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This study aims to identify the elements that contribute to the digital competencies of primary school teachers working in the mountainous region of Northern Vietnam and assess the significance of these factors. The research sample consisted of 260 primary school teachers from this region. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and multivariate regression methods are used. The results of this research indicate that seven characteristics have a substantial impact on the digital abilities of teachers: ability to incorporate digital technology into teaching, conditions for digital transformation in teaching and learning activities are found to be influential, ability to create digital resources is highlighted as an important factor, ability to select teaching content with opportunities for technology usage, professional development needs of teachers, school policy and ability to select digital resources. These results offer education administrators a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing primary teachers' digital competencies and enable them to implement strategic changes and prioritize each element. Moreover, this study provides a valuable reference for future researchers seeking to explore new research directions in this field and analyze the correlation between factors to propose solutions to develop digital competencies of primary school teachers suitable to specific contexts and conditions.

Alzheimer’s disease is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder that leads to cognitive and functional decline. Potential target proteins for managing Alzheimer’s disease include Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), Beta-secretase cleavage enzyme (BACE1) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. In this study, we conducted in silico evaluations of the inhibitory effects of Salvia miltiorrhiza’s compounds on AChE, BuChE, BACE1, and NMDA receptors. The Lipinski's rule of five was employed to compare phytochemicals with drug-like and non-drug-like properties. Based on previous publications, we compiled a list of 30 compounds from S. miltiorrhiza with potential for improving Alzheimer’s disease. Among these 30 compounds, six natural compounds exhibited potential inhibition of all four target proteins. Five of these six compounds, namely Tanshinone I, Tanshinone IIA, Isotanshinone I, Dihydroisotanshinone I, and Dihydroisotanshinone II, possessed drug-like properties, good absorption potential, and the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. In conclusion, these five compounds show the highest potential as future drug candidates for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

The initial period of young teachers' careers is always significant in developing their professional capability. This is when teachers start coming into contact with practical teaching, which is more diversified than the theoretical training at the University. In this research, the authors propose a process of combining the Lesson Study model with the micro-lesson teaching method. This process helps young teachers, especially those working in the Northern of Vietnam, improve their planning and implementation of a lesson plan following the Lesson Study model. It has four steps: (1) plan a Lesson Study; (2) organize demo teaching and attend lessons; (3) self-evaluate and discuss lessons; and (4) apply for practical teaching. The methodology research is carried out on 62 young teachers in Vietnam to measure the pre-impact and post-impact results. The results reveal that the researched group has made significant progress on their teaching performances (the average points for their capability of planning lessons have increased from 2.54 to 3.28 and the average points for their capability of implementing lesson plans have increased from 2.48 to 3.18). This development can be considered as an excellent experience to bring the Lesson Study model into Vietnamese schools to improve teaching sustainably.

In recent years, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education has become important in many countries around the world. In this study a bibliometric analysis was applied to evaluate the scientific results of STEM education in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, indexed in the Scopus database for the period 2000-2019. A total of 175 publications were taken from the Scopus database for analysis. Our main findings show that the trend of research in this field has shown a dramatic increase in scientific production in the last three years, when the published amount accounted for 67.43% of the collection. Authors with the most publications came from the top 10 universities and research institutes (accounting for 38.44%). Scholars in the ASEAN region tend to submit their works to Q3 and Q4 journals in the SCImago database. Diverse research with basic and cross-cutting topics focus on STEM education for undergraduate students, engineering education, and education computing.

Objective: This study investigated the microbiological characteristics of severe lower respiratory tract infection patients not respond to initial treatment, and were transferred to a tertiary-level hospital. Material and Methods: This was a multicenter, prospective study conducted across four hospitals: Cho Ray, Pham Ngoc Thach, Gia Dinh People’s Hospital, and Can Tho Central General Hospital. Sputum specimens were collected shortly after admission and subjected to culture and real-time PCR testing. Results: Out of the 252 patients, 170 (67.4%) met the criteria for analysis and identification of pathogenic microorganisms. The most frequently isolated pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumonia) and Haemophilus influenzae (H. influenzae), comprising of 27.0% and 13.1%, respectively. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was conducted on 55 patients (32.3%). Among these cases, there were 16 instances of S. pneumoniae, 10 cases of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), 10 cases of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), 14 cases of gram-negative enteric bacteria, 2 cases of H. influenzae, 1 case of Moraxella catarrhalis (M. catarrhalis), 1 case of Enterococcus faecium, and 1 case of M. pneumoniae. The antibiogram results revealed significant findings; including a 70% prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase and 90% occurrence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The data also indicated high resistance rates; such as 90% resistance to erythromycin, 40-80% to ciprofloxacin, 30-80% to ceftazidime, and 30-40% to imipenem. Conclusion: Pathogens associated with LRTIs referred from primary care hospitals encompass S. pneumonia, H. influenza, and S. aureus. At our facility, piperacillin, imipenem, amikacin, vancomycin, and linezolid emerged as the most effective antibiotics for addressing these LRTIs.

From 2011 to 2012, Northern Vietnam suffered its first large-scale hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) epidemic. Two sets of official guidelines were issued during the outbreak to handle the HFMD crisis. The city of Hai Phong was used as a model to analyze the impact of the released guidelines. A total of 9621 HFMD cases were reported in Hai Phong city from April 2011 to December 2012. Three distinct waves of HFMD occurred. Enterovirus A71 and Coxsackievirus A16 were successively associated with the epidemics. Two periods, before and after the guidelines' release, could be distinguished and characterized by different patient patterns. The time to admission and severity changed notably. Guideline publications help the health system refocus on the 0.5–3 years age group with the highest incidence of the disease. The three waves showed different special distribution, but the main routes of infection were rivers and local secondary roads, most likely through local trade and occupational movements of people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Introduction Inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) is the most widely used and effective treatment of asthma. However, some patients do not respond to ICS, which might be due to various genetic factors. Hence, understanding the genetic factors involved in the ICS response could help physicians to individualize their treatment decision and action plans for given patients. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) genotypes in children with asthma and the correlation between rs242941 polymorphism of CRHR1 gene and ICS responsiveness. Methods This prospective study included children with uncontrolled asthma, assessing their eosinophil count, IgE concentration, lung function, and fractional concentration of nitric oxide in exhaled breath (FENO) and performing CRHR1 polymorphism sequencing. The level of asthma control was assessed by asthma control test (ACT); the responsiveness of asthma treatment with ICS was evaluated by measuring the change of ACT and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) after treatment versus at inclusion. Results In total, 107 patients were analyzed for CRHR1 at rs242941. Among these, 86 (80.3%) had homozygous wild-type GG, 20 (18.7%) had heterozygous GT genotypes, and 1 (1.0%) had a homozygous variant for TT. Children with personal and family history of atopy were more likely to have GT and TT genotypes. The severity of asthma was similar between children with asthma in the three groups of GG, GT, and TT genotypes of CRHR1 at rs242941. FENO level, total IgE concentration, and eosinophilic count in children with asthma were not significantly different between GG and GT genotypes. The patient with a TT homozygous variant genotype had a higher level of FENO. There was no correlation between CRHR1 polymorphism at rs242941 and asthma control evaluated by asthma control test and lung function parameters. Conclusion TT genotype of rs242941 in the CRHR1 gene is not frequent. Clinical and functional characteristics of children with asthma with rs242941 polymorphism of CRHR1 gene remain homogeneously similar. There is no correlation between rs242941 polymorphism and ACT or FEV1.

The present study aims to describe the chemical composition of essential oils from three Vietnamese Annonaceae species, Meiogyne virgata, M. vietnamica, and Orophea polycarpa, and their antimicrobial activity. Essential oils were extracted by hydro-distillation. From the GC-FID/MS (gas chromatography-flame ionization detection and mass spectrometry) analysis, the leaf essential oil of M. virgata was reported to contain the major compound germacrene D (42.48%). Spathulenol (24.51%), bicyclogermacrene (18.58%), β-selinene (11.14%), and germacrene D (8.20%) can be seen as the main compound in M. vietnamica leaf essential oil. α-Phellandrene (39.35%), bicyclogermacrene (13.07%), β-phellandrene (10.87%), and limonene (8.27%) represented O. polycarpa leaf essential oil. Essential oil of M. virgata leaves exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against the Gram (+) bacterium Bacillus subtilis ATCC 5230, the Gram (-) bacterium Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, and the fungus Aspergillus niger ATCC 9587 with the same MIC value of 16 μg/mL. The docking method showed that germacrene D has the ΔGbinding (binding affinity) values of –6.68, –5.265, and –5.602 kcal/mol with the proteins E. coli DNA gyrase, B. subtilis TasA, and A. niger PhyA, respectively. Alkyl and pi-alkyl interactions are the main contributors to the binding affinity between the studied proteins and ligands. Furthermore, germacrene D is predicted to have low toxicity and is not active against any of the considered organ targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Essential oils extracted from Syzygium species are known for various pharmacological purposes. Syzygium fluviatile (Hemsl.) Merr. & L.M.Perry is a flowering plant found in China and Vietnam. The current study aims to offer a comparison of chemical compositions in essential oils of S. fluviatile fruits and leaves, collected from five regions of Vietnam. The obtained oils were also taken into antimicrobial consideration, which was further aided by in silico approaches. Methods: Phytochemical analysis of essential oils was carried out using GC-FID/MS (gas chromatography-flame ionization detection/mass spectrometry) analysis. An antimicrobial assay was performed using broth micro-dilution for in vitro screening. In silico considerations are mainly based on docking studies and toxicity assessments using the AutoDock Vina v1.2.3 program and the ProTox 3.0 web server, respectively. Results: Hydro-distillation of S. fluviatile fresh fruits and leaves can lead to the production of yellow essential oil with yields of 0.21–0.32% v/w. In general, the obtained oils were dominated by monoterpene and sesquiterpene derivatives, as well as (E)-caryophyllene (8.40-47.12%) being the principal compound. The oil samples showed strong antimicrobial activity against the Gram (+) bacteria Enterococcus faecalis ATCC51299, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC29213, and Bacillus cereus ATCC11778, and the yeast Candida albicans ATCC 60193 with the MIC and IC50 values 16–64 µg/mL and 5.12–24.68 µg/mL. Docking results indicated that (E)-caryophyllene exhibited binding affinities from −6.728 kcal/mol to −5.729 kcal/mol with important amino acid residues in the DNA gyrase, PBP3, and SAP2 targets. The toxicity profile of (E)-caryophyllene is also discussed. Conclusion: The isolation of (E)-caryophyllene from Vietnamese Syzygium essential oils as a purified compound is necessary. In vivo antimicrobial studies and molecular mechanisms of action are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camellia pleurocarpa (Gagnep.) Sealy, a species of yellow camellia indigenous to Vietnam, was investigated for its essential oil properties in this study. Hydrodistillation of its leaves yielded a complex mixture rich in sesquiterpenes and diterpenes. Chemical analysis identified 50 constituents, with notable compounds including spathulenol (13.26%), phytol (9.94%), and α-selinene (5.34%). The essential oil exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against three Gram-positive bacteria Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus; one Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa; and one yeast Candida albicans, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 16 to 32 μg/mL and half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values ranging from 7.26 to 16.23 μg/mL. Furthermore, it demonstrated larvicidal potential against Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes, with LC50 values ranging from 13.49 to 28.95 μg/mL and LC90 values ranging from 28.29 to 53.24 μg/mL. These findings underscore the promising antimicrobial and mosquito larvicidal properties of C. pleurocarpa essential oil, suggesting its potential as a natural alternative in combating microbial infections and controlling mosquito-borne diseases. This study represents the first comprehensive report on the chemical compositions and bioactivities of C. pleurocarpa essential oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective/Background: Acronychia pedunculata is commonly found in mountainous regions across Vietnam. The species has been widely used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments. Methods: The essential oils (EOs) of A. pedunculata roots, leaves, and flowers were extracted by hydrodistillation process and their chemical compositions were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Besides, the EOs were assayed for in vitro α-amylase and tyrosinase inhibitory activities. In silico molecular docking simulations on the major components of the EOs were conducted. Results: The EOs from A. pedunculata roots and leaves consisted of 41 compounds (97.6 and 95.1%, respectively) while the flower EO comprised 37 compounds (98.7%). α-Pinene was found to be the most abundant component in the root and flower EOs, with the percentages of 63.9% and 52.6%, respectively. (E)-β-Caryophyllene was detected at the highest level (22.8%) in the leaf EO. The root EO had the most potent anti-α-amylase and antityrosinase activities, with IC50 values of 53.73 ± 1.94 and 815.53 ± 3.24 μg/mL, respectively. Its inhibitory activity against α-amylase was stronger than that of acarbose (88.80 ± 1.87 μg/mL). In molecular docking results, limonene was the potential compound in the EOs with the best binding affinity against tyrosinase. Moreover, the evaluation of potential interactions between the main components of the EOs and the selected proteins was elucidated. Conclusions: The findings unveiled that the EOs of A. pedunculata possessed α-amylase and tyrosinase inhibitory effects and potential applications in nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevance of the study is determined by the creation of a fundamentally new method for the synthesis of titanium powders of high purity from ilmenite ores of Vietnam deposits, containing a mixture of ilmenite with rutile in the heavy fraction. This is one of the priority areas for the integrated development of deposits of rare and rare earth elements in Vietnam. The main aim: selection of conditions, methods and sequence of technological operations for the beneficiation of Vietnamese ilmenite ores and their subsequent chemical processing to obtain high-purity titanium. Objects: ilmenite ore of the Ha Tinh deposit (Vietnam) with a high content of oxides of titanium, iron, zirconium and a low content of silicon, aluminum, rare earth elements, vanadium, as well as ilmenite concentrate obtained as a result of enrichment of the original ilmenite ore. Methods: in the beneficiation process – electrostatic separation, flotation, the use of collectors, activators and depressants added to flotation reagents; in the electrolytic synthesis of titanium – the use of a low-melting eutectic of fluoride salts of alkali metals with the addition of titanium tetrafluoride; selection of the conditions for starting the electrolyzer, cathode current density, current and voltage for the deposition of titanium on the cathode; investigation of the optimal conditions for the release of titanium powder at low temperatures using anhydrous hydrogen fluoride. Results. The prospects of using the methods of electrostatic separation and flotation in the dressing of Vietnamese ilmenite ores of the Ha Tinh deposit are shown. An ilmenite concentrate with a titanium dioxide content of more than 50 % was obtained. The advantages of using the method of direct fluorination of an ilmenite concentrate with gaseous fluorine are substantiated, which makes it possible to ensure both the completeness of the decomposition of the solid phase and to separate the fluorides of titanium, niobium, vanadium and silicon that pass into the gas phase from those remaining in the condensed state – fluorides of iron, zirconium, hafnium and cerium. This allows you to optimize the number of stages in the subsequent processing of titanium tetrafluoride and the synthesis of metallic titanium. In titanium electrolysis, the authors have substantiated the use of composition of the eutectic of fluoride salts of alkali metals LiF (0,465 M)-NaF (0,115 M)-KF (0,42 M), which has a minimum melting point (454 °C) and the range of changes in the concentration of K2TiF6 (25–30 %). In this case, the values of current density and current efficiency approach the maximum values of 3,5–4,0 A/cm2 and 60–65 %, respectively. The content of impurities in titanium powder does not exceed 0,135 %, which meets the requirements for the manufacture of products from compact titanium.

BackgroundAsthma and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are common chronic respiratory disorders in children. The relationship between asthma and OSA is bidirectional; these conditions share multiple epidemiological risk factors. Untreated OSA may cause attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of ADHD in asthmatic children with OSA and the link between asthma control and lung function of children with asthma and OSA.MethodsA total of 96 children aged 6–15 years diagnosed with asthma, according to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2020, were enrolled in this study. All demographic data, including age, gender, body mass index, asthma control status, therapy, the Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Parent Rating Scale, lung function, and exhaled nitric oxide, were collected. In addition, home respiratory polygraphy was used to identify OSA in study subjects.ResultsA total of 96 patients (8.4 ± 2.4 years) were included in the present study. OSA was identified in 60.4% of asthmatic children with a mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 3.5 ± 3.0 event/h. The inattentive ADHD subtype was significantly lower in the non-OSA asthmatic group than in the OSA asthmatic group (7.9 vs. 34.5%, p < 0.05). ADHD had a higher probability of presence (OR: 3.355; 95% CI: 1.271–8.859; p < 0.05) in the OSA group (AHI >1 event/h). Children with poorly controlled asthma had a significantly high risk of OSA (83.0 vs. 17.0%, p < 0.001) than children with well-controlled asthma. Allergic rhinitis increased the odds of having OSA in patients with asthma [OR: 8.217 (95% CI: 3.216–20.996); p < 0.05].ConclusionThe prevalence of OSA is increased among poorly controlled asthma. ADHD may have a higher prevalence in children with OSA. Therefore, prompt diagnosis of OSA will lead to an accurate asthma control strategy in patients with asthma.