Does the increase in ambient CO concentration elevate allergy risks posed by oak pollen?

Oak pollen is a major respiratory allergen in Korea, and the distribution of oak trees is expected to increase by ecological succession and climate change. One of the drivers of climate change is increasing CO, which is also known to amplify the allergy risk of weed pollen by inducing elevated allergenic protein content. However, the impact of CO concentration on tree pollen is not clearly understood due to the experimental difficulties in carrying out extended CO treatment.

Plant hormone-assisted early family selection in Pinus densiflora via a retrospective approach.

In an even-aged pine forest trees can vary considerably in stem size. We examined the basis for this anomaly using a retrospective approach. Twelve open-pollinated families of Pinus densiflora Sieb.

Ergothioneine contents in fruiting bodies and their enhancement in mycelial cultures by the addition of methionine.

The levels of ergothioneine (ERG), which have been shown to act as an excellent antioxidant, were determined in both fruiting bodies and mycelia of various mushroom species. We found that ERG accumulated at different levels in fruiting bodies of mushrooms and showed up to a 92.3-fold difference between mushrooms.

Soil nutrient bioavailability and nutrient content of pine trees (Pinus thunbergii) in areas impacted by acid deposition in Korea.

Acid deposition has caused detrimental effects on tree growth near industrial areas of the world. Preliminary work has indicated that concentrations of NO(3-), SO(4)(2-), F( - ) and Al in soil solutions were 2 to 33 times higher in industrial areas compared to non-industrial areas in Korea. This study evaluated soil nutrient bioavailability and nutrient contents of red pine (Pinus thunbergii) needles in forest soils of industrial and non-industrial areas of Korea.

Supplementation of methionine enhanced the ergothioneine accumulation in the Ganoderma neo-japonicum mycelia.

The methods for increasing the production of ergothioneine (ERG) were investigated by using the mycelial culture of several mushroom species, primarily Ganoderma neo-japonicum. We first found that ERG was accumulated at the different levels in mycelia and fruiting bodies, respectively, depending on the mushroom species. As a result of adding various amino acids to the mycelial culture medium, methionine (Met) was shown to be the most effective additive.

Factors influencing the production of water-soluble endopolysaccharides and exopolysaccharides from Lentinus lepideus and their effects on immune cytokine production.

An efficient method to produce water-soluble polysaccharides from Lentinus lepideus is described. The productivity of both endopolysaccharides (PPS) and exopolysaccharides (EPS) was compared under various culture conditions. The effect of treating their own PPS and EPS on immune cytokine production was also studied in relation to culture factors.

Improvement of Ergone Production from Mycelial Culture of Polyporus umbellatus.

Ergone,a fungal metabolite derived from ergosterol,was previously isolated and identified from Polyporus umbellatus. Ergone is a major component of P. umbellatus known to have anti-aldosteronic diuretic effect and also displays cytotoxic activities.

Control of cytokine gene expression by PG101, a water-soluble extract prepared from Lentinus lepideus.

A water-soluble extract from Lentinus lepideus mycelium, named PG101, has been shown to control the expression of various cytokines [M. Jin, H.J.

Inhibitory effect of pine extract on alpha-glucosidase activity and postprandial hyperglycemia.

Objective: This study investigated the inhibitory effect of pine bark extract (PBE) and needle extract on carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes and the hypoglycemic effect in diabetic mice (Lep(ob) [ob/ob]).

Methods: Pine bark and needle were dried and then placed in ethanol, and the extracts were assayed for the measurement of inhibition mode of PBE against alpha-amylase (EC 3.2.