Identification of Fusarium Basal Rot Pathogens of Onion and Evaluation of Fungicides against the Pathogens.

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is an economically important vegetable crop worldwide. However, various fungal diseases, including Fusarium basal rot (FBR), neck rot, and white rot, reduce onion production or bulb storage life. FBR caused by Fusarium species is among the most destructive onion diseases. In this study, we identified Fusarium species associated with FBR in Jeolla and Gyeongsang Provinces in South Korea and evaluated fungicides against the pathogens. Our morphological and molecular analyses showed that FBR in onions is associated with Fusarium commune, Fusarium oxysporum, and Fusarium proliferatum. We selected seven fungicides (fludioxonil, hexaconazole, mandestrobin, penthiopyrad, prochloraz-manganese, pydiflumetofen, and tebuconazole) and evaluated their inhibitory effects on mycelial growth of the pathogens at three different concentrations (0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/mL). We found that prochloraz-manganese was highly effective, inhibiting 100% of the mycelial growth of the pathogens at all concentrations, followed by tebuconazole. Fludioxonil showed < 50% inhibition at 1 mg/mL for the tested isolates.

The relationship of skin disorders, COVID-19, and the therapeutic potential of ginseng: a review.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has made significant impacts on global public health, including the development of several skin diseases that have arisen primarily as a result of the pandemic. Owing to the widespread expansion of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), the development of effective treatments for these skin diseases is drawing attention as an important social issue. For many centuries, ginseng and its major active ingredients, ginsenosides and saponins, have been widely regarded as herbal medicines. Further, the anti-viral action of ginseng suggests its potential effectiveness as a therapeutic agent against COVID-19. Thus, the aim of this review was to examine the association of skin lesions with COVID-19 and the effect of ginseng as a therapeutic agent to treat skin diseases induced by COVID-19 infection. We classified COVID-19-related skin disorders into three categories: caused by inflammatory, immune, and complex (both inflammatory and immune) responses and evaluated the evidence for ginseng as a treatment for each category. This review offers comprehensive evidence on the improvement of skin disorders induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection using ginseng and its active constituents.

Dual anti-angiogenic and anti-metastatic activity of myriocin synergistically enhances the anti-tumor activity of cisplatin.

PURPOSE: Tumor microenvironment consists of various kind of cells, forming complex interactions and signal transductions for tumor growth. Due to this complexity, targeting multiple kinases could yield improved clinical outcomes. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential of myriocin, from Mycelia sterilia, as a novel dual-kinase inhibitor and suggest myriocin as a candidate for combined chemotherapy. METHODS: We initially evaluated the anti-tumor and anti-metastatic effect of myriocin in mouse allograft tumor models. We examined the effects of myriocin on angiogenesis and tumor vasculature using in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo models, and also tested the anti-migration effect of myriocin in in vitro models. Next, we explored the effects of myriocin alone and in combination with cisplatin on tumor growth and vascular normalization in mouse models. RESULTS: We found that myriocin inhibited tumor growth and lung metastasis in mouse allograft tumor models. Myriocin induced normalization of the tumor vasculature in the mouse models. We also found that myriocin suppressed angiogenesis through the VEGFR2/PI3K/AKT pathway in endothelial cells (ECs), as well as cancer cell migration by blocking the IκBα/NF-κB(p65)/MMP-9 pathway. Finally, we found that myriocin enhanced the drug delivery efficacy of cisplatin by increasing the integrity of tumor vasculature in the mouse models, which synergistically increased the anti-tumor activity of cisplatin. CONCLUSION: We suggest that myriocin is a novel potent anti-cancer agent that dually targets both VEGFR2 in ECs and IκBα in cancer cells, and exerts more pronounced anti-tumor effects than with either kinase being inhibited alone.

Survival rate and clinical evaluation of the implants in implant assisted removable partial dentures: surveyed crown and overdenture.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate survival rates of the implants used in implant assisted removable partial dentures (IARPDs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 21 patients who were treated with IARPDs. The mean follow-up period for IARPD patients ranged from 12 to 185 months (mean 47.9 months). A total of 58 implants were used for IARPDs in two different modalities: 41 for surveyed crowns and 17 for overdentures. The survival of implants was determined by clinical and radiographic evaluations considering relevant factors: location, RPD classification, opposing dentition, splinting, and implant diameter. RESULTS: The survival rate of total 58 implants was 93.1%: 95.1% for implants supporting surveyed crowns and 88.2% for implants used in overdentures. Considering only the implants supporting surveyed crown, regular diameter implants showed a higher survival rate than narrow or wide diameter implants. CONCLUSION: The survival rate of the implants used in IARPDs was 93.1% (surveyed crown: 95.1%, overdenture: 88.2%).

Wide Bandgap Transparent Conducting Electrode of FTO/Ag/FTO Structure for Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes.

We investigated the effect of the Ag interlayer thickness on the structural, electrical and optical properties of FTO/Ag/FTO structures designed for use in wide bandgap transparent conducting electrodes. The top and bottom FTO layers were deposited on α-Al2O3 (0001) substrates via RF magnetron sputtering at 300 °C and Ag interlayers were deposited using an e-beam evaporator system. We optimized the figure of merit by changing the thickness of the inserted Ag interlayer from 10 nm to 14 nm, achieving a maximum value of 2.46 × 10-3 Ω-1 and a resistivity of 6.4 × 10-4 Ω · cm using an FTO (70 nm)/Ag (14 nm)/FTO (40 nm) structure. Furthermore, the average optical transmittance in the deep UV range (300 to 330 nm) was 82.8%.

Self-standing ZnO nanotube/SiO2 core-shell arrays for high photon extraction efficiency in III-nitride emitter.

Self-standing ZnO nanotube (ZNT) arrays were fabricated on the surface of a GaN-based emitter with an indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent layer using a hydrothermal method and temperature cooling down process. For the greater enhancement of photon extraction efficiency, ZNT/SiO2 core-shell nanostructure arrays were fabricated on the emitter with a 430 nm wavelength. The optical output power of ZNT/SiO2 core-shell arrays on the emitter with ITO electrode was remarkably enhanced by 18.5%, 28.1%, and 55.9%, compared to those of ZNTs, ZNRs on an ITO film on an emitter and ITO film on an emitter as a conventional emitter, respectively. The large enhancement in optical output is attributable to the synergistic effect of efficient photon injection from the ITO/GaN layer to ZNTs because of the well-matched refractive indices and wave-guiding, in addition to the superior photon extraction by the SiO2 coating layer on the ZNTs.