Identification and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity evaluation of two new coumarins derived from Mansonia gagei J. R. Drumm.

Five coumarins were isolated from the heartwood of Mansonia gagei, which included two newly discovered compounds, namely 11-hydroxypopulene E (1) and mansorin D (2), along with three previously identified compounds. The structures were determined through the utilisation of comprehensive spectroscopic data, ECD calculations, and a thorough comparison with existing literature data. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of all isolated compounds were assessed in yeast. Out of the compounds tested, compound 2 exhibited the most significant activity, displaying a percentage inhibition of 34.33% at a concentration of 200 µM.

Health staff perceptions of patient safety and associated factors in hospitals in Vietnam.

Introduction: Patient safety is a global challenge of preventing and mitigating medical errors which might harm patients during their course of treatment and care. This study was employed to contribute to the existing literature aimed to assess patient safety culture among health staff and to determine predictors of health staff perceptions of patient safety in hospitals in Vietnam. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three hospitals of Vietnam with a total of 763 participants. This study used the Hospital Patient Safety Scale developed by the American Health and Quality Research Organization. Results: In general, 8 of 12 patient safety dimensions in two hospital; and 10 of 12 dimensions in a third hospital had average scores of 60% and above positive responses. The communication openness and organizational learning dimensions were found to be significant different when comparing hospitals. Regarding sample characteristics, department (subclinical department) and health staff positions (nurses/technicians, pharmacists) were significant predictors in the total model including three hospitals (R2 = 0.07). Conclusion: This study reported that communication openness and organization learning are two aspects that need to be improved they are strongly related to patient safety culture and to knowledge exchange among health staff. It has been suggested that hospitals should deliver patient safety training courses and establish a supportive learning environment to improve these challenges.

Chemical composition, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity of essential oils from two Luvunga species (L. scandens and L. hongiaoensis) from Vietnam.

New essential oils (EOs) extracted from different parts of two Luvunga species (L. scandens and L. hongiaoensis) from Vietnam were investigated for their chemical composition, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity. Sixty-nine total compounds were identified in the EOs by GC/MS. The major constituent of the leaf, fruit, and root EOs from L. scandens was ß-caryophyllene (71.5%, 63.0%, and 31.5% respectively). The main compounds in L. hongiaoensis EOs were ß-elemene (34.3% in leaf oil) and caryophyllene oxide (21.2% in root oil, 19.4% in stem oil). The EO from L. scandens fruits significantly inhibited nitric oxide production on LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells (IC50 = 37.95 ± 2.76 µg/mL). The EOs from L. hongiaoensis roots and L. scandens leaves and fruits exhibited cytotoxic activity against MCF-7, SK-LU-1, and HepG2 (IC50 from 49.74 ± 3.36 to 97.82 ± 8.61 µg/mL). This is the first report on L. hongiaoensis EOs and significantly complements the composition and bioactivity of L. scandens EOs.

Higher Education and Its Role for National Development. A Research Agenda with Bibliometric Analysis.

The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the literature on the function of higher education and extract significant insights using the VosViewer and Citespaces tools. The findings reveal that higher education is a substantial worry for scientists, particularly in 2015-2019. Furthermore, research indicates a significant body of knowledge on the function of higher education in national development related to human resources, economic growth, and other social issues. Finally, the research suggests strategies for promoting higher education's involvement in meeting the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Jasminanthoside - a new pregnane-steroid from Jasminanthes tuyetanhiae.

A new pregnane steroid, jasminanthoside (1), together with three known compounds, telosmoside A7 (2), syringaresinol (3), and methyl 6-deoxy-3-O-methyl-ß-D-allopyranosyl-(1→4)-ß-D-oleandropyranoside (4) were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of Jasminanthes tuyetanhiae roots collected in Vietnam. Their chemical structures were elucidated by NMR and MS spectroscopic data analysis along with the comparison of their data with the published ones in the literature. Although 4 was a known compound, its full NMR data were reported for the first time. All isolated compounds, evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibition, showed activities stronger than the positive control acarbose. Among them, 1 was the best with the IC50 value of 7.41 ± 0.59 µM.

Tecomastane, a new megastigmane from the flowers of Tecoma stans.

Tecoma stans is a tropical plant that is widely used in folk medicine. Little is known about the chemical constituents of flowers of this plant. From flowers of the native plant in Vietnam, 12 compounds were isolated and elucidated, including one new compound tecomastane (1) and eleven known compounds, (3S,5R,6S,7E)-5,6-epoxy-3-hydroxy-7-megastigmane-9-one (2), bosciallin (3), chakyunglupulin B (4), (2S,6R)-2,6-dimethyloctane-1,8-diol (5), cleroindicin F (6), rengyoxide (7), 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (8), methyl 3,4-dihydrobenzoate (9), 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (10), luteolin (11), and indole-3-carboxylic acid (12). Compound 5 was a new natural product. The chemical structures of isolated compounds were identified by interpretation of their spectroscopic data (1D, 2D NMR, and HRESIMS) and by comparison with the literature. Compounds 1-7 and 10-12 were evaluated for alpha-glucosidase inhibition and antimicrobial activity against antibiotic-resistant, pathogenic bacteria Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Acinetobacter baumannii.

Two new phenolic compounds from Boerhavia erecta collected in Vietnam.

Boerhavia erecta is a tropical plant that is widely used in Asian folk medicine. Little is known about the alpha-glucosidase inhibition and antimicrobial properties of compounds from this plant. In the present study, the phytochemical study of the aerial parts of B. erecta collected in Vietnam was conducted using multiple chromatographic methods. The chemical structures of isolated compounds were identified by comprehensive spectroscopic methods. Two new compounds, berectone C (1) and (E)-tetracosyl 3-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)acrylate (4), together with the known compounds boeravinone C (2), liquiritigenin (3), bis(1H-indol-3-yl)methanone (5), and indole-3-carboxylic acid (6) were isolated and structural elucidated. Compounds 1 and 4 were evaluated for alpha-glucosidase inhibition and antimicrobial activity against antibiotic-resistant, pathogenic bacteria Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Compound 1 showed strong inhibition of the alpha-glucosidase enzyme (IC50 43 µg/mL). Only compound 1 exhibited antimicrobial property against A. baumannii, forming an inhibition zone of 11 mm.

Hedyocoronins A and B: two new oleanane saponins from the aerial parts of Hedyotis coronaria.

Two new oleanane saponins, hedyocoronin A (1) and hedyocoronin B (2), were isolated from the aerial parts of Hedyotis coronaria (Kurz) Craib, Rubiaceae, collected at Da Oai district, Lam Dong province in Vietnam. Their chemical structures were elucidated by HR-MS, 1D and 2D-NMR spectra, along with the comparison with those reported in the literature. Compounds 1 and 2 showed weak cytotoxicity against KB and HeLa-S3 cancer cell lines with IC50 values of more than 54 µM.

Nepetifoliol - a new glutinane-triterpenoid from Leonotis nepetifolia.

A new glutinane-triterpenoid, nepetifoliol (1), together with two known compounds, dymacrin D (2), and (+)-ar-tumerone (3) were isolated from the n-hexane extract of the aerial parts of Leonotis nepetifolia. Their chemical structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis as well as the comparison of their NMR data with the ones published in the literatures. A putative biosynthetic pathway for the formation of the new compound (anti-diaxial-5,6-diol) (1) from the precursor triterpene glutinol was proposed. Compounds (2), (3) and some previously reported ones, isolated from this extract, including 5α-stigmasta-22-ene-3-one (4), friedelin (5), chrysophanol (6), physcion (7), and 4'-O-methylalpinumisoflavone (8) were evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibition. Among tested compounds, 3 and 6 showed good activities with their IC50 values of 5.3 ± 0.2 and 4.9 ± 0.3 µg/mL, respectively, comparing to the positive control, acarbose (IC50 127.7 ± 0.2 µg/mL).

In silico and in vitro studies on the anti-cancer activity of artemetin, vitexicarpin and penduletin compounds from Vitex negundo.

Vitex negundo L. (V. negundo) is one of the important medicinal and anticancer enhancer herbs. This plant is commonly used in the preparation of traditional drugs to treat numerous diseases. Inspired by the medicinal properties of this plant, the current study aimed to investigate antiproliferative potential and the primary molecular mechanisms of the apoptotic induction against human HepG2 and MCF-7 cell lines, by pure compounds isolated from targeted fractions of V. negundo which were characterized by NMR, FTIR and HRMS analysis and identified as artemetin (FLV1), vitexicarpin (FLV2), and penduletin (FLV3) compounds. The FLV1, FLV2, and FLV3 compounds were evaluated for the antiproliferative potential against HepG2 and MCF-7 cell lines by cell viability assay and exhibited IC50 values of 2.3, 23.9 and 5.6 µM and 3.9, 25.8, and 6.4 µM, respectively. In addition, those compounds increased the level of reactive oxygen species production, induced cell death occurred via apoptosis, demonstrated by Annexin V-staining cells, contributed significantly to DNA damage, and led to the activation of caspase3/caspase8 pathways.Additionally, molecular docking was also conducted to rationalize the cancer cells inhibitory and to evaluate the ability of the FLV1, FLV2, and FLV3 compounds to be developed as good drug candidates for cancers treatment.

The rehydration attributes and quality characteristics of 'Quick-cooking' dehydrated beans: Implications of glass transition on storage stability.

Storage stability is an essential consideration for minimizing the deteriorative quality changes in foods post-processing. This study, for the first, time aimed to gain insight into the storage stability of quick-cooking 'convenient' dehydrated beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) using the glass transition (Tg) concept. Quick-cooking dehydrated beans were prepared by hydrothermal treatment of fresh beans followed by air-drying and are rehydrated prior to use. The impact of storage temperatures (25, 28, 35 and 42 °C) on the rehydration indices (rate constant and extent) and quality characteristics (colour, texture and volatile profile) of the beans were studied. The results indicate a decrease in the rehydration rate constants with increasing storage temperatures and duration. The rehydration ability also significantly decreased with increased storage duration (>28 °C) suggesting a strong inverse link with hardness. Although there was no overall colour change with storage, the formation of new volatiles associated with non-enzymatic chemical reactions occurred at elevated temperatures (28-42 °C). Identification of the critical water contents based on the Tg-moisture relation and the moisture sorption isotherm revealed that dehydrated beans of 10 % moisture content stored below 28 °C are in a glassy state. Overall, the quality characteristics are significantly influenced by storage and the utilization of the glass transition concept allows for identifying suitable storage conditions.

Diagnosing Human Fascioliasis Using ELISA Immunoassays at a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Hanoi: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Infections with the zoonotic liver flukes Fasciola gigantica and Fasciola hepatica may result in severe disease in humans. In Vietnam, an emergence of fascioliasis cases has been observed from the late 1990s onwards. Various diagnostic tools are used in the country, but the agreement between these tools has not been critically evaluated. We aimed to describe the clinical presentation and diagnostic outcomes in fascioliasis patients in Vietnam. A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted on the medical records of a group of 145 patients diagnosed with fascioliasis at a tertiary referral hospital in Hanoi. Based on the review, sociodemographic background and clinical presentation were recorded. These patients all received standard routine serologic tests, including internal antibody (Ab)-ELISA, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and commercial coproantigen (cAg)-ELISA. The majority of cases were between 30 and 59 years old (68.3%), and about half of them were male (51.0%). Upper quadrant and epigastric pain were the most commonly reported symptoms (61.4% and 35.2%, respectively). All but one patient had liver lesions upon ultrasound examination (99.3%), and eosinophilia was present in most of the patients (89.7%). A high number of patients were positive in the in-house and the commercial Ab-ELISA (95.9% and 87.4%, respectively), yet only a slight agreement was observed between the two tests (kappa coefficient, 0.06). A further 47.4% of cases were positive for the commercial cAg-ELISA, whereas stool microscopy indicated the presence of Fasciola spp. eggs in 25.7% of patients. The current study emphasizes the challenges related to the diagnosis of human fascioliasis in Vietnam.

A new resorcinol derivative from the bark of Aegiceras floridum (Primulaceae).

Chemical investigation of the Vietnamese plant Aegiceras floridum Roem. & Schult. (Primulaceae) led to the isolation of the new compound 3-methoxy-5-nonylphenol (1) along with five known ones 2,8,10-trihydroxy-6H-benzo[c]chromen-6-one (2), 2-hydroxy-5-methoxy-3-nonylbenzo-1,4-quinone (3), 5-(3-hydroxypropyl)-7-methoxy-3-(methylbenzofuran-2-yl)-3-methoxyphenol (4), 2,8-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-3,9-diundecyldibenzofuran-1,4-dione (5) and 10-hydroxy-4-methoxy-2,11-diundecylgomphilactone (6). The structures were elucidated by analysis of their HRESIMS and NMR data as well as the comparison of their NMR data with those reported in the literature. The cytotoxic activity of selected isolated compounds against some cancer cell lines such as human epithelial carcinoma (HeLa), human lung cancer (NCI-H460), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), human breast cancer (MCF-7), and acute T cell leukemia (Jurkat) was evaluated. Among them, 3 showed moderate activities against MCF-7 with an IC50 of 17.77 µM and NCI-H460 with an IC50 of 25.02 µM. The result of DPPH radical scavenging activity assay indicated that compounds 2-4 and 6 revealed weak antioxidant activity.

Parmosidone K, a new meta-depsidone from the lichen Parmotrema tsavoense.

Further phytochemical investigation on P. tsavoense led to one new meta-depsidone, parmosidone K together with one known compound, barbatic acid. Their structures were determined by 1D and 2D NMR analysis, high resolution mass spectroscopy, and comparison their NMR data with those reported in literatures. Parmosidone K was evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibition and revealed the powerful activity with IC50 value of 3.12 µM.

Reticulatin, a novel C43-spiroterpenoid from the lichen Parmotrema reticulatum growing in Vietnam.

A novel C43-spiroterpenoid, reticulatin (1), was isolated from the lichen Parmotrema reticulatum (Taylor) M. Choisy (Parmeliaceae). Five previously-reported compounds were also isolated: zeorin (2), leucotylin (3), lupeol (4), betulinic acid (5), and dihydroreynosin (6). The structures were elucidated by 1D, 2D NMR, and HRESIMS spectroscopy and comparison with the literature. We propose that reticulatin is a biosynthetic product of fusicoccadiene and vinapraesorediosic acid A via Diels-Alder addition. Reticulatin is the first C43-spiroterpenoid identified from lichen metabolites. All compounds were evaluated for inhibition of α-glucosidase. Compound 1 showed the most potent inhibition, with an IC50 value of 3.90 µM, much lower than that of the acarbose positive control (IC50 165 µM).

Three quinolinone alkaloid - phenylpropanoid adducts from Melicope pteleifolia.

Preliminary in vitro cytotoxic test on different extracts of Melicope pteleifolia collected at Dak Nong province, Vietnam showed that the n-hexane one was the most potent. From this n-hexane extract, three new quinolinone alkaloid-phenylpropanoid derivatives (1-3) and three known compounds (4-6) were isolated. Based on NMR and HR-MS analysis, their chemical structures were elucidated as melicoptines A-C (1-3), flindersine (4), 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoic acid (5) and (24S)-methylcholestan-1α,3ß-diol (6). Isolated compounds (1-4) were evaluated for their anti-bacterial and cytotoxic activities against human non-small cell lung cancer (A549), human cervical cancer (HeLa), human Burkitt's lymphoma (Raji) and normal fibroblasts (NIH-3T3). All of them were inactive.

Ethyl acetate extract of Elephantopus mollis Kunth induces apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is one of the most leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Therefore, treatment studies have been being conducted, one of which is screening of novel agents from medicinal herbs. Elephantopus mollis Kunth (EM) belonging to Asteraceae family is a perennial herb with several therapeutic properties including anticancer activity. However, the effect of this species on gastric cancer has not been reported yet. In this study, cytotoxicity of different EM crude extracts was investigated on AGS gastric cancer cell line. Besides, the effects of extract on nuclear morphology, caspase-3 activation, and gene expression were also explored. RESULTS: The results showed that ethyl acetate extract exhibited a remarkably inhibitory ability (IC50 = 27.5 µg/ml) on the growth of AGS cells, while causing less toxicity to normal human fibroblasts. The extract also induced apoptotic deaths in AGS cells as evidenced by cell shrinkage, formation of apoptotic bodies, nuclear fragmentation, caspase-3 activation, and the upregulation of BAK and APAF-1 pro-apoptotic genes related to mitochondrial signaling pathway. Specifically, BAK and APAF-1 mRNA expression levels showed 2.57 and 2.71-fold increases respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The current study not only proved the anti-gastric cancer activity of EM ethyl acetate extract but also proposed its molecular mechanism. The extract could be a potential candidate for further investigation.

The Impact of Drying and Rehydration on the Structural Properties and Quality Attributes of Pre-Cooked Dried Beans.

Fresh common beans can be made 'instant' to produce fast-cooking beans by first soaking and cooking the beans before drying to create a shelf-stable product that can be rehydrated at the time of use. This study investigated the interplay between the drying process (air, vacuum and freeze drying), the microstructure and functional attributes of rehydrated pre-cooked beans. The microscopic study revealed that the three different drying techniques resulted in distinctly different microstructures, with the freeze drying process resulting in highly porous materials, while the air- and vacuum-dried samples underwent shrinkage. Additionally, the rehydration behavior (modeled using empirical and diffusion models) demonstrates that the high rehydration rate of freeze-dried beans is due to capillarity, while rehydration, in the case of air- and vacuum-dried beans, is primarily diffusion-controlled. Irrespective of the drying technique, the high rehydration capacity supports little to no structural collapse or damage to the cell walls. The color and texture of the rehydrated beans did not differ greatly from those of freshly cooked beans. The total peak area of the volatiles of rehydrated beans was significantly reduced by the drying process, but volatiles characteristic of the cooked bean aroma were retained. This new understanding is beneficial in tailoring the functional properties of pre-cooked dry convenient beans requiring short preparation times.

Prevalence of Advanced HIV Disease, Cryptococcal Antigenemia, and Suboptimal Clinical Outcomes Among Those Enrolled in Care in Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: People living with advanced HIV disease are at high risk of morbidity and mortality. We assessed the prevalence of cryptococcal antigenemia (CrAg) and clinical outcomes among patients newly presenting with CD4 ≤100 cells/µL in Vietnam. SETTING: Twenty-two public HIV clinics in Vietnam. METHODS: During August 2015-March 2017, antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve adults presenting for care with CD4 ≤100 cells/µL were screened for CrAg. Those who consented to study enrollment were followed up for up to 12 months and assessed for clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Of 3504 patients with CD4 results, 1354 (38.6%) had CD4 ≤100 cells/µL, of whom 1177 (86.9%) enrolled in the study. The median age was 35 years (interquartile range 30-40); 872 (74.1%) of them were men, and 892 (75.8%) had CD4 <50 cells/µL. Thirty-six patients (3.1%) were CrAg-positive. Overall, 1151 (97.8%) including all who were CrAg-positive initiated ART. Of 881 patients (76.5%) followed up for ≥12 months, 623 (70.7%) were still alive and on ART at 12 months, 54 (6.1%) had transferred to nonstudy clinics, 86 (9.8%) were lost to follow-up, and 104 (11.8%) had died. Among all 1177 study participants, 143 (12.1%) died, most of them (123, 86.0%) before or within 6 months of enrollment. Twenty-seven patients (18.9%) died of pulmonary tuberculosis, 23 (16.1%) died of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, 8 (5.6%) died of Talaromyces marneffei infection, and 6 (4.2%) died of opioid overdose. Eight deaths (5.8%) occurred among the 36 CrAg-positive individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Late presentation for HIV care was common. The high mortality after entry in care calls for strengthening of the management of advanced HIV disease.