An Outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza at a Public Animal Exhibit in Seoul,Korea, During 2008

This study describes the first recorded outbreak of HPAI in the city of Seoul, in captive birds held in an exhibition for public viewing at a local district office. The index cases were two pheasants, which had been introduced into the exhibit on 24 April, 4 days prior to death, from a store in a local market in Gyeonggi‐do. Ducks and chickens from an HPAI outbreak farm, subsequently confirmed on 4 May, had also been held in this store. This outbreak highlights the potential role of local markets in AIV transmission. This outbreak led to considerable public health concern in Korea, however, no human cases were reported. The non‐commercial poultry sector needs to be considered in national plans for preparedness and response.     

Induced synthesis of caffeoylserotonin in pepper fruits upon infection by the anthracnose fungus, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides

Caffeoylserotonin (CaS) is a serotonin derivative that belongs to the family of phenylpropanoid amides, but has not previously been identified in plants. In this study, pepper fruits challenged with the anthracnose fungus, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, were found to synthesize CaS, which accumulated at concentrations of up to 2.3 μg/g fresh weight. The induction of CaS was accompanied by the upregulation of both 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL) and serotonin N-hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (SHT) in unripe pepper fruits. However, no induction of SHT and 4CL was observed in ripe pepper fruits consistent with the lower level of CaS production.     

Comparison of the glucosinolate-myrosinase systems among daikon (Raphanus sativus, Japanese white radish) varieties

Myrosinase is a cytosolic plant enzyme present in daikon ( Raphanus sativus, Japanese white radish) roots that hydrolyzes 4-methylthio-3-butenyl glucosinolate (MTBGLS) into the natural pungent agent 4-methylthio-3-butenyl isothiocyanate (MTBITC), which possesses antimicrobial, antimutagenic, and anticarcinogenic properties. The concentration of MTBGLS, myrosinase activity, and production of MTBITC in seven daikon varieties (one conventional and six heirlooms) were determined to rank the activity of the glucosinolate-myrosinase system and identify critical factors influencing the production of MTBITC. The six heirloom varieties produced 2.0-11.5 times higher levels of MTBITC as compared to the conventional variety, Aokubi, which is consumed by the present Japanese population. The myrosinase was located exclusively in the outer epidermal layer in Aokubi, and MTBGLS was widely distributed throughout the root tissue. Although the skin is a potentially rich source of myrosinase in Aokubi, the skin is usually peeled off in the current practice of preparing daikon for cooking. New practices are therefore proposed for the preparation of daikon tubers that eliminate the peeling of the skin to avoid removing the enzyme needed to convert MTBGLS to the health-beneficial MTBITC. It is also concluded that the consumption of heirloom daikon varieties in addition to changes in food preparation will optimize the health benefits of daikon.     

Sesquiterpenoids isolated from the flower buds of Tussilago farfara L. inhibit diacylglycerol acyltransferase

Inhibition of acyl CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT), which is a key enzyme in triglyceride synthesis in eukaryotic organisms, has been proposed as one of the drug targets for treating obesity, type II diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome. Bioassay-guided fractionation of EtOH extract of the flower buds of Tussilago farfara , using an in vitro DGAT enzyme assay, resulted in the isolation of four known sesquiterpenoids, tussilagonone (1), tussilagone (2), 7beta-(3-ethyl-cis-crotonoyloxy)-1alpha-(2-methylbutyryloxy)-3,14-dehydro-Z-notonipetranone (3), and 8-angeloylxy-3,4-epoxy-bisabola-7(14),10-dien-2-one (4). DGAT1 inhibitory activity was studied by in vitro DGAT assay using rat liver microsomes and HepG2 cell microsomes. They showed DGAT1 inhibition with IC(50) values of 99.2 (1), 18.8 (2), 47.0 (3), and 211.1 (4) microM (for rat liver microsomes) and >1 mM (1), 49.1 (2), 160.7 (3), and 294.4 (4) microM (for HepG2 cell microsomes), respectively. Compound 2 showed the most potent inhibition against microsomal DGAT1 derived from rat liver and human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells and also significantly inhibited triglyceride synthesis by suppressing incorporation of [(14)C]acetate or [(14)C]glycerol into triglycerides in HepG2 cells. These findings suggest that tussilagone is a potential lead compound in the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes.     

红壤稻田施用控释肥与氮素转化的关系

在湘南红壤稻田连续两年(2002-2003)采用田间试验与室内分析相结合的研究方法,对施用控释肥和尿素的稻田肥料氮转化与去向进行研究.结果表明,稻田氨挥发是氮素损失的主要原因.施用尿素,其氨挥发损失量达到施氮素总量的39.28%,施用控释肥(LCU70、LCU50),其氨挥发损失量分别占其施氮总量的19.99%和10.91%,比尿素的氨挥发氮素损失量降低19.29%～28.37%.田间表面水NH4-N浓度高峰期出现在施肥后的第1天,10d后下降到对照水平.田间氨挥发高峰期出现在施肥后的第3天,7d后下降到对照水平.施用控释肥(LCU70、LCUS0),水稻对氮素的吸收利用率分别为80.5%、64.7%,比施尿素高50.5%、34.7%,差异极显著.     

Food chemical properties of low-phytate rice cultivar,Sang-gol

Phytic acid inhibits mineral absorption in the intestines of monogastric animals, inhibition which can contribute to public health problems in human populations. This research compared the nutritional properties of parent rice cultivar Il-pum with those of an Il-pum-derived, mutant low-phytate rice cultivar, Sang-gol. No significant differences were shown in moisture, fat, carbohydrate and mineral content between Il-pum and Sang-gol. In the composition of protein and fatty acid, there were also no differences between the two cultivars. In the nutritional aspects, though Sang-gol had a 50% lower phytate content than Il-pum, the total phosphorus contents in the two cultivars were shown to be similar. These results indicated that Sang-gol had similar nutritional properties to those of the parent cultivar Il-pum, with the added benefit of lower phytate content.     

Antioxidative and Antigenotoxic Activity of Extracts from Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) Flowers

The Cosmos bipinnatus has been used in a traditional herbal remedy for various diseases such as jaundice, intermittent fever, and splenomegaly. The present study describes the preliminary evaluation of antioxidant activities and antigenotoxic effect of Cosmos bipinnatus flowers according to four different colors (white, pink, orange, and violet). The antioxidants properties were evaluated by determining TPC, DPPH RSA, ABTS RSA, and RP. The highest TPC of methanolic CFE (at concentration of 1 mg/ml) showed in violet colored CF (1,013 μM), and IC₅₀ of DPPH RSA, ABTS RSA, and RP were also the lowest in violet colored CFE with values of 0.61, 1.48, and 0.82 mg/ml, respectively. The antigenotoxic effect of the CFE on DNA damage induced by H₂O₂ in human leukocytes was evaluated by Comet assay. Pretreatments with CFE produced significant reductions in oxidative DNA damage at the concentration of 500 μg/ml, except for violet colored CFE. The ED₅₀ value of white colored CFE has shown the highest inhibition (0.40 mg/ml) on H₂O₂ induced DNA damage, followed by orange > pink > violet color. These results suggested that Cosmos bipinnatus has significant antioxidant activity and protective effect against oxidative DNA damage.     

Long-term changes in zooplankton and its relationship with squid, Todarodes pacificus, catch in Japan/East Sea

Long‐term change in zooplankton biomass and composition of major zooplankton assemblages was studied with a focus on climate change and squid catch in the Japan/East Sea. This study deals with data sets of zooplankton biomass, abundance of major zooplankton assemblages, and sea surface temperature (SST) obtained during the period from 1965 to 1998, and the catch of squid, Todarodes pacificus, from 1978 to 1998. Based on its physical characteristics, the study area was divided into two subregions, a northern and southern region. The SST during the winter and spring (February and April) steadily increased after the late 1980s in the southern region. On the other hand, the northern region did not have a warm winter and had higher interannual fluctuations. Zooplankton biomass also showed an increasing trend and major zooplankton assemblages have shifted in their composition since the early 1990s. The northern region exhibited a greater increasing trend than the southern region in zooplankton biomass. Macrozooplankton such as chaethognaths, euphausiids and amphipods gradually increased after the early 1990s. In the Japan/East Sea, squid catches increased continuously after the early 1990s. The squid catch for the autumn of year n is significantly associated with the zooplankton biomass collected in October and December of year n ? 1 (r=0.864 in the northern region and r=0.818 in the southern region, P < 0.001) and macrozooplankton, especially euphausiids (r=0.578 in the northern region and r=0.840 in the southern region, P < 0.05) and amphipods (r=0.695 in the northern region and r=0.648 in the southern region, P < 0.05).