One of major mechanisms of insecticide resistance is the reduced susceptibility caused by mutations on the main target sites, such as sodium channel and acetylcholinesterase. Bioassay is a useful method to diagnose insecticide resistance of mosquitoes; however, it is hard to establish regional/annual resistance database based on bioassay. Recently, various markers of mutation and copy number variation have been identified through insecticide mechanism studies. Thus, molecular detection of resistance based on the resistance marker is now feasible, which can be readily implemented as a novel resistance monitoring tool to complement or replace the conventional bioassay method. In Korea, the density of vector mosquitoes native to the subtropical areas has increased due to climate change. Therefore, it is required to establish an efficient resistance monitoring system based on molecular markers to facilitate the construction of a nation-wide resistance map for more effective control of mosquitos. In addition, alternative insecticides should be introduced to the areas where mosquitoes develop high levels of resistance to maximize control efficacy against resistant populations

This study was aimed to determine the effects of hybrid and inoculant on in vitro rumen digestibility and rumen fermentation indices of corn silage. Two corn hybrids(Kwangpyeongok (KW) vs. Pioneer 1543(PI)) were ensiled for 100 days with two inoculants(L. plantarum(LP) vs. L. buchneri(LB)) applied at 1.2 × 105 cfu/g of fresh forage. Silages were incubated in rumen fluid medium at 39℃ for 72 hours. Both of KW and PI had no difference(p>0.05) on in vitro digestibility of dry matter(IVDMD) and neutral detergent fiber(IVNDFD), while application of LB produced higher(p<0.05) IVDMD and IVNDFD than LP. Hybrid and inoculant applications did not affect(p>0.05) total gas volume, ammonia-N, total VFA, and acetate concentrations in the rumen. Applied LB was higher(p<0.05) propionate concentration than LP, while hybrids had no effect(p>0.05). Furthermore, the interaction effect(p<0.05) was occurred in propionate concentration. Butyrate concentration did not affected(p>0.05) by hybrid and inoculant applications, but there was an interaction effect between hybrid and inoculant(p<0.05). Applications of hybrid and inoculant had effects(p<0.05) on iso-butyrate and valerate, without any interaction effects(p>0.05). This study concluded that application of KW and PI has no effects on in vitro rumen digestibility and rumen fermentation indices of corn silage, while application of LB increase the rumen digestibility in both of corn hybrids.

지구온난화의 주요 원인인 CO2로 인한 대기 기온 상승은 세계적으로 큰 화두가 되고 있다. 고분자 분리막을 이용한 이산화탄소 포집용 분리막 제조는 공정의 단순화와 가격적인 측면에서 우수하며 이산화탄소 분리성능이 우수하다는 장점이 있다. 본 연구에서는 Si-PEG를 이용한 이산화탄소 포집용 기체 분리막을 제조하였다. 분리막 제조에 앞서 Si-PEG를 합성한 뒤, 1H-NMR, GPC, FT-IR을 통해 합성의 유무를 판단하였다. 복합막 제조는 지지체위에 Si-PEG를 코팅하여 제조하였다. 코팅제는 Isocyanate, Si-PEG, 촉매를 사용하여 코팅을 실시하였으며 가교를 위하여 고온공정을 진행하였다. 제조한 기체투과 복합막은 50GPU의 이산화탄소 포집값을 보이며 질소에 대한 이산화탄소의 선택도는 15의 결과를 보여 기체분리막으로의 활용 가능성을 확인하였다.

폴리벤즈이미다졸(PBI)는 현재 상용 고분자들 중에서 가장 내열성이 좋은 이종고리화합물이다. 우수한 기계적, 화학적 물성 때문에 해당 고분자는 나노공학, 전기공학, 광학, 재료공학과 같은 분야 외에도 쓰임새가 다양하다. 본 연구는 폴리벤즈이미다졸 지지체를 제조하기 위하여 전기방사를 이용하였다. PBI 방사 용액의 용매로서 DMAc를 사용하였고, LiCl은 안정제로써 사용하였다. 또한 다양한 전기방사의 조건을 변화시킴에 따라 나타나는 모폴로지를 관찰하고자 하였다. 또한, DBX를 이용한 가교반응을 통하여 보다 화학적으로 강화된 필름을 제조하였다. 나노 섬유의 화학 구조와 성분은 FT-IR와 DSC를 통해 확인하였다. 전기방사 섬유의 모폴로지는 SEM을 통해 확인하였다.

This study was conducted to examine the effect of new inoculants on in vitro digestibility and fermentation characteristics of high moisture rye silage. Rye was harvested at heading stage and divided into 5 treatments, following: No additives(CON); L. plantarum R48-27(NI1); L. buchneri R4-26(NI2); mixture of NI1 and NI2 at 1:1 ratio(MIX); and L. buchneri(LB). The rye forage was ensiled into 10 L bucket silo for 100 days. In vitro digestibility of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber were highest(p<0.05) in NI2 silage. The pH in NI2 and LB silages were lower(p<0.05) than CON silage. Lactate concentration was highest(p<0.05) in NI1 silage. While concentrations of acetate and propionate were highest(p<0.05) in MIX silage. Lactates : acetate ratio was highest(p<0.05) in NI1 silage, but lowest in LB silage. Butyrate concentrations of NI2 and LB silages were lower(p<0.05) than that in CON and NI1 silages. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) count in all inoculated silages was higher(p<0.05) than that in CON silage, while yeast count in LB silage was lower than in CON, NI1, and MIX silages. In conclusion, application of NI2 inoculant could improve potentially fermentation quality and digestibility of high moisture rye silage.

4,4’-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been re-recommended by the World Health Organization for malaria mosquito control in Africa. Previous DDT use has resulted in predisposition of resistance, and with continued use resistance will increase further in terms of level and extent. Drosophila melanogaster is a model dipteran that has many available genetic tools, has been widely used for elucidating insecticide resistance mechanisms, and is related to malaria mosquitoes allowing for extrapolation. The 91-R strain of D. melanogaster is highly resistant to DDT (>1500-fold); however, there is no mechanistic scheme that accounts for this level of resistance. Recently, reduced penetration, increased detoxification, and direct excretion have been identified as resistance mechanisms in the 91-R strain. Their interactions, however, remain unclear. Use of Gal4/UAS-RNAi transgenic lines of D. melanogaster allowed for the targeted knockdown of genes putatively involved in DDT resistance and has identified the role of several cuticular proteins (Cyp4g1 and Lcp1), cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (Cyp6g1 and Cyp12d1), and ATP binding cassette transporters (mdr50, mdr65, and mrp1) in increased sensitivity to DDT. These findings have been further validated in 91-R flies using a nanoparticle-enhanced RNAi strategy, directly implication these genes in DDT resistance in 91-R flies.

The composition of the deicer sprayed on the highway is spreading over the highway by the scattering or snow removal activity, or car movement and consequently affecting the vegetation environment around the highway. These are the cause of the damage of fruit trees and crops, and also the cause of corrosion of highway structures. The goal of this study is to estimate the detected range of deicer components from a highway. The concentration of the deicer components in gauze and soil were investigated according to the crossing distance from the highway. The data collected were then used to estimate the concentration range of deicer components in a rage of distance up to 100 m from the highway where the deicer was spread. The sample time and weight of gauze were measured before and after installation, and the soil was collected at more than three points in parallel with the highway at the gauze installation point. The components in gauze and soil were investigated in addition to the deicer components (Ca2+, Na+, Cl-) as well as Mg2+ and K+. As Ca2+ and Cl- components of deicer were affected by agricultural use, Na+ component was selected as a tracer and further SAR (Sodium Adsorption Ratio) of soil was analyzed to examine the degree of influence on vegetation indirectly. The gauze concentration was evaluated by the concentration of the deicer ingredient at the background concentration of the blank gauze. The total amount of the deicer sprayed in the study road for 4 months (winter season) was about 93 ton/km. In the gauze test, the spread of the deicer was detected at a distance of 100 m in study area, but the concentration of the deicer in the gauze by distance decreased rapidly within 10 m from the highway. And concentration of the deicer components in gauze and soil came down after rainy season (August ~ Sep.). The results showed that the components of the deicer could be spread widely by the wind. The effective range of the deicer on vegetation based on SAR in soil was estimated to be less than 20 m from the highway. This study examines the concentration changes of the deicer components in gauze and soils and shows that deicer components sprayed on the highway are accumulated and moved over time by wind, snow removal, terrain, water system and land use around the highway.

The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, possesses a cholinesterase expressed exclusively in the salivary gland (ClSChE). In this paper, we investigated the molecular structure, tissue distribution patterns, and biochemical properties of ClSChE and showed that ClSChE exists as a soluble monomeric form or a soluble dimeric form connected by a disulfide bridge. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed that ClSChE was expressed in the epithelial cells of both the salivary gland and the duct. In addition, the secretion of monomeric ClSChE through the proboscis during feeding was detected by western blotting using a ClSChE-specific antibody. To predict the role of ClSChE injected into the tissue of an animal host, we analyzed the extent of sequestration and hydrolysis of acetylcholine (ACh)/choline (Ch) by ClSChE by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Kinetic analysis revealed that ClSChE possesses extremely low Km (high affinity to ACh) and Vmax values. These findings suggest that ClSChE functions as a sequestering enzyme specific to ACh (not to Ch) by having a very strong affinity to ACh but an extremely long turnover time.

This study was conducted to estimate the effect of home or hetero fermentative lactic acid bacteria(LAB) on chemical composition, fermentation quality, and aerobic stability of rye silage. Rye forage was harvested at dough stage(28.9% of dry matter), chopped to 3-5 cm length, and divided into 4 piles for different inoculations as treatment, following 1) No additives(CON); 2) Lactobacillus plantarum at rate of 1.5 x 105 cfu/g of fresh forage(LP); 3) L. buchneri at rate of 1.2 x 105 cfu/g of fresh forage(LB); and 4) Mixture of LP and LB at 1:1 ratio(MIX). Rye silage was ensiled into 20 L bucket silo in quadruplicate for 0, 1, 4, 7, and 100 day periods. After 100 days of ensiling, the silage treated with LB had lower acid detergent fiber content(p<0.05), but higher in vitro dry matter digestibility(p<0.05). The LB and MIX reduced (p<0.05) pH more rapidly than CON and LP across the ensiling days, but had no difference on 100 days. Silage treated LP had lowest(p<0.05) acetic acid, but highest(p<0.05) propionic acid. In contrast, LB treated silage had highest(p<0.05) acetic acid, but lowest(p<0.05) propionic acid with the absence of butyric acid. On microbial count, LP treated silage had lowest(p<0.05) LAB, yeast, and aerobic stability, whereas LB and MIX treated silages had highest(p<0.05). Mold was not detected across all silages. Therefore, it could be concluded that heterofermentative LAB solely or combo with homofermentative LAB might improve in vitro dry matter digestibility, fermentation characteristics, and aerobic stability of rye silage harvested at dough stage.

Perturbation of normal behaviors (e.g., nursing and foraging) in honey bee colonies by any external factors would immediately reduce the colony’s capacity for brood rearing, which can eventually lead to collapse of entire colony. To investigate the effects of brood rearing suppression in the biology of honey bee workers (nurse and forager), the gene-set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed for the transcriptomes of worker bees with or without their brood rearing being suppressed, from which functional profiles of pathways under influences by each condition were identified. Blocking of normal labor (i.e., nursing or foraging) induced the over-representation of pathways related with reshaping of worker bee physiology, suggesting that transition of labor is physiologically reversible. In addition, brood rearing suppression appeared to result in the reduction of neuronal excitability and aggressiveness in both forager and nurse, which would be necessary to manage the in-hive stress under unfavorable conditions

Human body and head lice are obligatory human ectoparasites. Although both body and head lice belong to a single species, Pediculus humanus, only body lice are known to be a vector of several bacterial diseases. The higher vector competence of body lice is assumed to be due to their weaker immune response than that of head lice. To test this hypothesis, immune reactions were compared between body and head lice following infections by two model bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and a human pathogen, Bartonella quintana. Following dermal or oral challenge, the number of these bacteria increased both in hemocoel and alimentary tract of body lice but not in head lice and the viability of the B. quintana was significantly higher in body louse feces, the major route of infection to human. In addition, body lice showed the lower basal/induced transcription level of major immune genes, cytotoxic reactive oxygen species and phagocytosis activity compared with head lice. These findings suggest that a reduced immune response may be responsible, in part, for the increased proliferation and excretion of viable bacteria which are associated with the high level of human infectivity seen in body versus head lice.

Tropilaelaps mercedesae is an ectoparasite of immature honey bees belonging to the genus Tropilaelaps (Acari: Laelapidae). T. mercedesae has become a major threat to the Western honey bee Apis mellifera in Asia, including Korea, and is expanding its geographical range to northern regions due to global warming. To establish gene resources of T. mercedesae, the whole transcriptome was analyzed by RNA sequencing. An mRNA-focused library was generated from total RNA extracted from the mixed stages using the TruSeq RNA Library Preparation kit and sequenced using the HiSeq 2000 platform. A total of 6.0 Gb reads were obtained with 85% Q30 value. Trimmed sequence data were de novo assembled using the CLC Assembly Cell v 4.2. A total of 64,868 non-duplicate contigs were finally obtained and annotated by the Blast2GO using the NCBI nr database. The most abundant species in the resulting 14,336 Blast hits (22.1%) was Metaseiulus occidentalis, a predatory mite, followed by Ixodes scapularis and Tribolium castaneum, suggesting that the T. mercedesae transcriptome matches well with closely related other arthropod species, including mites and ticks. In order to provide basic information for efficient control and monitoring of potential resistance in T. mercedesae, acaricide target genes were annotated and characterized. One voltage-sensitive sodium channel gene encoding the molecular target of fluvalinate, a pyrethroid acaricide most widely used for the control of T. mercedesae, was identified and its molecular properties were investigated. In addition, other acaricide target genes, including acetylcholinesterase and glutamate (or GABA)-gated chloride channel, were identified and characterized.

The acetylcholinesterase 1 (AmAChE1) of the honey bee is known to be abundantly expressed both in the central and peripheral nervous systems. AmAChE1 exists mostly in the soluble form with little catalytic activity and has non-neuronal functions. Our preliminary observation showed that AmAChE1 expression fluctuated between the forages and nurses. A more systematic expression profiling of AmAChE1 over a year cycle on a monthly basis revealed that AmAChE1 was predominantly expressed during the winter months with being moderately expressed during the rainy summer time. However, no significant difference in AmAChE1 expression was noticed between the nurse and forager workers. Interestingly, AmAChE1 expression was inhibited when bees were allowed for brooding by placing overwintering bee hives in strawberry green houses with the supplement of pollen diets whereas it was resumed when the bee hives were removed from the green houses, thereby suppressed brooding. To confirm whether brooding status is a main determining factor for the suppression of AmAChE1 expression, active bee hives were placed in a screen tent, thereby hindering foraging, until brooding was completely suppressed, and then allowed to restore brooding by removing the screen. The AmAChE1 expression in the head was up-regulated when brooding was suppressed whereas its expression was down-regulated when brooding was resumed. These finding demonstrates that AmAChE1 expression in the central nervous system (i.e., head) is related with brooding status of honey bee. To understand the connection between the AmAChE1 expression and other pathways related with brooding, currently in progress are the analyses of head transcriptomes of honey bee workers with or without their brooding suppressed.

Leptotrombidium pallidum is the major vector mites for Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus. To understand the molecular mechanism of L. pallidum, we sequenced the whole genome using Illumina sequencing technology. Totally four genomic libraries with different insert sizes ranging from 280 bp to 8 kb were used to generate 45.1 Gb of genome in the combination of paired-end and mate-pairs sequencing reads. Quality filtering and correction of paired-end reads for very small and/or bad-quality sequences yielded 26.9 Gb of high-quality sequences, which are used to estimate the genome size as 175 Mbusing kmer methods and assembled into a 193.7 Mb genomic sequence scaffolds with N50 length of 92,945 bp. Furthermore, 94% of CEGMA completeness score were obtained from genome scaffold assembly. To facilitate gene annotation, we used a combination of de novo and homology based tools to predict gene models in the chigger mite genome. A combination of evidence-based and de novo approaches predicted 15,842 high-confidence protein-coding genes with an average transcript length of 1,511 bp and 2.4 exons per gene which corresponds to about 12.4% total gene length. Bacterial endosymbiosis are very common in mite species and can range from mutualistic to pathogenic associations. Henceforth, the endosymbionts in L. pallidum were predicted using the NCBI microbial draft genomes and mitochondrial genome. Besides, this L. pallidum draft genome can be used as a significant reference for comparative genomic studies across mite species.

Subcutaneous emphysema is a rare but serious side effect of dental and oral surgery procedures. The condition is characterized by air being forced underneath the tissue, leading to swelling, crepitus on palpation, and with potential to spread along the fascial planes to the periorbital, mediastinal, pericardial, and/or thoracic spaces. A wide range of causes have been documented for the origin of subcutaneous emphysema during dental treatment including: crown preparations, other operative procedures, endodontic therapy, extractions, as well as oral surgery procedures. The patient was a 58-year-old woman who presented to the Seoul Saint mary’s hospital emergency department with a chief complaint of facial edema, dyspnea and chest discomfort after periodontal treatment using an air-flow equipment in local dental clinic. During treatment in the emergency department, oxygen therapy and intravenous injection of steroid and anti-histamine was done. it was noted that the patient had pain and swelling on left lower molar region, pus discharging on same site. Severe edema was observed on periorbital region to neck with heatness. An audible crepitus sound was heard during palpation on facial area. Neck CT scan and antibiotic therapy was done, as symptom suggesting dental abscess is observed. 3 hours after injection of antibiotics, the patient’s symptom was relieved, but she felt chest discomfort continuously. CT scan with constrast depicted confluent and extensive soft tissue emphysematous changes involving face and deep neck spaces and pneumomediastinum. The patient was refered to thoracic surgery department, oxygen therapy was decided continuously. After 10 hours, patient’s chief complaint was resolved, and discharged. After 1 week, all symptom was disappear and follow-up neck CT scan finding was disappearance of edema and pnuemomediastinum. We report a case of cervical subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum occurring after periodontal treatment using an air-flow equipment and case on the diagnosis and treatment of subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum, along with a review of the literature.

Background/Aims: The ballooning time in endoscopic papillary large balloon dilation (EPLBD) remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of the ballooning time comparing an immediate balloon deflation method with a conventional ballooning time of > 45 seconds. Methods: Between January 2010 and December 2010, 126 patients with bile duct stones treated with EPLBD and endoscopic sphincterotomy were divided according to the ballooning time: the immediate deflation group (n=56) and the conventional inflation group (ballooning time 45s to < 60s) (n=70). Results: The overall success rate and the success rate of the first attempt of ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography) were 96.4% (54/56) and 80.4% (45/56) in the immediate group and 97.1% (68/70) and 77.1% (54/70) in the conventional inflation group. There were no statistically significant differences in the overall success and the first attempt of ERCP success rate (p=0.99, p=0.66). The frequency of mechanical lithotripsy was 0% in the immediate deflation group and 7.1% in the conventional inflation group (p=0.065). Complications occurred in 3.6% (2/56) patients in the immediate deflation group and 8.6% (4/70) patients in the conventional inflation group (p=0.298). Conclusions: The ballooning time in EPLBD does not affect the outcomes of the treatment for bile duct stones. And the feasibility of the immediate deflation method in EPLBD is acceptable.

Leptotrombidium pallidum is the major vector mite for Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus, in Asian countries, including Korea. The genome size of L. pallidum was previously estimated to be 191 ± 7 Mb (Kim et al., 2014). Genomic DNA (gDNA) was extracted from a single female from a 9-generation inbred L. pallidum colony and used for whole genome amplification (WGA). The resulting amplified gDNA was used for the construction of paired-end and mate-pair libraries and sequenced using Illumina platforms (HiSeq2000 and MiSeq). An unamplified gDNA sample extracted from 20 female mites was also used for sequencing in parallel. More than 45Gb sequence reads from both paired-end and mate-pair libraries of the WGA gDNA were trimmed and then de novo assembled using the CLC Asembly Cell v.4.0 for contig assembly and SSPACE for scaffolding. The assembly generated approximately 6,545 scaffolds with N50 value of 92,945 and total size of ~193Mb, which was in a good agreement with our previous estimation. Repeat analysis showed that about 30% of genome (~58Mb) was masked as repeats, most of which were unclassified novel elements. For gene predictions, generated were the PASA models based on genomic alignments of RNA-seq reads from 4 different chigger mite samples (i.e. male, female, larva, and protonymph) and the GeneWise models based on genomic alignments of protein sequences from 4 closely related species with chigger mite. Independently, ab initio gene predictions were performed with AUGUSTUS and FgeneSH with custom trained matrices optimized for L. pallidum and GENEID with pre-trained matrix for Acyrthopsiphon pisum. By combining all together, 15,842 genes were predicted finally. Manual curation is in progress for various groups of genes, including chemosensory receptor genes, immune-related genes, acaricide target genes, etc.

Recently, the expression of acetylcholinesterase1 (AChE1) in honeybee worker has been found to be seasonally fluctuated. Seasonal investigation on the AChE1 expression profiles revealed that it is abundantly expressed in January but its expression was completely abolished in February in both head and abdomen. In an attempt to predict the physiological function of seasonally expressed AChE1, proteomic analysis of honeybee worker was conducted using the samples collected in January and February. Total protein samples separately extracted from the head and abdomen of honeybee forager were compared by 2-D electrophoresis (2-DE). More than 2-fold differences in expression patterns between the two different samples were observed in 50 and 85 protein spots in the head and abdomen, respectively. Among them, 20 protein spots showing >17-fold differences in expression between the two different samples of the head were identified by mass spectrometry. Most of the proteins were identified to be the major royal jelly protein (MRJP) families (e.g., MRJP, MRJP2 and MRJP3), which are known to be expressed in nurse bees during brooding season, and their expression was significantly higher in January than in February. This result was unexpected because brooding usually began in the study site apiary during February and the worker bees used for analysis were assumed to be foragers (old workers). Thus, current findings suggest, though speculative, that the workers collected in January may function as nurses despite their old ages in January or that MRJPs may have other not-yet-characterized functions, which is apart from the conventionally known roles. Finally, possible association of MRJPs with AChE1 was discussed.