Marine Floral Biodiversity, Threats, and Conservation in Vietnam: An Updated Review.

Part of the Indo-Chinese peninsula and located on the northwest edge of the Coral Triangle in the South China Sea, the Vietnamese coastal zone is home to a wealthy marine biodiversity associated with the regional geological setting and history, which supports a large number of marine ecosystems along a subtropical to tropical gradient. The diversity of coastal benthic marine primary producers is also a key biological factor supporting marine biological diversity. The present review provides: (1) an updated checklist of the Vietnamese marine flora, (2) a review of molecular-assisted alpha taxonomic efforts, (3) an analysis of marine floral biodiversity spatial distribution nationally and regionally (South China Sea), (4) a review of the impact of anthropogenic and environmental stressors on the Vietnamese marine flora, and (5) the efforts developed in the last decade for its conservation. Based on the studies conducted since 2013 and the nomenclatural changes that occurred during this period, an updated checklist of benthic marine algae and seagrasses consisted in a new total of 878 species, including 439 Rhodophyta, 156 Ochrophyta, 196 Chlorophyta, 87 Cyanobacteria, and 15 phanerogam seagrasses. This update contains 54 new records and 5 new species of macroalgae. The fairly poor number of new records and new species identified in the last 10 years in a "mega-diverse" country can be largely attributed to the limited efforts in exploring algal biodiversity and the limited use of genetic tools, with only 25.4% (15 species) of these new records and species made based on molecular-assisted alpha taxonomy. The South Central Coast supports the highest species diversity of marine algae, which coincides with the largest density of coral reefs along the Vietnamese coast. Vietnam holds in the South China Sea one of the richest marine floras, imputable to the country's geographical, geological, and climatic settings. However, Vietnam marine floral biodiversity is under critical threats examined here, and current efforts are insufficient for its conservation. A methodical molecular-assisted re-examination of Vietnam marine floral biodiversity is urgently needed, complemented with in-depth investigations of the main threats targeting marine flora and vulnerable taxa, and finally, conservation measures should be urgently implemented.

Current advances in seagrass research: A review from Viet Nam.

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.

Analysis of rDNA reveals a high genetic diversity of Halophila major in the Wallacea region.

The genus Halophila shows the highest species diversity within the seagrass genera. Southeast Asian countries where several boundary lines exist were considered as the origin of seagrasses. We hypothesize that the boundary lines, such as Wallace's and Lydekker's Lines, may act as marine geographic barriers to the population structure of Halophila major. Seagrass samples were collected at three islands in Vietnamese waters and analyzed by the molecular maker ITS. These sequences were compared with published ITS sequences from seagrasses collected in the whole region of interest. In this study, we reveal the haplotype and nucleotide diversity, linking population genetics, phylogeography, phylogenetics and estimation of relative divergence times of H. major and other members of the Halophila genus. The morphological characters show variation. The results of the ITS marker analysis reveal smaller groups of H. major from Myanmar, Shoalwater Bay (Australia) and Okinawa (Japan) with high supporting values. The remaining groups including Sri Lanka, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Two Peoples Bay (Australia) and Tokushima (Japan) showed low supporting values. The Wallacea region shows the highest haplotype and also nucleotide diversity. Non-significant differences were found among regions, but significant differences were presented among populations. The relative divergence times between some members of section Halophila were estimated 2.15-6.64 Mya.

Engaging girls with disabilities through cellphilming: Reflections on participatory visual research as a means of countering violence in the Global South.

Despite the fact that most countries have ratified the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child, girls with disabilities experience multiple forms of violence and oppression. Using a critical approach to arts-based research, we argue that while disabled girls experience multiple vulnerabilities due to the structural conditions which exposed them to violence, the use of participatory visual methods allowed them to reframe their stories. This article discusses the implications for reconceptualizing diverse childhoods in relation to methodologies for empowering disabled girls.

Exchange transfusion in the management of critical pertussis in young infants: a case series.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It is proposed that severe leucocytosis mainly contributes to pulmonary hypertension by blocking pulmonary capillaries and restricting blood flow. Exchange transfusion (ET) in pertussis has been demonstrated as a safe and useful technique for depleting the leucocyte mass. We aim to discuss four cases of pertussis-induced respiratory distress and the effectiveness of ET in such a setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective case series at the Infectious Disease Department of Children's Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and included four pertussis patients that were confirmed by PCR tests on respiratory secretions, presented with severe leucocytosis and respiratory distress and required mechanical ventilation. RESULTS: Among the included patients, three underwent a double volume ET for leucodepletion, two of whom were discharged after the procedure with proper vitals and laboratory test results. On the other hand, one patient died despite ET, performed late in the course of the disease. Exchange transfusion was not performed in the last patient who died as well. CONCLUSION: Early ET may be a useful and rapid life-saving treatment in children with critical pertussis and severe leucocytosis before cardiopulmonary complications appear.