• Journal of Species Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 2022

Two crinoid specimens of genus Tropiometra were collected from Busan and Tongyeong by SCUBA diving on August 2010 and October 2011, respectively. The specimens were identified as Tropiometra macrodiscus (Hara, 1895), which belongs to the family Tropiometridae of superfamily Tropiometroidea. The genus Tropiometra AH Clark, 1907 comprises four species worldwide at present, and it has not been reported in Korea. Tropiometra macrodiscus was first described by Hara (1895) in Japan. It is difficult to distinguish T. macrodiscus from T. afra (Hartlaub, 1890), there has been confusion with examination of their phylogenetic positions in crinoid morphological classification. Despite this, T. macrodiscus can be distinguished from T. afra based on longer arms, stouter whole-body parts, magnificently larger numbers of cirrus, and numerous segments. The morphological characteristics of T. macrodiscus collected in Korea have been described, and DNA barcode region representing cytochrome c oxidase subunit I was obtained for its molecular phylogenetic analysis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.645-649
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• 2021

Total 513 heterophyid flukes were collected from a carcass of wild Korean raccoon dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides koreensis, in Korea. With morphological and molecular characteristics, the flukes were identified to Cryptocotyle lata. The adult C. lata were minute, transparent, pentagonal, 522 ㎛ long by 425 ㎛ wide. Ceca extended into post-testicular region. Ventrogenital sac elliptical, 79 ㎛ by 87 ㎛ with genital pore and ventral sucker. Two testes semielliptical and slightly lobed, located in the posterior region, right testis 173 ㎛ by 155 ㎛, left testis 130 ㎛ by 134 ㎛. In a phylogenetic tree, the fluke specimen of this study was grouped with C. lata divergent from Cryptocotyle lingua. We report here N. procyonoides koreensis first as a natural definitive host of C. lata.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.108-111
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• 2022

In December 2020, stem and leaf rot symptoms in small-fruited tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants were observed in a farmer's vinyl greenhouse located in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Korea. The incidence of diseased plants in the vinyl greenhouse was 2-6%. Seven single-spore isolates of Phoma sp. were obtained from the diseased stems and leaves. All the isolates were identified as Boeremia linicola based on the cultural, morphological and molecular characteristics. Two isolates of B. linicola were tested for pathogenicity on stems and leaves of small-fruited tomato and large-fruited tomato using artificial inoculation. All the tested isolates caused stem and leaf rot symptoms in the inoculated plants. The symptoms were similar to those observed in plants from the vinyl greenhouse investigated. This is the first report of B. linicola causing stem and leaf rot in tomato.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.10-20
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• 2023

Because of its inexpensive cost, mild steel is frequently employed as a construction material in different industries. Unfortunately, because of its limited resistance to corrosion, a protective layer must be applied to keep it from decaying in acidic or basic environments. The presence of heteroatoms, such as nitrogen, oxygen, and pi-electrons in the Schiff base could cause effective adsorption on the mild steel surface, preventing corrosion. The weight loss method and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate the inhibitory effects of APIDO on mild steel in a 1 M hydrochloric acid environment. The efficiency of inhibition increased as the inhibitor concentration increased and decreased as the temperature increased. The SEM analysis confirmed that the corrosion inhibition of APIDO proceeded by the formation of an organic protective layer over the mild steel surface by the adsorption process. Simulations based on the density functional theory are used to associate inhibitory efficacy with basic molecular characteristics. The findings acquired were compatible with the experimental information provided in the research.

• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.10-14
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• 2023

Organoids derived from stem cells or organ-specific progenitors are self-organizable, self-renewable, and multicellular three-dimensional (3D) structures that can mimic the function and structure of the derived tissue. Due to such characteristics, organoids are attracting attention as an excellent ex vivo model for drug screening at the stage of drug development. In addition, since the applicability of organoids as therapeutics for tissue regeneration has been embossed, the development of various organoids-based regenerative medicine has been rapidly progressing, reaching the clinical trial stage. In this review, we give a general overview of organoids and describe current status and prospects of organoid-based regenerative medicine, focusing on organoid-based regenerative therapeutics currently under development including clinical trials.

• Mycobiology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.189-202
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• 2022

An investigation of species of the genus Aspergillus present in arthropod, freshwater, and soil led to the discovery of seven undescribed species in Korea. Based on their morphological characteristics and molecular phylogeny analyses using a combined data set of β-tubulin (BenA) and calmodulin (CaM) sequences, the isolated strains CNUFC IGS2-5, CNUFC YJ1-19, CNUFC WD27, CNUFC U8-70, CNUFC AS2-24, CNUFC S32-1, and CNUFC U7-48, were identified as Aspergillus brunneoviolaceus, A. capensis, A. floccosus, A. inflatus, A. parvulus, A. polyporicola, and A. spelaeus, respectively. In the present study, the detailed morphological descriptions and phylogenetic relationships of these species are provided.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.60-63
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• 2023

During disease surveys from 2019 to 2021, the authors frequently encountered leaf spot symptoms on Fischer's ragwort plants growing at fields at six locations of Gangwon Province, Korea. The symptoms displayed brown to dark brown, circular or irregular spots on the plant leaves. The disease surveys at the six locations revealed 1-90% of diseased leaves of the plants. Phoma sp. was dominantly isolated from the diseased leaf lesions. Seven single-spore isolates of the fungus were selected and identified as Didymella ligulariae by investigation of their cultural, morphological, and molecular characteristics. Artificial inoculation test to Fischer's ragwort leaves was conducted with three isolates of D. ligulariae. The inoculation test revealed that the tested isolates cause leaf spot symptoms in the plants similar to the natural ones. The fungal pathogen has never been reported to cause leaf spot in Fischer's ragwort. Leaf spot of Fischer's ragwort caused by D. ligulariae is first reported in this study.

• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.84-89
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• 2023

The implications of nutrient starvation due to aging on the degeneration of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is yet to be fully explored. We examined the involvement of AMPK activation in mitochondrial homeostasis and its relationship with the maintenance of a healthy mitochondrial population and epithelial characteristics of RPE cells under nutrient starvation. Nutrient starvation induced mitochondrial senescence, which led to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in RPE cells. As nutrient starvation persisted, RPE cells underwent pathological epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) via the upregulation of TWIST1, a transcription regulator which is activated by ROS-induced NF-κB signaling. Enhanced activation of AMPK with metformin decelerated mitochondrial senescence and EMT progression through mitochondrial biogenesis, primed by activation of PGC1-α. Thus, by facilitating mitochondrial biogenesis, AMPK protects RPE cells from the loss of epithelial integrity due to the accumulation of ROS in senescent mitochondria under nutrient starvation.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2022

Gastrodia elata infected with root rot disease was collected from cultivated G. elata fields in Gimcheon, Korea, in 2018. G. elata tuber surfaces exhibited root rot disease symptoms of dark-grey lesions and white fungal mycelial growth. The fungus was isolated from symptomatic tubers and cultured. Based on morphological characteristics and molecular analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA and translation elongation factor 1-alpha, the isolated fungus was Fusarium oxysporum. This is the first report of root rot caused by F. oxysporum on G. elata tubers in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.367-372
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• 2022

Leaf spot symptoms were observed in water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) plants growing in fields in Ansan and Hongseong, Korea, during disease surveys in 2019 and 2020. The symptoms appeared as brown to dark brown circular or irregular spots on the leaves of the plants. The disease incidence on the plant leaves in the fields investigated at the two locations ranged from 1% to 20%. Five single-spore isolates of Phoma sp. Were obtained from lesions of the diseased leaves. All the isolates were identified as Ectophoma multirostrata based on their cultural and morphological characteristics, as well as molecular analysis. Two isolates of E. multirostrata were tested for pathogenicity on water spinach leaves using artificial inoculation. The tested isolates caused leaf spot symptoms in the inoculated plants. These symptoms were similar to those observed in plants from the investigated fields. To our knowledge, this is the first report of E. multirostrata causing leaf spot in water spinach.