Duc Lam Nguyen's research while affiliated with Vietnam National University, Hanoi and other places

Objective To evaluate the surgery outcomes of fetoscopic laser ablation (FLA) for selective umbilical cord in treating twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) with special conditions and neonatal outcomes post-operation. Methods A prospective study, 21 monochorionic diamniotic (MCDA) twins diagnosed with TTTS stage II–IV according to Quintero classification from 16 to 26 weeks of gestation, among that, 12 cases of TTTS stage II with selective intrauterine growth restriction (sIUGR), 6 cases of TTTS stage II with proximate cord insertions, 3 cases of TTTS stage IV underwent fetoscopic laser ablation for the selective fetal reduction at Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital from September 2019 to July 2021. Complications and surgical outcomes were noted. Prenatal care was carried out every 2 weeks post operation until birth. Newborn neurologic complications were assessed at birth, three months, and six months after birth using Denver II test and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results The mean gestational age at operation was 20.30 weeks. The average operation duration was 39.52 minutes. No complications of operation, such as bleeding or infection, were recorded. The mean gestational age at birth was 34.70 ± 4.33 weeks, with a mean duration of 12.97 ± 6.87 weeks between intervention and delivery. The survival rate of newborns after the operation was 90.48%. There were two stillbirths (9.52%) within seven days after the operation. No short-term neurological complications have been reported with follow-up of the newborn to 6 months after birth. Conclusion Our study showed that fetoscopic laser ablation of selected fetal reduction surgery for treatment of special conditions of TTTS had no complications of operation, high neonatal survival result (90.48%), no short-term neurological complications. This should be considered for TTTS in cases of indication.

In the context of international investment disputes, this paper investigates how arbitrator team characteristics affect team performance in solving disputes between a host country and a foreign investor. Our data include 277 judgments issued by arbitrator teams at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes at the World Bank from 1972 to 2018. The time to resolution and the quality of the final judgment, as measured by the requirement of a follow-on proceeding to rectify mistakes, are used to measure the team performance. We consider both biographical and professional characteristics of the arbitrators as determinants of the team performance. We find that mixed gender teams and previous team member’s collaborations increase the time to resolution contrary to team members’ experience and diversity in the professional background that decrease it. None of the team characteristics considered has an impact on the quality of the final judgment. Our findings talk to the current policy debate on the reform of the international investment arbitration system aiming to increase its effectiveness and transparency.