Changes in behavioural and locomotory activities of freshwater fish, Cirrhinus mrigala (Hamilton) in response to sublethal exposure of Chlorpyrifos

The aim of the present study was to analyze the impact of sub-lethal toxicity of chlorpyrifos, one of the largest market selling agrochemical on physiological parameters of teleost fish, Cirrhinus mrigala addressing the possible causative involvement in behavioural and locomotion responses. Primarily, the acute toxicity (96h LC50) test was carried out and the value calculated by probit analysis was found to be 0.44 mg L-1. Further, one-fifth, one-tenth and one-twentieth of 96 h LC50 were selected as sublethal concentrations for sub acute studies. The experiment was carried out for 21 days and the alternative behaviour was recorded in terms of Air Ingulping (AI), Operculum Beat Frequency (OBF), Surfacing Movement (SM), Vertical Hanging (VH) and Tail Beat Frequency (TBF) on duration day 2, 4, 7, 14 and 21. Significant effect of both the concentrations and duration was observed in fishes treated with selected doses of chlorpyrifos. It was found that AI, OBF, SM, VH, TBF was highest on day 7 at 0.08 mg L-1 concentration of Chlorpyrifos. The findings revealed that there is a need to control the use of chlorpyrifos because of its toxicity. All the fish avoidance tests proved to be an important predictive and sensitive biomarker in aquatic monitoring and pollution management.

Collision Avoidance Algorithm for Collaborative Robotics

The paper discusses a study on a real-time collision avoidance algorithm for collaborative robotics applications. Within the work it is considered that a vision system detects the position of an obstacle and defines an ellipsoid which completely includes it. A similar virtual ellipsoid is considered to include the end effector, and its pose is computed based on the robot configuration. The distance between ellipsoids is input into the collision avoidance algorithm based on the method of artificial potentials. The tuning of the algorithm is described herein, along with an analysis of its performance under different operating conditions. The results of two collision avoidance tests are also presented. For the first test, the end-effector must avoid a fixed obstacle placed along a planned path. For the second test, the obstacle is moving, following a trajectory that intersects that of the end-effector. Finally, the behavior of the algorithm with increasing velocities of the end-effector and obstacle is analyzed.

Steamed and Fermented Ethanolic Extract fromCodonopsis lanceolataAttenuates Amyloid-β-Induced Memory Impairment in Mice

Codonopsis lanceolata(C. lanceolata) is a traditional medicinal plant used for the treatment of certain inflammatory diseases such as asthma, tonsillitis, and pharyngitis. We evaluated whether steamed and fermentedC. lanceolata(SFC) extract improves amyloid-β- (Aβ-) induced learning and memory impairment in mice. The Morris water maze and passive avoidance tests were used to evaluate the effect of SFC extract. Moreover, we investigated acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling in the hippocampus of mice to determine a possible mechanism for the cognitive-enhancing effect. Saponin compounds in SFC were identified by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS). SFC extract ameliorated amyloid-β-induced memory impairment in the Morris water maze and passive avoidance tests. SFC extract inhibited AChE activity and also significantly increased the level of CREB phosphorylation, BDNF expression, and ERK activation in hippocampal tissue of amyloid-β-treated mice. Lancemasides A, B, C, D, E, and G and foetidissimoside A compounds present in SFC were determined by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. These results indicate that SFC extract improves Aβ-induced memory deficits and that AChE inhibition and CREB/BDNF/ERK expression is important for the effect of the SFC extract. In addition, lancemaside A specifically may be responsible for efficacious effect of SFC.

Cognitive-Enhancing Effect ofAronia melanocarpaExtract against Memory Impairment Induced by Scopolamine in Mice

Aronia melanocarpa(A. melanocarpa)berriesare a fruit with a marked antioxidant effect. The objective of this study was to confirm the effect ofA. melanocarpa berriesextract against scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice using the Morris water maze and passive avoidance test. Moreover, we determined a possible mechanism of the cognitive-enhancing effect involving AChE activity and BDNF and p-CREB expression in the hippocampus of mice.A. melanocarpa berriesextract attenuated the learning and memory impairment induced by scopolamine in the Morris water maze (79.3 ± 0.8 s of 200 mg/kg and 64.4 ± 10.7 s of 400 mg/kg on day 4) and passive avoidance tests (46.0 ± 41.1 s of 200 mg/kg and 25.6 ± 18.7 s of 400 mg/kg).A. melanocarpa berriesextract reduced the acetylcholinesterase level in the hippocampus of scopolamine-injected mice and increased BDNF and p-CREB expression in the hippocampus. The major compound, cyanidin-3-O-galactoside, also reversed memory impairment. These results showed thatA. melanocarpa berriesextract improved memory impairment by inhibiting AChE and increasing BDNF and p-CREB expression, and cyanidin-3-O-galactoside may be responsible for the effect ofA. melanocarpa berriesextract.

Effects of rivastigmine and memantine alone and in combination on learning and memory in rats with scopolamine-induced amnesia

Background: Cholinesterase inhibitors and glutamate blockers are commonly used for the treatment of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease. The aim was to evaluate the effects of rivastigmine and memantine alone or in combination in rats with scopolamine-impaired memory. Method: 5 groups of rats were used: control, scopolamine (model), model with rivastigmine, model with memantine, and model with both drugs. Active avoidance test was performed and the number of conditioned responses, unconditioned responses and intertrial crossing were recorded. Passive avoidance tests step-through with criteria latency of reaction 180 s in the light chamber and step-down with criteria latency of reaction 60 s on the platform were done. Results: Control rats learned the task and kept it on memory tests. Scopolamine treated rats failed to perform it. The rivastigmine, memantine and its combination groups showed increased CRs during learning and memory retention tests. In both passive avoidance tests an increased latency of reaction was observed in the drug treated groups. Conclusion: The combination of both drugs rivastigmine and memantine is more effective than the use of the single drug in cognitive impaired rats. Cholinesterase inhibitors and NMDA blockers may be combined in the treatment of different kind of dementias.