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Malva sylvestris (Malvaceae), known as common mallow, is native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. It was intentionally introduced to Korea as an ornamental plant in the early 20th century, and has become partly naturalized in several areas including the woods (Jung et al. 2017). Among nine microcylic Puccinia species attacking the Malvaceae plants, three species of P. heterospora, P. malvacearum, and P. modiolae have been reported on M. sylvestris (Classen et al. 2000, Colenso 1885, McKenzie 1998 and Melo et al. 2012). Only P. modiolae has been found on Alcea rosea and M. verticillata, and not M. sylvestris in Korea (Lee et al. 2022; Ryu et al. 2022). In August 2022, rust disease symptoms of a Puccinia fungus were observed on some overgrown seedlings of M. sylvestris, which were neglected in containers after sales at a wholesale nursery (36°50′19.8″N, 128°55′28.7″E) in Bonghwa, Korea. Typical rust spots were observed around 60% (on 111 seedlings of the 186 seedlings of M. sylvestris). The brown spots were produced on round chlorotic haloes on the adaxial leaf surface, and brown to dark brown pustules on the abaxial. Subepidermal spermogonia on the adaxial, were obovoid, and 112.1–160.0 × 88.7–149.3 μm in size. Telia were golden-brown to dark brown, round, mostly grouped, and 0.30–0.72 mm in diameter, and mainly hypophyllus. Fusoid teliospores were two-celled, rarely one- or three-celled, 36.2–92.3 × 10.6–19.3 μm in size, with many anomalies appearing notched at apex; wall was yellowish or almost colorless, smooth, 1.0–2.6 μm thick at the sides, and up to 6.8 μm thick at the apex; pedicel was hyaline, thick wall, persistent, and (39.3–)60.4–154.6(–189.9) μm long. Based on these morphological features together with the results of the phylogenetic analyses (e-Xtra 2) using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and partial large subunit (LSU) sequences according to the method described by Ryu et al. (2022), the fungus was identified as an autoecious P. modiolae, recently reported on M. verticillate and A. rosea in Korea (Lee et al. 2022; Ryu et al. 2022). A representative sample was deposited in the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency Herbarium (PQK220818). Pathogenicity tests were done using three host plants: M. sylvestris, M. verticillate and A. rosea. Three to four leaf discs with basidiospore-bearing telia were placed on the upper surfaces of healthy young leaves of the seedlings. Three replicates of each host plant set including an untreated control were tested. The plants were kept in an isolated glass house. At ten to twelve days after inoculation, typical telial spots of P. modiolae were recovered, but not in the control plants, showing all three tested species were highly susceptible (e-Xtra 1). The ITS and LSU sequences obtained from the genomic DNAs of each newly recovered rust spot were consistent with that of the inoculum (accession no. OQ542745). The previous A. rosea isolate (OP369290 by Ryu et al. 2022) also showed the pathogenesis on M. sylvestris and M. verticillata by the same tests, mentioned above (e-Xtra 1). To date, only one collection of P. modiolae on M. sylvestris has been reported in Louisiana, the United States (Aime and Abbasi 2018). The results of this study show that P. modiolae is firstly confirmed as the causal rust fungus of M. sylvestris and the same causal agent of M. verticillate and A. rosea rust disease, recently reported in Korea.

Alcea rosea, in the family Malvaceae, is a biennial plant native to China and is grown typically for gardening in Korea (Lee 2003). Seven microcyclic Puccinia species have been reported on A. rosea: P. heterogenea, P. heterospora, P. lobata, P. malvacearum, P. platyspora, P. sherardiana, and P. modiolae (Demers et al. 2015; Aime and Abbasi 2018). In early May 2022, characteristic symptoms of rust were observed on four of ten seedlings of A. rosea purchased at a wholesale nursery (36°50′19.8″N, 128°55′28.7″E) in Bonghwa, Korea. Rust spots were present on almost 90% of the 1,000 seedlings of A. rosea in that nursery during our survey in late May. Through a distribution survey from June to July 2022, similar symptomatic leaves were additionally collected from the leaves of A. rosea grown in gardens at five sites in Gimcheon (two sites), Gumi (one), Seongju (one), and Busan (one). Spots were yellow-orange the center surrounded by chlorotic haloes on the adaxial leaf surface, and reddish-brown or dark brown pustules on the abaxial leaf surface. Over time, the spots enlarged and coalesced, causing the decay of large sections of the leaves, and heavily infected leaves fell early. Spermogonia, produced at the center of the chlorotic spot on the adaxial leaf surface, were subepidermal, obovoid, and 113.2–164.5 × 97.6–153.3 μm in size. Telia were reddish-brown to dark brown, round, mostly grouped, 0.28–0.61 mm in diameter, and mainly formed on the abaxial leaf surface but sometimes on the adaxial leaf surface also. Teliospores were two-celled, but rarely one- or three-celled, and were fusoid and 37. 6–110 × 12.4–21.5 μm in size; the wall was yellowish or almost colorless, smooth, 1.2–2.6 μm thick at the sides, and up to 7.4 μm thick at the apex. The morphological characteristics were similar to those of P. modiolae, although the teliospores in our study were longer than those observed by Aime and Abbasi (2018). For phylogenetic analysis, genomic DNA was extracted from the teliospores of each regional specimen. Partial 18S, internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and partial 28S sequences were amplified using primers NS1, ITS4, ITS5, and LR11. The PCR products were sequenced (Celemics, Seoul, Korea) and deposited in GenBank. The ITS-partial large subunit (LSU) sequence and 28S sequences had 100% homology with other P. modiolae sequences deposited in GenBank (accession numbers are shown in Fig. 2). In the phylogenetic trees of the ITS and LSU sequences, the isolates collected in this study were grouped with the reference sequences of P. modiolae, including the Korean isolate (ON631218) recently reported on Malva verticillata by Lee et al. (2022). For the pathogenicity test, the teliospores with germinating basidiospores were suspended in sterile distilled water and smeared on the upper surface of asymptomatic A. rosea leaves in August. The inoculated plants were sprayed with distilled water and kept in the dark with saturated moisture for 24 h in an isolated glass house of the Animal & Plant Quarantine Agent. After 2 weeks, typical rust spots and telia of P. modiolae were observed on the leaves of the inoculated plants, but not in the control plants, which were only sprayed with distilled, sterilized water and otherwise treated similarly to the inoculated plants. The results of this study show that the casual fungus is P. modiolae, which has been commonly found in A. rosea in Korea. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. modiolae in A. rosea in Korea.

We identified a tentative novel positive-strand RNA virus from Rudbeckia sp., namely, Rudbeckia citrivirus A (RuCVA). The complete genome sequence of the novel virus was 8821 nucleotides in length, excluding the poly(A) tail. It has three open reading frames (ORFs): a putative polyprotein, a movement protein, and a coat protein. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the virus was more closely related to Citrus leaf blotch virus isolates and unassigned citriviruses. The sequence identity of the virus with other citriviruses was lower than 56.9% at the complete nucleotide sequence level. For each ORF, the sequence identity was lower than 64.2% at the nucleotide level and 67.8% at the amino acid level. These results satisfied the species demarcation criteria for Betaflexiviridae. Therefore, we suggest that RuCVA is a novel member of the genus Citrivirus.

Thirty subjects were recruited in this study and were randomly divided into two groups, indigo blanket and placebo asked to complete the sleep questionnaires [Insomnia Severity Index, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, World Health Organization (WHO)-5 Well-Being Index] and to record the sleep diary before and after they use the blanket. The effects of each blanket was evaluated by sleep quality improvement and sleep satisfaction during their use of blanket, based on the sleep diary and sleep questionnaires.

Objective: Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is an assisted reproductive technique for couples carrying genetic risks. Charcot-MarieTooth (CMT) disease is the most common hereditary neuropathy, with a prevalence rate of 1/2,500. In this study, we report on our experience with PGD cycles performed for CMT types 1A and 2F. Methods: Before clinical PGD, we assessed the amplification rate and allele drop-out (ADO) rate of multiplex fluorescent polymerase chain re action (PCR) followed by fragment analysis or sequencing using single lymphocytes. We performed six cycles of PGD for CMT1A and one cycle for CMT2F. Results: Two duplex and two triplex protocols were developed according to the available markers for each CMT1A couple. Depending on the PCR protocols, the amplification rates and ADO rates ranged from 90.0% to 98.3% and 0.0% to 11.1%, respectively. For CMT2F, the amplifica tion rates and ADO rates were 93.3% and 4.8%, respectively. In case of CMT1A, 60 out of 63 embryos (95.2%) were diagnosed and 13 out of 21 unaffected embryos were transferred in five cycles. Two pregnancies were achieved and three babies were delivered without any complica tions. In the case of CMT2F, a total of eight embryos were analyzed and diagnosed. Seven embryos were diagnosed as unaffected and four em bryos were transferred, resulting in a twin pregnancy. Two healthy babies were delivered. Conclusion: This is the first report of successful pregnancy and delivery after specific PGD for CMT disease in Korea. Our PGD procedure could provide healthy babies to couples with a high risk of transmitting genetic diseases.

Lactic acid is an important product arising from the anaerobic fermentation by lactic acid bacteria (LAB). It is used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, chemical, and food industries as well as for biodegradable polymer and green solvent production. The poly lactic acid (PLA) is an important material for bio-plastic manufacturing process. For PLA production by new LAB, we screened LAB isolates from shellfish. A total of 28 LAB were isolated from various shellfishes. They were all Gram positive, oxidase and catalase negative. Based on API 50CHL kit, 7 strains among the 28 isolates were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum, 6 strains as Lactobacillus delbrueckii, 5 strains as Leuconostoc mesenteroides, 3 strains as Lactobacillus brevis, 2 strains as Lactococcus lactis, 1 strain as Lactobacillus salivarius, 1 strain as Lactobacillus paracasei, 1 strain as Lactobacillus pentosus, 1 strain as Lactobacillus fermentum and 1 strain as Pediococcus pentosaceu. Also, we examined the amount of total lactic acid produced by these new strains by HPLC analysis with Chiralpak MA column. One strain E-3 from Mytilus edulis was indentified as Lactobacillus plantarum and found to produce 20.0 g/L of D-form lactic acid from 20 g/L of dextrose. Further studies are underway to increase the D-lactic acid production by E-3.

The gene structure and sequence diversity of 5S rRNA genes were analyzed in 13 Allium species. While the lengths and sequences of the coding gene segments were conserved, the spacers were highly variable and could be characterized as either short (213–404 bp) or long (384–486 bp) spacers. The short spacers were further classified into five subtypes (SS-I to SS-V) and the long spacers into four subtypes (LS-I to LS-IV). The short spacers were more conserved than were the long spacers. There was a sequence duplication of 85 bp in SS-III that distinguished it from SS-II. The coding sequences of the 5S rRNA genes started with CGG and ended with either CCC or TCC. Both long and short spacers started with TTTT at their 5′-ends. However, the long spacers ended with a 3′-TGA sequence, whereas the short spacers terminated with various sequences, such as TTA, ATA, or TGA. GC content ranged from 27 to 41% in whole repeats, and the GC content in the long spacers was lower than in the short spacers. The nucleotide diversity in the coding regions was lower than in the spacers, and the nucleotide diversity in the coding regions did not correlate with that of the spacers. FISH analysis confirmed that each Allium species has either short spacers or long spacers. Although chromosomal locations of the 5S rRNA genes in Allium wakegi confirmed the allodiploid nature of A. cepa and A. fistulosum, spacer sequences revealed the absence of SS-II in A. cepa and in A. wakegi. The current study demonstrated that the 5S rRNA genes diverged in early stages in Allium species differentiation except of the allodiploid A. wakegi.

Peas carrying the cyv1 recessive resistance gene are resistant to clover yellow vein virus (ClYVV) isolates No.30 (Cl-No.30) and 90-1 (Cl-90-1) but can be infected by a derivative of Cl-90-1 (Cl-90-1 Br2). The main determinant for the breaking of cyv1 resistance by Cl-90-1 Br2 is P3N-PIPO produced from the P3 gene via transcriptional slippage, and the higher level of P3N-PIPO produced by Cl-90-1 Br2 than by Cl-No.30 contributes to the breaking of resistance. Here we show that P3N-PIPO is also a major virulence determinant in susceptible peas that possess another resistance gene, Cyn1 , which does not inhibit systemic infection with ClYVV but causes hypersensitive reaction-like lethal systemic cell death. We previously assumed that the susceptible pea cultivar PI 226564 has a weak allele of Cyn1 . Cl-No.30 did not induce cell death, but Cl-90-1 Br2 killed the plants. Our results suggest that P3N-PIPO is recognized by Cyn1 and induces cell death. Unexpectedly, heterologously strongly expressed P3N-PIPO of Cl-No.30 appears to be recognized by Cyn1 in PI 226564. The level of P3N-PIPO accumulation from the P3 gene of Cl-No.30 was significantly lower than that of Cl-90-1 Br2 in a Nicotiana benthamiana transient assay. Therefore, Cyn1 -mediated cell death also appears to be determined by the level of P3N-PIPO. The more efficiently a ClYVV isolate broke cyv1 resistance, the more it induced cell death systemically (resulting in a loss of the environment for virus accumulation) in susceptible peas carrying Cyn1 , suggesting that antagonistic pleiotropy of P3N-PIPO controls the resistance breaking of ClYVV. IMPORTANCE Control of plant viral disease has relied on the use of resistant cultivars; however, emerging mutant viruses have broken many types of resistance. Recently, we revealed that Cl-90-1 Br2 breaks the recessive resistance conferred by cyv1 , mainly by accumulating a higher level of P3N-PIPO than that of the nonbreaking isolate Cl-No.30. Here we show that a susceptible pea line recognized the increased amount of P3N-PIPO produced by Cl-90-1 Br2 and activated the salicylic acid-mediated defense pathway, inducing lethal systemic cell death. We found a gradation of virulence among ClYVV isolates in a cyv1 -carrying pea line and two susceptible pea lines. This study suggests a trade-off between breaking of recessive resistance ( cyv1 ) and host viability; the latter is presumably regulated by the dominant Cyn1 gene, which may impose evolutionary constraints upon P3N-PIPO for overcoming resistance. We propose a working model of the host strategy to sustain the durability of resistance and control fast-evolving viruses.

Primary infection of a plant with a pathogen that causes high accumulation of salicylic acid in the plant typically via a hypersensitive response confers enhanced resistance against secondary infection with a broad spectrum of pathogens, including viruses. This phenomenon is called systemic acquired resistance (SAR), which is a plant priming for adaption to repeated biotic stress. However, the molecular mechanisms of SAR-mediated enhanced inhibition, especially of virus infection, remain unclear. Here, we show that SAR against cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) in tobacco plants ( Nicotiana tabacum ) involves a calmodulin-like protein, rgs-CaM. We previously reported the antiviral function of rgs-CaM, which binds to and directs degradation of viral RNA silencing suppressors (RSSs), including CMV 2b, via autophagy. We found that rgs-CaM-mediated immunity is ineffective against CMV infection in normally growing tobacco plants but is activated as a result of SAR induction via salicylic acid signaling. We then analyzed the effect of overexpression of rgs-CaM on salicylic acid signaling. Overexpressed and ectopically expressed rgs-CaM induced defense reactions, including cell death, generation of reactive oxygen species, and salicylic acid signaling. Further analysis using a combination of the salicylic acid analogue benzo-(1,2,3)-thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid S -methyl ester (BTH) and the Ca 2+ ionophore A23187 revealed that rgs-CaM functions as an immune receptor that induces salicylic acid signaling by simultaneously perceiving both viral RSS and Ca 2+ influx as infection cues, implying its autoactivation. Thus, secondary infection of SAR-induced tobacco plants with CMV seems to be effectively inhibited through 2b recognition and degradation by rgs-CaM, leading to reinforcement of antiviral RNA silencing and other salicylic acid-mediated antiviral responses. IMPORTANCE Even without an acquired immune system like that in vertebrates, plants show enhanced whole-plant resistance against secondary infection with pathogens; this so-called systemic acquired resistance (SAR) has been known for more than half a century and continues to be extensively studied. SAR-induced plants strongly and rapidly express a number of antibiotics and pathogenesis-related proteins targeted against secondary infection, which can account for enhanced resistance against bacterial and fungal pathogens but are not thought to control viral infection. This study showed that enhanced resistance against cucumber mosaic virus is caused by a tobacco calmodulin-like protein, rgs-CaM, which detects and counteracts the major viral virulence factor (RNA silencing suppressor) after SAR induction. rgs-CaM-mediated SAR illustrates the growth versus defense trade-off in plants, as it targets the major virulence factor only under specific biotic stress conditions, thus avoiding the cost of constitutive activation while reducing the damage from virus infection.

We introduce an automated method for myocardial performance index (MPI), also known as Tei index, which is one of the most substantial indicators in the early screening of heart defects. Since assessing fetal cardiac functions using MPI has become a routine and significant process, there have been explicit requirements to automate MPI measurements. Due to small heart sizes of fetuses, we focus on the automation of modified MPI (Mod-MPI) which uses a single Doppler gate. The proposed method detects four valve click signals in Doppler waveforms using four image features which are extracted by vertical projection of Doppler waveforms after several transformations. To evaluate performance, 88 of fetal examinations were collected from a commercial ultrasound machine, and two clinical experts measured the Mod-MPI both manually and automatically. Quantitative comparisons based on intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) yield that intra-observer reproducibility is higher when performing the proposed method (ICC=0.951 and 0.932 for observer 1 and 2) comparing to those of manual measurements (ICC=0.868 and 0.857 for observer 1 and observer 2). Thus, our method (ICC=0.962) reveals superior inter-observer reproducibility than that of manual method (ICC=0.597). Although mean difference from observer 2 (−0.062) is over three times larger than that of observer 1 (−0.018) due to different experiences, both of mean differences are acceptable. In conclusion, the proposed MPI measurement method can improve intra- and inter-reproducibility while providing reliable results.

Hydrophilic-hydrophobic IPN materials of poly(acrylic acid)-poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) were synthesized and the pervaporation characteristics of the IPN membranes were evaluated for the separation of ethanol/water mixture. Hydrophilic-hydrophobic IPN materials of polyurethane-polystyrene were synthesized and the blood compatibility of the IPN's were measured for the biomedical application. Dicyanate-engineering plastics semi-IPN's were prepared and the morphology and mechanical properties were evaluated for the high temperature composite matrix materials.

In this study, the pervaporation behavior of EtOH-water mixture through interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) membranes was predicted. The pervaporation characteristics of single component membranes were modelled according to the “six coefficients model” proposed by Brun [J. Membrane Sci., 23 (1985) 257]. In the case of the IPN membrane, two models were proposed according to the phase structure of the IPN. For a uniphase membrane with no phase separation, the compositional averages of the single component membrane coefficients were used. In the case of the phase separated IPN, two cases exist. The first is the island and sea model: one phase is continuous and the other is discrete. The second is the cocontinuous model, in which two continuous phases exist. For these cases the permeation rate and separation factor of the IPN membrane were calculated using the experimental sorption data and pure component values for each IPN composition. Comparison with the experimental data indicates that these models could be to predict the performances of IPN membranes depending on the morphology of the IPN.

Objective To report our experience of using radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to treat fetuses diagnosed with twin reversed arterial perfusion (TRAP) sequence and to evaluate the perinatal outcome of pump twins. Methods Twenty-six fetuses diagnosed with the TRAP sequence were retrospectively analyzed between July 1998 and September 2011 at Asan Medical Center. Four were lost to follow-up after diagnosis and, therefore, were excluded from further evaluation. The perinatal outcomes of pump twins were evaluated by reviewing the medical records. Results Twenty-two fetuses were diagnosed with the TRAP sequence during the study period, including 15 monochorionic-diamniotic pregnancies and four monochorionic-monoamniotic pregnancies. Three patients had triplet pregnancies. The median gestational age at diagnosis was 17.4 weeks (range, 11.0 to 27.0 weeks). Of these 22 cases, in utero RFA was performed in 11 (50%), alcohol ablation in one (4.5%) and the remaining 10 (45.5%) underwent conservative management. The median gestational age at in utero intervention was 21.0 weeks (range, 17.6 to 25.0 weeks). The overall neonatal survival rate was 77% (17 of 22). The median gestational age at delivery was 37.3 weeks (range, 30.2 to 40.1 weeks). All of the surviving infants are doing well without any complications. Conclusion For fetuses with the TRAP sequence, proper in utero treatment with RFA enables to continue the pregnancy with a good prognosis.

Uterus didelphys with unilateral obstructed hemivagina, and ipsilateral renal agenesis is a rare congenital anomaly due to Mullerian duct malformation. The most common clinical manifestation is dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, vaginal or pelvic mass after menarche. Early diagnosis is important, to preserve fertility, to prevent adhesion due to retrograde menstruation, hematometra, hematosalpinx and endometriosis which lead to distorted pelvic anatomy. These anomalies could be diagnosed with ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging. Resection or incision of vaginal septum is adequate treatments to relieve symptoms and reserve fertility. We report a case of uterus didelphys with unilateral obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis with a brief review of the literature.

Transvaginal radiofrequncy myolysis is minimally invasive treatment by creating thermal energy in myoma and causing the necrosis of uterine fi broid cells. Unlike myomectomy which is considered to be the most common treatment of uterine myoma in infertile women, transvaginal radiofrequncy myolysis can be performed as outpatient procedure using only sedation for pain relief without additional need for medication. Due to its less invasive approach, the hospitalization is not required. There are many published studies reporting the pregnancy complications and outcomes after myomectomy, but there are very limited data on pregnancy after myolysis. Therefore, we present a case of successful pregnancy and childbirth after transvaginal radiofrequency myolysis of uterine myoma in an infertile women with a brief review of the literature.