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Jia-Suo Gao,1* Xu-Peng Tong,2* Yi-Qun Chang,1 Yu-Xuan He,1 Yu-Dan Mei,1 Pei-Hong Tan,1 Jia-Liang Guo,1 Guo-Chao Liao,3 Gao-Keng Xiao,1 Wei-Min Chen,1 Shu-Feng Zhou,4 Ping-Hua Sun1 1Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2College of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA; 4College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Factor IXa (FIXa), a blood coagulation factor, is specifically inhibited at the initiation stage of the coagulation cascade, promising an excellent approach for developing selective and safe anticoagulants. Eighty-four amidinobenzothiophene antithrombotic derivatives targeting FIXa were selected to establish three-dimensional quantitative structure–activity relationship (3D-QSAR) and three-dimensional quantitative structure–selectivity relationship (3D-QSSR) models using comparative molecular field analysis and comparative similarity indices analysis methods. Internal and external cross-validation techniques were investigated as well as region focusing and bootstrapping. The satisfactory q2 values of 0.753 and 0.770, and r2 values of 0.940 and 0.965 for 3D-QSAR and 3D-QSSR, respectively, indicated that the models are available to predict both the inhibitory activity and selectivity on FIXa against Factor Xa, the activated status of Factor X. This work revealed that the steric, hydrophobic, and H-bond factors should appropriately be taken into account in future rational design, especially the modifications at the 2'-position of the benzene and the 6-position of the benzothiophene in the R group, providing helpful clues to design more active and selective FIXa inhibitors for the treatment of thrombosis. On the basis of the three-dimensional quantitative structure–property relationships, 16 new potent molecules have been designed and are predicted to be more active and selective than Compound 33, which has the best activity as reported in the literature. Keywords: CoMFA, CoMSIA, 3D-QSAR, 3D-QSSR, benzothiophene antithrombosis

The influence of transition metals (Zn, Cd and Ni) on bismuth magnesium niobate (Bi3.5Mg1.8Nb2.7O13.8, BMN) pyrochlores was investigated. Considering the difference in their ionic radii, Cd was postulated to substitute Mg at the eight-fold coordinated A-site whereas Zn and Ni were to replace Mg at the six-fold coordinated B-sites of the host structure. Solubility limits in these substitutional pyrochlore solid solutions were determined to be 0.4, 0.1 and 0.3 for Zn, Ni and Cd, respectively. Upon introducing these divalent cation dopants, notable changes in the lattice parameters and grain sizes were observed with increasing dopant concentration. The high dielectric constants, ε′ of Zn, Cd and Ni doped BMN pyrochlores were discernible with their bulk values of 195-216, 173-195 and 153-195, respectively. The highest ε′ of 216 was recorded for the composition with Zn = 0.1 in contrast to the lowest value of 153 found in the composition with Ni = 0.1. Meanwhile, these highly insulating divalent cation doped BMN pyrochlores also exhibit low dielectric losses, tan _ whose values are in the order of 10−3. The excellent dielectric properties allow these novel pyrochlore phases to be potentially applied for the energy storage applications.

The Steiner tree problem in graphs (SPG) is one of the most studied problems in combinatorial optimization because of its theories and applications. It is one of the foundations to develop a Wireless Sensor Network (WSNs), such as multicast and topology design. SPG is an NP-Hard problem, and many heuristic and approximation algorithms have been proposed. Thus, this study proposes a Hybrid Genetic algorithm (HGA) to solve SPG. This study is the binary string representation for a set of chosen edges. To increase the diversity of the population and avoid falling into local optimization, we use a 2-longest Distance strategy, dynamic crossover rate, and chosen solutions must differ by at least 5%. The experiment results show that the HGA algorithm's running time equals 153.83% of the GA algorithm's, the deviation found by HGA, and the optimal distance only equals 65% that of GA.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common malignant tumour of the penis. The 2022 WHO classification reinforces the 2016 classification and subclassifies precursor lesions and tumours into human papillomavirus (HPV)‐associated and HPV‐independent types. HPV‐associated penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PeIN) is a precursor lesion of invasive HPV‐ associated SCC, whereas differentiated PeIN is a precursor lesion of HPV‐independent SCC. Block‐type positivity of p16 immunohistochemistry is the most practical daily utilised method to separate HPVassociated from HPVindependent penile SCC. If this is not feasible, the term SCC, not otherwise specified (NOS) is appropriate. Certain histologies that were previously classified as "subtypes" are now grouped, and coalesced as "patterns", under the rubric of usual type SCC and verrucous carcinoma (e.g. usual‐type SCC includes pseudohyperplastic and acantholytic/pseudoglandular carcinoma, and carcinoma cuniculatum is included as a pattern of verrucous carcinoma). If there is an additional component of the usual type of invasive SCC (formerly termed hybrid histology), the tumour would be a mixed carcinoma (e.g. carcinoma cuniculatum or verrucous carcinoma with usual invasive SCC); in such cases, reporting of the relative percentages in mixed tumours may be useful. The consistent use of uniform nomenclature and reporting of percentages will inform the refinement of future reporting classification schemes and guidelines/recommendations. The classification of scrotal tumours is provided for the first time in the fifth edition of the WHO Blue book, and it follows the schema of penile cancer classification for both precursor lesions and the common SCC of the scrotum. Basal cell carcinoma of the scrotum may have a variable clinical course and finds a separate mention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to recover bioactive compounds from Smallanthus sonchifolius roots, including flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolics, vitamin C, and reducing sugar contents, as well as to examine antioxidant activities using ultrasonic-assisted and microwave-assisted extraction technique. Single-factor experiments were employed to explore the impact of various independent variables, including concentration, extraction method, power, duration, temperature, and pH, on the dependent variables of yacon extraction using the ultrasonic-microwave-assisted extraction method. The Plackett-Burman Design Model was used to screen the parameters that significantly influenced the extraction efficiency. Box-Behnken Design Model was utilized to optimize the ultrasonic-microwave-assisted extracting process to acquire bioactive compounds. The highest yield of total flavonoid contents was obtained with 4.00 of pH, 743.33 W of microwave power, and 39.08°C of ultrasonic temperature. According to reducing sugar contents yield optimization, the optimum conditions were 3.98 of pH, 36.17 seconds of microwave time and 40°C of ultrasonic temperature. To optimize vitamin C concentration, the optimized conditions were 1:40 g/mL of sample-to-solvent ratio, 3.99 of pH, 45.33 seconds of microwave time, and 451.09 W of ultrasonic power. Regarding total terpenoids yield, optimized conditions for extracting were 1:40 g/mL of sample-to-solvent ratio, 2.48 of pH, 30.49 seconds of microwave time, and 49.48 °C of ultrasonic temperature. Under optimized conditions, the recovery yield of flavonoid, terpenoid, vitamin C, and reducing sugar contents were 7.95 mg rutin equivalents/g, 47.93 mg ursolic acid equivalents/g, 107.78 mg ascorbic acid/g, and 230.39 mg D-glucose equivalents/g, respectively. Ultrasonic-microwave-assisted extraction showed significantly higher performance than singular extracting methods and is regarded as a sustainable and effective approach to recover target compounds from yacon roots.

ABSTRACTIn this study, bacterial cellulose (BC) was used as a partial replacement for baking wheat flour in the traditional castella cake recipe to increase the fiber content. The wheat flour content was partially replaced (5, 10, 15, and 20%) with BC powder (BCP) in the castella cake recipe, while 0% replacement was used as the control sample. The fiber-enriched castella cake’s physical texture, chemical composition, and sensory properties were analyzed. With up to 20% incorporated BC, the castella cakes had their density and total dietary fiber content increased by 1.72 and 3.57 times, respectively, compared to the control samples. Among the samples, the sensory evaluation showed that the 5 and 10% BC replaced fiber-enriched castella cakes were favored by consumers. The total dietary fiber content of 10% BC replaced fiber-enriched castella cake was 5.83 ± 0.31%db; thus, this ratio was recommended in a castella cake recipe. [Figure: see text]

Innovations for product preservation have attracted interest as they may increase the shelf-life of items when stored properly. In this study, the effects of various storage conditions, including four types of packaging (paper packaging, paper combined PE packaging, aluminum combined PE packaging, and plastic jar packaging) and temperatures (5, 15, 30, and 45 °C) on the quality of dried soursop were evaluated. The results demonstrated that the combination of plastic jar packaging and a storage temperature of 15 °C retained a significant portion of the initial total ascorbic acid content, total polyphenol content, and total flavonoid content. After four weeks of storage, the dried soursop preserve packaged in a plastic jar and stored at 15 °C exhibited a moisture content of 22.977 ± 0.093 %, total ascorbic acid content of 9.7 ± 0.46 mg/100gDW, total polyphenol content of 8.12 ± 0.06 mgGAE/gDW, total flavonoid content of 0.18 ± 0.02 mgQE/gDW, DPPH and ABTS scavenging activity of 0.69 ± 0.01 mgAA/gDW and 0.82 ± 0.01 mgAA/gDW, respectively. Moreover, the product meets the requirements of decision 46/2007/QD-BYT regulating the limits on biological and chemical contamination in food. The study offers valuable insights for the food industry in optimizing packaging and storage conditions to ensure the storage of quality and health-beneficial properties of this product.

Abstract This study deployed ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE), combined with natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES), to extract phenolics and flavonoids from the black mulberry fruit, and the antioxidant activity was examined. The extraction yields of NADES-based UAE were assessed based on the yields of phenolics and flavonoids extracted from the black mulberry fruit. This study selected the molar ratios of hydrogen bond acceptors (HBA) and hydrogen bond donors HBD at 1:2 from previous studies. Choline chloride-lactic acid showed the highest solubility with phenolics and flavonoids among NADES systems. One-factor experiments evaluated the effect of UAE conditions (liquid-to-solid ratio (LSR), water content in NADES, temperature, and time) on TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activity. The suitable NADES-based UAE conditions for extracting phenolics and flavonoids from the black mulberry fruit were 60 ml/g of LSR, 40% water content, 70 °C, and 15 min. Response surface methodology with the Box-Behnken design model optimized the NADES-based UAE process based on response (TPC, TFC, ABTS, OH, and DPPH). The optimal conditions for the NADES-based UAE process were 70 ml/g of LSR, 38.9% water content in NADES, 67.9 °C, and 24.2 min of extraction time. The predicted values of the Box-Behnken design were compatible with the experimental results. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to survey the surface of black mulberry fruit with and without sonication. SEM can assist in demonstrating the destructive effect of NADES and ultrasonic waves on material surfaces. SEM findings indicated the high surface destruction capacity of NADES, which partially contributed to a superior extraction yield of NADES than conventional organic solvents. The study proposes an efficient and green method for extracting bioactive compounds from black mulberry fruits. The black mulberry fruit extracts can be applied to meat preservation and beverages with high antioxidants.

In this study, the heat pump drying technique was applied to develop the production process of dried mango from Tu Quy mango sources, Ben Tre province, Vietnam. The experiment was performed in three steps. First, mango slices were treated through the blanching process. Samples were pretreated with sizes from 6 to 12 mm at 80–95°C for 3–6 min, and then the mango slices were soaked in a syrup solution concentration range of 25–40°Bx, citric acid of 0.5–2%, and glycerol of 0.1–0.4% at 35–65°C for 90–180 min. Finally, the samples were dried using a pilot-scale heat pump dryer until the moisture content reached 14–16%. The results showed that the blanching and osmosis processes were carried out under optimal conditions to inactivate the Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzyme, obtain maximum polyphenol compounds, and conform to the product appearance. Additionally, the drying process was carried out at 30°C for 1,080 min with the polyphenol content retaining 11.71 mgGAE/gDW—This signifies a successful endeavor in developing production methodologies and expanding the range of mango-derived products. Employing innovative technological processes enhances both the quantity and quality of the products. Moreover, the manufacturing procedure was executed on a pilot device, streamlining the synchronization of large-scale production processes effortlessly. This advancement not only enhances economic value but also addresses the issue of congestion prevalent in the current state of the mango industry in Vietnam.

This study employed novel extraction methods with natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) to extract bioactive compounds and proteins from Bacopa monnieri leaves. The conditional influence of ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and enzymatic-assisted extraction (EAE) on the recovery efficiency of phenolics, proteins, flavonoids, and terpenoids was evaluated. The conditions of UAE were 50 mL/g LSR, 600W of ultrasonic power, and 30% water content with 40°C for 1 min to obtain the highest bioactive compounds and protein contents. The conditions of MAE were 40 mL/g LSR, 400W of microwave power with 30% water content for 3 min to reach the highest contents of biological compounds. The conditions of EAE were 30 mL/g of LSR, 20 U/g of enzyme concentration with L-Gly-Na molar ratio at 2:4:1, and 40% water content for 60 min to acquire the highest bioactive compound contents. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is employed to analyze the surface of Bacopa monnieri leaves before and after extraction. Comparing seven extraction methods was conducted to find the most favorable ones. The result showed that the UMEAE method was the most effective way to exploit the compounds. The study suggested that UMEAE effectively extracts phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids, and protein from DBMP.

This investigation focused on assessing and enhancing ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) using natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) to extract phenolics and terpenoids from sweet basil leaves. The initial stage involved evaluating the extraction performance of twelve NADES and ethanol. A NADES comprising lactic acid and glucose with a 2 : 1 molar ratio and 20% water content (WC) obtained the highest total phenolic content (TPC) and total terpenoid content (TTC). Single-factor experiments systematically examined the impact of liquid-to-solid ratio (LSR), water content in NADES (WC), ultrasound power, temperature, and exposure time on the extraction yield. Optimization using Box–Behnken Design (BBD) models for the lactic acid and glucose-based UAE revealed the optimal conditions to be 80 ml/g LSR, 30% water, 300 W, 50°C temperature, and a 15-minute exposure time. Under these optimized parameters, the extraction achieved the highest TPC and TTC at 69.88 mg GAE/g and 110.71 mg UA/g, respectively. This study presents an environmentally friendly and sustainable extraction protocol for the extraction of phenolic compounds and terpenoids from sweet basil leaves.

In this research, optimize ultrasonic-assisted extraction is aimed to obtain phenolics from Paris polyphylla using solvents: Glucose-Lactic acid, Choline-Lactic acid, Glycerol-Lactic acid, Sodium-Lactic acid, Choline-Citric acid, Glycerol-Citric, Sodium-Citric acid, Glucose-Citric acid, and the solvent with the highest extraction capacity for phenolics is Glucose-Lactic acid. Then, single-factor experiments were carried out to study the effect of the process parameters of ultrasonic-assisted extraction on the extraction efficiency of phenolics. The center point response surface model is used to optimize the extraction process with ultrasonic-assisted waves for phenolics recovery from P. polyphylla. The optimal conditions of terpenoids were 450 W of microwave power, 20 % of water content, and 50 mL/g of liquid-to-solid ratio. The results obtained from the model are close to the experimental results, proving that the optimized model is suitable for predicting experimental results. The study provided a green and sustainable approach to acquire bioactive compounds from P. polyphylla .

This study investigates the sulfuric acid hydrolysis process to improve the efficiency of paper waste sludge (PWS) hydrolysis in a paper recycling plant. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the influence of factors, including liquid-to-solid ratio, acid concentration, temperature, and time on the hydrolysis process. The optimal conditions for hydrolysis were determined to be a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1/30.15, an acid concentration of 8.17 wt%, at a temperature of 91.31 ?, and a reaction time of 6.15 h, which yielded the highest sugar content of 11.12 g.L-1 (with the hydrolysis efficiency of 61.4 %). The resulting sugar solution was then fermented by Acetobacter xylinum bacteria to produce bacterial cellulose (BC) layers. This study addresses the environmental organic pollution caused by PWS and transforms it into a more valuable form with high carbon content and purity, such as BC.

Soursop (SSF) is a popular fruit in the southern region of Vietnam. It is a fruit that contains many essential nutrients and antioxidant components, which are good for human health. However, the process of transportation and storage at the stages before reaching the consumer has been greatly affected by natural conditions. In this study, we looked at the impact of each stage in the supply chain on physicochemical and biological quality. 11 indicators were evaluated throughout (Bonded rating, mass loss rate, moisture content, hardness, vitamin C content, total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content, DPPH• and ABTS+ scavenging activity). The supply process is distributed in 2 popular distributors, markets and supermarkets with supply chain times of 105 h and 197 h respectively. The results have shown that the supply process by supermarket distributors is capable of maintaining better product quality and less variation in physicochemical/bioactive composition. The increase in DPPH• and ABTS+ scavenging activity is proportional to the increase in TPC. Vitamin C is significantly depleted in both supply chains. The research results are a premise for the development of soursop protection solutions at each stage through knowledge of the variations of biologically active substances and physicochemical properties of SSF in the supply chain corresponding to the ripening of SSF. A database that assists suppliers in making the right decisions to prevent quality, and economic losses.

This study aimed to produce bacterial cellulose from paper waste sludge (PWS) as a method of utilizing the cellulose source from the remaining pulp in the material. Initially, PWS was hydrolyzed by sulfuric acid to create an enriched-reducing sugar hydrolysate. One-factor experiments were conducted with a fixed amount of PWS (5 g) to investigate the influence of hydrolysis conditions, including water, sulfuric acid addition, temperature, and retention time, on the production yield of reducing sugars. Based on these results, the Box-Behnken model was designed to optimize the hydrolysis reaction. The optimal hydrolysis conditions were 10 ml/g of the sulfuric acid solution (30.9%) at 105.5 °C for 90 min of retention time 0.81 (gGE/g PWS), corresponding to a conversion yield of 40.5%). Subsequently, 100 ml of the filtered and neutralized PWS hydrolysate was used as the culture to produce the bacterial cellulose (BC) using Acetobacter xylinum, which produced 12 g/L of bacterial cellulose. The conversion yield of bacterial cellulose calculated as the ratio of the weight of produced bacterial cellulose to that of cellulose in PWS reached 33.3%. The structure of the obtained BC was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to indicate the formation of nano-cellulose fiber networks. This research proposed a combined method to convert paper waste sludge into bacterial cellulose, demonstrating the potential for waste utilization and sustainable production of paper industries for added-value products.

In recent decades, global rapid urbanization has exacerbated the impacts of natural hazards due to changes in Southeast Asia’s environmental, hydrological, and socio-economic conditions. Confounding non-stationary processes of climate change and global warming and their negative impacts can make hazards more complex and severe, particularly in Vietnam. Such complexity necessitates a study that can synthesize multi-dimensional natural-human factors in disaster risk assessments. This synthesis study aims to assess and monitor climate change and land-cover/land-use change impacts on flood and landslide hazards in Vietnam’s Gianh River basin. Three Deep Neural Network (DNN) and optimization algorithms, including the Adam, Tunicate Swarm Algorithm (TSA), and Dwarf Mongoose Optimization (DMOA) were used to determine the regions with the probability of the occurrence of flood and landslide and their combination. All efficiently evaluated hazard susceptibility based on a synthesis analysis encompassing 14 natural and anthropogenic conditioning factors. Of the three, the Deep Neural Network (DNN)-DMOA model performed the best for both flood and landslide susceptibility, with area-under-curve values of 0.99 and 0.97, respectively, followed by DNN-TSA (0.97 for flood, 0.92 for landslide), and DNN-Adam (0.96 for flood, 0.89 for landslide). Although the area affected by flooding is predicted to decrease, the overall trend for total hazard-prone areas increases over 2005–2050 due to the more extensive area affected by landslides. This study develop and demonstrate a robust framework to monitor multi-hazard susceptibility, taking into account the changes in climate and land-use influence the occurrence of multiple hazards. Based on the quantitative assessment, these findings can help policymakers understand and identify confounding hazard issues to develop proactive land-management approaches in effective mitigation or adaptation strategies that are spatially and temporally appropriate.

The issue of how to economically harvest and recover algal biomass has always been of concern to green wastewater treatment systems utilizing microalgal technology. This study explores the efficiency of biomass recovery from Chlorella Vulgaris using an electrocoagulation-flocculation method, aiming to optimize the environmentally friendly harvesting of algal biomass. Utilizing a response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite design (CCD), the research investigates the impact of pH, current intensity, reaction time, and salinity on recovery efficiency. Optimal conditions were identified as a pH of 6.5, current intensity of 1.5A, reaction time of 20 minutes, and a salinity of 15ppt, achieving an optimal recovery efficiency of 84.36%. The findings underscore the significant influence of pH, where deviations from the optimum value substantially reduced efficiency. This study confirms that electrocoagulation is a viable and effective method for enhancing Chlorella Vulgaris biomass recovery, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional chemical flocculation methods by reducing dependency on chemical coagulants and minimizing production costs. The results provide a solid scientific basis for future enhancements in the sustainable industrial application of algae, promoting environmental protection and economic viability.

The present study attempted to evaluate the suitable conditions for essential oil extraction from the fruit of Triphasia trifolia using hydrodistillation technique. The effect of various factors such as material size, solvent to solid ratio, heating temperature and distillation time, state of maturation, and fruit preservation on the oil yield was investigated. The physicochemical property, chemical composition, and biological properties were accessed. The highest yield of essential oil (7.9 mL/kg dry matter) from T. trifolia was obtained at optimal conditions such as fine particle size, solid to solvent ratio of 1:5, temperature oil bath of 140 °C, and distillation time of 3 h. The state of maturation of the fruits significantly affects the essential oil yield and insignificantly influences chemical composition based on the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. It was found that the essential oil yield decreases significantly when ripened fruits are not kept in cool conditions before distillation. It implied that ripened fruits should be immediately processed or kept in cool storage to maintain the essential oil yield. Our findings will help produce high-quality essential oil from T. trifolia at a pilot or industrial scale.

This research combined ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) and natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) to recover phenolic and flavonoid components from mangosteen rind. The antioxidant activities were determined using DPPH, ABTS+, and hydroxyl assays. NADES prepared from lactic and 1,2–propanediol had the highest extraction efficiency based on the total flavonoid content (TFC) and phenolic contents (TPC). Single-factor experiments were employed to assess the influence of UAE conditions (liquid-to-solid ratio, temperature, water content in NADES, and time) on TFC, TPC, and antioxidant activities. NADES-based UAE conditions were optimized using response surface methodology with the Box-Behnken design model on five dependent responses (TPC, TFC, DPPH, ABTS, and OH). The optimal conditions for the lactic-1,2–Propanediol-based UAE process were 76.7 ml liquid/g solid with 30.3% of water content at 57.5 °C for 9.1 min. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was applied to examine the surface morphology of mangosteen rind before and after sonication. This study proposes an efficient, green, and practical approach for recovering phenolics and flavonoids from mangosteen rinds.

Background Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is estimated to affect 7% of the adult population in the United States; however, there is currently little understanding of the key cellular and molecular pathways at play. With PAD characterized by vascular inflammation and associated calcification, the current study set out to elucidate the role of NLRP3 (nucleotide oligomerization domain‐like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3) inflammasome activation in the current cohort. Methods and Results Global proteomics of human vessels with and without PAD from a total of 14 donors revealed an increase of proinflammatory associated ontologies, specifically acute phase and innate immunity. Targeted mass spectrometry showed a significant increase in NLRP3, confirmed by NLRP3 ELISA. Histological analysis from the same patients demonstrated expression of NLRP3, colocalizing in immunoreactive CD68 (cluster of differentiation 68) and CD209 (cluster of differentiation 209) macrophages. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy showed the locality of macrophage‐like cells in the presence of calcification, with confocal microscopy further validating the localization of CD68, NLRP3, and calcification via near‐infrared calcium tracer. Systemic inflammation and the presence of the NLRP3 inflammasome was assessed via flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively. Compared with patients without PAD, NLRP3 expression was significantly increased in serum. In addition, proinflammatory cytokine presence was significantly increased in disease versus control, with IL (interleukin)‐1β, TNF‐α (tumor necrosis factor α), and IL‐33 demonstrating the greatest disparity, correlating with NLRP3 activation. Conclusions The current findings demonstrate a link between NLRP3, macrophage accumulation, and calcification in arteries of patients with PAD, suggesting an association or possible driver of PAD in these patients.

VIETBIO [Innovative approaches to biodiversity discovery and characterisation in Vietnam] is a bilateral German-Vietnamese research and capacity building project focusing on the development and transfer of new methods and technology towards an integrated biodiversity discovery and monitoring system for Vietnam. Dedicated field training and testing of innovative methodologies were undertaken in Cuc Phuong National Park as part and with support of the project, which led to the new biodiversity data and records made available in this article collection.VIETBIO is a collaboration between the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science (MfN), the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Freie Universität Berlin (BGBM) and the Vietnam National Museum of Nature (VNMN), the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR), the Southern Institute of Ecology (SIE), as well as the Institute of Tropical Biology (ITB); all Vietnamese institutions belong to the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST).The article collection "VIETBIO" (https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.coll.63) reports original results of recent biodiversity recording and survey work undertaken in Cuc Phuong National Park, northern Vietnam, under the framework of the VIETBIO project. The collection consist of this “main” cover paper – characterising the study area, the general project approaches and activities, while also giving an extensive overview on previous studies from this area – followed by individual papers for higher taxa as studied during the project. The main purpose is to make primary biodiversity records openly available, including several new and interesting findings for this biodiversity-rich conservation area. All individual data papers with their respective primary records are expected to provide useful baselines for further taxonomic, phylogenetic, ecological and conservation-related studies on the respective taxa and, thus, will be maintained as separate datasets, including separate GUIDs also for further updating.

This context presents the study of ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) to obtain phenolic and flavonoid compounds from watermelon rind powder (WRP). The antioxidant activity of the extracts was investigated using DPPH and ABTS+ assays. One-factor experiments were conducted to examine the effect of each factor (solid-to-liquid ratio (SLR), acetone concentration (AC), temperature, and time) on the UAE of WRP. Box-Behnken Design (BDD) model was employed to optimize the UAE conditions based on total phenolic contents (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and their antioxidant activities. The optimal conditions were 1:30.50 SLR, 70.71% AC, 29.78 °C, and 10.65 min extraction time. There were no significant differences between predicted and experimental results (less than 6.0%), recommending a feasible and innovative process of deploying UAE to extract phenolics and flavonoids effectively from watermelon rind.

The main challenge in manufacturing antennas in the sub-THz band is their small size, which requires adapted manufacturing tools. This paper proposes a uniform linear 3 × 1 traveling-wave antenna array (ULTWAA) for millimetre applications in the sub-THz band. The designed array allows a continuous beam orientation of ±46.1° in the E-plane. A small quarter-wave line added to the ends of the antenna allows the beam to be oriented towards the inside of the antenna, cancelling out surface waves and adapting the impedance to the scanning angle. Thanks to this device, the waves produced are progressive. The antenna manufactured at 100 GHz measures 13 × 9.7 × 0.125 mm. The measured peak gain is 14.2 dBi with 70% bandwidth. For in-phase radiation, the distances between the antenna units have been adjusted, but the adjustment process is tedious due to the interdependence between the antenna units.

The severe heatwaves and hot spells in Vietnam were observed more frequently in intensity and duration due to global warming and climate change impacts. The hot days and extreme summer events make the weather harsh and significantly affect human health and the environment. This study presents the spatiotemporal distribution of the number of hot days (NHDs) in Vietnam. The variability of NHD in seven climate subregions is also examined in association with the large-scale drivers. The European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis version 5 (ERA5) data for the period 1981–2020 are used. Principal component analysis is also applied to the observed monthly NHD to obtain spatial patterns and time series. The results show that the NHD in the Highland and South subregions from March to May is linked with the subtropical high associated with decreased 500hPa-level vertical velocity (VV500). From May to June, the North and Central subregions seem related to deepening the Asiatic low and enhancement of southwest flows across the Indochina Peninsula. Finally, both increased southwest flows and decreased VV500 can partly contribute to the intensification of NHD in the North and Central subregions during July and August. The long trends of NHD are also examined. The results reveal that the increasing trends in NHD occur in most subregions, except for the Central Highland, and changing trends of NHD in June greatly contribute to the annual trend of NHD. Finally, the examinations with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation events show that NHD is significantly higher in El Niño events than in La Niña events in March and April for the Northwest, South Central, Central Highlands, and South, in May and June for all subregions, and in July and August for only the Red River Delta subregion. This suggests that ENSO can provide the potential for improving seasonal climate forecasts and mitigating natural disaster risks for the community.

The gray abalone mushroom is a rich source of amino acids and carbohydrate compounds, with some biological activities and antioxidants. Nowadays, the variety of food additives on the market such as sodium glutamate (E621), sodium guanylate (E627), or sodium insonate (E631), could probably cause negative effects for people’s health. This study used gray abalone mushrooms to create naturally derived seasoning products without using flavor enhancers and synthetic compounds. The gray abalone mushroom was pretreated and dried at 60°C until attaining the moisture content of

In Vietnam, Macrosolen tricolor is used for the treatment of bloating, broken bones, cough, diarrhea, diuretic, rheumatism, and laxative effects. The study aimed to identify the in vitro antiproliferation and anti-inflammation of all fractions and purified compounds from the M. tricolor whole plants, as well as the in silico molecular docking of the potentially cytotoxic compounds. As the results, fractions (MTH.I, MTH.II, MTE.I, and MTE.II) strongly demonstrated antiproliferative properties against three tested cells, MDA-MB-231, RD, and HepG2 (IC50 values ranged from 4.00 ± 0.20 to 70.60 ± 1.44 μg/mL), as well as anti-inflammatory effects (IC50 values ranged from 4.45 ± 0.08 to 23.00 ± 1.18 μg/mL), whereas other fractions meaningfully evidenced selective cytotoxicity and/or anti-inflammation. Therefore, the phytochemical compositions of the active fractions were illuminated, leading to the characterization of eighteen compounds. Compounds (3–5) revealed the most cytotoxic effects towards all examined cells (IC50 values ranged from 6.88 ± 0.12 to 71.64 ± 1.17 μM) and the strongest anti-inflammatory properties (IC50 values of 16.30 ± 0.92, 7.31 ± 0.55, and 9.23 ± 0.60 μM, respectively). Compound 11 showed potential cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231, RD, and HepG2 cells (IC50 values of 24.42 ± 0.28, 20.60 ± 0.25, and 3.20 ± 0.02 μM, respectively). Furthermore, compounds (4, 5, and 11) interacted with the active site of the apoptosis regulator Bcl-2 protein (PDB ID: 2O2F), were comparable to PAC, and were compatible with their anticancer activity. This project suggests that M. tricolor is a good source of natural antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory agents and contributes to understanding the biological activities of Macrosolen species in traditional Vietnamese medicine.

Many components in Crotalaria assamica benth composition make this plant a potential antioxidant and antibacterial herbal material, which can find many applications in medicine and biochemistry. In this study, Crotalaria assamica benth seed powder was extracted with aqueous alcohol solutions by an ultrasound-assisted leaching method. The ultrasound wave was 37 kHz, and the extraction was carried out at 30 °C for 10 mins. An alcohol content of 54.78 vol% and a mass ratio of solid to liquid (RSL) of 1/55 are suitable conditions according to the reaction surface method (RSM) developed by the Box–Beknen approach to design matrix experiments. With the above conditions, the actual result was that the TPC was 12.02 ± 0.24 mg GAE/g DW and the TFC was 7.68 ± 0.34 mg RE/g DW). Crotalaria assamica confers antioxidant activity of the extract with an IC50 value of 644 ??g/mL, and antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa strain, with an average antibacterial ring diameter of 13.5 mm.