First report of wilt disease caused by Pythium myriotylum on peanut plants in Korea.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) has long been cultivated worldwide as an important crop for oil and protein production. Among the various diseases in peanut plants, wilt diseases caused by soil-borne pathogens such as Ralstonia solanacearum and Verticillium dahliae are especially destructive and substantially diminish both quantity and quality in peanut production (Kokalis-Burelle et al., 1997; Thiessen et al., 2012). In July 2022, wilt symptoms were observed in 1 to 3% of the area of peanut fields in Yeoju-si, Korea (37°23´04.0˝N; 127°33´43.0˝E). The xylem in the stems of the wilted plants was dark brown at the soil-surface, which is a representative symptom of vascular wilt pathogens (Yadeta et al. 2013). To isolate the causative pathogens, the stems exhibiting dark lesions were disinfected with 1% NaOCl for 1 min, rinsed with sterile distilled water, and placed on potato dextrose agar medium. The plates were incubated at 25℃ for 2 days, and white hyphae that grew out from the tissues were subcultured twice on V8 juice agar (V8A) medium. Among the 3 isolates, morphological characteristics of the representative strain YJ1-2 were observed under a microscope. The sporangia were terminal intercalary, filamentous, inflated lobulate, and ranging from 37.4 to 73.6 µm in diameter. The antheridia were diclinous, with clavate, elongate, and crook-necked shapes. The oogonia were mostly globose, with an average of 27.1 µm (range from 20.2 to 35.2 µm, n = 50) in diameter, and mated with one to several antheridia. Both plerotic or aplerotic oospores were observed. Overall, the morphological characteristics of the sporangia, antheridia, oogonia, and oospores indicated that YJ1-2 belongs to the genus Pythium. To genetically characterize YJ1-2, genomic DNA was extracted using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide buffer, and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene were amplified by PCR using primer sets ITS4/ITS5 and OomCoxI-Levlo/ OomCoxI-Levup, respectively (White et al., 1990; Robideau et al. 2011), sequenced, and identified using BLASTN (NCBI, National Center for Biotechnology Information). The ITS sequence (NCBI Acc. No. OR125595) of YJ1-2 has 99% similarity with that of P. myriotylum isolate PY39 (NCBI Acc. No. KX671096). A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree was constructed from aligned cox1 sequence (NCBI Acc. No. OR224334) of the 10 Pythium species strains including YJ1-2 by CLUSTALW method was used as an outgroup. The YJ1-2 was most closely related to P. myriotylum isolate PM30 (NCBI Acc. No. MT823167). To substantiate the pathogenicity of YJ1-2, the crown roots of peanut plants grown in pots for 4 weeks were wounded using a sterile tweezer, and the mycelial plugs of YJ1-2 cultured for 5 days on V8A were inoculated on the wounds. The inoculated plants were cultivated in a growth chamber at 30℃ and 70% relative humidity with a 12-h photoperiod. The infected peanut plants exhibited wilt symptoms 11 days after inoculation, consistent with the initial observation, while uninoculated plants remained healthy. To satisfy Koch's postulates, white mycelia were re-isolated from the stems of inoculated plants and axenically cultured in V8A. The morphologies and ITS sequences of the re-isolates were consistent with those of YJ1-2. P. myriotylum has been reported as a causal pathogen of peanut pod rot in the United States and China. However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of wilt disease in peanut plants caused by P. myriotylum in Korea. To prevent the incidence of wilt disease, we will continue our investigations to develop control strategies, including the selection of appropriate agrochemicals.

Evolution and Phylogeny of Soybean Mosaic Virus Based on 143 Complete Genomes.

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) of the genus Potyvirus is an important virus in cultivated soybeans. Here, we obtained 7 SMV genomes from soybean germplasms using RNA sequencing and conducted a comprehensive evolutionary and phylogenetic study of 143 SMV genomes derived from 10 plant species and 12 countries. The phylogenetic tree we constructed using coding DNA sequences revealed the existence of nine clades of SMV isolates/strains. Recombination analysis revealed 76 recombinant events and 141 recombinants in total. Clades 1 and 3 contain the most common SMV pathotypes, including G1 through G7, which are distributed worldwide. Clade 2 includes several Chinese SMV pathotypes. The SMV isolates were further divided into two groups. The SMV isolates in the first group, including clades 8 and 9, were identified from Pinellia and Atractylodes species, whereas those in the second group (clades 1 through 7) were mostly found in cultivated soybeans. The SMV polyprotein undergoes positive selection, whereas most mature proteins, except for the P1 protein, undergo negative selection. The P1 protein of SMV isolates in group 1 may be highly correlated with host adaptation. This study provides strong evidence that recombination and plant hosts are powerful forces driving the genetic diversity of the SMV genome.

Parasphingopyxis marina sp. nov. isolated from coastal seawater.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, yellow-pigmented and non-motile rod-shaped bacterium, designated as GrpM-11T, was isolated from coastal seawater collected from the East Sea, Republic of Korea. Strain GrpM-11T could grow at 10-40 °C (optimum, 35 °C), at pH 5.5-9.5 (optimum, pH 7.0) and in the presence of 0-8 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 3-4 %). Cells hydrolysed aesculin, gelatin and casein, but could not reduce nitrate to nitrite. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that this strain formed a distinct phylogenic lineage with Parasphingopyxis algicola ATAX6-5T (96.2 % sequence identity) and Parasphingopyxis lamellibrachiae DSM 26725T (96.2 % identity) and belonged to the genus Parasphingopyxis. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone-10. The polar lipid profile of strain GrpM-11T consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, sphingoglycolipid and three unknown glycolipids. Cellular fatty acid analysis indicated that summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c and/or C18 : 1 ω6c; 42.8 %), C16 : 0 (19.0 %), C18 : 1 ω7c 11-methyl (13.3 %) and C18 : 1 ω7c (8.0 %) were the major fatty acids. The DNA G+C content of strain GrpM-11T was 63.7 mol%. Through whole genome sequence comparisons, the digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values between strain GrpM-11T and two species of the genus Parasphingopyxis were revealed to be in the ranges of 19.0-22.0 % and 76.3-79.7 %, respectively. Based on the results of polyphasic analysis, strain GrpM-11T represents a novel species of the genus Parasphingopyxis, for which the name Parasphingopyxis marina sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is GrpM-11T (KCCM 43343T=JCM 34665T).

Flavobacterium dauae sp. nov., isolated from rhizosphere soil of a tomato plant.

A bacterial strain, designated TCH3-2T, was isolated from the rhizosphere of tomato plant grown at Dong-A University Agricultural Experiment Station, Republic of Korea. The strain was Gram-stain-negative, obligate aerobic, orange yellow-coloured, motile by gliding and short rod-shaped. Strain TCH3-2 T only grew on 1/2 tryptic soy agar and Luria-Bertani agar among the media tested, with optimum growth at 28 °C and pH 7. Salt of 1 % NaCl was necessary to support the growth of TCH3-2T. Strain TCH3-2T produced flexirubin-type pigments. The predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0 (55.6 %), iso-C17 : 0 3-OH (17.9 %), summed feature 9 (comprising C16 : 0 10-methyl and/or iso-C17 : 1 ω9c; 10.5 %), iso-C15 : 0 3-OH (4.8 %) and anteiso-C15 : 0 (2.3 %). The major menaquinone was menaquinone-6 and the major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, five unknown aminolipids and three unknown lipids. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA sequences indicated that TCH3-2T was closely related to Flavobacterium ummariense DS-12T (95.16 %), Flavobacterium marinum SW105T (95.14 %) and Flavobacterium viscosus YIM 102796T (94.54 %). The draft genome of TCH3-2T comprised ca. 2.8 Mb with a G+C content of 34.61 mol%. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between TCH3-2T and closely related Flavobacterium species showed that it belongs to a distinct species. Furthermore, the results of morphological, physiological and biochemical tests allowed further phenotypic differentiation of TCH3-2T from its closest relatives. Thus, chemotaxonomic characteristics together with phylogenetic affiliation illustrate that TCH3-2T represents a novel species of the genus Flavobacterium, for which the name Flavobacterium dauae sp. nov. (type strain TCH3-2T=KACC 19054T=JCM 34025T) is proposed.

Proliferation of Mouse Prostate Cancer Cells Inflamed by Trichomonas vaginalis.

Our objective was to investigate whether inflammatory microenvironment induced by Trichomonas vaginalis infection can stimulate proliferation of prostate cancer (PCa) cells in vitro and in vivo mouse experiments. The production of CXCL1 and CCL2 increased when cells of the mouse PCa cells (TRAMP-C2 cell line) were infected with live T. vaginalis. T. vaginalis-conditioned medium (TCM) prepared from co-culture of PCa cells and T. vaginalis increased PCa cells migration, proliferation and invasion. The cytokine receptors (CXCR2, CCR2, gp130) were expressed higher on the PCa cells treated with TCM. Pretreatment of PCa cells with antibodies to these cytokine receptors significantly reduced the proliferation, mobility and invasiveness of PCa cells, indicating that TCM has its effect through cytokine-cytokine receptor signaling. In C57BL/6 mice, the prostates injected with T. vaginalis mixed PCa cells were larger than those injected with PCa cells alone after 4 weeks. Expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers and cyclin D1 in the prostate tissue injected with T. vaginalis mixed PCa cells increased than those of PCa cells alone. Collectively, it was suggested that inflammatory reactions by T. vaginalis-stimulated PCa cells increase the proliferation and invasion of PCa cells through cytokine-cytokine receptor signaling pathways.

Lactase Deficiency Diagnosed by Endoscopic Biopsy-based Method is Associated With Positivity to Glucose Breath Test.

Background/Aims: Lactase deficiency, which has many similarities with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), causes various gastrointestinal symptoms. We estimate the prevalence of SIBO in patients with intestinal symptoms from dairy products and investigate the association between lactase deficiency (LD) and SIBO. Methods: This prospective study included patients with functional intestinal symptoms from dairy product indigestion. A questionnaire on gastrointestinal symptoms, a hydrogen (H2)-methane glucose breath test (GBT) for SIBO, and lactose intolerance quick test (LQT) for LD using upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were performed. Results: A total of 88 patients, 29 (33.0%) with severe and 36 (40.9%) with mild LD were included. Sixteen patients (18.2%) were GBT positive. Patients with LQT negativity indicating severe LD showed a higher positivity to GBT or GBT (H2) than the historic controls (27.6% vs 6.7%, P = 0.032). There was no difference in the items on the symptom questionnaire according to the presence of LD or SIBO, except for higher symptom scores for urgency in GBT-positive patients. There were more LQT-negative patients in the GBT (H2)-positive group than in the other groups (27.6% vs 10.2%, P = 0.036). Moreover, only GBT (H2)-positivity was significantly associated with a higher risk of LQT negativity in multivariate analysis (OR, 4.19; P = 0.029). Conclusions: SIBO producing H2 is common in patients with severe LD suspected lactose intolerance. SIBO may be a new therapeutic target for managing intestinal symptoms in patients with lactose intolerance.

Outbreak of Rice Panicle Blast in Jeonbuk Province of Korea in 2021.

Rice panicle blast is one of the most serious diseases threatening stable rice production by causing severe damage to rice yields and quality. The disease is easy to occur under low air temperature and frequent heavy rainfall during the heading season of rice. In 2021, a rice panicle blast severely occurred in the Jeonbuk province of Korea. The incidence area of panicle blast accounted for 27.7% of the rice cultivation area of Jeonbuk province in 2021, which was 13.7-times higher than in 2019 and 2.6-times higher than in 2020. This study evaluated the incidence areas of rice panicle blast in each region of Jeonbuk province in 2021. The weather conditions during the heading season of rice, mainly cultivated rice cultivars, and the race diversity of the Jeonbuk isolates were also investigated. It will provide important information for the effective control of the rice panicle blast.

Investigating Variability in Viral Presence and Abundance across Soybean Seed Development Stages Using Transcriptome Analysis.

Plant transcriptomes offer a valuable resource for studying viral communities (viromes). In this study, we explore how plant transcriptome data can be applied to virome research. We analyzed 40 soybean transcriptomes across different growth stages and identified six viruses: broad bean wilt virus 2 (BBWV2), brassica yellow virus (BrYV), beet western yellow virus (BWYV), cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), milk vetch dwarf virus (MDV), and soybean mosaic virus (SMV). SMV was the predominant virus in both Glycine max (GM) and Glycine soja (GS) cultivars. Our analysis confirmed its abundance in both, while BBWV2 and CMV were more prevalent in GS than GM. The viral proportions varied across developmental stages, peaking in open flowers. Comparing viral abundance measured by viral reads and fragments per kilobase of transcript per million (FPKM) values revealed insights. SMV showed similar FPKM values in GM and GS, but BBWV2 and CMV displayed higher FPKM proportions in GS. Notably, the differences in viral abundance between GM and GS were generally insignificant based on the FPKM values across developmental stages, except for the apical bud stage in four GM cultivars. We also detected MDV, a multi-segmented virus, in two GM samples, with variable proportions of its segments. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the potential of plant transcriptomes for virome research, highlighting their strengths and limitations.

Temporal Dynamics of Endogenous Bacterial Composition in Rice Seeds During Maturation and Storage, and Spatial Dynamics of the Bacteria During Seedling Growth.

Seed endophytes are of interest because they are believed to affect seed quality, and ultimately, plant growth and fitness. A comprehensive understanding of the assembly of the seed microbiome during seed development and maturation, the fate of microbes during storage, and the migration of microbes during seedling growth are still lacking. In this study, to understand the assembly and fate of endogenous bacteria in rice seeds from the ripening stage to the storage and seedling stages, we employed culture-dependent and metagenomic analyses. Bacterial communities in rice seeds were composed of a few dominant taxa that were introduced at the milky and dough stages, and they persisted during seed maturation. The culturable bacterial population gradually increased during the ripening stage, whereas there was a gradual decrease during storage. Bacteria that persisted during storage proliferated after imbibition and were distributed and established in the shoots and roots of rice seedlings. The storage temperature influenced the abundance of bacteria, which consequently changed the bacterial composition in the shoots and roots of seedlings. Pantoea, Pseudomonas, and Allorhizobium were consistently abundant from seed development to the germination stage. Some endogenous bacterial strains significantly promoted the growth of Arabidopsis and rice plants. Overall, our results indicate that rice seeds are colonized by a few bacterial taxa during seed development, and their relative abundance fluctuates during storage and contributes significantly to the establishment of endophytes in the stems and roots of rice plants. The selected bacterial isolates can be used to improve the growth and health of rice plants. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to reveal the dynamics of bacterial populations during storage of rice seeds at different temperatures. The temporal dynamics of the bacterial community during seed storage provide clues for the manipulation of endogenous bacteria in rice plants.

External validation and clinical application of the predictive model for severe hypoglycemia.

Objective: An internally validated, one-year risk prediction model for severe hypoglycemia (SH) in type 2 diabetes was evaluated in a general hospital setting to externally verify and validate its performance. Research design and methods: Between December 2017 to December 2019, 2,645 adult patients with type 2 diabetes who visited the diabetes center were enrolled. The receiver operating characteristics curve and Harrell C-statistics were compared to identify the discrimination of the model. The predicted and actual incidence of SH for one year in the development and validation cohorts were compared by ranking participants by deciles of predicted risk. Results: The concordance index was 0.878 in the external validation cohort. The sensitivity and specificity of the predictive model were 0.833 and 0.847, respectively. Based on the predicted risk, we stratified the groups into four categories: low (<0.05%), intermediate (0.05% to <0.5%), high (0.5% to <2.0%), and very high-risk group (≥2.0%). The actual annual incidence of SH gradually increased with the increased risk score level for the decile group (P for trend <0.001). The actual annual SH incidence significantly increased with increase in SH risk scores, which proportionately increased with age, duration of diabetes, glycated hemoglobin, and albuminuria and decreased with body mass index, renal function (p for trends <0.001 for all) in type 2 diabetes. Conclusion: On external validation, the novel one-year SH prediction model showed excellent discrimination in participants with type 2 diabetes and can effectively screen high-risk patients for SH, even in the general hospital setting.

Phylogenetic and Phylodynamic Analyses of Soybean Mosaic Virus Using 305 Coat Protein Gene Sequences.

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) of the family Potyviridae is the most devastating virus that infects soybean plants. In this study, we obtained 83 SMV coat protein (CP) sequences from seven provinces in Korea using RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Phylogenetic and haplotype analyses revealed eight groups of 83 SMV isolates and a network of 50 SMV haplotypes in Korea. The phylogenetic tree using 305 SMV CP sequences available worldwide revealed 12 clades that were further divided into two groups according to the plant hosts. Recombination rarely occurred in the CP sequences, while negative selection was dominant in the SMV CP sequences. Genetic diversity analyses revealed that plant species had a greater impact on the genetic diversity of SMV CP sequences than geographical origin or location. SMV isolates identified from Pinellia species in China showed the highest genetic diversity. Phylodynamic analysis showed that the SMV isolates between the two Pinellia species diverged in the year 1248. Since the divergence of the first SMV isolate from Glycine max in 1486, major clades for SMV isolates infecting Glycine species seem to have diverged from 1791 to 1886. Taken together, we provide a comprehensive overview of the genetic diversity and divergence of SMV CP sequences.

Severe hypoglycemia as a preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Glucose-lowering medication and lifestyle modification are essential for optimal glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, glucose-lowering agents, particularly insulin and insulin secretagogues, may cause hypoglycemia, which has multiple negative effects on the cardiovascular (CV) system and may cause death. Previous studies using institutional data from the Korean Nationwide Health Insurance database have consistently found a causal relationship between severe hypoglycemia and CV outcomes and mortality. Screening for high-risk patients, appropriate management, and intensive individualized education are the most effective measures and essential for the prevention of harmful hypoglycemic events. Based on identified risk factors that predict severe hypoglycemia, we developed an 1-year risk prediction model for severe hypoglycemia that can be used in clinical settings. In this review, we describe the current understanding of severe hypoglycemia and the clinical implications in patients with T2DM. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of intensive individualized education for high-risk patients and the risk prediction model to reduce severe hypoglycemia.

Inhibition of Salmonella enterica growth by competitive exclusion during early alfalfa sprout development using a seed-dwelling Erwinia persicina strain EUS78.

Salmonella enterica outbreaks in sprouts originate from contaminated seeds; conventional prevention technologies have been reported from many research institutes. In this study, we applied a biological control approach to inhibit S. enterica growth using the seed-dwelling non-antagonistic bacteria. We isolated non-antibacterial seed-dwelling bacteria from vegetable sprouts. A total of 206 bacteria exhibiting non-antibacterial activity against S. enterica were subjected to alfalfa sprout development tests. Eight isolates exhibiting no deleterious effect on the growth of alfalfa sprouts were tested for S. enterica growth inhibition on alfalfa seeds and sprouts, and an isolate EUS78 was finally selected for further investigation. Based on 16S rRNA, gyrB, and rpoB gene sequence analyses, strain EUS78 was identified as Erwinia persicina. In population competition, the S. enterica population increased by >3 log CFU/g after 6 days of alfalfa sprout growth, whereas S. enterica growth was significantly inhibited by treatment with EUS78 (P < .05). This effect of S. enterica growth inhibition by EUS78 was sustained until the end of the alfalfa sprout harvest. Overall, bacterial strain EUS78 significantly reduced S. enterica growth on alfalfa sprouts in a manner consistent with competitive exclusion. These findings led us to monitor EUS78 behavior on seeds during early sprout development using fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy. Strain EUS78 initially colonized alfalfa sprout seed coat edges, cotyledons, and finally root surfaces during early sprout germination. As alfalfa sprouts grew, EUS78 bacterial cells established colonies on newly emerged plant tissues such as root tips. The results of this study suggest that strain EUS78 has potential as a biological control agent to inhibit S. enterica contamination in the sprout food industry.

Soybean Viromes in the Republic of Korea Revealed by RT-PCR and Next-Generation Sequencing.

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is one of the most important crop plants in the Republic of Korea. Here, we conducted a soybean virome study. We harvested a total of 172 soybean leaf samples showing disease symptoms from major soybean-growing regions in the Republic of Korea. Individual samples were examined for virus infection by RT-PCR. Moreover, we generated eight libraries representing eight provinces by pooling samples and four libraries from single samples. RNA-seq followed by bioinformatics analyses revealed 10 different RNA viruses infecting soybean. The proportion of viral reads in each transcriptome ranged from 0.2 to 31.7%. Coinfection of different viruses in soybean plants was very common. There was a single dominant virus in each province, and this geographical difference might be related to the soybean seeds that transmit viruses. In this study, 32 viral genome sequences were assembled and successfully used to analyze the phylogenetic relationships and quasispecies nature of the identified RNA viruses. Moreover, RT-PCR with newly developed primers confirmed infection of the identified viruses in each library. Taken together, our soybean virome study provides a comprehensive overview of viruses infecting soybean in eight geographical regions in the Republic of Korea and four single soybean plants in detail.

Association of urinary acrylamide concentration with lifestyle and demographic factors in a population of South Korean children and adolescents.

Acrylamide (AA) has been identified as probably carcinogenic to humans and thus represents a potential public health threat. This study aimed to determine the urinary concentrations of AA and N-acetyl-S-(2-carbamoylethyl)-L-cysteine (AAMA) in a nationally representative sample (n = 1025) of children and adolescents (age range 3-18 years) in South Korea. The AA and AAMA detection rates and geometric mean concentrations were 97%, 19.1 ng/mL, and 98.7%, 26.4 ng/mL, respectively. Although urinary AA levels did not vary widely by age (17.2 ng/mL at 3-6 years, 19.9 ng/mL at 7-18 years), the urinary concentration of AAMA increased with age (18.3 ng/mL at 3-6 years, 30.4 ng/mL at 7-18 years). A multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the urinary levels of AA and AAMA varied significantly by sex, with the adjusted proportional changes indicating rates of 1.47- to 1.48-fold higher at 3-6 years and 1.36- to 1.68-fold higher at 7-18 years among males relative to females. Furthermore, the urinary levels of AA and AAMA correlated with the consumption of certain foods (doughnuts, hotdogs, popcorn, and nachos) among male subjects aged 7-18 years. The urinary concentrations of AA and AAMA increased significantly with the smoking status and passive smoking exposure, with adjusted proportional changes of 1.51 to 1.71-fold higher among smokers relative to non-smokers in the age range of 7-18 years. Exposure to smoking for > 30 min led to adjusted proportional increases in AA and AAMA of 1.51 and 1.77 times in the non-smoking group aged 3-6 years and a 1.52-fold increase in AAMA in the non-smoking group aged 7-18 years. In conclusion, the urinary levels of AA and AAMA were found to associate with age, sex, smoking, and food consumption in a population of Korean children and adolescents.

Rhizosphere microbiome structure alters to enable wilt resistance in tomato.

Tomato variety Hawaii 7996 is resistant to the soil-borne pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum, whereas the Moneymaker variety is susceptible to the pathogen. To evaluate whether plant-associated microorganisms have a role in disease resistance, we analyzed the rhizosphere microbiomes of both varieties in a mesocosm experiment. Microbiome structures differed between the two cultivars. Transplantation of rhizosphere microbiota from resistant plants suppressed disease symptoms in susceptible plants. Comparative analyses of rhizosphere metagenomes from resistant and susceptible plants enabled the identification and assembly of a flavobacterial genome that was far more abundant in the resistant plant rhizosphere microbiome than in that of the susceptible plant. We cultivated this flavobacterium, named TRM1, and found that it could suppress R. solanacearum-disease development in a susceptible plant in pot experiments. Our findings reveal a role for native microbiota in protecting plants from microbial pathogens, and our approach charts a path toward the development of probiotics to ameliorate plant diseases.

Effects of quercetin and beta-carotene supplementation on azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis and inflammatory responses in rats fed with high-fat diet rich in omega-6 fatty acids.

Chronic inflammation in gastrointestinal tract has been suggested as a risk factor for tumor formation. The effect of dietary supplementation of quercetin or beta-carotene on colon carcinogenesis and inflammatory response in rats fed with high-fat diet rich in omega-6 fatty acids was assessed. Animals were exposed to two weekly subcutaneous injections of AOM (azoxymethane) at a single dose of 15 mg/kg body weight. A portion of rats from each group was sacrificed at 8 weeks after the last AOM treatment to determine ACF (aberrant crypt foci) formation. Colonic mucosa expression of iNOS (inducible nitric oxide) and COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2) protein, and blood PGE2 (prostaglandin E2) level were measured. The remaining groups of animals were sacrificed at 33 weeks after the last AOM treatment to examine colon tumor formation. Rats on high-fat diet developed more aberrant crypt foci (P<0.05) compared with those of rats on regular diet. In the same vein, but in contrast to the effect seen with regular diet, the high-fat diet induced a significant up-regulation of iNOS expression. There was no significant change in the extent of COX-2 expression or in the PGE2 levels. Quercetin or beta-carotene supplementation reduced the number of ACF only in animals fed high-fat diet (p<0.05), however, no significant difference in tumor incidence was found. At week 33, the expression of iNOS was reduced by quercetin without a statistical significance, and COX-2 expression was slightly reduced in rats on beta-carotene supplementation. No change in PGE2 levels was observed. Whilst dietary antioxidants are considered as effective suppressors for precancerous lesion formation in colons exposed to high-risk diet, it is clear that elucidating the role of individual antioxidants in colon tumor formation coupled with an understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved would benefit colon cancer prevention strategies.

Small (<4 cm) clear cell renal cell carcinoma: correlation between CT findings and histologic grade.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the correlation between CT findings and histologic grade of small clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). METHODS: CT scans of 101 patients with small ccRCC were reviewed independently by two radiologists for tumor size, shape, margin, encapsulation, enhancement pattern, and visual relative enhancement. Enhancement patterns were defined according to the percentage of uniform enhancement [pattern 1, homogeneous (≥90%); pattern 2, relatively homogeneous (≥75 and <90%); and pattern 3, heterogeneous (<75%)]. Quantitative parameters representing attenuation and degree of enhancement were calculated. Histologic grade was classified as low (Fuhrman grade I or II) and high (Fuhrman grade III or IV). CT imaging variables were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: A total of 63 low-grade and 38 high-grade small ccRCCs were assessed. Low-grade tumors differed from high-grade tumors with respect to enhancement pattern 1 or 2 (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), smaller size (p = 0.002 and p = 0.001), and lower attenuation on unenhanced scan (p < 0.001 and p = 0.008). In multivariate analysis, enhancement pattern 1 or 2 and low attenuation (≤30 HU) were identified as independent predictors of low-grade ccRCC. Accuracy derived from logistic regression analysis was 79.2% for reader 1 and 70.3% for reader 2. CONCLUSIONS: CT imaging features including tumor attenuation and enhancement pattern can be useful to predict the biologic behavior of small ccRCC for adequate treatment strategy.

Tartary buckwheat on nitric oxide-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 macrophage cells.

We investigated the effects of tartary buckwheat (TB, Fagopyrum tataricum) on the production of pro-inflammatory mediators in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and interferon (IFN)-γ-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. We evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of TB against the LPS- and IFN-γ-stimulated inflammatory response in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. We fractionated TB to obtain 4 fractions including the n-hexane, methylene chloride, ethyl acetate (EtOAc), and n-butanol fractions. In addition, rutin was isolated and identified from the EtOAc fraction. The 4 fractions and rutin effectively inhibited the production of reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide (NO), and interleukin-6. In addition, the mRNA expression levels of pro-inflammatory factors including nuclear factor kappa B, cyclooxygenase-2, and inducible NO synthase were down-regulated in LPS- and IFN-γ-stimulated RAW264.7 cells following treatment with the 4 fractions and rutin. The present study suggests that TB could induce anti-inflammation by regulating the expression of inflammatory mediators.

Changing treatment patterns in elderly patients with resectable colon cancer.

AIM: To evaluate changing treatment patterns and survival outcomes of elderly patients (age 70 years or older) with resectable colon cancer over the past 15 years. METHODS: A total of 857 patients aged over 70 years who were managed for a resectable colon cancer between 1994 and 2010 were identified and their clinical variables were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The patients' median age was 74 years (range: 70-94 years). In all, 171 patients (20%) were stage I, 375 (43.8%) were stage II and 311 (36.3%) were stage III. Over 95% of all patients underwent surgery regardless of age or diagnosis year. In stage III colon cancer the proportion of patients who received adjuvant treatment increased the more recent the year of diagnosis (1994-2000, 47%; 2001-2005, 66%; 2006-2010, 70%; P = 0.017). According to analysis by age group, older patients were less likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy in both stage II (more than 75 years, 47.3%; 70-74 years, 59.4%; P < 0.001) and stage III (more than 75 years, 51.1%; 70-74 years, 76.7%; P < 0.001). Age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) is an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in stage II colon cancer patients. CONCLUSION: Elderly patients with resectable colon cancer received surgical treatment in more than 95% of cases without reference to age or diagnosis year. The proportion of patients who received adjuvant treatment increased according to the recency of diagnosis, but decreased abruptly according to increase in age.