Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick-borne zoonosis and SFTS virus is transmitted to humans by tick bites. The aim of this study was to monitor tick population and its SFTS virus infection. During March 2014 to October 2015, ticks were monthly sampled using dry-ice bait trap and flag method from 4 collecting points in Boeun-gun. A total of 16,500 ticks, including 14,646 Haemaphysalis longicornis (88.7%), 1,825 H. flava (11.1%), and 29 Ixodes nipponensis (0.2%), were collected. Ticks were pooled (5,156 ticks in 456 pools) and tested by RT-PCR and nested PCR and the minimum infection rate of ticks was 0.27% (14 pools) consisting of 0.13% H. longicornis (6 pools), 1.19% H. flava (8 pools). This annual surveillance study will be needed for long-term monitoring of ixodid ticks in Korea.

This study evaluated the physicochemical quality characteristics of raw and roasted beans of fully washed specialty Bourbon cultivar ofCoffea Arabica“BM 139" from seven of the major coffee growing areas in Rwanda in comparison with a wet processed Typica cultivar from Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia and a dry processed red Bourbon cultivar from Cerrado, Brazil. Tested samples had moisture content between 7.7 and10.2%. Raw coffee from Brazil had the lowest density and darker than samples from other regions. Other samples showed no significant differences in true density. Raw coffee from Kayumbu coffee washing station (CWS), Kamonyi district showed the lowest total phenolic content of 38.4 mg/g solid whereas raw coffee from Nyamyumba CWS, Rubavu district had the highest content of 46.8 mg/g solid. DPPH radical scavenging activity (RSA) ranged from 89.9 to 91.8% and varied little between samples. Raw coffee from Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia showed the highest total titratable acidity of 1.48% as citric acid and totalcaffeoylquinic acidof 82.62 mg/g solid whereas that from Brazil had the highest caffeine content of 18.5 mg/g solid. Raw coffee from Karenge CWS, Rwamagana district was characterized by having the lowest caffeine and trigonelline content (13.4 and 10.3 mg/g solid, respectively). After roasting, there was a drop in most physicochemical characteristics. Raw and roasted coffee samples from Rulindo and Kirorero CWS indicated higher bulk densities which might be due to higher altitudes of these two areas. Caffeine and RSA were not affected by the roasting process. The Brazilian coffee was characterized by higher caffeine content in raw as well as roasted forms. After roasting, coffees from Rwanda were more acidic than Brazilian and Ethiopian coffees. This study revealed that the physicochemical characteristics of the Bourbon cultivar may vary depending on the geographical sub-regions which is due to environmental conditions, processing and agricultural practices.

Trombiculid mites are known to be the vector of scrub typhus by transmitting rickettsial pathogen, Orientia tsutsugamushi, to human. In this study, we tried to establish a monitoring system for trombiculid mites using chigger mite collecting traps instead of the conventional rodent-capture method. For selection of collecting points, 10 environmental points were chosen from three regions (Taean, Jinan and Chungju) and two field collections were performed in spring (March-May) and autumn (October-November) seasons from 2013 to 2014. Among 10 environmental points, waterway (37.9%), grass field (28.0%), rice field and field near mountain side (11.4%) and reservoir/wet field (7.3%) showed high collecting rates and they should be included for the representative collecting points for surveillance using chigger mite collecting trap. In order to test the possibility that the dried chigger mites from collecting trap can be used for detection of O. tsutsugamushi, we pooled 30, 10 and 5 chigger mites separately and performed the nested PCR. The infection of O. tsutsugamushi was successfully detected from 5 chigger mites pooling sample. This study shows that chigger mite collecting trap could be an alternative method for monitoring system of scrub typhus vectors.

There are over 3,000 different species of mosquitoes throughout the world; currently 56 species are reported in Korea. Mosquitoes can act as vectors for many disease-causing viruses and parasites during blood sucking. Various species of mosquitoes are estimated to transmit various types of disease to more than 700 million people annually in Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico, Russia, and much of Asia, with millions of resultant deaths. At least two million people annually die of these diseases, and the morbidity rates are many times higher still. To prevent the spread of diseases, KNIH (Korea National Institute of Health) used three categorized methods; identifying or taxonomic analysis of mosquitoes, detecting virus caring mosquitoes, and detecting malaria from Anopheline mosquitoes. We have proved that taxonomic analysis using DNA barcording method (COI gene) is useful to complement identification of mosquito species. In detecting virus, we have reported Cx. orientalis as a new potential Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vector. We also reported that the Anopheline mosquito species composition and Plasmodium vivax infection rates in malaria hot spot in Korea.

A total of 35 phosphate solubilizing bacterial strains were isolated from waste bed of Agaricus bisporus in Buyeo-Gun, Chungchugnam-do province and screened for the production of indole acetic acid(IAA). The best IAA producing strain was identified as Pantoea rodasii using 16S rRNA analysis. In addition to the IAA production, this strain could act as an efficient phosphate solubilizer (1100 μg ml-1 after 5 days of incubation) also. The selected strain was cultured under different conditions in order to assess the optimum conditions for maximum IAA production. The nutrient broth (NB) medium was recorded as the best medium, where the maximum IAA production (229 μg ml-1) was recorded at the start of stationary phase (12 hours after inoculation) of the bacteria growth. The performance of the strain was found to be maximum at the temperature of 30°C followed by 25°C. IAA production was found to be increased with increasing tryptophan concentration (from 0.1 to 0.6%), however beyond this limit, a slight reduction in IAA production was observed. The strains’ ability to produce IAA was further confirmed by extraction of crude IAA and subsequent TLC analysis. A specific spot from the extracted IAA preparation was found corresponding with the standard spot of IAA with same Rf value. The results of HPLC analysis conducted in identifying and quantifying the IAA production more precisely, are in agreement with the results of the assessment done with colorimetric method. As revealed by the results of the pot experiment, the isolated strain could significantly enhance the growth (as measured by shoot and root growth) of mung bean plants compared to that of non-inoculated plants. Therefore it can be concluded that the present strain, Pantoea rodasii has great potential to be used as bio-inoculants.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a clinically approved and ra pidly developing cancer treatment regimen, It is a minimally invasive procedure that requires the administration of a photosens iti zer foll owed by the illumination of the tumor with Iigh t of an appropriate wavelength, In the presence of molecular oxygen, cytotoxic intermedi a ries a re produced‘ thus damaging cellular structures containing the photosensitizer , In the present study. we exa mined the effectiveness of newly d evelped chlorin e6- induced PDT on malignant animal tumor model of 3prague-Da wley (3D) ra t Three-week-old male 3D rats we re inocula ted s ,c, on the right f1 ank with our previously esta blished k- ras-trans formed RK3E cell line (RK3E- ras. tota l, 5xl07 cell s) , The experiments were carried out 1 week after inoculation of tumor cell s , by which time the tumors had r eached about 0,7 mm to 1.0 cm in diameter, L3-chlorin e6 (L8 Pharm Co" Gwa ngju, Korea) was admin istrated intravenous ly by the tail vein of 3D rat at a dosage of 10 mg/kg after inhalation a nesthesia of ether, Twenty- four hours a fter L8-chlorin e6 ad ministration, PDT was pe rfol‘med using a laser diode (Geumgwang Co ‘ Ltd‘’ Daejeon, Korea) a t a light dose of 100 J /cm2 and wavelength of 664 nm, A..nimals were monitered daily and tumor volume was measured by calipel The tumor t reated with PDT using Ce6 had significant reduction in tumor s ize examined by gross tumor volume , softex x- ray image, molecular imaging a nalysis, respectively, PCNA immunostaining and TUNEL assay revealed that the treat ed tu mor caused signifi cant inlübition of tumor formati on with decreased tumor cell proliferation a nd increased a poptosis , Our dat a showed Ce6-induced PDT effecti vely arrested the tumor growth by inhibi t ing cell proliferation a nd inducing a poptosis , These findings provide the potential value of Ce6- induced PDT as an a lternative candidate for a nt i- tumor therapy, Furthel bi ochemical and cellular studies will reveal the precise molecul ar mecha ni sm of cell death induced by PDT

본 연구는 벼 품종에 따른 미음 가공특성을 구명하기 위하여 국립식량과학원에서 육성한 9개 벼 품종의 호화점도 특성과 미음의 색도, pH, 점도 및 퍼짐성을 측정하고, 초미세구조를 관찰하였다. 신속점도계를 이용한 호화 점도(페이스팅) 분석에서, 치반점도는 한아름4호, 화선찰이 각각 -45.84 및 -27.50 RVU, 최종점도는 화선찰, 한아름4호가 각각 109.00, 213.42 RVU로 미음죽의 노화가 다른 품종들에 비해 느릴 것으로 판단된다. 쌀 낟알과 미음의 미세구조를 주사현미경(SEM)으로 관찰하였는데, 쌀알은 다각형의 전분립으로 구성된 구 형태의 전분체와 이러한 전분체로 구성된 전분세포로 구성되어 있었다. 도담쌀은 구 모양의 전분체가 관찰되었고 다른 품종들에 비해 빈 공간이 더 많았으며, 한아름4호는 일반 멥쌀의 형태와 같은 다각형의 전분립을 확인하였고, 화선찰벼는 전분체를 구성하는 전분립들의 부서짐이 많은 것을 관찰하였다. 그리고 이 품종들로 만든 미음죽 호화양상은 품종별로 달랐는데 이는 주로 아밀로오스 함량 차이에 기인하는 것으로 판단되나, 같은 고아밀로오스 품종이라 하더라도 도담쌀에 비해 고아미4호는 잘 풀어지고 호화가 잘 되는 것으로 나타나는 바(data not shown), 이에 대한 추가적인 연구가 필요하다 하겠다. 품종별 미음 제조 후, 관능검사에서 통일형(초다수성) 벼품종과 자포니카 벼 품종들의 차이가 뚜렷하게 나타나지 않아 초다수성 벼 품종으로 자포니카 벼 품종을 대체할 수 있을 것으로 판단하였다(data not shown). 또한 아밀로오스 함량 차이에 따른 벼 품종들 간의 점도 차이가 확연하게 나타났는데 아밀로오스가 없는 찰벼 품종은 미음죽의 점도를 낮추고, 고아밀로오스 품종들은 미음죽의 점도를 높였다. 통일형(초다수성 벼)을 포함한 일반메벼 품종들의 점도는 찹쌀과 고아밀로오스 품종들로 만든 미음의 중간정도를 보였으며 품종간의 유의한 차이는 없었다. 요컨대, 통일형 품종은 일반쌀 품종에 비해 밥용으로 식미가 나쁜 것으로 알려져 있으나, 미음에 대한 가공적성 평가 결과, 통일형쌀 품종과 일반쌀 품종 간에 품질 차이가 없었다. 쌀미음의 점도와 퍼짐성은 쌀미음의 품질을 결정하는 중요한 요소이며 9개 품종(통일형 4개 품종, 일반형 5개)의 쌀미음 가공적성을 평가한 결과, 고아밀로오스(31.8%-42.8%) 쌀 품종들은 점도가 높아(낮은 퍼짐성) 걸쭉하였고, 저아밀로오스(5.0%)인 찹쌀 품종은 낮은 점도(높은 퍼짐성)로 유동적이었다. 중간정도의 특성을 가진 멥쌀(18.2%-19.9%) 품종들이 쌀미음에 적합한 것으로 나타났다. 멥쌀 품종들 중에서 생태형(통일형/일반형)에 따른 쌀미음의 점도와 퍼짐성에서 차이가 없었다.