Pleuromutilin and its Derivatives: Promising Novel Anti-Infective Agents

: Due to the emergence and spread of the drug resistance to numerous antibiotics, global research attempts focus on new classes of antibiotics with different mechanisms of action from currently used drugs. Pleuromutilin was first identified as a natural antibiotic in 1951 from the New York Botanical Garden and Columbia University. The substance was isolated from Pleurotus mutilus and Pleurotus passeckerianus. Nevertheless, pleuromutilin was first launched in 1979 (tiamulin) for use in veterinarians. However, antibiotics with new targets or employ a different action mechanism are always attractive because they conquered recognized resistance by the bacteria and were not resisted against approved antibiotic classes. Pleuromutilin has a unique antibacterial activity that binds to the peptidyl transferase at the central area of the bacteria's 50S ribosome to inhibit protein synthesis. Pleuromutilin antibiotics have antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive pathogens. Besides, they cover some fastidious Gram-negative bacteria. As Gram-positive bacteria increased resistance against currently approved antibiotics, the pleuromutilin antibiotic was investigated to develop a systemically antibacterial drug to be used in humans. In 2006, lefamulin was developed and started to encounter studying for systemic infection in humans. Lefamulin is a semi-synthetic pleuromutilin antibiotic, and the US FDA approved it for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) treatment in August 2019. This review will focus on this antibiotic's critical issues, the relevant bacterial spectrum activity, preclinical and clinical information, and potentially therapeutic properties of pleuromutilin antibiotic.

From the Machete to the Microscope: Dennis Stevenson, Plant Morphologist

To mark the commencement of Dennis Stevenson’s status as Senior Curator Emeritus at New York Botanical Garden, we present a brief and subjective overview of his academic achievements to date. We highlight his deep and scholarly background in plant morphology, his adherence to cladistic methodologies for testing hypotheses of organismal relationships, especially in cycads and monocots, and his inspirational influence on students and colleagues within the botanical community.

Lectotypification of Plagiothecium mauiense, a Hawaiian synonym of Plagiothecium longisetum (Plagiotheciaceae)

In 2020, Plagiothecium mauiense Broth. was recognised as a synonym of P. longisetum Lindb.; however, due to the inability to compare all known original material, the conducted taxonomic analysis was not completed with lectotypification of the name. Syntypes of P. mauiense were found in four American herbaria: Harvard University Herbarium (FH00220142), Miami University Herbarium (MU 000000546), New York Botanical Garden Herbarium (NY01256708) and Yale University Herbarium (YU 233890). Considering the condition of the found material and Articles 9.3, 9.11 and 9.12 of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants (Shenzhen Code) that is currently in force, a specimen NY01256708 was proposed to be the lectotype of P. mauiense.

Mid-Atlantic

The chapter “Mid-Atlantic” discusses scientific and technological sites of adult interest in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC, including the Johnson Victrola Museum, National Cryptologic Museum, the Sarnoff Collection, New York Botanical Garden, Joseph Priestley House, and Smithsonian Institution. The traveler is provided with essential information, including addresses, telephone numbers, hours of entry, handicapped access, dining facilities, dates open and closed, available public transportation, and websites. Nearly every site included here has been visited by the authors. Although written with scientists in mind, this book is for anyone who likes to travel and visit places of historical and scientific interest. Included are photographs of many sites within each state.

Coletas botânicas na zona costeira do estado do Maranhão, nordeste do Brasil.

A área costeira do estado do Maranhão representa, em grande parte, a diversidade ambiental, em especial vegetacional, do Brasil, pela sua extensão e posição geográfica transicional entre o Nordeste e o Norte do país. Este estudo pretendeu levantar, catalogar, analisar e classificar as espécies vegetais da flora de formações costeiras do estado do Maranhão presentes nas coleções e bancos de dados de jardins botânicos. Foram levantadas as espécies vegetais da zona costeira do Maranhão presentes nas coleções dos seguintes jardins botânicos: New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY, USA; Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA; Royal Botanic Gardens (KEW, UK); e Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro (JBRJ, Brasil). As seguintes informações foram extraídas: a) número total de espécies nas quatro instituições, por município costeiro do estado; b) espécies mais coletadas e menos coletadas; c) tipologias de vegetação nas áreas coletadas; d) espécies mais representativas nas tipologias de vegetação; e) formas de crescimento das espécies coletadas; f) distribuição temporal das coletas e das espécies coletadas; g) presença e ausência de espécies em faixas temporais das coletas botânicas. Os dados coletados e as diferentes abordagens nas análises mostraram, no geral, que a área territorial estadual é insuficientemente coletada, com baixo número de coletas, além de temporalmente mal representadas. O estudo resume a realidade vegetal maranhense nos acervos das principais instituições botânicas do mundo e do Brasil. Botanical records of coastal formations in Maranhão, northeastern Brazil A B S T R A C TThe coastal area of the state of Maranhão represents, to a large extent, the environmental diversity, especially the plant diversity, of Brazil, due to its extension and transitional geographical position between the Northeast and the North regions of the country. This study aimed to survey the plant species of the flora from coastal plant formations in the state of Maranhão present in the collections and databases of botanical gardens. Plant species from the coastal zone of Maranhão in the collections of the following botanical gardens were surveyed: a) New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY, USA; b) Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA; Royal Botanic Gardens (KEW, UK); and Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro (JBRJ, Brazil). The following information were extracted: a) total number of species in the four institutions, by institution, by coastal state municipality; b) more collected species and less collected species; c) types of vegetation in the areas collected; d) more representative species in types of vegetation; e) forms of growth of the species collected; f) temporal distribution of collections and species collected; g) presence or absence of species in collection time frames. The data collected and the different approaches from the analysis showed, in general, that state territorial area is insufficiently collected, with a low number of collections, in addition to collections that are temporally poorly represented. This study summarizes Maranhão’s plant reality in the collections of the main botanical institutions of the world and Brazil.Keywords: botanical collections, herbarium, Maranhão.

Access to Healthy Food and Promoting Healthy Lives

This chapter talks about community gardens that serve as sites for both food production and community education. The Bronx Green-up (BGU) is an initiative of the New York Botanical Garden. The BGU provides the technical support and materials needed for community gardens to succeed. The Green Corps, run by the Cleveland Botanical Garden, introduces at-risk youth to organic farming methods and provides them with opportunities to learn about gardening, nutrition, and environmental issues. The Growing to Green program, from the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, has helped start, strengthen, and sustain approximately three hundred community or school gardens in Ohio. The Sankofa Farm at Batram's Garden involves the youth to enable them to get to college. Reflecting on the case studies in the chapter, it is clear that moving a community from a failing to a healthy state requires the participation of multiple entities: municipal agencies, social service organizations, community activists, for-profit organizations, and cultural and religious institutions. Each can play a role in making fresh produce more available and more appealing to those living in food deserts. By involving low-income residents in growing their own food, such initiatives will also enable them to feel in control of their diet and not at the mercy of what is available at the corner store. As gardens spring up in previously underserved neighborhoods, communities experience the ripple effects of reduced vandalism, trash, petty crime, and loitering.

A new synonym from Hawaii and lectotypification of Plagiothecium longisetum (Plagiotheciaceae)

Plagiothecium mauiense was first described in 1927 by V.F. Brotherus, based on materials from Hawaii. It has, so far been, treated as a separate species. A detailed analysis of the original material housed in the New York Botanical Garden Herbarium (NY01256708) found the specimen to be characterised by a lack of metallic lustre; concave, asymmetrical, lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate leaves, shrunken in their dry condition; a straight, not denticulate, acute to apiculate apex; elongate-hexagonal cells in irregular transverse rows, 101–131 × 15–21 µm at mid-leaf; very lax areolation, with decurrencies composed of three rows of cells. These characteristics indicate that this species is identical to the original material of P. longisetum (e.g. H-SOL 1563 011; PC0132572). Hence, we propose that P. mauiense should be recognised as a new synonym of P. longisetum. In addition, a review of P. longisetum syntypes found one (H-SOL 1563 011) to have the same date of collection as the protologue, and to possess a quite abundant gametophyte turf with well-preserved sporophytes, indicating it to be fertile. Considering the above, we propose that specimen H-SOL 1563 011 be designated the lectotype of P. longisetum.