Floating marine macro litter in the Black Sea: Toward baselines for large scale assessment.

The Black Sea is a semi-enclosed basin subject to major anthropogenic pressures, including marine litter and plastic pollution. Due to numerous large rivers draining into the basin and a population settled along the coast, the region could accumulate significant amounts of floating litter over time. Until now, only limited field data were available, and litter quantities and distribution remained unknown. In this study, floating marine macro litter (FMML) was assessed at the regional Black Sea scale for the first time, showing relatively high litter densities across the basin that reached a weighted mean of 81.5 items/km2. Monitoring data revealed an accumulation of floating items offshore in the eastern part of the basin, resembling on a small scale a 'garbage patch', where litter items were trapped, showing elevated densities in comparison to their surrounding areas. Most of these items were made of plastic materials (ca. 96%) and included large numbers of plastic and polystyrene fragments of small size ranges (2.5-10 cm). Harmonised field data collection through consistent and regular monitoring programmes across the region is essential to establish baselines and thresholds for large scale assessment at international level.

[Lipid peroxidation in the rat brain under neurotization conditions]. / Perekisnoe okislenie lipidov golovnogo mozga krys v usloviiakh nevrotizatsii.

Neurotization provoked a stable activation of lipid peroxidation in homogenates and synaptosomes of the rat brain cortex. The activation persisted for 8 days after cessation of the neurotization. A single short-term emotional-pain stress produced but a transient increase of the lipid peroxidation level.

The effects of corticosteroids on lateral bias in female rats.

In Experiment 1 female rats were given one trial per day for 8 days in a T-maze, and their initial direction of choice (left/right) was noted. Vaginal smears were also obtained daily. After this some animals were adrenalectomized and given Ringer's solution; others were adrenalectomized and given hydrocortisone replacement; a third group was sham adrenalectomized, and a fourth group was an intact control. A week after surgery the animals were again tested for 8 days in the T-maze and vaginal smears were obtained. In Experiment 2 rats were subjected to the same surgical treatments as described above and were then tested for 8 days in the T-maze. In Expt. 1 there was no direction bias among the four groups prior to surgery. However, after surgery the Adrenalectomy+Ringer's group showed a significant increase in their rightward choices in the T-maze. This was also found in Expt. 2. Both adrenalectomized groups in Expt. 1 had a significant reduction in the duration of the estrus phase of their cycle. We conclude that corticosterone can affect lateral preference in a T-maze through a mechanism independent of the hormonal changes involved in the estrus cycle.

[The differential sensitivity to a neurotigenic exposure of rat strains differing by the threshold of nervous system excitability]. / Differentsial'naia chuvstvitel'nost' k nevrotiziruiushchemu vozdeistvuiu linii krys, razlichaiushchikhsia po porogu vozbudimosti nervnoi sistemy.

The influence was studied of 15-days stressing on the appearance of stable neurosis-like state of rats lines, selected by the excitability of the nervous system. Unconditioned and conditioned components of behaviour were tested: pain sensitivity, behaviour in the open field, level of "anxiety", passive and active defensive avoidance. Differential reactivity was shown of the rats lines to prolonged stressing, depending on the genetically determined level of the nervous system functional state. Interlinear differences in dynamics of the development of neurosis-like state were established.

[Comparative genetic analysis of the excitability of the nervous system and of certain types of motor activity in rats]. / Sravnitel'no-geneticheskii analiz vozbudimosti nervnoi sistemy i nekotorykh vidov dvigatel'noi aktivnosti u krys.

The significant correspondence between neural excitability and investigatory activity in novel environments was demonstrated when studying in four selected rat strains. In order to explain this kind of correlated response, one should assume that the interstrain differences between other peripheral and central parts of neural system also exist.

[Correlated variability in motor activity and emotionality in selecting rats for high and low values of active avoidance conditioned reflexes]. / Skorrelirovannaia izmenchivost' dvigatel'noi aktivnosti i emotsional'nosti pri selektsii krys na vysokie i nizkie velichiny uslovnykh refleksov aktivnogo izbeganiia.

The open-field behaviour of rats selected for high and low active avoidance level was studied. The data obtained showed the correlated response of two selected lines for avoidance ability with the locomotor activity and emotional reactivity in the open-field situation. The line of a low avoidance value had the low activity level and high defecation score in comparison to the alternative one and to progenitory Krushinsky--Molodkina strain. The correspondence of learning ability and emotionality-motivation performance has been discussed.

[Elaboration of a conditioned alimentary reflex and protein turnover in hippocampal neurons and neuroglia]. / Vyrabotka pishchevogo uslovnogo refleksa i obnovlenie belkov v neironakh i neiroglii gippokampa.

A single session of the food conditioning in rats entailed an increase of labelled phenylalanine incorporation into the proteins of the nuclei and, particularly, of the cytoplasm of CA3 hippocampal neurons. In the trained animals, as compared with active control group, a session repeated in 3 days returned the turnover of neuronal proteins to the control level, while the same session in 6 days of decreased the protein turnover below the control level. No changes occurred in the course of the experiment in the perineuronal neuroglial cells. Predominant involvement of neuronal protein metabolism is outlined in the metabolic reconstruction within the whole neuron-neuroglia unit in the course of conditioning.