Wildlife trade represents a major threat to endangered-species populations, especially in Southeast Asia, where trade continues at high levels despite increased efforts to control illegal activities. To identify management strategies that better mitigate the threat of this trade, research must address knowledge gaps about the complexity of established trade networks. This requires a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach that integrates biological, anthropological, socioeconomic, and other kinds of data and involves multiple stakeholders across sectors. We present here an interdisciplinary research framework for developing such an approach. Our integrative framework, based on the social–ecological systems framework by Ostrom, can be used to explore and untangle complex wildlife trade dynamics across scales and test hypotheses derived from different disciplines to provide robust recommendations for trade management. We also discuss the need for developing databases for trade-targeted species and outline steps to build and strengthen technical and interdisciplinary capacity to support the integrative framework.

We describe a new species of Cyrtodactylus on the basis of four specimens collected from Phu My, Binh Dinh Province, southern Vietnam. Cyrtodactylus phumyensis sp. nov. is distinguished from the remaining Indochinese bent-toed geckos by a combination of the following characters: size small (SVL up to 66.8 mm); two internasals; dorsal tubercle rows 18 or 19 at midbody; ventral scale rows 33–41; ventrolateral folds slightly developed; each thigh with 5–7 enlarged femoral scales; femoral pores absent in males and female; a series of 5–7 precloacal pores plus a pitted, enlarged precloacal scale in males; 6 pitted, enlarged precloacal scales in female; paravertebral tubercles 20–23; lamellae under toe IV 18–21; small subcaudal scales, not transversely enlarged; two irregular dark longitudinal stripes on shoulder. In phylogenetic analyses, the new species is recovered as a member of the Cyrtodactylus irregularis species group, and strongly supported as a sister taxon of C. cucdongensis from Khanh Hoa Province.

Blumea lanceolaria (Roxb.) Druce, a flowering plant, is used for treating cancer and inflammatory diseases. In this study, we determined the chemical composition of the EOs extracted from the leaves (LBEO), stem (SBEO), and roots (RBEO) of B. lanceolaria and analyzed their anti-inflammation potential. Overall, 30 compounds representing 99.12%, 98.44%, and 96.89% of total EO constituents of the leaves, stem, and roots, respectively, were identified using GC-MS. ELISA, Western blotting, and qRT-PCR studies showed that LBEO, SBEO, and RBEO inhibited multiple steps in the inflammatory responses in the RAW 264.7 cell model, including NO production; TNF-α, IL-6, iNOS, and COX-2 transcription and translation; and phosphorylation of IκBα and p65 of the NF-κB pathway. In the carrageenan-induced paw edema model, all three EOs inhibited paw edema at both early and delayed phases. Molecular docking studies indicated that the main components of B. lanceolaria EOs (BEOs) targeted and inhibited major components of inflammation-related pathways, including the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway, NF-κB pathway, and MAPK pathway. We present the first study to characterize the chemical composition of BEOs and confirm their potent anti-inflammatory effects in in vitro, in vivo, and in silico analysis. These results can facilitate the development of effective anti-inflammatory drugs with limited side effects in the future.

The critically endangered Vietnamese Pond Turtle (Mauremys annamensis), an endemic species occurring in a small lowland area in central Vietnam, has been virtually extirpated from its natural range. As a result, reintroduction of held individuals worldwide, especially from Europe, the United States, and Vietnam, will play a vital role in species recovery programs. Nevertheless, the discordance between different molecular markers in inferring the placements of two closely related species, M. annamensis and M. mutica, and the existence of two distinct mitochondrial lineages within M. annamensis, have hindered conservation strategies to properly maintain the genetic integrity of held populations to release individuals back to their natural habitat in the future. In this study, we sequenced 732 bps of a mitochondrial gene (ND4) and 1038 bps of an intron fragment of the RNA fingerprint protein 35 (R35) gene for 18 samples collected from the local trade in five provinces in Vietnam and 20 samples from founders in the Turtle Conservation Centre, Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam. DNA sequences analyzed by Bayesian Inference, Maximum Likelihood, and NeighborNet methods show that the Vietnamese Pond Turtle is a well-defined species and that the population of M. mutica from Hainan Island likely evolved through introgression between a lineage distantly related to true M. mutica and M. annamensis and a lineage closely related to the two mitochondrial haplotypes of M. annamensis. Interestingly, our analyses of samples collected from the local trade and those with known localities reveal that the two extant mitochondrial lineages within M. annamensis are geographically isolated and evolutionarily significant. Based upon the new findings, we recommend genetic screening for all held populations in Vietnam and elsewhere and that animals with different genetic histories be managed separately. In addition, it is important to use other molecular markers, such as microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), to determine potential hybrids between the two mitochondrial haplotypes and remove them from conservation breeding programs before releasing the turtles back to their natural habitat.

Cathelicidins include antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and are involved in the innate immune defense against infections in mammals. Polymorphisms in the DNA sequence of cathelicidin genes could be relevant to inherited variations of host innate immunity, adaptation, and pathogen resistance. This study aims to investigate the sequence polymorphism of cathelicidin genes including CATHL2 and CATHL4 from local indigenous yellow cattle breeds of Vietnam. Genomic DNA samples were extracted from 52 individuals collected from different cattle populations in Vietnam including Ha Giang, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Phu Yen. The CATHL2 and CATHL4 genes were amplified by PCR, following sequencing for identification of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and/or insertion-deletion (indel) DNA sequence variations. The copy number variations (CNVs) of the CATHL4 gene were determined by cloning, single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and real-time PCR. The comparative analysis results showed that there are 13 SNPs detected in all sequences of CATHL2 gene including 9 SNPs in intron 2 and intron 3, and 4 missense substitutions in exon 1, 2, and 3. These SNPs do not affect the predicted tertiary structure of Bac5 encoded by this gene. For CATHL4, the results revealed 15 SNPs, 3 indels and 1 repeat variation as motif (TG)n(G)n/(AC)n(C)n. Among these variations, the deletion 46delC in exon 1 of CATHL4 was detected in a sample of the Ha Giang breed causing a truncated polypeptide as predicted. The average copy number of CATHL4 of Vietnam indigenous cattle breeds using GADPH as a reference gene showed in range from 2.53 to 2.89 copies.