Effects of reducing postprandial hyperglycemia and metabolism of acetate wheat starch on healthy mice

Abstract Recently, the acetate wheat starch (AWS) has been prepared by acetylation with an acetyl content of 2.42%, containing of rapidly digestible starch (RDS), slowly digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS) with 25.0%; 22.9% and 34.5%, respectively. In this study, this kind of starch was continuously evaluated with the postprandial blood glucose response and determined short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) metabolized from AWS in the gastrointestinal tract of healthy mice by HPLC. The result showed that the mice fed with AWS exhibited a very limited increase in blood glucose level and remained stable for 2 hours after meals efficiently comparing with the control group fed with natural wheat starch (NWS). Simultaneously, the content of SCFAs produced in the caecum of the mice fed with AWS was significantly higher than mice fed with NWS, especially with acetic and propionic acids by 28% and 26%, respectively. Thus, AWS has shown to limit the postprandial hyperglycemia in mice effectively through the resistance to amylase hydrolysis in the small intestine. When going into the caecum, it is fermented to form SCFAs providing a part of energy for the body's activities, avoiding rotten fermentation causing digestive disorders which are inherent restrictions of normal high cellulose and fiber food.

Viral load suppression and acquired HIV drug resistance in adults receiving antiretroviral therapy in Viet Nam: results from a nationally representative survey

Objective@#The purpose of this survey was to estimate the prevalence of viral load (VL) suppression and emergence of HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) among individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 36 months or longer in Viet Nam using a nationally representative sampling method.@*Methods@#The survey was conducted between May and August 2014 using a two-stage cluster design. Sixteen ART clinics were selected using probability proportional to proxy size sampling, and patients receiving ART for at least 36 months were consecutively enrolled. Epidemiological information and blood specimens were collected for HIV-1 VL and HIVDR testing; HIVDR was defined by the Stanford University HIVDR algorithm.@*Results@#Overall, 365 eligible individuals were recruited with a mean age of 38.2 years; 68.4% were men. The mean time on ART was 75.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 69.0–81.9 months), and 93.7% of the patients were receiving non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based regimens. Of the 365 individuals, 345 (94.7%, 95% CI: 64.1–99.4%) had VL below 1000 copies/mL and 19 (4.6%, 95% CI: 2.8-–7.5) had HIVDR mutations.@*Discussion@#Our nationally representative survey found a high level of VL suppression and a low prevalence of HIVDR among individuals who received ART for at least 36 months in Viet Nam. Continued surveillance for HIVDR is important for evaluating and improving HIV programs.

Using Online Respondent Driven Sampling for Vietnamese Youths' Alcohol Use and Associated Risk Factors / 대한의료정보학회지

OBJECTIVES: The average alcohol consumption per capita among Vietnamese adults has consistently increased. Although alcohol-related disorders have been extensively studied, there is a paucity of research shedding light on this issue among Internet users. The study aimed to examine the severity of alcohol-related disorders and other associated factors that might predispose individuals towards alcohol usage in a sample of youths recruited online. METHODS: An online cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,080 Vietnamese youths. A standardized questionnaire was used. Respondent-driven sampling was applied to recruit participants. Multivariate logistic and Tobit regressions were utilized to identify the associated factors. RESULTS: About 59.5% of the males and 12.7% of the total youths declared that they were actively using alcohol. From the total sample, a cumulative total of 32.3% of the participants were drinking alcohol, with 21.8% and 25.0% of the participants being classified as drinking hazardously and binge drinkers, respectively. The majority of the participants (60.7%) were in the pre-contemplative stage. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of hazardous drinking was recognized among online Vietnamese youths. In addition, we found relationships between alcohol use disorder and other addictive disorders, such as tobacco smoking and water-pipe usage. Our results highlighted that the majority of the individuals are not receptive to the idea of changing their alcohol habits, and this would imply that there ought to be more government effort towards the implementation of effective alcohol control policies.

Biomass accumulation of Panax vietnamensis in cell suspension cultures varies with addition of plant growth regulators and organic additives

Objective To evaluate the impact of plant growth regulators including kinetin (KN), benzyl adenine and naphthalene acetic acid, yeast extract and casein hydrolyzate on biomass accumulation of Vietnamese ginseng Panax vietnamensis (P. vietnamensis) in cell suspension culture. Methods Cell suspension cultures were established from friable calluses derived from leaves and petioles of 3-year-old in-vitro P. vietnamensis plants. The cell suspension cultures were grown in Murashige and Skoog basal media supplemented with various concentrations of KN, benzyl adenine, naphthalene acetic acid, and yeast extract and casein hydrolyzate. Results All tested factors generated an increase in the cell biomass of P. vietnamensis in suspension culture, but the impact of each varies depended on the factor type, concentration, and incubation period. Addition of 2.0 mg/L KN resulted in the largest biomass increase after 24 d, (57.0 ± 0.9) and (3.1 ± 0.1) mg/mL fresh and dry weight, respectively, whereas addition of benzyl adenine or naphthalene acetic acid produced optimum levels of Panax cell biomass at 1.0 and 1.5 mg/L, respectively. Addition of the elicitor yeast extract led to a 1.4–2.4 fold increase in biomass of P. vietnamensis, while addition of casein hydrolyzate enhanced biomass accumulation 1.8–2.6 fold. Conclusions The addition of each factor causes significant changes in biomass accumulation of P. vietnamensis. The largest biomass accumulation is from cultures grown in MS media containing 2.0 mg/L KN for 24 d. The outcome of the present study provides new insights into the optimal suspension culture conditions for studies on the in vitro cell biomass production of P. vietnamensis.

Biomass accumulation of Panax vietnamensis in cell suspension cultures varies with addition of plant growth regulators and organic additives

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the impact of plant growth regulators including kinetin (KN), benzyl adenine and naphthalene acetic acid, yeast extract and casein hydrolyzate on biomass accumulation of Vietnamese ginseng Panax vietnamensis (P. vietnamensis) in cell suspension culture.@*METHODS@#Cell suspension cultures were established from friable calluses derived from leaves and petioles of 3-year-old in-vitro P. vietnamensis plants. The cell suspension cultures were grown in Murashige and Skoog basal media supplemented with various concentrations of KN, benzyl adenine, naphthalene acetic acid, and yeast extract and casein hydrolyzate.@*RESULTS@#All tested factors generated an increase in the cell biomass of P. vietnamensis in suspension culture, but the impact of each varies depended on the factor type, concentration, and incubation period. Addition of 2.0 mg/L KN resulted in the largest biomass increase after 24 d, (57.0 ± 0.9) and (3.1 ± 0.1) mg/mL fresh and dry weight, respectively, whereas addition of benzyl adenine or naphthalene acetic acid produced optimum levels of Panax cell biomass at 1.0 and 1.5 mg/L, respectively. Addition of the elicitor yeast extract led to a 1.4-2.4 fold increase in biomass of P. vietnamensis, while addition of casein hydrolyzate enhanced biomass accumulation 1.8-2.6 fold.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The addition of each factor causes significant changes in biomass accumulation of P. vietnamensis. The largest biomass accumulation is from cultures grown in MS media containing 2.0 mg/L KN for 24 d. The outcome of the present study provides new insights into the optimal suspension culture conditions for studies on the in vitro cell biomass production of P. vietnamensis.

The Effect of (1S,2S,3E,7E,11E)-3,7,11,15-Cembratetraen-17,2-Olide (LS-1) from Lobophyyum sp. on the Apoptosis Induction of SNU-C5 Human Colorectal Cancer Cells

(1S,2S,3E,7E,11E)-3,7,11,15-cembratetraen-17,2-olide (LS-1), a marine cembrenolide diterpene, has anticancer activity against colon cancer cells such as HT-29, SNU-C5/5-FU (fluorouracil-resistant SNU-C5) and SNU-C5. However, the action mechanism of LS-1 on SNU-C5 human colon cancer cells has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated whether the anticancer effect of LS-1 could result from apoptosis via the modulation of Wnt/β-catenin and the TGF-β pathways. When treated with the LS-1, we could observe the apoptotic characteristics such as apoptotic bodies and the increase of sub-G1 hypodiploid cell population, increase of Bax level, decrease of Bcl-2 expression, cleavage of procaspase-3 and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase in SNU-C5 cells. Furthermore, the apoptosis induction of SNU-C5 cells upon LS-1 treatment was also accompanied by the down-regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via the decrease of GSK-3β phosphorylation followed by the decrease of β-catenin level. In addition, the LS-1 induced the activation of TGF-β signaling pathway with the decrease of carcinoembryonic antigen which leads to decrease of c-Myc, an oncoprotein. These data suggest that the LS-1 could induce the apoptosis via the down-regulation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway and the activation of TGF-β pathway in SNU-C5 human colon cancer cells. The results support that the LS-1 might have potential for the treatment of human colon cancer.

Whole genome analysis of a Vietnamese trio.

We here present the first whole genome analysis of an anonymous Kinh Vietnamese (KHV) trio whose genomes were deeply sequenced to 30-fold average coverage. The resulting short reads covered 99.91% of the human reference genome (GRCh37d5). We identified 4,719,412 SNPs and 827,385 short indels that satisfied the Mendelian inheritance law. Among them, 109,914 (2.3%) SNPs and 59,119 (7.1%) short indels were novel. We also detected 30,171 structural variants of which 27,604 (91.5%) were large indels. There were 6,681 large indels in the range 0.1–100 kbp occurring in the child genome that were also confirmed in either the father or mother genome.We compared these large indels against the DGV database and found that 1,499 (22.44%) were KHV specific. De novo assembly of high-quality unmapped reads yielded 789 contigs with the length ≥300 bp. There were 235 contigs from the child genome of which 199 (84.7%) were significantly matched with at least one contig from the father or mother genome. Blasting these 199 contigs against other alternative human genomes revealed 4 novel contigs. The novel variants identified from our study demonstrated the necessity of conducting more genome-wide studies not only for Kinh but also for other ethnic groups in Vietnam.

Chemical Constituents from the Aerial Parts of Bupleurum falcatum L. and Biological Evidences

In this study, phytochemical investigation on the aerial parts of Bupleurum falcatum resulted in the isolation of fourteen compounds including three quinic acid derivatives (1 - 3), five flavonoids (4 - 8), three monoterpene glycosides (9 - 11), and three saikosaponins (12 - 14). Compound 1 was first isolated from nature and unambiguously determined to be 3-O-feruloyl 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid on the basis of the extensive spectroscopic evidence. Biological testing revealed that saikosaponin A (12) and saikosaponin D (13) showed moderate antiproliferative effects on HL-60 and HepG2 cancer cell lines.

Ethanol extracts of Scutellaria baicalensis protect against lipopolysaccharideinduced acute liver injury in mice

Objective: To investigated the protective potential of ethanol extracts of Scutellaria baicalensis (S. baicalensis) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced liver injury. Methods: Dried roots of S. baicalensis were extracted with ethanol and concentrated to yield a dry residue. Mice were administered 200 mg/kg of the ethanol extracts orally once daily for one week. Animals were subsequently administered a single dose of LPS (5 mg/kg of body weight, intraperitoneal injection). Both protein and mRNA levels of cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-6 in liver tissues were evaluated by ELISA assay and quantitative PCR. Cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and nuclear factor-kB protein levels in liver tissues were analyzed by western blotting. Results: Liver injury induced by LPS significantly increased necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and nuclear factor-κB in liver tissues. Treatment with ethanol extracts of S. baicalensis prevented all of these observed changes associated with LPS-induced injury in liver mice. Conclusions: Our study showed that S. baicalensis is potentially protective against LPSinduced liver injury in mice.

Functional analysis of ATP-binding cassette transporter of Streptomyces coelicolor.

ATP- binding cassette (ABC) transporters are characterized as multi drug resistant transporters utilizing ATP hydrolysis. The SCO5113 (GeneID: 1100554) encoding a multidrug resistance ABC transporter in Streptomyces coelicolor was expressed in E.coli BL21 (DE3) plysS, using pET 21 a(+). The expression of his – tag fused SCO5113 at 65 kDa under 0.1 M IPTG in 6 h was detected on SDS-PAGE after purification using affinity chromatography. The E. coli BL21 (DE3) plysS harboring SCO5113 was used to test for the antibiotic resistance, using disc diffussion method. The results showed the resistance of E. coli BL21 (DE3) plysS harboring SCO5113 to five kinds of tested antibiotics such as cephalothin (1mg/ml), kanamycin (1mg/ml), ampicillin (10mg/ml), erythromycin (10mg/ml), and chloramphenicol (1mg/ml). The study reported the function of the SCO5113 gene of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2).

Inhibition of TNF-alpha-Mediated NF-kappaB Transcriptional Activity by Dammarane-Type Ginsenosides from Steamed Flower Buds of Panax ginseng in HepG2 and SK-Hep1 Cells

Panax ginseng is a medicinal herb that is used worldwide. Its medicinal effects are primarily attributable to ginsenosides located in the root, leaf, seed, and flower. The flower buds of Panax ginseng (FBPG) are rich in various bioactive ginsenosides, which exert immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of 18 ginsenosides isolated from steamed FBPG on the transcriptional activity of NF-kappaB and the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-stimulated target genes in liver-derived cell lines. Noticeably, the ginsenosides Rk3 and Rs4 exerted the strongest activity, inhibiting NF-kappaB in a dose-dependent manner. SF and Rg6 also showed moderately inhibitory effects. Furthermore, these four compounds inhibited the TNF-alpha-induced expression of IL8, CXCL1, iNOS, and ICAM1 genes. Consequently, ginsenosides purified from steamed FBPG have therapeutic potential in TNF-alpha-mediated diseases such as chronic hepatic inflammation.

Inhibition of TNF-alpha-Mediated NF-kappaB Transcriptional Activity by Dammarane-Type Ginsenosides from Steamed Flower Buds of Panax ginseng in HepG2 and SK-Hep1 Cells

Panax ginseng is a medicinal herb that is used worldwide. Its medicinal effects are primarily attributable to ginsenosides located in the root, leaf, seed, and flower. The flower buds of Panax ginseng (FBPG) are rich in various bioactive ginsenosides, which exert immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activities. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of 18 ginsenosides isolated from steamed FBPG on the transcriptional activity of NF-kappaB and the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-stimulated target genes in liver-derived cell lines. Noticeably, the ginsenosides Rk3 and Rs4 exerted the strongest activity, inhibiting NF-kappaB in a dose-dependent manner. SF and Rg6 also showed moderately inhibitory effects. Furthermore, these four compounds inhibited the TNF-alpha-induced expression of IL8, CXCL1, iNOS, and ICAM1 genes. Consequently, ginsenosides purified from steamed FBPG have therapeutic potential in TNF-alpha-mediated diseases such as chronic hepatic inflammation.

Exopolysaccharide in Lactobacillus Rhamnosus Pn04 After Co-Culture with Leuconostoc mesenteroides Vtcc-B-643.

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have many applications in food industry, and pharmaceutical field. To improve EPS production in Lactobacillus rhamnosus PN04 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides VTCC-B-643, these bacteria were co-cultured together. There were shape changes in Lactobacillus rhamnosus into curved rod. Their EPS were estimated after co-cultured. After ethanol precipitation method, the colorimetric method were done using phenol-sulfuric acid assay, the EPS from L. rhamnosus PN04 increased from 2.446 mg/l to 4.228 mg/l while Leuconostoc mesenteroides increased from 3.217 mg/l to 4.712 mg/l. By SDS-PAGE analysis in both straight and curved Lactobacillus rhamnosus, there were the expressed proteins with the estimated molecular weight of 14, 60, 66 kDa while the curved Lactobacillus rhamnosus showed another proteins with molecular weight of 14, 20, 31, 45, 60, 66, 95 kDa. The results suggested that there were the interaction between two these strains. This is the first report showed there were differences in EPS production and protein expression after co-culture of Lactobacillus rhamnosus PN04 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides VTCC-B-643.

Contribution to study on selecting a drug list and estimating drug demand in Khanh Hoa Rehabilitation Nursing Hospital

To establish an appropriate hospital drug list, the local disease prevalence and the revision of drug treatment in Khanh Hoa Rehabilitation Nursing Hospital, a survey and statistics were taken in 9 years (1995-2003). The disease categories observed in the hospital were contained in 19 chapters of The International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems - 10th revision (ICD10). Three chapters associated with high prevalence are chapter VI (Diseases of the nervous system), chapter IX (Diseases of the circulation system), and chapter XIII (Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue). Based on the local disease prevalence observed in the hospital, treatment guidelines, management capability and payment ability of patients, the Multi-Attribute Decision Analysis Method (MADAM) was applied to list available drugs used in Khanh Hoa Rehabilitation Nursing Hospital. Five decision evaluation criteria including efficacy, safety, ease of use, cost of drug and origin of drug were weighted and scored for the choice of drugs. The obtained result was a drug list which almost uses and promotes the 4th Essential Drug Concept

Decompressive craniectomy for large supratentorial infarction: a case report

Report one case of a 52 years old male patient who lived in Vinh Long province, admitted at January 27th 2005. Patient was treated first aid at Vinh Long Hospital, and then he was operated at the Department of Neurosurgery of People’s Hospital No 115. CT scan found large supratentorial infarction accounted for 3/4 of right hemisphere area that adequate with the supplying blood area of media cerebral artery, and imagine of temporal lobe herniation , subfalcial herniation. Patient was intensively treated by anti-cerebral edema and was conducted hematological tests. Then he was indicated decompressive surgery. Results of CT scan after 24 hours after operation showed that the middle line was regained more, brain delivered cerebral notch. One week after operation, patient was conscious, GCS=15, left hemiplegia, muscle power=2/5. Patient discharged after 10 days with GOS=4, and was intended treating by auto-grafting after 3 months

Surgical treatment outcomes of angle splint use for trochanteric hip fractures

The study was conducted on 55 patients (39 males and 16 females) with 56 trochanteric hip fractures related to surgical treatment trauma. These patients were treated by internal bone fixation using angle splint in Orthopedic Department of Viet- Duc Hospital from 1/2000 - 12/2001. Good and very good outcomes were reached in 82% of patients, 14% of patients had moderate and 4% had poor outcomes. Mass angle splints were used for intertrochanteric fractures: Unstable intertrochanteric fractures, trochanteric fracture with femoral neck fracture line, intertrochanteric fractures with multiple fractures in 1/3 above and 1/3 below of ipsilateral femoral bone. Intertrochanteric fractures occurred in any patient with quick movement prior event. Inter- and inferior trochanteric fractures occurred with two points. DHS is applied with most efficiency. Internal bone fixation using angle splint for intertrochanteric fractures was the most effective method. There were no complication in terms of vascular obstruction related to fat and heart failure. Setting a broken bone wass carried out in surgical position and fixed by angle splints. Separated pieces in backside and inside can be rearranged under the surgery and fixed by soft screws. Rehabilitation and follow-up exammination was needed after surgery.

The clinical characteristics of multi acute psychosis disorder without the symptom of schizophrenia

A clinical characteristics prospective study on 55 patients who suffer from acute psychosis disorder and temporary and 30 among them are multi acute rebellious disorder without the symptom of schizophrenia. The result showed that: the average initial age of acute psychosis disorder and temporary: 29.0 ± 11.29. There is no difference between male and female. The rate of acute rebellious disorder and temporary combine with SCTL is low:14.5%. For the multi acute psychosis disorder patient without the symptom of schizophrenia. The onset of disease is often sudden and rapid. Average duration of disease is short and is shorter significantly than that of other acute psychosis disorders as schizophrenia. All of them have delusion, especially persecution illusion (90%), most of them have more than two illusions: (86.7%); the illusion are often occur uncontinuously and temporary, illusion combine with hallucination seen in 70%. Some types of hallucination: fast hallucination: 70%, the content of its hallucination is complicate, mainly hallucination of hearing which appear uncontinuously: 66,7%, hallucination of hearing from outside are often seen: 66.7%. Emotion disorder often seen: anxiety: 50%, mania and depression:46.7%, unstable emotion: 36.7%

Studying anatomical landmarks by the CT Multislides and its application in endoscopic transnasal dacryocystorhinostomy surgery

The study was carried out on 50 adults without physical defects and injuries in head, face, nose, eyes and cavity regions. The result: the height of lachrymal sac was 1.095± 0.036 cm, the width of lachrymal sac was 0.455± 0.020cm, the distance from the inferior turbinate to the lachrymal sac was 1.145± 0.030 cm and the distance from the anterior nasal spine to the lachrymal sac was 4.220± 0.010 cm. The anatomical landmarks in initial step have been applied on 30 patients. The surgery position is exactly determined, there is no mistake in any case, hurting neighboring areas is reduced, less bleeding, surgery and hospitalization time were shortened

Study on applying endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy with silicone intubation

The study was carried out on 34 patients (6 males and 28 females) aged more than 16 years old who suffered from primary dacryocystitis and underwent endoscopic procedure with silicone intubation. All patients were followed up for clinical symptoms, had Jone’s test, and underwent endoscopy after 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Results: success rate was 94.44% after 6 months, and 93.75% after 12 months. There were not statistically significant differences to other authors. This procedure can be applied broadly in Vietnam

Post-operative sore throat and hoarseness as a result of endotracheal tube positioning in thyroidectomy

Introduction: During a thyroidectomy, the neck is hyperextended. This position may inverse the tracheal axis to the endotracheal tube (ET), can cause damage to the vocal cords and tracheal wall. We propose a simple turn of the ET corresponding with the laryngo-tracheal axis to reduce of post-operative sore throat (PST) and hoarseness (H) in thyroidectomy patients. Methods: 122 patients undergoing general anesthesia were prospectively randomized divided into 4 groups. Gp1 (n=31): normal ET tube placement. Gp2 (n=30): normal ET tube rotated 180o following insertion. Gp3 (n=30): armoured tube. Gp4 (control, n=31): Normal ET tube in operations other than thyroidectomy, that require hyperextension. Cuff pressure (CP) and inspiratory peak pressure (IPP) were monitored during anesthesia. PST and H were evaluated by a VAS (0-10mm). Results: The 4 groups were similar in age, gender and intubation duration. IPP remained stable in all 4 groups. However, CP increased significantly in Gp1 and Gp4 after hyperextension. GP1 had the most PST and H (p<0.05). Tube rotation achieved the same results as the Armoured tube. Discussion: Rotating ET tube 180o reduced PST and H as much as intubation with a armoured tube. This rotation did not interfere with ventilation during anesthesia.