Six new Phytophthora species from ITS Clade 7a including two sexually functional heterothallic hybrid species detected in natural ecosystems in Taiwan.

During a survey of Phytophthora diversity in natural ecosystems in Taiwan six new species were detected. Multigene phylogeny based on the nuclear ITS, ß-tubulin and HSP90 and the mitochondrial cox1 and NADH1 gene sequences demonstrated that they belong to ITS Clade 7a with P. europaea, P. uniformis, P. rubi and P. cambivora being their closest relatives. All six new species differed from each other and from related species by a unique combination of morphological characters, the breeding system, cardinal temperatures and growth rates. Four homothallic species, P. attenuata, P. flexuosa, P. formosa and P. intricata, were isolated from rhizosphere soil of healthy forests of Fagus hayatae, Quercus glandulifera, Q. tarokoensis, Castanopsis carlesii, Chamaecyparis formosensis and Araucaria cunninghamii. Two heterothallic species, P. xheterohybrida and P. xincrassata, were exclusively detected in three forest streams. All P. xincrassata isolates belonged to the A2 mating type while isolates of P. xheterohybrida represented both mating types with oospore abortion rates according to Mendelian ratios (4-33 %). Multiple heterozygous positions in their ITS, ß-tubulin and HSP90 gene sequences indicate that P. xheterohybrida, P. xincrassata and P. cambivora are interspecific hybrids. Consequently, P. cambivora is re-described as P. xcambivora without nomenclatural act. Pathogenicity trials on seedlings of Castanea sativa, Fagus sylvatica and Q. suber indicate that all six new species might pose a potential threat to European forests.

The efficacy of amoxicillin sodium against streptococcosis in cultured olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus and its pharmacokinetics.

The efficacy of amoxicillin sodium for controlling field and experimental Streptococcus iniae and S. parauberis infections in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) was evaluated after a single intramuscular administration. Furthermore, the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against 21 Streptococcus strains were determined. In addition, the pharmacokinetics and residue depletion in olive flounder were investigated. Single intramuscular doses of amoxicillin sodium at 20, 40, 80, and 160 mg/kg b.w. fish significantly reduced cumulative mortality rates to 18.8-31.3% (P < 0.05) for S. iniae and to 5.0-15.0% (P < 0.01) for S. parauberis, whereas the S. iniae- and S. parauberis-infected positive control groups showed cumulative mortality rates of 68.8% and 60.0%, respectively. In a S. parauberis outbreak, amoxicillin sodium reduced the cumulative mortality rate to 7.5% and 4.8% at 20 and 40 mg/kg b.w. fish, respectively, whereas that of the untreated control group was 35.2%. Peak plasma concentrations (Cmax ) following a single intramuscular dose of 40 and 80 mg/kg b.w. fish were 62.64 (Tmax , 1.59 h) and 87.61 (Tmax , 3.02 h) µg/mL, respectively, with large AUC0-t /MIC and Cmax /MIC ratios, and sufficient T > MIC (time for maintaining plasma drug concentration greater than MICs) for S. iniae and S. parauberis. The estimated withdrawal period of amoxicillin sodium from muscle of olive flounder was about 8 days at 40 mg/kg b.w. fish (at 22 ± 1 °C). These results demonstrated a single intramuscular administration of amoxicillin sodium to be effective against streptococcosis in olive flounder.

Field-driven domain wall motion under a bias current in the creep and flow regimes in Pt/[CoSiB/Pt]N nanowires.

The dynamics of magnetic domain wall (DW) in perpendicular magnetic anisotropy Pt/[CoSiB/Pt]N nanowires was studied by measuring the DW velocity under a magnetic field (H) and an electric current (J) in two extreme regimes of DW creep and flow. Two important findings are addressed. One is that the field-driven DW velocity increases with increasing N in the flow regime, whereas the trend is inverted in the creep regime. The other is that the sign of spin current-induced effective field is gradually reversed with increasing N in both DW creep and flow regimes. To reveal the underlying mechanism of new findings, we performed further experiment and micromagnetic simulation, from which we found that the observed phenomena can be explained by the combined effect of the DW anisotropy, Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, spin-Hall effect, and spin-transfer torques. Our results shed light on the mechanism of DW dynamics in novel amorphous PMA nanowires, so that this work may open a path to utilize the amorphous PMA in emerging DW-based spintronic devices.

Low pathogenicity of flounder iridovirus (FLIV) and the absence of cross-protection between FLIV and rock bream iridovirus.

The genus Megalocytivirus is known to infect a wide range of cultured marine fish. In this study, we examined the pathogenicity of FLIV (Megalocytivirus from olive flounder, genotype III) and RBIV (Megalocytivirus from rock bream, genotype I) to their homologous and heterologous host species. Olive flounder (7.5 ± 1.3 cm) injected with FLIV [major capsid protein (MCP) gene copies, 6.8 × 103 -6.5 × 106 /fish] at 24 °C did not die until 90 days post-infection (dpi). The average virus replication in the spleen peaked (1.27 × 106 /fish) at 20 dpi. Rock bream (6.5 ± 1.5 cm) injected with FLIV (8.8 × 105 and 6.5 × 106 /fish of MCP copies) showed no mortality until 50 dpi. The rock bream that survived after FLIV infection were rechallenged with RBIV at 50 dpi had 100% mortality, showing that there is no cross-protection between FLIV and RBIV. Temperature shifting (26 °C and 20 °C at 12 h intervals) did not cause FLIV-specific mortality into olive flounder, but higher virus copies were observed in the fish exposed to higher stocking density. This study demonstrates that FLIV and RBIV have different antigenic and pathogenic characteristics and that FLIV has low pathogenicity to olive flounder.

Effects of water temperature on mortality in Megalocytivirus-infected rock bream Oplegnathus fasciatus (Temminck et Schlegel) and development of protective immunity.

Rock bream iridovirus (RBIV) causes huge losses, especially in rock bream Oplegnathus fasciatus. Rock bream injected with RBIV and held at 29, 26, 23 or 20 °C had 100% mortality. Conversely, all infected fish held at 17 °C survived even after the temperature was progressively increased to 26 °C at 100 dpi. Rock bream exposed to virus and held for 2, 4 and 7 days at 23/26 °C before the temperature was reduced to 17 °C had mortality rates of 26.6/73.2%, 66.6/100% and 93.4/100%, respectively, through 100 dpi. When surviving fish had the water temperature increased from 17 to 26 °C at 100 dpi, they did not exhibit signs of disease and had low virus copy numbers (below 10(3)). To investigate the development of a protective immune, rock bream were infected with RBIV and held at 23 °C before shifting the water temperature to 17 °C at 4 dpi. All injected fish survived until 120 dpi. While 100% of the previously unexposed fish died, 80.2% of the previously infected fish survived. When the survivors were rechallenged again at 160 dpi, no further mortality occurred. The high survival rate of fish following rechallenge with RBIV indicates that protective immunity was established in the surviving rock bream.

Resveratrol prevents development of eosinophilic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps in a mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Since the recent establishment of a murine model of eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), both the development of new drugs for treatment or prevention of eosinophilic CRSwNP and elucidation of their pathogenesis have been feasible. We investigated the therapeutic effects of resveratrol on CRSwNP and its mechanism of action using a murine model. METHODS: After induction of eosinophilic CRSwNP, the therapeutic effects of resveratrol were tested and compared with those of triamcinolone acetonide. Histopathologic changes were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin for overall inflammation, Sirius red for eosinophils, and Masson's trichrome stain for collagen. The expression levels of the interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, prostaglandin D synthase, and leukotriene C4 synthase genes were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR. Cyclooxygense-2 and 5-lipoxygense levels were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: The degree of eosinophilic infiltration and subepithelial fibrosis was significantly decreased by administration of high-dose resveratrol, the potency of which was similar to that of triamcinolone acetonide. The expression levels of the IL-4, IL-5, prostaglandin D synthase, and leukotriene C4 synthase genes were significantly decreased by administration of low- or high-dose resveratrol. The production of 5-lipoxygenase was strongly inhibited by high-dose resveratrol. CONCLUSIONS: Resveratrol may be useful for the prevention of eosinophilic CRSwNP. A key mechanism of its action is believed to be its anti-inflammatory effect, particularly on eosinophils, by inhibiting the lipoxygenase pathway.

Uterine müllerian adenosarcoma with sarcomatous overgrowth and lung metastasis in a 25-year-old woman.

Uterine müllerian adenosarcoma with sarcomatous overgrowth (MASO), uncommon in premenopausal women, is a rare variant of uterine adenosarcomas characterized by a sarcomatous portion constituting >25% of the tumor. Uterine MASO often appears as a benign, protruding cervical polyp. However, in contrast to typical müllerian adenosarcomas (MAs), MASO is a highly aggressive tumor, frequently associated with a fatal outcome. Though very rare in premenopausal women, because of the high aggressiveness and malignant potential, uterine MASO should be considered, even in women of a young age with benign-appearing polypoid masses, and treated aggressively at the time of initial diagnosis without delay. We present herein a case of uterine MASO in a 25-year-old woman with lung metastasis who was lost to follow-up for one month after the initial diagnosis had been established.

Aberrant ventral striatal responses during incentive processing in unmedicated patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by the dysfunction of control and reward mechanisms. However, only few neuroimaging studies of OCD have examined the reward processing. We examined the neural responses during incentive processing in OCD. METHOD: Twenty unmedicated patients with OCD and 20 age-, sex-, and IQ-matched healthy controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a modified monetary incentive delay task. RESULTS: Compared with controls, patients with OCD showed increased ventral striatal activation in the no-loss minus loss outcome contrast and a significant positive correlation between the ventral striatal activation and compulsion symptom severity. In addition, patients with OCD showed increased activations in the frontostriatal regions in the gain minus no-gain outcomes contrast. During loss anticipation, patients with OCD showed less activations in the lateral prefrontal and inferior parietal cortices. However, during gain anticipation, patients with OCD and healthy controls did not differ in the ventral striatal activation. CONCLUSION: These findings provide neural evidence for altered incentive processing in unmedicated patients with OCD, suggesting an elevated sensitivity to negatively affect stimuli as well as dysfunction of the ventral striatum.

Association of CHRM2 polymorphisms with severity of alcohol dependence.

The cholinergic muscarinic 2 receptor (CHRM2) gene has been considered a candidate gene for the alcohol dependence in that it might underpin certain risk factors for this condition. This study examined variations in the CHRM2 between the patients with alcohol dependence and population controls in Korean and explored the associations between CHRM2 polymorphisms and severity of symptoms in the patients with alcohol dependence. One hundred and fifty-five patients with alcohol dependence, defined by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS) to measure the severity of symptoms, and one hundred and ninety-five population controls were drawn in the study. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CHRM2 were genotyped using the TaqMan assay and analyzed with the severity of symptoms of alcohol dependence. We found that although SNP rs324650 showed marginal association with the risk of alcohol dependence (P = 0.03), the significance of the result was not sustained after multiple corrections. SNP rs1824024 was significantly associated with the AUDIT and ADS scores in patients (P = 0.005 and 0.003, respectively). These findings suggested that the muscarinic acetylcholine function might be related not with alcohol dependence itself but with the severity of alcohol dependence in Korean population.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone enhances the invasiveness and migration of Ishikawa cells, possibly by increasing matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), synthesized in the hypothalamus, is also produced at several extrahypothalamic sites and in normal endometrial cells. CRH exerts antiproliferative activity on oestrogen-dependent tumour cell lines (Ishikawa cells and breast cancer cells) via the CRH receptor-1. This study investigated the potential role of CRH as a factor affecting endometrial migration and invasion in Ishikawa cells, and the possible mechanisms involved in this process. Increasing concentrations of CRH (1, 10 and 100 nM) significantly reduced the proliferation of Ishikawa cells but increased the invasiveness these cells compared with the control group. All three concentrations of CRH significantly increased matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 levels in Ishikawa cells. In conclusion, CRH inhibited the growth of Ishikawa cells but enhanced their invasiveness, possibly by increasing MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels. These findings suggest that CRH might induce invasion and migration by upregulating MMP-2 and MMP-9 in endometrial cancer.

Small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix: clinicopathologic study of 20 cases in a single center.

PURPOSE: To investigate clinicopathologic findings of patients with small cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix (SCCUC), and evaluate their prognosis. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 20 patients with histologically confirmed SCCUC treated between October 1996 and December 2004 at Asan Medical Center, Korea. The review included demographic data, pathologic findings, treatments, and outcomes. RESULTS: Of 1,358 invasive cervical carcinoma, the incidence of SCCUC was 1.5%. Median age was 45.5 years. The clinical stages were Ib in 11, IIa in two, IIb in one, IIIa in one, IIIb in one, IVa in three and IVb in one. Fourteen patients underwent radical hysterectomy. Ten patients are alive and nine show no evidence of disease. Median overall survival was 77.0 months and 5-year overall survival rate was 50%. There was significant difference in overall survival with FIGO stage and tumor mass size. CONCLUSION: Advanced FIGO stage and tumor mass size are poor prognostic factors for overall survival in patients with SCCUC. Even though SCCUC is a highly aggressive neoplasm, early diagnosis and combined therapeutic modalities may lead to longer survival in some patients.

Towards better understanding of the contributions of overwork and glucotoxicity to the beta-cell inadequacy of type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by reduction of beta-cell mass and dysfunctional insulin secretion. Understanding beta-cell phenotype changes as T2D progresses should help explain these abnormalities. The normal phenotype should differ from the state of overwork when beta-cells compensate for insulin resistance to keep glucose levels normal. When only mild hyperglycaemia develops, beta-cells are subjected to glucotoxicity. As hyperglycaemia becomes more severe, so does glucotoxicity. beta-Cells in all four of these situations should have separate phenotypes. When assessing phenotype with gene expression, isolated islets have artefacts resulting from the trauma of isolation and hypoxia of islet cores. An advantage comes from laser capture microdissection (LCM), which obtains beta-cell-rich tissue from pancreatic frozen sections. Valuable data can be obtained from animal models, but the real goal is human beta-cells. Our experience with LCM and gene arrays on frozen pancreatic sections from cadaver donors with T2D and controls is described. Although valuable data was obtained, we predict that the approach of taking fresh samples at the time of surgery is an even greater opportunity to markedly advance our understanding of how beta-cell phenotype evolves as T2D develops and progresses.

Sero-epidemiology of hepatitis A virus infection among healthcare workers in Korean hospitals.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) has been increasingly reported in Korea as has an outbreak in Korean healthcare workers (HCWs). This 2008 study evaluated the sero-epidemiology of HAV infections among 3696 HCWs in four Korean hospitals. HCWs were tested for immunoglobulin G anti-HAV antibodies using commercially available kits. Data including demographic characteristics, occupation, workplace and serological status for other hepatitis viruses were collected. Statistical analyses were conducted to identify variables related to HAV seropositivity. Among the 3696 participants, 2742 (74%) were women and the majority (96%) were aged 20-39 years (median: 28; range: 19-68). Eighteen percent were physicians, 46% nurses, 10% nurses' aides, 11% paramedical technicians and 15% administrative staff. Seropositivity for HAV significantly increased with age (P<0.001): 1.8% for < or =24 years, 14.7% for 25-29 years, 41.8% for 30-34 years, 75.5% for 35-39 years, and 93.7% for > or =40 years. Among those aged 20-39 years, age-specific HAV seroprevalence was significantly lower in physicians than in the other occupational groups (P<0.001). In Korea, mass vaccination to HCWs aged < or =29 years or screening for seropositivity and vaccinating non-immune subjects aged 30-39 years should be considered, especially in physicians.

Nonlinear dynamics of domain-wall propagation in epitaxial ferroelectric thin films.

We investigated the ferroelectric domain-wall propagation in epitaxial Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin film over a wide temperature range (3-300 K). We measured the domain-wall velocity under various electric fields and found that the velocity data is strongly nonlinear with electric fields, especially at low temperature. We found that, as one of surface growth issues, our domain-wall velocity data from ferroelectric epitaxial film could be classified into the creep, depinning, and flow regimes due to competition between disorder and elasticity. The measured values of velocity and dynamical exponents indicate that the ferroelectric domain walls in the epitaxial films are fractal and pinned by a disorder-induced local field.

The pressure effect on magnetism in CeTe(1.82).

We report the pressure effect of the normal-state transport and magnetic properties of CeTe(1.82) up to 9 kbar. We found that the applied pressure increases the Kondo temperature (T(K)(*)∼170 K), which is associated with the two-dimensional motion of carriers confined within the Te plane. Both the short-range ferromagnetic ordering temperature (T(SRF)∼6 K) and the long-range antiferromagnetic transition temperature (T(N)∼4.3 K) are slightly increased with pressure. We suggest that the application of pressure enhances coupling between the 4f and conduction electrons. While applying the magnetic field, a large magnetoresistance is observed in the vicinity of T(SRF), which is analogous to that at ambient pressure.

Revealing charge density wave formation in the LaTe2 system by angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy.

We present the first direct study of charge density wave (CDW) formation in quasi-2D single layer LaTe2 using high-resolution angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy and low energy electron diffraction. CDW formation is driven by Fermi surface (FS) nesting, however, characterized by a surprisingly smaller gap ( approximately 50 meV) than seen in the double layer RTe2 compounds, extending over the entire FS. This establishes LaTe2 as the first reported semiconducting 2D CDW system where the CDW phase is FS nesting driven. In addition, the layer dependence of this phase in the tellurides and the possible transition from a stripe to a checkerboard phase is discussed.

Mitochondrial dysfunction induces aberrant insulin signalling and glucose utilisation in murine C2C12 myotube cells.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Mitochondrial dysfunction is considered a critical component in the development of diabetes. The aim of this study was to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of insulin resistance and diabetes through investigation of mitochondrial retrograde signalling. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mitochondrial function of C2C12 myotube cells was impaired by genetic (ethidium bromide) and metabolic (oligomycin) stress, and changes in target molecules related to insulin signalling were analysed. RESULTS: Concomitant with reductions in mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsim) and ATP synthesis, production of IRS1 and solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose transporter), member 4 (SLC2A4, formerly known as GLUT4) were reduced. Moreover, serine phosphorylation of IRS1 increased, resulting in decreased tyrosine phosphorylation. This indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction decreases insulin-stimulated SLC2A4 translocation and glucose uptake. Mitochondrial stress activated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) signalling in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner, and removal of free Ca(2+) by BAPTA-AM, as well as inhibition of JNK and p38 MAPK, abrogated mitochondrial stress-induced reductions in IRS1 and SLC2A4 production. Mitochondrial dysfunction after oligomycin treatment significantly increased levels of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), which represses Irs1 promoter activity. Removal of the 5' flanking region of Irs1 demonstrated that the promoter region within 191 bases from the transcription site may be involved in the transcriptional repression of Irs1 by mitochondrial stress. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: We show distinct mitochondrial retrograde signalling, where Irs1 is downregulated through ATF3 in a Ca(2+)-, JNK- and p38 MAPK-dependent manner, and IRS1 is inactivated. Therefore, mitochondrial dysfunction causes aberrant insulin signalling and abnormal utilisation of glucose, as observed in many insulin resistance states.

Adult granulosa cell tumor of the ovary: 35 cases in a single Korean Institute.

BACKGROUND: Adult granulosa cell tumor of the ovary is an uncommon neoplasm. The overall prognosis is favorable. The prognostic factors that are related to survival have not been well defined and are discussed in the literature amidst controversy. METHODS: Thirty-five patients diagnosed with adult granulosa cell tumor of the ovary were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic data, pathologic findings, treatments, and survival times were reviewed and analyzed for prognostic significance. RESULTS: Of the 35 cases, there were 30 cases representing stage I tumors, one case at stage II, four cases at stage III, and no cases at stage IV. The mean overall survival time of all patients was 140.3 months. The 5- and 10-year survival rates were 92.0% and 85.8% respectively. The FIGO stage was the only independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small number of patients, the study showed that the less advanced stage is the only favorable prognostic factor of significance.