Daecheongdo and Socheongdo Islands are located in the West Sea of Korea, 210 km away from land, and are military border areas very close to North Korea, making them difficult to access. Although the ecosystem of the islands is relatively well preserved due to the lack of accessibility, research on fungi of the regions is insufficient. Therefore, we aimed to investigate indigenous fungi in these geographically and geopolitically constrained regions. A survey of the indigenous fungal diversity of the islands was conducted in 2018. All specimens were identified at the species level based on morphological and molecular analyses. Among them, six macrofungi—namely, Agaricus menieri, Crepidotus praecipuus, Dichomitus squalens, Hortiboletus amygdalinus, Melanoleuca friesii, and Trametes lactinea—were not previously reported in Korea. Considering that the proportion of unrecorded species is high in the survey area and period as well as the number of samples collected, similar research on adjacent islands may be necessary.

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a member of eosinophilic gastrointestinal (GI) diseases and is characterized by the accumulation of eosinophils within the GI tract. Common symptoms of eosinophilic gastroenteritis are vomiting, abdominal pain, dysphagia, and weight loss, but rare fever in neonate. This report describes a 10-day-old boy who developed fever, bloody mucoid stool, and bilious vomiting resulting from eosinophilic gastroenteritis, mimicking sepsis. Sigmoidoscopy and pathologic findings revealed mucosal edema, small hemorrhagic spot, and segmental erythemoid edema in the colon and increased number of eosinophils in the lamina propria with intraepithelial eosinophils. After breast milk feeding with restriction of milk from the mother for 6 months, specific immunoglobulin to milk was class 0 (class 3, previous). The boy restarted formula feeding, and he had no fever and GI symptoms.
Abdominal Pain ; Colon ; Deglutition Disorders ; Edema ; Eosinophils ; Fever ; Gastroenteritis ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Milk ; Milk, Human ; Mothers ; Mucous Membrane ; Sepsis ; Sigmoidoscopy ; Vomiting ; Weight Loss

Although the KMT2B gene was identified as a causative gene for early-onset generalized dystonia, the efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in KMT2B-related dystonia has not been clearly elucidated. Here, we describe a 28-year-old woman who developed generalized dystonia with developmental delay, microcephaly, short stature, and cognitive decline. She was diagnosed with KMT2B- related dystonia using whole-exome sequencing with a heterozygous frameshift insertion of c.515dupC (p.T172fs) in the KMT2B gene. Oral medications and botulinum toxin injection were not effective. The dystonia markedly improved with bilateral pallidal DBS (the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale score was reduced from 30 to 5 on the dystonia movement scale and from 11 to 1 on the disability scale), and she could walk independently. From this case, we suggest that bilateral globus pallidus internus DBS can be an effective treatment option for patients with KMT2B-related generalized dystonia.

Species in the genus Trametes (Basidiomycota, Polyporales) have been used in natural medicine for a long time. Many studies reported that mycelia or fruiting bodies of Trametes spp. exhibited effects of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antimicrobial activities.However, comparative analysis in this genus is scarce due to limitation of morphological identification and the sample number. In this study, the 19 strains of seven Trametes species were chosen to generate a five-gene-based phylogeny with the 31 global references. In addition, 39 culture extracts were prepared for 13 strains to test for anticancer and antibacterial activities. Strong anticancer activities were found in several extracts from T. hirsuta and T. suaveolens. Anticancer activities of T. suaveolens, T. cf. junipericola and T. trogii were first described here. The antibacterial ability of T. versicolor and T. hirsuta extracts has been confirmed. The antibacterial activities of T. suaveolens have been reported at the first time in this study. These results suggest an efficient application of the genus Trametes as the drug resources especially for anticancer agents.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of globus pallidus interna deep brain stimulation (GPi-DBS) for treating dystonia due to the GNAL mutation. METHODS: We provide the first report of a dystonia patient with a genetically confirmed GNAL mutation in the Korean population and reviewed the literature on patients with the GNAL mutation who underwent GPi-DBS. We compared the effectiveness of DBS in patients with the GNAL mutation compared to that in patients with DYT1 and DYT6 in a previous study. RESULTS: Patients with the GNAL mutation and those with DYT1 had higher early responder rates (GNAL, 5/5, 100%; DYT1, 7/7, 100%) than did patients with DYT6 (p = 0.047). The responder rates at late follow-up did not differ statistically among the three groups (p = 0.278). The decrease in the dystonia motor scale score in the GNAL group was 46.9% at early follow-up and 63.4% at late follow-up. CONCLUSION: GPi-DBS would be an effective treatment option for dystonia patients with the GNAL mutation who are resistant to medication or botulinum toxin treatment.
Botulinum Toxins ; Deep Brain Stimulation ; Dystonia ; Follow-Up Studies ; Globus Pallidus ; Humans