Antioxidant, neuroprotective, and neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) differentiation effects of melanins and arginine-modified melanins from Daedaleopsis tricolor and Fomes fomentarius.

Background: Microbial melanins possess a broad spectrum of biological activities. However, there is little understanding of their neuroprotective and neuronal cell differentiation properties. This study aimed to extract, purify, and modify melanins from two medicinal fungi (Daedaleopsis tricolor and Fomes fomentarius), and to evaluate their antioxidant activity, as well as their cell protective ability against neurotoxins.

Anti-ultraviolet, antibacterial, and biofilm eradication activities against of melanins and melanin derivatives from and .

and produced significant amounts of water-insoluble melanins, and our previous study successfully enhanced their water solubility by arginine modification. This research aimed to investigate the anti-ultraviolet, antibacterial, and biofilm eradication activities of both the melanins and arginine-modified melanin (melanin derivatives) from these two fungi against an acne-causing bacterium (). Apart from these, the cytotoxicity of the melanins and melanin derivatives on human skin cells was also evaluated.

Cytotoxicity activities and chemical characteristics of exopolysaccharides and intracellular polysaccharides of Physarum polycephalum microplasmodia.

Background: Microbial polysaccharides have been reported to possess remarkable bioactivities. Physarum polycephalum is a species of slime mold for which the microplasmodia are capable of rapid growth and can produce a significant amount of cell wall-less biomass. There has been a limited understanding of the polysaccharides produced by microplasmodia of slime molds, including P.

Effects of medium composition on the growth and lipid production of microplasmodia of Physarum polycephalum.

Physarum polycephalum is a plasmodial slime mold. One of the trophic stages in the life cycle of this organism is a plasmodium. In submerged culture, plasmodia are fragmented into microplasmodia.

An educational intervention to improve hand hygiene compliance in Vietnam.

Background: Hand hygiene compliance is the basis of infection control programs. In developing countries models to improve hand hygiene compliance to reduce healthcare acquired infections are required. The aim of this study was to determine hand hygiene compliance following an educational program in an obstetric and gynecological hospital in Vietnam.

Biological activities and chemical compositions of slime tracks and crude exopolysaccharides isolated from plasmodia of Physarum polycephalum and Physarella oblonga.

Background: The myxomycetes derive their common name (slime molds) from the multinucleate trophic stage (plasmodium) in the life cycle, which typically produces a noticeable amount of slimy materials, some of which is normally left behind as a "slime track" as the plasmodium migrates over the surface of a particular substrate. The study reported herein apparently represents the first attempt to investigate the chemical composition and biological activities of slime tracks and the exopolysaccharides (EPS) which cover the surface of the plasmodia of Physarum polycephalum and Physarella oblonga.

Results: Chemical analyses indicated that the slime tracks and samples of the EPS consist largely of carbohydrates, proteins and various sulphate groups.

Geographic information system (GIS)-based image analysis for assessing growth of on a solid medium.

Background: The conventional method used to assess growth of the plasmodium of the slime mold in solid culture is to measure the extent of plasmodial expansion from the point of inoculation by using a ruler. However, plasmodial growth is usually rather irregular, so the values obtained are not especially accurate. Similar challenges exist in quantification of the growth of a fungal mycelium.

Evaluating the potential use of myxomycetes as a source of lipids for biodiesel production.

The myxomycetes are a group of primitive phagotrophic eukaryotes characterized by a distinctive plasmodial stage that is well known for its rapid growth rate. In the present study, biomass and lipid production of several different species of myxomycetes were investigated. Physarum polycephalum was found to produce the highest amounts of both dry biomass (1.

Influence of contextual and individual level risk factors on adiposity in a preschool child cohort in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Objective: To identify risk factors associated with changes in BMI and sum of skinfold thickness (SSF) in a cohort of preschool children in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam.

Methods: This one year follow-up study, using multi-stage cluster sampling, was conducted from 2005-2006 with 526 children aged 4-5 years in preschools in urban HCMC. Information on neighborhood, preschool and home environments, socio-economic status, the child and parental characteristics were collected using interview-administered questionnaires.

Energy and macronutrient intakes in preschool children in urban areas of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Background: An increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity has been documented in preschool children in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. However, little is known about what preschool children in HCMC eat or how well their nutrient intake meets nutrient recommendations. This study aims to describe the energy and macronutrient intake and compare these nutrient intakes with the recommendations for Vietnamese children aged four to five years.

Distribution and occurrence of myxomycetes on agricultural ground litter and forest floor litter in Thailand.

The ecological distribution and seasonal patterns of occurrence of myxomycetes associated with the microhabitats represented by agricultural ground litter and forest floor litter were investigated in six study sites in northern Thailand during Oct 2004-Oct 2005. Both specimens that developed under natural conditions in the field and specimens obtained in moist chamber cultures were considered. Agricultural study sites were a banana plantation, a mango orchard and a sweet corn farm, whereas forest study sites consisted of a lowland forest, a midelevation forest and a highland forest.