First Report of Leaf Spot in Fischer's Ragwort Caused by

During disease surveys from 2019 to 2021, the authors frequently encountered leaf spot symptoms on Fischer's ragwort plants growing at fields at six locations of Gangwon Province, Korea. The symptoms displayed brown to dark brown, circular or irregular spots on the plant leaves. The disease surveys at the six locations revealed 1–90% of diseased leaves of the plants. Phoma sp. was dominantly isolated from the diseased leaf lesions. Seven single-spore isolates of the fungus were selected and identified as Didymella ligulariae by investigation of their cultural, morphological, and molecular characteristics. Artificial inoculation test to Fischer's ragwort leaves was conducted with three isolates of D. ligulariae. The inoculation test revealed that the tested isolates cause leaf spot symptoms in the plants similar to the natural ones. The fungal pathogen has never been reported to cause leaf spot in Fischer's ragwort. Leaf spot of Fischer's ragwort caused by D. ligulariae is first reported in this study

Exosomes from Human Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Epidermal Barrier Repair by Inducing de Novo Synthesis of Ceramides in Atopic Dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a multifactorial, heterogeneous disease associated with epidermal barrier disruption and intense systemic inflammation. Previously, we showed that exosomes derived from human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASC-exosomes) attenuate AD-like symptoms by reducing multiple inflammatory cytokine levels. Here, we investigated ASC-exosomes' effects on skin barrier restoration by analyzing protein and lipid contents. We found that subcutaneous injection of ASC-exosomes in an oxazolone-induced dermatitis model remarkably reduced trans-epidermal water loss, while enhancing stratum corneum (SC) hydration and markedly decreasing the levels of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-17, and TSLP, all in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, ASC-exosomes induced the production of ceramides and dihydroceramides. Electron microscopic analysis revealed enhanced epidermal lamellar bodies and formation of lamellar layer at the interface of the SC and stratum granulosum with ASC-exosomes treatment. Deep RNA sequencing analysis of skin lesions demonstrated that ASC-exosomes restores the expression of genes involved in skin barrier, lipid metabolism, cell cycle, and inflammatory response in the diseased area. Collectively, our results suggest that ASC-exosomes effectively restore epidermal barrier functions in AD by facilitating the de novo synthesis of ceramides, resulting in a promising cell-free therapeutic option for treating AD

Incidence of Beet Leaf Spot Caused by Neocamarosporium betae in Korea

From June to August 2021, we surveyed diseases affecting beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) plants in Cheolwon, Hoengseong, and Pyeongchang regions in Gangwon Province, Korea. We observed severe leaf spot symptoms, such as brown to dark circular or irregular spots on the leaves, in plants. Disease incidence in the plant leaves in the fields investigated at the three locations ranged from 1 to 80%. Five single-spore isolates of Phoma sp. were obtained from the diseased leaves and identified as Neocamarosporium betae based on their cultural, morphological, and molecular characteristics. Three isolates of N. betae were subsequently tested to confirm their pathogenicity in beet plants via artificial inoculation. The tested isolates caused leaf spot symptoms in the inoculated plants, similar to those observed in the plants in the investigated fields. Therefore, our findings revealed N. betae as the pathogen causing beet leaf spot in Korea

Stem Rot of Gondre Caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-2-2(IV)

Stem rot symptoms were observed in Gondre (Cirsium setidens) plants growing in a vinyl greenhouse in Taebaek, Korea during a disease survey in June 2022. The plants presented with dark brown to black rot on the stems at or above the soil line. Severely diseased plants displayed wilt and blight. Disease incidence among these plants ranged from 1 to 5%. Three isolates of Rhizoctonia sp. were obtained from the stem lesions of diseased plants. All isolates were identified as Rhizoctonia solani AG-2-2(IV) based on the morphological and cultural characteristics, results of the anastomosis test, and phylogenetic analysis. The pathogenicity of the isolates to Gondre plants was confirmed using an artificial inoculation test. The lesions induced by the inoculation test were similar to those observed in the investigated vinyl greenhouse. Here, we report a case of R. solani AG-2-2(IV) causing stem rot in Gondre

Seedling Rot of Kamchatka Goatsbeard Caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-1(ⅠB)

In July 2021, we surveyed diseases affecting wild vegetables grown in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, Korea. During this survey, we observed severe seedling rot symptoms in Kamchatka goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) grown in a vinyl greenhouse. The incidence of the disease in the plant seedlings was 1‒10%. Diseased seedlings from this population were collected, and fungi were isolated from leaf and petiole lesions. Rhizoctonia sp. was consistently isolated from the lesions. We examined the morphological and cultural characteristics and anastomosis groups of nine Rhizoctonia sp. isolates obtained from the lesions. The results revealed that all isolates corresponded to Rhizoctonia solani AG-1(ⅠB). Three isolates of R. solani AG-1( ⅠB) were evaluated to determine their pathogenicity towards Kamchatka goatsbeard seedlings through artificial inoculation. The tested isolates caused rot symptoms on the inoculated plant seedlings. The symptoms were similar to those observed in plant seedlings from the vinyl greenhouse. We found that R. solani AG-1(ⅠB) caused seedling rot of Kamchatka goatsbeard

First Report of Leaf Spot in Water Spinach Caused by Ectophoma multirostrata

Leaf spot symptoms were observed in water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) plants growing in fields in Ansan and Hongseong, Korea, during disease surveys in 2019 and 2020. The symptoms appeared as brown to dark brown circular or irregular spots on the leaves of the plants. The disease incidence on the plant leaves in the fields investigated at the two locations ranged from 1% to 20%. Five single-spore isolates of Phoma sp. were obtained from lesions of the diseased leaves. All the isolates were identified as Ectophoma multirostrata based on their cultural and morphological characteristics, as well as molecular analysis. Two isolates of E. multirostrata were tested for pathogenicity on water spinach leaves using artificial inoculation. The tested isolates caused leaf spot symptoms in the inoculated plants. These symptoms were similar to those observed in plants from the investigated fields. To our knowledge, this is the first report of E. multirostrata causing leaf spot in water spinach

Electrochemical Properties and Chemical Oxygen Demand Depending on the Thickness of Boron-Doped Diamond

In this study, boron-doped diamond (BDD) film was deposited by hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) using acetone as the carbon source and trimethyl borate (TMB) as the boron source with the aim of lowering the manufacturing cost of BDD electrodes. The BDD film was deposited for 12 and 60 h to observe changes in the morphological behavior of the film as well as subsequent changes in the electrochemical properties. The morphology of the BDD film was not affected by the deposition time, but the thickness increased with increasing deposition time. As the deposition time increased, the deposition rate of the BDD film did not increase or decrease; rather, it remained constant at 100 nm/h. As the thickness of the BDD film increased, an increase in the potential window was observed. On the other hand, no distinct change was observed in the electrochemical activation and catalytic activity depending on the thickness, and there were not many differences. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) was measured to determine the practical applicability of the deposited BDD film. Unlike the potential window, the COD removal rate was almost the same and was not affected by the increase in the thickness of the BDD film. Both films under the two deposition conditions showed a high removal rate of 90% on average. This study confirms that BDD electrodes are much more useful for water treatment than the existing electrodes

Peroxidase-catalyzed copolymerization of syringaldehyde and bisphenol A

Syringaldehyde, one of the major derivatives of lignin, was copolymerized with bisphenol A via a CiP (Coprinus cinereus peroxidase)-catalyzed reaction. Although syringaldehyde was not polymerized to a solid polymer, the copolymer with bisphenol A was obtained as a dark brown powdery precipitate. The relatively hydrophobic solvent, 2-propanol, gave a better yield (yield = 95%) than hydrophilic solvents, such as methanol, ethanol or acetone. Characteristic signals corresponding to the aldehyde group of syringaldehyde in the copolymer were detected in the FT-IR and (13)C NMR spectrum. The ratio of syringaldehyde incorporated into the copolymer was estimated by measuring the amount of monomers consumed (syringaldehyde and bisphenol A), which proportionally increased up to 80 mol% on increasing the initial ratio of syringaldehyde to bisphenol A. TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) showed that the thermally crosslinked copolymer (syringaldehyde:bisphenol A = 1: 1, w/w) had a much higher thermal resistance to thermal degradation than poly(bisphenol A); 36% residue still remained under a nitrogen atmosphere, even over 800 degrees C. This implies that the copolymer of syringaldehyde and bisphenol A could be a new thermally stable material originating from renewable resources.clos