Publications by authors named "Ryo Niikura"

As the proportion of elderly in society increases, so do the number of older patients undergoing surgical procedures. This is concerning as exposure to anesthesia has been identified as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the causal relationship between clinical AD development and anesthesia remains conjectural.

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Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a severe and progressive disease that causes elevated right ventricular systolic pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy and ultimately right heart failure. However, the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms are poorly understood. We previously showed that 3,4-l-dihydroxylphenyalanine (DOPA) sensitizes vasomotor response to sympathetic tone via coupling between the adrenergic receptor alpha1 (ADRA1) and a G protein-coupled receptor 143 (GPR143), a DOPA receptor.

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Immature neurons dominantly express the Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter isoform 1 (NKCC1) rather than the K+-Cl- cotransporter isoform 2 (KCC2). The intracellular chloride ion concentration ([Cl-]i) is higher in immature neurons than in mature neurons; therefore, γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor activation in immature neurons does not cause chloride ion influx and subsequent hyperpolarization. In our previous work, we found that midazolam, benzodiazepine receptor agonist, causes less sedation in neonatal rats compared to adult rats and that NKCC1 blockade by bumetanide enhances the midazolam-induced sedation in neonatal, but not in adult, rats.

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Halogenated ethers, such as desflurane, sevoflurane, and isoflurane, are known to exert an array of effects besides sedation. However, the postanesthetic effects of desflurane remain undiscovered as no study has explored these effects systematically. Phenotypic screening using behavioral test batteries is a powerful method to identify such effects.

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Chronic neonatal blockade of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors produces various abnormal behaviors in adulthood animals. This study investigated the effects of neonatal treatment chronically with MK-801 in rats on the preexposure-induced retardation of CS-US association, i.e.

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