Perinatal nicotine exposure alters lung development and induces HMGB1-RAGE expression in neonatal mice.

Background: Maternal nicotine exposure during gestation and lactation adversely affect lung development of their children. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is the encoded non-histone, nuclear DNA-binding protein that regulates transcription, and is involved in organization of DNA. Receptors for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is a receptor for HMGB1 and activates nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling.

Psychotropic medications prescribing trends in adolescents: A nationwide population-based study in Taiwan.

Objective: To describe psychotropic medications prescription patterns among adolescents in Taiwan; focusing on age, gender, duration of treatments and various classes of psychotropic medications.

Design: A retrospective description analysis.

Setting: Taiwan National Health Insurance Database.

BOLD signals correlate with ensemble unit activities in rat's somatosensory cortex.

Evoked neural activity (ensemble single-unit activity and evoked field potential) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) changes of the primary somatosensory cortex in response to electrical stimulation of the hind paw were studied in rats under anesthesia. The effects of stimulation frequency (ranging from 0.3 to 10 Hz) and types of anesthetics (alpha-chloralose and sodium pentobarbital) on blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) activation and neural activation were compared.