Soybean (Glycine max L.) is one of the most important crop plants in the Republic of Korea. Here, we conducted a soybean virome study. We harvested a total of 172 soybean leaf samples showing disease symptoms from major soybean-growing regions in the Republic of Korea. Individual samples were examined for virus infection by RT-PCR. Moreover, we generated eight libraries representing eight provinces by pooling samples and four libraries from single samples. RNA-seq followed by bioinformatics analyses revealed 10 different RNA viruses infecting soybean. The proportion of viral reads in each transcriptome ranged from 0.2 to 31.7%. Coinfection of different viruses in soybean plants was very common. There was a single dominant virus in each province, and this geographical difference might be related to the soybean seeds that transmit viruses. In this study, 32 viral genome sequences were assembled and successfully used to analyze the phylogenetic relationships and quasispecies nature of the identified RNA viruses. Moreover, RT-PCR with newly developed primers confirmed infection of the identified viruses in each library. Taken together, our soybean virome study provides a comprehensive overview of viruses infecting soybean in eight geographical regions in the Republic of Korea and four single soybean plants in detail.

Two new polypropionates designated as xylarinic acids A and B were isolated from the fruiting body of Xylaria polymorpha. Their structures were established as 4,6,8-trimethyl-2,4-decadienoic acid and 2,4,6-trimethyl-2-octenoic acid, respectively, on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analysis. Both compounds displayed significant antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi Pythium ultinum, Magnaporthe grisea, Aspergillus niger, Alternaria panax, and Fusarium oxysporium, whereas they did not show antibacterial and cytotoxic effect.Keywords Xylaria polymorpha, mushroom, xylarinic acid, polypropionate, antifungal activity IntroductionMushrooms produce a large variety of secondary metabolites with unique chemical structures and interesting biological activities. In the course of screening for antimicrobial agents from our mushroom extract library (about 300 species of mushrooms), we found that the extract of the fruiting body of Xylaria polymorpha exhibited potent antifungal activity against the plant pathogenic fungi. Xylaria, belonging to the Ascomycotina, is known to produce diverse classes of bioactive compounds including In this study, two new polypropionates, xylarinic acids A (1) and B (2) (Fig. 1), have been isolated from the extract of the mushroom X. polymorpha by using antifungal activity-guided fractionation. We herein describe the isolation, structure determination, and antifungal activity of these compounds. Materials and Methods General Experimental ProceduresOptical rotation was determined using a JASCO P-1020 polarimeter. EI-MS and high resolution EI-MS were taken on a JMS-700 JEOL mass spectrometer. UV and IR spectra were recorded on a Shimadzu UV-300 and FT-IR Equinox 55 spectrometer, respectively. NMR spectra were obtained

PurposeIn Korea, the entire population must enroll in the national health insurance system, and those who are classified as having a lower socioeconomic status are supported by the medical aid system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the medical insurance status of gastric cancer patients with their survival after gastrectomy.Materials and MethodsA total of 247 patients who underwent surgical treatment for gastric cancer between January 1999 and December 2010 at the Seoul Medical Center were evaluated. Based on their medical insurance status, the patients were classified into two groups: the national health insurance registered group (n=183), and the medical aid covered group (n=64). The survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method.ResultsThe median postoperative duration of hospitalization was longer in the medical aid covered group and postoperative morbidity and mortality were higher in the medical aid group than in the national health insurance registered group (P<0.05). The overall 5-year survival rate was 43.9% in the medical aid covered group and 64.3% in the national health insurance registered group (P=0.001).ConclusionsThe medical insurance status reflects the socioeconomic status of a patient and can influence the overall survival of gastric cancer patients. A more sophisticated analysis of the difference in the survival time between gastric cancer patients based on their socioeconomic status is necessary.

Basidiomycetes, as decomposers of forest litter, represent an ecologically important group of organisms in the environment, and are known to produce a large variety of secondary metabolites with unique chemical structures and interesting biological activities. 1 The genus Xylaria has been known to produce a diverse class of bioactive compounds, including cytochalasin analogs with chemokine receptor antagonistic activity and cytotoxicity, 2 multiplolides A, B and xylariamide A with antifungal activity, 3,4 xylarenals A and B with neuropeptide Y receptor antagonistic activity 5 and xyloketals A-E, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. 6 Earlier, we reported two antifungal substances, xylarinic acids A and B, from the methanolic extract of Xylaria polymorpha. 7 Our ongoing investigation for novel chemical constituents from X. polymorpha has resulted in the isolation of two new 2-benzoxepin derivatives with ABTS (2,2¢-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate)) radical scavenging activity. Benzoxepin is very rare in naturally occurring compounds. In this paper, we describe the isolation and structure determination of xylarinols A (1) and B (2), and their biological activity.Xylarinols were isolated from the fruiting bodies of X. polymorpha, as shown in Figure 1. The collected fruiting bodies were ground and then extracted twice with methanol (MeOH) at room temperature for 2 days. After removal of MeOH under reduced pressure, the concentrate was partitioned between chloroform and water and then ethyl acetate and water. The ethyl acetate-soluble portion was chromatographed on a column of silica gel and eluted with increasing amounts (2.0, 5.0, 10, 20 and 50%, stepwise) of MeOH in CHCl 3 to give two fractions, which exhibited moderate ABTS radical scavenging activity. One was purified by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography with CHCl 3 -MeOH (1 : 1, v/v), followed by preparative reversed-phase HPLC with 40% aqueous MeOH at a flow rate of 6.0 ml min À1 to yield xylarinol A (1, 1.0 mg). The other fraction was purified by preparative reversed-phase HPLC with 30% aqueous MeOH at a flow rate of 6.0 ml min À1 to provide xylarinol B (2, 1.7 mg).Xylarinol A was isolated as a white powder and showed a molecular ion peak at m/z 176 in the electron impact mass measurement. Its high-resolution electron impact mass measurement provided an accurate mass at m/z 176.0472 [M + , DÀ0.1 mmu], establishing its molecular formula as C 10 H 8 O 3 . The UV spectrum in MeOH exhibited absorption maxima at 205 (log e 4.75), 217 (log e 4.63), 277 (log e 4.43) and 316 (log e 4.07) nm. The IR spectrum suggested the presence of a hydroxyl group (3444 cm À1 ) and an a,b-unsaturated ester group (1651 cm À1 ). The 1 H-NMR spectrum showed signals due to 1,2,3-trisubstituted benzene ring at d 7.28, 6.95 and 6.94, two olefinic methine peaks assigned to a cis-1,2-disubstituted double bond unit at d 7.31 (J¼12.0 Hz) and 6.29 (J¼12.0 Hz), and a methylene peak at d 5.24. In the 13 C-NMR spectrum, an ester carbonyl carbon at d 169.6, an oxygen-bearing sp 2 carbon...

Colorectal cancer remains a major problem in the treatment of patients with FAP. Nearly one-fourth of these patients have colorectal cancer at initial operation, and one-fourth of patients with IRA develop rectal cancer after a mean follow-up of 13 years. Patients with rectal cancer following IRA are more likely to have advanced tumors than patients with colorectal cancer at initial operation. The high incidence and late stage of rectal cancer detected while under surveillance after IRA supports excision of the entire colorectal mucosa as the treatment of choice for most patients with FAP.