Diversity and Plant Growth Promoting Capacity of Endophytic Fungi Associated with Halophytic Plants from the West Coast of Korea

Five halophytic plant species, Suaeda maritima, Limonium tetragonum, Suaeda australis, Phragmites australis, and Suaeda glauca Bunge, which are native to the Muan salt marsh of South Korea, were examined for fungal endophytes by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region containing ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, and ITS2. In total, 160 endophytic fungal strains were isolated and identified from the roots of the 5 plant species. Taxonomically, all 160 strains belonged to the phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Zygomycota. The most dominant genus was Fusarium, followed by the genera Penicillium and Alternaria. Subsequently, using 5 statistical methods, the diversity indices of the endophytes were determined at genus level. Among these halophytic plants, P. australis was found to host the greatest diversity of endophytic fungi. Culture filtrates of endophytic fungi were treated to Waito-C rice seedlings for plant growth-promoting effects. The fungal strain Su-3-4-3 isolated from S. glauca Bunge provide the maximum plant length (20.1 cm) in comparison with wild-type Gibberella fujikuroi (19.6 cm). Consequently, chromatographic analysis of the culture filtrate of Su-3-4-3 showed the presence of physiologically active gibberellins, GA(1) (0.465 ng/mL), GA(3) (1.808 ng/mL) along with other physiologically inactive GA(9) (0.054 ng/mL) and GA(24) (0.044 ng/mL). The fungal isolate Su-3-4-3 was identified as Talaromyces pinophilus.

Evaluation of an oral health promotion program for elders based on a cooperation model between public and private sectors / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a seniors' oral health promotion program for establishing a cooperation model between public and private sectors. METHODS: This study was carried out targeting the seniors frequenting a community center in the Sosa-gu district of Bucheon-si in the Gyeonggi-do province of South Korea. Data were obtained from self-administered questionnaires or personal interviews with elders after they participated in the oral health promotion program. Their perceived satisfaction with their oral health before and after the oral health program was compared. The data were analyzed by t-tests, ANOVA, paired t-tests, and logistic regression using SPSS to assess the effects of explanatory factors on the seniors' satisfaction of the oral health promotion program. RESULTS: In total, 22.7% of participants had a positive idea about the oral health promotion program before their participation. The mean score of change in and difference of satisfaction with oral health tended to increase in each of the following groups: women, aged 80-84 years, number of permanent teeth, full denture wearers, and those who did not require dentures. Satisfaction notably increased 0.4 points in the group of full denture wearers (P<0.05). Moreover, after 1 month, the satisfaction level of the subjects who participated in the oral health promotion program increased 5.2 times (95% CI, 1.04-25.49) compared to dissatisfaction levels. Ultimately, satisfaction with oral health shows a major impact on the satisfaction with an oral health promotion program. CONCLUSIONS: The subjects who received the oral health promotion program responded very positively, but this program needs overall consideration about work processes and further reliable evaluations.