Dexmedetomidine Inhibits Paraventricular Corticotropin-releasing Hormone Neurons that Attenuate Acute Stress-induced Anxiety-like Behavior in Mice.

Background: Dexmedetomidine has repeatedly shown to improve anxiety, but the precise neural mechanisms underlying this effect remain incompletely understood. This study aims to explore the role of corticotropin-releasing hormone-producing hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (CRHPVN) neurons in mediating the anxiolytic effects of dexmedetomidine.

Methods: A social defeat stress mouse model was used to evaluate the anxiolytic effects induced by dexmedetomidine through the elevated plus maze, open-field test, and measurement of serum stress hormone levels.

Distinct circuits in anterior cingulate cortex encode safety assessment and mediate flexibility of fear reactions.

Safety assessment and threat evaluation are crucial for animals to live and survive in the wilderness. However, neural circuits underlying safety assessment and their transformation to mediate flexibility of fear-induced defensive behaviors remain largely unknown. Here, we report that distinct neuronal populations in mouse anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) encode safety status by selectively responding under different contexts of auditory threats, with one preferably activated when an animal staysing in a self-deemed safe zone and another specifically activated in more dangerous environmental settings that led to escape behavior.

Recent Advances in CoO-Based Composites: Synthesis and Application in Combustion of Methane.

In recent years, it has been found that adjusting the organizational structure of CoO through solid solution and other methods can effectively improve its catalytic performance for the oxidation of low concentration methane. Its catalytic activity is close to that of metal Pd, which is expected to replace costly noble metal catalysts. Therefore, the in-depth research on the mechanism and methods of CoO microstructure regulation has very important academic value and economic benefits.

Increase in chloride from baseline is independently associated with mortality in intracerebral hemorrhage patients admitted to intensive care unit: A retrospective study.

Background: Hyperchloremia is associated with increased mortality in critically ill patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between increased chloride levels and mortality outcomes in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: We performed a retrospective study of all patients diagnosed with ICH and included in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC-Ⅲ) from 2001 to 2012.

Early coagulopathy after pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial.

Background: To estimate the incidence, risk factors, and impact on mortality and functional outcomes for early coagulopathy after the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients.

Methods: A post hoc analysis of the Therapeutic Hypothermia after Pediatric Cardiac Arrest Out-of-Hospital (THAPCA-OH) trial was conducted. Early coagulopathy was defined as presence of at least one of the following coagulation abnormalities upon admission: international standard ratio (INR), platelets, and age-adjusted activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) within 6 h after OHCA and before therapeutic hypothermia initiation.

A Review of Cobalt-Containing Nanomaterials, Carbon Nanomaterials and Their Composites in Preparation Methods and Application.

With the increasing demand for sustainable and green energy, electric energy storage technologies have received enough attention and extensive research. Among them, Li-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used because of their excellent performance, but in practical applications, the electrochemical performance of electrode materials is not satisfactory. Carbon-based materials with high chemical stability, strong conductivity, high specific surface area, and good capacity retention are traditional anode materials in electrochemical energy storage devices, while cobalt-based nano-materials have been widely used in LIBs anodes because of their high theoretical specific capacity.

Impact of Oxygen Saturation on Mortality in Obese and Non-obese Critically Ill Patients With Mechanical Ventilation: A Retrospective Observational Study.

Background: The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oxygen saturation on mortality in critically ill patients with mechanical ventilation according to obesity status.

Methods: We conducted an observational study in mechanically ventilated patients admitted to the ICU retrospectively. Demographic, arterial blood gas, ventilator setting, interventions, and peripheral oxygen saturation (Spo) during the first 24 h were recorded and analyzed between non-obese and obese patients.

Phasic Off responses of auditory cortex underlie perception of sound duration.

It has been proposed that sound information is separately streamed into onset and offset pathways for parallel processing. However, how offset responses contribute to auditory perception remains unclear. Here, loose-patch and whole-cell recordings in awake mouse primary auditory cortex (A1) reveal that a subset of pyramidal neurons exhibit a transient "Off" response, with its onset tightly time-locked to the sound termination and its frequency tuning similar to that of the transient "On" response.

Selection of homemade mask materials for preventing transmission of COVID-19: A laboratory study.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has swept the whole world with high mortality. Since droplet transmission is the main route of transmission, wearing a mask serves as a crucial preventive measure. However, the virus has spread quite quickly, causing severe mask shortage.

Clinicopathological and immunohistochemical features of pulmonary artery sarcoma: A report of three cases and review of the literature.

Pulmonary artery sarcoma (PAS) is an extremely rare and highly malignant tumor that originates in the pulmonary artery. The majority of reported cases of PAS are confirmed by pathological examination subsequent to surgery or by autopsy. The present study reports the clinicopathological characteristics and immunohistochemical phenotypes of three cases of PAS, and aims to facilitate the identification of this lethal disease.

Efficacy and safety of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in the treatment of acute respiratory failure after cardiac surgery.

Background: Although noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) has been successfully used for various kinds of acute respiratory failure, the data are limited regarding its application in postoperative respiratory failure after cardiac surgery. Therefore, we conducted a prospective randomized control study in a university surgical intensive care unit to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NPPV in the treatment of acute respiratory failure after cardiac surgery, and explore the predicting factors of NPPV failure.

Methods: From September 2011 to November 2012 patients with acute respiratory failure after cardiac surgery who had indication for the use of NPPV were randomly divided into a NPPV treatment group (NPPV group) and the conventional treatment group (control group).