Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are a major occupational health problematic among healthcare workers, and the prevalence is especially high among nurses. In high income countries, the prevention of MSDs is an occupational health priority. But in Vietnam, there is no data available among health professionals. Objectives To determine the prevalence and associated factors of musculoskeletal disorders among district hospital nurses in Haiphong city. Material and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1179 nurses working in 15 district hospitals using the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire. Results A very high prevalence of MSDs in the past 12 months (74.7%) and during the last 7 days (41.1%), with the two most common sites being the low back (44.4%) and neck (44.1%), was found; 37.8% complained that MSDs symptoms limit their work. When analyzing factors related to MSDs, the results showed that women were 2.1 times more likely to develop MSDs than men; people with a previous history of MSDs were more likely to develop MSDs symptoms in the past 12 months than those with no history (OR = 7.1); nurses with symptoms of psychological distress and frequent absenteeism in the workplace had a higher prevalence of MSDs compared to the rest (p<0.001). Conclusions Due to the high prevalence of MSDs among nurses in district hospitals in Haiphong, preventive actions are needed to improve the working conditions and to raise the awareness of nurses about MSDs prevention.

ContextYield improvement is an important issue for rice breeding. Panicle architecture is one of the key components of rice yield and exhibits a large diversity. To identify the morphological and genetic determinants of panicle architecture, we performed a detailed phenotypic analysis and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using an original panel of Vietnamese landraces.ResultsUsing a newly developed image analysis tool, morphological traits of the panicles were scored over two years: rachis length; primary, secondary and tertiary branch number; average length of primary and secondary branches; average length of internode on rachis and primary branch. We observed a high contribution of spikelet number and secondary branch number per panicle to the overall phenotypic diversity in the dataset. Twenty-nine stable QTLs associated with seven traits were detected through GWAS over the two years. Some of these QTLs were associated with genes already implicated in panicle development. Importantly, the present study revealed the existence of new QTLs associated with the spikelet number, secondary branch number and primary branch number traits.ConclusionsOur phenotypic analysis of panicle architecture variation suggests that with the panel of samples used, morphological diversity depends largely on the balance between indeterminate vs. determinate axillary meristem fate on primary branches, supporting the notion of differences in axillary meristem fate between rachis and primary branches. Our genome-wide association study led to the identification of numerous genomic sites covering all the traits studied and will be of interest for breeding programs aimed at improving yield. The new QTLs detected in this study provide a basis for the identification of new genes controlling panicle development and yield in rice.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12870-018-1504-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background. There is a lack of information regarding health literacy (HL) in elderly people in Vietnam. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health literacy and the associated factors in elderly people in Vietnam. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 300 elderly people aged 55 years and above. Data were obtained from study participants using face-to-face interviews using designed questionnaires on sociodemographics, behaviors, and health literacy. Multiple linear regression models were performed to identify potential determinants of health literacy. Results. HL scores were 29.70±8.20 for the general HL dimension, 32.00±9.60 for the healthcare dimension, 21.97±10.06 for the disease prevention dimension, and 35.15±9.43 for the health promotion dimension. In the final model, age was negatively associated with HL (B−coefficient=−0.09, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) (-0.17 to -0.008), P=0.030). Occupation (B=4.77, 95% CI (3.18 to 6.36), P<0.001), taking care of children (B=1.68, 95% CI (0.21 to 3.15), P=0.025), social activity (B=4.61, 95% CI (2.86 to 6.37), P<0.001), doing exercises (B=2.52, 95% CI (1.07 to 3.96), P=0.001), television watching (B=2.10, 95% CI (0.75 to 3.45), P=0.002), using the Internet (B=2.93, 95% CI (1.29 to 4.57), P=0.001), and social connection (B=3.50, 95% CI (1.23 to 5.78), P=0.003) were positively associated with HL, respectively. Conclusion. Age, occupation, and a number of behaviors were significantly associated with HL in elder people. Health education campaigns should take into account the above factors as facilitating access to the Internet and providing opportunities for social networks for the elderly.