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Purpose: We assessed the influence of antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) on the inhospital outcomes of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) infants. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted with singletons born at 23+0 to 33+6 weeks of gestation at Seoul National University Hospital from 2007 to 2014. We compared clinical outcomes between infants who received ACS 2 to 7 days before birth (complete ACS), at <2 or >7 days (incomplete ACS), and those who did not receive ACS in IUGR and AGA infants. Multivariate logistic regression using Firth's penalized likelihood was performed. Results: 304 neonates with 91 IUGR neonates were eligible. Among AGA neonates, mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02 to 0.78), hypotension within 7 postnatal days (aOR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.64), and severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) or death (aOR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.77) were lower in complete ACS group after adjusting for pregnancy induced hypertension and uncontrolled preterm labor. Mortality (aOR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.78), hypotension (aOR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.09 to 0.70), and severe BPD or death (aOR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.12 to 0.92) were also lower in the incomplete ACS group. Among IUGR infants, after adjusting for birth weight and 5-minute Apgar score, inhaled nitric oxide use within 14 postnatal days was lower in both complete ACS (aOR, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.67) and incomplete ACS (aOR, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.37) groups. Conclusion: ACS was not effective in reducing morbidities in IUGR preterm infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In July 2022, stem rot symptom was found in a peony plant grown in a pot under a greenhouse at Jinju, Gyeongnam Province, South Korea. Two fungal species were isolated from the infected peony stems and cultured on 1/2-strength potato dextrose agar for identification. The morphological characteristics of the fungal isolates were examined, and nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region, β-tubulin and translation elongation factor 1-α were analysed. The pathogenicity of the two isolates was confirmed in detached peony leaves, according to Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the report of Neopestalotiopsis clavispora and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum as the causal agents of peony stem rots. Antifungal activity of chemical fungicide propineb and rhizobacterium Bacillus siamensis H30-3 was shown against the two plant pathogenic fungi N. clavispora and S. sclerotiorum. Unidentified diffusible and volatile compounds from B. siamensis H30-3 could suppress in vitro mycelial growths of N. clavispora JJ 8-2-1 and S. sclerotiorum JJ 8-2-2.