Phylogenetic relationships of chrysanthemums in Korea based on novel SSR markers.

Chrysanthemums are well known for their esthetic and medicinal values. Characterization of chrysanthemums is vital for their conservation and management as well as for understanding their genetic relationships. We found 12 simple sequence repeat markers (SSRs) of 100 designed primers to be polymorphic. These novel SSR markers were used to evaluate 95 accessions of chrysanthemums (3 indigenous and 92 cultivated accessions). Two hundred alleles were identified, with an average of 16.7 alleles per locus. KNUCRY-77 gave the highest polymorphic information content value (0.879), while KNUCRY-10 gave the lowest (0.218). Similar patterns of grouping were observed with a distance-based dendrogram developed using PowerMarker and model-based clustering with Structure. Three clusters with some admixtures were identified by model-based clustering. These newly developed SSR markers will be useful for further studies of chrysanthemums, such as taxonomy and marker-assisted selection breeding.

Role of surgery in the management of pulmonary sporotrichosis

Management of four patients with sporotrichosis is summarized; one was treated medically and three were treated surgically. Thirty-seven cases from the literature are reviewed. The role of surgery in the management of pulmonary sporotrichosis is outlined as follows: (1) diagnosis of pulmonary infiltrates and / or pulmonary cavities of undetermined origin, (2) surgical intervention in patients with persistent infiltrates with cavitary lesions resulting from sporotrichosis, following failed medical treatment, and (3) resection of associated pulmonary cavitary lesions in patients in spite of adequte medical control of sporothichosis. Surgical principles that must be observed in the management of pulmonary sporotrichosis follows: (1) Resection is the procedure of choice. The magnitude ranges from segmental resection to pneumonectomy. Clen resection is necessary. (2) Antifungal drug therapy - preferably with amphotericin B - is advisable preoperatively and postoperatively, since the major cause of late death is progression of the disease when clean resection has not been feasible. (3) Resection combined with drug therapy can be curative without increased risk in physiologically operable and anatomically resectable disease. (4) Thoracoplasty can be a lifesaving procedure for bilateral cavitary lesions with severe hemoptysis in patients with impaired pulmonary functions.