Astrocytes Modulate a Specific Paraventricular Thalamus→Prefrontal Cortex Projection to Enhance Consciousness Recovery from Anesthesia.

Current anesthetic theory is mostly based on neurons and/or neuronal circuits. A role for astrocytes also has been shown in promoting recovery from volatile anesthesia, while the exact modulatory mechanism and/or the molecular target in astrocytes is still unknown. In this study by animal models in male mice and electrophysiological recordings in vivo and in vitro, we found that activating astrocytes of the paraventricular thalamus (PVT) and/or knocking down PVT astrocytic Kir4.

Sodium Leak Channel in Glutamatergic Neurons of the Lateral Parabrachial Nucleus Helps to Maintain Respiratory Frequency Under Sevoflurane Anesthesia.

The lateral parabrachial nucleus (PBL) is implicated in the regulation of respiratory activity. Sodium leak channel (NALCN) mutations disrupt the respiratory rhythm and influence anesthetic sensitivity in both rodents and humans. Here, we investigated whether the NALCN in PBL glutamatergic neurons maintains respiratory function under general anesthesia.

Activity of the Sodium Leak Channel Maintains the Excitability of Paraventricular Thalamus Glutamatergic Neurons to Resist Anesthetic Effects of Sevoflurane in Mice.

Background: Stimulation of the paraventricular thalamus has been found to enhance anesthesia recovery; however, the underlying molecular mechanism by which general anesthetics modulate paraventricular thalamus is unclear. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the sodium leak channel (NALCN) maintains neuronal activity in the paraventricular thalamus to resist anesthetic effects of sevoflurane in mice.

Methods: Chemogenetic and optogenetic manipulations, in vivo multiple-channel recordings, and electroencephalogram recordings were used to investigate the role of paraventricular thalamus neuronal activity in sevoflurane anesthesia.

Sodium Leak Channel in Glutamatergic Neurons of the Lateral Parabrachial Nucleus Modulates Inflammatory Pain in Mice.

Elevated excitability of glutamatergic neurons in the lateral parabrachial nucleus (PBL) is associated with the pathogenesis of inflammatory pain, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. Sodium leak channel (NALCN) is widely expressed in the central nervous system and regulates neuronal excitability. In this study, chemogenetic manipulation was used to explore the association between the activity of PBL glutamatergic neurons and pain thresholds.

Néel-type optical target skyrmions inherited from evanescent electromagnetic fields with rotational symmetry.

Optical skyrmions have recently attracted growing interest due to their potential applications in deep-subwavelength imaging and nanometrology. While optical skyrmions have been successfully demonstrated using different field vectors, the study of their generation and control, as well as their general correlation with electromagnetic (EM) fields, is still in its infancy. Here, we theoretically propose that evanescent transverse-magnetic-polarized (TM-polarized) EM fields with rotational symmetry are actually Néel-type optical target skyrmions of the electric field vectors.

In-plane hyperbolic polariton tuners in terahertz and long-wave infrared regimes.

One of the main bottlenecks in the development of terahertz (THz) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) technologies is the limited intrinsic response of traditional materials. Hyperbolic phonon polaritons (HPhPs) of van der Waals semiconductors couple strongly with THz and LWIR radiation. However, the mismatch of photon - polariton momentum makes far-field excitation of HPhPs challenging.

γ-Aminobutyric Acid-Ergic Development Contributes to the Enhancement of Electroencephalogram Slow-Delta Oscillations Under Volatile Anesthesia in Neonatal Rats.

Background: General anesthetics (eg, propofol and volatile anesthetics) enhance the slow-delta oscillations of the cortical electroencephalogram (EEG), which partly results from the enhancement of (γ-aminobutyric acid [GABA]) γ-aminobutyric acid-ergic (GABAergic) transmission. There is a GABAergic excitatory-inhibitory shift during postnatal development. Whether general anesthetics can enhance slow-delta oscillations in the immature brain has not yet been unequivocally determined.

Efficacy of Nalbuphine as a Local Anesthetic Adjuvant for Brachial Plexus Block: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Nalbuphine has been increasingly used as a local anesthetic adjuvant to extend the duration of analgesia in brachial plexus block (BPB).

Objectives: To systematically and firstly evaluate the available evidence on the efficacy of nalbuphine as an adjuvant to local anesthetics in BPB.

Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Contrast of oropharyngeal leak pressure and clinical performance of I-gel™ and LMA ProSeal™ in patients: A meta-analysis.

Background: Conflicting outcomes have been reported for the i-gel™ and laryngeal mask airway (LMA) ProSeal™ in children and adults during general anesthesia. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that yielded wide contrast outcomes between i-gel™ and LMA ProSeal™ were included in this meta-analysis.

Methods: Two authors independently identified RCTs that compared i-gel™ with LMA ProSeal™ among patients receiving general anesthesia by performing searches in EMBASE, Cochrane, PubMed, and ScienceDirect.

WS-Flake-Sandwiched, Au-Nanodisk-Enabled High-Quality Fabry-Pérot Nanoresonators for Photoluminescence Modulation.

The increasing demand for compact and high-performance photonic devices drives the development of optical resonators with nanoscale sizes and ultrahigh quality factors. Fabry-Pérot (FP) resonators, the most widely employed optical resonators, can support ultrahigh quality factors in the simple structure, which is particularly attractive for applications in lasers, filters, and ultrasensitive sensors. However, the construction of FP resonators with both nanoscale sizes and high quality factors has still faced challenges.

Signatures of Thalamocortical Alpha Oscillations and Synchronization With Increased Anesthetic Depths Under Isoflurane.

Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings under propofol exhibit an increase in slow and alpha oscillation power and dose-dependent phase-amplitude coupling (PAC), which underlie GABA potentiation and the central role of thalamocortical entrainment. However, the exact EEG signatures elicited by volatile anesthetics and the possible neurophysiological mechanisms remain unclear. Cortical EEG signals and thalamic local field potential (LFP) were recorded in a mouse model to detect EEG signatures induced by 0.

Effects of Perioperative Epidural Analgesia on Cancer Recurrence and Survival.

Surgical resection is the main curative avenue for various cancers. Unfortunately, cancer recurrence following surgery is commonly seen, and typically results in refractory disease and death. Currently, there is no consensus whether perioperative epidural analgesia (EA), including intraoperative and postoperative epidural analgesia, is beneficial or harmful on cancer recurrence and survival.

Controlling and Focusing In-Plane Hyperbolic Phonon Polaritons in α-MoO with a Curved Plasmonic Antenna.

Hyperbolic phonon polaritons (HPhPs) sustained in polar van der Waals (vdW) crystals exhibit extraordinary confinement of long-wave electromagnetic fields to the deep subwavelength scale. In stark contrast to uniaxial vdW hyperbolic materials, recently emerged biaxial hyperbolic materials, such as α-MoO and α-V O , offer new degrees of freedom for controlling light in two-dimensions due to their distinctive in-plane hyperbolic dispersions. However, the control and focusing of these in-plane HPhPs remain elusive.

Phonon Polaritons in Twisted Double-Layers of Hyperbolic van der Waals Crystals.

Controlling the twist angle between two stacked van der Waals (vdW) crystals is a powerful approach for tuning their electronic and photonic properties. Hyperbolic media have recently attracted much attention due to their ability to tailor electromagnetic waves at the subwavelength-scale which, however, usually requires complex patterning procedures. Here, we demonstrate a lithography-free approach for manipulating the hyperbolicity by harnessing the twist-dependent coupling of phonon polaritons in double-layers of vdW α-MoO, a naturally biaxial hyperbolic crystal.

Potential use of C-phycocyanin in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

C-phycocyanin (C-PC) is a kind of photosynthetically assisted pigment, which is ubiquitous in cyanobacteria cells. We investigated the effect of C-PC on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its mechanism. Through oil red O staining, TC/TG detection, liver SOD/MDA detection and liver H&E staining, we found that C-PC could significantly reduce the lipid accumulation in the steatosis L02 cells and the liver of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) mice, and improve the antioxidant capacity of liver.