Biology subjects

Pham, T. T. H.

Publications and source records attributed to Pham, T. T. H..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Green alleys in Quebec provide variable biodiversity support and ecosystem services

Green infrastructure is increasing in popularity in cities globally because of its potential to improve urban sustainability and resident quality of life. In this paper, we studied green alleys in two Quebec cities, one with a resident-led green alley program and one with a municipally led program. Green alleys are conceptualized and promoted as green infrastructure that provide many benefits for urban residents. Using mixed social and ecological methods, we assessed 53 green alleys capacity to support biodiversity and provide ecosystem services, alongside 23 grey alleys and 76 streets. We interviewed residents to select the ecosystem services that were most relevant to people living around green alleys and then measured indicators of ecosystem service capacity with traditional ecological techniques, harnessing an interdisciplinary approach to ecosystem service assessment. Green alleys provided more biodiversity support than grey alleys and adjacent street segments but did not consistently increase the capacity for ecosystem services. Vegetative complexity and proportion of native tree species are both higher in green alleys than traditional grey alleys and adjacent streets. The proportion of flowering trees was one indicator of ecosystem services that was consistently higher in green alleys. Resident-led vs municipally led creation and management of green alleys resulted in different results, where resident-led alleys were more able to target the needs of residents but resulted in high levels of variation in both support for biodiversity and ecosystem services. We recommend ongoing funding paired with technical expert support to increase the impact of green alleys.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2021

Seasonal and spatial variability of antibiotic resistance genes and Class I integrons in the rivers of the Mekong delta, Vietnam

Aquaculture activities continue to expand in Vietnam, covering an estimated 700,000 ha, with 89% of these culture ponds located in the Mekong Delta. Since 2009, large-scale bacterial outbreaks have spread in response to this intensive farming. Antibiotics, even those considered a last resort, have only partially mitigated this problem. A side effect of the massive use of these chemicals is the appearance of mobile genetic elements associated with antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The large-scale emergence of a diverse bacterial resistome, accompanied by severe economic losses, has posed significant health risks to local residents. In this study, the seasonal and spatial distributions of the class I integrase (CL1) intl1 and the ARGs sul2 (sulfonamide), BLA-oxa1 ({beta}-lactams), and ermB (erythromycin) were quantified from water and sediment samples collected during two consecutive seasons along the Vam Co River and its tributary (Long An province, Vietnam). Results showed that CL1 was present in all river compartments, reaching 2.98x104 copies/mL and 1.07x106 copies/g of sediment, respectively. The highest relative copy abundances to the 16S rDNA gene were measured in water samples, with up to 3.02% for BLA-oxa1, followed by sul2 (1.16%) and ermB (0.46%). Strong seasonal (dry season vs. rainy season) and spatial trends were recorded for all resistance genes. Higher amounts of ARGs in river water could be associated with higher antibiotic use during the rainy season. In contrast, higher amounts of ARGs were recorded in river sediments during the dry season, making this habitat a potential reservoir of transient genes. Finally, the observations made in this study allowed us to clarify the environmental and anthropogenic influences that may promote the dispersal and persistence of ARGS in this riverine ecosystem. ABSTRACT ART O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=99 SRC="FIGDIR/small/469999v2_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (42K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@16b09fborg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@5c6da7org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@22fe83org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1736e6e_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG HIGHLIGHTSO_LIIn Vietnam, inland aquaculture massively relies on antibiotics to prevent epidemics C_LIO_LIResistance genes were quantified along two rivers of the Mekong delta C_LIO_LISeasonal (dry and rainy seasons) and spatial distributions were registered by qPCR C_LIO_LIBLA-oxa1and sul2 reached highest abundances among bacterial communities C_LIO_LIStrong seasonal patterns and local variabilities were measured for CL1s and ARGs C_LI

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2018

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Hepatitis B Prevention and Immunization of Pregnant Women and Mothers in Viet Nam

Background and AimVietnams high burden of liver cancer is largely attributable to the high prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus infection (HBV). Infection at birth due to mother-to-child (MTC) transmission is the most common cause of chronic HBV in Vietnam and increases the risk of liver cancer later in life. This study was undertaken to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of pregnant women and mothers in Vietnam concerning HBV prevention and immunization.\n\nMethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Quang Ninh and Hoa Binh provinces in 2017. A pre-designed questionnaire was administered to women when they received care at primary and tertiary maternal health clinics. Correct responses were summarized as knowledge scores. Data was analyzed using a multivariable regression model across participant demographics.\n\nResultsAmong the 404 women surveyed, 57.6% were pregnant and 42.4% were postpartum. Despite 73.5% of participants reporting having received information about HBV during their pregnancy, gaps in knowledge and misconceptions are evident. Overall, only 10.6% provided correct answers to all questions regarding HBV transmission routes and prevention measures. Around half of the participants incorrectly believed that HBV is transmitted through sneezing, contaminated water or sharing foods with chronic HBV patients. Although 96.4% of participants believed that HBV vaccination is necessary for infants, only 69.1% were willing to have their own child vaccinated within 24 hours. More than a third of participants expressed concern about having casual contacts or sharing foods with chronic HBV patients. In multivariable analysis, having received information about HBV during their pregnancy were consistently associated with better knowledge score for transmission, prevention and immunization. However, knowledge of women who received information about HBV during their pregnancy was still suboptimal.\n\nConclusionsThe results highlight the need to prioritize educating pregnant women and mothers in future public health campaigns in order to increase knowledge, reduce misperception, and improve HBV vaccine coverage in Vietnam.

epidemiology↗