For centuries, sanchi has been used in traditional medicine in East Asian countries to promote health and fitness. To identify and distinguish sanchi from adulterants, this study was conducted to determine the sequence of four DNA barcodes. The PCR products of the four barcodes were 330 bp (rbcL), 822 bp (matK), 484 bp (trnH-psbA), and 438 bp (ITS1). Genetic relationship analysis showed that the four DNA barcode regions had high similarity with other Panax species. Three barcodes, matK, trnH-psbA, and ITS1, confirmed that the studied samples belonged to Panax notoginseng, distinguished from Panax pseudoginseng, and can be used to identify Panax notoginseng.

This study aimed to determine subclinical mastitis (SCM) caused by bacterial species, using chromogenic culture media and to assess the antimicrobial resistance rate in the isolated bacteria. From March to December 2023, 143 milk samples were collected from 71 Holstein Friesian cows with SCM across seven dairy farms in Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong province. Milk samples were incubated in triplicate chromogenic culture media to identify SCM caused by microorganisms. Our study revealed that 39.2% (56/143) of the samples had the growth of a single morphology, 26.6% (38/143) exhibited growth of two distinct morphologies, 9.0% (13/143) were found to be contaminated, and 25.2% (36/143) showed no growth. The isolated Streptococcus species were Strep. agalactiae 34.3% (49/143), Strep. uberis 22.4% (32/143), and Enterococcus spp. 1.4% (2/143). Besides, S. epidermidis 20.3% (29/143), S. saprophyticus 14.7% (21/143), and S. aureus 4.2% (6/143) were frequently isolated among Staphylococcus species. For gram-negative bacteria causing SCM, E. coli 2.8% (4/143), Klebsiella spp. 1.4% (2/143), and Pseudomonas spp. 4.2% (6/143) were the most isolated. Regarding antimicrobial susceptibility testing, the resistance rate of each bacterial species to each antibiotic tested differed for Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and gram-negative bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus was not resistant to gentamycin, florfenicol, and marbofloxacin. The resistance rate of S. epidermidis to gentamycin, florfenicol, trimethoprim sulfadiazine, and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid varied from 10.3% to 17.2%. Marbofloxacin and trimethoprim-sulfadiazine were excellent choices in treating SCM caused by S. saprophyticus because of their low resistance rate (10.3 - 13.3%). Streptococcus uberis was sensitive to the combined antibiotic amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. The resistance rate of Strep. agalactiae to this combined antibiotic (amoxicillin-clavuclanic acid) was the lowest (10%). Pseudomonas spp. was resistant to the tested antibiotics. Our study suggests that identifying bacterial species and conducting antimicrobial susceptibility tests play a crucial role in improving the treatment effectiveness for bovine SCM.

The research on snail composition and their cercariae by morphological analysis method in Xuan Thoi Thuong rice field of Hoc Mon district, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was carried out in the wet season of August 2022 and the dry season of February 2023. A total of 993 snails were collected and 11 snail species belonging to 9 genera and 5 families were classified. There were 9 snail species collected in the wet season and 7 snail species found in the dry season. Lymnaea viridis and Bithynia siamensis were infected with trematode (cercariae stage) with the combined prevalence of 14.3% and 4.1%, respectively. The other nine snail species had cercariae free. Two cercariae morphotypes were discovered from snails including Xiphidio cercariae and Echinostome cercariae. More research on snails and their cercariae in other waterbodies should be done in Hoc Mon district and other places to identify the snail diversity and sources of trematodes affecting fish culture and human health.

Tree inventory plays an essential role in the urban landscape master plan. It serves as the foundation for data acquisition that supports the planning strategy and decisions relating to the community’s interests, particularly in recently established cities like Thu Duc city. This research was carried out from October 2021 to December 2022 in this city and aimed to inventory to gather qualified information for managing the city’s street trees. The study used an inventory form of street trees including criteria such as name, family, diameter at breast height (DBH), total height, and indicators of vitality and distance from trees to infrastructure. By this form, 287 streets were surveyed. The total number of investigated trees was 31.023 trees belonging to 65 species and 24 flora families, of which the species with a high percentage (from 10% or more) were Dipterocarpus alatus, Hopea odorata, Peltophorum pterocarpum, and Lagerstroemia speciosa. The most numerous plant family was Fabaceae. These trees typically had a height of less than 10 m, with a DBH of less than 20 cm. Many streets did not guarantee the distance between trees and infrastructure, particularly the distance to the electrical systems. The survey also showed that the majority of trees were healthy and grow healthily. From the current situation of Thu Duc city street trees, three solutions must be prioritized in order to improve street trees in this city.

The objective of the present study was to find the changes in physicochemical properties, bioactive compounds, and antioxidant activity of acerola fruits under different cultivars (i.e., Brazilian acerola (Malpighia emarginata D.C) and sour acerola (Malpighia glabra L.)) and maturation stages (unripe, half-ripe, and ripe). For any species, the study found an increase in total soluble solid and a* value, whereas there was a decrease in the content of bioactive compounds (i.e., polyphenols, flavonoids, vitamin C), total acidity, and antioxidant activity, which followed the maturation development of fruits. Briefly, the unripe acerola fruits (Brazillan cultivar) were an excellent source of vitamin C (32.97 mg/g) and phenolic content (25.62 mg GAE/g).