Sensitivity of indicators matters when using aggregation methods to assess marine environmental status.

The sensitivity of the 15 indicators included in a complex aggregation method (Nested Environmental status Assessment Tool), applied to a case study in the Caspian Sea in Iran, has been studied to discriminate between areas impacted and non-impacted by bathing activities. Two methods were used: (i) the 15 indicators were grouped into four groups (physicochemical, bacteria, plankton, and benthos) and each group was investigated separately (one-way sensitivity analysis), calculating NEAT values after omitting each group independently; and (ii) indicators were selected randomly, using 1000 Monte Carlo iterations, and removing from 1 to 14 indicators at each iteration. The results revealed that the abundance of Pontogammarus was the single indicator that made the difference in assessing the status among locations, differentiating bathing and non-bathing areas. Hence, this indicator is regarded as a monitoring element detecting the impacts produced by a management measure (beach nourishment) taken by the authorities to maintain the bathing activity.

Leaves Antimicrobial Activity of Glycyrrhiza glabra L.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) is an important medicinal plant. In this study, the antimicrobial activities of ethanolic and aqueous extracts from licorice leaves were studied compared to root extracts activities. Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans were used as test organisms. Antimicrobial activity was tested by paper disc agar diffusion and serial dilution methods in order to determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The root and leave extracts showed activity against Candida albicans, and tested gram-positive bacteria in a dose dependent manner. The ethanolic extract of the leaves was the most active extract against gram-positive bacteria. Its effectiveness against strains provides hope that it can serve as an alternative therapeutic agent.