Molecular identification of three Habenaria species from Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve, Vietnam

The present provides molecular data for species of Habenaria diphylla (Nimmo) Dalzell, H. khasiana Hook.f. and H. rostellifera Rchb.f. collected from Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve, Vietnam for the first time. Along with other DNA sequences from GenBank database, the phylogenetic trees for Habenaria species from Vietnam have been established

Chemical composition and antibacterial activities of essential oils from Homalomena pierreana (Araceae)

30-37Homalomena is a genus of the Araceae family which contains several remedies used extensively in traditional Vietnamese medicine. H. pierreana is a rare plant species of Homalomena genus and found only in Phu Quoc National Park, Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang Province, Vietnam. Therefore, the number of studies about this species is limited and the bioactivity of this species is still unknown. In this study, the chemical composition of essential oils was investigated which was isolated from leaves and rhizomes of H. pierreana at the first time by GC-MS. Eight and twelve compounds were identified from the essential oils of rhizomes and leaves, respectively. The major component from both the rhizomes and the leaves was aromadendrene (44 and 48%, respectively). Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of essential oils collected from leaves and rhizomes of H. pierreana was investigated and it was observed that the essential oil of rhizomes could inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while the essential oil of leaves exhibited an inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.</em

Chemical composition and antibacterial activities of essential oils from Homalomena pierreana (Araceae)

Homalomena is a genus of the Araceae family which contains several remedies used extensively in traditional Vietnamese medicine. H. pierreana is a rare plant species of Homalomena genus and found only in Phu Quoc National Park, Phu Quoc Island, Kien Giang Province, Vietnam. Therefore, the number of studies about this species is limited and the bioactivity of this species is still unknown. In this study, the chemical composition of essential oils was investigated which was isolated from leaves and rhizomes of H. pierreana at the first time by GC-MS. Eight and twelve compounds were identified from the essential oils of rhizomes and leaves, respectively. The major component from both the rhizomes and the leaves was aromadendrene (44 and 48%, respectively). Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of essential oils collected from leaves and rhizomes of H. pierreana was investigated and it was observed that the essential oil of rhizomes could inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while the essential oil of leaves exhibited an inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli

Study on chemical constituents of the lichen Parmotrema sancti-angelii (Lynge) Hale. (Parmeliaceae)

Lichens are fungal and algal/cyanobacterial symbioses resulting in the production of specific metabolites. Parmotrema sancti-angelii (Lynge) Hale is a lichen which has not been chemically and biologically studied well. From the lichen collected in Vietnam, colour reactions for identification of lichen substances (+K  red, +P yellow, -C, +KC red ) suggested the presence of quinones, depsides and xanthones containing two free hydroxyl groups in meta-position, depsides and depsidones containing an aldehyde group. Chemical constituent study led to the isolation of three compounds, including methyl β-orcinolcarboxylate (1), salazinic acid (2) and atranorin (3). Their structures were confirmed unambiguously by X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic data and compared with those in references. This is the first report of salazinic acid distribution in such lichen. Keywords. Parmeliaceae, Parmotrema sancti-angelii, X-ray, NMR, salazinic acid

Effects of dietary Mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) on grown, survival rate, intestinal morphology and blood cell count of the golden trevally fish (Gnathanodon specious)

The golden trevally fishes (Gnathanodon specious) (2.19 ± 0.23 g) were cultured in glass tanks with density of 20 fishes/tank and they were fed supplemental diets of different MOS concentrations (0; 0.2; 0.4 and 0.6%) for 90 days. Collected data included growth rate, survival rate and some hematological characteristics of this fish. The results demonstrated that MOS supplementation did not affect growth performance, erythrocyte density and blood cell size, however the survival rate was significantly increased. On the other hand, the total number of white blood cells (BC) on the 60th day in the fish fed with MOS supplements (5.78–6.96 × 104TB/mm3) was higher than that in the control group (only 5.43 × 104TB/mm3) with the largest total leukocytes (6.96 ± 0.50 × 104TB /mm3) at 0.2% MOS (p 0.05)

Elaborating a people-centered approach to understanding sustainable livelihoods under climate and environmental change: Thang Binh District, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam

This paper explores the maintenance of livelihoods under climate, environmental, and economic development pressures, through the case of Thang Binh District in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Within widespread recognition of the need to link sustainable livelihoods approaches with climate change adaptation, there is growing awareness of the importance of people-centered approaches which keep the diverse experience, capabilities, and knowledges of the most vulnerable at the heart of sustainable livelihoods thinking. In response, this paper explores the conditions for changes in modes of livelihoods in a case study area where top-down strategies for sustainable livelihoods are met with residents’ diverse experiences of vulnerability, and where climate and environmental changes shape residents’ relations with the landscape. The research is undertaken via interviews with residents, farmers/fishers, and local government officials. Our study finds that whilst government-led initiatives for sustainable livelihoods are welcomed in the locality, inflexible policies can make it challenging for the most vulnerable people to access support. Moreover, residents see the capacity to live with and respond to extreme weather events as a critical component of maintaining a sustainable livelihood. Our findings reinforce international literature, showing that ‘the poor’ are not a homogenous category, and illustrate the importance of attention to the smallest levels of government who are tasked with putting sustainable livelihoods initiatives into practice in relation to people’s daily lives

Screen of Non-annotated Small Secreted Proteins of \u3ci\u3ePseudomonas syringae\u3c/i\u3e Reveals a Virulence Factor That Inhibits Tomato Immune Proteases

Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (PtoDC3000) is an extracellular model plant pathogen, yet its potential to produce secreted effectors that manipulate the apoplast has been under investigated. Here we identified 131 candidate small, secreted, non-annotated proteins from the PtoDC3000 genome, most of which are common to Pseudomonas species and potentially expressed during apoplastic colonization. We produced 43 of these proteins through a custom-made gateway-compatible expression system for extracellular bacterial proteins, and screened them for their ability to inhibit the secreted immune protease C14 of tomato using competitive activity-based protein profiling. This screen revealed C14-inhibiting protein-1 (Cip1), which contains motifs of the chagasin-like protease inhibitors. Cip1 mutants are less virulent on tomato, demonstrating the importance of this effector in apoplastic immunity. Cip1 also inhibits immune protease Pip1, which is known to suppress PtoDC3000 infection, but has a lower affinity for its close homolog Rcr3, explaining why this protein is not recognized in tomato plants carrying the Cf-2 resistance gene, which uses Rcr3 as a co-receptor to detect pathogen-derived protease inhibitors. Thus, this approach uncovered a protease inhibitor of P. syringae, indicating that also P. syringae secretes effectors that selectively target apoplastic host proteases of tomato, similar to tomato pathogenic fungi, oomycetes and nematodes

Screen of Non-annotated Small Secreted Proteins of \u3ci\u3ePseudomonas syringae\u3c/i\u3e Reveals a Virulence Factor That Inhibits Tomato Immune Proteases

Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (PtoDC3000) is an extracellular model plant pathogen, yet its potential to produce secreted effectors that manipulate the apoplast has been under investigated. Here we identified 131 candidate small, secreted, non-annotated proteins from the PtoDC3000 genome, most of which are common to Pseudomonas species and potentially expressed during apoplastic colonization. We produced 43 of these proteins through a custom-made gateway-compatible expression system for extracellular bacterial proteins, and screened them for their ability to inhibit the secreted immune protease C14 of tomato using competitive activity-based protein profiling. This screen revealed C14-inhibiting protein-1 (Cip1), which contains motifs of the chagasin-like protease inhibitors. Cip1 mutants are less virulent on tomato, demonstrating the importance of this effector in apoplastic immunity. Cip1 also inhibits immune protease Pip1, which is known to suppress PtoDC3000 infection, but has a lower affinity for its close homolog Rcr3, explaining why this protein is not recognized in tomato plants carrying the Cf-2 resistance gene, which uses Rcr3 as a co-receptor to detect pathogen-derived protease inhibitors. Thus, this approach uncovered a protease inhibitor of P. syringae, indicating that also P. syringae secretes effectors that selectively target apoplastic host proteases of tomato, similar to tomato pathogenic fungi, oomycetes and nematodes

Targeted sequencing from cerebrospinal fluid for rapid identification of drug-resistant tuberculous meningitis

Mortality from tuberculous meningitis (TBM) remains around 30%, with most deaths occurring within 2 months of starting treatment. Mortality from drug-resistant strains is higher still, making early detection of drug resistance (DR) essential. Targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) produces high read depths, allowing the detection of DR-associated alleles with low frequencies. We applied Deeplex Myc-TB-a tNGS assay-to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 72 adults with microbiologically confirmed TBM and compared its genomic drug susceptibility predictions to a composite reference standard of phenotypic susceptibility testing (pDST) and whole genome sequencing, as well as to clinical outcomes. Deeplex detected Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA in 24/72 (33.3%) CSF samples and generated full DR reports for 22/24 (91.7%). The read depth generated by Deeplex correlated with semi-quantitative results from MTB/RIF Xpert. Alleles with <20% frequency were seen at canonical loci associated with first-line DR. Disregarding these low-frequency alleles, Deeplex had 100% concordance with the composite reference standard for all drugs except pyrazinamide and streptomycin. Three patients had positive CSF cultures after 30 days of treatment; reference tests and Deeplex identified isoniazid resistance in two, and Deeplex alone identified low-frequency rifampin resistance alleles in one. Five patients died, of whom one had pDST-identified pyrazinamide resistance. tNGS on CSF can rapidly and accurately detect drug-resistant TBM, but its application is limited to those with higher bacterial loads. In those with lower bacterial burdens, alternative approaches need to be developed for both diagnosis and resistance detection

ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA VITAMIN E BỔ SUNG VÀO THỨC ĂN ĐẾN HIỆU QUẢ SINH SẢN, CHẤT LƯỢNG TRỨNG VÀ ẤU TRÙNG CÁ KHOANG CỔ NEMO (Amphiprion ocellaris (CUVIER, 1830))

This study was carried out to determine the effects of vitamin E (a-tocopherol) in five levels (0, 125, 250, 375 and 500 mg vitamin E/kg feed) in broodfish diets on reproductive, egg and larval quality parameters of clownfish (Amphirion ocellaris). Each treatment was repeated in triplicate and the supplemental feeding trial was arranged for 13 months. The result showed that there were no significant differences in re-maturation and spawning periods, spawning frequency, fecundity, egg diameter and larval size of Nemo fish observed between the treatments. However, diets supplemented with vitamin E positively influenced the rate of egg loss, hatching rate of egg and survival rate of the 3 days post hatch. The overall result of this experiment indicated that the optimum vitamin E requirement of clownfish for reproductive performance was 375 mg vitamin E/kg feed.Thí nghiệm được thực hiện nhằm xác định ảnh hưởng của vitamin E (0, 125, 250, 375 và 500 mg/kg thức ăn) được bổ sung trong thức ăn cá bố mẹ đến các chỉ số sinh sản, chất lượng trứng và ấu trùng cá khoang cổ Nemo (Amphiprion ocellaris). Mỗi nghiệm thức được lặp lại 3 lần và thí nghiệm được tiến hành trong 13 tháng. Kết quả đã cho thấy thời gian tái thành thục và sinh sản, tần suất sinh sản, sức sinh sản thực tế, đường kính trứng và kích thước ấu trùng không bị ảnh hưởng bởi chế độ ăn bổ sung vitamin E ở các mức khác nhau. Tuy nhiên, chế độ ăn có bổ sung vitamin E đã ảnh hưởng tích cực đến tỷ lệ hao hụt của trứng, tỷ lệ trứng nở và tỷ lệ sống của ấu trùng 3 ngày tuổi. Kết quả nghiên cứu chỉ ra rằng nhu cầu vitamin E tối ưu của cá khoang cổ Nemo đạt được hiệu quả sinh sản là 375 mg vitamin E/kg thức ăn