Description of the Diadegma fenestrale (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Campopleginae) Attacking the Potato Tuber Moth, Phthorimaea operculella (Lep.: Gelechiidae) New to Korea

Diadegma fenestrale is known as a parasitoid of the potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella. The potato tuber moth, Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) is one of the most destructive pest of potatoes. Also, we found this species attacking the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae). Ratio of parasitism is 20-30% and cocoon of lepidopteran was parasitic ichneumonid species after 3 days. This species and the genus Diadegma are recorded for the first time from Korea. In this paper, description of the parasitoid and photographs of the diagnostic characteristics are provided

Ionothermal Synthesis of Metal-Organic Framework

Ionothermal synthesis employs ionic liquids for synthesis of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) as solvent and template. The cations and anions of ionic liquids may be finely adjusted to produce a great variety of reaction environments and thus frameworks. Organisation of the structures synthesised from related ionic liquid combinations give rise to provocative chemical trends that may be used to predict future outcomes. Further analysis of their structures is possible by reducing the complex framework to its underlying topology, which by itself brings more precision to prediction. Through reduction, many seemingly different, but related classes of structures may be merged into larger groups and provide better understanding of the nanoscopic structures and synthesis conditions that gave rise to them. Ionothermal synthesis has promised to enable us to effectively plan the synthesis ahead for a given purpose. However, for its promise to be kept, several difficult limitations must be overcome, including the inseparable cations from the solvent that reside in the framework pore

Optimizing DC Vaccination by Combination With Oncolytic Adenovirus Coexpressing IL-12 and GM-CSF

Dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccination is a promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy. However, clinical trials have indicated that immunosuppressive microenvironments induced by tumors profoundly suppress antitumor immunity and inhibit vaccine efficacy, resulting in insufficient reduction of tumor burdens. To overcome these obstacles and enhance the efficiency of DC vaccination, we generated interleukin (IL)-12- and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-coexpressing oncolytic adenovirus (Ad-ΔB7/IL12/GMCSF) as suitable therapeutic adjuvant to eliminate immune suppression and promote DC function. By treating tumors with Ad-ΔB7/IL12/GMCSF prior to DC vaccination, DCs elicited greater antitumor effects than in response to either treatment alone. DC migration to draining lymph nodes (DLNs) dramatically increased in mice treated with the combination therapy. This result was associated with upregulation of CC-chemokine ligand 21 (CCL21+) lymphatics in tumors treated with Ad-ΔB7/IL12/GMCSF. Moreover, the proportion of CD4+CD25+ T-cells and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression was decreased in mice treated with the combination therapy. Furthermore, combination therapy using immature DCs also showed effective antitumor effects when combined with Ad-ΔB7/IL12/GMCSF. The combination therapy had a remarkable therapeutic efficacy on large tumors. Taken together, oncolytic adenovirus coexpressing IL-12 and GM-CSF in combination with DC vaccination has synergistic antitumor effects and can act as a potent adjuvant for promoting and optimizing DC vaccination