Safety and efficacy of fluoroscopy-guided urethral catheterization in case of failed blind or cystoscopy-assisted urethral catheterization.

This retrospective study evaluated the safety and efficacy of fluoroscopy-guided urethral catheterization in patients who failed blind or cystoscopy-assisted urethral catheterization. We utilized our institutional database between January 2011 and March 2023, and patients with failed blind or cystoscopy-assisted urethral catheterization and subsequent fluoroscopy-guided urethral catheterization were included. A 5-Fr catheter was inserted into the urethral orifice, and the retrograde urethrography (RGU) was acquired.

Synergistic Effect of Cold Treatment Combined with Ethyl Formate Fumigation against (Diptera: Drosophilidae).

Drosophila suzukii is a quarantine pest that is rapidly spreading in berries. This study evaluated the synergistic effect of combination treatment with ethyl formate (EF) and cold temperature for D. suzukii control on imported grapes.

Efficacy and Phytotoxicity Assessment of Successive Application of Methyl Bromide and Cold Treatment on Export Strawberry Fruits.

Recently, spotted wing Drosophila, , is globally prevalent and causes agricultural losses to many fruits. To export Korean strawberry, methyl bromide fumigation is required to remove infestations, but Korean strawberry farmers are worried about fruit damage because methyl bromide can cause phytotoxicity on fresh commodities. In this report, we assessed the efficacy and phytotoxicity of single and successive application of methyl bromide and cold treatment on an export variety of strawberry to reduce fruit damage.

Fumigation Activity against Phosphine-Resistant (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Using Carbonyl Sulfide.

Phosphine resistance is occurring among stored-grain pests worldwide. This study investigated the fumigation activity of phosphine (PH) and carbonyl sulfide (COS) against domestic strain (d-strain) , resistance strain (r-strain) . and .

Susceptibility of the Cigarette Beetle (Fabricius) to Phosphine, Ethyl Formate and Their Combination, and the Sorption and Desorption of Fumigants on Cured Tobacco Leaves.

The susceptibility of to phosphine (PH), ethyl formate (EF) and their combination (PH + EF) was evaluated in this study. Eggs, larvae, pupae and adults were subjected to treatment with fumigants to determine the 90% lethal concentration time (LCt) values. Treatment with PH for 20 h resulted in LCt values of 1.

Histone acetylation together with DNA demethylation empowers higher plasticity in adipocytes to differentiate into osteoblasts.

Bone regeneration has been a challenge for both researchers and clinicians. In the field of tissue engineering, much effort has been made to identify cell sources including stem cells. The present study aimed to induce trans-differentiation from adipocytes to osteoblasts using epigenetic modifiers; 5-aza-dC and/or trichostatin-A (TSA).

Insecticidal Effects of Fumigants (EF, MB, and PH) towards Phosphine-Susceptible and -Resistant (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

This study was conducted to evaluate the insecticidal effects of ethyl formate (EF), methyl bromide (MB), and phosphine (PH) fumigants against PH-susceptible and -resistant strains of the rice weevil (), a major rice pest. The highest lethal concentration time 50 (LCt) values of the PH-susceptible strains were 255.797, 21.

Efficacy and Phytotoxicity of Phosphine as Fumigants for Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on Asparagus.

The insecticidal activity of phosphine (PH3) and ethyl formate (EF) toward Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and their phytotoxicity to asparagus were evaluated. Both the PH3 and EF fumigants showed higher lethal concentration and time (LCT) values at lower temperatures. The LCT99 values of PH3 and EF at 5°C in a 12 liters desiccator for 4 h showed the following ranking: eggs (64.

A Combination Treatment Using Ethyl Formate and Phosphine to Control Planococcus citri (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) on Pineapples.

Citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Risso), is a known quarantine pest that is difficult to control with phosphine (PH) or low concentrations of ethyl formate (EF), particularly at low temperatures. Methyl bromide (MB) is a fumigant used for quarantine and preshipment (QPS) that can eradicate target pests with short fumigation periods. However, MB, which is an ozone-depleting substance, is scheduled to be phased out in South Korea over the next decade.

Quarantine Treatments of Imported Nursery Plants and Exported Cut Flowers by Phosphine Gas (PH3) as Methyl Bromide Alternative.

Quarantine treatments by phosphine (PH) gas have been performed to replace methyl bromide (MeBr) for export cut flowers and imported nursery plant in Korea. In this preliminary study, two dominant insect pests of cut flowers, Tetranychus urticae Koch and Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande, and the dominant insect pest of nursery plants, Planococcus citri Risso, were used to certify optimum concentration and fumigation time, along with evaluation of phytotoxic damages. To validate the results of preliminary tests, quarantine treatments for export cut flowers was performed in a 58-m reefer container.

Postharvest Control of Botrytis cinerea and Monilinia fructigena in Apples by Gamma Irradiation Combined with Fumigation.

To extend the shelf life of apples in South Korea, we evaluated the effect of gamma irradiation alone or gamma irradiation combined with fumigation on the control of postharvest decay caused by Botrytis cinerea and Monilinia fructigena. An irradiation dose of 1.0 kGy caused the maximal inhibition of B.

Multiplexed Cassegrain Reflector Antenna for Simultaneous Generation of Three Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) Modes.

A multiplexed Cassegrain reflector antenna with a 2 × 2 open-ended rectangular waveguide (OERW) matrix feed and an orbital angular momentum (OAM) mode mux is proposed for the simultaneous generation of three OAM modes (l = 0, ±1). The OAM mode mux (OMM) was designed using sequential combinations of quadrature hybrids, crossovers, and phase shifters to multiplex and demultiplex three OAM modes at the same time. The 2 × 2 OERW matrix feed and the OMM were separately measured and their performances were verified according to proposed theories.

Pin1-mediated Modification Prolongs the Nuclear Retention of β-Catenin in Wnt3a-induced Osteoblast Differentiation.

The canonical Wnt signaling pathway, in which β-catenin nuclear localization is a crucial step, plays an important role in osteoblast differentiation. Pin1, a prolyl isomerase, is also known as a key enzyme in osteogenesis. However, the role of Pin1 in canonical Wnt signal-induced osteoblast differentiation is poorly understood.

Effect of alumina nanofiller on properties of heat-treated glass composite sealants.

Alkali/alkaline-earth borosilicate glass-alumina composites containing 10 vol% Al2O3 were prepared for use as solid oxide fuel cell sealants. The effect of heat treatment and Al2O3, addition on the viscosities and electrical conductivities was investigated to improve cyclic sealing performance. Upon a 48-h heat treatment, the viscosity of the glass-alumina composites at 750 degrees C was approximately four orders of magnitude higher than that of the base glass owing to the crystallization of the glass in the presence of Al2O3.

Bacillus anthracis capsule activates caspase-1 and induces interleukin-1beta release from differentiated THP-1 and human monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

The poly-gamma-d-glutamic acid (PGA) capsule is one of the major virulence factors of Bacillus anthracis, which causes a highly lethal infection. The antiphagocytic PGA capsule disguises the bacilli from immune surveillance and allows unimpeded growth of bacilli in the host. Recently, efforts have been made to include PGA as a component of anthrax vaccine; however, the innate immune response of PGA itself has been poorly investigated.

Poly-gamma-d-glutamic acid and protective antigen conjugate vaccines induce functional antibodies against the protective antigen and capsule of Bacillus anthracis in guinea-pigs and rabbits.

Anthrax is a lethal infectious disease caused by the spore-forming Bacillus anthracis. The two major virulence factors of B. anthracis are exotoxin and the poly-gamma-d-glutamic acid (PGA) capsule.

Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin attenuates lipoteichoic acid-induced maturation and activation of dendritic cells through a unique mechanism.

Lethal toxin (LT), produced by the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus anthracis, was identified as a major etiologic agent causing anthrax due to its strong immunotoxicity. Gram-positive bacteria express lipoteichoic acid (LTA), which is considered as a counterpart to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of gram-negative bacteria, but differs from LPS in the structure and function. Since dendritic cells (DCs) are essential for the appropriate initiation of immune response, we investigated the effect of LT on LTA-induced DC maturation using immature DCs prepared by differentiation of C57BL/6 mouse bone marrow cells.

Simple sequence repeat (SSR)-based gene diversity in Burkholderia pseudomallei and Burkholderia mallei.

Pathogens Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp) and Burkholderia mallei (Bm) contain a large number (> 12,000) of Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs). To study the extent to which these features have contributed to the diversification of genes, we have conducted comparative studies with nineteen genomes of these bacteria. We found 210 genes with characteristic types of SSR variations.

National surveillance of antifungal susceptibility of Candida species in South Korean hospitals.

We investigated the species distribution and antifungal susceptibility of Candida isolates from tertiary and non-tertiary hospitals in South Korea from 2002-2004. Of the 612 Candida isolates that were collected, Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, C.

Construction of a Vibrio cholerae prototype vaccine strain O395-N1-E1 which accumulates cell-associated cholera toxin B subunit.

Because of its production and use in Vietnam, the most widely used oral cholera vaccine consists of heat- or formalin-killed Vibrio cholerae whole cells (WC). An earlier version of this type of vaccine called whole cell-recombinant B subunit vaccine (BS-WC) produced in Sweden also contained the B subunit of cholera toxin (CTB). Both WC and BS-WC vaccines produced moderate levels of protection in field trials designed to evaluate their cholera efficacy.

Development of enrichment semi-nested PCR for Clostridium botulinum types A, B, E, and F and its application to Korean environmental samples.

An enrichment semi-nested PCR procedure was developed for detection of Clostridium botulinum types A, B, E, and F. It was applied to sediment samples to examine the prevalence of C. botulinum in the Korean environment.

Construction of cholera toxin B subunit-producing Vibrio cholerae strains using the Mariner-FRT transposon delivery system.

The most widely used oral whole-cell-recombinant B subunit cholera vaccine contains the nontoxic cholera toxin B subunit (CTXB) and either heat- or formalin-killed Vibrio cholerae O1 strains. Vibrio cholerae O1 strains in the vaccine provide antibacterial immunity, and CTXB contributes to the vaccine's efficacy by stimulating production of anti-CTXB antibody. Various attempts have been made to increase CTXB production.