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Obtaining a nutrient-rich diet during pregnancy is a challenge for pregnant women living in low-income countries. This randomized, controlled trial was designed to determine if a freshly prepared food supplement from local animal-source foods and dark-green leafy vegetables given prior to and/or during pregnancy improved birth outcomes in rural Vietnamese women. Primiparous women, 18 to 30 years of age, who participated in the study were assigned to one of three groups: PC-T women received the supplement from pre-conception to term, MG-T women received the supplement from mid-gestation to term, and the RPC women received routine prenatal care. Supplement intake was observed and quantified. Infant anthropometry was measured at birth and/or within seven days of delivery. The effect of the intervention on maternal and birth outcomes was determined using linear regression modeling. Of the 460 women enrolled in the study, 317 women completed the study. Those not completing the study had either moved from the area, did not conceive within 12 months of study enrollment, or miscarried. The food-based supplement increased protein, iron, zinc, folate, vitamin A and B12 intakes in the PC-T and the MG-T groups. However, it failed to alter infant anthropometric measurements at birth. In the entire cohort, maternal gestational weight gain was greater in women with a low pre-pregnancy BMI (<18.5) and in women with a higher educational attainment. Working as a farmer reduced gestational weight gain but it did not affect birth weight or length. In summary, a nutrient-rich, food-based supplement given to rural Vietnamese women from pre-conception to term or mid-gestation to term did not affect maternal or infant outcomes. The low weight gains, possibly due to demanding farm work done throughout the reproductive cycle, may have obviated any effects of the low energy, nutrient-rich food supplement on birth outcomes. Trial registration : Registered Clinical Trials.gov: NCT01235767.

Growth faltering among children during the first five years of life is a common problem among low and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a nutrient-rich, food-based supplement given to Vietnamese rural women prior to and/or during pregnancy on the growth of their infants during first 24 months of life and to identify maternal and newborn factors associated with the infant's growth. This prospective cohort study included 236 infants born to mothers who had received nutritional advice or a food supplement from pre-conception to term or from mid-gestation to term as part of a prior randomized controlled trial. Infant anthropometry and feeding information were monitored monthly and the infant weight for age Z-score (WAZ), length for age Z-score (LAZ), and weight for length Z-score (WLZ) were assessed at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of age using mixed-effects regression modeling. Compared to the non-supplemented mothers, infants born to mothers receiving food supplementation from mid-gestation to term had significantly higher WLZ only at 18 months (p = 0.03) and did not differ in other outcomes. Supplementation from pre-conception to term did not affect infant growth at any time point during the first 24 months. In the entire study cohort, maternal height and gestational weight gain were positively associated with the infant's WAZ and LAZ from 6 to 24 months of age. Programs designed to improve gestational weight gain among women performing demanding physical work throughout a reproductive cycle may improve postnatal infant growth.

Nutrient interventions initiated after conception tend to have modest effects on maternal nutritional status and pregnancy outcomes. Thus, we compared the association between micronutrient intakes and the trajectories of their biomarkers before and during pregnancy. Data from a randomized trial of the effect of a nutrient-rich, food-based supplement given to 317 Vietnamese women prior to or during pregnancy on birth outcomes were used to assess nutrient intakes with biomarker trajectories of zinc, iron, folate, cobalamin, and vitamin A using linear mixed regression models. The circulating plasma or serum trajectories of all five micronutrients were associated to their baseline levels (p < 0.0001). Plasma zinc trajectories were also related to farm work (p = 0.024). Cobalamin and vitamin A trajectories were associated with gestational weight gain (p = 0.003 and p = −0.037, respectively). In this population of rural Vietnamese women, nutrient intakes during pregnancy did not affect biomarker trajectories. The primary determinant of each nutrient biomarker trajectory was its respective baseline level prior to conception.

Growth faltering among children during the first five years of life is a common problem among low and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a nutrient-rich, food-based supplement given to Vietnamese rural women prior to and/or during pregnancy on the growth of their infants during first 24 months of life and to identify maternal and newborn factors associated with the infant's growth. This prospective cohort study included 236 infants born to mothers who had received nutritional advice or a food supplement from pre-conception to term or from mid-gestation to term as part of a prior randomized controlled trial. Infant anthropometry and feeding information were monitored monthly and the infant weight for age Z-score (WAZ), length for age Z-score (LAZ), and weight for length Z-score (WLZ) were assessed at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of age using mixed-effects regression modeling. Compared to the non-supplemented mothers, infants born to mothers receiving food supplementation from mid-gestation to term had significantly higher WLZ only at 18 months (p = 0.03) and did not differ in other outcomes. Supplementation from pre-conception to term did not affect infant growth at any time point during the first 24 months. In the entire study cohort, maternal height and gestational weight gain were positively associated with the infant's WAZ and LAZ from 6 to 24 months of age. Programs designed to improve gestational weight gain among women performing demanding physical work throughout a reproductive cycle may improve postnatal infant growth.

Growth faltering among children during the first five years of life is a common problem among low and middle-income countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a nutrient-rich, food-based supplement given to Vietnamese rural women prior to and/or during pregnancy on the growth of their infants during first 24 months of life and to identify maternal and newborn factors associated with the infant's growth. This prospective cohort study included 236 infants born to mothers who had received nutritional advice or a food supplement from pre-conception to term or from mid-gestation to term as part of a prior randomized controlled trial. Infant anthropometry and feeding information were monitored monthly and the infant weight for age Z-score (WAZ), length for age Z-score (LAZ), and weight for length Z-score (WLZ) were assessed at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months of age using mixed-effects regression modeling. Compared to the non-supplemented mothers, infants born to mothers receiving food supplementation from mid-gestation to term had significantly higher WLZ only at 18 months (p = 0.03) and did not differ in other outcomes. Supplementation from pre-conception to term did not affect infant growth at any time point during the first 24 months. In the entire study cohort, maternal height and gestational weight gain were positively associated with the infant's WAZ and LAZ from 6 to 24 months of age. Programs designed to improve gestational weight gain among women performing demanding physical work throughout a reproductive cycle may improve postnatal infant growth.

Obtaining a nutrient-rich diet during pregnancy is a challenge for pregnant women living in low-income countries. This randomized, controlled trial was designed to determine if a freshly prepared food supplement from local animal-source foods and dark-green leafy vegetables given prior to and/or during pregnancy improved birth outcomes in rural Vietnamese women. Primiparous women, 18 to 30 years of age, who participated in the study were assigned to one of three groups: PC-T women received the supplement from pre-conception to term, MG-T women received the supplement from mid-gestation to term, and the RPC women received routine prenatal care. Supplement intake was observed and quantified. Infant anthropometry was measured at birth and/or within seven days of delivery. The effect of the intervention on maternal and birth outcomes was determined using linear regression modeling. Of the 460 women enrolled in the study, 317 women completed the study. Those not completing the study had either moved from the area, did not conceive within 12 months of study enrollment, or miscarried. The food-based supplement increased protein, iron, zinc, folate, vitamin A and B12 intakes in the PC-T and the MG-T groups. However, it failed to alter infant anthropometric measurements at birth. In the entire cohort, maternal gestational weight gain was greater in women with a low pre-pregnancy BMI (<18.5) and in women with a higher educational attainment. Working as a farmer reduced gestational weight gain but it did not affect birth weight or length. In summary, a nutrient-rich, food-based supplement given to rural Vietnamese women from pre-conception to term or mid-gestation to term did not affect maternal or infant outcomes. The low weight gains, possibly due to demanding farm work done throughout the reproductive cycle, may have obviated any effects of the low energy, nutrient-rich food supplement on birth outcomes.

Obtaining a nutrient-rich diet during pregnancy is a challenge for pregnant women living in low-income countries. This randomized, controlled trial was designed to determine if a freshly prepared food supplement from local animal-source foods and dark-green leafy vegetables given prior to and/or during pregnancy improved birth outcomes in rural Vietnamese women. Primiparous women, 18 to 30 years of age, who participated in the study were assigned to one of three groups: PC-T women received the supplement from pre-conception to term, MG-T women received the supplement from mid-gestation to term, and the RPC women received routine prenatal care. Supplement intake was observed and quantified. Infant anthropometry was measured at birth and/or within seven days of delivery. The effect of the intervention on maternal and birth outcomes was determined using linear regression modeling. Of the 460 women enrolled in the study, 317 women completed the study. Those not completing the study had either moved from the area, did not conceive within 12 months of study enrollment, or miscarried. The food-based supplement increased protein, iron, zinc, folate, vitamin A and B12 intakes in the PC-T and the MG-T groups. However, it failed to alter infant anthropometric measurements at birth. In the entire cohort, maternal gestational weight gain was greater in women with a low pre-pregnancy BMI (<18.5) and in women with a higher educational attainment. Working as a farmer reduced gestational weight gain but it did not affect birth weight or length. In summary, a nutrient-rich, food-based supplement given to rural Vietnamese women from pre-conception to term or mid-gestation to term did not affect maternal or infant outcomes. The low weight gains, possibly due to demanding farm work done throughout the reproductive cycle, may have obviated any effects of the low energy, nutrient-rich food supplement on birth outcomes.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of multifunctional microbial fertilizer and inorganic macronutrient fertilizers N, P, K on plant biomass, essential oil yield, chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum L.) grown in Hanoi, Vietnam. Among the four formulas tested, F2 emerged as the most favourable, comprising a basal fertilization of 10 tons of decomposed manure, 15 kg of multifunctional microbial fertilizer, 150 kg of P fertilizer, and 75 kg of K fertilizer, together with top dressing of 200 kg of N fertilizer and 75 kg of K fertilizer per hectare.  This formula yielded the highest tulsi dry biomass (4.73 ton/ha), essential oil yield (0.831%), and essential oil production (39.29 L/ha), which were significantly different (p < 0.001) from those of the remaining formulas. In addition, the concentration of the essential oil main compound - eugenol (63.1%) of tulsi in F2 was also the highest, which may be the cause of the strongest antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli (IC50 of 320, 273 µg/mL, respectively), and antifungal activity against Candida albicans (IC50 of 400 µg/mL), as well as antioxidant activity (IC50 of 0.165 µg/mL) compared to the other formulas tested. The results suggested the role of both multifunctional microbial fertilizer and inorganic macronutrient fertilizers N, P, K on growth and essential oil biosynthesis in tulsi. These findings are important in identifying the most efficient fertilization formula for cultivating tulsi, serving the needs of the cosmetic and medicinal industries.

Background To determine the impact of cataract surgery on vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) and examine the association between objective visual measures and change in VRQOL after surgery among bilateral cataract patients in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Methods A cohort of older patients with bilateral cataract was assessed one week before and one to three months after first eye or both eye cataract surgery. Visual measures including visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and stereopsis were obtained. Vision-related quality of life was assessed using the NEI VFQ-25. Descriptive analyses and a generalized linear estimating equation (GEE) analysis were undertaken to measure change in VRQOL after surgery. Results Four hundred and thirteen patients were assessed before cataract surgery and 247 completed the follow-up assessment one to three months after first or both eye cataract surgery. Overall, VRQOL significantly improved after cataract surgery (p < 0.001) particularly after both eye surgeries. Binocular contrast sensitivity (p < 0.001) and stereopsis (p < 0.001) were also associated with change in VRQOL after cataract surgery. Visual acuity was not associated with VRQOL. Conclusions Cataract surgery significantly improved VRQOL among bilateral cataract patients in Vietnam. Contrast sensitivity as well as stereopsis, rather than visual acuity significantly affected VRQOL after cataract surgery.