Xangsane struck Vietnam and disrupted a large-scale mental health needs analysis in the DaNang province of Vietnam in the active recruitment phase. Following the typhoon, the design of study was altered to that of a pre-/post-event investigation, in which 798 of the original 4,982 participants were re-interviewed so that risk and protective factors could be evaluated with respect to probable mental health "caseness" on the basis of the World Health Organization Short Response Questionnaire (SRQ-20) 7/8 cutoff (i.e., scores of 8 or more). Results indicated that caseness prevalence was 20.7% pre-disaster and 27.1% post-disaster. Specific risk factors associated with post-disaster mental health caseness included poor health, extreme peri-disaster fear, and experienced injury. Religious affiliation appeared to be a protective factor. In contrast to US and Asian samples, gender was not predictive of outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There are significant gaps in the literature on the prevalence of mental health problems and associated needs in Vietnam. A thorough understanding of culture-specific expressions of psychiatric distress is vital for the identification of the mental health needs of a community, and more research on the development and evaluation of culturally-sensitive mental health assessments is warranted. This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the World Health Organization 20-item Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) in an epidemiologic study of Vietnamese adults. Methods: A latent variable modeling approach investigated the underlying factor structure of the SRQ-20 items. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted on SRQ-20 item-level data gathered from 4980 participants. Results: Based on scree plots and EFA results, two latent structures were deemed plausible and were subsequently subjected to further modeling. A bi-factor model (BFM) and a correlated three-factor model solution (Negative Affect, Somatic Complaints, and Hopelessness) provided reasonable fits. The BFM specifies a single dominant General Distress factor (all SRQ-20 items) with orthogonal group factors for the subsets of items: Negative Affect (9 items), Somatic Complaints (8 items), and Hopelessness (3 items). This model fit the data as well or better than the three-factor model. Results also showed differences in endorsement rates of SRQ-20 items among males and females. Conclusions: Study results provide an evaluation of the psychometric properties of a commonly used screening tool and offer insight into the presentation of mental distress in a representative sample of Vietnamese adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research in US populations has found associations between disaster-related variables, psychological variables, and post-disaster increases in smoking and alcohol use. To date, no research has examined this association in an international population of disaster exposed individuals. Data used in this study were drawn from a larger study involving a two-wave assessment of a disaster-affected sample of Vietnamese citizens ( N = 798). Interviews were conducted to assess the effects of mental health variables and typhoon related variables on reported increases in alcohol use and cigarette smoking. Results indicate that post-disaster increases in smoking were associated with post-disaster diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder. Post-disaster increases in alcohol use were associated with posttraumatic stress disorder and panic disorder. None of the typhoon-characteristics were significantly associated with increases in substance use. Implications for mental health providers and future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2006, Typhoon Xangsane disrupted a large-scale multi-agency mental health study of 4,981 individuals in the Da Nang province of Vietnam. Following this disaster, 795 of the original 4,981 participants were randomly assigned to be re-interviewed by either a medical doctor or a lay interviewer using structured clinical interviews to determine the prevalence of lifetime and post-typhoon post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), panic disorder (PD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). The aim of the present study was to determine if the prevalence of disorders differed by interviewer type. Bivariate analyses and multivariable analyses, as well as internal reliability estimates, all indicated no significant differences between the medical doctor interviewers versus the lay interviewers. This held for both lifetime prevalence and post-typhoon prevalence of disorders. This study has implications for epidemiologic studies, as it indicates that with adequate training, the use of lay interviewers may be a valid means of data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Community-based estimates of psychopathology prevalence in developing countries such as Vietnam, are needed to reduce presumed significant burden of poor mental health. Aims: This study derived population-based prevalence estimates of mental distress, as measured by the SRQ-20, in a community sample of 4,981 adults living in Vietnam. This study also examined correlates of mental distress based on SRQ-20 caseness indications. Risk and protective factors were identified in terms of their unique contribution to caseness. Results: Using a cut-off of 7/8, 19.2% of the sample was considered to be a probable case (n = 954), with females endorsing more items than males. Marital status and employment status were not associated with mental health distress. Higher wealth, endorsing religious affiliation, and self-reports of good health were associated with lower SRQ-20 scores. Age and being female were associated with higher SRQ-20 scores. Conclusions: A single item was as adequate a measure of wealth as multi-item rating scales. Our estimate of mental distress using the SRQ-20 is much greater than that of other studies, and in contrast to western prevalence studies, age was not a protective factor in this study. The SRQ-20 is a brief, cost-effective and reasonably valid measure of both community and individual mental distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Declines in physiological functions are the predominant risk factors for age-related diseases, such as cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, delaying the aging process is believed to be beneficial in preventing the onset of age-related diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that Graptopetalum paraguayense (GP) extract inhibits liver cancer cell growth and reduces the pathological phenotypes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in patient IPS-derived neurons. Here, we show that GP extract suppresses β-amyloid pathology in SH-SYS5Y-APP695 cells and APP/PS1 mice. Moreover, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity is enhanced by GP extract in U87 cells and APP/PS1 mice. Intriguingly, GP extract enhances autophagy in SH-SYS5Y-APP695 cells, U87 cells, and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, suggesting a conserved molecular mechanism by which GP extract might regulate autophagy. In agreement with its role as an autophagy activator, GP extract markedly diminishes mobility decline in polyglutamine Q35 mutants and aged wild-type N2 animals in C. elegans. Furthermore, GP extract significantly extends lifespan in C. elegans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Weight-for-age is a commonly used indicator of the health of children and communities. We determined the accuracy of health volunteers' weight measurements in a nutrition project in Vietnam. Objective. To report the accuracy of the volunteers' weight measurements and to assess the likely effect of any inaccuracies. Methods. Save the Children /USA trained health volunteers to weigh children (6--36 months old) every other month from December 1999 to August 2000. Trained researchers randomly rechecked 257 weights (range, 24--114 per session). We computed nondirectional and directional differences between the weights measured by volunteers and those measured by researchers. Results. The weights recorded by volunteers were lower than those recorded by researchers by an average of 30 g (p < .05). Almost all of the error occurred during the first weighing session, at which the average weight recorded by volunteers was 280 g below that recorded by researchers (p = .01). The error at subsequent weighings was minimal (< 20 g below reference at each session). Conclusions. One-time directional error suggests bias. Perhaps some communities (or families) influenced the volunteers to report weights lower than those actually observed to justify the programmatic food supplements or to give the impression at subsequent weighings that the level of malnutrition had been successfully reduced from that at the first session. Careful supervision of measurements of weight at baseline is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low response rate and recurrence are common issues in lung cancer; thus, identifying a potential compound for these patients is essential. Utilizing an in silico screening method, we identified withaferin A (WA), a cell-permeable steroidal lactone initially extracted from Withania somnifera, as a potential anti–lung cancer and anti–lung cancer stem-like cell (CSC) agent. First, we demonstrated that WA exhibited potent cytotoxicity in several lung cancer cells, as evidenced by low IC50 values. WA concurrently induced autophagy and apoptosis and the activation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which plays an upstream role in mediating WA-elicited effects. The increase in p62 indicated that WA may modulate the autophagy flux followed by apoptosis. In vivo research also demonstrated the anti-tumor effect of WA treatment. We subsequently demonstrated that WA could inhibit the growth of lung CSCs, decrease side population cells, and inhibit lung cancer spheroid-forming capacity, at least through downregulation of mTOR/STAT3 signaling. Furthermore, the combination of WA and chemotherapeutic drugs, including cisplatin and pemetrexed, exerted synergistic effects on the inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) wild-type lung cancer cell viability. In addition, WA can further enhance the cytotoxic effect of cisplatin in lung CSCs. Therefore, WA alone or in combination with standard chemotherapy is a potential treatment option for EGFR wild-type lung cancer and may decrease the occurrence of cisplatin resistance by inhibiting lung CSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]