We report on a novel sponge disease, hereafter termed 'sponge white patch' (SWP), affecting the Caribbean sponge species Amphimedon compressa. SWP is characterized by distinctive white patches of variable size that are found irregularly on the branches of diseased sponges. Nearly 20% of the population of A. compressa at Dry Rocks Reef, Florida, USA, showed symptoms of SWP at the time of investi...

Chlorophyll fluorescence has been used to predict and monitor coral bleaching over short timescales (hours to days), but long-term changes during recovery remain largely unknown. To evaluate changes in fluorescence during long-term bleaching and recovery, Porites compressa and Montipora capitata corals were experimentally bleached in tanks at 30 degrees C for 1 month, while control fragments we...

The increased abundance of ephemeral algae and corresponding decline in perennial fucoids observed in eutrophic (nutrient-rich) waters could be caused by eutrophication-driven shifts in the competitive relationship between the 2 groups as early as the germling stage. During the initial post-settlement period germlings are exposed to large temporal variations in temperature, which may influence ...

This study evaluates the chemopreventive effect of an aqueous extract of dried leaves of Ardisia compressa against liver cancer. A rat liver assay that mimics progressive forms of human disease was used as a carcinogenesis model. Forty-five male Wistar rats (180-200 g body weight) were injected intraperitoneally on day 1 with a single dose (100 mg/kg) of diethylnitrosamine (DEN), and also recei...

In vitro cell proliferation, cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis were investigated, using three human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines (OSCC-3, SCC-61, and SQ-20B). Aqueous extracts of Camellia sinensis, Ilex paraguariensis, and Ardisia compressa were tested and (-) epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) was used for comparison. For EGCG the IC50 values were between ...

Canopy-forming seaweed species of the genus Cystoseira form diverse and productive habitats along temperate rocky coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Despite numerous studies on the rich macrofauna and flora associated with Cystoseira spp., there is little knowledge about the epiphytic bacteria. We analyzed bacterial populations associated with canopies of Cystoseira compressa, over an annual vege...

BACKGROUND Salvia seeds are promite to dietary and healthy oils because they contain essential fatty acids. Salvia seeds frequently produce mucilage on soaking, and this mucilage is used for the treatment of eye diseases in eastern countries. Salvia species studied for medicine, food and cosmetics, have the potential to be used in the various fields. In the present study, selected engineering (...

Consequently the name Biblarium chilense is a nomen nudum. Even so, some years later De Toni, observing neither illustration nor specimen, transferred it to Tetracyclus as Tetracyclus (chilensis) chilense (Ehrenb.) De Toni (De Toni 1892: 749). Regardless of these nomenclatural details, that a species of Tetracyclus was found in Chile offered data of potential biogeographic interest (Williams 20...