Khanh Van Nguyen

Background: Although Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori ) prevalence has declined in many high-income countries, data from Vietnam remain limited and fragmented. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of H. pylori infection in Vietnamese adults and children. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted for observational studies published between January 2000 and September 2025. Eligible studies reported H. pylori prevalence in Vietnamese populations using validated diagnostic methods. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to calculate pooled prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analyses were conducted by age group, geographic area, and study setting. Results: Twenty-five studies met inclusion criteria, comprising 8204 adults and 4641 children. The pooled prevalence of H. pylori infection was 58.7% (95% CI: 49.9%–67.2%) in adults and 77.2% (95% CI: 67.1%–86.0%) in children, with high heterogeneity across studies ( I ² > 98%, P < .001). Among adults, prevalence was 56.4% in those aged P = .455). Prevalence was lower in rural areas (46.8%) compared to urban areas (60.7%) ( P = .045), with no significant difference between community- and hospital-based settings ( P = .723). Funnel plot assessment did not indicate evident publication bias. Conclusion: H. pylori infection remains common in the populations represented in this study, particularly among urban and healthcare-seeking groups in Vietnam. These findings underscore the need for expanded surveillance and monitoring to better characterize H. pylori infection patterns and inform appropriate response strategies.

Aim: We aimed to determine the associations between the pretreatment Advanced Lung Cancer Inflammation Index (ALI) and survival outcomes in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u‐HCC) who received atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez/Bev). Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 563 patients with u‐HCC who were treated with Atez/Bev (Sept 2020–Dec 2024). The ALI was calculated according to Body Mass Index × serum albumin level/neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio. Associations between ALI and overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) were evaluated by Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Results: An ALI cutoff value of 27.04, determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, was used to classify patients into low‐ and high‐ALI groups. High‐ALI patients had longer median OS (26.1 vs. 13.7 months, p < 0.001) and PFS (9.3 vs. 5.2 months, p < 0.001), and a higher disease control rate (82.5% vs. 69.1%, p < 0.001) compared to low‐ALI patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed that a high ALI value was a significant prognostic marker for OS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.54–0.88, p = 0.003) and PFS (HR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.61–0.92, p = 0.006). Subgroup analyses showed that the trend toward improved outcomes was consistent for high ALI values in all clinically relevant subgroups. Conclusions: A high pretreatment ALI value was associated with improved survival and disease control in u‐HCC patients receiving Atez/Bev, underscoring its potential utility as a prognostic marker for clinical management and further studies.

Hydrogen has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may attenuate perioperative stress responses. However, its clinical impact on postoperative recovery remains unclear. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated whether perioperative hydrogen inhalation improves early recovery after hepatectomy. Sixty-eight patients undergoing elective hepatectomy were randomized (1:1) to receive 5% hydrogen gas or placebo air via nasal cannula from postoperative day (POD) 1 to POD7. The primary endpoint was the total Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) score on POD3, analyzed at α = 0.2 with 80% confidence intervals in accordance with the pre-specified statistical analysis plan. Secondary and exploratory outcomes, analyzed at α = 0.05, included postoperative liver function, oxidative stress markers, and QoR-40 subdomain scores. Analyses were performed in the modified intention-to-treat population using the Mann–Whitney U test. Sixty-four patients (hydrogen, n = 31; placebo, n = 33) were analyzed. At POD3, the median QoR-40 score was 192.0 (184.0–198.0) vs. 163.0 (140.0–190.0) (p < 0.001), indicating significantly better early recovery in the hydrogen group. As supportive findings, prothrombin activity was higher with hydrogen (85.0% vs. 76.2%, p = 0.005), and QoR-40 subdomain analysis showed significantly higher emotions and physical independence scores, whereas comfort, pain, and patient support domains showed no difference. No other between-group differences were observed in biochemical parameters or urinary 8-OHdG levels. Perioperative hydrogen inhalation significantly improved early postoperative recovery after hepatectomy, primarily through psychophysical domains of well-being. These findings suggest that hydrogen may selectively enhance emotional stability and functional independence during the early recovery phase.

Introduction: We investigated the association between the pretreatment cachexia index (CXI) and survival outcomes in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC) receiving atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atez/Bev). Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 195 patients with u-HCC treated with Atez/Bev from September 2020 to December 2023. The skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) was calculated by normalizing the psoas muscle area by the square of the height (cm2/m2). The CXI was defined as the SMI × serum albumin level (g/dL)/neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to minimize the effect of potential confounders. Associations between CXI, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) were assessed. Results: From the initial cohort, CXI cutoffs of 7.23 for males and 4.99 for females were established. PSM matched 60 pairs of patients with low and high CXI, showing no significant differences in confounding factors between groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that the low CXI group had shorter median OS (12.5 vs. 26.1 months, p = 0.009) and PFS (6.1 vs. 11.1 months, p = 0.045) compared with the high CXI group. No significant differences existed between groups in overall response rate (p = 0.994) and disease control rate (p = 0.090). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis identified low CXI as an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.11–3.22, p = 0.019) and PFS (HR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.01–2.34, p = 0.047). Conclusions: The CXI may be a valuable prognostic tool for predicting survival outcomes in patients with u-HCC receiving Atez/Bev.

Background/Objectives: Adipophilin (ADP) is a protein associated with lipid droplets, and its expression is related to poor prognosis in certain cancers. However, its impact on the survival of patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs) remains unclear. This study investigated the impact of ADP expression on long-term survival following hepatectomy in patients with CRLM. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 102 consecutive patients who underwent hepatectomy between 2006 and 2022. ADP expression was examined in resected specimens through immunohistochemical staining using tissue microarrays. Long-term outcomes for ADP-positive (n = 51) and ADP-negative (n = 51) groups were compared with Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Results: We found significantly decreased 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates for ADP-positive patients relative to ADP-negative patients (29.4% versus 52.1%, respectively; p = 0.001 and 43.7% versus 72.2%, respectively; p = 0.003). Moreover, multivariate Cox hazards analysis demonstrated that patients with ADP-positive CRLM had a worse prognosis after hepatectomy than those with ADP-negative CRLM, as reflected by both RFS (HR 2.46, 95% CI 1.39–4.36, p = 0.002) and OS (HR: 2.89, 95% CI 1.43–5.85, p = 0.003). Conclusions: ADP expression had a significant prognostic impact on the survival of patients with CRLM following liver resection and may aid in optimal treatment planning.