Hai phong University Of Medicine and Pharmacy

About: Hai phong University Of Medicine and Pharmacy is a education organization based out in Haiphong, Vietnam. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 620 authors who have published 403 publications receiving 8425 citations. The organization is also known as: Hai Phong Medical University.

Ethical issues in communication of diagnosis and end-of-life decision-making process in some of the Romanian Roma communities.

Abstract: Medical communication in Western-oriented countries is dominated by concepts of shared decision-making and patient autonomy. In interactions with Roma patients, these behavioral patterns rarely seem to be achieved because the culture and ethnicity have often been shown as barriers in establishing an effective and satisfying doctor–patient relationship. The study aims to explore the Roma’s beliefs and experiences related to autonomy and decision-making process in the case of a disease with poor prognosis. Forty-eight Roma people from two Romanian counties participated in semi-structured interviews, conducted by a research team from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iasi. Participants were recruited among the chronically ill patients and caregivers. The Roma community opposes informing the terminal patients about their condition, the “silence conspiracy” being widely practiced. The family fully undertakes the right of decision making, thus minimizing the patient’s autonomy. We identified ethical dilemmas concerning autonomy, lack of patients’ real decision-making power, and paternalistic attitudes exerted firstly by the family and, on demand, by the physician. Instead, the Roma patient benefits from a very active support network, being accompanied at the hospital by numerous relatives. The patient’s right to make autonomous decisions promoted in the Western countries and stipulated by the Romanian law has diminished value in the Roma community. For the Roma, the understanding of dignity is not simply individual and personal, but it is closely related to their cultural particularities. Ignoring their cultural values could create conflicts between healthcare providers and community.

Discrepancies in prevalence trends for HIV, hepatitis B virus, and hepatitis C virus in Haiphong, Vietnam from 2007 to 2012.

Abstract: We previously reported a significant reduction in the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) from 2007 to 2012 in people who inject drugs (PWID; 35.9% to 18.5%, p < 0.001) and female sex workers (FSW; 23.1% to 9.8%, p < 0.05), but not in blood donors (BD) or pregnant women, in Haiphong, Vietnam. Our aim in the present study was to assess trends in the prevalence of infection with hepatitis B and C viruses (HBV and HCV, respectively). We also investigated the coinfection rates of HBV and HCV with HIV in the same groups. Between 2007 and 2012, HBV prevalence was significantly decreased in BD (18.1% vs. 9.0%, p = 0.007) and slightly decreased in FSW (11.0% vs. 3.9%, p = 0.21), but not in PWID (10.7% vs. 11.1%, p = 0.84). HCV prevalence was significantly decreased in PWID (62.1% in 2007 vs. 42.7% in 2008, p < 0.0001), but it had rebounded to 58.4% in 2012 (2008 vs. 2012, p < 0.0001). HCV prevalence also increased in FSW: 28.6% in 2007 and 2009 vs. 35.3% in 2012; however, this difference was not significant (2007 vs. 2012, p = 0.41). Rates of coinfection with HBV and HCV among HIV-infected PWID and FSW did not change significantly during the study period. Our findings suggest that the current harm reduction programs designed to prevent HIV transmission in PWID and FSW may be insufficient to prevent the transmission of hepatitis viruses, particularly HCV, in Haiphong, Vietnam. New approaches, such as the introduction of catch-up HBV vaccination to vulnerable adult populations and the introduction of HCV treatment as prevention, should be considered to reduce morbidity and mortality due to HIV and hepatitis virus coinfection in Vietnam.

Postpartum Physical Activity and Weight Retention within One Year: A Prospective Cohort Study in Vietnam.

Abstract: After delivery, mothers are encouraged to increase physical activity (PA) gradually to regulate body weight; however, data on PA in relation to postpartum weight retention remains scarce, particularly among Asian women. In a cohort of 1617 Vietnamese mothers, we investigated the prospective association between habitual PA exposures at 3-month postpartum and weight retention at 6-month and 12-month postpartum. Detailed information on PA intensity and domains was collected from participants using a validated instrument specifically for Vietnamese women. Linear regression analyses and a general linear model for the repeated weight retention measures were used to ascertain the apparent relationships. On average, the participants reported 3.6 (SD 3.9) and 2.6 (SD 3.8) kg weight loss at 6- and 12-month postpartum, respectively. Total and light-intensity PA were inversely associated with the postpartum weight retention (p for trend <0.05). Our findings highlight the importance of resuming PA in the early postpartum period as an appropriate weight management strategy.

Serum hyaluronic acid in chronic viral hepatitis B and C: a biomarker for assessing liver fibrosis in chronic hemodialysis patients

Abstract: Serum hyaluronic acid (sHA) is studied as a noninvasive marker of liver fibrosis (F) in chronic B and C viral hepatitis in general population but less in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis. We evaluated sHA as a noninvasive biomarker of F in a multicenter prospective, transversal, and observational study which included 52 end-stage renal disease patients with chronic B (14) and C (38) viral hepatitis (age 55.57 ± 14.46 years, dialysis vintage 132.59 ± 86.02 months). Of the noninvasive tests analyzed, only sHA, APRI, and FIB4 index were able to differentiate patients with F1 (sHA p = 0.006; APRI p = 0.031; FIB4 p = 0.016). No statistically significant differences were found between sHA and APRI, ASAT/ALAT ratio, and FIB4 index in detecting F1 a (p > 0.02). sHA seemed to be more efficient than APRI, ASAT/ALAT ratio, and FIB4 index, having the highest estimated AUC value. The sHA threshold value for F1 was equal to 33.46 ng/mL, with the following estimated values of the performance indicators: Se 88.46 % and Sp 50 %. sHA was the only noninvasive test of the studied tests that could determine F2 (p = 0.002), with a threshold value of 80.24 ng/mL (Se 63 %, Sp 88 %), and F3 (p = 0.008), with a threshold value of 88.54 ng/mL (Se 60 %, Sp 84 %). None of the studied noninvasive tests could determine F4. In patients with chronic B and C viral hepatitis undergoing hemodialysis, sHA may be a useful biomarker for the liver fibrosis grades: F1—mild, F2—moderate, and F3—severe, but it does not differentiate between chronic hepatitis (F1–F3) and liver cirrhosis (F4).