Abietane diterpenoids and neolignans from the roots of Pinus kesiya

The phytochemical investigation of the ethyl acetate extract of Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gordon roots led to the isolation of two abietane diterpenes, 7-oxo-15-hydroxy-dehydroabietic acid (1) and dehydroabietic acid (2) as well as two neolignans, cedrusin (3) and cedrusin-4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (4). Their structures were determined by combination of spectral analysis and comparison with reported data. Among them, compound 1 was isolated from the genus Pinus for the first time. Keywords. Pinus kesiya, abietane diterpenes, neolignans, dehydroabietic acid, cedrusin

An Improved MobileNet for Disease Detection on Tomato Leaves

Tomatoes are widely grown vegetables, and farmers face challenges in caring for them, particularly regarding plant diseases. The MobileNet architecture is renowned for its simplicity and compatibility with mobile devices. This study introduces MobileNet as a deep learning model to enhance disease detection efficiency in tomato plants. The model is evaluated on a dataset of 2,064 tomato leaf images, encompassing early blight, leaf spot, yellow curl, and healthy leaves. Results demonstrate promising accuracy, exceeding 0.980 for disease classification and 0.975 for distinguishing between diseases and healthy cases. Moreover, the proposed model outperforms existing approaches in terms of accuracy and training time for plant leaf disease detection

Chemical constituents of Chirita drakei Burtt collected in Ha Long bay, Quang Ninh province, Viet Nam. Part 1. Compounds isolated from the n-hexane and ethyl acetate extracts.

Two triterpenes, an anthraquinone, two lignans and a phenolic compound were isolated from the n-hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of the aerial part of Chirita drakei Burtt collected in islands, on mountain slopes of Ha Long bay, Quang Ninh province. Their structures have been elucidated by mass, NMR spectroscopy and comparison with published data. There are no report on the chemical constituents of Chirita drakei before our study. Keywords. Chirita drakei, triterpene, anthraquinone, lignin

CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF HEDYOTIS PINIFOLIA WALL. COLLECTED IN THUA THIEN HUE

This study reports the chemical constituents from the whole plants Hedyotis pinifolia Wall. Ex G. Don (now accepted as Oldenlandia  pinifolia (Wall. Ex G. Don) Kuntze) collected  in Thua Thien Hue province. Thirteen compounds were isolated by chromatography method. Their structures were elucidated using MS and NMR analysis and compared with reported data. They contain three anthraquinones, a carotenoid, two triterpenes, four iridoid glucosides and three flavonoid glycosides. Four of them were found for the first time in this genus

Diterpenoids from Fokienia hodginsii.

In continuous research on the chemical constituents of the twigs and leaves of Fokienia hodginsii (Dunn) A. Henry et Thomas growing in Highland, Lam Dong province 4 diterpenoids, including 3-oxo-totarol (totarolone, 1), 3β-hydroxytotarol (2), 15-nor-labda-8(17),12E-diene-14-carboxaldehyde-19-oic acid (3) and 13-oxo-15,16-dinorlabda-8(17),11E-diene-19-oic acid (4) were isolated. Their structures were elucidated by the spectroscopic methods and comparison with reported data. This is the first report on the isolation of compounds 1, 2 and 3 from this plant. Keywords. Fokienia hodginsii; totarane; nor-labdane diterpenoid

Evaluation of Ursolic Acid as the Main Component Isolated from Catharanthus Roseus against Hyperglycemia

ABSTRACT. Ursolic acid with large amount (0.67% of dried plant weight) along with 7 compounds, namely as spatozoate (1), kaurenoic acid (2), ursonic acid (3), 3-hydroxy-11-ursen-28,13-olide (4), ursolic acid (5), vindoline (6) and mixture of β-sitosterol and stigmasterol were isolated from dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts which have shown anti-glucosidase activity of the whole plant of C.roseus. Some isolated compounds and their derivatives were also tested for anti-glucosidase and cytotoxicity.Ursolic acid was examined for hypoglycemic activity in alloxan-induced diabetic mice with dose of 200 and 300 mg/kg/day, respectively. The results have shown that the blood glucose level were reduced by 45.75% and 51.31% to compare with the control group. This study has confirmed that the main component of Vietnamese C. roseus has had significant anti-hyperglycemia activity

Terpenoids from Dacrycarpus imbricatus.

The phytochemical investigation of the hexane extract from the twigs and leaves of Dacrycarpus imbricatus (Blume) de Laub led to the isolation of a rare sesquiterpene, spathulenol (1) along with three diterpenes named pimaric acid (2), trans-communic acid (3) and cis-communic acid (4). Their structures were determined by combination of spectral analysis and comparison with reported data. This is the first report on isolation of compound 1 from the Podocarpaceae family. Keywords. Dacrycarpus imbricatus, spathulenol, pimaric acid, communic acid

High cortisol and cortisone levels are associated with breast milk dioxin concentrations in Vietnamese women

Objective: Dioxin (polychlorinated dibenzodioxins Cpolychlorinated dibenzofurans) is one of the most toxic chemical substances known. Although it is suspected to cause endocrine disruption, very few epidemiological studies have been carried out on its effects on human steroid hormones. The aim of this study was to elucidate the association of dioxin exposure with steroid hormone levels in the saliva and serum of Vietnamese women. Study design : Two areas, namely Phu Cat (hot spot) and Kim Bang (nonexposed area), were selected for the study. The study subjects consisted of 51 and 58 women respectively. Saliva, blood, and breast milk samples were collected from the subjects in both the areas. Methods: Cortisol, cortisone, DHEA, androstenedione, estrone, and estradiol levels in serum and saliva were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; dioxin concentrations in breast milk were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results: Dioxin concentrations in the breast milk of women from the dioxin hot spot were three to four times higher than those in the breast milk of women from the nonexposed area. Good correlations were found between the levels of six steroid hormones in saliva and those in serum respectively. Salivary and serum cortisol and cortisone levels in women from the dioxin hot spot were significantly higher than those in women from the nonexposed area (P<0.001) and those in all the subjects were positively associated with dioxin concentrations in Vietnamese women (P<0.01). Conclusion: These results suggest that dioxin influences steroidogenesis in humans. Saliva samples can be used for hormone analysis and are therefore excellent specimens in epidemiological studies. © 2014 European Society of Endocrinology

Low birth weight of Vietnamese infants is related to their mother’s dioxin and glucocorticoid levels

We aimed to determine the relationship between dioxin congeners in maternal breast milk and maternal glucocorticoid levels with newborn birth weight after nearly 45 years of use of herbicides in the Vietnam War. The study subjects comprised 58 mother–infant pairs in a region with high dioxin levels in the soil (hotspot) and 62 pairs from a control region. Dioxin levels in maternal breast milk were measured by HRGC-HRMS. Salivary glucocorticoid levels were determined by LC-MS/MS. Dioxin congener levels in mothers from the hotspot were found to be two to fivefold higher than those in mothers from the control region. Birth weight was inversely correlated with 2,3,7,8-TeCDD and 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF congener levels. The rate of newborns whose birth weight was less than 2500 g was threefold higher in the hotspot (12 %) than in the control region (4 %). Salivary glucocorticoid levels in mothers with low birth weight infants were significantly higher than those in the normal birth weight group. Low birth weight of Vietnamese newborns in a hotspot for dioxin levels is related to some dioxin congener levels and high glucocorticoid levels in mothers. This finding in mother–infant pairs suggests that excess maternal glucocorticoid levels are related to dioxin burden and they result in low birth weight. © 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin HeidelbergEmbargo Period 12 month

Effects of water scarcity awareness and climate change belief on recycled water usage willingness: Evidence from New Mexico, United States

The global water crisis is being exacerbated by climate change, even in the United States. Recycled water is a feasible alternative to alleviate the water shortage, but it is constrained by humans’ perceptions. The current study examines how residents’ water scarcity awareness and climate change belief influence their willingness to use recycled water directly and indirectly. Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics was employed on a dataset of 1831 residents in Albuquerque, New Mexico, an arid inland region in the US. We discovered that residents’ willingness to use direct recycled potable water is positively affected by their awareness of water scarcity, but the effect is conditional on their belief in the impacts of climate change on the water cycle. Meanwhile, the willingness to use indirect recycled potable water is influenced by water scarcity awareness, and the belief in climate change further enhances this effect. These findings implicate that fighting climate change denialism and informing the public of the water scarcity situation in the region can contribute to the effectiveness and sustainability of long-term water conservation and climate change alleviation efforts