• Title/Summary/Keyword: resistance management

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Development of Real-time PCR Assay Based on Hydrolysis Probe for Detection of Epichloë spp. and Toxic Alkaloid Synthesis Genes

  • Lee, Ki-Won;Woo, Jae Hoon;Song, Yowook;Rahman, Md Atikur;Lee, Sang-Hoon
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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    • v.42 no.3
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    • pp.201-207
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    • 2022
  • Fescues, which are widely cultivated as grasses and forages around the world, are often naturally infected with the endophyte, Epichloë. This fungus, transmitted through seeds, imparts resistance to drying and herbivorous insects in its host without causing any external damage, thereby contributing to the adaptation of the host to the environment and maintaining a symbiosis. However, some endophytes, such as E. coenophialum synthesize ergovaline or lolitrem B, which accumulate in the plant and impart anti-mammalian properties. For example, when livestock consume excessive amounts of grass containing toxic endophytes, problems associated with neuromuscular abnormalities, such as convulsions, paralysis, high fever, decreased milk production, reproductive disorders, and even death, can occur. Therefore, pre-inoculation with non-toxic endogenous fungi or management with endophyte-free grass is important in preventing damage to livestock and producing high-quality forage. To date, the diagnosis of endophytes has been mainly performed by observation under a microscope following staining, or by performing an immune blot assay using a monoclonal antibody. Recently, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based molecular diagnostic method is gaining importance in the fields of agriculture, livestock, and healthcare given the method's advantages. These include faster results, with greater accuracy and sensitivity than those obtained using conventional diagnostic methods. For the diagnosis of endophytes, the nested PCR method is the only available option developed; however, it is limited by the fact that the level of toxic alkaloid synthesis cannot be estimated. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to develop a triplex real-time PCR diagnostic method that can determine the presence or absence of endophyte infection using DNA extracted from seeds within 1 h, while simultaneously detecting easD and LtmC genes, which are related to toxic alkaloid synthesis. This new method was then also applied to real field samples.

Suicidality and Related Psychopathology across Different Stages of Schizophrenia (조현병의 질환단계에 따른 자살경향성과 정신병리의 관계)

  • Joh, Euwon;Park, Kyeongwoo;Lee, Dong-Kyun;Lee, Hyeongrae;Kim, Chul-Eung;Ryu, Seunghyong
    • Korean Journal of Schizophrenia Research
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    • v.23 no.1
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    • pp.8-14
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    • 2020
  • Objectives: This study aimed to investigate suicidal behaviors and the related psychopathology across the different stages of schizophrenia. Methods: We recruited 131 patients with schizophrenia and categorized them into two groups, according to the duration of illness (DI) as follows: ≤10 years (n=39) and >10 years (n=92). Psychopathology and suicidality were assessed using the 18-item Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS-18) and the suicidality module from the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, respectively. Results: One-quarter of the patients with a DI ≤10 years and nearly one-sixth of the patients with a DI >10 years experienced suicidal behaviors in the previous month. Suicidality scores were significantly associated with the "affect" factor scores of the BPRS-18 in patients with a DI ≤10 years (β=0.55, p=0.003) and with the "resistance" factor scores in patients with a DI of >10 years (β=0.29, p=0.006). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that psychopathological factors were differentially associated with suicidality in patients with schizophrenia according to the illness stage. Our findings suggest that for effective suicide prevention, different approaches are required for the management of each stage of schizophrenia.

A Study on the Performance Predictions of Twin Sail Drone (트윈 세일 드론의 성능추정에 관한 연구)

  • Ryu, In-Ho;Yang, Changjo;Han, Won-heui
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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    • v.28 no.5
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    • pp.827-834
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    • 2022
  • Recently, marine surveys using unmanned ships are attracting attention, and research on small unmanned ships using sails is on the rise. Sail drones can be used for marine surveys, monitoring, and pollution management. Therefore, in this study, using the method of estimating the ship speed for twin sail drones, the optimal conditions for sailing are checked, and the performance to be considered in the initial design stage, such as the motion performance and resistance of the sail drone. Consequently, the twin sail drone had a speed lower than 2.0 m/s, and the stability satisfied the rule by DNV. In addition, the maximum speed at an angle of attack of 20° at TWA 100° was 1.69 m/s and that at an angle of attack of 25° at TWA 100° was 1.74 m/s.

Breakthroughs in the Systemic Treatment of HER2-Positive Advanced/Metastatic Gastric Cancer: From Singlet Chemotherapy to Triple Combination

  • Sun Young Rha;Hyun Cheol Chung
    • Journal of Gastric Cancer
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    • v.23 no.1
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    • pp.224-249
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    • 2023
  • Gastric cancer is heterogeneous in morphology, biology, genomics, and treatment response. Alterations in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression, microsatellite instability (MSI) status, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) levels, and fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) can be used as biomarkers. Since the combination of fluoropyrimidine/platinum plus trastuzumab that was investigated in the ToGA trial was approved as a standard of care in HER2-positive patients in 2010, no other agents showed efficacy in the first- (HELOISE, LOGiC, JACOB trials) and second- (TyTAN, GATSBY, T-ACT trials) line treatments. Despite the success in treating breast cancer, various anti-HER2 agents, including a monoclonal antibody (pertuzumab), an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC; trastuzumab emtansine [T-DM1]), and a small molecule (lapatinib) failed to translate into clinical benefits until the KEYNOTE-811 (first-line) and DESTINY-Gastri01 (≥second-line) trials were conducted. The incorporation of HER2-directed treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the form of a monoclonal antibody or ADC is now approved as a standard treatment. Despite the promising results of new agents (engineered monoclonal antibodies, bi-specific antibodies, fusion proteins, and small molecules) in the early phase of development, the management of HER2-positive gastric cancer requires further optimization to achieve precision medicine with a chemotherapeutic backbone. Treatment resistance is a complex process that can be overcome using a combination of chemotherapy, targeted agents, and immune checkpoint inhibitors, including novel agents. HER2 status must be reassessed in patients undergoing anti-HER2 treatment with disease progression after the first-line treatment. As a general guideline, patients who need systemic treatment should receive chemotherapy plus targeted agents, anti-angiogenic agents, immune checkpoint inhibitors, or their combinations.

Time-dependent seismic risk analysis of high-speed railway bridges considering material durability effects

  • Yan Liang;Ying-Ying Wei;Ming-Na Tong;Yu-Kun Cui
    • Earthquakes and Structures
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    • v.24 no.4
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    • pp.275-288
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    • 2023
  • Based on the crucial role of high-speed railway bridges (HSRBs) in the safety of high-speed railway operations, it is an important approach to mitigate earthquake hazards by proceeding with seismic risk assessments in their whole life. Bridge seismic risk assessment, which usually evaluates the seismic performance of bridges from a probabilistic perspective, provides technical support for bridge risk management. The seismic performance of bridges is greatly affected by the degradation of material properties, therefore, material damage plays a nonnegligible role in the seismic risk assessment of the bridge. The effect of material damage is not considered in most current studies on seismic risk analysis of bridges, nevertheless. To fill the gap in this area, in this paper, a nonlinear dynamic time-history analysis has been carried out by establishing OpenSees finite element model, and a seismic vulnerability analysis is carried out based on the incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) method. On this basis, combined with the site risk analysis, the time-dependent seismic risk analysis of an offshore three-span HSRB in the whole life cycle has been conducted. The results showed that the seismic risk probabilities of both components and system of the bridge increase with the service time, and their seismic risk probabilities increase significantly in the last service period due to the degradation of the material strength, which demonstrates that the impact of durability damage should be considered when evaluating the seismic performance of bridges in the design and service period.

Fabrication of Aluminum Nitride Reinforced Aluminum Matrix Composites via Plasma Arc Melting under Nitrogen Atmosphere (플라즈마 아크 용해 공정으로 자발합성된 질화알루미늄 강화 알루미늄기지 복합재료의 개발)

  • Sujin Jeong;Je In Lee;Eun Soo Park
    • Composites Research
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    • v.36 no.2
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    • pp.101-107
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    • 2023
  • In this study, aluminum nitride (AlN) reinforced aluminum (Al) matrix composites are fabricated via plasma arc melting under a nitrogen atmosphere. Within a minute of the chemical reaction between Al and N, dispersed AlN with the shape of transient and lamellar layers is in situ formed in the Al matrix. The composite contains 10 vol.% AlN reinforcements with low thermal resistance and strong bonding at the interfaces, which leads to the unique combination of thermal expansivity and conductivity in the resulting composites. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the composite can be further reduced when Si was alloyed into the Al matrix, which proposes the potential of the in situ Al matrix composites for thermal management applications.

Impact of Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Use on Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Pulmonary Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study with Propensity Score Matching

  • Hongjo Choi;Dawoon Jeong;Young Ae Kang;Doosoo Jeon;Hee-Yeon Kang;Hee Jin Kim;Hee-Sun Kim;Jeongha Mok
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.86 no.3
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    • pp.234-244
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    • 2023
  • Background: Effective treatment of fluoroquinolone-resistant multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (FQr-MDR-TB) is difficult because of the limited number of available core anti-TB drugs and high rates of resistance to anti-TB drugs other than FQs. However, few studies have examined anti-TB drugs that are effective in treating patients with FQr-MDR-TB in a real-world setting. Methods: The impact of anti-TB drug use on treatment outcomes in patients with pulmonary FQr-MDR-TB was retrospectively evaluated using a nationwide integrated TB database (Korean Tuberculosis and Post-Tuberculosis). Data from 2011 to 2017 were included. Results: The study population consisted of 1,082 patients with FQr-MDR-TB. The overall treatment outcomes were as follows: treatment success (69.7%), death (13.7%), lost to follow-up or not evaluated (12.8%), and treatment failure (3.9%). On a propensity-score-matched multivariate logistic regression analysis, the use of bedaquiline (BDQ), linezolid (LZD), levofloxacin (LFX), cycloserine (CS), ethambutol (EMB), pyrazinamide, kanamycin (KM), prothionamide (PTO), and para-aminosalicylic acid against susceptible strains increased the treatment success rate (vs. unfavorable outcomes). The use of LFX, CS, EMB, and PTO against susceptible strains decreased the mortality (vs. treatment success). Conclusion: A therapeutic regimen guided by drug-susceptibility testing can improve the treatment of patients with pulmonary FQr-MDR-TB. In addition to core anti-TB drugs, such as BDQ and LZD, treatment of susceptible strains with later-generation FQs and KM may be beneficial for FQr-MDR-TB patients with limited treatment options.

Distribution Characteristics of and Ecological Information on Benthic Macroinvertebrates in the Hwapocheon Stream (화포천의 저서성 대형무척추동물 분포특성과 생태학적 정보)

  • Bae, Seong-Woo;Hwang, Tae-Won;Yoon, Chun-Sik;Hong, Sung-Jin;Cheong, Seon-Woo
    • Journal of Environmental Science International
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    • v.31 no.2
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    • pp.149-169
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    • 2022
  • Hwapocheon stream is located in Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, and a part was declared a protected wetland area in 2017. In 2020 and 2021, we investigated the community structure of benthic macroinvertebrates of the Hwapocheon stream to provide ecological information for the management of the wetland. As a result, 4 phyla, 6 classes, 20 orders, 51 families, 83 species, and 2,621 individuals of benthic macroinvertebrates were identified. The average indices of diversity, richness, and evenness were the highest in the midstream area, whereas the highest average index of dominance was observed upstream. Seven biological water quality evaluations based on the distribution of benthic macroinvertebrates showed that the Biological Monitoring Working Party was an extremely suitable method for environmental evaluation of the Hwapocheon stream. Regarding functional feeding groups, the number of species of predators and gathering-collectors was the highest, and considering habitual dwelling groups, the number of species of clingers and sprawlers was the highest. The species number of Odonata, Hemiptera, and Coleoptera increased toward the downstream area, whereas the community loss index was the highest upstream. We also investigated relative resistance and resilience based on the distribution of aquatic insects and found that community stability was the highest downstream, whereas the lowest upstream.

Characteristics and Control of Pear Scab (Venturia nashicola): A Review (배 검은별무늬병균(Venturia nashicola) 감염특성과 방제기술)

  • Eu Ddeum Choi;Janghoon Song;Ho-Jin Seo
    • Research in Plant Disease
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    • v.29 no.2
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    • pp.101-107
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    • 2023
  • Pear scab, caused by Venturia nashicola, is one of the most devastating diseases of Asian pears in Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan. To manage this disease, growers mainly relied on chemical control. However, continuous use of chemical causes not only environmental contaminant but also the emergence of resistance to pathogens, so a more sustainable management plan is needed. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the life cycle and infection characteristics of V. nashicola and to set an active control strategy according to meteorological conditions rather than, as in the past, calendar-based control or continuous use of a specific fungicide system. Various results of the related research results were reviewed to summarize the race, infection characteristics, and control system of V. nashicola, a pear scab, and to discuss plans for a more effective control system.

Conveyance Analysis of Downstream of the Soyang Reservoir Considering the Influence of Vegetation (소양강 댐 직하류 하천의 식생 영향에 의한 통수능 분석)

  • Noh, Joonwoo;Shin, Hyunho;Kim, Hojoon
    • KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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    • v.30 no.6B
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    • pp.533-540
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    • 2010
  • Recently management of vegetation distributed in the watercourse is very important not only for safety but also for river restoration. In general, vegetations in the watercourse increase hydraulic resistance and accordingly decrease conveyance capacity which may yield levee overflow. This paper simulates water level rise using 1D and 2D hydro dynamic model to check the possibility of overflow in downstream of the Soyang Reservoir by assigning different roughness coefficient corresponding to different types of vegetation. In this study, 3 different vegetation types of tree, shrub, and main channel were considered and corresponding Manning's roughness coefficient n was assigned based on the vegetation map generated from the site investigation. As results, the water level raised about 0.1 to 0.7 m comparing with the case without considering vegetation and a proper measurements is necessary where overflow occurs due to low level levee.