Anti-anxiety drugs and fish behavior: Establishing the link between internal concentrations of oxazepam and behavioral effects

This is the final published version. Available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.Some of the chemistry data have been provided in the Supplemental Data. The raw data from the behavioral analysis can be provided on contact with the corresponding author ([email protected]).Psychoactive drugs are frequently detected in the aquatic environment. The evolutionary conservation of the molecular targets of these drugs in fish suggests that they may elicit mode of action–mediated effects in fish as they do in humans, and the key open question is at what exposure concentrations these effects might occur. In the present study, the authors investigated the uptake and tissue distribution of the benzodiazepine oxazepam in the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) after 28 d of waterborne exposure to 0.8 μg L −1 , 4.7 μg L −1 , and 30.6 μg L −1 . Successively, they explored the relationship between the internal concentrations of oxazepam and the effects on fish exploratory behavior quantified by performing 2 types of behavioral tests, the novel tank diving test and the shelter-seeking test. The highest internal concentrations of oxazepam were found in brain, followed by plasma and liver, whereas muscle presented the lowest values. Average concentrations measured in the plasma of fish from the 3 exposure groups were, respectively, 8.7 ± 5.7 μg L −1 , 30.3 ± 16.1 μg L −1 , and 98.8 ± 72.9 μg L −1 . Significant correlations between plasma and tissue concentrations of oxazepam were found in all 3 groups. Exposure of fish to 30.6 µg L −1 in water produced plasma concentrations within or just below the human therapeutic plasma concentration (H T PC) range in many individuals. Statistically significant behavioral effects in the novel tank diving test were observed in fish exposed to 4.7 μg L −1 . In this group, plasma concentrations of oxazepam were approximately one-third of the lowest H T PC value. No significant effects were observed in fish exposed to the lowest and highest concentrations. The significance of these results is discussed in the context of the species-specific behavior of fathead minnow and existing knowledge of oxazepam pharmacology. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:2782–2790. © 2016 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.Brunel University (London, UK)Spanish Ministry of Economy and CompetitivenessEconomy and Knowledge Department of the Catalan governmen

Novel image–novel location object recognition task sensitive to age-related cognitive decline in nondemented elderly

Traditional tests used in the clinic to identify dementia, such as the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), are useful to identify severe cognitive impairments but might be less sensitive to detect more subtle age-related cognitive changes. Previously, the novel image–novel location (NINL) object recognition test was shown to be sensitive to detect effects of apolipoprotein E4, a risk factor for developing age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, in nondemented elderly. In the present longitudinal study, performance on the MMSE and the NINL tests were compared over a 4-year period. Individual NINL scores over this period were highly correlated. In addition, while MMSE scores did not change over the 4-year period, NINL scores did. In a final testing session of a subset of the participants, NINL scores correlated with logical memory and word recall lists, cognitive tasks used to detect dementia in the clinic, as well as clinical dementia rating scales. These results support that the NINL might be a valuable tool to assess age-related cognitive decline

Electrochemical Nanoengineered Sensors in Infectious Disease Diagnosis

This chapter reports a short review on electrochemical nanoengineered biosensors in infectious disease diagnosis. Early and timely diagnosis of infectious diseases has tremendous medical and social significance which advocates the development of new diagnostic tools. In this chapter, we discussed various electrochemical sensors for detection and diagnosis of tropical or subtropical fevers particularly dengue fever and malaria parasite. We also addressed the several important aspects of biosensors, namely, selectivity, sensitivity, and interference, and also the effect of engineering the nanomaterials (0D, 1D, 2D) on these aspects. In detail, we discussed the various techniques to immobilize the biomolecules on working electrode (glassy carbon, gold electrode, flexible substrates). Further, we discussed the several miniaturized sensing platforms with integrated microfluidic channels which can ensure for development of sensors for point-of-care applications