• Proceedings of the Ginseng society Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.212-226
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• 2002

North American ginseng production may have been maximized in the traditional growing areas in the last decade and further increases may be in woods grown root, for niche markets. The marketplace demands high quality roots. Most problems leading to low quality roots start with the grower and can be avoided. These include poor site selection, inadequate soil drainage, untimely and poorly applied pesticides, and neglect of good sanitary practices. Selection of low lying sites increased the plant damage from frost in Ontario in May 2002. Seeding is still the major method of propagation of ginseng in spite of some success in culturing different parts of the plant. Opportunities exist for shortening the stratification period of North American ginseng seed to allow spring planting. This may reduce disease incidence. Since only one-third of ginseng seed sown ultimately produces plants harvested after 3 years any approach that reduces disease incidence and improves seed germination, seedling emergence and crop stand must be pursued. Disease is the major problem in ginseng cutivation from seed stratification, soil preparation prior to planting, right through to drying of the roots. Replant disease remains as an unresolved problem and needs full characterization and new approaches for control. Much progress has been made in research and related extension activities in disease control although challenges will arise such as with Quintozene and its replacement with Quadris for control of diseases caused by Rhizoctonia. Decreased labor populations and increased associated costs for ginseng production are causing rapid mechanization in every aspect of the ginseng industry. Engineers, machinery dealers, and fabricators, and growers are being challenged to increase efficiency by mechanization.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.164-171
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• 2020

Transgenic Alstroemeria plants resistant to Alstroemeria mosaic virus (AlMV) were generated through RNA-mediated resistance. To this end, the friable embryogenic callus (FEC) of Alstroemeria was induced from the leaf axil tissue and transformed with a DNA fragment containing the coat protein gene and 3'-nontranslated region of AlMV through an improved particle bombardment system. The bar gene was used as a selection marker. More than 300 independent transgenic FEC lines were obtained. Among these, 155 lines resistant to phosphinothricin (PPT) were selected under low stringent conditions. After increasing the stringency of PPT selection, 44 transgenic lines remained, and 710 somatic embryos from these lines germinated and developed into shoots. These transgenic shoots were then transferred to the greenhouse and challenged with AlMV. In total, 25 of the 44 lines showed some degree of resistance. PCR analysis confirmed the presence of the viral sequence. Virus resistance was observed at various levels. Establishment of an efficient transformation system for Alstroemeria will allow inserting transgenes into this plant to confer resistance to viral and fungal pathogens. Accordingly, this is the first report on the production of a transgenic virus-resistant Alstroemeria and lays the foundation for alternative management of viral diseases in this plant.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.81 no.3
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• pp.167-174
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• 2018

Despite recent clinical guidelines, the optimal therapeutic strategy for the management of refractory chronic cough is still a challenge. The present systematic review was designed to assess the evidence for efficacy and safety of gabapentin in the treatment of chronic cough. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library databases, and publications cited in bibliographies was performed. Articles were searched by two reviewers with a priori criteria for study selection. Seven relevant articles were identified, including two randomized controlled trials, one prospective case-series designed with consecutive patients, one retrospective case series of consecutive patients, one retrospective case series with unknown consecutive status, and two case reports comprising six and two patients, respectively. Improvements were detected in cough-specific quality of life (Leicester Cough Questionnaire score) and cough severity (visual analogue scale score) following gabapentin treatment in randomized controlled trials. The results of prospective case-series showed that the rate of overall improvement of cough and sensory neuropathy with gabapentin was 68%. Gabapentin treatment of patients with chronic cough showed superior efficacy and a good safety record compared with placebo or standard medications. Additional randomized and controlled trials are needed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.51-55
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• 2021

There are several lasers available for office-based or suspension microlaryngoscopy laser procedures in the treatment of laryngeal diseases. Each has advantages and disadvantages given the depth of penetration per unit of power, absorption in water, spectral absorption characteristics, mode of delivery, safety, and cost. It is important to note that while the proper selection of indication of treatment based on a laser wavelength is critical, of equal importance is selecting the appropriate power setting, focal length (or spot size), and time of exposure. The photoangiolytic lasers precisely target hemoglobin within the microcirculation of the highly vascularized tissue and may have better hemostatic effects and preservation of surrounding normal tissue than the CO₂ laser. Although the choice of laser is purely theoretical and cannot be accurately concluded which parameters of laser (wattage and pulse width) were best to use, photoangiolytic laser surgery is safe and effective for specific laryngeal lesions. In this review, indications for photoangiolytic laser procedures for various laryngeal diseases, laser settings and surgical techniques for specific laryngeal lesions including sulcus vocalis, laryngeal dysplasia, and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis will be introduced. Pros and cons of in-office laser surgery using photoangiolytic laser and flexible CO₂ laser will also be addressed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.69.2-70
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• 2003

For the selection and breeding of chestnut varieties resistant to the chestnut blight fungus Cryphonectria parasitica, disease resistance and susceptibility of 28 varieties widely planted and growing in Korea were evaluated by artificial inoculation of a pathogenic fungus. For this experiment, a typical virulent strain (KCPC-19) was selected. Artificial inoculation was conducted into all varieties by using two different materials and methods, i.e., bark and wood tissue sections in the laboratory and living trees in the field. In the bark and wood tissue section method, the size of necrotic area and canker development on chestnut varieties were examined and compared 4 days after inoculation. There were wide variations of chestnut varieties in disease resistance and susceptibility against chestnut blight fungus, but 3 varieties, Daebo！, Ishizuchi, and Sandae, were shown to be relatively resistant to the disease with the necrotic area of 0.95-1.03 cm2, while Arima was the most susceptible with the size of 2.0 cm2. In the living tree inoculation examined 5 weeks after inoculation, 3 varieties, Daebo, Ishizuchi, and Riheiguri, showed the higher resistance, but Tono 2 did the highest susceptibility among tested varieties.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.465-477
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• 2016

Objectives: This review examined the scientific evidence regarding the impact of climate change on food safety. Methods: The impact of climate change on food safety was assessed based on a survey of related publications reported in the past 20 years. The terms used for literature selection reflect three aspects: climate change; food; and food safety. Results: Climate change is expected to affect the key elements of food production - water and climate. These impact on food safety through many different pathways. Directly, food shortages according to the population grovoth result in a food security/food supply problem, These relationships are commonly understood. The indirect impacts include an increase in food-borne diseases and pathogens, increased mycotoxin production, and increased risk of pesticide residues in foods due to greater use of pesticides in response to warming and increased precipitation and the accompanying diseases in certain crops. Field studies and statistical and scenario analyses were performed to provide evidence. However, quantification of these relationships is still lacking. Conclusion: Adaptation measures at the local and community levels are essential since the pressures from weather and climate events may differ according to region and sector. It is recommended that we go beyond empirical observations of the association between climate change and food safety and develop more scientific explanations. We also need to explore alternative materials for bioenergy demands in order to improve sustainability.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.13-22
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• 1998

This study was conducted to find qualitative approaches to occupational reference to group health practices. In-depth interviewing was done on 8 subjects health monitor members, owners and occupational nurses, respectively). The major findings were as follows; 1. Visiting health management Useful services were 'health counseling', 'medical examination', 'providing informations about managing diseases', 'agency business in relation to Labour Ministry' and 'giving a recognition about occupational health service to owners'. Insufficiencies were 'lack of treatment service after medical examination' and 'lack of follow up services constantly'. 2. Occupational nursing service Useful services were 'providing health information' and 'counselling about health'. Major contents of occupational nursing services were 'management of occupational and adult diseases' and 'explanation of the results after medical examination'. Insufficiencies were 'deficiency of the place where group health education could be performed', 'lack of additional or closer examinations needed in counselling' and 'discontinuous selection of additional or more exact examinations'. 3. Health monitor members Health monitor members in industries were classified into two. Some were selected by owners and the others were selected simply by considering their administrative abilities such as proficient management of documents. Their major tasks were to connect workers with occupational health management agencies. This study suggests that programs should be developed which enable health monitor members to cooperate with occupational nurses.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.79-87
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• 2022

Since ancient times, plants have been a major source of novel drug molecules and have been used in the treatment of different infectious diseases. Secondary plant metabolites have miraculous healing properties and show potent therapeutic responses when used in combination drug therapy. The prime objective of this review is to summarize the concept of drug combination with special emphasis on the synergistic interactions between plant-derived bioactive phytochemicals with commercially available antimicrobial agents. The study also assesses the roles, importance, and applicability of phytochemicals in the management of different diseases. The review focuses on different aspects of combined antimicrobial activities, the possible mechanisms involved, and the current status of research in the field. The study was conducted based on an extensive literature survey that resulted in the following hypothesis: secondary metabolites derived from plants possess remarkable therapeutic activities. The study was designed as a systematic review that ensures unbiased and accurate representations of the relevant data and information. Jadad scale selection criteria were used for qualitative analysis of the articles to assess them based on the relevant secure score (minimum and maximum scores range between 1 and 5, respectively). Articles with secure scores > 3 were considered for the study. A comprehensive literature survey was conducted using resource databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, Bielefeld Academic Search Engine, Research Gate, Scopus, Medline, and Science Direct up to June 2019. This article contains concise information about the most commonly used bioactive phytochemicals with potent antifungal and antibacterial effects.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.87 no.1
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• pp.91-99
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• 2024

Background: Tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE) and parapneumonic effusion (PPE) are often difficult to differentiate owing to the overlapping clinical features. Observational studies demonstrate that the ratio of lactate dehydrogenase to adenosine deaminase (LDH/ADA) is lower in TPE compared to PPE, but integrated analysis is warranted. Methods: We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the LDH/ADA ratio in differentiating TPE and PPE. We explored the PubMed and Scopus databases for studies evaluating the LDH/ADA ratio in differentiating TPE and PPE. Results: From a yield of 110 studies, five were included for systematic review. The cutoff value for the LDH/ADA ratio in TPE ranged from <14.2 to <25. The studies demonstrated high heterogeneity, precluding meta-analysis. Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies Tool 2 assessment revealed a high risk of bias in terms of patient selection and index test. Conclusion: LDH/ADA ratio is a potentially useful parameter to differentiate between TPE and PPE. Based on the limited data, we recommend an LDH/ADA ratio cutoff value of <15 in differentiating TPE and PPE. However, more rigorous studies are needed to further validate this recommendation.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.138-148
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• 2016

The success of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) has enabled us to improve risk assessment and provide novel genetic variants for diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. However, most variants discovered by GWASs have been reported to have very small effect sizes on complex human diseases, which has been a big hurdle in building risk prediction models. Recently, many statistical approaches based on penalized regression have been developed to solve the "large p and small n" problem. In this report, we evaluated the performance of several statistical methods for predicting a binary trait: stepwise logistic regression (SLR), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and Elastic-Net (EN). We first built a prediction model by combining variable selection and prediction methods for type 2 diabetes using Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 5.0 from the Korean Association Resource project. We assessed the risk prediction performance using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the internal and external validation datasets. In the internal validation, SLR-LASSO and SLR-EN tended to yield more accurate predictions than other combinations. During the external validation, the SLR-SLR and SLR-EN combinations achieved the highest AUC of 0.726. We propose these combinations as a potentially powerful risk prediction model for type 2 diabetes.