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.

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.

Targeted gene panel sequencing in early infantile onset developmental and epileptic encephalopathy.

BACKGROUND: Early-onset developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) is characterized by repeated seizures beginning within 3 months of birth and severe interictal epileptiform discharge, including burst suppression. This study assessed the utility of targeted gene panel sequencing in the genetic diagnosis of this disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Targeted gene panel sequencing was performed in 150 early infantile-onset DEE patients (≤3 months of age), and we extensively reviewed their clinical characteristics, including therapeutic efficacy, according to genotype. RESULTS: Of the early infantile-onset DEE patients, 70 were neonatal-onset DEE and the other 80 patients began experiencing seizures from 1 to 3 months after birth. There were 11 different pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants among 34.7% (52/150) of patients with early infantile-onset DEE, in whom KCNQ2, STXBP1, CDKL5, and SCN1A were the major pathogenic variants. Among the neonatal-onset DEE patients, pathological genes were identified in 42.9% (30/70), indicating a significantly higher diagnostic yield than in 27.5% (22/80) of patients who experienced seizure onset 1 to 3 months after birth (p = 0.048). Among the neonatal-onset DEE group, variants in KCNQ2, STXBP1, and CDKL5 were detected at high frequencies, accounting for 66.7% (20/30) of the pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants found in this study. CONCLUSION: Targeted gene panel sequencing demonstrated a high yield of pathogenic variants in the diagnosis of early-onset epileptic encephalopathy, especially in those with neonatal-onset DEE. Early diagnosis of early-onset epileptic encephalopathy may improve the prognosis of patients by earlier selection of appropriate treatment based on pathogenic variant.

Efficiently detecting outlying behavior in video-game players.

In this paper, we propose a method for automatically detecting the times during which game players exhibit specific behavior, such as when players commonly show excitement, concentration, immersion, and surprise. The proposed method detects such outlying behavior based on the game players' characteristics. These characteristics are captured non-invasively in a general game environment. In this paper, cameras were used to analyze observed data such as facial expressions and player movements. Moreover, multimodal data from the game players (i.e., data regarding adjustments to the volume and the use of the keyboard and mouse) was used to analyze high-dimensional game-player data. A support vector machine was used to efficiently detect outlying behaviors. We verified the effectiveness of the proposed method using games from several genres. The recall rate of the outlying behavior pre-identified by industry experts was approximately 70%. The proposed method can also be used for feedback analysis of various interactive content provided in PC environments.

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.

Development of Reproducible EST-derived SSR Markers and Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Panax ginseng Cultivars and Related Species.

Little is known about the genetics or genomics of Panax ginseng. In this study, we developed 70 expressed sequence tag-derived polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers by trials of 140 primer pairs. All of the 70 markers showed reproducible polymorphism among four Panax speciesand 19 of them were polymorphic in six P. ginseng cultivars. These markers segregated 1:2:1 manner of Mendelian inheritance in an F2 population of a cross between two P. ginseng cultivars, 'Yunpoong' and 'Chunpoong', indicating that these are reproducible and inheritable mappable markers. A phylogenetic analysis using the genotype data showed three distinctive groups: a P. ginseng-P. japonicus clade, P. notoginseng and P. quinquefolius, with similarity coefficients of 0.70. P. japonicus was intermingled with P. ginseng cultivars, indicating that both species have similar genetic backgrounds. P. ginseng cultivars were subdivided into three minor groups: an independent cultivar 'Chunpoong', a subgroup with three accessions including two cultivars, 'Gumpoong' and 'Yunpoong' and one landrace 'Hwangsook' and another subgroup with two accessions including one cultivar, 'Gopoong' and one landrace 'Jakyung'. Each primer pair produced 1 to 4 bands, indicating that the ginseng genome has a highly replicated paleopolyploid genome structure.

Morphological Characteristics of Ginseng Leaves in High-Temperature Injury Resistant and Susceptible Lines of Panax ginseng Meyer.

Plant leaf cuticle is related to the prevention of moisture loss, transpiration, and diffusion of light reflection. The purpose of this study was to examine the morphological characteristics of ginseng leaves in ginseng plants resistant and susceptible to high temperature injury (HTI) to be related with the leaf-burning. For the HTI resistant lines Yunpoong, high-temperature injury resistance (HTIR) 1, HTIR 2, and HTIR 3, and the HTI-susceptible line Chunpoong, the cuticle densities were 53.0%, 46.2%, 44.9%, 48.0%, and 17.0%; the adaxial leaf cuticle layers were 141.3, 119.7, 119.7, 159.4, and 85.0 nm in thickness; the abaxial leaf cuticle layers were 153.6, 165.8, 157.9, 199.6, and 119.4 nm in thickness; and the stomtal lengths were 21.7, 32.4, 29.4, 30.9, and 21.8 µm, respectively. All of these aspects suggest that HTI resistant lines have higher cuticle density, thicker adaxial and abaxial leaf cuticle layers, and longer of stomta length than the HTI-susceptible line, protecting leaves from moisture loss and excessive transpiration under high temperatures to be resistant against the leaf-burning.

Multimodal neuroimaging in presurgical evaluation of childhood epilepsy.

In pre-surgical evaluation of pediatric epilepsy, the combined use of multiple imaging modalities for precise localization of the epileptogenic focus is a worthwhile endeavor. Advanced neuroimaging by high field Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion tensor images, and MR spectroscopy have the potential to identify subtle lesions. (18)F-FDG positron emission tomography and single photon emission tomography provide visualization of metabolic alterations of the brain in the ictal and interictal states. These techniques may have localizing value for patients which exhibit normal MRI scans. Functional MRI is helpful for non-invasively identifying areas of eloquent cortex. These advances are improving our ability to noninvasively detect epileptogenic foci which have gone undetected in the past and whose accurate localization is crucial for a favorable outcome following surgical resection.

Anti-tumor effect of CT-322 as an adnectin inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2.

CT-322 is a new anti-angiogenic therapeutic agent based on an engineered variant of the tenth type III domain of human fibronectin, i.e., an Adnectin™, designed to inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-2. This PE Gylated Adnectin was developed using an mRNA display technology. CT-322 bound human VEGFR-2 with high affinity (K(D), 11 nM), but did not bind VEGFR-1 or VEGFR-3 at concentrations up to 100 nM, as determined by surface plasmon resonance studies. Western blot analysis showed that CT-322 blocked VEGF-induced phosphorylation of VEGFR-2 and mitogen-activated protein kinase in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells. CT-322 significantly inhibited the growth of human tumor xenograft models of colon carcinoma and glioblastoma at doses of 15-60 mg/kg administered 3 times/week. Anti-tumor effects of CT-322 were comparable to those of sorafenib or sunitinib, which inhibit multiple kinases, in a colon carcinoma xenograft model, although CT-322 caused less overt adverse effects than the kinase inhibitors. CT-322 also enhanced the anti-tumor activity of the chemotherapeutic agent temsirolimus in the colon carcinoma model. The high affinity and specificity of CT-322 binding to VEGFR-2 and its anti-tumor activities establish CT-322 as a promising anti-angiogenic therapeutic agent. Our results further suggest that Adnectins are an important new class of targeted biologics that can be developed as potential treatments for a wide variety of diseases.

Insular epilepsy surgery under neuronavigation guidance using depth electrode.

OBJECTIVES: The unfavorable surgical results that have been reported with insular epilepsy surgery may be related to inadequate monitoring. Insular epilepsy surgery requires the precise monitoring and tailored removal of the epileptic zone. The purposes of this study were to precisely monitor the hidden cortex and determine the effectiveness of using different monitoring methods, including subpial depth electrodes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a study of a single center series of six patients (three men, three women) who underwent insular surgery between May 2006 and December 2007. All patients had experienced medically intractable seizures without any evidence of a tumorous condition based on previous examination. We used strip electrode implantation in one patient and stereotactic depth electrode insertion in two patients, which resulted in partial removal of the insular. The other three patients underwent open direct subpial depth electrode insertion, which resulted in total removal of the insular cortex. RESULTS: There were no surgery-related complications with the insulectomy after insertion of the subpial depth electrodes, regardless of the monitoring method or extent of removal. All patients except for one showed considerable improvement in epilepsy (83.3% Engle class I, 16.5% Engle class II). In the three patients who had open direct subpial depth electrodes inserted, we achieved total insulectomy without increasing the surgical morbidity, while in the other three patients, the insular removal was only partial. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that image-guided insular surgery with safe and accurate depth electrode guidance results in an optimal outcome and complete resection of the insular cortex.

An artificial muscle actuator for biomimetic underwater propulsors.

In this paper, we introduce the analytical framework of the modeling dynamic characteristics of a soft artificial muscle actuator for aquatic propulsor applications. The artificial muscle used for this underwater application is an ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) which can generate bending motion in aquatic environments. The inputs of the model are the voltages applied to multiple IPMCs, and the output can be either the shape of the actuators or the thrust force generated from the interaction between dynamic actuator motions and surrounding water. In order to determine the relationship between the input voltages and the bending moments, the simplified RC model is used, and the mechanical beam theory is used for the bending motion of IPMC actuators. Also, the hydrodynamic forces exerted on an actuator as it moves relative to the surrounding medium or water are added to the equations of motion to study the effect of actuator bending on the thrust force generation. The proposed method can be used for modeling the general bending type artificial muscle actuator in a single or segmented form operating in the water. The segmented design has more flexibility in controlling the shape of the actuator when compared with the single form, especially in generating undulatory waves. Considering an inherent nature of large deformations in the IPMC actuator, a large deflection beam model has been developed and integrated with the electrical RC model and hydrodynamic forces to develop the state space model of the actuator system. The model was validated against existing experimental data.

Prognostic factors of status epilepticus in children.

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 189 children who were admitted to the Pediatric Neurology Department at Yonsei University College of Medicine with status epilepticus (SE) between April, 1994 and April, 2003. The children were followed up for a mean duration of 17 months. We analyzed the clinical findings and the relationships between neurologic sequelae, recurrence, age of onset, presumptive causes, types of seizure, seizure duration and the presence of fever. Mean age at SE onset was 37 months. Incidences by seizure type classification were generalized convulsive SE in 73.5%, and non-convulsive SE in 26.5%. The incidences of presumptive causes of SE were idiopathic 40.7%, epilepsy 29.1%, remote 16.4% and acute symptomatic in 13.3%. Among all the patients, febrile episodes occurred in 35.4%, especially in patients under 3 year old, and 38.4% of these were associated with febrile illness regardless of presumptive cause. Neurologic sequelae occurred in 33% and the mortality rate was 3%. Neurologic sequelae were lower in patients that presented with an idiopathic etiology and higher in generalized convulsive SE patients. The recurrence of SE was higher in patients with a remote symptomatic epileptic etiology, and generalized convulsive SE showed higher rates of recurrence. Based on this retrospective study, the neurologic outcomes and recurrence of SE were found to be strongly associated with etiology and seizure type. Age, seizure duration and the presence of febrile illness were found to have no effect on outcome.

Lagging strand synthesis in coordinated DNA synthesis by bacteriophage t7 replication proteins.

The proteins of bacteriophage T7 DNA replication mediate coordinated leading and lagging strand synthesis on a minicircle template. A distinguishing feature of the coordinated synthesis is the presence of a replication loop containing double and single-stranded DNA with a combined average length of 2600 nucleotides. Lagging strands consist of multiple Okazaki fragments, with an average length of 3000 nucleotides, suggesting that the replication loop dictates the frequency of initiation of Okazaki fragments. The size of Okazaki fragments is not affected by varying the components (T7 DNA polymerase, gene 4 helicase-primase, gene 2.5 single-stranded DNA binding protein, and rNTPs) of the reaction over a relatively wide range. Changes in the size of Okazaki fragments occurs only when leading and lagging strand synthesis is no longer coordinated. The synthesis of each Okazaki fragment is initiated by the synthesis of an RNA primer by the gene 4 primase at specific recognition sites. In the absence of a primase recognition site on the minicircle template no lagging strand synthesis occurs. The size of the Okazaki fragments is not affected by the number of recognition sites on the template.