Growth differentiation factor 15 aggravates sepsis-induced cognitive and memory impairments by promoting microglial inflammatory responses and phagocytosis.

Background: Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a severe neurological condition caused by sepsis, and presents with symptoms ranging from delirium and coma to long-term cognitive dysfunction. SAE is acknowledged as a widespread brain impairment characterized by the activation of microglia. However, the specific pathological mechanisms that drive this activation are still not clearly understood.

The Serotonergic Dorsal Raphe Promotes Emergence from Propofol Anesthesia in Zebrafish.

The mechanisms through which general anesthetics induce loss of consciousness remain unclear. Previous studies have suggested that dorsal raphe nucleus serotonergic (DRN) neurons are involved in inhalational anesthesia, but the underlying neuronal and synaptic mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the role of DRN neurons in propofol-induced anesthesia in larval zebrafish (sex undetermined at this developmental stage) using a combination of in vivo single-cell calcium imaging, two-photon laser ablation, optogenetic activation, in vivo glutamate imaging and in vivo whole-cell recording.

Neuromodulation techniques for modulating cognitive function: enhancing stimulation precision and intervention effects.

Neuromodulation techniques effectively intervene in cognitive function, holding considerable scientific and practical value in fields such as aerospace, medicine, life sciences, and brain research. These techniques utilize electrical stimulation to directly or indirectly target specific brain regions, modulating neural activity and influencing broader brain networks, thereby regulating cognitive function. Regulating cognitive function involves an understanding of aspects such as perception, learning and memory, attention, spatial cognition, and physical function.

METTL3-m6A methylation inhibits the proliferation and viability of type II alveolar epithelial cells in acute lung injury by enhancing the stability and translation efficiency of Pten mRNA.

Background: The pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI) involves a severe inflammatory response, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. N6-methylation of adenosine (m6A), an abundant mRNA nucleotide modification, plays a crucial role in regulating mRNA metabolism and function. However, the precise impact of m6A modifications on the progression of ALI remains elusive.

Methylprednisolone alleviates lung injury in sepsis by regulating miR-151-5p/USP38 pathway.

Background: Acute lung injury (ALI) is manifested by increased blood vessel permeability within the lungs and subsequent impairment of alveolar gas exchange. Methylprednisolone (MP) is commonly used as a treatment for ALI to reduce inflammation, yet its molecular mechanism remains unclear. This study aims to explore the underlying mechanisms of MP on ALI in a model induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Dual-phase nano-glass-hydrides overcome the strength-ductility trade-off and magnetocaloric bottlenecks of rare earth based amorphous alloys.

Metal-hydrogen systems have attracted intense interest for diverse energy-related applications. However, metals usually reduce their ductility after hydrogenation. Here, we show that hydrogen can take the form of nano-sized ordered hydrides (NOH) homogeneously dispersed in a stable glassy shell, leading to remarkable enhancement in both strength and ductility.

Differences in the EEG Power Spectrum and Cross-Frequency Coupling Patterns between Young and Elderly Patients during Sevoflurane Anesthesia.

Electroencephalography (EEG) is widely used for monitoring the depth of anesthesia in surgical patients. Distinguishing age-related EEG features under general anesthesia will help to optimize anesthetic depth monitoring during surgery for elderly patients. This retrospective cohort study included 41 patients aged from 18 to 79 years undergoing noncardiac surgery under general anesthesia.

Effects of intra-operative administration of subanesthetic s-ketamine on emergence from sevoflurane anesthesia: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.

Background: Ketamine is administered in the perioperative period for its benefits in analgesia, anti-agitation and anti-depression when administered at a small dose. However, it is not clear whether the intra-operative administration of ketamine would affect emergence under sevoflurane anesthesia. To investigate this effect, we designed this trial.

Combined-Acupoint Electroacupuncture Induces Better Analgesia via Activating the Endocannabinoid System in the Spinal Cord.

Electroacupuncture (EA) therapy has been widely reported to alleviate neuropathic pain with few side effects in both clinical practice and animal studies worldwide. However, little is known about the comparison of the therapeutic efficacy among the diverse EA schemes used for neuropathic pain. The present study is aimed at investigating the therapeutic efficacy discrepancy between the single and combined-acupoint EA and to reveal the difference of mechanisms behind them.

Estrogen Receptor-A in Medial Preoptic Area Contributes to Sex Difference of Mice in Response to Sevoflurane Anesthesia.

A growing number of studies have identified sex differences in response to general anesthesia; however, the underlying neural mechanisms are unclear. The medial preoptic area (MPA), an important sexually dimorphic structure and a critical hub for regulating consciousness transition, is enriched with estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), particularly in neuronal clusters that participate in regulating sleep. We found that male mice were more sensitive to sevoflurane.

Esketamine increases neurotransmitter releases but simplifies neurotransmitter networks in mouse prefrontal cortex.

General anesthesia induces a profound but reversible unconscious state, which is accompanied by changes in various neurotransmitters in the cortex. Unlike the "brain silencing" effect of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor potentiator anesthesia, ketamine anesthesia leads the brain to a paradoxical active state with higher cortical activity, which is manifested as dissociative anesthesia. However, how the overall neurotransmitter network evolves across conscious states after ketamine administration remains unclear.

Neural Substrates for the Regulation of Sleep and General Anesthesia.

General anesthesia has been successfully used in clinics for over 170 years, but its mechanisms of effect remain unclear. Behaviorally, general anesthesia is similar to sleep as it produces a reversible transition between wakefulness and the state of being unaware of one's surroundings. A discussion regarding the common circuits of sleep and general anesthesia has been ongoing as an increasing number of sleep-arousal regulatory nuclei are reported to participate in the consciousness shift occurring during general anesthesia.

De novo Lipogenesis in Astrocytes Promotes the Repair of Blood-Brain Barrier after Transient Cerebral Ischemia Through Interleukin-33.

Astrocytes experience significant metabolic shifts in the "sensitive period" of neurological function recovery following cerebral ischemia. However, the changes in astrocyte lipid metabolism and their implications for neurological recovery remain unknown. In the present study, we employed a mouse middle cerebral artery occlusion model to investigate the changes in de novo lipogenesis and interleukin-33 (IL-33) production in astrocytes and elucidate their role in blood-brain barrier (BBB) repair in the subacute phase of cerebral ischemia.

Activation of Orexinergic Neurons Inhibits the Anesthetic Effect of Desflurane on Consciousness State via Paraventricular Thalamic Nucleus in Rats.

Background: Orexin, a neuropeptide derived from the perifornical area of the hypothalamus (PeFLH), promotes the recovery of propofol, isoflurane, and sevoflurane anesthesias, without influencing the induction time. However, whether the orexinergic system also plays a similar role in desflurane anesthesia, which is widely applied in clinical practice owing to its most rapid onset and offset time among all volatile anesthetics, has not yet been studied. In the present study, we explored the effect of the orexinergic system on the consciousness state induced by desflurane anesthesia.

Sevoflurane preconditioning protects experimental ischemic stroke by enhancing anti-inflammatory microglia/macrophages phenotype polarization through GSK-3β/Nrf2 pathway.

Aims: Sevoflurane preconditioning (SPC) results in cerebral ischemic tolerance; however, the mechanism remains unclear. Promoting microglia/macrophages polarization from pro-inflammatory state to anti-inflammatory phenotype has been indicated as a potential treatment target against ischemic stroke. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of SPC on microglia polarization after stroke and which signaling pathway was involved in this transition.

An MD2-perturbing peptide has therapeutic effects in rodent and rhesus monkey models of stroke.

Studies have failed to translate more than 1000 experimental treatments from bench to bedside, leaving stroke as the second leading cause of death in the world. Thrombolysis within 4.5 hours is the recommended therapy for stroke and cannot be performed until neuroimaging is used to distinguish ischemic stroke from hemorrhagic stroke.

Dorsal raphe serotonergic neurons promote arousal from isoflurane anesthesia.

Aims: General anesthesia has been widely applied in surgical or nonsurgical medical procedures, but the mechanism behind remains elusive. Because of shared neural circuits of sleep and anesthesia, whether serotonergic system, which is highly implicated in modulation of sleep and wakefulness, regulates general anesthesia as well is worth investigating.

Methods: Immunostaining and fiber photometry were used to assess the neuronal activities.

Lateral Hypothalamic Area Glutamatergic Neurons and Their Projections to the Lateral Habenula Modulate the Anesthetic Potency of Isoflurane in Mice.

The lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) plays a pivotal role in regulating consciousness transition, in which orexinergic neurons, GABAergic neurons, and melanin-concentrating hormone neurons are involved. Glutamatergic neurons have a large population in the LHA, but their anesthesia-related effect has not been explored. Here, we found that genetic ablation of LHA glutamatergic neurons shortened the induction time and prolonged the recovery time of isoflurane anesthesia in mice.

Lateral hypothalamus orexinergic inputs to lateral habenula modulate maladaptation after social defeat stress.

Social stress, a common stressor, causes multiple forms of physical and mental dysfunction. Prolonged exposure to social stress is associated with a higher risk of psychological disorders, including anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder (MDD). The orexinergic system is involved in the regulation of multiple motivated behaviors.

Selective optogenetic activation of orexinergic terminals in the basal forebrain and locus coeruleus promotes emergence from isoflurane anaesthesia in rats.

Background: The neuropeptide orexin promotes arousal from general anaesthesia, however the neuronal circuits that mediate this effect have not been defined. We investigated whether orexinergic neurones modulate the basal forebrain (BF) and locus coeruleus (LC) in emergence from anaesthesia.

Methods: Hcrt rats were generated using a CRISPR/Cas9-based approach.

Genistein Attenuates Acute Cerebral Ischemic Damage by Inhibiting the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Reproductively Senescent Mice.

Postmenopausal women have a higher incidence of stroke compared to the age-matched males, and the estrogen was thought to be the main cause of such difference. However, estrogen replacement therapy for the prevention of postmenopausal stroke shows controversial results and is widely disputed because of its serious side effects after chronic administration. Genistein (Gen), a natural phytestrogen with fewer side effects, has a protective effect against cerebral ischemia damage.

Inhibition of chemokine CX3CL1 in spinal cord mediates the electroacupuncture-induced suppression of inflammatory pain.

Purpose: Chemokine CX3CL1 and its receptor CX3CR1 in the lumbar spinal cord play crucial roles in pain processing. Electroacupuncture (EA) is recognized as an alternative therapy in pain treatment due to its efficacy and safety. However, the analgesic mechanism of EA remains unclear.