Epidemiologic features of pediatric genital injury in emergency departments in Korea

Purpose@#Genital injury is a common pediatric injury. Given the lack of nationwide data, the authors aimed to show age group-related epidemiologic features of genital injury in Korea. @*Methods@#We reviewed the data from 2011-2016 Emergency Department-based Injury In-depth Surveillance registry, which involves 23 emergency departments in Korea. From the dataset, we included children (< 18 years) with the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes related to genital injury as the final diagnosis with excluding those with other codes or combined injuries. Age groups were defined as follows; infants (< 1 year), toddlers (1-3), preschoolers (4-6), schoolers (7-12), and adolescents (13-17). The clinical features and outcomes were analyzed. @*Results@#A total of 3,030 children were included with the median age of 6 years (interquartile range, 4-10) and the proportion of girls of 53.0%. Only 144 children (4.8%) were transported by the emergency medical service providers. The most common mechanism and place were blunt injury (1,826 [60.3%]) and home (1,535 [50.7%]), respectively. Of the codes, “Contusion of external genital organs (S30.2)” was most common (1,574 [51.9%]). As for outcomes, 2,770 children (91.4%) were discharged, 252 (8.3%) were hospitalized (intensive care units, 1 child [0.03%]), and 108 (3.6%) underwent surgery. Severe injury occurred in 111 children (3.7%) without a mortality. With increasing age in the age groups, non-accidental injury, school and sports-related injuries, hospitalization, and surgery (All Ps < 0.001). @*Conclusion@#Genital injury may occur at evening, in spring and summer, at home, and in the form of accidental or blunt injury. Most children are discharged. Contrary to these general features, older children tend to undergo more frequently non-accidental injury, school and sports-related injuries, hospitalization, and surgery. Thus, we need age-specific strategies for injury prevention.

Different Mechanisms of Induced Systemic Resistance and Systemic Acquired Resistance Against Colletotrichum orbiculare on the Leaves of Cucumber Plants

Defense mechanisms against anthracnose disease caused by Colletotrichum orbiculare on the leaf surface of cucumber plants after pre-treatment with plant growth promoting rhizobacteria(PGPR), amino salicylic acid(ASA) or C. orbiculare were compared using a fluorescence microscope. Induced systemic resistance was mediated by the pre-inoculation in the root system with PGPR strain Bacillus amylolquefaciens EXTN-1 that showed direct antifungal activity to C. gloeosporioides and C. orbiculare. Also, systemic acquired resistance was triggered by the pre-treatments on the bottom leaves with amino salicylic acid or conidial suspension of C. orbiculare. The protection values on the leaves expressing SAR were higher compared to those expressing ISR. After pre-inoculation with PGPR strains no change of the plants was found in phenotype, while necrosis or hypersensitive reaction(HR) was observed on the leaves of plants pre-treated with ASA or the pathogen. After challenge inoculation, inhibition of fungal growth was observed on the leaves expressing both ISR and SAR. HR was frequently observed at the penetration sites of both resistance-expressing leaves. Appressorium formation was dramatically reduced on the leaves of plants pre-treated with ASA, whereas EXTN-1 did not suppress the appressorium formation. ASA also more strongly inhibited the conidial germination than EXTN-1. Conversely, EXTN-1 significantly increased the frequency of callose formation at the penetration sites, but ASA did not. The defense mechanisms induced by C. orbiculare were similar to those by ASA. Based on these results it is suggested that resistance mechanisms on the leaf surface was different between on the cucumber leaves expressing ISR and SAR, resulting in the different protection values.

Systemic Resistance and Expression of the Pathogenesis-Related Genes Mediated by the Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens EXTN-1 Against Anthracnose Disease in Cucumber

Plants have the ability to acquire an enhanced level of resistance to pathogen attack after being exposed to specific biotic stimuli. To obtain plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria inducing resistance against cucumber anthracnose by Colletotrichum orbiculare, more than 800 strains of rhizobacteria were screened in the greenhouse. Among these strains, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens solate EXTN-1 showed significant disease control efficacy on the plants. Induction of pathogenesis-related(PR-la) gene expression by EXTN-1 was assessed using tobacco plants transformed with PR-1a::beta-glucuronidase (GUS) construct. GUS activities of tobacco treated with EXTN-1 and salicylic acid-treated transgenic tobacco were significantly higher than those of tobacco plants with other treatments. Gene expression analyses indicated that EXTN-1 induces the accumulation of defense-related genes of tobacco. The results showed that some defense genes are expressed by the treatment with EXTN-1 suggesting the similar resistance mechanism by salicylic acid.

Effect of Sclerotial Distribution Pattern of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on Colonizing Ability of Trichoderma harzianum

Field studies were conducted over two seasons during the summers of 1997 and 1998 to investigate the effects of different spatial arrangements(random or highly aggregated) of sclerotia of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and alginate pellet types(bran or polyethylene glycol) on colonization of sclerotia by Trichoderma spp. Treatment with alginate pellets increased the mean percentages of sclerotia colonized by Trichoderma spp. in both years. Distribution patterns of sclerotia affected the mean percentage of sclerotia colonized by Trichoderma spp. in both years, indicating that a highly aggregated distribution of sclerotia was more favorable to colonization by Trichoderma spp. The effects of the different pellet types(bran or PEG) were not siginificant in both years(P>0.05). The application of higher densities(200 pellets per 1 m2) of alginate pellets resulted in higher mean percentages of sclerotia colonized by Trichoderma spp. in 1998(p<0.05), but did not in 1997.

Occurrence of Anthracnose on Cabbage Caused by Colletotrichum dematium

Anthracnose symptoms on young cabbages were found in cabbage nursery fields in Jangheung area of Korea in 1998. The symptoms developed on seedlings, leaves, and stems of young cabbages(Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.). The casual fungus was identified as Calletotrichum dernatium (Fr.) Grove based on morphological and cultural characteristics. Similar symptoms were observed on the cabbage when artificially inoculated on the plant leaves. The fungus was reisolated from the symptoms of the inoculated plant.