Dendropanax morbifera Leveille (Araliaceae) is an endemic species growing in the south-western part of South Korea that has been used in folk medicine and health functional food. In this study, we investigated an extract of quercetin in Jeju D. morbifera by varying different parts (fruit, sprouts, leaves, sprigs, and branches), harvest times, and extraction solvents. In addition, we aimed to establish a simple and reliable HPLC/UV analytical method to determination of quercetin for the quality control and base line data of the Jeju D. morbifera extract as a health functional food ingredient. The analytical specificity was determined with retention time and photo diode array (PDA) spectrum by analyzing quercetin using HPLC and comparing the results to those of extracts. This analytical method for quercetin was validated for its limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ), precision, and accuracy. A high linearity in the standard calibration curve was obtained, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9996. Also, the LOD and LOQ values were found to be 0.28 μg/mL and 0.85 μg/mL, respectively, and the recoveries of quantified compounds ranged from 97.91% to 104.10%. Furthermore, the relative standard deviation (RSD) values of data from the intra- and inter-day precision analyses were less than 1.36% and 3.65%, respectively. As a result, the highest quercetin content among the extracts of Jeju D. morbifera leaves was found to be 20.14 mg/g, which was extracted at harvest in May (cultivation period 10 years) with 60% EtOH. All in all, we believe that the results obtained would be helpful in the development of nutraceutics and natural medicines and for the quality control of D. morbifera.

Background : Licorice has been used as a source of medicine and a food material in East-Asia. Recently, demand for licorice increased in market due to a growing interest in health. Thus we conducted breeding research to solve the problems associated with domestically cultivated licorice such as low productivity and low glycyrrhizin content. Methods and Results : We crossed European licorice (G. glabra L.; female parent) and Chinese licorice (G. uralensis Fisch; male parent) in the greenhouse in May 2007. In September 2007, crossed and germinated seeds were retrieved and sown in the greenhouse. In June 2008, stolons were separated from the F1 licorice seedlings and cultivated, resulting in 32 clonal lines of interspecific hybrids. Among them we selected good lines and then conducted the replicated yield trials (RYT) in 2012-2013 and local adaptability test (LAT) in 2014-2015. The results, GLYES9 showed that was elect of stem, oblong of leaf shape, red-brown of root color. Glycyrrhizin conten of GLYES9 (3.0%) was higher than G. uralensis (1.9%) at four regions from 2014 to 2015. GLYES9 was less than 10% in the desease of brown spot (G. uralensis was more than 30%). The root yield of GLYES9 was 4.31 ton per hectare, which was increased 193% compared with a check variety of G. uralensis. Therfore, we named GLYES9 as new cultivar ‘Dagam’. Conclusion : Depending on the above results, we have developed a new licorice cultivar ‘Dagam’ by the medicinal crop breeding team of National Institute of Horticulture and Herbal Science, RDA, in 2015. It showed brown spot disease resistant, high-glycyrrhizn content and high-yielding than colleted Glycyrrhiza spp.

Background : Cucuma longa L., in the family Zingiberaceae, is distributed in tropical and/or sub-tropical regions mainly in India and China. This species is commonly called tumeric, powder is used as medicinal herbs and/or flavor enhancer. It has been cultivated in southern region mainly Jindo. However, it might be possible to extend cultivation region due to rise in average temperature. In order to select superior lines, agronomic characteristics is commonly used. Because this is not the ultimate solution, the DNA marker approach has benefited the modern plant breeding. Therefore an easy approach by using one kind of primer have been developed from random amplification of polymorphic DNA sequences (RAPD) to discriminate effectively between different cultivars of Cucuma species Methods and Results : DNAs were extracted from the harvested roots of Cucuma sp. using DNeasy plant Mini kit (Qiagen, Hilen, Germany). These plants cultivated from GARES (Hamyang) and used for PCR amplification. The relative concentration of the extracted DNA was estimated Nano Drop ND-1000 (NanoDrop Technologies, Wklmington, De, USA) and final DNA concentration was adjusted to 5.5 ng/㎕. In this study 9 primer pairs were tested on 8 Cucuma sp. These primers showed polymorphism in Cucuma sp. The cluster dendogram showed that the similarity coefficients ranged from 0.68 to 0.87, CUR02 turned out to be CUR11, and CUR16 is similar to CUR17. Conclusion : These finding could be used for further research on cultivar development by using molecular breeding techniques and for conservation of the genetic diversity of Cucuma species. These data on polymorphism difference based on RAPD will be give us invaluable breeding information by selection of superior lines.

Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) is a rare disease characterized by the presence of retroperitoneal tissue marked by chronic inflammation and prominent fibrosis. A 67-year-old man presented with general weakness and oliguria. Laboratory findings showed blood urea nitrogen 77.7 mg/dL, serum creatinine 9.24 mg/dL, and an IgG4 level within the normal range. Computed tomography (CT) findings showed bilateral hydronephrosis and distal ureteral obstruction due to fibrotic adhesion to a presacral mass. Laparoscopic biopsy was performed. The authors report a case of acute kidney injury caused by non-IgG4 related focal retroperitoneal fibrosis in the pelvis that was successfully treated using prednisolone and tamoxifen… non-IgG4 related focal retroperitoneal fibrosis caused byacute kidney injury.

Background : Allergy is a common disease caused by type I hypersensitivity reaction of the immune system. Unfortunately, there is no proper treatment for allergy. Therefore, the discovery of therapeutic drugs for allergy is essential. In this study, the crude extracts of 56 plant parts were screened for anti-allergy effects in RBL-2H3 cells. Methods and Results : IgE-sensitized RBL-2H3 cells were individually treated with 56 extracts of medicinal herbs at the final concentration of 20 ㎍/㎖ and stimulated with the antigen DNP-BSA. β-Hexosaminidase release, interleukin-4 (IL-4) secretion, and cell viability in the sample treated cells were measured. Among the tested samples, extracts from the root of Polygonatum stenophyllum Maxim., aerial part of Acer triflorum Kom., and leaf of Pyrus pyrifolia var. culta (Makino) Nakai showed inhibitory effects on β-hexosaminidase release. The aerial part of Peucedanum japonicum Thunberg and seed of Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. showed suppressive activities on IL-4 secretion. All of the extracts were not cytotoxic at the tested concentration. Conclusion : From the result, six extracts including Polygonatum stenophyllum Maxim. (root) and Acer triflorum Kom. (aerial part) inhibited both β-hexosaminidase release and IL-4 secretion in IgE-sensitized RBL-2H3 cells. The use of these extracts for developing anti-allergy materials is suggested.

Background : Five medicinal herbs have been selected from the preliminary screening for in vitro anti-allergy activity (in RBL-2H3 cells). The present study is conducted to investigate the inhibitory effects of the medicinal herbs on allergic inflammation in other kind of cells. Methods and Results : Cells treated with five extracts prepared from Betula costata Trautv. (aerial part), Camellia sinensis L. (aerial part), Polygonatum stenophyllum Maxim. (root), Pyrus pyrifolia var. culta (Makino) Nakai (leaf), and Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaertn.) Libosch. ex Steud. (root) were measured for mRNA levels of TNF-α on HaCaT keratinocytes stimulated by TNF-α /INF-γ and for mRNA levels of IL-2 in Jurkat T cells mediated by PMA/A23187. Pre-treatment with the five extracts reduced the mRNA levels of TNF-α in HaCaT cells and mRNA levels of IL-2 in Jurkat T cells. In particular, the leaf extract of Pyrus pyrifolia var. culta (Makino) Nakai significantly and dose-dependently decreased the mRNA levels of TNF-α and IL-2. To determine the toxicity of the extracts from the selected medicinal herbs to HaCaT cells and Jurkat T cells, the viabilities of the cells treated with several concentrations of the five extracts were measured by MTT assay. Extracts of Polygonatum stenophyllum Maxim. (root), Pyrus pyrifolia var. culta (Makino) Nakai (leaf), and Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaertn.) Libosch. ex Steud. (root) (up to 250 ㎍/㎖) did not show cytotoxic effects on HaCaT cells and Jurkat T cells. On the other hand, 250 ㎍/㎖ of extracts of Betula costata Trautv. (aerial part) and Camellia sinensis L. (aerial part) reduced cell viability in both cells. Conclusion : These results demonstrate that the leaf extract of Pyrus pyrifolia var. culta (Makino) Nakai has an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. Therefore, the leaf of Pyrus pyrifolia var. culta (Makino) Nakai can be a useful resource for the development of anti-allergy/anti-inflammatory materials.

Micrococcus lutus is common gram-positive aerobic cocci present in soil, water, dust, and the skin of humans and animals. A 72-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with a complaint of abdominal pain and a turbid peritoneal dialysate. He was empirically treated with intraperitoneal (IP) cefazolin and ceftazidime. Seven day after admission, Gaffkya species was identified from the peritoneal effluent. He was treated with same organism one month ago and discharged with the dialysis catheter intact. So, we suspected that organism is true pathogen, and identified M. luteus by culture. We changed the antibiotics to cefoxitin, which were given for the total of 14 days. This is the first report of relapsing peritonitis by M. luteus and successful treatment without catheter removal.

This study describes results on sexual maturation and characteristics of natural spawned eggs to develop a method for the production of stable, healthy fertilized eggs from captive-reared yellowtail kingfish, Seriola lalandi. A total of 59 yellowtail kingfish were captured off the coast of Jeju Island, after which the broodstock was cultured in indoor culture tank (100 m3) until they were 6.1–14.9 kg in body weight. As part of the rearing management for induced sex maturation, the intensity of illumination was maintained at 130 lux. The photoperiod (light/dark; L/D) was set to a 12 L/12 D from October 2013 to January 2014, and 15 L/9 D from February 2014 to June 2014. Feeds comprised mainly EP (Extruded Pellets), with squid cuttlefish added for improvement of egg quality, and was given from April to June 2014. The first spawning of yellowtail kingfish occurred in May 3, 2014, at a water temperature of 17.0°C. Spawning continued until June 12, 2014, with the water temperature set at 20.5°C. Time of spawning was 26 times at this period. The total number of eggs that spawned during the spawning period was 4,449×103. The buoyant rate of spawning eggs and fertilization rate of buoyant eggs during the spawned period were 76.1% and 100%, respectively. The diameters of the egg and oil globule were 1.388 ± 0.041 mm and 0.378 ± 0.029 mm, respectively, which was higher in early eggs than in those from late during the spawned period.

Background : This study was development of moisture tolerance and high-yielding Rehmannia glutinosa cultivar. Methods and Results : Segang is developed by the medicinal crop breeding team of National Institute of Horticulture and Herbal Science(NIHHS), Rural Development Administration(RDA), during the period from 2005 to 2015. The reproduction of Rehmannia glutinosa has been accomplished mainly by vegetative propagation with its seedlings have many variants. The cultivar was selected from seedling of Jihwang 1(check variety). The plant type of Segang is some rising from ground. Regional yield trials conducted at three site from 2014 to 2015. The root yield of Segang was 21.1ton per hectare, which was increased 12% compared with Jihwang 1. Also, Segang has higher catalpol content and dried root ratio compared with Jihwang 1. Conclusion : Segang is a moisture tolerance and high-yielding Rehmannia glutinosa cultivar.

Next generation sequencing technologies provide opportunities to reveal the genetic variants and differentially expressedgenes. The genetic variants are closely relevance to understanding of genes and phenotypic differences related to agronomic characteristics among cultivars. In this study, we conducted RNA-seq using two Korean soybean accessions, including Daewon and Hwangkeum, by using next generation sequencing against Williams 82 genome as reference. A number of variants such assingle nucleotide variants (SNV), multiple nucleotide variants (MNV), insertion/deletion (InDel) and replacement, was 34,411 and 55,544 in Daewon and Hwangkeum, respectively. Among these variants, 9,611 nonsynonymous variants were detected within 4,290 genes in Daewon and 13,225 non-synonymous variants were located on 5,672 genes in Hwangkeum. The distribution of nonsynonymous variants and expression values of genes can serve as invaluable resource for genotyping and study of traits within genes for soybean improvements.

This study investigated possible involvement of photoperiodic regulation in reproductive endocrine system of female olive flounder. To investigate the influence on brain-pituitary axis in endocrine system by regulating photoperiod, compared expression level of Kisspeptin and sbGnRH mRNA in brain and FSH-β, LH-β and GH mRNA in pituitary before and after spawning. Photoperiod was treated natural photoperiod and long photoperiod (15L:9D) conditions from Aug. 2013 to Jun. 2014. Continuous long photoperiod treatment from Aug. (post-spawning phase) was inhibited gonadal development of female olive flounder. In natural photoperiod group, the Kiss2 expression level a significant declined in Mar. (spawning period). And also, FSH-β, LH-β and GH mRNA expression levels were increasing at this period. However, in long photoperiod group, hypothalamic Kiss2, FSH-β, LH-β and GH mRNA expression levels did not show any significant fluctuation. These results suggest that expression of hypothalamic Kiss2, GtH and GH in the pituitary would change in response to photoperiod and their possible involvement of photoperiodic regulation in reproductive endocrine system of the BPG axis.

Peritonitis is a common, major complication in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients and tuberculous (TB) peritonitis has been reported to constitute 1-2% of all peritonitis cases. In CAPD patients, TB peritonitis is often diagnosed late and has a high mortality rate. In a recent recommendation made regarding the treatment of TB peritonitis, primary removal of a peritoneal dialysis catheter has been advised in addition to anti-TB drugs. Here, we describe two cases of TB peritonitis in CAPD patients successfully treated without peritoneal dialysis catheter removal.

Italian Ryegrass is a high productivity and feed value, and an upright grass that behaves like a biennial or short-lived perennial. It grows vigorously in winter and early spring. Italian ryegrass and a related species, perennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne, are the two common weedy ryegrassses. Italian ryegrass and perennial ryegrass can hybridize, resulting in offspring that are difficult to identify as either species. Ryegrasses are cultivated for turf and forage. Sometimes Italian ryegrass is grown as cover crop. It has the potential to produce high yields and, with proper management, can be high quality with good animal performance. To develop of a high quality, productivity and early variety, 20 varieties examined growth and yield characteristics. The heading date of Green farm with high cold tolerance was on 28 April. Most of Introduced varieties except Grazer have mid and late heading date.

“Onnuri” is a new orchardgrass(Dactylis glomerata L.) variety developed by the National Institue of Animal Science (NIAS) in 2011. To develope the new variety of orchardgrass, 5 superior clones were selected and polycrossed for seed production. Agronomic growth characteristics and forage production of “Onnuri” were examined at Cheonan from 2009 to 2011, and regional trials were conducted in Cheonan, Pyungchang Jinzu and Jeju from 2009 to 2011, respectively. “Onnuri” showed medium type growth habit in fall and spring and medium in length of flag leaf and long upper internode. Plant height of “Onnuri” was more than 10cm that of standard variety, “Amba” and heading date was 5 days earlyer than 16th May compared to Amba. Characteristics such as waterlogging, disease resistance of “Onnuri” were stronger or better than those of Amba, specially “Onnuri” showed 18% higher dry matter yield (14,775kg/ha) compared to Amaba(12,523kg/ha). Nutritive value was appeared to be similar in both varieties.