Bangladeshi medicinal plants (BMP) have a history of traditional use in treating chronic inflammatory diseases, but a BMP bark’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects remain largely unexplored. This study assessed methanolic extracts’ antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties from the bark of 15 medicinal plant species native to Bangladesh. The methanol extracts of BMP bark were evaluated for their total antioxidant activity and ability to counteract inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Among the 15 bark extracts from BMP, Albizia odoratissima (A. odoratissima), Engelhardia spicata (E. spicata), and Shorea robusta (S. robusta) showed the highest total phenolic contents and total antioxidant capacity by effectively scavenging free radicals. In particular, these three bark extracts significantly reduced the mRNA expression of LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines and enzymes inducible by inflammation in macrophages. Also, the mRNA expression of NADPH oxidase 2 was significantly suppressed by the three bark extracts in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. These results suggest that out of the 15 bark extracts obtained from medicinal plants in Bangladesh, the extracts from A. odoratissima, E. spicata, and S. robusta exhibit substantial total antioxidant capacity by efficiently scavenging free radicals and also inhibit LPS-induced inflammation in macrophages.

The 2-round Delphi survey and Focus Group Interview (FGI) survey method, in this study, are sequentially applied for the level analysis of the high-level radioactive waste (HLW) management technologies, that are classified into transport/storage, site evaluation, and disposal categories. The 2- round Delphi survey was conducted on domestic 56 experts in the HLW field in Korea, and survey answers were managed with questionnaires distributed by e-mail. In the FGI survey, domestic 24 experts from management field were formed into three groups to conduct in-depth interviews. Past research achievements including journal papers, intellectual properties and the expert opinions presented at expert hearing on HLW technology were used as reference materials. As a result of the survey, in this study, the average domestic technology level compared to the leading countries was 83.1% in transport area, 79.6% in storage area, 62.2% in site evaluation area, and 57.4% in disposal area, respectively. When compared to the former level analysis results in 2017, technology level of transport-storage area increased by 8.6%, and the site evaluation-disposal technology area decreased by 7.27%. The highest factor that increase the level of technology in the transport-storage field was due to the increased R&D program resulting on journal papers, intellectual properties. In addition, the decrease factor in the level of technology in the site evaluation-disposal field was mainly due to relatively low R&D program when compared to the leading countries. Suggested method for the level survey can be used to find out the basic data of the lower tech technologies, to estimate the efficient research budgets and to prepare the R&D human resources. With this regards, R&D roadmap can be matured with suggested prediction method for the domestic technology level on HLW.

Ixodidae에 속하는 일부 참진드기들은 중증열성혈소판감소증후군(severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome; SFTS)을 비롯한 질병을 매개하는 공중보건학적으로 중요한 해충이다. 우리나라에서는 2013년 이후로 SFTS 환자 발생수가 지속적으로 증가하는 경향을 보이며, 경상북도는 전국적으로 2번째로 많은 SFTS 환자가 발생하는 지역이다. 본 연구에서는 2019년 경북 상주 지역의 진드기 분포를 조사하기 위해 시민의 생활 반경 주변을 도심 녹지지역, 관리 취약지역 및 농촌지역으로 구별하여 flagging 방법을 통해 진드기를 채집하였고, 채집 진드기내 SFTS 바이러스 보균 여부를 조사하였다. 채집된 진드기 수를 Collection Index (CI = tick number / 1h / 2 people)로 산출한 결과, 상주시 내 총 26개 지점에서 작은소피참진드기와 개피참진드기, 일본참진드기를 포함하는 총 CI 143의 진드기가 채집되었고, 그 중 작은소피참진드기가 96.5%(CI 138)로 우점종으로 확인되었다. 채집된 진드기의 약 92%(131 CI)는 인적이 드물고 시청이나 관계 당국의 관리가 이루어지지 않는 관리 취약지역에서 채집되었으나, 도심의 녹지지역와 농촌 지역에서는 8.4%(CI 12)의 진드기만 관찰되었다. 총 CI 143의 진드기를 26개 pooling 한 후 SFTS 바이러스 존재 여부를 조사하였으나, 모두 음성으로 확인되었다. 본 연구의 결과는 지역주민들로 하여금 진드기 매개 질병으로부터 안전한 생활을 하기 위한 권고 자료로 활용할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

Sesame is a major cooking oil crop in Korea. One of the primary problems in sesame cultivation is low healthy stand establishment due to the occurrence of seedling rot and damping-off resulting from a complex of soil-borne pathogens in the field. To address the problem, the bioformulation of Pseudomonas fluorescens M45 was prepared in powder form using clay and vermiculite, and was evaluated for its effect on biological control of soil-borne pathogens in sesame cultivation. In the petri dish trial, the emergence rate was overall good (> 92%) regardless of seeds being pelleted and/or M45-treated. In both pot and field trials containing disease-conducive soils, seed-pelleting substantially reduced emergence rate, whereas seed-pelleting with M45 significantly improved the emergence rate (> 26%). The emergence rate of sesame seeds treated with the strain M45 was greater than 30% regardless of seed pelletization. We also found that M45r colonized in the roots at the density of 1.6×105 cfu/g. With aid of the bioformulation, however, root colonization of the strain was significantly increased to 4.0×106 cfu/g. The powder formulation with strain M45 enhanced the rate of healthy stand establishment in disease-conducive soil. Therefore, bioformulation with strain M45 is a promising method to overcome problems associated with the successive cultivation of sesame.

The resistance levels against carbamates (CB) and organophosphates (OP) were determined through bioassay and quantitative sequencing (QS) methods in 16 field populations of Nilaparvata lugens. The resistance levels to CB and OP by bioassay were 1.3~47.5-fold and 1.4~14.4-fold higher than a susceptible strain, respectively. The QS protocol was established to determine the allele frequencies of eight point mutations on acetylcholinesterase putatively associated CB and OP resistance. The allele frequencies of four mutations in local populations (G119A, F/S330Y, F331H and I332L) ranged from ca. 0.0~51.7%, 1.0~44.3%, 8.5~57.3% and 7.12~56.6%, respectively. The average prediction limits were –9.6±5.1~7.7±2.9%. The F330Y, F331H and I332L were tightly linked each other, suggesting these mutations may occur simultaneously. In the correlation analysis, G119A was not well correlated with both insecticides (r2= less 0.25), whereas F/S330Y, F331H and I332L showed better correlation with the resistance levels of carbamate (r2=0.590) than organophosphate (r2=0.235). This finding indicates that F/S330Y, F331H and I332L mutation frequencies are suitable for detecting carbamate resistance in N. lugens. QS will be applicable for the rapid monitoring of resistance levels to CB insecticides in N. lugens.

A 63-year-old woman with a history of nephrolithiasis and long-term hemodialysis (HD) presented with abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed urinoma induced by renal forniceal rupture, and three causative calculi. No active stone growth or new stones were observed when compared with previous CT, however, fragmentation and migration of an existing stone was observed. After ureteroscopic lithotripsy and stenting with a double-J catheter, the patient made a full recovery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of spontaneous renal forniceal rupture in an anuric HD patient caused by calculi. Renal forniceal rupture can occur, even in anuric HD patients.

Geneally, rice seeds regardless indica or japonica are showing low germination ratio or completely lost germination ability together with lost of good eating quality under high temperature and humidity conditions. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate a longevity for conservation of good eating quality during long term storage in rice. For the longevity evaluation, germination ability was studied after 5 days of high temperature and humidity stress (50℃/RH 95%). Dharial, originated from Bangladesh and showing weedy type with red pericarp, was selected as a good donor for longevity genes. A mutant was developed from Dharial through EMS mutagenesis and two populations of Dharial/4*Ilmibyeo and Dharial/4*Gopumbyeo were also developed for genetic study. In the 2-DE analysis followed by MALDI-TOF MS with wild and mutant lines, several candidate genes were identified. In the longevity test of two populations, a few lines showing good germination ability after high temperature and humidity stress were selected and subjected to confirm the relationships between longevity and conservation of good eating quality under long term storage.