Development and authentication of Panax ginseng cv. Sunhong with high yield and multiple tolerance to heat damage, rusty roots and lodging.

Ginseng (Panax ginseng) has been used as a valuable medicinal plant in Asia, and the demand for ginseng production for health functional food is increasing worldwide after the COVID-19 crisis. Although a number of cultivars have been developed to increase ginseng production, none of them were widely cultivated in Korea because they could not resist various environmental stresses while being grown in one place for at least 4 years. To address this, Sunhong was developed as a ginseng cultivar with high yield and multiple stress tolerance by pure line selection. Sunhong showed high yield and heat tolerance comparable to Yunpoong, a representative high-yielding cultivar, and exhibited 1.4 times lower prevalence of rusty roots than Yunpoong, suggesting that Sunhong can keep its high yield and quality during long-term cultivation. In addition, distinct color and lodging resistance were expected to increase the convenience of cultivation. To supply pure seeds to farmers, we also established a reliable high-throughput authentication system for Sunhong and seven ginseng cultivars through genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) analysis. The GBS approach enabled to identify a sufficient number of informative SNPs in ginseng, a heterozygous and polyploid species. These results contribute to the improvement of yield, quality, and homogeneity, and therefore promote the ginseng industry. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13580-023-00526-x.

Association of hypercalciuria with vitamin D supplementation in patients undergoing ketogenic dietary therapy.

Background: Ketogenic dietary therapy (KDT) is used as an effective treatment for epilepsy. However, KDT carries the risk of bone health deterioration; therefore, vitamin D supplementation is required. Vitamin D replacement therapy in KDT has not been established because it may be related to hypercalciuria/urolithiasis, which are common adverse effects of KDT. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the dose-dependent association between vitamin D3 and hypercalciuria/urolithiasis in patients undergoing KDT and dose optimization for renal complications. Materials and methods: Overall, 140 patients with intractable childhood epilepsy started 3:1 KDT (lipid to non-lipid ratio) at the Severance Children's Hospital from January 2016 to December 2019. Regular visits were recommended after KDT initiation. Participants were assessed for height, weight, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D3) level, parathyroid hormone level, and ratio of urinary excretion of calcium and creatinine (Uca/Ucr). Kidney sonography was conducted annually. Patients who already had urolithiasis and were taking hydrochlorothiazide before KDT, failed to maintain KDT for 3 months, did not visit the pediatric endocrine department regularly, did not take prescribed calcium and vitamin D3 properly, or needed hospitalization for > 1°month because of serious medical illness were excluded. Data from patients who started diuretic agents, e.g., hydrochlorothiazide, were excluded from that point because the excretion of calcium in the urine may be altered in these patients. Result: In total, 49 patients were included in this study. Uca/Ucr ratio significantly decreased with increasing levels of 25-OH-D3 (p = 0.027). The odds ratio for hypercalciuria was 0.945 (95% confidence interval, 0.912-0.979; p = 0.002) per 1.0 ng/mL increment in 25-OH-D3 level. Based on findings of receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and Youden's J statistic, the cut-off 25-OH-D3 level for preventing hypercalciuria was > 39.1 ng/mL at 6 months. Furthermore, the vitamin D3 supplementation dose cut-off was > 49.5 IU/kg for hypercalciuria prevention. Conclusion: An inverse relationship between Uca/Ucr ratio and 25-OH-D3 level was noted, which means that vitamin D supplementation is helpful for preventing hypercalciuria related to KDT. We suggest that the recommended 25-OH-D3 level is > 40 ng/mL for hypercalciuria prevention and that KDT for children with epilepsy can be optimized by vitamin D3 supplementation at 50 IU/kg.

Phenological growth stages of Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) according to the extended BBCH scale.

BACKGROUND: Phenological studies are a prerequisite for accomplishing higher productivity and better crop quality in cultivated plants. However, there are no phenological studies on Panax ginseng that improve its production yield. This study aims to redefine the phenological growth stages of P. ginseng based on the existing Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt und Chemische Industrie (BBCH) scale and proposes a disease control reference. METHODS: This study was conducted at the Korea Ginseng Corporation Experiment Station in Gyeonggi province, South Korea. Phenological observations were performed once weekly or twice monthly, based on the developmental stages. The existing BBCH scale with a three-digit code was used to redefine and update P. ginseng's phenological growth codes. RESULTS: The phenological description is divided into eight principal growth stages: three for vegetative growth (perennating bud, aerial shoot, and root development), four for reproductive growth (reproductive organ development, flowering, fruit development, and fruit maturation), and one for senescence according to the extended BBCH scale. A total of 58 secondary growth stages were described within the eight principal growth stages. Under each secondary growth stage, four mesostages are also taken into account, which contains the distinct patterns of the phenological characteristics in ginseng varieties and the process of transplanting seedlings. A practical management program for disease control was also proposed by using the BBCH code and the phenological data proposed in this work. CONCLUSION: The study introduces an extended BBCH scale for the phenological research of P. ginseng.

Characteristics of Korean ginseng varieties of Gumpoong, Sunun, Sunpoong, Sunone, Cheongsun, and Sunhyang.

BACKGROUND: Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) is an important medicinal herbs in Asia. However, ginseng varieties are less developed. METHOD: To developed ginseng varieties, a pure line selection method was applied in this study. RESULTS: Gumpoong was testing of 4-yr-old specimens in 2002, the proportions of the below-ground roots that were rusty colored for Gumpoong was 1.29 in Daejeon and 1.45 in Eumseong, whereas the proportions for its yellow berry variant were 2.60 and 2.45 in the two regions, respectively. Thus the Gumpoong was resistant to root rust. Sunpoong has a high yielding property. Its average root weight is 70.6 g for 6-yr-old roots. Its yield is 2.9 kg/1.62m(2) and the rate of heaven- and earth-grade product is 20.9%, which is very high compared to 9.4% for Yunpoong. Sunone is resistance to root rot and the survival rate of 4-yr-old roots was 44.4% in 1997, whereas that of the violet-stem variant landrace was 21.7%. Sunhyang has content of arginyl-fructosyl-glucose (AFG), which produces the unique scent of red ginseng, is 95.1 µmol/g and greater than the 30.8 µmol/g of Chunpoong in 6-yr-old plants. Sunun and Cheongsun are being nurtured to protect genetic resources. CONCLUSION: Developed ginsneg varieties will be used as the basis for the protection of genetic resources and breeding.

Wernicke's encephalopathy in a child with high dose thiamine therapy.

Wernicke's encephalopathy is an acute neurological disorder characterized by mental confusion, oculomotor dysfunction, and ataxia. It has been reported in individuals with alcohol dependence, hyperemesis gravidarum, and prolonged parenteral nutrition without vitamin supplementation. Here we present the case of a 13-year-old male patient with neuroblastoma and a history of poor oral intake and nausea for 3 months. After admission, he showed gait disturbances, nystagmus, and excessive dizziness; his mental state, however, indicated he was alert, which did not fit the classical triad of Wernicke's encephalopathy. A diagnosis of Wernicke's encephalopathy was made only after brain magnetic resonance imaging and serum thiamine level analyses were performed. The patient's symptoms remained after 5 days of treatment with 100-mg thiamine once daily; thus, we increased the dosage to 500 mg 3 times daily, 1,500 mg per day. His symptoms then improved after 20 days of replacement therapy. This case report describes a pediatric patient who was promptly diagnosed with Wernicke's encephalopathy, despite only 2 suspicious symptoms, and who completely recovered after high doses of thiamine were given intravenously.

Newly observed thalamic involvement and mutations of the HEXA gene in a Korean patient with juvenile GM2 gangliosidosis.

Neuroimaging studies of patients with GM2 gangliosidosis are rare. The thalamus and basal ganglia are principally involved in patients affected by the infantile form of GM2 gangliosidosis. Unlike in the infantile form, in juvenile or adult type GM2 gangliosidosis, progressive cortical and cerebellar atrophy is the main abnormality seen on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); no basal ganglial or thalamic impairment were observed. This report is of a Korean girl with subacute onset, severe deficiency of hexosaminidase A activity and mutations (Arg137Term, Ala246Thr) of the HEXA gene. A 3.5-year-old girl who was previously in good health was evaluated for hypotonia and ataxia 3 months ago and showed progressive developmental deterioration, including cognitive decline. Serial brain MRI showed progressive overall volume decrease of the entire brain and thalamic atrophy. Fluorine-18 FDG PET scan showed severe decreased uptake in bilateral thalamus and diffuse cerebral cortex. We suggest, through our experience, that the thalamic involvement in MR imaging and FDG-PET can be observed in the juvenile form of GM2 gangliosidosis, and we suspect the association of mutations in the HEXA gene.