• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.390-398
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• 2023

Apple white rot, caused by Botryosphaeria dothidea, is one of the important diseases in Korea. B. dothidea can cause pre- and postharvest decay on apple fruit as well as canker and dieback of apple trees. In this study, we isolated bacteria from the trunk of apple trees and tested their antagonistic activity against B. dothidea. Five bacterial isolates (23-168, 23-169, 23-170, 23-172, and 23-173) were selected that were most effective at inhibiting the mycelial growth of the pathogens. The isolate 23-172 was identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and four isolates 23-168, 23-169, 23-170, and 23-173 were identified as Bacillus velezensis by RNA polymerase beta subunit (rpoB) and DNA gyraseA subunit (gyrA) gene sequencing. All isolates showed strong antagonistic activity against B. dothidiea as well as Colletotrichum fructicola and Diaporthe eres. All isolates exhibited cellulolytic, proteolytic and phosphate solubilizing activities. In particular, two isolates 23-168, 23-169 were shown to significantly reduce the size of white rot lesions in pretreated apple fruits. These results will provide the basis for the development of a fungicide alternative for the control of white rot of apple.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.148-156
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• 2024

Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum, a plant pathogenic bacterium that can survive for a long time in soil and water, causes lethal wilt in the Solanaceae family. Sigma S is a part of the RNA polymerase complex, which regulates gene expression during bacterial stress response or stationary phase. In this study, we investigated the role of sigma S in R. pseudosolanacearum under stress conditions using a rpoS-defective mutant strain of R. pseudosolanacearum and its wild-type strain. The phenotypes of rpoS-defective mutant were complemented by introducing the original rpoS gene. There were no differences observed in bacterial growth rate and exopolysaccharide production between the wild-type strain and the rpoS mutant. However, the wild-type strain responded more sensitively to nutrient deficiency compared to the mutant strain. Under the nutrient deficiency, the rpoS mutant maintained a high bacterial viability for a longer period, while the viability of the wild-type strain declined rapidly. Furthermore, a significant difference in pH was observed between the culture supernatant of the wild-type strain and the mutant strain. The pH of the culture supernatant for the wild-type strain decreased rapidly during bacterial growth, leading to medium acidification. The rapid decline in the wild-type strain's viability may be associated with medium acidification and bacterial sensitivity to acidity during transition to the stationary phase. Interestingly, the rpoS mutant strain cannot utilize acetic acid, D-alanine, D-trehalose, and L-histidine. These results suggest that sigma S of R. pseudosolanacearum regulates the production or utilization of organic acids and controls cell death during stationary phase under nutrient deficiency.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.81-88
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to provide academic basic data by identifying the effects of active seniors' online video physical activity on physical self-perception and successful aging. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, 10 active seniors in D city were selected, and after receiving consent to participate in online video physical activity, it was divided into pre and post, and from March 14 to April 22, 2022, Kakao Talk group chat was opened to watch online physical activity videos during the 12th session, download 2 videos a week, and exercise from Monday to Friday. To solve the research problem, frequency analysis and paired t-test were conducted using the SPSS Ver20.0 statistical program. As a result, first, as a result of analyzing the pre- and post-tests of physical self-perception through physical activity of active seniors, all of face satisfaction, body satisfaction, change in physical strength, and change in disease increased on average. Second, as a result of pre- and post-analysis of active seniors' successful aging through physical activity, acceptance of others, orientation toward self-fulfillment, self-acceptance, and satisfaction with children increased, but autonomous life and active participation in life decreased. Through these results, in the COVID-19 period, when activities were restricted due to social distancing, active seniors' online video physical activity has a positive effect on physical self-perception and successful aging, and various programs that can be active on their own should be developed in the future.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.67 no.4
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• pp.451-457
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• 2024

Objective : Exploring protein requirements for critically ill patients has become prominent. On the other hand, considering the significant impact of coma therapy and targeted temperature management (TTM) on the brain as well as systemic metabolisms, protein requirements may plausibly be changed by treatment application. However, there is currently no research on protein requirements following the application of these treatments. Therefore, the aim of this study is to elucidate changes in patients' protein requirements during the application of TTM and coma therapy. Methods : This study is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from March 2019 to May 2022. Among the patients admitted to the intensive care unit, those receiving coma therapy and TTM were included. The patient's treatment period was divided into two phases (phase 1, application and maintenance of coma therapy and TTM; phase 2, tapering and cessation of treatment). In assessing protein requirements, the urine urea nitrogen (UUN) method was employed to estimate the nitrogen balance, offering insight into protein utilization within the body. The patient's protein requirement for each phase was defined as the amount of protein required to achieve a nitrogen balance within ±5, based on the 24-hour collection of UUN. Changes in protein requirements between phases were analyzed. Results : Out of 195 patients, 107 patients with a total of 214 UUN values were included. The mean protein requirement for the entire treatment period was 1.84±0.62 g/kg/day, which is higher than the generally recommended protein supply of 1.2 g/kg/day. As the treatment was tapered, there was a statistically significant increase in the protein requirement from 1.49±0.42 to 2.18±0.60 in phase 2 (p<0.001). Conclusion : Our study revealed a total average protein requirement of 1.84±0.62 g during the treatment period, which falls within the upper range of the preexisting guidelines. Nevertheless, a notable deviation emerged when analyzing the treatment application period separately. Hence, it is recommended to incorporate considerations for the type and timing of treatment, extending beyond the current guideline, which solely accounts for the severity by disease.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.199-205
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• 2024

Erwinia amylovora, a causal pathogen of fire blight, has been continuously inducing damage to the apple and pear trees in South Korea since 2015. Farmers apply antibiotics during blooming season to prevent the fire blight. However, continuous use of antibiotics can induce the emergence of resistant bacteria, which consequently reduces control efficacy. In this study, we assessed the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of streptomycin, using a total of 361 E. amylovora isolates that were collected from the six provinces of South Korea from 2019 to 2023. As a result, the MIC of streptomycin ranged from 0.5 to 4 ㎍/ml and the strA-strB genes were not identified from the isolates. The MIC was higher in the isolates from Gyeonggi-do, Gangwondo, and Chungcheongbuk-do compared to those from other three provinces. These results may bring broad attention to the use of streptomycin and aid in developing a management protocol for the occurrence of fire blight in South Korea.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.240-248
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• 2023

Purpose: We reported a survey-based study assessing the parental intention to vaccinate children of 5 to 7 years old against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study is to assess factors influencing the parental intention to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional design, held at the public health center of Senen district, Jakarta, Indonesia from November 1-30, 2022. The off-line questionnaires were distributed via the school administrator to all eligible parents. Factors associated with intention to vaccinate were analyzed with the regression logistic models. Results: Of the 435 parents in this study, 215 had already vaccinated their children against COVID-19 (49.4%), and the overall intention of the participants to vaccinate was 69.7%. Factors associated with intention to vaccinate the children against COVID-19 were parental employment status, parental COVID-19 vaccine status and concern of contracting COVID-19. Parents who are employed, had completed vaccines with COVID-19 booster vaccine, and had concern of their children contracting COVID-19 were more likely to vaccinate their children (odds ratio [OR], 2.10; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22-3.69; p=0.011; OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.21-3.83; p=0.013; OR, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.34-4.30; p=0.004, respectively). Concern on the vaccine's side effects was negatively associated with the willingness to vaccinate. Conclusion: This study showed that childhood COVID-19 vaccine only covered half of the population, with parental intentions for childhood COVID-19 vaccination being high, reaching almost two-thirds of the study participants. Factors influencing parental intentions were employment status, parental COVID-19 vaccine status, concerns about COVID-19 and concerns about vaccine side effects.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2024

Frailty is a clinical syndrome as an increased vulnerability to stressors, leading to a decrease in physiologic reserves and a decline in the ability to maintain a good homeostasis. This condition leads to an increased risk of hospitalization, disability and mortality. Frailty occurs due to various causes and requires a multidimensional approach. It is also important to detect and manage it early. Frailty is also deeply related to neuropsychiatric problems such as pain and depression. In evaluating frailty, it is desirable to comprehensively consider not only physical areas such as disease, nutrition, movement, and sensory functions, but also psychosocial areas, and representative scales include Fried's physical frailty phenotype and Rockwood's frailty index. Physical activity and appropriate protein intake are important for frailty management, and inappropriate drug use should be reduced and oral care, cognitive function, and falls should also be noted. Frailty and pain can affect each other, and pain can promote frailty. Evidence has been published that hormone and protein abnormalities, immune system activity and inflammatory response, and epigenetic mechanisms work in common in the field of frailty and pain. More extensive and high-quality research should be conducted in the future, and the quality of life will be improved if the results are applied to the suppression and treatment of old age and pain.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.298-306
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• 2024

This study evaluated the differentiation and protective effects of mixed plant-extract powder in C2C12 muscle cells. Cells were differentiated into myotubes in 2% horse serum (HS)-containing medium with mixed plant-extract powder (MPEP) for 6 days. Treatment with MPEP increased the expression of myogenin and myosin heavy chain (MHC) protein in cells compared with non-treated cells. Differentiated cells were pretreated with MPEP, and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Our results revealed that treatment with MPEP before H₂O₂ treatment increased cell viability and decreased H₂O₂-induced lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK). In addition, MPEP attenuated H₂O₂-induced upregulation of Bax, downregulation of Bcl-2, and activation of caspase-9 and -3. These results suggest the MPEP can stimulate C2C12 muscle cell differentiation into myotubes and observe the protective effect of mixed plant-extract powder against muscle oxidative stress. In conclusion, MPEP may be useful as a prevention and treatment material for skeletal muscle disease caused by age-related diseases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.2
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• pp.324-336
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• 2020

Cardiovascular calcifications can occur in various cardiovascular diseases and can serve as a biomarker for cardiovascular event prediction. Advances in CT have enabled evaluation of calcifications in cardiovascular structures not only on ECG-gated CT but also on non-ECG-gated CT. Therefore, many studies have been conducted on the clinical relevance of cardiovascular calcifications in patients. In this study, we divided cardiovascular calcifications into three classes, i.e., coronary artery, thoracic aorta, and cardiac valve calcifications, which are closely associated with cardiovascular events. Further, we briefly described pericardial calcifications, which can be found incidentally. Since the start of lung cancer screening in Korea in the second half of 2019, the number of non-enhanced, non-ECG-gated, low-dose chest CT has been increasing, and the number of incidentally found cardiovascular calcifications has also been increasing. Therefore, understanding the relevance of cardiovascular calcifications on non-enhanced, non-ECG-gated, low-dose chest CT and their proper reporting are important for radiologists.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.41.1-41.13
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• 2021

Correlation between vaccine reactogenicity and immunogenicity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unclear. Thus, we investigated to determine whether the reactogenicity after coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination is associated with antibody (Ab) titers and T cell responses. This study was prospective cohort study done with 131 healthcare workers at tertiary center in Seoul, South Korea. The degrees of the local reactions after the 1st and 2nd doses of ChAdOx1 nCov-19 (ChAdOx1) vaccination were significantly associated with the S1-specific IgG Ab titers (p=0.003 and 0.01, respectively) and neutralizing Ab (p=0.04 and 0.10, respectively) in age- and sex-adjusted multivariate analysis, whereas those after the BNT162b2 vaccination did not show significant associations. T cell responses did not show significant associations with the degree of reactogenicity after the ChAdOx1 vaccination or the BNT162b2 vaccination. Thus, high degree of local reactogenicity after the ChAdOx1 vaccine may be used as an indicator of strong humoral immune responses against SARS-CoV-2.