Electronic Vaporization of Nicotine Salt or Freebase produces differential effects on metabolism, neuronal activity and behavior in male and female C57BL/6J mice.

The use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) is increasing in prevalence and popularity. ENDS are a rapidly evolving technology as devices and e-liquid formulations adapt to policy restrictions and market demand To identify the impacts of nicotine formulation and concentration, we exposed female and male C57BL/6J mice to passive electronic vaporization of different nicotine formulations (freebase or salt) and concentrations (1% or 3%) and measured serum nicotine metabolite levels, brain activity by cFos expression, and anxiety-like and motivated behavior using the novelty suppressed feeding test. We found that the 3% freebase nicotine vapor group displayed significantly higher serum nicotine levels than either 1% or 3% nicotine salt formulations, and female mice displayed higher serum nicotine and cotinine levels compared to males.

Medial prefrontal cortex-basolateral amygdala circuit dysfunction in chronic alcohol-exposed male rats.

Alcohol is a commonly used drug that can produce alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Few individuals with AUDs receive treatment and treatment options are complicated by issues with effectiveness and compliance. Alcohol has been shown to differentially affect specific brain regions and an improved understanding of circuit-specific dysregulation caused by alcohol is warranted.

Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptor-1 Neurons in the Lateral Amygdala Display Selective Sensitivity to Acute and Chronic Ethanol Exposure.

The lateral amygdala (LA) serves as the point of entry for sensory information within the amygdala complex, a structure that plays a critical role in emotional processes and has been implicated in alcohol use disorders. Within the amygdala, the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system has been shown to mediate some of the effects of both stress and ethanol, but the effects of ethanol on specific CRF1 receptor circuits in the amygdala have not been fully established. We used male CRF1:GFP reporter mice to characterize CRF1-expressing (CRF1) and nonexpressing (CRF1) LA neurons and investigate the effects of acute and chronic ethanol exposure on these populations.

Paraventricular Thalamus Projection Neurons Integrate Cortical and Hypothalamic Signals for Cue-Reward Processing.

The paraventricular thalamus (PVT) is an interface for brain reward circuits, with input signals arising from structures, such as prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus, that are broadcast to downstream limbic targets. However, the precise synaptic connectivity, activity, and function of PVT circuitry for reward processing are unclear. Here, using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging, we find that PVT neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens (PVT-NAc) develop inhibitory responses to reward-predictive cues coding for both cue-reward associative information and behavior.

High expression of 23 kDa protein of augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) is an important polypeptide that participates in the process of liver regeneration. Two forms of ALR proteins are expressed in hepatocytes. Previous data have shown that ALR is essential for cell survival and has potential antimetastatic properties in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Molecular epidemiology and mechanisms of tigecycline resistance in clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii from a Chinese university hospital.

Because of its remarkable ability to acquire antibiotic resistance and to survive in nosocomial environments, Acinetobacter baumannii has become a significant nosocomial infectious agent worldwide. Tigecycline is one of the few therapeutic options for treating infections caused by A. baumannii isolates.

Hypercholesterolemia blocked sevoflurane-induced cardioprotection against ischemia-reperfusion injury by alteration of the MG53/RISK/GSK3β signaling.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated that volatile anesthetic preconditioning confers myocardial protection against ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury through activation of the reperfusion injury salvage kinase (RISK) pathway. As RISK has been shown to be impaired in hypercholesterolemia, we investigate whether anesthetic-induced cardiac protection was maintained in hypercholesterolemic rats.

Methods: Normocholesteolemic or hypercholesterolemic rat hearts were subjected to 30 min of ischemia and 2 h of reperfusion.

Activation of Akt and cardioprotection against reperfusion injury are maximal with only five minutes of sevoflurane postconditioning in isolated rat hearts.

It had been proved that administration of sevoflurane for the first two minutes of reperfusion effectively protects the heart against reperfusion injury in rats in vivo. Our aim was to investigate the duration of effective sevoflurane administration and its underlying mechanism in isolated rat hearts exposed to global ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups (n=12): a sham-operation group, an I/R group, and four sevoflurane postconditioning groups (S2, S5, S10, and S15).

Both PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 pathways participate in the protection by dexmedetomidine against transient focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.

Dexmedetomidine (Dex) has been demonstrated to provide neuroprotection against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the exact mechanism of this protection remains unknown. Here, we explored the neuroprotective effect of Dex in rats exposed to cerebral I/R-induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and the role of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) in this protective action.

Novel action of 3,4-DAA ameliorating acute liver allograft injury.

The anti-allergic drug, N-(3,4-dimethoxycinnamonyl) anthranilic acid (3,4-DAA), is a synthetic anthranilic acid derivative that has been used therapeutically in Japan for many years. In this study, to investigate the effects of 3,4-DAA in allograft immunorejection model, liver orthotopic transplants were performed using inbred male Dark Agouti donors and Lewis rat recipients (allografts). The levels of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenases (IDO) enzymic activities in five groups, allografts (control), dimethyl sulphoxide-treated group (vehicle control), 200 mg·kg(-1) ·day(-1) of 3,4-DAA-treated group and 200 mg·kg(-1) ·day(-1) of 3,4-DAA + 5 mg·ml(-1) of 1-methyl-D-tryptophan (1-MT)-treated group were confirmed by determination of L-kynurenine (L-Kyn) concentrations.

[HBV transinfected enhances the PD-L expression of cytokines stimulating].

Objective: To investigate whether the PD-L expression in the liver cell lines transinfected with HBV (HepG2.2.15 cells) can be up-regulated after cytokines stimulating.

[Association of genetic polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferases M1 with hepatitis beta-related hepatocellular carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the association of genetic polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferases(GST) M1 with hepatitis beta-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood of HBsAg carriers, including 91 cases of HCC, 58 liver cirrhosis(LC), 63 chronic hepatitis B(CHB), and 134 normal controls. GSTM1 genotypes were detected by multiplex PCR.