Deer tick virus (DTV) is an emerging pathogen in North America. This virus can cause nervous system complications such as encephalitis in humans. Further, no data are available regarding long-term effects of infection from DTV patients across variable age groups. Diagnostic tools of DTV used by government laboratories are based on RT-PCR using patient serum or ticks. This paper explores the feasibility of a colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay to create a point-of-care diagnostic methodology for use in field and in primary care. LAMP consists of six primers that bind to target DNA and amplify variable length nucleotide strands that can be visualized through side reactions or via electrophoresis. First, a viable LAMP primer set, and a primer set that/ dimerizes and amplifies DNA regardless of compatibility were created in silico and validated in vitro. Then, a specific LAMP assay was developed. Our findings showed this method can be performed within 30 min and can measure with limits of detection comparable to PCR.

The effects of the Echinacea on superoxide anion production by the promyelocytic cell line, HL-60, were evaluated by culturing the cells with a 55% ethanol extract of the aerial parts of Echinacea purpurea. HL-60 cells cultured with the 55% ethanol extract of E. purpurea alone at 28 µg/ml produced statistically significant levels of superoxide anion compared to vehicle-treated controls (p < 0.05). These data suggest that the 55% ethanol extract of E. purpurea contains immunomodulatory compounds capable of stimulating superoxide anion production by HL-60 cells; and, as such, may have implications for therapeutic use.

Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry) is an invasive shrub that escaped cultivation and spread in the northeastern United States. The impact of varying degrees of Japanese barberry invasion on the abundances of a Lyme disease bacterium vector, Ixodes scapularis (blacklegged tick), and reservoir, Peromyscus leucopus (white-footed mouse) was investigated. Blacklegged ticks and white-footed mice in three habitats with different levels of Japanese barberry invasion (fully invaded, partially invaded, non-invaded) were surveyed. The efficacy of three tick collection techniques (flagging, dry ice traps, walking) within these habitats were evaluated. Blacklegged ticks and white-footed mice were more abundant in the fully invaded habitat than the non-invaded and partially invaded habitats. The walking method was most effective for collecting blacklegged ticks. Habitat management that prevents full invasion by Japanese barberry may limit the abundance of Lyme disease bacterium vectors and reservoirs, thus contributing to disease management.

Differences between fungal and bacterial decomposition trajectories can be related to differences in sensitivity to nutrient input and to plant secondary metabolites. The invasive plant Alliaria petiolata (Beib. Cavara and Grande; garlic mustard) produces unique secondary metabolites (glucosinolates) capable of altering the functioning of root-associated communities. However, few studies explore whether these compounds can alter litter decomposition— a route for ecosystem-level impacts of garlic mustard invasion. This preliminary study investigated the potential for aqueous garlic mustard leachate to alter mass loss from tea litterbags in artificially fungal-dominant compared to intact soils (fungal and bacterial components) in laboratory microcosm incubations. Garlic mustard and native Acer saccharum (Marsh.; sugar maple) leachates stimulated fungal decomposition indistinguishably. In intact soils, garlic mustard suppressed mass loss relative to a water control and native leachate, though this later effect was only marginally significant. These results suggest the energetic benefit of labile carbon in garlic mustard leachate may exceed any negative effect of glucosinolates for fungal decomposers, but that bacteria were more sensitive to leachate toxicity and the inhibitory effects of high nutrient input. Overall, our results imply the direction of garlic mustard's effect on decomposition may depend on saprotrophic community composition and therefore the consequences for litter decay in garlic mustard invaded soils may be context-dependent.

Anandamide (AEA) is a fatty acid neurotransmitter that binds to the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors in the central and peripheral nervous systems. AEA functions with the dopaminergic system and its expression has been shown to increase during activity. Cannabinoids have been used as treatments to reduce pain and discomfort, so an increase in AEA during activity may have a similar function. To determine the effects of AEA on energy expenditure, behavioral changes after exposure to AEA were observed in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). The fish were separated into 4 groups: low dose AEA (10 µM), high dose AEA (100 µM), a purported positive control (0.5% ethanol), and a negative control (untreated). Activity was measured by counting the number of times an individual fish crossed a horizontal or vertical line drawn on the aquarium using 5-min recorded intervals (line breaks). Vertical line breaks were significantly different between the untreated group and both of the AEA-treated groups (p < 0.0001), however horizontal line breaks were not significantly different (p = 0.14). An increase in the number of vertical line crossings indicate that the fish in both AEA groups were swimming along the horizontal plane more often than the other groups, indicating an increase in physical activity. There was no difference in the activity of the ethanol-treated group compared to the untreated group. These results demonstrate that the administration of a cannabinoid agonist such as AEA may increase overall activity levels in adult zebrafish.

Silver has been known for many medicinal uses in the forms of colloidal silver and silver nanoparticles, both of which pose possible health risks when improperly applied. Silver in the form of an electrically modified hydrosol bypasses the adverse effects of prior forms, yet still maintains potent antimicrobial properties. This study focuses on the efficacy of this electrically modified silver hydrosol against Alcaligenes faecalis, Escherichia coli, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus epidermidis in an in vitro concentration-dependent manner and an in vivo dose-dependent manner. The in vitro concentration-dependent test is a modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method to measure the zone of inhibition (ZOI). The in vivo dose-dependent test measures percent decrease on live epithelial tissue. The concentration-dependent test results found statistically significant ZOI (all p < 0.01), yet all but S. epidermidis treatments failed post-hoc test significance. The dose-dependent test yielded a near-total eradication of cultured bacteria, up to a 100% decrease in bacterial growth (p ≤ 0.0463), with no change between treated and untreated epithelial cells. These results suggest safe usage of the silver hydrosol in vivo and support the hypothesis of high-efficacy dose-dependent treatment on multiple nosocomial gram negative and gram positive bacterial strains. Future research could focus on silver hydrosol's interaction within a living system with exhaustive testing on the effects on endogenous microflora and hepatocytes for presence of silver oxide.

Piaget's theory of human cognitive development was applied to three gorillas at the Oklahoma City Zoo by operationalizing sensorimotor intelligence. The gorillas were of different ages, ranging from one to five years old. Previous research has shown that non-human primates complete Piaget's stages in the same order as humans, albeit not until later ages. These studies were conducted to determine how the cognitive development of non-human primates compares to that of humans, which is important in exploring how humans evolved their level of cognition. Two hypotheses were tested: 1) The gorillas will achieve Piaget's six substages of sensorimotor intelligence in the same order as humans; and 2) The gorillas will exhibit a slower rate of cognitive development as defined in Piaget's theory compared to humans. Observational behavioral data were collected via 30-m focal continuous samples for a total of 17 h, and their behaviors were categorized. Chi-square analysis revealed the gorillas generally completed the substages in the order predicted by Piaget's model (one-year-old gorilla: df = 5, x = 20, p = 0.00125; three-year-old gorilla: df = 5, x = 13.706, p = 0.018; five-year-old gorilla: df = 5, x = 11.444, p = 0.043). The gorillas also exhibited slower achievement of the substages, not achieving each substage until later ages compared to humans. Thus, the null hypothesis that there was no significant difference in the number of substages achieved by each gorilla was rejected.