In urban landscape, amphibians face many challenges in order to sustain their populations, such as road mortality and infection of pathogenic Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Bd infection has been reported to caus...In urban landscape, amphibians face many challenges in order to sustain their populations, such as road mortality and infection of pathogenic Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Bd infection has been reported to cause significant mortality;however, its current distribution in the state of New Jersey remains unknown. In spring, amphibians emerge from their wintering group and migrate to nearby breeding ponds or vernal pools. Their migration pathway is often intercepted by the dense network of human transportation which leads to extirpation. This study aims to investigate potential mortality caused by human transportation and the infected rate of Bd fungus on the amphibian populations at a suburban area in central New Jersey. Twenty-four pitfall traps were installed to collect amphibians. A total of 687 organisms representing 7 amphibian species were recorded during the 73-day study period. Four of the 7 species were selected to test for Bd infection;73.6% of the amphibian skin swabs showed positive results of infection. However, Bd was not detected in water and soil samples collected around the study areas. The results of this study suggested that road mortality and pathogenic Bd might have tremendously impacted the urban amphibian populations and might have been the major causes of the current trend of amphibian population decline, particularly in the urban area.展开更多
Green tea leaves contain many polyphenolic compounds such as (-)-epicatechin (EC), (-)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), and (-)epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). These polyphenol compounds have...Green tea leaves contain many polyphenolic compounds such as (-)-epicatechin (EC), (-)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), and (-)epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). These polyphenol compounds have been implicated to have distinct properties that combat the harmful effects of cell proliferation. They contain certain anti-viral and antibacterial properties that inhibit growth. In this study, 1% green tea and modified lipophilic green tea polyphenols (GTP and LTP) were used in combination with the most commonly prescribed antibiotics to study their effects on gram-positive, gram-negative, and acid-fast bacteria. The results indicated that 1% GTP and 1% LTP provided different synergistic effects on several antibiotics in various bacteria. It was found that 1% GTP works the best synergistically against Enterobacter aerogenes, making the resistant strain susceptible to 8 out of 12 antibiotics used. 1% LTP worked the best on Escherichia coli and was able to convert 7 antibiotic resistant categories to susceptible. In addition, 1% LTP was also able to inhibit the growth of Serratia marcescens synergistically with 3 antibiotics. These results suggest that 1% GTP and 1% LTP provide beneficial effects on selected antibiotics against microbial growth and are able to reverse the antibiotic resistance to susceptible. Green tea polyphenols could serve as natural alternatives to combat against antibiotic resistance pathogens.展开更多
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a serious environmental problem globally. The ability of cyanobacteria, one of the major causative agents of HABs, to grow in heavy metal polluted areas is proving a challenge to enviro...Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a serious environmental problem globally. The ability of cyanobacteria, one of the major causative agents of HABs, to grow in heavy metal polluted areas is proving a challenge to environmental restoration initiatives. Some cyanobacteria secrete toxins, such as microcystin, that are potentially dangerous to animals and humans. In this study, the physiology of a cyanobacterium was assessed to nickel chloride exposure. Cell growths were monitored throughout the study with various nickel chloride concentrations (0, 10, 25 or 50 mg/L). Morphological abnormalities were observed with microscopic image analyses. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was carried out to trace the distribution of nickel during the growth period. This study provides insight on potential nickel response mechanisms in freshwater cyanobacteria, which may lead to effective HAB prevention strategy development.展开更多
文摘In urban landscape, amphibians face many challenges in order to sustain their populations, such as road mortality and infection of pathogenic Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Bd infection has been reported to cause significant mortality;however, its current distribution in the state of New Jersey remains unknown. In spring, amphibians emerge from their wintering group and migrate to nearby breeding ponds or vernal pools. Their migration pathway is often intercepted by the dense network of human transportation which leads to extirpation. This study aims to investigate potential mortality caused by human transportation and the infected rate of Bd fungus on the amphibian populations at a suburban area in central New Jersey. Twenty-four pitfall traps were installed to collect amphibians. A total of 687 organisms representing 7 amphibian species were recorded during the 73-day study period. Four of the 7 species were selected to test for Bd infection;73.6% of the amphibian skin swabs showed positive results of infection. However, Bd was not detected in water and soil samples collected around the study areas. The results of this study suggested that road mortality and pathogenic Bd might have tremendously impacted the urban amphibian populations and might have been the major causes of the current trend of amphibian population decline, particularly in the urban area.
文摘Green tea leaves contain many polyphenolic compounds such as (-)-epicatechin (EC), (-)-epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC), and (-)epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). These polyphenol compounds have been implicated to have distinct properties that combat the harmful effects of cell proliferation. They contain certain anti-viral and antibacterial properties that inhibit growth. In this study, 1% green tea and modified lipophilic green tea polyphenols (GTP and LTP) were used in combination with the most commonly prescribed antibiotics to study their effects on gram-positive, gram-negative, and acid-fast bacteria. The results indicated that 1% GTP and 1% LTP provided different synergistic effects on several antibiotics in various bacteria. It was found that 1% GTP works the best synergistically against Enterobacter aerogenes, making the resistant strain susceptible to 8 out of 12 antibiotics used. 1% LTP worked the best on Escherichia coli and was able to convert 7 antibiotic resistant categories to susceptible. In addition, 1% LTP was also able to inhibit the growth of Serratia marcescens synergistically with 3 antibiotics. These results suggest that 1% GTP and 1% LTP provide beneficial effects on selected antibiotics against microbial growth and are able to reverse the antibiotic resistance to susceptible. Green tea polyphenols could serve as natural alternatives to combat against antibiotic resistance pathogens.
文摘Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a serious environmental problem globally. The ability of cyanobacteria, one of the major causative agents of HABs, to grow in heavy metal polluted areas is proving a challenge to environmental restoration initiatives. Some cyanobacteria secrete toxins, such as microcystin, that are potentially dangerous to animals and humans. In this study, the physiology of a cyanobacterium was assessed to nickel chloride exposure. Cell growths were monitored throughout the study with various nickel chloride concentrations (0, 10, 25 or 50 mg/L). Morphological abnormalities were observed with microscopic image analyses. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was carried out to trace the distribution of nickel during the growth period. This study provides insight on potential nickel response mechanisms in freshwater cyanobacteria, which may lead to effective HAB prevention strategy development.
