We investigated if Pseudococcus viburni and P. longispinus, the two notorious pest species of mealybugs are foundin Korea. Our survey involved a total of 602 sites all over the country for the last three years. Pseudococcus viburniwas only once referred in Gimpel’s 1983 dissertation on P. affinis group: only one record was noted from Korea amongmany specimens from various countries. However, the species has never been reported from Korea for the last severaldecades and none was found in our thorough survey. We believe there was a misidentification, as noted by the authorregarding the species complex, and conclude that P. viburni does not occur in Korea. On the other hand, P. longispinushas been found in 36 sites, all from imported tropical houseplants in a green house or nurseries. In addition, anothersimilar species has been found from 86 sites. This unknown species was surprisingly best matched with P. orchidicola.Both species could not survive Korea’s harsh winter and they could only survive in a temperature-controlled place suchas nurseries and restaurants.

Neuronal activities of taste-responsive cells in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) are affected by various physiological factors, such as blood glucose level or sodium imbalance. These phenomena suggest that NST taste neurons are under the influence of neural substrates that regulate nutritional homeostasis. In this study, we reviewed a series of in vivo electrophysiological investigations that demonstrate that forebrain nuclei, such as the lateral hypothalamus or central nucleus of the amygdala, send descending projections and modulate neuronal activity of gustatory neurons in the NST. These centrifugal modulations may mediate plasticity of taste response in the NST under different physiological conditions.

Sucrose and alcohol are rewarding and appetitive. They are occasionally over-consumed and cause addiction. The parabrachial nuclei (PbN) are the second taste relay in the central taste pathway. The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) is an important neural substrate in the reward system. Intake of sucrose or alcohol induces dopamine release in the NAcc. Although alcohol is not classified as a taste stimulus, a substantial number of sucrose-responsive neurons in the PbN respond to stimulation by alcohol on the tongue. In the present study, we investigated whether or not application of 0.5 M sucrose, 10% ethanol (EtOH), mixture of sucrose and EtOH, and double-distilled water (DDW) to the tongue induces c-Fos-like immunoreactivity (cFLI) in the PbN and NAcc. We also examined whether or not the number of cFLI following sucrose/EtOH is comparable to the number of cFLIs following sucrose and EtOH, respectively. Male Sprague-Dwaley rat was anesthetized with a mixture of Zoletil and Rompun while stimulation solution was applied to the anterior tongue. The rat was sacrificed by perfusion, and the fixed brain was sectioned and immunostained. Data from a total of 18 animals were analyzed. The number of cFLI following stimulation with sucrose and/or EtOH was greater than that of DDW in the PbN. Numbers of cFLI following sucrose, EtOH, and sucrose/EtOH were not significantly different from each other in the PbN. The number of cFLI in response to stimulation solution was not different from that of DDW in the NAcc. The result of the present study suggests that not only sucrose but also EtOH activates some neurons in the PbN, and that some pontine neurons possibly respond to both sucrose and EtOH.

Thirty-one Campylobacter jejuni isolates (22 from various local sources, 9 from imported chicken meats) were subtyped with PFGE and flaA typing to investigate their genetic relatedness. Based on a 90% similarity criterion, 23 and 21 genotypic patterns were formed by PFGE and flaA typing, respectively. The discriminatory indices for PFGE, flaA typing, and a composite analysis of PFGE and flaA typing were 0.9785, 0.9527, and 0.9871, respectively. Similar patterns in composite analysis were observed between sources (cattle and chicken, and cattle and human), indicating that reservoir animals may have been the source of human campylobacteriosis. Therefore, strict hygiene measures from farm to table should be implemented to prevent diseases due to C. jejuni in humans.

Taste receptors of the anterior tongue are innervated by the chorda tympani (CT) branch of the facial (VIIth) nerve. The CT nerve transmits information on taste to the ipsilateral nucleus of the solitary tract (NST), which is the first taste central nucleus in the medulla. Taste information is known to be transferred ipsilaterally along the taste pathway in the central nervous system. Some patients with unilateral CT damage often retain their ability to sense taste. This phenomenon is not explained by the unilateral taste pathway. We examined whether neurons in the NST receive information on taste from the contralateral side of the tongue by measuring c-Fos-like Immunoreactivity (cFLI) following taste stimulation of the contralateral side of the tongue in the anesthetized rats. We used four basic taste stimuli, 1.0 M sucrose, 0.3 M NaCl, 0.01 M citric acid, 0.03 M QHCl, and distilled water. Stimulation of one side of the tongue with taste stimuli induced cFLI in the NST bilaterally. The mean number of cFLI ranged from 23.28 ± 2.46 by contralateral QHCl to 30.28 ± 2.26 by ipsilateral NaCl stimulation. The difference between the number of cFLI in the ipsilaterl and contralateral NST was not significant. The result of the current study suggests that neurons in the NST receive information on taste not only from the ipsilateral but also the contralateral side of the tongue.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that mediate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level by degrading or repressing targeted mRNAs. These molecules are about 21-25 nucleotides in length and exert their effects by binding to partially complementary sites in mRNAs, predominantly in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR). Recent evidence has demonstrated that miRNAs can function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors through the modulation of multiple oncogenic cellular processes in cancer development, including initiation, cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis. In our present study, we examined the expression profile of miRNAs related to oral cancer cell growth inhibition using normal human oral keratinocytes (NHOK) and YD-38 human oral cancer cells. By miRNA microassay analysis, 40 and 31 miRNAs among the 1,769 examined were found to be up- and down-regulated in YD-38 cells compared with NHOK cells, respectively. Using qRT-PCR analysis, the expression levels of miR-30a and miR-1246 were found to be increased in YD-38 cells compared with NHOK cells, whereas miR-203 and miR-125a were observed to be decreased. Importantly, the overexpression of miR-203 and miR-125a significantly inhibited the growth of YD-38 cells. This finding and the microarray data indicate the involvement of specific miRNAs in the development and progression of oral cancer.

Nokona regalis (Butler) and Toleria romanovi (Leech) (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) are economically important pests of grape in northeast Asia. We compared the overwintering, damage and seasonal flight activities of these two species in Korean vineyards. Mature larvae of N. regalis overwintered in the infested shoots of grape, while T. romanovi overwintered as mature larvae enclosed within a cocoon in the soil. Larvae of the former species fed primarily in grape shoots (97.2%), whereas larvae of the latter species burrowed into main trunks (57.4%) and branches (40.4%), causing significant damage and frequent mortality. The seasonal fluctuation of male catches was monitored with pheromone traps in 2010. Male moths of N. regalis were present from late May until middle June, and peak abundance occurred in early June. T. romanovi males were trapped from early June to early August with peak catch in middle July in Suwon.

Two cherry tomato plant cultivars (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller, cultivars ‘Koko’ and ‘Pepe’) were supplied with high (395 ppm), medium (266 ppm) and low (199 ppm) concentrations of nitrogen to determine the influence of nitrogen fertilization on development, cultivar preference and honeydew production by greenhouse whiteflies, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). The nitrogen, protein, andchlorophyll content of tomato leaves were higher in the high nitrogen supplied plants than in the medium or low nitrogen supplied plants, but the sugar content showed an inverse relationship. The developmental times of eggsand nymphs decreased as the nitrogen concentrations increased in both cultivars. The preference of T. vaporariorum was compared by counting the number of eggs deposited on leaves in choice and non-choice tests. In the non-choice test, no significant nitrogen treatment effects were observedbut the upper plant stratum was preferred for egg laying. In the choice test, there were significant main effects of cultivar and nitrogen concentration. T. vaporariorum laid eggs more on leaves of plants with higher nitrogen at the upper stratum. In both experiments, T, vaporariorum preferred the ‘Koko’ cultivar to the ‘Pepe’ cultivar. The honeydew production of T. vaporariorum nymphs increased with decreasing nitrogen treatment concentrations. The largest honeydew production was detected in the ‘Pepe’ cultivar grown at low nitrogen concentration. It is concluded that cultivar ‘Pepe’ had an advantage over ‘Koko’ in term of T. vaporariorum management program in tomato greenhouses.

SPG (Shirasu porous glass) 관형 막이 설치된 회분식 막유화 장치를 사용하여 이온성 약물이 담지된 단분산 polycaprolactone (PCL) 마이크로캡슐을 제조하기 위한 막유화 공정변수의 최적조건을 결정하였다. 마이크로캡슐에 담지된 이온성 약물로는 양이온성인 lidocaine-hydrochloride, 중성인 sodium salicylate와 음이온성인 4-acetaminophen의 3가지를 사용하였으며, PCL 마이크로캡슐로부터 이들 모델약물의 방출거동을 검토하였다. 캡슐제조에 사용된 PCL의 농도와 분자량, 막간 압력차, 분산상과 연속상에 첨가시킨 유화제의 농도, 연속상의 교반속도가 막유화법으로 제조된 PCL 캡슐의 크기와 크기분포에 미치는 영향을 검토하였다. 이들 공정변수의 조절을 통해 평균 크기 약 5 μm의 균일한 마이크로캡슐을 제조할 수 있었다. 약물 방출실험 결과 산성조건에서 알칼리조건으로 방출환경이 변화됨에 따라 약물 방출속도가 증가하였다.

배추좀나방과 담배거세미나방 유충에 대한 30종 한방 식물체 메탄올 조추출몰의 살충활성 및 섭식 저해활성을 잎침지법을 이용하여 5,000ppm으로 검정하였다. 황련의 추출물은배추좀나방에 대해 살충작용을 보였다. 길경, 사삼, 세신, 오배자 및 자초의 추출물은 배추좀나방 유충에 대해, 목통 및 속새의 추출물은 담배거세미나방 유충에 대한 강한 섭식저해활성을 보였으나, 오배자와 황련의 추출물은 이들 나비목 유충 모두에 강한 섭식저해활성을 나타내었다.