A Nationwide Workforce Characterization of Neurosurgical Care in Postwar Vietnam.

In recent years, regional integration processes have created a number of opportunities for ensuring mutual economic ties between countries of the world. In this regard, the countries of Southeast Asia are increasingly considered as one of the potential partners for accelerating integration processes in Central Asia and interregional cooperation. The purpose of the article is to show that the countries of Southeast Asia are an important vector for the diversification of economic relations of Central Asia countries, and to reveal the main directions of their interrelation’s development. Based on a comparative analysis, the state of political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian relations between the countries of Central and Southeast Asia, the factors influencing the slow development of cooperation and the possibilities for its improvement in the future are studied. In the context of the world unstable situation, the active participation of the Central Asian countries in integration gives impetus to strengthening contacts with the countries of Southeast Asia, which have historical experience in this regard. This process shows the need to develop economic, political, cultural and humanitarian ties between the countries of the two regions. In conclusion, the similarities and differences between the countries of these regions, achievements and shortcomings, as well as opportunities for further development of relations are substantiated.

The enormous contribution of Kenyan Diaspora to Kenya’s economy is increasingly becoming a major area of attention to policy makers. The Diaspora contributes a significant percentage to the GDP from the financial remittances they send back home. They have also been instrumental in the promotion of trade, investment, tourism, education, employment and transfer of technology and expertise to Kenya. Over 75% of the Diaspora contribution comes from North America and Europe, leaving only 25% for the rest of the world. About 30% of Kenyan Diaspora lives in North America, 26% in Europe, 24% in Africa, 9% in Asia while 11% is unaccounted for in different parts of the world. Approximately 0.02% of Kenyans abroad lives in Southeast Asian (SEA) countries under the accreditation of the Kenya Mission in Bangkok, namely: Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. The contribution of Kenyan residents in the five SEA countries is minimal. In this research, factors which contributed to the low number of Kenyan Diaspora in the five SEA countries, and ways in which the number could be expanded were examined. Over 70% of respondents agreed that the British colonialism and colonial legacies in Kenya, long duration of weak economies of SEA, government policies and limited diplomacy, limited information on opportunities, tough immigration policies and visa conditions, and inadequate transport system are some of the factors for the low numbers of Kenyans in SEA countries. Relaxation of tough immigration policies and rigid visa conditions, improvement on transport system, establishment of more diplomatic Missions, signing of MoUs and agreements, and information dissemination on opportunities in the five SEA countries are some of the ways to increase the numbers of Kenyan Diaspora in these countries. The research findings will help Kenya Government to formulate effective Diaspora Policy.

Introduction: Dentistry is the field that brings back one’s smile. It is this field that teaches about the importance of oral hygiene. Dental education varies in all Southeast Asian and South Asian countries. Aim: To compare dental education concerning fee structure, dentist population ratio, and year of graduation between South Asian and Southeast Asian countries. Methodology: This study was conducted to the comparison of dental education in South Asian and Southeast Asian countries. Southeast Asian countries were classified as Group A and South Asian countries were classified as Group B. Data was retrieved from manual and electronic databases using search engines (Pubmed, google scholar, Web of Science). In this study, the keywords were Dentistry, Southeast Asian, South Asian, Dental colleges, and Dentist population ratio used in the search. Result: This study determined the difference between dental education, dentist population ratio, and the dentist’s average salary among Group A and B. The number of Dental colleges was the maximum in India (71%) among all other Group A and B. Conclusion: Nevertheless South Asia had a plethora of colleges, and high-paying dental jobs were possible only in Southeast Asian countries. Hence substantial numbers of dental colleges with proper apportionment and job contentment is obligatory for better treatment outcome of patients.

We aimed to analyze the temporal trends in the per capita food (kcal/day/person) and protein (g/day/person) availability at the national level in the Southeast Asian (SEA) countries from 1961 to 2018. To avoid intercountry variations and errors, we used a dataset derived from the FAO’s old and new food balance sheets. We used the joinpoint model and the jump model to analyze the temporal trends. The annual percentage change (APC) was computed for each segment of the trends. Per capita food and protein availability in the SEA countries increased significantly by 0.8% per year (54.0%) and 1.1% per year (85.1%), respectively, from 1961 to 2018. During the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s the per capita food availability in mainland SEA did not change significantly and was less than 2200 kcal/person/day. Since the early 1990s, food availability increased appreciably in the mainland SEA countries, except for Cambodia, which has experienced the increasing trend from the late 1990s. Distinct from the mainland, maritime SEA countries showed an up–down–up growth trend in their per-capita food availability from 1961 to 2018. Food-availability growth slowed down for Brunei (since the mid-1980s) and Malaysia (since mid-the 1990s) whereas it increased for Indonesia (1.5% per year), Timor-Leste (0.9% per year), and the Philippines (0.8% per year). Per capita protein availability trends in the mainland SEA countries were similar to the countries’ per capita food availability trends. Since the late 1980s, Thailand and since the late 1990s, other mainland SEA countries experienced a significant growth in their per capita protein availability. Since the late 1990s, per capita protein availability in Vietnam increased markedly and reached the highest available amount in the SEA region, following Brunei and Myanmar. Per capita protein availability increased almost continuously among the maritime SEA countries, except for Timor-Leste. Marked inequality did exist between maritime and mainland SEA countries in per capita food-availability growth till the mid-1990s. Considerable increases in per capita food availability have occurred in most of the SEA countries, but growth is inadequate for Timor-Leste and Cambodia.

Seven countries in Southeast Asia which are considered major potato producing areas were selected this study. Potato released data from 23 countries/Provinces/States were collected. In total 668 varieties were documented (including duplicates, as each province in China has its own release system) and a total of 229 varieties have been released with a relationship to CIP. The dataset includes all modern varietal outputs recorded in a formal national (or state/provincial in case of India/China) commodity varietal release list/data base or is identified by experts as an adopted variety during the expert elicitation process. For the purpose of this study, a modern variety is defined as ‘a variety developed by breeders in the formal system.’ It represents an output/contribution of the national and/or international public and private sector research investments.

Oral thrush, a clinical condition due to an overgrowth of Candida yeasts in the oral cavity, is prominent in patients with immunosuppression. As recent updates on oral thrush in South-East Asian (SEA) countries are lacking, this review aimed to address the epidemiology, clinical features and distribution of Candida species, based on published studies in SEA countries over the last two decades. Published studies on oral candidiasis (2000-2020) were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science and Google Scholar databases to provide information on the incidence and factors affecting oral thrush cases in SEA countries. A total of 22 cross-sectional studies involving 3697 subjects from five SEA countries were reviewed in this study. The most frequently reported population were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. The overall incidence rates amongst HIV-infected patients ranged from 20.7% to 97.0%, while incidence rates ranging from 0% to 72.7% were recorded for non-HIV-infected populations. Pseudomembranous candidiasis and erythematous candidiasis were the most common clinical presentations of oral thrush lesions. Candidaalbicans was the most common species identified in SEA studies. As oral thrush assessments were made merely based on clinical diagnosis, culture results were not available for most studies. This review highlights that most studies reporting on oral candidiasis in SEA countries were based on HIV-positive patients. Data are still lacking on oral candidiasis amongst non-HIV immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. Increasing awareness on the diagnosis, treatment and consequences of this infection, and improved laboratory methods are essential for the management of oral candidiasis in this region.

Many environmental factors contribute to the rise in prevalence of obesity in populations but one key driver is urbanization. Countries in Southeast (SE) Asia have undergone rapid changes in urbanization in recent decades. The aim of this study is to provide a systematic review of studies exploring the relationship between living in an urban or rural environment (urbanicity) and obesity in Southeast Asia. In particular, the review will investigate whether the associations are uniform across countries and ages, and by sex. The literature search was conducted up to June 2014 using five databases: EMBASE, PubMed, GlobalHealth, DigitalJournal and Open Grey. Forty-five articles representing eight of the eleven countries in SE Asia were included in the review. The review found a consistent positive association between urbanicity and obesity in countries of Southeast Asia, in all age groups and both genders. Regional differences between the associations are partly explained by gross national income (GNI). In countries with lower GNI per capita, the association between urbanicity and obesity was greater. Such findings have implications for policy makers. They imply that population level interventions need to be country or region specific, tailored to suit the current stage of economic development. In addition, less developed countries might be more vulnerable to the negative health impact of urbanization than more developed countries.

The foreign policy course “Turn to Asia”, taken by Russia in the early 2000s, was not accompanied, however, by the expansion of interaction with the countries of South East Asia. Despite creating a certain foundation for the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, its potential is far from being fully explored. The presence of objective factors hampered its expansion and limited the active involvement of Russia in regional integration processes. The article assesses the prospects for the development of relations with Southeast Asian countries in the context of Russia’s strategic and economic interests in the region and the emerging conditions for their implementation. The authors note that the region has begun to acquire strategic importance for Russia, firstly, for economic reasons, given the dynamics of its growth and the possibility of its involvement in Russian integration projects,secondly, for geopolitical reasons, based on an assessment of its contribution to the formation of a security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, the principles of which are generally consistent with Russia’s strategic interests, which are realized within the framework of diplomatic and militarypoliticalrapprochement with the countries of South East Asia. The article notes that in building their relations with them, Russia proceeds from the fact that its more active participation in regional affairs may become a factor hindering the establishment of hegemony by one of the great powers in the region, which generally meets the interests of the Southeast Asian countries themselves. At the same time, the authors come to the conclusion that in search of a force capable of ensuring stability in the region, the choice of Southeast Asian countries is unlikely to stop only on Russia, whose real level of political influence in the region is still low. As for economic cooperation Russia with the countries of South East Asia, in recent years, the interaction between them in the framework of bilateral relations has strengthened, primarily in trade. Russia has a positive balance in trade with the countries of the region. However, investment cooperation between them is small in scope and does not play a significant role in the economies of the counterparty countries. The article provides a detailed analysis of the problems that complicate Russia’s economic cooperation with the countries of South East Asia and offers recommendations for solving them, taking into account the specifics of Russian business and the particularities of the local market development. The authors come to the conclusion that the success of Russia’s economic relations with the countries of South East Asia will largely depend on whether we recognize them as equally important partners as China or India. No political steps taken by Russia in South East Asia will lead to a strengthening of its position in the region, if they are not accompanied by its economic expansion.

As a result of damage since the 2010s, mangrove forests require conservation efforts, such as reforestation, business permits in coastal areas, rearrangement of coastal spatial planning, and law enforcement regulated by the government in environmental policies. This study aims to assess the evolution and identify knowledge related to mangrove conservation policies in Southeast Asian (SEA) countries using in-depth bibliometric and content analysis. This paper describes mangrove restoration and conservation policies in SEA countries . The results of the study show that as many as 220 articles about mangroves in SEA have been published, this shows that there is an increasing interest in disclosing mangrove restoration policies, included in SEA countries. Globally, there are similarities in regulations between countries: the difference lies in the application of the rules. Changes in land use are one of the drivers of mangrove damage in SEA countries . However, only a few researchers have discussed institutional arrangements and coastal development policies. Mangroves in Indonesia are protected by 22 laws and regulated by at least 18 institutions. Their administration in Thailand is governed by at least 20 laws and overseen by 7 ministries and departments. In the Philippines, 28 laws relate to the conservation of mangroves for cultivation. Additionally, we discuss the main findings, deficiencies, and directions for future research.

ObjectiveTo analyze the implementation of the Principles of Care (PoC) in primary immunodeficiencies (PID) in Southeast Asia (SEA) countries - six years after its call of action.MethodologyUsing the newly developed PID Life Index software, the index of implementation of principles of care in the management of PIDs patients involving the six participating SEA countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Philippines) were extracted. For each of the six separate principles, the index from the six countries will be compared and presented based on the calculated index.ResultsComparative analysis of the six principles of care of PID in the SEA countries showed low diagnostic rate with minimal availability of diagnostic tests options. Generally, almost all SEA countries provide curative treatments, vaccines, and anti-infectious therapies although the reimbursement scheme varied in relieving patients’ financial burden. We also highlighted the active involvement of patient organizations in SEA, with main areas of work focused on advocacy and increasing awareness among public and healthcare professionals.Discussion and conclusionIt is applaudable that the SEA continent is gradually strengthening its work in management of PID, especially in Thailand and Vietnam. However, more emphasis must be placed among stakeholders in SEA countries towards successful implementation of the PoC for a holistic management of PID patients.

Agricultural crop production plays an important role in the economic development of Southeast Asia (SEA) countries. Annually, large amounts of crop residues are generated and field open burning for land clearing is commonly practiced which emits considerable amounts of toxic air pollutants and climate forcing agents. This study estimated the emissions of toxic gases, aerosol, and greenhouse gases from the crop residue open burning (CROB) in SEA countries. Emission inventory (EI) was done using the activity data gathered from primary surveys and published records for the SEA countries. The best estimates of emission species were calculated using the emission factors and the activity data that were most relevant for the considered SEA countries. In 2010, the SEA CROB emissions, in Gg were: 16,160 for CO; 320 for NOx; 28 for SO2; 980 for NMVOC; 550 for NH3; 2060 for PM10; 1880 for PM2.5; 80 for BC; 885 for OC; 178,370 for CO2; 580 for CH4; and 14 for N2O. Indonesia was the top contributor of all emission species (25–39%) followed by Vietnam (17–30%), Myanmar (8–19%), and Thailand (7–16%). Among 8 crop types considered, rice straw field burning contributed dominantly (85–98%) to the total SEA CROB emissions, followed by sugarcane, maize, and soybean. Low and high emission estimates were calculated using the ranges of activity data and available emission factors, respectively, to assess the uncertainty of the emission estimate for each species. The obtained gridded SEA CROB emissions with a resolution of 0.1° × 0.1° revealed higher emission intensity over the agricultural land areas, especially of rice, sugarcane, and maize. Temporal emissions showed higher peaks in the months following major crop harvesting periods in the dry season. The EI data for CROB produced in this study provided a key input for assessment of relative contributions of the emission sources in the SEA for further development of emission reduction strategies.

Are child and youth population at lower risk of COVID-19 fatalities? Evidences from South-East Asian and European countries.

Southeast Asia (SEA) is a geographical bloc that is sociologically, politically, and economically diverse. This diversity has led to heterogeneity in levels of development of healthcare systems in its member states (Chongsuvivatwong et al., 2011). Nevertheless, countries in SEA share joint commitments, particularly in achieving Universal Health Coverage. Their efforts toward this goal has progressed significantly, as evidenced by the increasing availability of preventive and curative care services across SEA (Van Minh et al., 2014).
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\nAs it is, the healthcare system of SEA struggles to meet the ever-changing demands of its aging population that has become more prosperous and aware of its human rights (Chongsuvivatwong et al., 2011). The problem is the insufficient healthcare workforce of SEA, with only 1.93 doctors per 10,000 population in Cambodia as the lowest, and 22.94 doctors per 10,000 population in Singapore as the highest, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) (Geneva: World Health Organizations, 2021). In the report, eight out of 11 SEA countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam) have doctor-population ratios lower than the WHO recommendation of 10 doctors per 10,000 population. This translates to immense amounts of work for doctors serving patients in the region.

The AAOS Resident Assembly.

Major urban centers have weak influence on the timing of dengue epidemics in Southeast Asia