Glinus oppositifolius is an endemic herbaceous plant found in tropical Asian countries and is native in Vietnam. It is used in traditional folk medicine because of its flavor and antiseptic and ...laxative effects. In the current research, the effects of Tox-off, Biovip, and the purified compounds isolated from G. oppositifolius in the previous study were evaluated on the activation of adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC) in C2C12 myoblasts. In addition, the most potent active compounds, traphanoside-GO1 (TRA-GO1) and TRA-GO5 have validated the reduction of fatty acid synthase (FAS) and sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-1c in HepG2 cells. We found that Tox-off and Biovip significantly increased the phosphorylation of AMPK and ACC in C2C12 myoblasts. Furthermore, TRA-GO1 and TRA-GO5 significantly increased the AMPK activation and phosphorylation of its downstream substrate ACC in a concentration-dependent way compared to the dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) control. Besides, the protein level of FAS and SREBP-1c decreased by TRA-GO1 and TRA-GO5 in a concentration-dependent manner. Taken together, our results showed that the increased AMPK and ACC phosphorylation by active components of G. oppositifolius may activate the AMPK signaling pathways, which are useful for the anti-obesity and its related metabolic disorders.
Colorectal cancer is a leading cancer worldwide and in Vietnam. Adenomas (adenomatous polyps) is an important precursor of colorectal cancer. There is currently no study to determine the modifiable ...risk factors for colorectal adenomas, including body mass index (BMI) in Vietnam. We conducted an individually matched case‐control study of 1149 colorectal adenomas and 1145 controls in a large‐scale colorectal screening program involving 103 542 individuals aged 40‐75 years old in Hanoi, Vietnam. Conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between BMI and colorectal adenomas prevalence, after controlling for potential confounders. Overall, comparing to normal weight (ie, 18.5‐22.9 kg/m2), underweight (ie, BMI < 18.5) was associated with a non‐statistically significant increased prevalence of colorectal adenomas (odd ratio OR = 1.29 and 95% confident interval CI: 0.88‐1.87). This association became significant among male (OR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.20‐3.27), male who were ever smokers (OR = 2.59, 95% CI: 1.33‐5.03), nonregular exercise (OR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.26‐4.73) and individuals with cardiometabolic disorders (OR = 3.46, 95% CI: 1.19‐10.00). The association between underweight and colorectal adenomas did not vary by smoking status, drinking status, family history of cancer, adenomas types or cardiometabolic disorders. No association was observed among obese individuals (BMI ≥ 25). In the population with low prevalence of obesity, we found that the association between BMI and colorectal adenomas followed a reversed J‐shape that underweight was associated with increased prevalence. Further studies are, therefore, warranted to replicate our results and to investigate the biologic mechanism the effect of underweight on colorectal adenomas prevalence.
What's new?
High body mass index (BMI) has been associated with an increased risk of colorectal adenomas in studies including Asian populations. To date, no study has identified modifiable risk factors for colorectal adenomas in Vietnam, a country with a rising colorectal cancer incidence and low obesity prevalence. This case‐control study based on a large‐scale colorectal cancer screening program in Vietnam reports a potential association between underweight and colorectal adenomas prevalence with an inverse J‐shape. The modification of specific factors such as maintaining a normal BMI range, quitting smoking and exercising regularly showed great potential for colorectal cancer prevention and control programs.
Summary In efforts to treat diabetics, foods containing anti‐digestible ingredients are a promising approach. Resistant starch (RS) is one of the prebiotic ingredients that has the ability to resist ...digestion and pass through the colon, reducing fat accumulation. The production of RS from natural ingredients is of interest. The results of producing RS from jackfruit seeds show that the RS content increased from 25.97% to 52.26% by heat‐moisture treatment. After the modification process, the starch granules remained undeformed but exhibited agglomeration and the crystalline structure changed from type A to type C. The thermal properties of the starch were improved (85.16–90.42 °C), and higher gelatinisation temperature, around 2–7 °C. However, its swelling and solubility decreased by 35.32–72.59% and 15.83–79.10%, corresponding.
Antibiotic residues and antimicrobial resistance in surface water are issues of global concern, especially in developing countries. In this study, the occurrence of seven antibiotics and one ...antiparasitic agent was determined in surface water samples collected from four rivers running through Hanoi urban area in the Red River Delta, northern Vietnam. The pharmaceuticals in water samples were analyzed by solid-phase extraction combined with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method. The concentrations of pharmaceuticals in our samples ranged from 3050 to 16,700 (median 7800) ng/L, which were generally higher than levels found in river water from many other locations in the world. Amoxicillin, oxfendazole, and lincomycin were the most dominant and frequently detected compounds (detection rate 100%), which together accounted for 76 ± 14% of total concentrations. Sulfacetamide and sulfamethoxazole were detected at moderate concentrations in more than two-thirds of the analyzed samples. The remaining antibiotics (i.e., azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, and ofloxacin) were found at lower detection frequency and concentrations. Antibiotic concentrations in the water samples were not significantly different between the investigated rivers. Meanwhile, levels of pharmaceuticals in the samples collected in February 2020 were higher than those found in the remaining samples, largely due to the sharp decrease in sulfamethoxazole and azithromycin concentrations of the samples collected in March and April. Considerable ecological risks of antibiotics in surface water were estimated for some compounds such as amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, and ofloxacin.
•Induction of lipid biosynthesis in microalgae is reviewed.•Comprehensive strategies of strain improvement for lipid production are summarized.•Targets for enhancing lipid productivity in microalgae ...are suggested.•Challenges and perspectives of strain development for lipid production are discussed.
Over the past decade, the number of original articles and reviews presenting microalgae as a promising feedstock for biodiesel has increased tremendously. Many improvements of microalgae have been achieved through selection and strain development for industrial applications. However, the large-scale production of lipids for commercialization is not yet realistic because the production is still much more expensive than that of agricultural products. This review summarizes recent research on the induction of lipid biosynthesis in microalgae and the various strategies of genetic and metabolic engineering for enhancing lipid production. Strain engineering targets are proposed based on these strategies. To address current limitations of strain engineering for lipid production, this review provides insights on recent engineering strategies based on molecular tools and methods, and also discusses further perspectives.
Although it is unclear how Zn
2+
cooperates with Cu
2+
in synergistic antibacterial activity, a 1:10 ratio of Cu
2+
/Zn
2+
atoms and ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid and urea ligands can be used to ...form a chelation complex containing Cu
2+
and Zn
2+
. This study investigated the effects of the combination of Cu
2+
and Zn
2+
in chelation with EDTA and urea. The results were compared with the outcomes of either copper or zinc alone against gram-negative
Escherichia coli (E. coli
) and gram-positive
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus
) bacteria. The antibacterial activity was determined through MICs, disc diffusion method, and bacterial cell growth curves. In addition, bacterial destruction by this chelation complex has been observed through SEM images. The presence of copper ion and zinc ion inside the bacterial cells has been proved through EDS measurements. The obtained results allowed us to draw conclusions that the use of both Cu
2+
and Zn
2+
in a chelation complex with EDTA and urea enhances the antimicrobial activity against these bacteria. The bacterial inhibition of this complex was stronger than that of Cu
2+
alone chelated with EDTA or CuSO
4
solution by approximately 100-fold for
S. aureus
and 20-fold for
E. coli
.
Silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) synthesized by the Stober method were used as drug delivery vehicles. Doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX·HCl) is a chemo-drug absorbed onto the SiO2 NPs surfaces. The ...DOX·HCl loading onto and release from the SiO2 NPs was monitored via UV-VIS and fluorescence spectra. Alternatively, the zeta potential was also used to monitor and evaluate the DOX·HCl loading process. The results showed that nearly 98% of DOX·HCl was effectively loaded onto the SiO2 NPs’ surfaces by electrostatic interaction. The pH-dependence of the process wherein DOX·HCl release out of DOX·HCl-SiO2 NPs was investigated as well. For comparison, both the free DOX·HCl molecules and DOX·HCl-SiO2 NPs were used as the labels for cultured cancer cells. Confocal laser scanning microscopy images showed that the DOX·HCl-SiO2 NPs were better delivered to cancer cells which are more acidic than healthy cells. We propose that engineered DOX·HCl-SiO2 systems are good candidates for drug delivery and clinical applications.
While conducting sentinel surveillance of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in Vietnam, we found a sudden increase in the prevalence of coxsackievirus A10 (CV-A10) in 2016 and CV-A2 and CV-A4 in ...2017, the emergence of which has been reported recently to be associated with various clinical manifestations in other countries. However, there have been only a limited number of molecular studies on those serotypes, with none being conducted in Vietnam. Therefore, we sequenced the entire VP1 genes of CV-A10, CV-A4, and CV-A2 strains associated with HFMD in Vietnam between 2012 and 2017. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a trend of endemic circulation of Vietnamese CV-A10, CV-A4, and CV-A2 strains and the emergence of thus-far undescribed HFMD-causing lineages of CV-A4 and CV-A2. The Vietnamese CV-A10 strains belonged to a genotype comprising isolates from patients with HFMD from several other countries; however, most of the Vietnamese strains were grouped into a local lineage. Recently, emerging CV-A4 strains in Vietnam were grouped into a unique lineage within a genotype comprising strains isolated from patients with acute flaccid paralysis from various countries. New substitutions were detected in the putative BC and HI loops in the Vietnamese CV-A4 strains. Except for one strain, Vietnamese CV-A2 isolates were grouped into a unique lineage of a genotype that includes strains from various countries that are associated with other clinical manifestations. Enhanced surveillance is required to monitor their spread and to specify their roles as etiological agents of HFMD or “HFMD-like” diseases, especially for CV-A4 and CV-A2. Further studies including whole-genome sequencing should be conducted to fully understand the evolutionary changes occurring in these newly emerging strains.
This study aimed to investigate antimicrobial resistance profile, multidrug resistance (MDR), and molecular characteristics of pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus isolates from hospitalized Vietnamese ...adults. Two hundred and twenty-three pathogenic S. aureus isolates were obtained from the hospitals located in 3 regions of Vietnam. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined to detect the antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates. The molecular characteristics of S. aureus isolates were investigated through antibiotic-resistant genes analysis, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec typing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and multilocus sequence typing. Substantial differences among the 3 regions were found in the prevalence rates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (north: 48.6%, central: 58.7%, south: 78.9%) and MDR (north: 65.8%, central: 79.7%, and south: 84.2%). The prevalence rates of the genes tetK/M, aacA/aphD, ermA/B/C, and mecA increased substantially from north to south. ST188-SCCmecIV and ST239-SCCmecII isolates were most commonly found in the 2 largest clusters. ST188 predominance was observed in the largest cluster in methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus isolates, including SCCmecIII and SCCmecIVa, in fatal cases. Our results revealed a high occurrence of MDR and possible north−south trend in antibiotic resistance profile, MDR patterns, and frequency of antibiotic-conferring genes among S. aureus isolates. ST188 predominance raises concerns about the global importance of host-adapted ST188 in East Asian populations.
Essential oils from Cinnamomum cassia bark and Eucalyptus globulus leaves have been traditionally applied for bacterial infections, through both of aromatherapy and oral application. ...(E)-cinnamaldehyde and 1,8 cineole have been identified as their major secondary metabolites, and are also generally considered as the main active ingredients responsible for their medicinal applications. However, ethnobotanical doctors still prefer to use whole essentials oils over purified compounds in bacterial infections. We therefore hypothesized that multi-compound extracts might exert better effects than isolated ingredients. In order to verify the hypothesis about advantages of whole materials, we examined antibacterial properties of the 2 plant essential oils in the comparison with their isolated major compounds, such as (E)-cinnamaldehyde and 1,8 cineole. Effects of liquid- and vapor-phase were examined on a set of 6 gram-positive and -negative bacteria, applying broth dilution, agar well diffusion and disc volatilization methods. In all 3 investigations, we observed that whole cinnamon and eucalyptus oils, with the lower concentrations of (E)-cinnamaldehyde (89.1%) and 1,8 cineole (61.2%), were able to induce better effects than the purified active compounds (≥ 99%). These results partly explain the advantages of using whole essential oils over isolated ingredients, and therefore support the application of traditional dosage forms for bacterial infections in ethnomedicine.
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