Enzimatska obrada iskorištenih listića zelenog čaja i njihova primjena u proizvodnji čajnog peciva s velikim udjelom prehrambenih vlakana

Research background. By-products of food industry have been studied as sources of high fibre and antioxidant ingredients for healthy food products, because of their economic and environmental benefits. However, the soluble dietary fibre content of these materials is usually lower than the recommended value that is claimed to bring positive health effects. Enzymatic treatment could be an efficient method for modifying insoluble and soluble dietary fibre contents of these materials. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of enzymatic treatment conditions on soluble, insoluble and total dietary fibre mass fractions in spent green tea leaves, and evaluate the quality of dough and cookies when different mass fractions of untreated and treated leaves were added to the recipe. Experimental approach. The mass fractions of soluble, insoluble and total dietary fibre in spent tea leaf powder was evaluated after the leaves were treated with cellulase amount of 0−25 U/g for 0 to 2 h. Wheat flour was replaced by untreated and treated spent tea leaf powder at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% in cookie formulation. Textural properties of dough, proximate composition, physical properties and overall acceptability of cookies were analysed. Results and conclusions. The appropriate conditions for enzymatic treatment were enzyme loading of 20 U/g and biocatalytic time of 1.5 h, under which the mass fraction of soluble dietary fibre in spent tea leaves increased by 144.5% compared to that of the control sample. The addition of spent tea leaves led to the increase in dough hardness. Increase in the spent tea leaf amount also enhanced fibre mass fraction, antioxidant activity and hardness of cookies but reduced their overall acceptability. Moreover, the enzymatic treatment of spent tea leaves improved the soluble to total dietary fibre ratio of the cookies, which influenced their textural properties and health benefits. The cookies with added 20% untreated or treated spent tea leaves were overall accepted by the panel. Novelty and scientific contribution. For the first time, spent tea leaves have been treated with enzymes to improve their soluble to total dietary fibre ratio. The treated spent tea leaves are a new promising high-fibre antioxidant ingredient for cookie preparation.Pozadina istraživanja. Nusproizvodi prehrambene industrije ispituju se iz ekonomskih i ekoloških razloga kao izvori sastojaka s velikim udjelom prehrambenih vlakana i antioksidacijskim učinkom koji se mogu upotrijebiti u proizvodnji zdrave hrane. Međutim, udjel topljivih prehrambenih vlakana u nusproizvodima je obično manji od preporučenih vrijednosti koje mogu imati pozitivan učinak na zdravlje. Enzimatska obrada bi mogla biti učinkovita metoda modificiranja netopljivih i topljivih prehrambenih vlakana iz otpada prehrambene industrije. Svrha je ovog rada bila ispitati utjecaj različitih uvjeta enzimatske obrade na masene udjele topljivih, netopljivih i ukupnih prehrambenih vlakana u iskorištenim listićima zelenog čaja, te procijeniti kakvoću tijesta i čajnog peciva s dodatkom različitih masenih udjela obrađenih i neobrađenih listića. Eksperimentalni pristup. Maseni udjeli topljivih, netopljivih i ukupnih prehrambenih vlakana u prahu od iskorištenih listića zelenog čaja mjereni su nakon njihove obrade s 0–25 U/g celulaze tijekom 0 do 2 h. U smjesi za čajno pecivo je pšenično brašno zamijenjeno s 0, 10, 20, 30 i 40 % obrađenog ili neobrađenog praha iskorištenih listića zelenog čaja. Ispitani su tekstura tijesta te kemijski sastav, fizikalna svojstva i ukupna prihvatljivost dobivenog čajnog peciva. Rezultati i zaključci. Pri povoljnim uvjetima enzimatske obrade, a to su 20 U/g enzima i vrijeme trajanja biokatalitičkog procesa od 1,5 sata, maseni udjel topljivih prehrambenih vlakana u iskorištenim listićima zelenog čaja porastao je za 144,5 % u usporedbi s kontrolnim uzorkom. Dodatkom iskorištenih listića zelenog čaja povećala se tvrdoća tijesta. Povećanjem količine listića čaja povećali su se i maseni udjel vlakana, antioksidacijska svojstva i tvrdoća čajnog peciva, ali se smanjila njihova prihvatljivost. Osim toga, enzimatskom se obradom iskorištenih listića zelenog čaja poboljšao omjer topljivih i ukupnih vlakana u čajnom pecivu, što je utjecalo na njegovu teksturu i pozitivan učinak na zdravlje. Panel ocjenjivača je okarakterizirao čajno pecivo s dodatkom 20 % obrađenih ili neobrađenih iskorištenih listića čaja kao prihvatljive. Novina i znanstveni doprinos. Prvi put je enzimatskom obradom iskorištenih listića zelenog čaja poboljšan njihov omjer topljivih i ukupnih prehrambenih vlakana. Obrađeni iskorišteni listići zelenog čaja novi su obećavajući sastojak s antioksidacijskim svojstvima koji se može upotrijebiti u pripremi čajnog peciva

Beyond the homestay: women’s participation in rural tourism development in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

This study examines the impact of the homestay tourism program in Mekong Delta, Vietnam, on women’s participation and empowerment in rural tourism development. As part of this study, 22 interviews were conducted with homestay owners to explore the benefits and challenges of women’s involvement in this type of tourism. The findings show that homestay tourism program has helped women to generate extra income, strengthen family ties, and increase their social influence while reducing domestic violence. However, cultural expectations and gender roles continue to pose challenges. This study underscores the importance of women’s participation in homestay tourism program and provides suggestions for promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in tourism development. The study highlights the potential of women’s involvement in creating a sustainable and inclusive tourism industry and calls for further research and action to promote gender equality and women’s rights in tourism. The findings have practical implications for policymakers and practitioners in the tourism sector

ĐIỆN CỰC NANO CẤU TRÚC 3D - PHÂN LỚP DỊ THỂ CỦA CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3 TRONG VIỆC NÂNG CAO HIỆU SUẤT TÁCH NƯỚC QUANG ĐIỆN HÓA

In this work, we report the synthesis of the hierarchical structure of a CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3 electrode for photoeletrochemical water splitting application. The photoanode was synthesized via the hydrothermal and atomic layer deposition methods. The morphological and structural properties of CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3 nanoplates were carefully investigated by using SEM, TEM, and XRD techniques. The CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3-based photoelectrode has a photocurrent density of 8,5 mA·cm-2 and a photoconversion efficiency of 7.9% at a supplied potential of –0,85 V in a 0.5 M Na2S solution. This photocurrent density is twice higher than that of the CdS/ZnO/FTO electrode. Due to built-in potential and efficiently collecting the photo-carriers generated from the ZnO/CdS heterojunction under illumination, the CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3 electrode exhibits enhanced performance of the photoelectrochemical cell. This is a promising approach to the synthesis of heterojunction layers of semiconductor together with nanostructures for fabricating photoelectrodes of the photoelectrochemical cell to enhance hydrogen production efficiency.Trong bài báo này, chúng tôi nghiên cứu chế tạo điện cực có cấu trúc 3D phân lớp dị thể (cây – cành – nhánh) CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3 ứng dụng cho tách nước quang điện hóa. Điện cực được tổng hợp bằng phương pháp thủy nhiệt và lắng đọng lớp nguyên tử. Hình thái học, cấu trúc tinh thể, và thành phần nguyên tố của điện cực này được nghiên cứu bằng kính hiển vi điện tử quét (FE–SEM), kính hiển vị điện tử truyền qua (HR–TEM) và nhiễu xạ tia X (XRD). Nghiên cứu tính chất quang điện hóa của cấu trúc CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3, chúng tôi thu được mật độ dòng quang điện là 8,5 mA·cm-2 và hiệu suất chuyển đổi năng lượng ánh sáng mặt trời thành năng lượng hydro 7,9 %% tại thế cung cấp –0,85 V trong dung dịch chất điện ly Na2S với nồng độ 0,5 mol/L. Cấu trúc 3D phân lớp này có mật độ dòng quang điện của điện cực cao hơn gấp hai lần so với các cấu trúc CdS/ZnO trên điện cực thủy tinh phủ oxit thiếc pha tạp bằng flo. Đây là một hướng tiếp cận rất hứa hẹn tổng hợp các cấu trúc nano phân lớp dị thể nhằm nâng cao hiệu quả sản xuất hydro

The epidemiology and aetiology of diarrhoeal disease in infancy in southern Vietnam: a birth cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies indicate a high burden of diarrhoeal disease in Vietnamese children, however longitudinal community-based data on burden and aetiology are limited. The findings from a large, prospective cohort study of diarrhoeal disease in infants in southern Vietnam are presented herein. METHODS: Infants were enrolled at birth in urban Ho Chi Minh City and a semi-rural district in southern Vietnam, and followed for 12 months (n=6706). Diarrhoeal illness episodes were identified through clinic-based passive surveillance, hospital admissions, and self-reports. RESULTS: The minimum incidence of diarrhoeal illness in the first year of life was 271/1000 infant-years of observation for the whole cohort. Rotavirus was the most commonly detected pathogen (50% of positive samples), followed by norovirus (24%), Campylobacter (20%), Salmonella (18%), and Shigella (16%). Repeat infections were identified in 9% of infants infected with rotavirus, norovirus, Shigella, or Campylobacter, and 13% of those with Salmonella infections. CONCLUSIONS: The minimum incidence of diarrhoeal disease in infants in both urban and semi-rural settings in southern Vietnam was quantified prospectively. A large proportion of laboratory-diagnosed disease was caused by rotavirus and norovirus. These data highlight the unmet need for a rotavirus vaccine in Vietnam and provide evidence of the previously unrecognized burden of norovirus in infants

Validation and utilization of an internally controlled multiplex Real-time RT-PCR assay for simultaneous detection of enteroviruses and enterovirus A71 associated with hand foot and mouth disease

Background: Hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a disease of public health importance across the Asia-Pacific region. The disease is caused by enteroviruses (EVs), in particular enterovirus A71 (EV-A71). In EV-A71-associated HFMD, the infection is sometimes associated with severe manifestations including neurological involvement and fatal outcome. The availability of a robust diagnostic assay to distinguish EV-A71 from other EVs is important for patient management and outbreak response. Methods: We developed and validated an internally controlled one-step single-tube real-time RT-PCR in terms of sensitivity, linearity, precision, and specificity for simultaneous detection of EVs and EV-A71. Subsequently, the assay was then applied on throat and rectal swabs sampled from 434 HFMD patients. Results: The assay was evaluated using both plasmid DNA and viral RNA and has shown to be reproducible with a maximum assay variation of 4.41 % and sensitive with a limit of detection less than 10 copies of target template per reaction, while cross-reactivity with other EV serotypes was not observed. When compared against a published VP1 nested RT-PCR using 112 diagnostic throat and rectal swabs from 112 children with a clinical diagnosis of HFMD during 2014, the multiplex assay had a higher sensitivity and 100 % concordance with sequencing results which showed EVs in 77/112 (68.8 %) and EV-A71 in 7/112 (6.3 %). When applied to clinical diagnostics for 322 children, the assay detected EVs in throat swabs of 257/322 (79.8 %) of which EV-A71 was detected in 36/322 (11.2 %) children. The detection rate increased to 93.5 % (301/322) and 13.4 % (43/322) for EVs and EV-A71, respectively, when rectal swabs from 65 throat-negative children were further analyzed. Conclusion: We have successfully developed and validated a sensitive internally controlled multiplex assay for rapid detection of EVs and EV-A71, which is useful for clinical management and outbreak control of HFMD. Keywords: Hand foot and mouth disease, Enteroviruses, Enterovirus A71, Real-time RT-PCR, Diagnosi

A generic assay for whole-genome amplification and deep sequencing of enterovirus A71

Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) has emerged as the most important cause of large outbreaks of severe and sometimes fatal hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) across the Asia-Pacific region. EV-A71 outbreaks have been associated with (sub)genogroup switches, sometimes accompanied by recombination events. Understanding EV-A71 population dynamics is therefore essential for understanding this emerging infection, and may provide pivotal information for vaccine development. Despite the public health burden of EV-A71, relatively few EV-A71 complete-genome sequences are available for analysis and from limited geographical localities. The availability of an efficient procedure for whole-genome sequencing would stimulate effort to generate more viral sequence data. Herein, we report for the first time the development of a next-generation sequencing based protocol for whole-genome sequencing of EV-A71 directly from clinical specimens. We were able to sequence viruses of subgenogroup C4 and B5, while RNA from culture materials of diverse EV-A71 subgenogroups belonging to both genogroup B and C was successfully amplified. The nature of intra-host genetic diversity was explored in 22 clinical samples, revealing 107 positions carrying minor variants (ranging from 0 to 15 variants per sample). Our analysis of EV-A71 strains sampled in 2013 showed that they all belonged to subgenogroup B5, representing the first report of this subgenogroup in Vietnam. In conclusion, we have successfully developed a high-throughput next-generation sequencing-based assay for whole-genome sequencing of EV-A71 from clinical samples

A modified Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score for dengue: development, evaluation and proposal for use in clinical trials

Background Dengue is a neglected tropical disease, for which no therapeutic agents have shown clinical efficacy to date. Clinical trials have used strikingly variable clinical endpoints, which hampers reproducibility and comparability of findings. We investigated a delta modified Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (delta mSOFA) score as a uniform composite clinical endpoint for use in clinical trials investigating therapeutics for moderate and severe dengue. Methods We developed a modified SOFA score for dengue, measured and evaluated its performance at baseline and 48 h after enrolment in a prospective observational cohort of 124 adults admitted to a tertiary referral hospital in Vietnam with dengue shock. The modified SOFA score included pulse pressure in the cardiovascular component. Binary logistic regression, cox proportional hazard and linear regression models were used to estimate association between mSOFA, delta mSOFA and clinical outcomes. Results The analysis included 124 adults with dengue shock. 29 (23.4%) patients required ICU admission for organ support or due to persistent haemodynamic instability: 9/124 (7.3%) required mechanical ventilation, 8/124 (6.5%) required vasopressors, 6/124 (4.8%) required haemofiltration and 5/124 (4.0%) patients died. In univariate analyses, higher baseline and delta (48 h) mSOFA score for dengue were associated with admission to ICU, requirement for organ support and mortality, duration of ICU and hospital admission and IV fluid use. Conclusions The baseline and delta mSOFA scores for dengue performed well to discriminate patients with dengue shock by clinical outcomes, including duration of ICU and hospital admission, requirement for organ support and death. We plan to use delta mSOFA as the primary endpoint in an upcoming host-directed therapeutic trial and investigate the performance of this score in other phenotypes of severe dengue in adults and children

Spatiotemporal evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Delta variants during large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19, Vietnam, 2021

We analyzed 1,303 SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequences from Vietnam, and found the Alpha and Delta variants were responsible for a large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19 in 2021. The Delta variant was confined to the AY.57 lineage and caused >1.7 million infections and >32,000 deaths. Viral transmission was strongly affected by nonpharmaceutical interventions

Zarządzanie i wydajność operacji: mediacyjna rola praktyk zarządzania zielonym łańcuchem dostaw w MNC

Recently, operational and supply chain management practices are considered the foremost solution for high operational performance and gain recent researchers' intentions. Thus, the present study aims to examine the role of operational management practices such as extensive training, teamwork, total quality management and just-in-time on the multinational organization's operational performance in Vietnam. The goals also include the examination of the mediating impact of green practices of supply chain among the nexus of operational management practices and operational performance of the multinational organization in Vietnam. The operational and supply chain managers of the multinational organization in Vietnam are the respondents of the study that have been selected by using purposive sampling. The questionnaires have been sued for the data collection, and smart-PLS has been executed for analysis. The results revealed that all the operational management practices have a positive and significant association with multinational organizations’ operational performance in Vietnam. The findings also exposed that the supply chain's green practices are positively mediating among the nexus of operational management practices and operational performance of the multinational organization in Vietnam. These outcomes are suitable for the regulators to develop the policies related to the operational and supply chain practices that could increase organizational performance.Ostatnio praktyki zarządzania operacyjnego i zarządzania łańcuchem dostaw są uważane za najważniejsze rozwiązanie zapewniające wysoką wydajność operacyjną i zyskują najnowsze zamierzenia badaczy. W związku z tym niniejsze badanie ma na celu zbadanie roli praktyk zarządzania operacyjnego, takich jak szeroko zakrojone szkolenia, praca zespołowa, kompleksowe zarządzanie jakością i „just in time” na wyniki operacyjne organizacji wielonarodowej w Wietnamie. Cele obejmują również zbadanie pośredniczącego wpływu ekologicznych praktyk w łańcuchu dostaw w powiązaniu praktyk zarządzania operacyjnego i wyników operacyjnych wielonarodowej organizacji w Wietnamie. Kierownicy operacyjni i łańcucha dostaw międzynarodowej organizacji w Wietnamie są respondentami badania, którzy zostali wybrani na podstawie celowego pobierania próbek. Kwestionariusze zostały pozwane w celu zebrania danych, a smart-PLS został wykonany do analizy. Wyniki ujawniły, że wszystkie praktyki zarządzania operacyjnego mają pozytywny i znaczący związek z wynikami operacyjnymi organizacji międzynarodowych w Wietnamie. Ustalenia ujawniły również, że zielone praktyki łańcucha dostaw pozytywnie pośredniczą w powiązaniu praktyk zarządzania operacyjnego i wyników operacyjnych wielonarodowej organizacji w Wietnamie. Wyniki te są odpowiednie dla organów regulacyjnych do opracowania polityk związanych z praktykami operacyjnymi i praktykami łańcucha dostaw, które mogą zwiększyć wydajność organizacji