Background: Treatment outcomes of a high proportion of inpatients with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) were not reported to the Vietnamese National Tuberculosis Program because they received treatment outside of the green light committee (GLC) program. The study aimed (1) to describe the strengths and weaknesses of treatment of GLC and non-GLC MDR-TB patients as well as the factors influencing treatment completion and (2) to determine the incidence of adverse drug reactions. Results:This cross-sectional study comprised two elements: (1) in-depth interviews with clinical doctors, hospital pharmacists; and focus group discussions with MDR-TB patients; and (2) a review of the charts of all GLC and non-GLC MDR-TB patients in 2010. A total of 282 MDR-TB patients were recruited, including 79(28 %) MDR-TB patients treated through the GLC program and 203(72 %) MDR-TB patients treated outside of the GLC program. The main strengths of GLC treatment were the supply of quality assured second line TB drugs, routine monitoring and clinical evaluation, free diagnostic tests and close clinical monitoring. The greatest barriers to patients treated outside of the GLC program was difficulty paying for second line TB drugs and other treatment costs. There was no significant difference between the incidence of adverse events among GLC (46.8 %) and non-GLC treated patients (52.2 %; p = 0.417). Among 143 patients who reported 226 adverse reaction events, arthralgia/joint pain (35.8 %), gastrointestinal (14.2 %), ototoxicity (8.4 %), cutaneous (6.6 %), and giddiness (5.8 %) were the most common. Conclusions:The non-GLC MDR-TB patients face substantial barriers to treatment, and require greater support if they are to complete treatment and improve disease outcomes. Staff training about the management of adverse drug reactions is needed.

In this comparative analysis, the cases of Taiwan and Colombia display two paths for designing a natural sciences curriculum related to quality education goals. Their differences are based on their central concepts, definitions of learning stages, delimitations of cross-subjects and cores of scientific knowledge, and alignment with international assessments. The core practices in Taiwanese curriculum guidelines are to develop inquiries, research, and experimentations to promote scientific literacy and citizenship. In contrast, the core Colombian practices construct explanations based on scientific ideas, gathering information, and using evidence. Between both countries, there is also a concordance over practices related to obtaining and communicating information. These results show the importance of curriculum policy factors such as epistemological definitions, diagnostics and representations of social expectations, alignment instruments, curriculum definitions, and design criteria of teaching processes. The differences between national curriculum policies are identified in a comparative strategy of contexts, medium-term processes to reform the national education systems or schooling features. Curriculum guidelines respond to their intellectual traditions, theoretical and pedagogical influences, and current requirements of policies. These criteria allow for the identification of cooperative issues in specific areas of science education between both countries, such as teacher education, technological and pedagogical knowledge, and curriculum alignment.

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Purpose: Laparoscopic proximal gastrectomy (LPG) has been a standard surgery for early gastric cancer in the upper third of the stomach and large esophagogastric junction gastrointestinal stromal tumor. However, how to reconstruct the stomach after LPG is still debated. This study aimed to evaluate the results of LPG with double-flap reconstruction. Methods: A retrospective study was performed with 14 patients undergoing LPG with double-flap reconstruction for early gastric cancer or large tumors in the upper third of the stomach from 2018 to 2021. We evaluated postoperative complications, gastroesophageal reflux and the gastric remnant’s function using endoscopy in accordance with the Los Angeles and Residue-Gastritis-Bile classifications, and patients’ quality of life by the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) questionnaire. Results: Median age was 54 years and 10 patients were male. There were 7 patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor, 4 with leiomyoma and 3 with early-stage adenocarcinoma. No patient had major complications or required conversion to open surgery. During a median follow-up period of 24.6 months, 1 patient had late anastomotic stricture, 2 had metastasis, and 1 died. Endoscopic evaluation at 6 and 12 months showed good function of the gastric remnant in most patients. Patients’ quality of life improved over time: mean GSRS score was 26.9±12.6, 20.3±7.2, and 18.8±4.2 at 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. Conclusions: LPG with double-flap reconstruction is feasible and safe for early gastric cancer or large tumors in the upper third of the stomach. The long-term functional outcomes and patients’ quality of life were acceptable.

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