Children aged 6-9 years old in Dong Cuu commune, Gia Binh district, Bac Ninh province were randomly enrolled and divided into 2 groups. Group 1 was given daily fortified multimicronutrient biscuits and group 2 normal biscuits without multimicronutrient. From September 2001 to May 2002 (6 months) subjects received biscuits every 5 days each week. In group 1: anemia incidence was improved by 58%, and in group 2: 47%. Hb mean level in group 1 was 6.8g/l, group 2 was 2.8g/l. Vitamin A deficit was improved by 46% in group 1 and 31% in group 2. Serum level mean gap in vitamin A deficit group was higher than the group without vitamin A deficit in the beginning of study. The improving of physical health in group 1 was not clearly observed in comparing with that of group 2
Micronutrients ; Anemia ; vitamin A

Artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is a perennial plant belonging to the Asteraceae family originating from the Mediterranean region. In Vietnam, there are some varieties of artichoke which are extensively cultivated and propagated in highland areas, however, there have been limited detailed scientific publications on the chemical composition and biological activity of artichoke grown in Vietnam. Therefore, this study provides a detailed description of the extraction, isolation, and structural determination of 20 natural secondary metabolites present in harvested artichoke. The antioxidant activity of the extract and the 9 isolated compounds are tested in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging and ex vivo malondialdehyde model. Among the selected compounds, 1-caffeoylquinic acid, 3-caffeoylquinic acid, chlorogenic acid, 4-caffeoylquinic acid, cynarin, 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 4,5-di-caffeoylquinic acid, cynaroside, and scolymoside exhibited strong radical scavenging activity with IC50 values ranging from 5.7 to 61.6 µM. In the malondialdehyde assay, 1,3-dicaffeoylquinic acid (or cynarin) showed the strongest activity with an IC50 value of 24.7 µM, followed by 1,5-di-caffeoylquinic acid (66.8 µM), and 4,5-di-caffeoylquinic acid (127.3 µM). This outcome contributes to establishing a database on the phytochemical and antioxidant activity of the Vietnamese artichoke.