Background Cancer patients are thought to have an increased risk of developing severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and of dying from the disease. In this work, predictive factors for COVID-19 severity and mortality in cancer patients were investigated. Patients and Methods In this large nationwide retro-prospective cohort study, we collected data on patients with solid tumours and COVID-19 diagnosed between March 1 and June 11, 2020. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality and COVID-19 severity, defined as admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and/or mechanical ventilation and/or death, was one of the secondary endpoints. Results From April 4 to June 11, 2020, 1289 patients were analysed. The most frequent cancers were digestive and thoracic. Altogether, 424 (33%) patients had a severe form of COVID-19 and 370 (29%) patients died. In multivariate analysis, independent factors associated with death were male sex (odds ratio 1.73, 95%CI: 1.18-2.52), ECOG PS ≥ 2 (OR 3.23, 95%CI: 2.27-4.61), updated Charlson comorbidity index (OR 1.08, 95%CI: 1.01-1.16) and admission to ICU (OR 3.62, 95%CI 2.14-6.11). The same factors, age along with corticosteroids before COVID-19 diagnosis, and thoracic primary tumour site were independently associated with COVID-19 severity. None of the anticancer treatments administered within the previous 3 months had any effect on mortality or COVID-19 severity, except cytotoxic chemotherapy in the subgroup of patients with detectable SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR, which was associated with a slight increase of the risk of death (OR 1.53; 95%CI: 1.00-2.34; p = 0.05). A total of 431 (39%) patients had their systemic anticancer treatment interrupted or stopped following diagnosis of COVID-19. Conclusions Mortality and COVID-19 severity in cancer patients are high and are associated with general characteristics of patients. We found no deleterious effects of recent anticancer treatments, except for cytotoxic chemotherapy in the RT-PCR-confirmed subgroup of patients. In almost 40% of patients, the systemic anticancer therapy was interrupted or stopped after COVID-19 diagnosis.

Anesvad Foundation and International Organization for Migration International Development Fund.

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The Vietnamese South East Asian Nutrition Survey (SEANUTS), a cross-sectional study, was undertaken to assess the nutritional status in a nationally representative sample of children aged 0·5 -11·9 years. A multi-stage cluster-randomised sampling method was used to recruit 2872 children. Anthropometric measurements included weight, height, mid-upper arm circumference, and waist and hip circumferences. Blood biochemistry involved analyses of Hb, serum ferritin, and vitamins A and D. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24 h recall questionnaire, and nutrient intakes were compared with the Vietnamese RDA. In children aged ,5 years, approximately 14 % were stunted, 8·6 % underweight and 4·4 % thin. A higher prevalence of stunting (15·6 %) and underweight (22·2 %) was observed in school-aged children. Undernutrition was more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas. In contrast, almost 29 % of the urban children were either overweight or obese when compared with 4 % of the overweight children and 1·6 % of the obese children in rural areas. A higher percentage of children in the age group 0·5-1·9 years and residing in rural areas had low Hb levels than those in the age group 2·0-5·9 years and residing in urban areas. In children aged 6 -11 years, a small percentage had low Hb (11 -14 %) and vitamin A (5 -10 %) levels, but almost half the children (48 -53 %) had vitamin D insufficiency. Food consumption data indicated that the children did not meet the RDA for energy, protein, Fe, vitamin A, vitamin B 1 and vitamin C. Results from the SEANUTS highlight the double burden of malnutrition in Vietnam. Information from the SEANUTS can serve as an input for targeted policy development, planning and development of nutrition programmes. Key words: Nutrition surveys: Mineral and vitamin deficiencies: Children and infantsOver the past few years, Vietnam has experienced a dramatic economic reform (Doi Moi), including the privatisation of the economy and reduction in poverty. These have also contributed to considerable improvements in the nutritional and health status of many Vietnamese (1,2) . There has been a rapid and sustained reduction in the rates of underweight and stunting in children aged ,5 years (3) . The prevalence of underweight has reduced, with a national average of 1·5 % annually, from 31·9 % in 2001 to 25·2 % in 2005 and 17·5 % in 2010. A similar trend has also been observed for stunting with rates declining from 43·3 % in 2000 to 29·3 % in 2010 (4)

Dendritic cells (DC) derived from plasmacytoid precursors depend on IL-3 for survival and proliferation in culture, and they induce preferentially Th2 responses. Monocytes express not only GM-CSF receptors, but also IL-3Rs. Therefore, we examined whether IL-3 had an effect on the functional plasticity of human monocyte-derived DC generated in a cell culture system that is widely used in immunotherapy. DC were generated with IL-3 (instead of GM-CSF) and IL-4. Yields, maturation, phenotype (surface markers and Toll-like receptors), morphology, and immunostimulatory capacity were similar. Only CD1a was differentially expressed, being absent on IL-3-treated DC. In response to CD40 ligation DC generated in the presence of IL-3 secreted significantly less IL-12 p70 and more IL-10 compared with DC grown with GM-CSF. Coculture of naive allogeneic CD4+ T cells with DC generated in the presence of IL-3 induced T cells to produce significantly more IL-5 and IL-4 and less IFN-γ compared with stimulation with DC generated with GM-CSF. These data extend the evidence that different cytokine environments during differentiation of monocyte-derived DC can modify their Th cell-inducing properties. A hitherto unrecognized effect of IL-3 on DC was defined, namely suppression of IL-12 secretion and a resulting shift from Th1 toward Th2.