Geographical and racial factors constitute important distinctions between Kawasaki disease (KD) and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), but no study has been conducted in Vietnam. Forty-one children with KD from January 2018 to July 2020 and 42 with KD/MIS-C from August 2020 to December 2022 were included in this study. Of the patients, 52.3% were aged between 12 and 35 months. Only two were aged over 5 years, and both were belong to the KD/MIS-C group. A 59.5% of the patients were male. Apart from fever, all symptoms tended to be more frequent in patients with KD/MIS-C. The prevalence of diffuse skin rash, hand and foot edema or erythema and gastrointestinal signs was significantly higher in patients hospitalized with KD/MIS-C. There was no significant difference in laboratory findings between the two groups. Coronary artery dilation was more frequently observed in patients with KD/MIS-C compared to those with KD (40.5% vs. 14.6%, P = 0.009).

Sphaeranthus africanus is commonly used as a traditional remedy for sore throats and pain treatment in Vietnam. The aerial parts have been studied for its anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties. However, the antioxidant and antidiabetic potential of the plant has not been explored. In this work, hydrophilic extracts of the plant's aerial parts were prepared in order to investigate its antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties. Also, the cytotoxicity of the root was evaluated and compared to that of the aerial parts. All of the extracts inhibited lipid peroxidation with IC 50 values ranging from 2.05 to 3.56 µg/mL, indicating substantial antioxidant activity. At an IC 50 value of 4.80 μg/mL, the 50% ethanol extract exhibited the most potent inhibition of α-glucosidase. The cytotoxic activity of root extracts is 2 to 5-fold less than that of the aerial parts. Nevertheless, dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts of the root demonstrated a selective effect on leukemia cells, with no harm towards the normal HEK-293 cell line. This work provides a scientific support for the antioxidant and antidiabetic activity of the plant. Hence, it may find a promising material for the development of novel antioxidant and antidiabetic agents. More research can be conducted on the phytochemistry and anticancer activities of the plant’s root.

Aims: A suitable medium and cultivation parameters have an important role in the improvement of the production of pyocyanin pigment by Pseudomonas aeruginosa microorganism. The study aimed to optimize culture conditions and medium components for maximal pyocyanin production in a recombinant strain P. aeruginosa PS39-phzMS created in previous research. In addition, the process of extraction of pyocyanin was also investigated to select a proper applied solvent for recovering a high amount of pyocyanin as well as its quality. Methodology and results: The pyocyanin purification has based on solvent. Among six tested solvents for extracting pyocyanin out of bacterial broth, two out of six recovered a significant amount of pyocyanin, namely dichloromethane and chloroform, in which chloroform showed a higher pyocyanin yield (25.27 ± 1.02 µg/mL) than dichloromethane (20.26 ± 0.88 µg/mL). The thin-layer chromatography (TLC) of the extracted pyocyanin illustrated a similar to pure pyocyanin with Rf of 0.72 and no mark of other impurity metabolites. The UV-Vis spectra showed a similar peak at 520 nm with pure pyocyanin and the highest peak at 274 nm. Each single culture parameter was studied for the maximal production of pyocyanin. Next, a pyocyanin-producing GM medium was modified on the base of the KingA to find the relative capacity to biosynthesize high pyocyanin yield in P. aeruginosa PS39-phzMS. The results showed that pyocyanin production was the highest in optimal culture conditions, at 30 °C, pH 8, 120 h and agitation of 200 rpm. In the combination of culture condition with the GM, pyocyanin was created at the highest amount of 49.57 µg/mL. Conclusion, significance and impact of study Based on the obtained results of the study, a pyocyanin-producing procedure was optimized, which suggests a promising application to scale-up pyocyanin production by the P. aeruginosa PS39-phzMS.