Causes and consequences of tipping points in river delta social-ecological systems.

The sustainability of social-ecological systems within river deltas globally is in question as rapid development and environmental change trigger "negative" or "positive" tipping points depending on actors' perspectives, e.g. regime shift from abundant sediment deposition to sediment shortage, agricultural sustainability to agricultural collapse or shift from rural to urban land use.

Protective Effect of Panaxynol Isolated from against Cisplatin-Induced Renal Damage: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies.

Polyacetylenic compounds isolated from species are comprised of non-polar C17 compounds, exhibiting anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antifungal activities. Panaxynol represents the major component of the essential oils of ginseng. We investigated whether panaxynol isolated from (Vietnamese ginseng, VG) could prevent cisplatin-induced renal damage induced in vitro and in vivo.

Long-term effect of crude oil and dispersant on denitrification and organic matter mineralization in a salt marsh sediment.

The 2010 BP oil spill has an unprecedented impact on coastal wetland ecosystem along the northern Gulf of Mexico. A two-dimensional analysis (dispersant concentration and duration of exposure) was conducted by pre-incubation of a salt marsh sediment under an open or closed condition. Denitrification activity was characterized by NO production using an acetylene (CH) blockage technique, and organic matter (OM) mineralization by CO production.

The psychopharmacological activities of Vietnamese ginseng in mice: characterization of its psychomotor, sedative-hypnotic, antistress, anxiolytic, and cognitive effects.

Background: Ha et Grushv. or Vietnamese ginseng (VG) is a recently discovered ginseng species. Studies on its chemical constituents have shown that VG is remarkably rich in ginseng saponins, particularly ocotillol saponins.

4-Methoxylonchocarpin attenuates inflammation by inhibiting lipopolysaccharide binding to Toll-like receptor of macrophages and M1 macrophage polarization.

The roots of Abrus precatorius (AP, Fabaceae) have traditionally been used in Vietnam and China for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as stomatitis, asthma, bronchitis, and hepatitis. Therefore, in this study, we isolated 4-methoxylonchocarpin (ML), an anti-inflammatory compound present in AP, and studied its anti-inflammatory effects in mice with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis. In lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages, ML was found to inhibit nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL)-6 expression by inhibiting LPS binding to Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in vitro.

Anti-inflammatory effects of vina-ginsenoside R2 and majonoside R2 isolated from Panax vietnamensis and their metabolites in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages.

Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv., with its main constituents vina-ginsenoside R2 (VR2) and majonoside R2 (MR2), is used in traditional folk medicine in the hill tribes of Vietnam for anti-fatigue, anti-inflammatory, and life-saving purposes. In a preliminary study, VR2 and MR2 were shown to be metabolized to pseudoginsenoside RT4 (PRT4) and ocotillol by human gut microbiota.

Gut microbiota-mediated drug interactions between lovastatin and antibiotics.

Orally administered drugs may be metabolized by intestinal microbial enzymes before absorption into the blood. Accordingly, coadministration of drugs affecting the metabolic activities of gut microbes (e.g.

Ginsenosides Rg5 and Rh3 protect scopolamine-induced memory deficits in mice.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Panax ginseng (family Araliaceae) is traditionally used as a remedy for cancer, inflammation, stress and aging.

Aim Of Study: To explore whether ginsenosides Rg5 and Rh3, the main constituents of heat-processed ginseng (the root of Panax ginseng), could protect memory deficit.

Materials And Methods: We isolated ginsenosides Rh3 and Rg5 from heated-processed ginseng treated with and without human feces, respectively.

Anti-inflammatory mechanism of compound K in activated microglia and its neuroprotective effect on experimental stroke in mice.

Microglial activation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of various neurologic disorders, such as cerebral ischemia, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Thus, controlling microglial activation is a promising therapeutic strategy for such brain diseases. In the present study, we found that a ginseng saponin metabolite, compound K [20-O-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol], inhibited the expressions of inducible nitric-oxide synthase, proinflammatory cytokines, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, matrix metalloproteinase-3, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV2 microglial cells and primary cultured microglia.

SIRT1 inhibitory diterpenoids from the Vietnamese medicinal plant Croton tonkinensis.

Silent information regulator two ortholog 1 (SIRT1) is a member of the sirtuin deacetylase family of enzymes that removes acetyl groups from the lysine residues in histones and other proteins. It has been suggested that SIRT1 inhibitors might be beneficial in the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the MeOH extract of the leaves of CROTON TONKINENSIS resulted in the isolation of a new ENT-kaurane diterpenoid (1) along with 11 known compounds (2- 12).

New prenylated flavanones from Erythrina abyssinica with protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitory activity.

As the insulin and leptin signaling pathway can be regulated by PTP1B, it has been suggested that compounds that reduce PTP1B activity or expression levels can be used for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. In the course of our screening efforts on new PTP1B inhibitors, six new flavanones ( 1- 6) with dihydrofuran moiety and two known flavanones ( 7 and 8) were isolated from the stem bark of Erythrina abyssinica (Leguminosae). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic (including UV, CD, MS, 1D, and 2D NMR) and physicochemical analyses.