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Phuc Duc Dang,1,2 Minh Hien Nguyen,1,2 Xuan Khan Mai,3,4 Dinh Dai Pham,1,2 Minh Duc Dang,1 Dang Hai Nguyen,1 Van Nam Bui,1 Duy Ton Mai,5 Nhu Binh Do,6,7 Duc Thuan Do1,2 1Department of Stroke, Military Hospital 103, Hanoi, Vietnam; 2Department of Neurology, Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam; 3Respiratory Center, Military Hospital 103, Hanoi, Vietnam; 4Department of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam; 5Emergency Department, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam; 6Division of Military Science, Military Hospital 103, Hanoi, Vietnam; 7Department of Infectious Disease, Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, VietnamCorrespondence: Duc Thuan Do Tel +84 982275220Email thuandd@vmmu.edu.vnBackground: There have been many scales to predict pneumonia in stroke patients, but they are so complex, making it difficult to apply in practice. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess the role of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the Gugging Swallowing Screen (GUSS) in predicting stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP). These scales are routinely used in stroke patients. Therefore, their application in predicting SAP risk will be of high value in clinical practice. There has been no previous study evaluating the effectiveness of SAP risk prediction for each of these scales.Aim: This study aimed to compare the value of NIHSS and GUSS in SAP prediction and their convenience in clinical practice.Methods: It was a cohort study. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of the scales. Area under the curves (AUC) were calculated, and we compared them.Results: NIHSS had a medium value of predictor of SAP with AUC 0.764 (95% CI 0.735– 0.792), 65.4% Se, 76.5% Sp. GUSS had good value in predicting SAP with AUC 0.858 (95% CI 0.833– 0.880), 80.5% Se, 80.1% Sp. Pairwise comparison of ROCs curves demonstrated that the difference between two AUCs was significant (p < 0.01). Performing GUSS required 24.5 ± 6.7 minutes, 2.5 times longer than NIHSS (9.9 ± 2.0 minutes).Conclusion: GUSS had a better predictive value of SAP than NIHSS. But NIHSS was more convenient in clinical practice because of its simple instrument and quick performance.Keywords: stroke-related pneumonia, post-stroke pneumonia, pneumonia after stroke, pneumonia prediction

Three new ent -kaurane diterpenoids, namely annoglabrin A-C ( 1-3 ), were isolated from the Annona glabra fruit pulp. Their structures were clarified by widespread spectroscopic analyses (1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS). The relative configuration of these new compounds was established through the NOESY spectrum. Compounds 1-3 were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against α- glucosidase and were found with weak ( 1 and 3 ) or no effects ( 2 ), compared to those of positive control (acarbose, IC 50 82.0 µM).

A new spiroterpenoid, namely tinctorin ( 1 ), along with one known compound, norreticulatin ( 2 ), were isolated from the lichen Parmotrema tinctorum (Despr. ex Nyl.) Hale. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. The absolute configuration of 2 was established for the first time. Compound 1 was evaluated for its inhibitory activity against α- glucosidase and found to be inactive.

Background: Tranexamic acid, an antifibrinolytic agent, might attenuate haematoma growth after an intracerebral haemorrhage. We aimed to determine whether treatment with intravenous tranexamic acid within 2 h of an intracerebral haemorrhage would reduce haematoma growth compared with placebo., Methods: STOP-MSU was an investigator-led, double-blind, randomised, phase 2 trial conducted at 24 hospitals and one mobile stroke unit in Australia, Finland, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Viet Nam. Eligible participants had acute spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage confirmed on non-contrast CT, were aged 18 years or older, and could be treated with the investigational product within 2 h of stroke onset. Using randomly permuted blocks (block size of 4) and a concealed pre-randomised assignment procedure, participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive intravenous tranexamic acid (1 g over 10 min followed by 1 g over 8 h) or placebo (saline; matched dosing regimen) commencing within 2 h of symptom onset. Participants, investigators, and treating teams were masked to group assignment. The primary outcome was haematoma growth, defined as either at least 33% relative growth or at least 6 mL absolute growth on CT at 24 h (target range 18-30 h) from the baseline CT. The analysis was conducted within the estimand framework with primary analyses adhering to the intention-to-treat principle. The primary endpoint and secondary safety endpoints (mortality at days 7 and 90 and major thromboembolic events at day 90) were assessed in all participants randomly assigned to treatment groups who did not withdraw consent to use any data. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03385928, and the trial is now complete., Findings: Between March 19, 2018, and Feb 27, 2023, 202 participants were recruited, of whom one withdrew consent for any data use. The remaining 201 participants were randomly assigned to either placebo (n=98) or tranexamic acid (n=103; intention-to-treat population). Median age was 66 years (IQR 55-77), and 82 (41%) were female and 119 (59%) were male; no data on race or ethnicity were collected. CT scans at baseline or follow-up were missing or of inadequate quality in three participants (one in the placebo group and two in the tranexamic acid group), and were considered missing at random. Haematoma growth occurred in 37 (38%) of 97 assessable participants in the placebo group and 43 (43%) of 101 assessable participants in the tranexamic acid group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1·31 [95% CI 0·72 to 2·40], p=0·37). Major thromboembolic events occurred in one (1%) of 98 participants in the placebo group and three (3%) of 103 in the tranexamic acid group (risk difference 0·02 [95% CI -0·02 to 0·06]). By 7 days, eight (8%) participants in the placebo group and eight (8%) in the tranexamic acid group had died (aOR 1·08 [95% CI 0·35 to 3·35]) and by 90 days, 15 (15%) participants in the placebo group and 19 (18%) in the tranexamic acid group had died (aOR 1·61 [95% CI 0·65 to 3·98])., Interpretation: Intravenous tranexamic acid did not reduce haematoma growth when administered within 2 h of intracerebral haemorrhage symptom onset. There were no observed effects on other imaging endpoints, functional outcome, or safety. Based on our results, tranexamic acid should not be used routinely in primary intracerebral haemorrhage, although results of ongoing phase 3 trials will add further context to these findings., Funding: Australian Government Medical Research Future Fund., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests HZ is a board member of the Pre-hospital Stroke Treatment Organization. GCC has received honoraria from AstraZeneca for lectures and advisory board participation. HM has received honoraria for lectures from the Indonesia Stroke Society Meeting and is the co-chair of the scientific committee for the Asia Pacific Stroke Conference (2024). AM has received consulting fees and participated on an advisory board for Boehringer Ingelheim, and is a member of the board of the World Stroke Organisation. AR has received grants from the Health Research Council of New Zealand, New Zealand Ministry of Health, and Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists; participated in a Data Safety Monitoring Board for Argenica Therapeutics; is secretary of the Australia and New Zealand Stroke Organisation; and board member of the World Stroke Organisation and New Zealand Stroke Foundation. VT has received honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bayer, and Medtronic, and participated in a Data Safety Monitoring Board for EMVision and Itreas. BY has received institutional research grants and honoraria for lectures and conference attendance from Stryker and Medtronic. LMS has received honoraria for lectures and educational materials from Biogen, Pfizer, and AbbVie, and support for conference attendance from Abbott. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.)

The phytochemical composition of the Combretum trifoliatum leaves was studied for the first time. Two new triterpenoid saponins, named comtrifoside A ( 1 ) and comtrifoside B ( 2 ), together with two other saponins ( 3-4 ) were purified by variously chromatographic techniques. For the first time, compound 3 was informed from the Combretum genus, as well as all of the isolated compounds ( 1-4 ) were reported from C. trifoliatum . The chemical structures of them were clearly characterised using extensive UV-VIS, IR, HRMS-ESI, and NMR experimental data. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of 1 & 2 were examined against NO overproduction in LPS activation of RAW264.7.

Two new hopan-type triterpenoids, namely tinctoric acid A-B ( 1-2 ), were isolated from the lichen Parmotrema tinctorum (Despr. ex Nyl.) Hale. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses (1D and 2D NMR). The absolute configuration at C-22 of 1 was established through DP4 probability. Compounds 1-2 were evaluated for their inhibitory activity against α- glucosidase and found to be more potent than those of positive control (acarbose, IC 50 168 µM) with values IC 50 74.7 and 98.2 µM, respectively. Both of these compounds interacted well with enzyme α-glucosidase MAL32 through H-bonds and hydrophobic interaction.

Garcinia schomburgkiana is an edible tree widely distributed in the southern region of Vietnam. Little is known about the alpha-glucosidase inhibition of the Vietnamese Garcinia schomburgkiana . The aim of the current study was to explore the anti-diabetic potential of G. schomburgkiana fruits. All the fractions of G. schomburgkiana were evaluated for alpha-glucosidase inhibition, followed by bioassay-guided isolation. A new compound, epi -guttiferone Q (1), together with ten known compounds, guttiferones I-K (2-3), hypersampsone I (4), sampsonione D (5), sampsonione H (6), β-mangostin (7), α-mangostin (8), 9-hydroxycalabaxanthone (9), and fuscaxanthone (10), were isolated and structurally elucidated. The structure of the new metabolite 1 was confirmed through 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, and MS analysis. To the best of our knowledge, the metabolites (except 3) have not been isolated from this plant previously. All isolated compounds were evaluated for their alpha-glucosidase inhibition. Compounds 1-6 showed potent activity with IC 50 values ranging from 16.2 to 130.6 μM. Compound 2 was further selected for a kinetic study. The result indicated that it was a competitive type. Additionally, in silico docking was employed to predict the binding mechanism of 1-2 and 4-6 in the active site of alpha-glucosidase, suggesting their potential as promising anti-diabetic compounds. Molecular dynamic simulation was also applied to 1 to better understand its inhibitory mechanism., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Beauveria bassiana is a soil fungus that parasitizes a large number of arthropod species, including numerous crop pests, causing white muscardine disease and is therefore used as a biological insecticide. However, some insects, such as the cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae), defend themselves chemically by sequestering dietary pro-toxins (glucosinolates) from their Brassicales host plants. Glucosinolates are accumulated by cabbage aphids and activated to form toxic isothiocyanates when under attack. While isothiocyanate formation protects aphids against most attackers, B. bassiana is still able to infect the cabbage aphid under natural conditions. We therefore investigated how this fungus is able to circumvent the chemical defense system of the cabbage aphid. Here, we describe how B. bassiana infection activates the cabbage aphid defense system, but the resulting toxins are metabolized by B. bassiana via the mercapturic acid pathway, of which the first step is catalyzed by glutathione-S-transferases of low substrate specificity. This detoxification pathway enhances B. bassiana growth when isothiocyanates are present in natural concentrations, and so appears to be an important factor in fungal parasitization of these chemically defended aphids., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Healthcare students have a high risk of acquiring COVID-19 while practicing in medical facilities, and their health-related decisions might considerably impact the people around them. In the circumstance of many people refusing vaccination, the delay in accepting the COVID-19 vaccine by this group could be a barrier to providing effective immunity to the entire population against the COVID-19 pandemic., Objective: The study aimed to assess the prevalence of vaccination acceptance and the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among Vietnamese healthcare students., Methods: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 384 respondents. The chi-square, Fisher's exact, and Mann-Whitney tests were used to assess the association between independent and dependent variables. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify the potential determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Variables with p values of less than .05 at the 95% confidence interval were considered significant variables., Results: Out of 384 participants, 91.7% accepted COVID-19 vaccination. Nurse and midwife (odds ratio [OR] = 6.81, confidence interval [CI] = 2.02-22.94, p  < .01), perceived normal health status (OR = 15.22, CI = 2.74-84.66, p  < .001), perceived good health status (OR = 149.00, CI = 11.08-2003.42, p  < .01), COVID-19 infection among relatives or friends (OR = 4.19, CI = 1.77-9.95, p  < .01) were predictors for the COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Participants were less likely to accept COVID-19 vaccination if they reported greater perceived barriers (OR = 0.80, CI = 0.69-0.93, p  < .01)., Conclusion: The current study offers helpful information on the factors influencing vaccine acceptance based on the Health Belief Model. The findings could benefit policymakers in establishing effective campaigns to improve the acceptance rate of the COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare students and shorten the time required to achieve herd immunity., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

Adenosma bracteosum and Vitex negundo are natural sources of methoxylated flavonoids. Little is known about the α-glucosidase inhibition of multi-methoxylated flavonoid derivatives. Eighteen natural flavonoids were isolated from A. bracteosum and V. negundo. Seven halogenated derivatives were synthesized. Their chemical structures were elucidated by extensive NMR analysis and high-resolution mass spectroscopy as well as comparisons in literature. All compounds were evaluated for their α-glucosidase inhibition. Most compounds showed good activity with IC 50 values ranging from 16.7 to 421.8 μM. 6,8-Dibromocatechin was the most active compound with an IC 50 value of 16.7 μM. A molecular docking study was conducted, indicating that those compounds are potent α-glucosidase inhibitors., (© 2023 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

One new hopane-type triterpene, indicuen ( 1 ), along with eight known compounds ( 2-9 ) were isolated from the n -hexane extract of the lichen Parmotrema indicum Hale. The chemical structures of isolated compounds were identified by interpretation of their spectroscopic data (1D, 2D NMR and HRESIMS) combined with DFT-NMR chemical shift calculations and subsequent assignment of DP4+ probabilities and by comparison with the literature. Indicuen represents for a rare hopane bearing a 1-carboxyethyl substituent at C-21 in lichens. Compounds 1-3 and 5 - 8 were evaluated for α -glucosidase inhibition and cytotoxicity against K562 and HepG2 cancer cell lines. Compounds 1 , 5 and 7 exhibited moderate α -glucosidase inhibition with IC 50 values of 201.1, 156.3 and 187.4 µM, respectively. Compound 1 also showed weak cytotoxicity toward K562 cell line while others showed no activity.

From the CHCl 3 -soluble extract of Annona muricata L. (Annonaceae) leaves, one new 3-benzazepine-type alkaloid, anonazepine ( 1 ), and four known aporphine-type alkaloids, (+)-laurotetanine ( 2 ), (+)-norglaucine ( 3 ), (-)-xylopine ( 4 ), and lanuginosine ( 5 ), were isolated. Except for (-)-xylopine ( 4 ), these remaining known alkaloids were first reported in A. muricata . The structures of the isolated alkaloids were established by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and MS, as well as comparison with literature data. The new 3-benzazepine-type alkaloid existed in an inseparable mixture of two equilibrium conformers. Its absolute configuration was determined based on comparing their experimental and calculated ECD data. The anti-inflammatory activity of the isolated alkaloids was investigated, but none of the alkaloids showed a significant result., (© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

Chemical investigation of the lichen Parmotrema indicum Hale led to the isolation of one new diphenyl ether, parmetherine D ( 1 ), along with eight known compounds ( 2-9 ). The structures were determined by analysis of MS and NMR data and by comparison with the literature. Compounds 1 , 2 , and 7 were evaluated for α -glucosidase inhibition. Only compound 1 exhibited significant inhibition.[Formula: see text].

Leaves of Combretum quadrangulare Kurz showed potent α-glucosidase inhibition. Two new cycloartane-type triterpenes, combretic acids D and E were isolated from the bioactive fraction. The chemical structures were determined using NMR and MS methods. Combretic acid D represents for the first cycloartane having a dihydrofuran ring in the side chain. Combretic acids D and E showed significant α-glucosidase inhibition, with IC 50 values of 13.9 and 30.7 μM, respectively. Combretic acid D was determined to be a non-competitive type in the kinetic study. The docking study in combination with dynamic simulations of this compound provided the molecular understanding of α-glucosidase inhibition., (© 2022 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

The extraction of bioactive compounds, including essential oils and flavonoids, using organic solvents is a significant environmental concern. In this work, waste C. grandis peel was the ingredient used to extract essential oil and naringin by conducting a supercritical CO 2 technique with a two stage process. In the first stage, the extraction with only supercritical CO 2 solvent showed a significant enhancement of the d-limonene component, up to 95.66% compared with the hydro-distillation extraction (87.60%). The extraction of naringin using supercritical CO 2 and ethanol as a co-solvent was done in the second stage of the process, followed by evaluating in vitro antimicrobial activity of both the essential oil and naringin. The essential oil indicated significant activity against M. catarrhalis (0.25 mg ml -1 ), S. pyogenes (1.0 mg ml -1 ), S. pneumoniae (1.0 mg ml -1 ). Whilst naringin gave good inhibition towards all tested microbial strains with MIC values in the range of 6.25-25.0 μM. In particular, naringin exhibited high antifungal activity against T. rubrum , T. mentagrophytes , and M. gypseum . The molecular docking study also confirmed that d-limonene inhibited bacterium M. catarrhalis well and that naringin possessed potential ligand interactions that proved the inhibition effective against fungi. Molecular dynamics simulations of naringin demonstrated the best docking model using Gromacs during simulation up to 100 ns to explore the stability of the complex naringin and crystal structure of enzyme 2VF5: PDB., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The significant bottlenecks in determining bacterial species are much more time-consuming and the biology specialist's long-term experience requirements. Specifically, it takes more than half a day to cultivate a bacterium, and then a skilled microbiologist and a costly specialized machine are utilized to analyze the genes and classify the bacterium according to its nucleotide sequence. To overcome these issues as well as get higher recognition accuracy, we proposed applying convolutional neural networks (CNNs) architectures to automatically classify bacterial species based on some key characteristics of bacterial colonies. Our experiment confirmed that the classification of three bacterial colonies could be performed with the highest accuracy (97.19%) using a training set of 5000 augmented images derived from the 40 original photos taken in the Hanoi Medical University laboratory in Vietnam.

A novel C 43 -spiroterpenoid, reticulatin ( 1 ), was isolated from the lichen Parmotrema reticulatum (Taylor) M. Choisy (Parmeliaceae). Five previously-reported compounds were also isolated: zeorin ( 2 ), leucotylin ( 3 ), lupeol ( 4 ), betulinic acid ( 5 ), and dihydroreynosin ( 6 ). The structures were elucidated by 1D, 2D NMR, and HRESIMS spectroscopy and comparison with the literature. We propose that reticulatin is a biosynthetic product of fusicoccadiene and vinapraesorediosic acid A via Diels-Alder addition. Reticulatin is the first C 43 -spiroterpenoid identified from lichen metabolites. All compounds were evaluated for inhibition of α- glucosidase. Compound 1 showed the most potent inhibition, with an IC 50 value of 3.90 μM, much lower than that of the acarbose positive control (IC 50 165 µM).

Background: Recent trials including DIRECT-MT, DEVT, and SKIP have found that direct mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is equally effective as the combination of MT and intravenous thrombolysis. However, the results of the other trials, namely MR-CLEAN NO-IV and the SWIFT-DIRECT trial have failed to confirm the non-inferiority of direct MT vs. the combination therapy., Aim: We aimed to identify prognostic factors of direct MT for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion within 4.5 h., Materials and Methods: Data from January 2018 to January 2022 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Adult patients with confirmed anterior circulation large vessel occlusion within 4.5 h of onset with baseline NIHSS of ≥6 and baseline ASPECTS of ≥6 treated using direct MT within 6 h were recruited., Results: A total of 140 patients were enrolled in the study with a median age of 65.5 years [interquartile range (IQR), 59-76.5], median baseline NIHSS of 13.5 (IQR, 11-16), and median baseline ASPECTS of 8 (IQR, 7-8). Direct MT was feasible in all patients (100%). Successful reperfusion (mTICI 2b-3) was achieved in 124/140 patients (88.6%) with a low rate of complications (8/140, 5.7%). Any type of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and symptomatic ICH occurred in 44/140 (31.4%) and 5/140 (3.6%), respectively. Overall, a good outcome (mRS 0-2) was achieved in 93/140 (66.4%), and the mortality rate was 9.3% (13/140 patients). Using multivariate analysis, lower age [odds ratio (OR), 0.96; 95% CI, 0.92-1.00; P = 0.05], low baseline NIHSS (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.74-0.92; P = 0.00), and absence of ICH (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10-0.81; P = 0.02) were independently associated with favorable outcome. Independent predictors of mortality were baseline NIHSS (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.01-1.46; P = 0.04), successful reperfusion (OR, 0.02; 95% CI, 0.00-0.58; P = 0.02), and ICH (OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.02-0.75; P = 0.02). Further analysis showed that the median mRS at 90 days was significantly better in the MCA occlusion group compared to the ICA plus M1 occlusion group [1 (IQR 0-3) vs. 2 (IQR 1-4); P = 0.05]., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that direct thrombectomy may be an adequate clinical option for younger patients (≤70) experiencing proximal middle artery occlusion within 4.5 h and who have low baseline NIHSS (≤14)., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Nguyen, Vu, Nguyen, Mai, Tran, Le, Nguyen, Nguyen, Tran, Dao and Pierot.)

One new cycloartane-type triterpenoid, named macrobidoupoic acid A (as an C-24 epimeric mixture, 4a , 4 b ), together with three known ones ( 1 - 3 ), were clarified by different chromatography from the M. bidoupensis whole plants. Triterpenoids ( 1, 3 & 4 ) were detected for the first time from the Macrosolen genus. Chemical structures of them were illuminated using HR-ESI-MS, and NMR (1 D & 2 D) assessments. The cytotoxic properties of triterpenoids ( 3 & 4 ) were examined against two human cancer cell lines (A549, and RD) by MTT assay. As results shown, triterpenoids ( 3 & 4 ) possessed moderate cytotoxic activity against A549 and RD cancer cells (IC 50 ranged from 5.44 to 39.52 μM).

Further phytochemical investigation on P. tsavoense led to one new meta -depsidone, parmosidone K together with one known compound, barbatic acid. Their structures were determined by 1D and 2D NMR analysis, high resolution mass spectroscopy, and comparison their NMR data with those reported in literatures. Parmosidone K was evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibition and revealed the powerful activity with IC 50 value of 3.12 µM.

From the leaves of Ricinus communis Linn., one new alkaloid, named ricicomin A ( 1 ) together with three known ones, ricinine ( 2 ), N -demethylricinine ( 3 ) and 4-[2-formyl-5-(methoxymethyl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl]butanoic acid ( 4 ) were justified by repeated chromatographic methods. Their structures were determined by comprehensive IR, HR-ESI-MS and NMR analyses. Compound 4 was identified for the first time from the genus Ricinus . DFT-NMR chemical shift calculations and subsequent DP4+ probability methods were applied to confirm the chemical structure of 1 . Compounds 1-3 did not display cytotoxic effect against three human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, HepG2 and HeLa) using SRB assay.

Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. Ex Kunth is widely used in folk medicine. In ethnomedicine, it is applied as a cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, antiarthritic, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial. The aqueous extract is considered antidiabetic, and is used as a traditional remedy in Mexico. More than 120 chemical constituents have been identified in its leaves, barks, and roots. However, less is known about the phytochemical properties of T. stans flower extracts. The herbal plant Nervilia concolor (Blume) Schltr. is native to Vietnam, and is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat diseases such as bronchitis, stomatitis, acute pneumonia, and laryngitis. Only two previous reports have addressed the chemical content of this plant. Bouea macrophylla Griff., commonly known as marian plum or plum mango, is a tropical plant that is used to treat a range of illnesses. Phytochemical analysis of B. macrophylla suggests the presence of volatile components and flavonoids. However, existing data have been obtained from screening without isolation. As part of our ongoing search for alpha-glucosidase inhibitors from Vietnamese medicinal plants, we conducted bioactive-guided isolation of the whole plant N. concolor, the flowers of T. stans, and the leaves of B. macrophylla . We isolated and structurally elucidated five known compounds from T. stans : ursolic acid ( TS1 ), 3-oxours-12-en-28-oic acid ( TS2 ), chrysoeriol ( TS3 ), ferulic acid ( TS4 ), and tecomine ( TS5 ). Three known compounds were isolated from Nervilia concolor : astragalin ( NC1 ), isoquercitrin ( NC2 ), and caffeic acid ( NC3 ). From B. macrophylla , betullinic acid ( BM1 ), methyl gallate ( BM2 ), and 3- O -galloyl gallic acid methyl ester ( BM3 ) were isolated. All compounds showed promising alpha-glucosidase inhibition, with IC 50 values ranging from 1.4 to 143.3 µM. The kinetics of enzyme inhibition showed BM3 to be a competitive-type inhibitor. An in silico molecular docking model confirmed that compounds NC1 , NC2, and BM3 were potential inhibitors of the α -glucosidase enzyme. Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out with compound BM3 demonstrating the best docking model during simulation up to 100 ns to explore the stability of the complex ligand-protein., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

From the Vietnamese plant Macrosolen tricolor (Lecomte) Danser, one new diarylpropanoid, named macrotricolorin A ( 1 ) together with three diarylheptanoids including bisdemethoxycurcumin ( 2 ), demethoxycurcumin ( 3 ) and curcumin ( 4 ), were isolated. Their structures were elucidated by intensive analyses of their IR, UV, HR-ESI-MS and NMR (1 D & 2 D) spectra. It is the first time that diarylalkanoids have been reported from the genus Macrosolen. Compound 1 exhibited anti-inflammatory activity against the nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 with an IC 50 value of 27.54 ± 1.75 μM.

A new diterpenoid, phyllane C ( 1 ), along with three known compounds, ovoideal E ( 2 ), spruceanol ( 3 ), and fluacinoid B ( 4 ) were isolated from the leaves of Phyllanthus acidus growing in Thailand. The structures were determined by analysis of their MS and NMR data as well as by comparison with literature values. DFT-NMR chemical shift calculations and subsequent DP4/DP4+ probability methods were applied to define the relative configuration of 1 . Compound 3 showed a weak cytotoxicity against K562 cell line (IC 50 41.9 ± 2.31 µg/mL).

Fast detection and classification of bacteria species play a crucial role in modern clinical microbiology systems. These processes are often performed manually by medical biologists using different shapes and morphological characteristics of bacteria species. However, it is clear that the manual taxonomy of bacteria types from microscopy images takes time and effort and is a great challenge for even experienced experts. A new revolution has been inaugurating with the development of machine learning methods to identify bacteria automatically from digital electron microscopy. In this paper, we introduce an automated model of bacteria shape classification based on Depthwise Separable Convolution Neural Networks (DS-CNNs). This architecture has excellent advantages with lower computational costs and reliable recognition accuracy. The experiment results indicate that after training with 1669 images, the proposed architecture can reach 97% validation accuracy and work well to classify three main shapes of bacteria.

Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors completed the ICMJE Disclosure of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author), and declare no conflicts of interest.

A new labdane-type diterpenoid, named vitexnegundin ( 1 ), along with seven known compounds, including vitexilactone ( 2 ), vitetrifolin D ( 3 ), 13-hydroxy-5(10),14-halimadien-6-one ( 4 ), (rel 3 S ,5 S ,8 R ,9 R ,10 S )-3,9-dihydroxy-13(14)-labden-16,15-olide ( 5 ), artemetin ( 6 ), vitexcarpin ( 7 ) and penduletin ( 8 ), were isolated from the leaves of Vitex negundo L. Their structures were elucidated by using spectroscopic methods, X-ray crystallographic analysis and comparison with those reported in the literature. Moreover, all isolated compounds 1-8 were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against ESBL-producing Escherichia coli strain and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus .

Bioactive-guided phytochemical investigation of Euphorbia antiquorum L. growing in Vietnam led to the isolation of five ent -atisanes, one seco - ent -atisane, and one lathyrane (ingol-type). The structures were elucidated as ent -1 α, 3 α, 16 β, 17-tetrahydroxyatisane ( 1 ), ethyl ent -3,4- seco -4,16 β ,17-trihydroxyatisane-3-carboxylate ( 2 ), ent -atisane-3-oxo-16 β ,17-acetonide ( 3 ), ent -3 α -acetoxy-16 β ,17-dihydroxyatisane ( 4 ), ent -16 β ,17-dihydroxyatisane-3-one ( 5 ), calliterpenone ( 6 ), and ingol 12-acetate ( 7 ). Their chemical structures were unambiguously determined by analysis of one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high resolution mass spectrometry, as well as by comparison with literature data. Among them, 1 is a new compound while 2 is an ethylated artifact of ent -3,4- seco -4,16 β ,17-trihydroxyatisane-3-carboxylic acid, a new compound. Isolates were evaluated for alpha-glucosidase inhibition. Compound 3 showed the most significant inhibitory activity against alpha-glucosidase with an IC 50 value of 69.62 µM. Further study on mechanism underlying yeast alpha-glucosidase inhibition indicated that 3 could retard the enzyme function by noncompetitive.

Background: To date, the role of bridging intravenous thrombolysis before mechanical thrombectomy (MTE) is controversial but still recommended in eligible patients. Different doses of intravenous alteplase have been used for treating patients with acute ischemic stroke from large-vessel occlusion (LVO-AIS) in Asia, largely due to variations in the risks for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and treatment affordability. Uncertainty exists over the potential benefits of treating low-dose alteplase, as opposed to standard-dose alteplase, prior to MTE among patients with LVO-AIS. Aim: The aim of the study was to compare outcomes of low- vs. standard-dose of bridging intravenous alteplase before MTE among LVO-AIS patients. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of LVO-AIS patients who were treated with either 0.6 mg/kg or 0.9 mg/kg alteplase prior to MTE at a stroke center in Northern Vietnam. Multivariable logistic regression models, accounting for potential confounding factors including comorbidities and clinical factors (e.g., stroke severity), were used to compare the outcomes between the two groups. Our primary outcome was functional independence at 90 days following stroke (modified Rankin score; mRS ≤ 2). Secondary outcomes included any ICH incidence, early neurological improvement, recanalization rate, and 90-day mortality. Results: We analyzed data of 107 patients receiving bridging therapy, including 73 with low-dose and 34 with standard-dose alteplase before MTE. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in functional independence at 90 days (adjusted OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.29-3.52) after accounting for potential confounding factors. Compared to the standard-dose group, patients with low-dose alteplase before MTE had similar rates of successful recanalization, early neurological improvement, 90-day mortality, and ICH complications. Conclusion: In the present study, patients with low-dose alteplase before MTE were found to achieve comparable clinical outcomes compared to those receiving standard-dose alteplase bridging with MTE. The findings suggest potential benefits of low-dose alteplase in bridging therapy for Asian populations, but this needs to be confirmed by further clinical trials., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Mai, Dao, Nguyen, Vu, Nguyen, Vuong, Bui, Phan, Pham, Le, Tran, Nguyen, Dang, Nguyen and Phan.)

From the leaves of Sterculia foetida L., one new oleanane-type triterpenoid, named stercufoetin A ( 1 ) together with four known ones, vergatic acid ( 2 ), β -amyrin ( 3 ), oleanolic acid ( 4 ) and maslinic acid (5) were purified by diversely chromatographic methods. Their structures were proposed by HR-APCI-MS and NMR experiments. Compounds (2-5) were notified for the first time from this species. Compound 1 showed weak cytotoxic effect against three human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, HepG2 and HeLa) using SRB assay.

From the leaves of Markhamia stipulata var. canaense V.S. Dang, one new phytosphingolipid, named markhasphingolipid A ( 6 ) together with five known compounds, 4',7- O -dimethylapigenin ( 1 ), narigenin ( 2 ), tectoquinone ( 3 ), mollic acid ( 4 ), 1-hexadecanoyl- sn -glycerol (5) were classified by various chromatographic methods. Their structures were designated by IR, UV, HR-ESI-MS, HR-ESI-MS/MS and NMR experiments. All compounds were recognized for the first time from this species. The cytotoxicity of all n -hexane fractions and isolated compounds ( 5 & 6) against three human cancer cell lines (HeLa, HepG2, and MCF-7) were evaluated by SRB assay. All n -hexane fractions expressed cytotoxic effect on three tested cancer cell lines (at the concentration of 100 μg/mL, percent of cytotoxicity ranged from 55.81% to 95.83%) as well as compound 5 (IC 50 ranged from 48.51 to 63.30 μM) whereas fraction H.I and compound 6 did not show activity.[Formula: see text].

Chemical investigation of the cultured polyspore-derived mycobionts of a Pseudopyrenula subnudata lichen led to the isolation of two new compounds, subnudatones A and B (1 and 2), together with four known compounds, 1-(2-hydroxy-1,2,6-trimethyl-1,2,4a,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydronaphthalen-1-yl)ethanone (3), libertalide C (4), aspermytin A (5), and 6,7-dimethoxy-4-hydroxymellin (6). Their chemical structures were elucidated by extensive 1D and 2D NMR analysis and high resolution mass spectroscopy, and comparisons were made with the literature. The absolute configuration of 1 was defined unambiguously using single crystal X-ray crystallography. Compound 1 represents the first dimeric decalin polyketide to be found in nature. The in vitro cytotoxicity of 1 against two cancer cell lines (K562 and MCF-7) was evaluated. Compound 1 showed moderate cytotoxic activity with IC 50 values of 23.5 ± 1.0 and 51.9 ± 1.4 μM, respectively., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest No potential conflict of interest was declared by the authors., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The cerebral arterial aneurysm, especially in the circumstances of ateriovenous malformation (AVM), has higher risk of rupture than normal isolated aneursym. Therefore, the treatment strategy needs to be plan very carefully in such case., Case Presentation: We report a patient with 2 wide-neck aneurysms located in the feeding artery of the arteriovenous malformation and he, then, was treated by using Surpass stent (flow-diverter) to eliminate the aneurysms., Conclusion: In our case, multiple wide-neck aneurysms in combination with low risk unruptured AVM, using long Surpass stent-diversion is an effective way to eliminate all the aneurysms in the main feeding artery while still preserving the AVM anatomy., (Copyright: © 2019 Dang Phuc Duc, Do Duc Thuan, Pham Dinh Dai, Dang Minh Duc, Nguyen Quang Anh, Nguyen Thi Nga, Chu Dinh Toi, Phuong Dao Viet, Duy Ton Mai.)

The ethyl acetate extract of the rhizomes of Luvunga scandens (Roxb.) Buch. - Ham. ex Wight & Arn (Rutaceae) delivered one new acridone alkaloid named Luvungaside A ( 1 ) together with three known acridone alkaloids, namely 1,3-dihydroxy-2-methoxy-10-methyl-9-acridone ( 2 ), arborinine ( 3 ) and 1-hydroxy-3-methoxy-10-methyl-9-acridone ( 4 ). Compounds were reported for the first time from the species L. scandens applying various chromatography methods. Chemical structures were elucidated by IR, UV, HR-ESI-MS, NMR 1D & 2D experiments and comparison with the literature. The cytotoxicity and hepatoprotective activity of compounds 1 - 4 in human hepatoma cell line HepG2 was measured by MTT assay. At 10-100 μM, compounds expressed significant hepatoprotective effect with prevention percentage ranging from 81.1% to 194.3%, compared to the positive control quercetin displaying 49.0%.

Two new cycloartane glycosides, nervisides I-J, were isolated from Nervilia concolor whole plants. Their structures were unambiguously established by interpretation of their HRESIMS and 1D and 2D NMR data. These cycloartanes comprised a stereogenic center at C-24, the R configuration of which was assigned based on DFT-NMR calculations and the subsequent DP4 probability score. These compounds were tested for cytotoxicity against K562 and MCF-7 tumor cell lines, revealing mild cytotoxic activity.

One new cycloartane triterpenoid, named markhacanasin C (1), together with three known triterpenoids, oleanolic acid (2), ursolic acid (3) and 6β,19α-dihydroxyursolic acid (4) were isolated by various chromatographic methods from the most cytotoxic fraction of the ethyl acetate extract of Markhamia stipulata var. canaense V.S. Dang leaves. Among them, 4 was reported for the first time from the genus Markhamia, while 2 and 3 were found for the first time from this species. Their structures were elucidated by IR, UV, HR-ESI-MS and NMR experiments. The cytotoxicity of isolated compounds (3 and 4) against three human cancer cell lines (HeLa, HepG2, and MCF-7) were evaluated. At the concentration of 100 μg/mL, 3 exhibited significant cytotoxic activity (86.36 ± 3.69%).

Anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR) are very effective for wastewater treatment, however, with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP) (0-4.7 mg CIP/L) in the feed their performance decreases, the characteristics of the effluent changes, and further treatment is needed to recycle or discharge the treated effluent. Batch experiments using six activated carbons to treat AnMBR effluents resulting from the treatment of a synthetic wastewater containing ciprofloxacin were carried out at 35 °C. 22-82% COD was removed at a dose of 1 g activated carbon/L, while size characterization showed the 13.4 kDa and <1 kDa fractions were the most difficult to adsorb, while CIP was often removed with high efficiencies of mainly 100%. Significant removal of VFAs also occurred, up to 100%, and this contributed greatly to COD removal. Nitrogen containing compounds and phenols showed the highest removal (∼100%), whereas other groups such as esters, alkanes, and alkenes showed lower removal efficiency., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study presents an efficient and facile method for the trapping of Ag + ions on hybrid nanocomposite based on 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD) and alginate (Alg) in aqueous medium through ionotropic gelation mechanism and followed by in situ assembly of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using aqueous extract of Jasminum subtriplinerve leaves as a reducing agent. The nanocomposite AgNPs/HPCD/Alg was characterized by UV-vis, EDX, TEM, HR-TEM analysis. The AgNPs were found to be spherical shape and uniform size with an average diameter of 13.5 nm. EDX data showed about 4.0% (w/w) of AgNPs capped on the nanocomposite HPCD/Alg. The role of HPCD and Alg in the nanocomposites was observed from FTIR and thermal studies. The stability and distribution of the nanoparticles in the aqueous solution were determined by zeta potential and DLS measurements. The nanocomposites showed excellent catalytic performance for degradation of pollutants within industrial effluents including 4-nitrophenol, methyl orange and rhodamine B., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated the effects and fate of CIP on anaerobic sludge over a wide range of concentrations (0.05-50 mg/L), and 0.5-50 mg/L significantly inhibited organic removal and methanogenic activity, increased volatile fatty acids accumulation and low molecular weight soluble microbial products (SMPs), including p-cresol and nitrogen-containing compounds. Although microbial communities exposed to CIP did not differ significantly from the control in species diversity indices, Syntrophobacter and Methanothrix associated with acetogenesis and acetoclastic methanogenesis, respectively, were underrepresented in the CIP-exposed communities. Our study advances understanding of how environmentally relevant concentrations of CIP disrupts anaerobic digestion, which has important implications for anaerobic engineered systems treating CIP-bearing waste streams., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

One new flavonol glycoside named visconoside C (1), together with seven known flavonol glycosides, quercetin 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside 7-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (2), quercetin 7-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (3), astragalin (4), kaempferol 3-O-(4-O-acetyl)-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (5), kaempferol 7-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (6), kaempferitrin (7) and kaempferol 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside 7-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (8) were isolated by various chromatography methods from the leaves of Cleome viscosa L. Their structures were elucidated by IR, UV, HR-ESI-MS and NMR (1D & 2D) experiments. The cytotoxicity and hepatoprotective activities using HepG2 human hepatoma cell line of 1 were measured by MTT assay. At the concentration of 25 μM and 50 μM, 1 showed cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cells (cell viability was decreased to 22.2 and 23.0%, respectively, compared with doxorubicin control), while at the concentration of 100 μM, 1 showed hepatoprotective activity against CCl 4 -induced hepatotoxicity on HepG2 cells (34.3%, compared with quercetin control).

Background: Vietnam began providing methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) in 2008; as of June 2016, 44,479 persons who inject drugs (PWID) were in treatment in 57 provinces. However, 10-23% of patients were estimated to have dropped out of treatment during the first 2 years. We evaluated dropout and factors associated with quitting treatment., Methods: We followed clients ≥ 18 years old enrolled in five MMT clinics in Haiphong for 3 years. Persons who missed a consecutive month of methadone treatment were considered to have dropped out and were not allowed to return; those who missed greater than five consecutive doses were considered to be non-compliant but were allowed to restart treatment at their initial dose. Clients who dropped out or who were non-compliant during their third year of MMT (cases) were traced and matched with two clients who remained in treatment (controls) by gender, age, and length of time in the program. Cases and controls were interviewed. Additional data on levels of yearly retention were abstracted from clinic records., Results: Among the 1055 patients initially enrolled in MMT, dropout and non-compliance combined was 13.6% during the first year, 16.5% during the second year, and 22.3% during the third year. By 36 months, 33.3% of clients had dropped out, of whom 10.6% had died and 24% had been arrested. We traced and interviewed 81 clients who dropped out or who were non-compliant during year 3 as well as 161 controls. The primary reasons for dropping out included claiming no dependence on heroin (22.2%), conflict with work (21.0%), health problems (16.0%), and inability to afford the methadone co-payment of approximately 0.5 USD/day (14.8%). Independent factors associated with non-compliance included continuing to use heroin (aOR = 12.4, 95% CI 4.2-36.8) and missing greater than three doses during the previous 3 months (aOR = 18.5, 95% CI 7.4-47.1); receiving a daily dose of > 120 mg of methadone was associated with a lower odds ratio of dropping out (aOR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.1-0.9)., Conclusion: By 3 years, one third of all patients in treatment had permanently dropped out. Ensuring that methadone dosing is adequate and reducing or eliminating the co-payment fee for those who cannot afford it could improve retention.

In our search for novel small molecules targeting histone deacetylases, we have designed and synthesized two series of novel N-hydroxybenzamides incorporating 2-oxoindolines (4a-g, 6a-g). Biological evaluation showed that these benzamides potently inhibited HDAC2 with IC 50 values in sub-micromolar range. In three human cancer cell lines the synthesized compounds were up to 4-fold more cytotoxic than SAHA. Docking experiments indicated that the compounds tightly bound to HDAC2 at the active binding site with binding affinities much higher than that of SAHA. Our present results demonstrate that these novel and simple N-hydroxybenzamides are potential for further development as anticancer agents and further investigation of similarly simple N-hydroxybenzamides should be warranted to obtain more potent HDAC inhibitors., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Whole-genome sequences of representative highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5) viruses from Vietnam were generated, comprising samples from poultry outbreaks and active market surveillance collected from January 2012 to August 2015. Six hemagglutinin gene clades were characterized. Clade 1.1.2 was predominant in southern Mekong provinces throughout 2012 and 2013 but gradually disappeared and was not detected after April 2014. Clade 2.3.2.1c viruses spread rapidly during 2012 and were detected in the south and center of the country. A number of clade 1.1.2 and 2.3.2.1c interclade reassortant viruses were detected with different combinations of internal genes derived from 2.3.2.1a and 2.3.2.1b viruses, indicating extensive cocirculation. Although reassortment generated genetic diversity at the genotype level, there was relatively little genetic drift within the individual gene segments, suggesting genetic stasis over recent years. Antigenically, clade 1.1.2, 2.3.2.1a, 2.3.2.1b, and 2.3.2.1c viruses remained related to earlier viruses and WHO-recommended prepandemic vaccine strains representing these clades. Clade 7.2 viruses, although detected in only low numbers, were the exception, as indicated by introduction of a genetically and antigenically diverse strain in 2013. Clade 2.3.4.4 viruses (H5N1 and H5N6) were likely introduced in April 2014 and appeared to gain dominance across northern and central regions. Antigenic analyses of clade 2.3.4.4 viruses compared to existing clade 2.3.4 candidate vaccine viruses (CVV) indicated the need for an updated vaccine virus. A/Sichuan/26221/2014 (H5N6) virus was developed, and ferret antisera generated against this virus were demonstrated to inhibit some but not all clade 2.3.4.4 viruses, suggesting consideration of alternative clade 2.3.4.4 CVVs. IMPORTANCE Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5) viruses have circulated continuously in Vietnam since 2003, resulting in hundreds of poultry outbreaks and sporadic human infections. Despite a significant reduction in the number of human infections in recent years, poultry outbreaks continue to occur and the virus continues to diversify. Vaccination of poultry has been used as a means to control the spread and impact of the virus, but due to the diversity and changing distribution of antigenically distinct viruses, the utility of vaccines in the face of mismatched circulating strains remains questionable. This study assessed the putative amino acid changes in viruses leading to antigenic variability, underscoring the complexity of vaccine selection for both veterinary and public health purposes. Given the overlapping geographic distributions of multiple, antigenically distinct clades of HPAI A(H5) viruses in Vietnam, the vaccine efficacy of bivalent poultry vaccine formulations should be tested in the future., (Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.)