This paper investigates the impacts of four distinct types of political connection on financial reporting quality (FRQ) using a unique sample of Malaysian listed firms during 2002–2016. Using a ...battery of regression techniques, we show that political connections associate with lower FRQ only in firms connected to the government through government‐linked investments and politically connected directors. However, the impact is absent in firms connected via personal relationships such as family members of the leading politicians and crony capitalists. We suggest that corporate FRQ varies across different categories of political connection and support the resource dependence theory.
Background.Tuberculous meningitis occurs more commonly in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected individuals than in HIV-uninfected individuals, but whether HIV infection alters the presentation ...and outcome of tuberculous meningitis is unknown MethodsWe performed a prospective comparison of the presenting clinical features and response to treatment in 528 adults treated consecutively for tuberculous meningitis (96 were infected with HIV and 432 were uninfected with HIV) in 2 tertiary-care referral hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Logistic regression was used to model variables associated independently with HIV infection, 9-month survival, and the likelihood of having a relapse or an adverse drug event. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to compare survival rates and times to fever clearance, coma clearance, relapse, and adverse events ResultsHIV infection did not alter the neurological presentation of tuberculous meningitis, although additional extrapulmonary tuberculosis was more likely to occur in HIV-infected patients. The 9-month survival rate was significantly decreased in HIV-infected patients (relative risk of death from any cause, 2.91 95% confidence interval, 2.14–3.96; P<.001), although the times to fever clearance and coma clearance and the number or timing of relapses or adverse drug events were not significantly different between the groups ConclusionsHIV infection does not alter the neurological features of tuberculous meningitis but significantly reduces the survival rate
Dengue disease surveillance and vector surveillance are presumed to detect dengue outbreaks at an early stage and to save--through early response activities--resources, and reduce the social and ...economic impact of outbreaks on individuals, health systems and economies. The aim of this study is to unveil evidence on the cost of dengue outbreaks.
Economic evidence on dengue outbreaks was gathered by conducting a literature review and collecting information on the costs of recent dengue outbreaks in 4 countries: Peru, Dominican Republic, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The literature review distinguished between costs of dengue illness including cost of dengue outbreaks, cost of interventions and cost-effectiveness of interventions.
Seventeen publications on cost of dengue showed a large range of costs from 0.2 Million US$ in Venezuela to 135.2 Million US$ in Brazil. However, these figures were not standardized to make them comparable. Furthermore, dengue outbreak costs are calculated differently across the publications, and cost of dengue illness is used interchangeably with cost of dengue outbreaks. Only one paper from Australia analysed the resources saved through active dengue surveillance. Costs of vector control interventions have been reported in 4 studies, indicating that the costs of such interventions are lower than those of actual outbreaks. Nine papers focussed on the cost-effectiveness of dengue vaccines or dengue vector control; they do not provide any direct information on cost of dengue outbreaks, but their modelling methodologies could guide future research on cost-effectiveness of national surveillance systems.The country case studies--conducted in very different geographic and health system settings - unveiled rough estimates for 2011 outbreak costs of: 12 million US$ in Vietnam, 6.75 million US$ in Indonesia, 4.5 million US$ in Peru and 2.8 million US$ in Dominican Republic (all in 2012 US$). The proportions of the different cost components (vector control; surveillance; information, education and communication; direct medical and indirect costs), as percentage of total costs, differed across the respective countries. Resources used for dengue disease control and treatment were country specific.
The evidence so far collected further confirms the methodological challenges in this field: 1) to define technically dengue outbreaks (what do we measure?) and 2) to measure accurately the costs in prospective field studies (how do we measure?). Currently, consensus on the technical definition of an outbreak is sought through the International Research Consortium on Dengue Risk Assessment, Management and Surveillance (IDAMS). Best practice guidelines should be further developed, also to improve the quality and comparability of cost study findings. Modelling the costs of dengue outbreaks and validating these models through field studies should guide further research.
Single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the genes of factor V (FV) (G1691A; exon 10), prothrombin (FII) (G20210A; 3′untranslated – region) and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) ...(C677T; exon 4) are associated with hypercoagulability, and systematic screening of individuals being at higher risk of thrombosis has been suggested. SNPs in the 2q33 region within the genes of CD28 (+17T/C; intron 3) and CTLA4 (−318C/T; promoter and +49A/G; exon 1) are likely to affect T‐cell proliferation and antigen presentation signaling, which may lead to altered sensitivity of allograft or self‐tissue recognition and affect the incidence of autoimmune diseases. We developed primers that allow specific amplification of these six SNPs at test conditions identical with those used for HLA typing with the CTS PCR‐SSP reagents. One hundred ninety‐six healthy German Caucasian individuals were tested for the six SNPs. The genotype frequencies for all SNPs were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. There was no significant difference in the distribution of genotypes when compared to other published studies in which these SNPs were tested. The described PCR‐SSP method can be used to screen large numbers of patients for these SNPs.
typhoid fever remains a public health problem in Vietnam, with a significant burden in the Mekong River delta region. Typhoid fever is caused by the bacterial pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar ...Typhi (S. Typhi), which is frequently multidrug resistant with reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolone-based drugs, the first choice for the treatment of typhoid fever. We used a GoldenGate (Illumina) assay to type 1,500 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and analyse the genetic variation of S. Typhi isolated from 267 typhoid fever patients in the Mekong delta region participating in a randomized trial conducted between 2004 and 2005.
the population of S. Typhi circulating during the study was highly clonal, with 91% of isolates belonging to a single clonal complex of the S. Typhi H58 haplogroup. The patterns of disease were consistent with the presence of an endemic haplotype H58-C and a localised outbreak of S. Typhi haplotype H58-E2 in 2004. H58-E2-associated typhoid fever cases exhibited evidence of significant geo-spatial clustering along the Sông H u branch of the Mekong River. Multidrug resistance was common in the established clone H58-C but not in the outbreak clone H58-E2, however all H58 S. Typhi were nalidixic acid resistant and carried a Ser83Phe amino acid substitution in the gyrA gene.
the H58 haplogroup dominates S. Typhi populations in other endemic areas, but the population described here was more homogeneous than previously examined populations, and the dominant clonal complex (H58-C, -E1, -E2) observed in this study has not been detected outside Vietnam. IncHI1 plasmid-bearing S. Typhi H58-C was endemic during the study period whilst H58-E2, which rarely carried the plasmid, was only transient, suggesting a selective advantage for the plasmid. These data add insight into the outbreak dynamics and local molecular epidemiology of S. Typhi in southern Vietnam.
The aim of this study is to develop a new coating for wound dressings that is comprised of antimicrobial silver (Ag) and antioxidant flavonoid quercetin (Q).
Dip-coating was used to apply the coating ...on cotton gauge as a model dressing. Ag was immobilised using polydopamine as a priming and catalytic layer followed by coating of quercetin that was incorporated in a functionalized polydimethylsiloxane. The coating was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and release assay. The antimicrobial activity of quercetin and Ag was tested against
(
). A surgical wound model on mice was used to evaluate the effects of the coated dressing on wound healing rates and tissue histology.
Ag and quercetin showed enhanced antimicrobial activity against
when used in combination. Ag and quercetin were successfully immobilized onto the fibre of the dressing using the dip-coating process. The coating released Ag and quercetin over 8 days and showed strong antioxidant activity. In the wound healing model, complete wound closure was achieved in 12 days in the group receiving coated dressing and was associated with an enhancement in tissue remodelling and neo-angiogenesis and the reduction in tissue inflammation.
These new antimicrobial-antioxidant coatings may be promising in the development of advanced wound care therapies.
This study assessed the overall satisfaction with oncological care, including barriers to care, and identified its associated predictors among adult cancer patients in Vietnam.
In this ...cross-sectional study, we enrolled 300 adult cancer patients receiving inpatient care at a large urban oncological hospital between June and July 2022. Multivariable linear regression analyses examined associations between patient experiences and overall satisfaction ratings with cancer care.
The mean overall satisfaction with oncological care was 8.82 out of 10, with 98.0% recommending this facility to their friends and family. In an adjusted model, being female (β = 0.29, 95%CI: 0.04, 0.53), endorsing satisfaction with patient-nurse communication (β = 0.33, 95%CI: 0.13, 0.53), patient-doctor communication (β = 0.40, 95%CI: 0.11, 0.70), and psychoeducation about oncological medication management (β = 0.30, 95%CI: 0.14, 0.45) were positively associated with overall ratings. In contrast, individuals with delays in treatment scheduling reported lower overall satisfaction with oncological care (β = -0.38, 95%CI: -0.64, -0.13). Patients perceived health system, social/environmental, and individual barriers to care: worries about income loss due to attending treatment (43.3%); fear, depression, anxiety, and distress (36.8%); concerns about affordability of treatment (36.7%) and transportation problems (36.7%); and excessive waiting times for appointments (28.8%).
This study showed high overall patient satisfaction with cancer care quality. Patient-centered communication strategies and psychoeducation about oncological medication management may be targeted to further enhance the cancer inpatient experience. Raising awareness about treatment options and services, and integrating mental health awareness into oncological care may ameliorate patient distress and facilitate greater satisfaction with oncological treatment processes.
Sustainable development practices have become very important for firms to go beyond short-term profitability, towards economic, environmental and social sustainability. This research aims to examine ...the relationship between a firm’s sustainable development practices and its financial performance. Modelled as a multidimensional construct, sustainable development practices are represented by environmental practices, social practices in the workplace and social practices in the community, while financial performance is determined by profitability and growth. Using a mixed method survey, data were obtained from 389 textile firms in Vietnam, where there is a dire need to promote sustainable and environmental practices. Data analysis using partial least squares structural equation modeling demonstrates that sustainable development practices positively affect financial performance directly and indirectly via customer loyalty, employee satisfaction and corporate reputation. The findings also reveal the moderating role of entrepreneurial orientation, whereby the impact of sustainable development practices on financial performance is stronger for firms that are more innovative, proactive and willing to take risks. Taken together, these findings provide support for firms to holistically implement sustainable development practices and adopt an entrepreneurial orientation.
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Cassaine diterpenoids as erythrofordins A-C (1–3), pseudo-erythrosuamin (4), and erythrofordin U (5) isolated from the leaves of Vietnamese Erythrophleum fordii Oliver were tested ...cytotoxic activity against human leukemia cancer cells. The results showed that these metabolites exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity against human leukemia HL-60 and KG cells with IC50 values ranging from 15.2 ± 1.5 to 42.2 ± 3.6 µM. Treatment with erythrofordin B led to the apoptosis of HL-60 and KG cells due to the activation of caspase 3, caspase 9, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Erythrofordin B significantly increased Bak protein expression, but downregulated the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, in HL-60 cells. In silico results demonstrated that erythrofordin B can bind to both the procaspase-3 allosteric site and the PARP-1 active site, with binding energies of −7.36 and −10.76 kcal/mol, respectively. These results indicated that the leaves of Vietnamese E. fordii, which contain cassaine diterpenoids, can induce the apoptosis of human leukemia cancer cells.
Primaquine is the only widely used drug that prevents Plasmodium vivax malaria relapses, but adherence to the standard 14-day regimen is poor. We aimed to assess the efficacy of a shorter course (7 ...days) of primaquine for radical cure of vivax malaria.
We did a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, non-inferiority trial in eight health-care clinics (two each in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Vietnam). Patients (aged ≥6 months) with normal glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and presenting with uncomplicated vivax malaria were enrolled. Patients were given standard blood schizontocidal treatment and randomly assigned (2:2:1) to receive 7 days of supervised primaquine (1·0 mg/kg per day), 14 days of supervised primaquine (0·5 mg/kg per day), or placebo. The primary endpoint was the incidence rate of symptomatic P vivax parasitaemia during the 12-month follow-up period, assessed in the intention-to-treat population. A margin of 0·07 recurrences per person-year was used to establish non-inferiority of the 7-day regimen compared with the 14-day regimen. This trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01814683).
Between July 20, 2014, and Nov 25, 2017, 2336 patients were enrolled. The incidence rate of symptomatic recurrent P vivax malaria was 0·18 (95% CI 0·15 to 0·21) recurrences per person-year for 935 patients in the 7-day primaquine group and 0·16 (0·13 to 0·18) for 937 patients in the 14-day primaquine group, a difference of 0·02 (−0·02 to 0·05, p=0·3405). The incidence rate for 464 patients in the placebo group was 0·96 (95% CI 0·83 to 1·08) recurrences per person-year. Potentially drug-related serious adverse events within 42 days of starting treatment were reported in nine (1·0%) of 935 patients in the 7-day group, one (0·1%) of 937 in the 14-day group and none of 464 in the control arm. Four of the serious adverse events were significant haemolysis (three in the 7-day group and one in the 14-day group).
In patients with normal G6PD, 7-day primaquine was well tolerated and non-inferior to 14-day primaquine. The short-course regimen might improve adherence and therefore the effectiveness of primaquine for radical cure of P vivax malaria.
UK Department for International Development, UK Medical Research Council, UK National Institute for Health Research, and the Wellcome Trust through the Joint Global Health Trials Scheme (MR/K007424/1) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1054404).
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