A consensus definition for deep layer 6 excitatory neurons in mouse neocortex.

To understand neocortical function, we must first define its cell types. Recent studies indicate that neurons in the deepest cortical layer play roles in mediating thalamocortical interactions and modulating brain state and are implicated in neuropsychiatric disease. However, understanding the functions of deep layer 6 (L6b) neurons has been hampered by the lack of agreed upon definitions for these cell types.

The Parkinson's disease DJ-1/PARK7 gene controls peripheral neuronal excitability and painful neuropathy.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with well-documented motor symptoms as well as less recognised, but significant, non-motor symptoms. These non-motor symptoms include prodromal pain and peripheral neuropathy, the causes of which are unknown. We investigated the role of DJ-1/PARK7, a Parkinson's disease-associated gene, in prodromal pain and peripheral neuropathy.

Anterior Insular-nucleus Accumbens Pathway Controls Refeeding-induced Analgesia under Chronic Inflammatory Pain Condition.

Feeding behaviors are closely associated with chronic pain in adult rodents. Our recent study revealed that 2 h refeeding after 24 h fasting (i.e.

Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species Elicit Acute and Chronic Itch via Transient Receptor Potential Canonical 3 Activation in Mice.

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) that are overproduced by mitochondrial dysfunction are linked to pathological conditions including sensory abnormalities. Here, we explored whether mROS overproduction induces itch through transient receptor potential canonical 3 (TRPC3), which is sensitive to ROS. Intradermal injection of antimycin A (AA), a selective inhibitor of mitochondrial electron transport chain complex III for mROS overproduction, produced robust scratching behavior in naïve mice, which was suppressed by MitoTEMPO, a mitochondria-selective ROS scavenger, and Pyr10, a TRPC3-specific blocker, but not by blockers of TRPA1 or TRPV1.

Patterns of brain c-Fos expression in response to feeding behavior in acute and chronic inflammatory pain condition.

Objectives: Feeding behavior is known to have potential to alleviate pain. We recently demonstrated that both 24 h fasting and 2 h refeeding (food intake after 24 h fasting) induce analgesia in inflammatory pain conditions via different brain mechanisms. However, brain structures that distinctly involved fasting- and refeeding-induced analgesia is still unknown.

Riboflavin Inhibits Histamine-Dependent Itch by Modulating Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1).

Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B, isfound in foods and is used as a dietary supplement. Its deficiency (also called ariboflavinosis) results in some skin lesions and inflammations, such as stomatitis, cheilosis, oily scaly skin rashes, and itchy, watery eyes. Various therapeutic effects of riboflavin, such as anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-nociceptive effects, are well known.

Functional Importance of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Channels in Neurological Disorders.

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are transmembrane protein complexes that play important roles in the physiology and pathophysiology of both the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nerve system (PNS). TRP channels function as non-selective cation channels that are activated by several chemical, mechanical, and thermal stimuli as well as by pH, osmolarity, and several endogenous or exogenous ligands, second messengers, and signaling molecules. On the pathophysiological side, these channels have been shown to play essential roles in the reproductive system, kidney, pancreas, lung, bone, intestine, as well as in neuropathic pain in both the CNS and PNS.

Co-Application of Eugenol and QX-314 Elicits the Prolonged Blockade of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels in Nociceptive Trigeminal Ganglion Neurons.

Local anesthetics (LAs) can completely block nociception by inhibiting voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs), and thus, blocking action potentials (APs) within sensory neurons. As one of the several LAs, eugenol is used for dental pain treatment. It reportedly features multiple functions in regulating diverse ion channels.

Functional Expression of Piezo1 in Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) Neurons.

Piezo channels are mechanosensitive ion channels. Piezo1 is primarily expressed in nonsensory tissues, whereas Piezo2 is predominantly found in sensory tissues, including dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. However, a recent study demonstrated the intracellular calcium response to Yoda1, a selective Piezo1 agonist, in trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons.

The Synaptic Organization of Layer 6 Circuits Reveals Inhibition as a Major Output of a Neocortical Sublamina.

The canonical cortical microcircuit has principally been defined by interlaminar excitatory connections among the six layers of the neocortex. However, excitatory neurons in layer 6 (L6), a layer whose functional organization is poorly understood, form relatively rare synaptic connections with other cortical excitatory neurons. Here, we show that the vast majority of parvalbumin inhibitory neurons in a sublamina within L6 send axons through the cortical layers toward the pia.

Ion Channels Involved in Tooth Pain.

The tooth has an unusual sensory system that converts external stimuli predominantly into pain, yet its sensory afferents in teeth demonstrate cytochemical properties of non-nociceptive neurons. This review summarizes the recent knowledge underlying this paradoxical nociception, with a focus on the ion channels involved in tooth pain. The expression of temperature-sensitive ion channels has been extensively investigated because thermal stimulation often evokes tooth pain.

Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles using Extract and their Tyrosinase Activity.

Herbal nanoparticles gain lot of attention because of their pharmaceutical importance. The present study reports the eco-friendly synthesis, characterization and their tyrosinase activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using aqueous extract of The appearance of brown color indicated the formation of AgNPs. The Formation of AgNPs was confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, FESEM and EDS analysis.

Replenishment of microRNA-188-5p restores the synaptic and cognitive deficits in 5XFAD Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

MicroRNAs have emerged as key factors in development, neurogenesis and synaptic functions in the central nervous system. In the present study, we investigated a pathophysiological significance of microRNA-188-5p (miR-188-5p) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We found that oligomeric Aβ treatment diminished miR-188-5p expression in primary hippocampal neuron cultures and that miR-188-5p rescued the Aβ-mediated synapse elimination and synaptic dysfunctions.

Correction: Early Behavioral Abnormalities and Perinatal Alterations of PTEN/AKT Pathway in Valproic Acid Autism Model Mice.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Early Behavioral Abnormalities and Perinatal Alterations of PTEN/AKT Pathway in Valproic Acid Autism Model Mice.

Exposure to valproic acid (VPA) during pregnancy has been linked with increased incidence of autism, and has repeatedly been demonstrated as a useful autism mouse model. We examined the early behavioral and anatomical changes as well as molecular changes in mice prenatally exposed to VPA (VPA mice). In this study, we first showed that VPA mice showed developmental delays as assessed with self-righting, eye opening tests and impaired social recognition.

High-resolution transcriptome analysis reveals neuropathic pain gene-expression signatures in spinal microglia after nerve injury.

Microglial cells, the resident immune cells of the spinal cord, become activated in response to peripheral nerve injury. Microglia activation contributes to the development of neuropathic pain. Here we employed microarray analysis of individually collected pools of 10 spinal microglia cells to identify changes of levels and cell-to-cell expression variance of microglial genes during their activation after peripheral nerve injury.

Two pregnancy cases of uterine scar dehiscence after laparoscopic myomectomy.

Uterine scar dehiscence following laparoscopic myomectomy rarely occurs but can compromise both maternal and fetal well-being in subsequent pregnancy. We here present two cases of pregnancy complicated by preterm birth that resulted from uterine scar dehiscence following laparoscopic myomectomy. First case was a nulligravida who had scar dehiscence at 26 weeks of gestation after having a laparoscopic myomectomy 3 months prior to conception.

New analytical drain current model for the sub-linear region of output characteristics of graphene field-effect transistors in the low carrier density limit.

A new analytical drain current model for a quantitative description of output characteristics of graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) in the sub-linear region is derived from a previously-developed diffusion-drift theory for GFETs. To simplify calculation, the diffusion-to-drift current ratio is assumed to be constant along the graphene channel, and a reasonable representative value of the ratio is used instead. In addition, the analytical modeling is conducted in the low-carrier-density limit where carrier velocity at the source end is lower than saturation velocity caused by optical phonon emission.

Two-port access versus four-port access laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy.

Objective: This study was conducted to compare the surgical outcomes between two-port access and four-port access laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy.

Methods: Four hundred and eighty nine patients who had received two-port access laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy (n=175) and four-port access laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy (n=314) in Chungnam National University Hospital from January 2009 to August 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. The data were compared between the bilaterality of the cysts and cyst diameter of less than 6 cm and 6 cm or more.

Neuritin attenuates cognitive function impairments in tg2576 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Neuritin, also known as CPG15, is a neurotrophic factor that was initially discovered in a screen to identify genes involved in activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. Neuritin plays multiple roles in the process of neural development and synaptic plasticity, although its binding receptor(s) and downstream signaling effectors remain unclear. In this study, we found that the cortical and hippocampal expression of neuritin is reduced in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and demonstrated that viral-mediated expression of neuritin in the dentate gyrus of 13-month-old Tg2576 mice, an AD animal model, attenuated a deficit in learning and memory as assessed by a Morris water maze test.

Laparoscopic assisted adenomyomectomy using double flap method.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate postoperative prognosis and progression in patients who received laparoscopic-assisted adenomyomectomy using the double flap method.

Methods: The pelvic cavity was explored by the conventional laparoscopic method, and drainage was achieved through a 5-mm trocar. After a small incision in the abdomen, the uterus was incised from the fundus to the upper cervical margin until exposing the endometrial cavity.

Effects of substrate on piezoelectricity of electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride)-nanofiber-based energy generators.

We report the effects of various substrates and substrate thicknesses on electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-nanofiber-based energy harvesters. The electrospun PVDF nanofibers showed an average diameter of 84.6 ± 23.

The influence of serum substituents on serum-free Vero cell conditioned culture media manufactured from Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium in mouse embryo culture.

Objective: This study was conducted to examine the influences of supplementation of the serum substituents and available period of serum-free Vero cell conditioned media (SF-VCM) manufactured from Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium cultured with Vero cells for in vitro development of mouse preimplantation embryos.

Methods: A total of 1,099 two-cell embryos collected from imprinting control region mice were cultured in SF-VCM with 10% and 20% human follicular fluid (hFF), serum substitute supplement (SSS), and serum protein substitute (SPS). Development of embryos was observed every 24 hours.

Highly efficient hybrid energy generator: coupled organic photovoltaic device and randomly oriented electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanofiber.

A hybrid architecture consisting of an inverted organic photovoltaic device and a randomly-oriented electrospun PVDF piezoelectric device was fabricated as a highly-efficient energy generator. It uses the inverted photovoltaic device with coupled electrospun PVDF nanofibers as tandem structure to convert solar and mechanical vibrations energy to electricity simultaneously or individually. The power conversion efficiency of the photovoltaic device was also significantly improved up to 4.

Phloroglucinol exerts protective effects against oxidative stress–induced cell damage in SH-SY5Y cells.

In this study, we explored whether phloroglucinol (1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene) exerts protective effects against oxidative stress–induced cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells, a neuroblastoma cell line. The central nervous system is especially vulnerable to oxidative stress because the brain consumes large amounts of energy to perform its complicated functions, but contains a lower level of anti-oxidant enzymes compared with other peripheral tissues. In SH-SY5Y cultures, pretreatment with 10 μg/ml of phloroglucinol attenuates the cytotoxicity of hydrogen peroxide.