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In Vietnam, reaching the remaining one-third of undiagnosed people living with HIV and facilitating their antiretroviral therapy (ART) enrollment requires breakthrough approaches. We piloted lay provider HIV testing as an innovative approach to reach at-risk populations that never or infrequently HIV test at facility-based services. We conducted a cross-sectional survey and analysis of routine program data in two urban provinces (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City) and two rural mountainous provinces (Nghe An and Dien Bien) from October 2015 through September 2017. Acceptability of lay provider testing was defined as the proportion of first-time HIV testers utilizing the service, and effectiveness was measured by HIV positivity and ART initiation rates. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine lay provider testing preference and factors associated with that preference. Among 1,230 individuals recruited for face-to-face interviews, 74% belonged to key populations: people who inject drugs accounted for 31.4%; men who have sex with men, 60.4%; and female sex workers, 8.2%. Most clients (67%) reported being first-time HIV testers, and the majority (85.8%) preferred lay provider testing to facility-based testing. Multivariate analysis found that clients in urban areas (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.50; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.30-4.90) and those who had a university or higher education (aOR = 1.83; 95% CI: 1.05-3.20) were more likely to prefer lay provider testing. Lay provider testing yielded a higher HIV positivity rate (4.1%), particularly among first-time testers (6.8%), compared to facility-based testing (nationally estimated at 1.6% in 2016) and had a high ART initiation rate (91%). Our findings suggest that lay provider HIV testing is an effective approach to reach previously unreached at-risk populations, and, therefore, a critical addition to accelerating Vietnam's attainment of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS 90-90-90 goals.

Despite the challenges to the HIV response in the Asia–Pacific, a demedicalisation of HIV intervention has been demonstrated to be an important strategy to maximise the uptake of HIV prevention tools among key populations in this region. Demedicalisation of HIV interventions translates medical discourse and shifts the paradigm from a disease-focused to a people-centred approach. It also recognises real-life experiences of key populations in the HIV response by empowering them to voice their needs and be at the forefront of the epidemic control. We further categorise a demedicalisation approach into three frameworks: (1) the demystification of clinical or medical concerns; (2) the destigmatisation of people living with HIV; and (3) the decentralisation of healthcare services. This article reviewed the demedicalisation framework by looking at the HIV intervention examples from countries in the Asia–Pacific, which included: (1) a study on drug–drug interaction between pre-exposure prophylaxis and feminising hormone treatment for transgender women; (2) the roles of key population-led health services; and (3) certification of key population lay providers.

Background HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) in Vietnam is high, whereas coverage of effective HIV prevention services has been inadequate. Studies have measured MSM and TGW demand for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services, which led to the design of the first ever PrEP program in Vietnam, Prepped for PrEP (P4P). In March 2017, PrEP services were offered in Ho Chi Minh City as part of the P4P demonstration project, enabling same-day enrolment in three key population (KP)-led clinics and four public clinics. P4P aimed to assess acceptability and feasibility of PrEP services through calculating the rate of PrEP enrolment over time, and quarterly measures of continuation and adherence over an 18-month period. A total of 1069 MSM and 62 TGW were enrolled in P4P. Average monthly PrEP enrolment among MSM increased five-fold from the first 3 months (March-June 2017) to the last 3 months of active enrolment (March-June 2018), whereas for TGW, no increased trend in PrEP enrolment per quarter was seen. Self-reported PrEP adherence was >90% at all time points among MSM, but varied from 11.1% to 88.9% among TGW. PrEP continuation was calculated at months 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18. For MSM, it was 88.7% at month 3, 68.8% at month 12 and 46.6% at month 18, whereas for TGW, it was 87.1%, 54.8% and 52.8%, respectively. Multivariable regression identified that MSM with lower-than-average income (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.38 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.59-3.54), P = 0.000), aged >30 years (aOR 2.03 (95% CI: 1.30-3.40), P = 0.007) and with an increasing number of sex partners (aOR: 1.06 (1.01-1.11), P = 0.011) had greater odds of remaining on PrEP. For TGW, being aged >30 years was associated with continuing on PrEP (aOR 5.62 (95% CI: 1.05-29.9), P = 0.043). We found PrEP to be highly acceptable among MSM and moderately acceptable among TGW. Continuation rates were relatively high for the first roll-out of PrEP; however, those aged ≤30 years were much more likely to discontinue services. Scaling-up PrEP through differentiated and community-led and engaged PrEP service delivery will be key to effectively increase access and uptake over the next 5 years.

This study aims to evaluate the clinical transfer accuracy of partially enclosed single hard vacuum-formed trays based on three-dimensional (3D) printed models for lingual bracket indirect bonding. Thirty-two consecutive patients receiving lingual orthodontic treatment were enrolled. Digital models with ideal bracket positions were 3D-printed, followed by fabrication of partially enclosed single hard vacuum-formed trays. Digital impressions captured actual bracket positions and were compared to the ideal positions. One-tailed t-tests assessed if errors were within clinically acceptable thresholds of 0.5 mm for linear measurements and 2° for angular measurements. Mean bracket transfer errors were 0.052 mm, 0.076 mm, 0.106 mm, 0.795°, 1.344°, and 2.485° for mesiodistal, buccolingual, occlusogingival, rotation, tip, and torque, respectively. Transfer errors were statistically below the clinically acceptable thresholds for all dimensions except torque. Frequencies of acceptable transfer errors were 100%, 100%, 99.3%, 93.1%, 78.3%, and 54.0%, respectively. Partially enclosed single hard vacuum-formed trays with 3D-printed models transfer lingual brackets with high accuracy in the mesiodistal, buccolingual, and occlusogingival dimensions, rotation, and tip. However, the transfer of torque remains questionable.

This study investigates the effects of salinity, temperature, and diet on the biological characteristics of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis, an essential live feed in aquaculture. The results indicate that environmental factors have a significant influence on reproductive traits and survival. At a salinity of 5 ppt, B. plicatilis achieved the highest fecundity (25.50 ± 0.58 inds.), while the longest lifespan (273.00 ± 72.52 h) was observed at 35 ppt. The temperature had a strong influence on developmental rates, with the shortest juvenile period recorded at 35 °C (8.00 ± 0.00 h) and the longest lifespan at 20 °C (270.62 ± 30.38 h). The diet also played a critical role, with Chlorella vulgaris supporting maximum fecundity, whereas mixed diets prolonged lifespan to 290.50 ± 62.83 (h). These findings provide valuable insights into optimizing rotifer culture systems to improve aquaculture productivity and sustainability.

Metabolic syndrome is more prevalent in women than in men in Vietnam, although data among women of reproductive age remain limited. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Bac Giang Province, Vietnam, in 2019 to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components, and to determine associations with sociodemographic and health factors in 194 overweight and obese women aged 20–45 years. Anthropometric indicators, plasma glucose and lipid concentrations, blood pressure, sociodemographic characteristics, medical status, medication/supplement use, and energy intake were measured. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 47.4% (95% CI: 40.5, 54.5%). Metabolic syndrome was significantly associated with obesity (OR: 4.14; 95% CI: 1.45, 11.85), and hypertension (OR: 25.40; 95% CI: 3.18, 202.89). Dyslipidemia, high plasma glucose concentrations, and hypertension were common. High parity was associated with higher plasma glucose and lower total cholesterol concentrations. Unemployment and higher plasma triglyceride concentrations were associated with higher total cholesterol concentrations. Increased systolic blood pressure and medical status were associated with higher triglyceride concentrations. Obesity was associated with high plasma glucose. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions, including lifestyle modifications, routine clinical screening, and socioeconomic support for vulnerable groups, to prevent and manage metabolic syndrome in overweight and obese women of reproductive age.

Graphene oxide (GO) is a promising material for the adsorption of contaminants from wastewater. In this study, a GO-based composite with high adsorption capacity and reduced GO content was synthesized by incorporating TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanospheres (TO-CNS) derived from pineapple leaves. TO-CNS were effectively integrated into GO via a one-pot reaction based on Hummer’s method. In this process, TEMPO oxidation selectively converted the –CH 2 OH groups on cellulose nanospheres into –COOH groups, all while preserving the crystalline structure of cellulose I. Notably, the in situ integration of TO-CNS as a co-support during graphite oxidation significantly enhanced the interlayer spacing of GO sheets, expanding it from 0.34 to 0.85 nm. This increase in spacing, indicative of robust interfacial interactions, was further validated using FTIR spectroscopy. The spectra revealed hydrogen bonding and pronounced shifts in the mode and position of the functional group peaks, underscoring the structural alterations induced by TO-CNS integration. Raman spectroscopy revealed increased graphitic defects, and thermal analysis confirmed structural integration. The composite's average pore size of 40 Å demonstrated a significant enhancement that facilitated adsorption compared to 26 Å in GO. Ciprofloxacin adsorption capacities (35.95 ± 0.54–38.47 ± 0.53 mg/g) were comparable to pure GO (35.08 ± 1.10–36.83 ± 1.12 mg/g) despite a reduced GO content (73.8/26.2 wt%). Zeta potential analysis highlighted the roles of electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and π–π stacking in adsorption. This GO/TO-CNS composite demonstrates the potential for efficient, sustainable, and biocompatible antibiotic adsorption, offering significant promise for environmental remediation.

The use of gnobiotic brine shrimp ( Artemia spp.) for ecotoxicology and bacteria-host interaction studies is common. However, requirements for axenic culture and matrix effects of seawater media can be an obstacle. Thus, we investigated the hatching ability of Artemia cysts on a novel sterile Tryptic Soy Agar (TSA) medium. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time that Artemia cysts can hatch on a solid medium without liquid, which offers practical advantages. We further optimized the culture conditions for temperature and salinity and assessed this culture system for toxicity screening of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) across multiple biological endpoints. Results revealed that maxima hatching (90%) of embryos occurred at 28 °C and without addition of sodium chloride. When capsulated cysts were cultured on TSA solid medium Artemia were negatively impacted by AgNPs at 30–50 mgL −1 in terms of the embryo hatching ratio (47–51%), umbrella- to nauplii-stage transformation ratio (54–57%), and a reduction in nauplii-stage growth (60–85% of normal body length). At 50–100 mgL −1 AgNPs and higher, evidence of damage to lysosomal storage was recorded. At 500 mgL −1 AgNPs, development of the eye was inhibited and locomotory behavior impeded. Our study reveals that this new hatching method has applications in ecotoxicology studies and provides an efficient means to control axenic requirements to produce gnotobiotic brine shrimp.

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing data can be used as an effective alternative to detect surface water and provide useful information regarding operational flood monitoring, in particular for the improvement of rapid flood assessments. However, this application frequently requires standard and simple, yet robust, algorithms. Although thresholding approaches meet these requirements, limitations such as data inequality over large spatial regions and challenges in estimating optimal threshold values remain. Here, we propose a new method for SAR water extraction named Hammock Swing Thresholding (HST). We applied this HST approach to four SAR remote sensing datasets, namely, Sentinel-1, ALOS-2, TerraSAR-X, and RadarSAT-2 for flood inundation mapping for a case study focusing on the Tam Nong district in the Vietnam Mekong delta. A 2D calibrated Hydrologic Engineering Centers River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) model was coupled with the HST outputs in order to estimate the optimal thresholds (OTs) where the SAR-based water masks fitted best with HEC-RAS’s inundation patterns. Our results showed that water levels extracted from Sentinel-1 data best agreed with the HEC-RAS water extent (88.3%), following by ALOS-2 (85.9%), TerraSAR-X (77.2%). and RadarSAT-2 (72%) at OTs of −15, 68, 21, and 35 decibel (dB), respectively. Generated flood maps indicated changes in the flood extent of the flooding seasons from 2010 and 2014–2016 with variations in spatial extent appearing greater in the TerraSAR-X and RadarSAT-2 higher resolution maps. We recommend the use of OTs in applications of flood monitoring using SAR remote sensing data, such as for an open data cube (ODC).

This study aims at empirically exploring the influence of sustainability practices on the finan cial performance of 116 listed Swedish companies in the year 2019. The research findings indicate a positive relationship between corporate sustainability and financial performance that is measured by earnings yield, return on asset, return on equity and return on capital employed. However, when it comes to a market-based financial measure, Tobin's Q, the result is inconclusive. Finally, to improve financial performance, firms are recommended to e ngaging in Dow Jones Sustainability Index, prepare their sustainability report in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, improve their sustainable growth rate, as well as keep a high position in the corporate social responsibility ranking.