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Simple Summary: Pineapple mealybug, Dysmicoccus brevipes, is a major pest of pineapple production and trade barrier. Methyl bromide fumigation (MB) has generally been used to disinfest imported pineapples. However, its use has been phased out due to its impact on the ozone layer and human health. As a first step to developing MB alternative treatment for imported pineapples, we evaluated whether ethyl formate (EF) fumigation could be an effective disinfestation treatment for pineapple mealybug. In a scaled up trial, EF fumigation with 70 g/m3 EF for 4 h at 8 °C with 20% pineapple loading ratio (w/v) resulted in complete control of pineapple mealybugs treated with no apparent negative impact on pineapple quality. Our results suggest that EF fumigation is a potential disinfestation treatment for pineapple mealybug in imported pineapples. Pineapple mealybug, Dysmicoccus brevipes (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), is a significant pest in pineapple production and a key trade barrier. We explored the potential use of ethyl formate (EF) as a methyl bromide alternative for the postharvest fumigation of D. brevipes in imported pineapples. When treated at 8 °C for 4 h, EF fumigation was effective against D. brevipes with LCt99, the lethal concentration × time product of EF necessary to achieve 99% mortality of D. brevipes nymphs and adults at 64.2 and 134.8 g h/m3, respectively. Sorption trials conducted with 70 g/m3 EF for 4 h at 8 °C using 7.5, 15 and 30% pineapple loading ratios (w/v) indicated that loading ratio lower than 30% is necessary to achieve the LCt99 values required to control D. brevipes. In a scaled up trial using 1 m3 chamber, EF fumigation with 70 g/m3 for 4 h at 8 °C with 20% pineapple loading ratio (w/v) resulted in a complete control of D. brevipes treated. There were no significant differences in hue values, sugar contents, firmness, and weight loss between EF-treated and untreated pineapples. Our results suggest that EF is a promising alternative to methyl bromide fumigation for the postharvest phytosanitary disinfection of D. brevipes in pineapples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness the fumigant of ethyl formate (EF), an alternative to methyl bromide, in controlling the pest Asiacornococcus kaki on sweet persimmon fruit. The study assessed the hatching rate of eggs and the survival rates of nymphs and adults of A. kaki at low temperatures as well as the lethal concentration of EF required to kill 50% and 99% of its population. Large-scale tests were conducted in a 20 ft reefer container at 5 ± 1 °C for 6 h to confirm the efficacy of EF on different life stages of A. kaki. Our results indicated that EF is an effective pesticide for A. kaki without causing phytotoxic damage to persimmon fruit. However, at the egg stage, which was the most tolerant, the A. kaki population was not completely controlled in linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE)-packaged fruit. Overall, EF is a promising fumigant for the quarantine pre-treatment of sweet persimmon fruit before it is packed with LLDPE film, specifically to control A. kaki located beneath the calyx of the fruit. Sweet persimmons are a valuable export commodity. However, the presence of live insects such as Asiacornococcus kaki limits their access to many export markets. Methyl bromide, traditionally used for pest control, is damaging to human health and the environment. Ethyl formate (EF) is a viable alternative; however, its effectiveness against A. kaki on sweet persimmon fruit is unknown. We evaluated the effectiveness of EF fumigation in controlling A. kaki present under the calyx of persimmon fruit. The hatching rate of eggs and the survival rates of nymphs and adults of A. kaki at low temperatures, its LCt50 and LCt99 after EF exposure, and phytotoxic damage caused by EF were evaluated in laboratory-scale and commercial-scale tests. The dose–response tests showed that the EF LCt99 at 5 °C was 9.69, 42.13, and 126.13 g h m−3 for adults, nymphs, and eggs, respectively. Commercial-scale tests demonstrated EF efficacy against all A. kaki stages without causing phytotoxic effects on persimmons, though the eggs of A. kaki were not completely controlled in linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE)-packaged fruit. This study demonstrated that EF is a potential fumigant for quarantine pretreatment, especially before persimmon fruit is packed with LLDPE film, to control A. kaki infesting sweet persimmon fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Invasive snails and flies are among the major groups of pests intercepted from imported orchids in Korea, which are controlled by methyl bromide (MB) fumigation. As a first step to develop an alternative treatment, we compared the efficacy and phytotoxicity of ethyl formate (EF) and MB on four species of imported orchids using juvenile stages of Achatina fulica and third and fourth instars of Lycoriella mali. Efficacy trials showed that EF was at least as effective as MB with LCt99 (lethal concentration × time product required for 99% mortality) values of EF at 68.1 and 73.1 g h/m3 at 15 °C and LCt99 of MB at 95.9 and 78.4 g h/m3 at 15 °C for A. fulica and L. mali, respectively. In scale-up trials, EF treatment at 35 g/m3 for 4 h at 15 °C resulted in complete control of A. fulica and L. mali. MB treatment based on the current treatment guideline for imported orchids (48 g/m3, 2 h at >15 °C) resulted in complete control of L. mali but not A. fulica, which could be completely controlled with 3 h treatment. Leaf chlorophyll contents and hue values of treated orchids were not affected by EF treatment but were significantly changed by MB. All four species of orchid died within 30 d of MB treatment, while only one species could not recover the damage from EF treatment. Our results suggest that EF is as effective as MB for snails and flies and less phytotoxic than MB to imported orchids and may be applicable as an alternative to MB in phytosanitary treatments of invasive snails and flies of imported orchids. Invasive snails and flies are major pests of imported orchids, controlled by methyl bromide (MB) fumigation in Korea. We compared the efficacy and phytotoxicity of ethyl formate (EF) and MB on four species of imported orchids using juvenile stages of Achatina fulica and third and fourth instars of Lycoriella mali. EF was as effective as MB. The LCt99 values of EF were 68.1 and 73.1 g h/m3 at 15 °C; and those of MB were 95.9 and 78.4 g h/m3 at 15 °C for A. fulica and L. mali, respectively. In the scale-up trials, EF treatment at 35 g/m3 for 4 h at 15 °C resulted in complete control of both pests. MB treatment based on the current treatment guidelines for imported orchids (48 g/m3, 2 h, at >15 °C) resulted in complete control of L. mali but not of A. fulica. Chlorophyll content and hue values of treated orchids were not affected by EF treatment but significantly changed by MB (p-value < 0.05). All four treated species of orchids died within 30 d of MB treatment, while only one species died from EF treatment. Our results suggest that EF is a potential alternative to MB in phytosanitary treatment of imported orchids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Hereditary hearing loss is one of the most common heterogeneous disorders, and genetic variants that can cause hearing loss have been identified in over sixty genes. Most of these hearing loss genes have been detected using classical genetic methods, typically starting with linkage analysis in large families with hereditary hearing loss. However, these classical strategies are not well suited for mutation analysis in smaller families who have insufficient genetic information. Methods Eighty known hearing loss genes were selected and simultaneously sequenced by targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) in 8 Korean families with autosomal dominant non-syndromic sensorineural hearing loss. Results Five mutations in known hearing loss genes, including 1 nonsense and 4 missense mutations, were identified in 5 different genes (ACTG1, MYO1F, DIAPH1, POU4F3 and EYA4), and the genotypes for these mutations were consistent with the autosomal dominant inheritance pattern of hearing loss in each family. No mutational hot-spots were revealed in these Korean families. Conclusion Targeted NGS allowed for the detection of pathogenic mutations in affected individuals who were not candidates for classical genetic studies. This report is the first documenting the effective use of an NGS technique to detect pathogenic mutations that underlie hearing loss in an East Asian population. Using this NGS technique to establish a database of common mutations in Korean patients with hearing loss and further data accumulation will contribute to the early diagnosis and fundamental therapies for hereditary hearing loss.

Objective: There are few existing data on the status of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with atherosclerosis of the cerebral artery detected by brain imaging studies. We aimed to analyze the predictors of asymptomatic angiographically significant CAD detected by simultaneous cerebral and coronary angiography. Methods: This retrospective cohort study screened data obtained between August 2009 and April 2019; 11,047 patients underwent cerebral angiography for atherosclerotic change (>50% stenosis or aneurysm) seen in brain magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or computed tomography angiography (CTA) at a single center by endovascular neurosurgeon's decision. Of these, 700 patients including 622 patients who underwent simultaneous coronary and cerebral angiography and 78 patients who underwent coronary angiography within a month were enrolled. We investigated the characteristics and predictors of angiographically significant CAD (>50% stenosis). Furthermore, we also analyzed the major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), including all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and stroke for 5 years. Results: The frequency of significant CAD was 59% (413/700), the mean age was 68.9 ± 10.3 years, and 60.6% were male. During mean follow-up of 50 months, the MACCE rate of our whole cohort was significantly higher in the CAD group (21.5%) than in the non-CAD group (14.6%; hazard ratio 1.65, 95% CI 1.17–2.33, p value = 0.005). Considering that the embolic stroke is less associated with atherosclerotic change, our predictive model of significant CAD was made without embolic stroke (n = 599). In our multivariate model 2 including univariate <0.1, the independent predictors of significant CAD were male (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.11–2.35, p = 0.012), diabetes mellitus (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.22–2.68, p = 0.003), previous stroke (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.02–2.60, p = 0.039), low ankle-brachial index (ABI; <0.9; OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.21–8.73, p = 0.019), left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) <50% on echocardiography (OR 2.82, 95% CI 1.25–6.35, p = 0.012), troponin I or T positive (OR 2.76, 95% CI 1.69–4.53, p < 0.001), and complex features on cerebral angiography (OR 2.73, 95% CI 1.78–4.19, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Accurate coronary evaluation by coronary angiography might be considered when patients with atherosclerotic cerebral artery detected on brain MRA or CTA planned cerebral angiography were male or have diabetes mellitus, previous stroke, low ABI (<0.9), left ventricular EF <50% on echocardiography, troponin I or T positivity, and complex features on cerebral angiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The turbulence of blood flow caused by stenosis has an impact on the surrounding coronary artery tissue and creates an audio‐frequency vibration to the adjacent myocardial wall. We investigated the diagnostic feasibility of a novel diagnostic method using wide range gate (WRG) ultrasound data acquisition for diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD). WRG data acquisition detects high‐frequency vibrations from coronary artery stenosis, using pulse‐wave Doppler ultrasound. Methods: We used a Verasonics ultrasound data acquisition system to implement the WRG data acquisition. Investigators performed clinical trials for 80 subjects, with suspected CAD. All enrolled patients participated in WRG data acquisition before coronary angiography (CAG). Results: As compared with the results of CAG, the sensitivity and specificity of the WRG data analysis were 80% and 84%, respectively. The WRG data analysis showed that the sensitivity and specificity were 81% and 79% in the left anterior descending artery, respectively, 75% and 89% in the left circumflex artery, respectively, and 85% and 82% in the right coronary artery, respectively. In a multivariate analysis, a positive vibrometry result was an independent predictive factor for CAD. Conclusions: We proposed a new diagnostic method for detecting CAD using ultrasound. The new data acquisition method showed good potential as an initial diagnostic tool for CAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]