Study of different strategies and approaches followed by footwear companies in vietnam to comply with reach regulation

The European Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical (REACH) is the world’s most ambitious initiative governing the use of chemicals not only on their own but in mixtures or articles. REACH assures the supply of safe products that do not present any hazards to end users or if there is a hazard, it must be communicated properly along with risk management plans. Theoretically, REACH compliance is only mandatory for European companies. In fact, REACH could influence company’s activities beyond its border through economic interdependence. Outsourced manufacturing is a good example as European buyers play an important role on fostering REACH application in other countries. By taking advantages of low labor cost and favorable tariff reduction from Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) which Vietnam has signed with Europe, Vietnam becomes an attractive outsourcing destination of many European footwear buyers. Since “made in China” is no longer cheap, it could be foreseen that Europeans would soon move their manufacturing to Vietnam which is now maintaining the second position after China. However, there is a risk that Vietnam loses its opportunity due to REACH compliance issues. REACH compliance is not easy and it is much more challenging in developing countries, where gaps in technologies and stringency of standards each country applies are encountered. The objective of this thesis has been to assess the difficulties felt by Vietnamese companies, in particular footwear companies, when faced with the requirements of REACH regulations. To address the compliance situation in Vietnam, an online survey was developed and disseminated to Vietnam footwear suppliers with the support of Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO) and Decathlon (a European brand having its manufacturing in Vietnam). The survey has sets of questions that allow the researcher to assess Vietnam footwear supplier’s awareness of REACH regulation, particularly, Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) communication obligations and Restricted Substances (RS) management. The survey also digs into difficulties Vietnam footwear suppliers are facing as well as solutions they are applying to overcome these difficulties. None of LEFASO’s company member participated in the survey. Out of suppliers of Decathlon in Vietnam, only 13 companies responded. The results of the study are largely based on these answers. Data from the survey reveals that almost all of the suppliers are familiar with the REACH regulation and aligning REACH requirements to their operations. Major concerns identified by suppliers when trying to comply with REACH regulation are costs of testing products against chemical lists, lack of knowledge of where regulated chemicals are introduced to the supply chain and frequent addition of new chemicals in the regulated list. These issues would be resolved if information of chemical compositions of materials supplied to the industry is made available. Although suppliers are coming up with individual processes to improve information flow throughout their supply chain, there are still shortcomings which would become another problem in the future. In the light of that, an approach proposed by the researcher is also discussed in the study to tackle both current and foreseeable problem

The Influence of 3D Porous Chitosan-Alginate Biomaterial Scaffold Properties on the Behavior of Breast Cancer Cells

The tumor microenvironment plays an important role in regulating cancer cell behavior. The tumor microenvironment describes the cancer cells, and the surrounding endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and mesenchymal stem cells, along with the extracellular matrix (ECM). The tumor microenvironment stiffens as cancer undergoes malignant progression, providing biophysical cues that promote invasive, metastatic cellular behaviors. This project investigated the influence of three dimensional (3D) chitosan-alginate (CA) scaffold stiffness on the morphology, growth, and migration of green fluorescent protein (GFP) – transfected MDA-MB-231 (231-GFP) breast cancer (BCa) cells. The CA scaffolds were produced by the freeze casting method at three concentrations, 2 wt%, 4 wt%, and 6 wt% to provide different stiffness culture substrates. The CA scaffold material properties were characterized using scanning electron microscopy imaging for pore structure and compression testing for Young\u27s Modulus. The BCa cell cultures were characterized at day 1, 3, and 7 timepoints using Alamar Blue assay for cell number, fluorescence imaging for cell morphology, and single-cell tracking for cell migration. Pore size calculations using SEM imaging yielded pore sizes of 253.29 ± 52.45 µm, 209.55 ± 21.46 µm, and 216.83 ± 32.63 µm for 2 wt%, 4 wt%, and 6 wt%, respectively. Compression testing of the CA scaffolds yielded Young\u27s Modulus values of 0.064 ± 0.008 kPa, 2.365 ± 0.32 kPa and 3.30 ± 0.415 kPa for 2 wt%, 4 wt%, and 6 wt% CA scaffolds, respectively. The results showed no significant difference in cell number among the 3D CA scaffold groups. However, the 231-GFP cells cultured in 2 wt% CA scaffolds possessed greater cellular size, area, perimeter, and lower cellular circularity compared to those in 4 wt% and 6 wt% CA scaffolds, suggesting a more prominent presence of cell clusters in softer substrates compared to stiffer substrates. The results also showed cells in 6 wt% CA having a higher average cell migration speed compared to those in 2 wt% and 4 wt% CA scaffolds, indicating a positive relationship between substrate stiffness and cell migration velocity. Findings from this experiment may contribute to the development of enhanced in vitro 3D breast tumor models for basic cancer research using 3D porous biomaterial scaffolds

Carrot hairy roots (Daucus carota L.) characterisation and optimisation for high β‐carotene extraction

Hairy roots are widely known as a biological system for the production of highly diverse biomolecules. β‐carotene – a precursor for vitamin A – is known to be an anti‐oxidant and anti‐gastric cancer and protection agent against cardiovascular disease, heart disease and stroke. β‐carotene has been chemically synthesised and consumed by humans. However, the chemical process often produces a by‐product that may be harmful to human health. Therefore, this study established a protocol to induce hairy roots (HRs) from a Vietnamese carrot variety and produce natural β‐carotene. The Rhizobium rhizogenes ATCC15834 harbouring Ri plasmid and a Vietnamese carrot variety were used as materials for genetic transformation and HR induction studies. The result showed that approximately 50 HR lines were obtained. Culture medium supplemented with 30 mg/L of sucrose that gave the highest biomass of HR was shown in carrot HR line 30, which had a doubling time of 6.5 days. The highest content of β‐carotene extraction, at 128 mg/100g hairy roots, was achieved with a ratio volume (v/v) of 2‐propanol and plant samples of 20:1, followed by two hours’ incubation with 2‐propanol at 60 °C. Our study reveals a highly efficient protocol for Vietnamese carrot hairy root establishment and multiplication. A very efficient protocol for β‐carotene extraction from the hairy root was established to produce natural β‐carotene that achieves the same β‐carotene quantity as that produced by normal roots. This study provides new insight into the production of high‐content and natural β‐carotene for therapeutic application

Synthesis of antiulcer drug esomeprazole.

Esomeprazole (Nexium®), the (S)-isomer of Omeprazole, is the first proton-pump inhibitor developed as a single isomer for the treatment of acid-related diseases. It is used for the treatment of peptic ulcers, gastroesophagal reflux disease, and erosive esophagitis. Herein, we report our synthetic study of esomeprazole sodium salt from the starting    2-mercapto-5-methoxybenzimidazole and 2-(chloromethyl)-4-methoxy-3,5-dimethylpyridine hydrochloride reagents. The Esomeprazole sodium salt was obtained from enantioselectivesulfoxidation reaction in moderate yield with high enantioselectivity

Isolation, screening antimicrobial activity and identification of fungi from marine sediments of the area Thanh Lan, Co To, Vietnam

Marine environment is rich in natural product resources, including marine microorganisms, especially fungi which are not only seen as a potential source of highly applicable bioactive substances but also can provide for science new chemical structures. The objective of this study is to isolate and screen fungal strains with antibacterial activity from the marine environment. Twenty five strains of fungi were isolated from marine sediments of Thanh Lan, Co To island and assessed on antibiotic activity against 7 tested microbial strains, including three Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC27853, Salmonella enterica ATCC13076), three Gram-positive bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis ATCC29212, Stapphylococus aureus ATCC25923, Bacillus cereus ATCC 13245), and the yeast Candida albicans ATCC10231. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against the tested microorganisms was determined for the crude extracts obtained from the culture broths after ethyl acetate extraction and vacuum rotary evaporation. Three strains with the highest antimicrobial activity M26, M30 and M45 were capable of inhibiting 4 - 5 of the 7 tested microorganisms with MIC values from 64 to 256 μg/ml, depending on each tested strain. Morphological and phylogenetic investigations based on 18S rRNA gene sequences of the three selected strains showed that strains M26 and M30 belonged to the genus Penicillium, whereas strain M45 belonged to the genus Neurospora. The sequences of 18S rRNA gene of three strains M26, M30 and M45 were registered on GenBank database with accession numbers: MH673730, MH673731, MH673732, respectively. Research results showed that marine environment has a great potential in isolation of fungal strains for the search for antibacterial substances as well as other biologically active compounds