The fungus Alternaria alternata, responsible for causing brown to black spotting on numerous fruits and vegetables globally, was identified in 2022 as the causative pathogen of brown spot disease in potatoes in Korea. In pursuing potential inhibitors against A. alternata growth, we evaluated 15 mushroom culture filtrates: eight from Trametes spp. and seven from Polyporus spp., known for their antibacterial and anticancer properties. Antifungal activity was assessed by exposing each filtrate to A. alternata on a paper disc. Four filtrates displayed inhibitory action against the fungus, albeit with mild effects. Our findings highlight the potential of Trametes and Polyporus fungi as emerging antifungal candidates, offering promise in preventing potato brown spots.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of sterilization in Vietnam. We estimate a simultaneous equation by using Two-Stage least squares (2SLS) regression analysis. The time-series data was collected for the first quarter of 2004 to the fourth quarter of 2018. In particular, the effectiveness of sterilization is considered in terms of dollarized economy, since making the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy system, the Vietnamese economy has remained in a state of dollarization. In addition, we also assess whether the global financial crisis had an impact on the sterilization effectiveness of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). On the basis of the estimated sterilization and offset coefficients, our results suggest that the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has not been able to fully neutralize the impact on the domestic money supply when intervening in the foreign exchange market, and the capital inflows respond strongly to changes in domestic monetary conditions. The results also show that the global financial crisis has changed the effectiveness of these sterilization policies. An analysis of this study’s empirical findings provides the opportunity to derive some recommendations that may assist in increasing the effectiveness of the State Bank of Vietnam’s sterilization policies in the process of accumulating international reserves.

The study investigates Environmental Accounting Information (EAI) as well as factors affecting the environmental accounting implementation by the construction firms listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HOSE), Vietnam. After eliminating seven enterprises that lacked data, the authors selected a sample of 112 observations from 28 construction businesses listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange in the period 2015-2018. This study uses research data extracted from the companies’ annual reports. Then, the data are analyzed by Stata 13 software, including descriptive statistics, correlation coefficient analysis, regression analysis of table data using estimation methods (Pooled OLS, REM, FEM), and testing of model defects (heteroskedasticity test, multicollinearity test, autocorrelation test). The results show that construction companies listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange have out factors affecting the environmental accounting implementation by these enterprises, including independent audit firm and listed time. While the independent auditor firm has a positive and significant impact, the listed time has a negative influence. In addition, our study has confirmed the role of institutional factors affecting the disclosure level of EAI on the implementation of environmental accounting by construction enterprises listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange.

Background: Mahonia Nepalensis DC. (Hoang lien o ro), the specie of the family Berberidaceae, is widely distributed in the high mountainous areas at altitudes 1700 – 1900 m of Vietnam. It is found that the stem of Mahonia nepalensis indicated anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antifungal activities and they are used particularly for the treatment of eczema, psoriasis, and other skin conditions. However, no study on the antioxidant and anti-cancer activities of Mahonia Nepalensis stem has been previously reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate anti-oxidant and anti-cancer activities of Mahonia Nepalensis stem. Methods and Results: The stem pieces of Mahonia Nepalensis were dried and extracted three times with 100% methanol. After that, the extract was suspended in distilled water and then partitioned with n-hexane, ethyl-acetate (EtOAc) and butanol (water saturated BuOH) fractions were then evaporated using a vacuum rotary evaporator. Evaluation of the anti-oxidative activity of Mahonia Nepalensis was carried out using a DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical-producing system. The results revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction of M. nepalensis possessed higher potential DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC50, 81.88 ± 1.33㎍/㎖) than other fractions as well as BHT (2,6-Di-tert-Butyl-4-methylphenol) (IC50, 250.49 ± 1.60㎍/㎖). The reducing power assay was also investigated and EtOAc fraction showed higher absorbance values than other fractions. At 1.0 mg/ml concentration, EtOAc fraction showed absorbance of 1.72, be higher than Ascorbic acid. Cell viability was evaluated according to the MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyl tetrazolium Bromide) assay. By MTT assay, all fractions showed a significant reduction in cell viability on COLO 205 (Human colon carcinoma cell) at the highest concentration tested (200㎍/ ㎖) with over 70% decrease in cell viability was obtained, and the highest significantly inhibiting effect occurred in butanol fraction with approximately 90% reduction in cell viability. Conclusion: We demonstrated that Mahonia Nepalensis stem extract has highly potential in anti-cancer activity. Further studies are necessary in order to explore the variety of Mahonia Nepalensis stem to be applied as a valuable natural material.