Identification of Heterodera glycines (Tylenchida; Heteroderidae) Using qPCR.

The soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines, is a major plant-parasitic nematode that has caused important economic losses to Korea's soybean production. Four species of cyst nematodes, H. schachtii, H. glycines, H. trifolii, and H. sojae, all belong to schachtii group are coexist in field soil in Korea. The rapid identification of the nematode is crucial for preventing crop damage and in decision making for controlling this nematode. This study aimed to develop a species-specific primer set for quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay of H. glycines. The specific primer set (HGF1 and HGR1) for H. glycines was designed based on the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequence of mitochondrial DNA. After optimization, it is possible to identify the H. glycines using a qPCR assay with DNA extracted from a single cyst and single second-stage juvenile (J2). The specificity was confirmed by the absence of SYBR fluorescent signals of three other Heterodera species. A serial dilution of DNA extracted from a single cyst was obtained for the sensitivity test. The result showed that the standard curve of the test had a highly significant linearity between DNA concentration and Ct value (R 2 = 0.996, slope = -3.49) and that the detection limit concentration of DNA of the primer set was 10 pg of DNA per reaction. Our findings suggested that H. glycines could be distinguished from H. sojae and other Heterodera species when a qPCR assay is used with a specific primer set.

Erratum: Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Heterodera schachtii and the Newly Recorded Cyst Nematode, H. trifolii Associated with Chinese Cabbage in Korea.

[This corrects the article on p. 297 in vol. 34, PMID: 30140183.].

Effective Dose Calculation Program (EDCP) for the usage of NORM-added consumer product.

The aim of this study is to develop the Effective Dose Calculation Program (EDCP) for the usage of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) added consumer products. The EDCP was developed based on a database of effective dose conversion coefficient and the Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) program to incorporate a Graphic User Interface (GUI) for ease of use. To validate EDCP, the effective dose calculated with EDCP by manually determining the source region by using the GUI and that by using the reference mathematical algorithm were compared for pillow, waist supporter, eye-patch and sleeping mattress. The results show that the annual effective dose calculated with EDCP was almost identical to that calculated using the reference mathematical algorithm in most of the assessment cases. With the assumption of the gamma energy of 1 MeV and activity of 1 MBq, the annual effective doses of pillow, waist supporter, sleeping mattress, and eye-patch determined using the reference algorithm were 3.444 mSv year-1, 2.770 mSv year-1, 4.629 mSv year-1, and 3.567 mSv year-1, respectively, while those calculated using EDCP were 3.561 mSv year-1, 2.630 mSv year-1, 4.740 mSv year-1, and 3.780 mSv year-1, respectively. The differences in the annual effective doses were less than 5%, despite the different calculation methods employed. The EDCP can therefore be effectively used for radiation protection management in the context of the usage of NORM-added consumer products. Additionally, EDCP can be used by members of the public through the GUI for various studies in the field of radiation protection, thus facilitating easy access to the program.

Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Heterodera schachtii and the Newly Recorded Cyst Nematode, H. trifolii Associated with Chinese Cabbage in Korea.

The sugar beet cyst nematode, Heterodera schachtii is a well known pathogen on Chinese cabbage in the highland fields of Korea. However, a race of cyst forming nematode with close morphological resemblance to H. trifolii was recently isolated from the same Chinese cabbage fields. Morphological species differentiation between the two cyst nematodes is challenging, with only minor differences between them. Thus, this study described the newly intercepted H. trifolii population, and reviewed morphological and molecular characteristics conceivably essential in differentiating the two nematode species. A comparison of morphometric measurements of both infective juveniles and vulval cones of cysts showed significant differences between the two cyst nematodes. When total RNA and genomic DNA were extracted from a mixed field population, COI genes and ITS regions were clearly amplified with primers of the two Heterodera species, suggesting that Heterodera population collected from the Chinese cabbage field consisted of a mixture of two species. COI and ITS of H. trifolii were predominantly amplified from nucleotides prepared from H. trifolii monoxenic population whereas those of H. schachtii were strongly detected in H. schachtii monoxenic cultures. Thus, this study confirms the coexistence of the two species in some Chinese cabbage fields; and the presence of H. trifolii in Korea is reported here for the first time.

Development of an effective dose coefficient database using a computational human phantom and Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate exposure dose for the usage of NORM-added consumer products.

After the Fukushima accident in Japan, the Korean Government implemented the "Act on Protective Action Guidelines Against Radiation in the Natural Environment" to regulate unnecessary radiation exposure to the public. However, despite the law which came into effect in July 2012, an appropriate method to evaluate the equivalent and effective doses from naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) in consumer products is not available. The aim of the present study is to develop and validate an effective dose coefficient database enabling the simple and correct evaluation of the effective dose due to the usage of NORM-added consumer products. To construct the database, we used a skin source method with a computational human phantom and Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. For the validation, the effective dose was compared between the database using interpolation method and the original MC method. Our result showed a similar equivalent dose across the 26 organs and a corresponding average dose between the database and the MC calculations of < 5% difference. The differences in the effective doses were even less, and the result generally show that equivalent and effective doses can be quickly calculated with the database with sufficient accuracy.

Plantago lanceolata and Plantago rugelii Extracts are Toxic to Meloidogyne incognita but not to Certain Microbes.

Extracts from the plants Plantago lanceolata and P. rugelii were evaluated for toxicity to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita, the beneficial microbes Enterobacter cloacae, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Trichoderma virens, and the plant-pathogenic fungi Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. gladioli, Phytophthora capsici, Pythium ultimum, and Rhizoctonia solani. Wild plants were collected, roots were excised from shoots, and the plant parts were dried and ground to a powder. One set of extracts (10% w/v) was prepared in water and another in methanol. Treatments included extract concentrations of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%, and water controls. Meloidogyne incognita egg hatch was recorded after 7-day exposure to the treatments, and second-stage juvenile (J2) activity after 48 hours. All extracts were toxic to eggs and J2, with P. lanceolata shoot extract tending to have the most activity against M. incognita. Numbers of active J2 remained the same or decreased in a 24-hour water rinse following the 48-hour extract treatment, indicating that the extracts were lethal. When data from water- and methanol-extracted roots and shoots of both plant species were combined for analysis, J2 tended to be more sensitive than eggs to the toxic compounds at lower concentrations, while the higher concentrations (75% and 100%) were equally toxic to both life stages. The effective concentrations causing 50% reduction (EC(50)) in egg hatch and in J2 viability were 44.4% and 43.7%, respectively. No extract was toxic to any of the bacteria or fungi in our assays.

Short-Term Effects of Low-Level Heavy Metal Contamination on Soil Health Analyzed by Nematode Community Structure.

The short-term effects of low-level contamination by heavy metals (As, Cd, Cu, and Pb) on the soil health were examined by analyzing soil nematode community in soils planted with tomatoes. For this, the soils were irrigated with five metal concentrations ([1, 1/4, 1/4(2), 1/4(3), and 0] × maximum concentrations [MC] detected in irrigation waters near abandoned mine sites) for 18 weeks. Heavy metal concentrations were significantly increased in soils irrigated with MC of heavy metals, among which As and Cu exceeded the maximum heavy metal residue contents of soil approved in Korea. In no heavy metal treatment controls, nematode abundances for all trophic groups (except omnivorous-predatory nematodes [OP]) and colonizer-persister (cp) values (except cp-4-5) were significantly increased, and all maturity indices (except maturity index [MI] of plant-parasitic nematodes) and structure index (SI) were significantly decreased, suggesting the soil environments might have been disturbed during 18 weeks of tomato growth. There were no concentration-dependent significant decreases in richness, abundance, or MI for most heavy metals; however, their significant decreases occurred in abundance and richness of OP and cp-4, MI2-5 (excluding cp-1) and SI, indicating disturbed soil ecosystems, at the higher concentrations (MC and MC/4) of Pb that had the most significant negative correlation coefficients for heavy metal concentrations and nematode community among the heavy metals. Therefore, the short-term effects of low-level heavy metal contamination on soil health can be analyzed by nematode community structures before the appearance of plant damages caused by the abiotic agents, heavy metals.

CT dosimetry computer codes: their influence on radiation dose estimates and the necessity for their revision under new ICRP radiation protection standards.

Computed tomography (CT) dosimetry computer codes have been most commonly used due to their user friendliness, but with little consideration for potential uncertainty in estimated organ dose and their underlying limitations. Generally, radiation doses calculated with different CT dosimetry computer codes were comparable, although relatively large differences were observed for some specific organs or tissues. The largest difference in radiation doses calculated using different computer codes was observed for Siemens Sensation CT scanners. Radiation doses varied with patient age and sex. Younger patients and adult females receive a higher radiation dose in general than adult males for the same CT technique factors. There are a number of limitations of current CT dosimetry computer codes. These include unrealistic modelling of the human anatomy, a limited number of organs and tissues for dose calculation, inability to alter patient height and weight, and non-applicability to new CT technologies. Therefore, further studies are needed to overcome these limitations and to improve CT dosimetry.