Hypermethylation of EFEMP1 in the Hippocampus May Be Related to the Deficit in Spatial Memory of Rat Neonates Triggered by Repeated Administration of Propofol.

It has been confirmed that repeated application of propofol, as an intravenous and short-fast-acting anesthetic, in neonatal animals or humans may produce long-term deficits in cognitive functions. With the aim of explaining the neurotoxic effects of repeated administration of propofol on neonatal rat pups from P7 to P9 especially from an epigenetic perspective, the present study used the Morris water maze to detect cognitive deficits in spatial learning and memory, Sequenom methylation on the CpG island located in the promoter region of epidermal growth factor-containing fibulin-like extracellular matrix protein 1 (EFEMP1) to assess the methylation level of this region, and Western blot to measure the expression of EFEMP1, TIMP-3, and MMP-9. As the results have shown, repeated propofol administration on neonatal rats caused significant systemic growth retardation, impairment of spatial learning and memory, and hypermethylation of the CpG sites in the promoter region of EFEMP1 accompanied by lower expression of EFEMP1 and TIMP-3 and enhanced expression of MMP-9.

Dexmedetomidine protects cardiac microvascular endothelial cells from the damage of ogd/r through regulation of the pparδ-mediated autophagy.

Background: Dexmedetomidine (Dex) exerts an effective therapeutic role in numerous diseases associated with ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury via its anti-apoptosis properties. Therefore, this study explores the cardioprotective effects of Dex in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) in response to oxygen-glucose deprivation and re-oxygenation (OGD/R) injury and its potential mechanism.

Material And Methods: CMECs were pretreatment with different concentration of Dex, then exposed to OGD/R.

Inhibition of connexin 43 hemichannels improves postoperative cognitive function in aged mice.

Aims: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a neurological disorder associated with neuroinflammation. Connexin 43 (Cx43), an essential component of gap junction, plays a crucial role in neuroinflammation. The present study was designed to investigate the role of Cx43 in the process of POCD.

Telocytes promote VEGF expression and alleviate ventilator-induced lung injury in mice.

Mechanical ventilation (MV) is an important procedure for the treatment of patients with acute lung injury or acute respiratory distress syndrome in a clinical setting; however, MV can lead to severe complications, including ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Telocytes (TCs) can promote tissue repair following injury in the heart, kidneys, and other organs. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of TCs in VILI in mice and the associated mechanisms.

Computational investigation on the binding modes of Rimonabant analogs with CB1 and CB2.

The human cannabinoid G-protein-coupled receptor 1 (CB1) is highly expressed in central nervous system. CB1-selective antagonists show therapeutic promise in a wide range of disorders, such as obesity-related metabolic disorders, dyslipidemia, drug abuse, and type 2 diabetes. Rimonabant (SR141716A), MJ08, and MJ15 are selective CB1 antagonists with selectivity >1,000-folds over CB2 despite 42% sequence identity between CB1 and CB2.