Using various chromatographic methods, primary chemical investigation on Stixis suaveolens (Roxb.) (Capparaceae) resulted in the isolation and chemical elucidation of seven lignan compounds: (4), (+)-5,5'-dimethoxy-9-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl secoisolariciresinol (5), sargentodoside D (6), and (±) secoisolariciresinol (7). This is the first report of these compounds from Stixis suaveolens.

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Meiofaunal communities in the mangrove – shrimp farms system (MSFS) of Ca Mau province was investigated in 8 ponds (Tam Giang Commune, Nam Can District). Results showed that the meiofauna, especially nematodes at the Tam Giang’s MSFS in Ca Mau mangrove express high densities and biodiversity and nematodes dominate numerically in the mangrove meiofauna (73.69 to 96.2 %). In total, 15 major taxa were found with the dominant taxa belonged to three dominant groups: Nematodes, Copepoda, and Rotifera. The densities of meiofauna ranged from 287 ± 132.9  to 3129 ± 1388.6 inds.10 cm-2. Seventy fifth nematode genera belonging to 24 families with the most important typifying genera were Terschellingia, Daptonema, Parodontophora, Ptycholaimellus, Sabatieria, Hopperia, Anoplostoma, Pseudolella, Gomphionema. The mangrove – shrimp farms system in the study area was characterized by homogeneity and stabilization.

Nematode communities and relevant environmental variables were investigated to assess how the presence of a dam affects the Ba Lai estuary benthic ecosystem, in comparison to the adjacent dam-free estuary Ham Luong. Both estuaries are part of the Mekong delta system in Vietnam. This study has shown that the dam’s construction had an effect on the biochemical components of the Ba Lai estuary, as observed by the local increase in total suspended solids and heavy metal concentrations (Hg and Pb) and by a significant oxygen depletion compared to the natural river of Ham Luong. The nematode communities were also different between the two estuaries in terms of density, genus richness, Shannon–Wiener diversity, and dominant genera. The Ba Lai estuary exhibited lower nematode densities but a higher diversity, while the genus composition only slightly differed between estuaries. The results indicate that the present nematode communities may be well adapted to the natural organic load, to the heavy metal accumulation and to the oxygen stress in both estuaries, but the dam presence may potentially continue to drive the Ba Lai’s ecosystem to its tipping point.

Liposomal encapsulation is a drug delivery strategy with many advantages, such as improved bioavailability, ability to carry large drug loads, as well as controllability and specificity towards various targeted diseased tissues. Currently, most preparation techniques require an additional extrusion or filtering step to obtain monodisperse liposomes with the size of less than 100 nm. In this study, a compact liposome extruder was designed at a cost of $4.00 and used to synthesize liposome suspensions with defined particle size and high homogeneity for Murrayafoline A (Mu-A) loading and release. The synthesized MuA-loaded liposomes displayed a biphasic drug release and remained stable under the storage condition of 4°C. They also significantly reduced the viability of HepG2 cells in the cancer spheroids by 25%. The low-cost, flexible liposome extruder would allow the researchers to study liposomes and their applications in a cost-effective manner.