Chemical investigation of the aerial parts of Andrographis paniculata resulted in isolation of nine compounds, including a new ent-labdane diterpenoid, andrographic acid methyl ester (1), a new ...chalcone glucoside, pashanone glucoside (5), and seven known metabolites, andrograpanin (2), andrographolide (3), andropanolide (4), andrographidine A (6), andrographidine F (7), 6-epi-8-O-acetyl-harpagide (8), and curvifloruside F (9). Their chemical structures were elucidated based on comprehensive analyses of the spectroscopic data, including NMR and MS. Among the isolated compounds, andropanolide exerted cytotoxicity toward LNCaP, HepG2, KB, MCF7, and SK-Mel2 carcinoma cells, with IC50 values ranging from 31.8 to 45.9 µM. In addition, andropanolide significantly inhibited the overproduction of nitric oxide (NO) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages, with an IC50 value of 13.4 µM.
Abstract
Despite pioneering as the holy grail in photocatalysts, abundant reports have demonstrated that g-C
3
N
4
performs poor photocatalytic activity due to its high recombination rate of ...photo-induced charge carriers. Many efforts have been conducted to overcome this limitation in which the semiconductor–semiconductor coupling strategies toward heterojunction formation were considered as the easiest but the most effective method. Herein, a one-pot solid-state reaction of thiourea and sodium molybdate as precursors at different temperatures under N
2
gas was applied for preparing composites of MoS
2
/g-C
3
N
4
. The physicochemical characterization of the final products determines the variation in contents of components (MoS
2
and g-C
3
N
4
) via the increase of synthesis temperature. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the MoS
2
/g-C
3
N
4
composites was evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B in an aqueous solution under visible light. Therein, composites synthesized at 500 °C showed the best photocatalytic performance with a degradation efficiency of 90%, much higher than that of single g-C
3
N
4
. The significant improvement in photocatalytic performance is attributed to the enhancement in light-harvesting and extension in photo-induced charge carriers’ lifetime of composites which are originated from the synergic effect between the components. Besides, the photocatalytic mechanism is demonstrated to well-fit into the S-scheme pathway with apparent evidences.
The efficacy of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for symptomatic large anterior vessel occlusion (sLAVO) sharply decreases with time. Because EVT is restricted to comprehensive stroke centers, ...prehospital triage of patients with acute stroke codes for sLAVO is crucial, and although several prediction scales are already in use, external validation, head-to-head comparison, and feasibility data are lacking.
To conduct external validation and head-to-head comparisons of 7 sLAVO prediction scales in the emergency medical service (EMS) setting and to assess scale feasibility by EMS paramedics.
This prospective cohort study was conducted between July 2018 and October 2019 in a large urban center in the Netherlands with a population of approximately 2 million people and included 2 EMSs, 3 comprehensive stroke centers, and 4 primary stroke centers. Participants were consecutive patients aged 18 years or older for whom an EMS-initiated acute stroke code was activated. Of 2812 acute stroke codes, 805 (28.6%) were excluded, because no application was used or no clinical data were available, leaving 2007 patients included in the analyses.
Applications with clinical observations filled in by EMS paramedics for each acute stroke code enabling reconstruction of the following 7 prediction scales: Los Angeles Motor Scale (LAMS); Rapid Arterial Occlusion Evaluation (RACE); Cincinnati Stroke Triage Assessment Tool; Prehospital Acute Stroke Severity (PASS); gaze-face-arm-speech-time; Field Assessment Stroke Triage for Emergency Destination; and gaze, facial asymmetry, level of consciousness, extinction/inattention.
Planned primary and secondary outcomes were sLAVO and feasibility rates (ie, the proportion of acute stroke codes for which the prehospital scale could be reconstructed). Predictive performance measures included accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, the Youden index, and predictive values.
Of 2007 patients who received acute stroke codes (mean SD age, 71.1 14.9 years; 1021 50.9% male), 158 (7.9%) had sLAVO. Accuracy of the scales ranged from 0.79 to 0.89, with LAMS and RACE scales yielding the highest scores. Sensitivity of the scales ranged from 38% to 62%, and specificity from 80% to 93%. Scale feasibility rates ranged from 78% to 88%, with the highest rate for the PASS scale.
This study found that all 7 prediction scales had good accuracy, high specificity, and low sensitivity, with LAMS and RACE being the highest scoring scales. Feasibility rates ranged between 78% and 88% and should be taken into account before implementing a scale.
A chemical investigation of K. heteroclite led to isolation of two new dibenzocyclooctadienes (1 and 2) together with 14 known compounds (3-16) by using multiple chromatographic techniques. New ...compounds (1 and 2) were obtained and identified by spectroscopic methods (HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR, and ECD) as well as by comparison of their experimental data with those reported in the literatures. All the isolates were evaluated for their ability to modulate TNF-α production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Among them, compound 5 displayed the most inhibition against tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production with IC50 value of 6.16±0.14 µM. Whereas, compounds (1, 3, and 6) showed the significant inhibition (IC50 values ranging from 9.41 to 14.54 µM), and compounds (2, 4, 9, 10, 13, 15, and 16) exhibited moderate inhibition (IC50 values ranging from 19.27 to 40.64 µM) toward TNF-α production, respectively.
This paper presents the results of the first observation of airborne trace elements using
Barbula Indica
moss in Hai Phong city, one of the two largest seaport cities in Vietnam. A total of 39 moss ...samples were collected at 39 different locations in January 2020 in Hai Phong. Neutron activation analysis method was used to analyze the concentration of 36 chemical elements in the collected moss samples and the obtained data were compared with the data obtained in other regions of Vietnam, China and Europe. The level of chemical elemental contamination in the air of Hai Phong was categorized and the possible sources of pollutant emissions were identified by applying principal component analysis.
Overuse of seed and chemical inputs is a major constraint for sustainable rice production in Vietnam. In this study, two seasons of field trials were conducted to compare different crop establishment ...practices for rice production in the Mekong River Delta using environmental and economic sustainability performance indicators. The indicators including energy efficiency, agronomic use efficiency, net income, and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) were quantified based on four treatments including manual broadcast-seeding, blower seeding, drum seeding, and mechanized transplanting. Across the four treatments, yields ranged from 7.3-7.5 Mg ha
and 6.2-6.8 Mg ha
in the Winter-Spring (WS) and Summer-Autumn (SA) seasons, respectively. In comparison with direct seeding methods, mechanized transplanting decreased the seed rate by 40%. It also led to a 30-40% reduction in pesticide use during the main crop season (WS). Mechanized transplanting required higher inputs, including machine depreciation and fuel consumption, but its net energy balance, net income and GHGE were at a similar level as the other non-mechanized planting practices. Mechanized transplanting is a technology package that should be promoted to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of lowland rice cultivation in the Mekong River Delta of Vietnam.
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•The core-shell Fe3O4-SiO2 nanoparticles functionalized with GPS and CDI.•The Fe3O4-SiO2-GPS-CDI core-shell nanoparticles could bind BSA, pA/G and anti-T cell IgG antibodies.•23mg ...pA/G could be coupled on 1g Fe3O4-SiO2-GPS-CDI nanoparticles.•The 1g Fe3O4-SiO2-GPS-CDI-pA/G nanoparticles could bind 9mg anti-T cell IgG antibodies.•The Fe3O4-SiO2-GPS-CDI-pA/G NPs can be applied in bone marrow transplantation.
In our research, we have presented the controlled synthesis of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) with a size of about 10nm coated with SiO2 shells for bio-applications. On this basis, the controlled synthesis of Fe3O4-SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles and their surface functionalization with 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPS) and 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) has been presented with a facile synthetic process. The as-prepared Fe3O4-SiO2-GPS-CDI core-multishell NPs can bind proteins. Therefore, recombinant protein A/G (pA/G) was efficiently coupled onto the surface of NPs via CDI groups, creating a complete coverage. Antibodies (αT IgG) were also conjugated on Fe3O4-SiO2-GPS-CDI-pA/G, i.e. 9mg αT antibodies per 1g NPs. After the surface functionalization of the magnetic nanoparticles, their superparamagnetism was reduced by a factor of about threefold in Fe3O4-SiO2, and fivefold in Fe3O4-SiO2-GPS-CDI-pA/G in comparison with that of the naked Fe3O4 NPs. The NPs conjugated with αT IgG could bind and remove 1×105 cells per 0.25mg NPs in vitro. Finally, the new models of surface functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles have been proposed for promising bioconjugations in our further research.
•We estimate the value of sustainably-produced rice through experimental auctions.•Vietnamese consumers are willing to pay a 9% price premium for VietGAP rice.•Information on certification and ...traceability increase the premium up to 33%.•Health and environmental consciousness drive consumers’ valuation of VietGAP rice.•Consumers’ knowledge and trust in food quality certification are key to promote VietGAP rice.
Little is known about the value of sustainably-produced rice and incentive mechanisms for the adoption of sustainable production standards throughout rice value chains in Southeast Asia. This study tests the feasibility of a market-based incentive mechanism by eliciting consumers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for rice produced and labeled under a national sustainable production standard in the South of Vietnam through experimental auctions. Domestic consumers are willing to pay a 9% price premium for certified sustainably-produced rice. This premium gradually increases up to 33% when incremental levels of information on certification and traceability are provided. Consumers willing to pay premiums for sustainably-produced rice are more health-conscious, have better knowledge of and greater trust in food quality certification for rice, and tend to be more environmentally conscious and to read food labels before purchasing. Findings suggest that sustainable production labels for rice should be accompanied by supplementary information on certification and traceability to increase consumers’ awareness and appreciation of sustainably-produced rice. Promoting certified sustainably-produced rice hence crucially hinges on strengthening consumers’ knowledge of and trust in food quality certification. Communication strategies are recommended to focus on the environmental and health benefits of sustainably-produced rice.
Seagrass meadows provide valuable ecosystem services but are fragile and threatened ecosystems all over the world. This review highlights the current advances in seagrass research from Viet Nam. One ...goal is to support decision makers in developing science-based conservation strategies. In recent years, several techniques were applied to estimate the size of seagrass meadows. Independent from the method used, there is an alarming decline in the seagrass area in almost all parts of Viet Nam. Since 1990, a decline of 46.5% or 13,549 ha was found. Only in a few protected and difficult-to-reach areas was an increase observed. Conditions at those sites could be investigated in more detail to make suggestions for conservation and recovery of seagrass meadows. Due to their lifestyle and morphology, seagrasses take up compounds from their environment easily. Phytoremediation processes of
Thalassia hemprichii
and
Enhalus acoroides
are described exemplarily. High accumulation of heavy metals dependent on their concentration in the environment in different organs can be observed. On the one hand, seagrasses play a role in phytoremediation processes in polluted areas; on the other hand, they might suffer at high concentrations, and pollution will contribute to their overall decline. Compared with the neighboring countries, the total C
org
stock from seagrass beds in Viet Nam was much lower than in the Philippines and Indonesia but higher than that of Malaysia and Myanmar. Due to an exceptionally long latitudinal coastline of 3,260 km covering cool to warm water environments, the seagrass species composition in Viet Nam shows a high diversity and a high plasticity within species boundaries. This leads to challenges in taxonomic issues, especially with the
Halophila
genus, which can be better deduced from genetic diversity/population structures of members of Hydrocharitaceae. Finally, the current seagrass conservation and management efforts in Viet Nam are presented and discussed. Only decisions based on the interdisciplinary cooperation of scientists from all disciplines mentioned will finally lead to conserve this valuable ecosystem for mankind and biodiversity.
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Recently, the waste agricultural materials have been widely considerable for green synthesis of noble metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) due to cost efficiency and environmental ...protection. This study has presented a simple method for the preparation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) utilizing aqueous extract of waste Passiflora edulis peel (PEP) as reducing and stabilizing agents. The formation of MNPs was optimized reaction conditions to obtain the best colloidal solutions. The characterizations of the biosynthesized MNPs were performed by analysis techniques such as Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The TEM data confirmed PEP-AgNPs and PEP-AuNPs in the spherical shape with mean size of 25 nm and 7 nm, respectively. The XRD and SAED patterns showed the synthesized nanoparticles existing in crystalline nature. Antibacterial and catalytic activities have been investigated for their applications. The PEP-AgNPs exhibited a strong antibacterial activity against three strains including Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus. The excellently catalytic activity of both the biosynthesized nanoparticles has been demonstrated for reduction of nitrophenols and degradation of toxic organic dyes via study on their kinetics.
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