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Adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) experience a wide range of symptoms that significantly lower their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Using mobile-based applications for symptom assessment and management has the potential to alleviate the symptom burden of CKD and improve patient outcomes.
This is a randomised feasibility trial to assess the feasibility, acceptability, usability and potential effects of a remote symptom assessment and management (SAM-CKD) 6 week programme delivered via a mobile application. Adults aged 18 years or older with CKD grade 4 or 5 (including those on dialysis) will be randomly assigned to the SAM-CKD programme or usual care. Primary outcomes assess the intervention’s feasibility, acceptability and usability. Secondary outcomes are changes in CKD symptoms and HRQoL between baseline, 3 weeks and 6 weeks later. Data analysis involves descriptive and intention-to-treat analyses. The study will be undertaken between December 2025 and March 2026. The findings will inform whether an effective trial is feasible and whether the study design and/or its methods need modification.
Ethical approval was granted by the Vin University and Griffith University Human Research Ethics Committee. Results will be disseminated at the participating hospital and CKD patient groups and shared via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
by Nguyen Thien Duc, Nguyen An Ninh, Nguyen Phi Trinh, Le Quang Tuyen, Nguyen Van Hung, Dinh Hoang Khanh, Nguyen Van Luat, Nguyen Huu Phuc Dai, Tran Duc Huy, Chu Duc Hoa, Tran Vuong The Vinh
PurposesAnatomy is fundamental in medical education, yet cadaveric dissection faces challenges including limited specimens, high costs, and chemical hazards. Interactive anatomy tables such as the Pirogov system offer innovative alternatives, but evidence from Southeast Asia is limited.
MethodsIn a prospective cohort, 188 medical students (139 in Y1 and 49 in Y2) were randomly assigned to the Pirogov table group (Group A, n = 99) or the cadaveric dissection group (Group B, n = 89). Knowledge acquisition was measured using a validated 20-item multiple-choice test before and after the intervention. Student perceptions were evaluated with a 10-item Likert-scale questionnaire covering four domains: knowledge and understanding, spatial visualization and relationships, learning experience and engagement, and effectiveness and practical value. Data were analyzed using paired and independent t-tests and Welch’s t-test.
ResultsBoth groups showed significant knowledge gains (Group A: 4.3 ± 1.65 to 5.2 ± 1.75, p Conclusion
The Pirogov table and cadaveric dissection were associated with similar short-term improvements in anatomy knowledge. Students valued the Pirogov table for visualization and engagement. These findings support integrating digital tools with cadaveric dissection to enhance anatomy education, particularly in resource-limited contexts.
by Viet Anh Nguyen, Viet Hoang, Thi Quynh Trang Vuong, Thi Nga Phung, Nghi Phan Bich Hoang
ObjectivesChairside bonding of auxiliaries directly to aligners can avoid remanufacturing trays, but optimal protocols may be substrate-specific across modern thermoformed and 3D-printed materials. This study aimed to compare bond strength and failure mode across six representative aligner materials using a universal primer-orthodontic adhesive combination and a one-step aligner adhesive, with and without sandblasting.
Materials and methodsPolyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified (PETG), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and glycol-modified polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCTG), together with three 3D-printed resins (TA-28, TC-85DAC, DCA), were prepared as 0.76-mm plates (n = 64). Specimens received alumina sandblasting or no treatment, then were bonded with either of two bonding strategies (n = 16). After thermocycling, bond strength was tested, and failures were scored by ARI. Two- and three-way ANOVA and proportional-odds modeling assessed effects (α = 0.05).
ResultsBond strength showed significant main effects of material and sandblasting, with significant material–sandblasting and material–primer interactions. The primer main effect was not significant. Post hoc tests confirmed substrate-specific rankings. PETG with Bond Aligner (non-sandblasted) reached 26.71 MPa, while DCA with universal primer (sandblasted) reached 22.36 MPa. Sandblasting generally increased bond strength, with some exceptions. Failure mode was material-dependent and not completely parallel with bond strength.
ConclusionsBonding efficacy depends on the aligner substrate. For thermoformed trays, a one-step aligner adhesive is preferable, with sandblasting contraindicated for PETG but advantageous for more elastic TPU and PCTG. For 3D-printed trays, a universal primer-orthodontic adhesive combination performs more consistently, with sandblasting benefiting DCA and TA-28, whereas TC-85DAC performs slightly better without it.
by Nguyen Hong Tan, Tran Manh Tuan, Pham Minh Chuan, Nguyen Duc Hoang, Le Quang Thanh, Le Hoang Son
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been dramatically applied to healthcare in various tasks to support clinicians in disease diagnosis and prognosis. It has been known that accurate diagnosis must be drawn from multiple evidence, namely clinical records, X-Ray images, IoT data, etc called the multi-modal data. Despite the existence of various approaches for multi-modal medical data fusion, the development of comprehensive systems capable of integrating data from multiple sources and modalities remains a considerable challenge. Besides, many machine learning models face difficulties in representation and computation due to the uncertainty and diversity of medical data. This study proposes a novel multi-modal fuzzy knowledge graph framework, called FKG-MM, which integrates multi-modal medical data from multiple sources, offering enhanced computational performance compared to unimodal data. In addition, the FKG-MM framework is based on the fuzzy knowledge graph model, one of the models that represent and compute effectively with medical data in tabular form. Through some experiment scenarios utilizing the well-known BRSET dataset on multi-modal diabetic retinopathy, it has been experimentally validated that the feature selection method, when combining image features with tabular medical data features, gives the highest reliability results among 5 methods including Feature Selection Method, Tensor Product, Hadamard Product, Filter Selection, and Wrapper Selection. In addition, the experiment also confirms that the accuracy of FKG-MM increases by 12–14% when combining image data with tabular medical data than the related methods diagnosing only on tabular data.by Phi Ngoc Quang Tran, Anh Hoang Cu, Minh Ngoc Thuy Tran, Vy Ngoc Thuy Tran
BackgroundSkeletal Class III malocclusion is a severe dentofacial deformity that often requires surgical correction, but the associated risks have increased interest in non-surgical alternatives. The multiloop edgewise archwire (MEAW) technique has been used as a conservative option. The aim of this study was to investigate the dentoskeletal changes associated with the MEAW technique in treating skeletal Class III malocclusion, with a particular focus on improvements in anteroposterior bimaxillary relationships and comparison with surgical outcomes.
MethodsThis retrospective study included 60 patients with skeletal Class III malocclusion, comprising 30 treated with the MEAW technique and 30 matched patients who underwent orthognathic surgery. Dentoskeletal parameters were assessed on pre- and post-treatment lateral cephalograms. Pearson’s correlation analysis and multiple linear regression were performed to identify factors associated with improvements in anteroposterior relationships.
ResultsSignificant dental and skeletal changes were observed, including alterations in incisor inclination and bimaxillary measurements (p Conclusions
Although the effect is less pronounced than in the case of surgical intervention, the MEAW technique effectively improves anteroposterior bimaxillary relationships in skeletal Class III malocclusion. These findings suggest that MEAW is a valuable non-surgical alternative for selected skeletal Class III patients.
Implementation of low-intensity, evidence-based psychological interventions can help meet the mental health and psychosocial needs of people with cancer, especially in low-resource settings where there is a dearth of mental health specialists. In this study, we will conduct a feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the stress management intervention Self-Help Plus, which has been translated and adapted to Vietnamese, vSH+, among people newly diagnosed with breast or gynaecological cancer in Viet Nam.
At six participating hospitals, individuals diagnosed with breast or gynaecologic cancer within the past year will be recruited, consented and randomised into either enhanced usual care (EUC) or EUC plus the vSH+ intervention, which consists of four sessions each lasting approximately 75 min. Quantitative surveys will be administered at three time points: enrolment/baseline (T0), after 6 weeks (T1) and after 4 months (T2). A qualitative evaluation component, which will include in-depth interviews with patients, implementers and healthcare staff and managers, as well as focus group discussions with caregivers, will assess the acceptability and feasibility of the vSH+ intervention.
Ethical reviews for the study were obtained from Boston University, Hanoi University of Public Health (HUPH) and all the participating hospital sites. On completion of data collection and analyses, the research team will prepare and submit abstracts to scientific conferences as well as manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals. We will also conduct dissemination events to report the trial results to relevant stakeholders.
On 1 January 2023, Ontario expanded pharmacists’ scope of practice, allowing them to prescribe medications for 13 minor ailments, including antibiotics for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) and Lyme disease (LD) prophylaxis. This study evaluates pharmacist billing claims and pharmacist and physician antibiotic-prescribing rates before and after policy implementation.
An interrupted time series analysis measuring changes in prescribing trends post-implementation.
This retrospective study analysed visit claims and antibiotic prescribing for UTIs and LD prophylaxis before policy implementation (2022) and after (2023–2024) in Ontario.
Data from Ontarians
Prescribing rates were standardised per 1000 inhabitants, stratified by provider type, patient age and sex, and antibiotic type.
In 2023 and 2024, pharmacists submitted over 1.47 million minor ailment claims, with UTIs making up 34.2% and LD prophylaxis making up 2.6% of total claims. UTI claims were primarily for women aged 25–64, and LD prophylaxis peaked in spring and fall. Pharmacist prescribing of eligible urinary drugs in females increased by 33.3 per 1000 person-years (95% CI 30.8 to 36.6) while physician prescribing decreased by 23.3 (95% CI –32.2 to –15.3), leading to a modest net increase of 10.1 (95% CI 0.0 to 18.7). Pharmacist prescribing of doxycycline was offset by decreased physician prescribing, resulting in no change (0.0, 95% CI –1.0 to 0.9). Pharmacist prescribing for other antibiotics was low over the study timeframe, while physician prescribing increased, which was driven by increased prescribing of penicillins and macrolides.
There was a clear increase in pharmacist prescribing for eligible drugs in the eligible population post-policy implementation. Pharmacists in Ontario appear to be prescribing within policy limits for uncomplicated UTIs and LD prophylaxis.
FreshRSS 