Effects of Polyethylene Glycol-Induced Water Stress on the Physiological and Biochemical Responses of Different Sorghum Genotypes

Globally, abiotic stress is the primary cause of crop loss, reducing the average yields of most major crop plants by more than 50% (Bray et. al., 2000). Drought stress is one of the most widespread environmental stresses when the total area of arable land is classified according to the occurrence of various stress factors (Arora et al., 2002). Drought and other abiotic stresses limit the photosynthetic activity of various crops, which in turn reduces the production of photosynthetic assimilates. Almost every developmental stage of the plant is affected by water stress. However, it has been observed that drought stress is more damaging to plants at the growth and germination stages, affecting seedling shoot length, flowering, and root length (Khayatnezhad, et al., 2010

In Vitro inhibitory activity of Alpinia katsumadai extracts against influenza virus infection and hemagglutination

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Alpinia katsumadai </it>(AK) extracts and fractions were tested for <it>in vitro </it>antiviral activities against influenza virus type A, specially human A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) and avian A/Chicken/Korea/MS96/96 (H9N2), by means of time-of-addition experiments; pre-treatment, simultaneous treatment, and post treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In pre-treatment assay, the AK extracts and AK fractions did not show significant antiviral activity. During the simultaneous treatment assay, one AK extract and five AK fractions designated as AK-1 to AK-3, AK-5, AK-10, and AK-11 showed complete inhibition of virus infectivity against A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) and A/Chicken/Korea/MS96/96 (H9N2). The 50% effective inhibitory concentrations (EC₅₀) of these one AK extracts and five AK fractions with exception of the AK-9 were from 0.8 ± 1.4 to 16.4 ± 4.5 <it>μ</it>g/mL against A/PR/8/34 (H1N1). The two AK extracts and three AK fractions had EC₅₀values ranging from <0.39 ± 0.4 to 2.3 ± 3.6 <it>μ</it>g/mL against A/Chicken/Korea/MS96/96 (H9N2). By the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay, the two AK extracts and five AK fractions completely inhibited viral adsorption onto chicken RBCs at less than 100 <it>μ</it>g/mL against both A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) and A/Chicken/Korea/MS96/96 (H9N2). Interestingly, only AK-3 was found with inhibition for both viral attachment and viral replication after showing extended antiviral activity during the post treatment assay and quantitative real-time PCR.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results suggest that AK extracts and fractions had strong anti-influenza virus activity that can inhibit viral attachment and/or viral replication, and may be used as viral prophylaxis.</p

An innovative strategy for standardized, structured, and interoperable results in ophthalmic examinations

Background Although ophthalmic devices have made remarkable progress and are widely used, most lack standardization of both image review and results reporting systems, making interoperability unachievable. We developed and validated new software for extracting, transforming, and storing information from report images produced by ophthalmic examination devices to generate standardized, structured, and interoperable information to assist ophthalmologists in eye clinics. Results We selected report images derived from optical coherence tomography (OCT). The new software consists of three parts: (1) The Area Explorer, which determines whether the designated area in the configuration file contains numeric values or tomographic images; (2) The Value Reader, which converts images to text according to ophthalmic measurements; and (3) The Finding Classifier, which classifies pathologic findings from tomographic images included in the report. After assessment of Value Reader accuracy by human experts, all report images were converted and stored in a database. We applied the Value Reader, which achieved 99.67% accuracy, to a total of 433,175 OCT report images acquired in a single tertiary hospital from 07/04/2006 to 08/31/2019. The Finding Classifier provided pathologic findings (e.g., macular edema and subretinal fluid) and disease activity. Patient longitudinal data could be easily reviewed to document changes in measurements over time. The final results were loaded into a common data model (CDM), and the cropped tomographic images were loaded into the Picture Archive Communication System. Conclusions The newly developed software extracts valuable information from OCT images and may be extended to other types of report image files produced by medical devices. Furthermore, powerful databases such as the CDM may be implemented or augmented by adding the information captured through our program.This research was supported by a grant from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (Grant No.HI19C0373). The publication cost of this article was funded by KHIDI and it had no role in the design or conduct of this researc

A placebo-controlled study comparing the efficacy of intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid and a novel hyaluronic acid-platelet-rich plasma conjugate in a canine model of osteoarthritis

Background The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid (HA) and a novel, on-site conjugate of HA with autologous fibrinogen in platelet-rich plasma (HA-PRP) in a canine model of osteoarthritis (OA) Methods Twelve beagle dogs underwent a unilateral resection of the cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) of the stifle joint. Clinical and radiographic signs of OA were confirmed in all dogs 8 weeks following CrCL resection and prior to treatment. The dogs were randomized into three groups: saline (n = 4), HA (n = 4), and HA-PRP (n = 4). Each dog received intra-articular injections of the respective substance into the affected joint at pre-determined time points. The dogs were assessed for adverse effects for 3 days after each injection and for lameness, pain, range of motion, kinetics, and radiographic OA severity prior to treatment and 3 months after injection. OA severity as determined by radiographic examination was not significantly different among the groups at any time point. The dogs were then humanely euthanatized and the stifle joint assessed by gross and histological examinations. Results Dogs treated with four weekly injections of HA or two biweekly injections of HA-PRP were significantly (p < 0.05) better than dogs treated with four weekly injections of saline at 2-, 4-, and 12-week time points based on a comfortable range of motion (CROM) and clinical lameness score. Gait analysis measuring symmetry and weight distribution on pressure sensor walkway showed significantly (p < 0.05) improved limb function for dogs treated with HA and HA-PRP compared with dogs treated with saline yet with better clinical outcome for the HA-PRP-treated group at 12 and 20 weeks follow-up. Gross and histological analysis of synovium and articular cartilage demonstrated significant (p < 0.05) improvement by both treatments groups compared to controls. There was however significantly (p < 0.05) less damage to the cartilage in the HA-PRP group compared to the HA-treated group. Conclusions These data suggest that while injection of HA and HA-PRP may be sufficient for short-term amelioration of the symptoms associated with OA, treatment with HA-PRP conjugates may be superior, providing significantly better long-term cartilage preservation.This study was supported by funding from the Green Cross Veterinary Products Co., Ltd

Antimicrobial effect of hypochlorous acid on pathogenic microorganisms

Disinfection is essential in terms of the public health or environmental hygiene. Hypochlorous acid (HOCL) solutionwas developed as a disinfectant in Korea. We evaluated the germicidal activity of HOCL against various pathogenic microbes.Thirty-one ATCC strains were exposed to HOCL solution at various concentrations (20, 40 and 80 ppm) for 1 minute. Allthe strains of bacteria, yeasts and mycobacteria were killed at 80 ppm after exposure to HOCL. The results suggest thatHOCL solution could be used to effectively disinfect public areas.OAIID:oai:osos.snu.ac.kr:snu2013-01/102/0000030777/7SEQ:7PERF_CD:SNU2013-01EVAL_ITEM_CD:102USER_ID:0000030777ADJUST_YN:YEMP_ID:A076079DEPT_CD:551CITE_RATE:0FILENAME:10 Short Communication 박세창_가편집_1교_저자.pdfDEPT_NM:수의학과EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:NCONFIRM:

Brain abscess in Korean children: A 15-year single center study

PurposeA brain abscess is a serious disease of the central nerve system. We conducted this study to summarize the clinical manifestations and outcomes of brain abscesses.MethodsA retrospective chart review of pediatric patients diagnosed with brain abscesses from November 1994 to June 2009 was performed at Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.ResultsTwenty-five patients were included in this study. On average, 1.67 cases per year were identified and the median age was 4.3 years. The common presenting clinical manifestations were fever (18/25, 72%), seizure (12/25, 48%), altered mental status (11/25, 44%), and signs of increased intracranial pressure (9/25, 36%). A total of 14 (56%) patients had underlying illnesses, with congenital heart disease (8/25, 32%) as the most common cause. Predisposing factors were identified in 15 patients (60%). The common predisposing factors were otogenic infection (3/25, 12%) and penetrating head trauma (3/25, 12%). Causative organisms were identified in 64% of patients (16/25). The causative agents were S. intermedius (n=3), S. aureus (n=3), S. pneumoniae (n=1), Group B streptococcus (n=2), E. coli (n=1), P. aeruginosa (n=1), and suspected fungal infection (n=5). Seven patients received medical treatment only while the other 18 patients also required surgical intervention. The overall fatality rate was 16% and 20% of patients had neurologic sequelae. There was no statistical association between outcomes and the factors studied.ConclusionAlthough uncommon, a brain abscess is a serious disease. A high level of suspicion is very important for early diagnosis and to prevent serious consequences