In vitro growth and content of vincristine and vinblastine of Catharanthus roseus L. hairy roots in response to precursors and elicitors

Catharanthus roseus L. is a medicinal plant that produces numerous indole terpenoid alkaloids, including vincristine and vinblastine, which are used for cancer treatment. The effect of specified precursors (L-phenylalanine, L-tyrosine) and elicitors (chitosan, methyl jasmonate) on C. roseus hairy roots (CHR) growth has been examined in order to increase the content of vincristine and vinblastine. Our results showed that CHR generated by an Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain isolated in Vietnam was capable of producing both vincristine and vinblastine when subjected to precursors, but only vinblastine when exposed to elicitors. However, both precursors and elicitors were evaluated to have an effect on increasing the accumulation of TIAs in CHR. In particular, the use of elicitors required more time to find the appropriate induction conditions, while the use of precursors gave outstanding efficiency in the treatment with 1 µM phenylalanine. The greatest yields of vincristine (51.99 µg g-1 DW) and vinblastine (699.92 µg g-1 DW) were obtained in the 7th week (with 0.306 g DW biomass). This result is the first time we might boost the levels of vincristine and vinblastine in our CHR clone generated by the Vietnam strain of A. rhizogenes

Complex evolutionary dynamics of massively expanded chemosensory receptor families in an extreme generalist chelicerate herbivore

While mechanisms to detoxify plant produced, anti-herbivore compounds have been associated with plant host use by herbivores, less is known about the role of chemosensory perception in their life histories. This is especially true for generalists, including chelicerate herbivores that evolved herbivory independently from the more studied insect lineages. To shed light on chemosensory perception in a generalist herbivore, we characterized the chemosensory receptors (CRs) of the chelicerate two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, an extreme generalist. Strikingly, T. urticae has more CRs than reported in any other arthropod to date. Including pseudogenes, 689 gustatory receptors were identified, as were 136 degenerin/Epithelial Na+ Channels (ENaCs) that have also been implicated as CRs in insects. The genomic distribution of T. urticae gustatory receptors indicates recurring bursts of lineage-specific proliferations, with the extent of receptor clusters reminiscent of those observed in the CR-rich genomes of vertebrates or C. elegans. Although pseudogenization of many gustatory receptors within clusters suggests relaxed selection, a subset of receptors is expressed. Consistent with functions as CRs, the genomic distribution and expression of ENaCs in lineage-specific T. urticae expansions mirrors that observed for gustatory receptors. The expansion of ENaCs in T. urticae to > 3-fold that reported in other animals was unexpected, raising the possibility that ENaCs in T. urticae have been co-opted to fulfill a major role performed by unrelated CRs in other animals. More broadly, our findings suggest an elaborate role for chemosensory perception in generalist herbivores that are of key ecological and agricultural importance

PRE-ENGINEERED (PACKAGE/AND OR ON-SITE) WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS

Joint Research on Environmental Science and Technology for the Eart

High prevalence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants in commensal members of the Enterobacteriaceae in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Antimicrobial-resistant pathogenic members of the Enterobacteriaceae are a well-defined global problem. We hypothesized that one of the main reservoirs of dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes in Vietnam is non-pathogenic intestinal flora, and sought to isolate antimicrobial-resistant organisms from hospitalized patients and non-hospitalized healthy individuals in Ho Chi Minh City. The results identified substantial faecal carriage of gentamicin-, ceftazidime- and nalidixic acid-resistant members of the Enterobacteriaceae in both hospitalized patients and non-hospitalized healthy individuals. A high prevalence of quinolone resistance determinants was identified, particularly the qnrS gene, in both community- and hospital-associated strains. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that a combination of quinolone resistance determinants can confer resistance to nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin, even in the apparent absence of additional chromosomal resistance mutations in wild-type strains and laboratory strains with transferred plasmids. These data suggest that intestinal commensal organisms are a significant reservoir for the dissemination of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance in Ho Chi Minh City

Assessment of Pollution Load into Thi Nai Lagoon, Viet Nam and Prediction to 2025

Abstract: Based on the statistical data of social-economic state and development planning to 2025 of Binh Dinh province, the pollution load from development activities has been calculated by using the environmental rapid assessment method. The results showed that development activities in Binh Dinh province create about 30.7, thousand tons of COD;17.1 thousand tons of BOD; 9.1 thousand tons of Nitrogen; 6.5 thousand tons of Phosphorous and 379 thousand tons of TSS from living activities, aquaculture, industry, farming and land leaching. Until 2025, this amount will be increased 1.4 -2.6 times. The main pollution sources are from living activities including residents and tourists and livestock farming. Therefore, treatment of waste from these sources is very necessary to minimize the waste amount discharged into the Thi Nai Lagoon

Red light emission of Mn doped beta-tricalcium phosphate -Ca3(PO4)2

This paper is the first report on the red light emission of manganese (Mn) doped beta-tricalcium phosphate (b-Ca3(PO4)2, TCP) synthesis by co-precipitation method followed by thermal annealing. The annealed Mn doped TCP phosphor showed dominant spheres with a diameter of about 500 nm. The influences of the Mn concentration, annealing temperature, and atmospheres on the photoluminescence intensities of the phosphors were investigated and the results indicate that the annealing temperatures and Mn concentrations are the main factors. The phosphor showed visible emission peaks appeared at about 660 nm and 580 nm results in from the 4T1-6A1 transitions within Mn2+ ion. The Mn-TCP phosphor may serve as a candidate for light-emitting diode application in agriculture lighting. Keywords. Hydroxyapatite; manganese; luminescence; tricalcium phosphate

Elevated Levels of Cell-Free Circulating DNA in Patients with Acute Dengue Virus Infection

BACKGROUND: Apoptosis is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of severe dengue and the release of cell-free DNA into the circulatory system in several medical conditions. Therefore, we investigated circulating DNA as a potential biomarker for severe dengue. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A direct fluorometric degradation assay using PicoGreen was performed to quantify cell-free DNA from patient plasma. Circulating DNA levels were significantly higher in patients with dengue virus infection than with other febrile illnesses and healthy controls. Remarkably, the increase of DNA levels correlated with the severity of dengue. Additionally, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that circulating DNA levels independently correlated with dengue shock syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating DNA levels were increased in dengue patients and correlated with dengue severity. Additional studies are required to show the benefits of this biomarker in early dengue diagnosis and for the prognosis of shock complication

FLAVONOIDS ISOLATED FROM THE FLOWERS OF CAMELLIA CHRYSANTHA

Camellia chrysantha (the golden camellia, golden tea) is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree belonging to the family Theaceae. The flowers and the leaves of this plant are used as tea and drank for its health benefits. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical constituents of the flowers of Camellia chrysantha. Five flavonoids were isolated from the flowers of Camellia chrysantha (Theaceae), including (+)-catechin (1), (-)-epicatechin (2), quercetin (3), quercetin-3-O-methyl ether (4) and kaempferol (5). Their chemical structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis and by comparison with those reported in the literature. Among five compounds, compounds 4 was isolated for the first time from this species

ELECTRODEPOSITION OF HYDROXYAPATITE/FUNCTIONALIZED CARBON NANOTUBES (HAp/fCNTs) COATINGS ON THE SURFACE OF 316L STAINLESS STEEL

The coatings of hydroxyapatite/functionalized carbon nanotubes (HAp/fCNTs) were successfully synthesized on the surface of 316L stainless steel (316L SS) by electrodeposition. To improve the dispersion of CNTs into the electrolyte, CNTs were functionalized in the mixture of 67 % HNO3 and 98 % H2SO4 before electrodeposition coatings to form fCNTs. Different amounts of fCNTs were  incorporated into the apatite coatings by adding fCNTs into the  electrolyte solution. In this study, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and mechanical techniques were used to analyze characteristic of fCNTs and the HAp/fCNTs coatings. The FTIR spectra of CNTs before and after acid treated process show that CNTs are functionalized by chemically method with carboxylic acid groups (–COOH) on their surface. The SEM images confirm that the functionalized process by the acid mixture does not change the morphology of CNTs. The nanocomposite coatings contain single phase of HAp and CNTs with the coating thickness of 6.9 µm and the amount of fCNTs in the coatings is 7.25 %. With 0.5 g/L of fCNTs in the electrolyte solution, the solubility of the coating decreases in comparision with pure HAp coatings