Distinct glutamatergic projections of the posteroventral medial amygdala play different roles in arousal and anxiety.

Sleep disturbance usually accompanies anxiety disorders and exacerbates their incidence rates. The precise circuit mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we found that glutamatergic neurons in the posteroventral medial amygdala (MePVGlu neurons) are involved in arousal and anxiety-like behaviors.

Ventral subiculum promotes wakefulness through several pathways in male mice.

The ventral subiculum (vSUB), the major output structure of the hippocampal formation, regulates motivation, stress integration, and anxiety-like behaviors that rely on heightened arousal. However, the roles and underlying neural circuits of the vSUB in wakefulness are poorly known. Using in vivo fiber photometry and multichannel electrophysiological recordings in mice, we found that the vSUB glutamatergic neurons exhibited high activities during wakefulness.

Two previously undescribed cholestanol saponins from the rhizomes of Paris fargesii var. petiolata.

Two previously undescribed cholestanol saponins, parpetiosides F - G (1-2), and six known analogs (3-8) were isolated from the rhizomes of Paris fargesii var. petiolata. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data analysis and chemical methods.

Integrating traditional apprenticeship and modern educational approaches in traditional Chinese medicine education.

Background: The traditional apprenticeship system and modern educational models both contribute to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) education in unique ways. This study aims to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches and investigates their potential integration for optimal TCM teaching.

Methods: The study employs a comprehensive literature search strategy with specific keywords through Boolean Operators, focusing on articles discussing TCM education, sourced from the databases PubMed, Scopus, and CNKI.

Rational Design and Acoustic Assembly of Human Cerebral Cortex-Like Microtissues from hiPSC-Derived Neural Progenitors and Neurons.

Development of biologically relevant and clinically relevant human cerebral cortex models is demanded by mechanistic studies of human cerebral cortex-associated neurological diseases and discovery of preclinical neurological drug candidates. Here, rational design of human-sourced brain-like cortical tissue models is demonstrated by reverse engineering and bionic design. To implement this design, the acoustic assembly technique is employed to assemble hiPSC-derived neural progenitors and neurons separately in a label-free and contact-free manner followed by subsequent neural differentiation and culture.

Three New Steriodal Saponins from the Rhizomes of Tupistra chinensis Baker.

The phytochemical constituent investigation on the 70 % ethanol extract of the rhizomes of Tupistra chinensis Baker resulted in the isolation of three new steroidal saponins which were named tuchinosides A-C (1-3). Their structures were determined by extensive spectrum analysis and chemical evidence, especially 2D NMR and HR-ESI-MS techniques. In addition, the cytotoxicity of compounds 1-3 against several human cancer cell lines was evaluated.

Distinct Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus Inputs to the Cingulate Cortex and Paraventricular Thalamic Nucleus Modulate Anxiety and Arousal.

Insomnia and anxiety are two common clinical diseases that threaten people's physical and mental health. Insomnia and anxiety may share some similar underlying neural circuit mechanisms in the brain. In this study, we combine techniques including chemo-fMRI, optogenetics, and chemogenetics to reveal that the glutamatergic neurons of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) regulate both anxiety and arousal through two different downstream neural circuits.

Neuregulin-1-dependent control of amygdala microcircuits is critical for fear extinction.

The posttraumatic stress disorder is marked by an impaired ability to extinct fear memory acquired in trauma. Although previous studies suggest that fear extinction depends on the function of the amygdala, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We found that NRG1 receptors (ErbB4) were abundantly expressed in the intercalated cells mass of amygdala (ITC).

saponin H inhibits the proliferation of glioma cells through the A1 and A3 adenosine receptor‑mediated pathway.

saponin H (PSH) is a type of steroid saponin derived from Rhizoma Paridis (RP; the rhizome of ). In our previous studies, saponins from RP exerted antiglioma activity . However, the effects of PSH on glioma have not been elucidated.

Glutamatergic Neurons of the Paraventricular Nucleus are Critical for the Control of Wakefulness.

Normal sleep-wake behavior is extremely important for humans to maintain basic physiological and cognitive activities. However, the neural mechanisms underlying sleep-wake regulation are not fully understood. The paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus has been classically defined as a region for the regulation of the hypothalamoneurohypophysial system and autonomic nervous system.

Orchestrating Opiate-Associated Memories in Thalamic Circuits.

Disrupting memories that associate environmental cues with drug experiences holds promise for treating addiction, yet accessing the distributed neural network that stores such memories is challenging. Here, we show that the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) orchestrates the acquisition and maintenance of opiate-associated memories via projections to the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). PVT→CeA activity associates morphine reward to the environment, whereas transient inhibition of the PVT→NAc pathway during retrieval causes enduring protection against opiate-primed relapse.

Tetrahydroxystilbene Glucoside Ameliorates Infrasound-Induced Central Nervous System (CNS) Injury by Improving Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Capacity.

Background: Infrasound is a major threat to global health by causing injuries of the central nervous system (CNS). However, there remains no effective therapeutic agent for preventing infrasound-caused CNS injury. 2,3,5,4'-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O--D-glycoside (THSG) exerts protective function against CNS injuries and may have beneficial effects on infrasound-induced CNS impairment.

Comparative Pharmacokinetics of Gallic Acid After Oral Administration of Gallic Acid Monohydrate in Normal and Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Infarcted Rats.

Gallic acid (GA) is a polyphenolic natural product widely distributed in food, beverage, and traditional Chinese herbs with beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. In this research, a comparative study was conducted to investigate the possible difference of pharmacokinetic process in normal and isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarcted rats after oral administration of GA monohydrate with the dose of 50 and 100 mg/kg, respectively. Quantification of GA in rat plasma was achieved by using a simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method.

Improved Antitumor Efficacy and Pharmacokinetics of Bufalin via PEGylated Liposomes.

Bufalin was reported to show strong pharmacological effects including cardiotonic, antiviral, immune-regulation, and especially antitumor effects. The objective of this study was to determine the characterization, antitumor efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of bufalin-loaded PEGylated liposomes compared with bufalin entity, which were prepared by FDA-approved pharmaceutical excipients. Bufalin-loaded PEGylated liposomes and bufalin-loaded liposomes were prepared reproducibly with homogeneous particle size by the combination of thin film evaporation method and high-pressure homogenization method.

Dencichine ameliorates kidney injury in induced type II diabetic nephropathy via the TGF-β/Smad signalling pathway.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN), a common complication associated with both type I and type II diabetes mellitus (DM), is a major cause of chronic nephropathy and a common cause of end-stage renal diseases (ESRD) throughout the world. This study is aimed to determine whether dencichine (De) can ameliorate renal damage in high-glucose-and-fat diet combined STZ (streptozocin) induced DN in type II DM rats and to investigate the potential underlying mechanisms. Markers of metabolism, diabetes, and renal function, and levels of extracellular matrix (ECM) collagen I (Col I), collagen IV (Col IV), fibronectin (FN) and laminin (LN), and of proteins in the TGF-β/Smad pathway were analysed through RT-PCR, western blot, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry.

Amygdalar Endothelin-1 Regulates Pyramidal Neuron Excitability and Affects Anxiety.

An abnormal neuronal activity in the amygdala is involved in the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders. However, little is known about the mechanisms. High-anxiety mice and low-anxiety mice, representing the innate extremes of anxiety-related behaviors, were first grouped according to their anxiety levels in the elevated plus maze test.

Cinnamaldehyde ameliorates LPS-induced cardiac dysfunction via TLR4-NOX4 pathway: The regulation of autophagy and ROS production.

Cinnamaldehyde (CA), a major bioactive compound extracted from the essential oil of Cortex Cinnamomi, exhibits anti-inflammatory activity on endotoxemia. Accumulating evidence indicates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and autophagy play a vital role in the cardiac dysfunction during endotoxemia. The aim of this study was to unveil the mechanism of CA on ROS production and autophagy during endotoxemia.

MicroRNA-127-3p acts as a tumor suppressor in epithelial ovarian cancer by regulating the BAG5 gene.

In the present study, the tumor-suppressive role of microRNA-127-3p (miR-127-3p) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) was elucidated. Expression of miR-127-3p was examined by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) in 9 EOC cell lines and clinical samples from 13 EOC patients. EOC cell lines, OVCAR-3 and Caov-3, were transduced with a lentivirus to overexpress endogenous miR-127-3p.