• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.209-218
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• 2019

During a survey of fungal diversity in Korea, two fungal strains, KNU17-1 and KNU17-199, were isolated from paddy field soil in Yangpyeong and Sancheong, respectively, in Korea. These fungal isolates were analyzed based on their morphological characteristics and the molecular phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA sequences. On the basis of their morphology and phylogeny, KNU17-1 and KNU17-199 isolates were identified as Albifimbria verrucaria and Deconica coprophila, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, A. verrucaria and D. coprophila have not yet been reported in Korea. Thus, this is the first report of these species in Korea.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.28.1-28.6
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• 2021

An African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in wild boars was first reported on October 2, 2019, in South Korea. Since then, additional cases were reported in South Korea's border areas. We here report the identification of ASF virus (ASFV) DNAs from two out of eight environmental abiotic matter samples collected from areas where ASF-positive wild boar carcasses were found. Comparative genomic investigations suggested that the contaminating ASFV DNAs originated from the wild boar whose carcass had been found near the positive sample sites. This is the first report on the identification of ASF viral material in wild boar habitats.

• International journal of thyroidology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.50-55
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• 2017

Sweet's syndrome, or acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis, occurs in association with autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis but is rare in Graves' disease, in which all cases are induced by propylthiouracil (PTU). We report a case of Sweet's syndrome in a patient with Graves' disease treated with methimazole (MMI) during three weeks. A 34-year-old man presented with the acute onset of high fever, skin rashes on the whole body, arthralgia, and acroparesthesia. Laboratory results showed leukocytosis and elevated C-reactive protein. MMI first stopped and antibiotics and antihistamine therapy started, but his symptoms dramatically improved after oral prednisolone. Graves' disease has again been treated by MMI because of his aggravated ophthalmopathy. After one year of retreatment with MMI, there has been no recurrence of Sweet's syndrome, supporting that Sweet's syndrome in this case was not related to MMI exposure. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Sweet's syndrome associated with Graves' disease per se but not PTU or MMI use.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.27-30
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• 2019

Smith-Kingsmore syndrome (SKS; OMIM 616638), also known as macrocephaly-intellectual disability-neurodevelopmental disorder-small thorax syndrome (MINDS; ORPHA 457485), is a rare autosomal dominant disorder, the prevalence of which is not known. It is caused by a heterozygous germline mutation in MTOR (OMIM 601231). Ten different MTOR germline mutations in 27 individuals have been reported in the medical literature to date. These were all gain-of-function missense variants, and about half of the 27 individuals had c.5395G>A p.(Glu1799Lys) in MTOR. Here, I report for the first time a Korean patient with the heterozygous germline mutation c.5395G>A p.(Glu1799Lys) in MTOR. It was found to be a de novo mutation, which was identified by whole-exome sequencing and confirmed by Sanger sequencing. The patient showed typical clinical features of SKS, including macrocephaly/megalencephaly; moderate intellectual disability; seizures; behavioral problems; and facial dysmorphic features of curly hair, frontal bossing, midface hypoplasia, and hypertelorism.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.417-423
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• 2021

Apple decline symptoms were frequently observed on cv. Fuji apple orchards located in Gyeonggi, Gyeongbuk, and Gangwon provinces during surveys conducted from May until the end of September 2020. Three fungal strains were isolated from the margins of internal lesions of diseased apple trees, and their morphological characteristics were considered similar to Botryosphaeria sinensis. Phylogenetic analysis using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef1), beta-tubulin (tub2), and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (rpb2) gene sequences confirmed the closest relationship of isolates with B. sinensis at the species level. According to a pathogenicity test, the appearance of dark-brown discolorations and vascular necrosis on apple branches inoculated with the isolated strain KNUF-20-014 was observed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of B. sinensis as the causal agent of apple disease in Korea.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.399-403
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• 2021

Stem blight symptoms were observed in greenhouse-grown bottle gourds (Lagenaria siceraria) in Wanju, Korea. Infected plants showed leaf chlorosis and wilting; the plants eventually died with the infected leaves remaining attached, and black sclerotia formed on the diseased stem. Based on the morphological characteristics and pathogenicity results and sequence analyses of the internal transcribed spacer, translation elongation factor 1-α, β-tubulin, and calmodulin regions, the isolated fungus was Macrophomina phaseolina. This is the first report of charcoal rot in Lagenaria siceraria caused by Macrophomina phaseolina in Korea.

• Mycobiology
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.522-527
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• 2020

Plum pocket caused by the dimorphic ascomycetous fungi, Taphrina spp., results in unsightly malformations and crop loss. In 2016, Japanese plums (Prunus salicina Lindl.) with plum pocket symptoms were found in Gimcheon. Three isolates were collected from symptomatic P. salicina fruits and identified as Taphrina deformans based on morphological characteristics and molecular sequence analysis of including internal transcribed space (ITS) and the mitochondrial small ribosomal subunit (SSU) regions of the three isolates. Pathogenicity test on plum fruits confirmed that, the present T. deformans isolates are causal agent of plum pocket. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of plum pocket caused by T. deformans in South Korea.

• Mycobiology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.89-94
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• 2021

Forty-three (n = 43) endophytic fungi with different morphologic characteristics were from a medicinal plant Sceletium tortuosum, were utilized to investigate their antifungal effectiveness against pathogenic fungi. All fungal isolates exhibited antifungal activity against one or more pathogens in the dual culture test whereas only 33 fungal culture filtrates (77%) showed decent antifungal effect. Fusaria and Aspergillus were the dominate genus that displayed significant antifungal activity. Isolates GG02, GG09, ND15, and ND17 showed the broadest spectrum of antifungal activity. Furthermore, culture filtrate of Fusarium sp. DR08 exhibited a broad range of antifungal activity against all the pathogens. The results suggest endophytic fungi isolated from medicinal plant might be a source of novel bioactive molecules. To the best our knowledge, this is the first report on endophytic fungi isolated from native kougoed exhibiting antifungal activity against plant fungal pathogens.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.168-170
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• 2022

A 58-year-old female patient was diagnosed with hypopharyngeal cancer with extension to the invasion of the upper esophagus. After 2 cycles of durvalumab as neoadjuvant therapy, total laryngo-esophagectomy using a single-port (SP) system via a subcostal incision was done. The operation was completed within 41 minutes, and the patient recovered without esophagectomy-related complications. The patient received total laryngectomy and esophagectomy using a robotic SP system via a 3-cm-long subcostal incision and gastric pull-up under laparotomy. During the postoperative period, the patient suffered from anastomotic leakage, but recovered with vacuum therapy. Here, we report the first successful human case of esophagectomy using an SP system.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.235-240
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• 2021

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a common disorder; however, sequential, bilateral presentation of the disease is rarer than unilateral presentation. Clinical otologists usually focus on treating the side with impaired hearing when patients first present with unilateral SSNHL, and therefore, may not warn patients of the possibility of subsequent hearing impairment in the contralateral ear. Furthermore, it is professionally discouraging when a patient presents with profound, sequential SSNHL after initial treatment. This may adversely impact the doctor-patient relationship, even if the patient is offered the best possible care from their first visit. Herein, we report the case of a patient with profound, idiopathic, bilateral SSNHL with a time interval of 37 days between involvement of both ears. Even though high-dose steroids were administered intraorally and intratympanically, the patient's hearing was not restored, and the patient eventually required bilateral cochlear implant surgery. Our report demonstrates that sequential, profound, bilateral SSNHL may manifest without any specific signs.