Quercetin, Main Active Ingredient of Moutan Cortex, Alleviates Chronic Orofacial Pain via Block of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel.

Background: Chronic orofacial pain (COP) therapy is challenging, as current medical treatments are extremely lacking. Moutan Cortex (MC) is a traditional Chinese medicine herb widely used for chronic inflammatory diseases. However, the mechanism behind MC in COP therapy has not been well-established.

Arylcarboxylation of unactivated alkenes with CO via visible-light photoredox catalysis.

Photocatalytic carboxylation of alkenes with CO is a promising and sustainable strategy to synthesize high value-added carboxylic acids. However, it is challenging and rarely investigated for unactivated alkenes due to their low reactivities. Herein, we report a visible-light photoredox-catalyzed arylcarboxylation of unactivated alkenes with CO, delivering a variety of tetrahydronaphthalen-1-ylacetic acids, indan-1-ylacetic acids, indolin-3-ylacetic acids, chroman-4-ylacetic acids and thiochroman-4-ylacetic acids in moderate-to-good yields.

Coupled oscillator cooperativity as a control mechanism in chronobiology.

Control of dynamical processes is vital for maintaining correct cell regulation and cell-fate decisions. Numerous regulatory networks show oscillatory behavior; however, our knowledge of how one oscillator behaves when stimulated by two or more external oscillatory signals is still missing. We explore this problem by constructing a synthetic oscillatory system in yeast and stimulate it with two external oscillatory signals.

Ulinastatin alleviates pulmonary edema by reducing pulmonary permeability and stimulating alveolar fluid clearance in a rat model of acute lung injury.

Objectives: Previous studies have shown that ulinastatin (UTI) alleviates pulmonary edema in acute lung injury (ALI) caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), although the mechanism behind this action is uncertain. This research aimed to identify the fundamental mechanism by which UTI alleviates pulmonary edema.

Materials And Methods: We established a model of acute lung injury (ALI) in rats by using LPS as the inciting agent.

Sevoflurane-Remifentanil Versus Propofol-Remifentanil Anesthesia During Noncardiac Surgery for Patients with Coronary Artery Disease - A Prospective Study Between 2016 and 2017 at a Single Center.

BACKGROUND Volatile anesthesia possesses cardioprotective properties, and it is widely used in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery, but no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are available on the use of sevoflurane-remifentanil versus propofol-remifentanil anesthesia for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) during noncardiac surgery. This study was designed to compare the 2 different types of general anesthesia in patients with CAD undergoing noncardiac surgery at a single center. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients with CAD undergoing noncardiac surgery were enrolled in an RCT conducted between March 2016 and December 2017.

Effects of Apolipoprotein Ε ε4 allele on early postoperative cognitive dysfunction after anesthesia.

Background: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is one of the main causes of morbidity after noncardiac surgery; however, the pathogenic mechanisms of POCD have remained unclear until now. In this study, we performed a pilot study to investigate the association between apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4 and POCD in older patients undergoing intravenous anesthesia (IVA) and inhalation anesthesia (IAA).

Methods: In total, 180 patients from Shenzhen People's Hospital were recruited and randomly divided into an IVA group and an IAA group.

OVOL2 inhibits macrophage M2 polarization by regulating IL-10 transcription, and thus inhibits the tumor metastasis by modulating the tumor microenvironment.

Invasion and metastasis of breast cancer cells is an important cause of death in breast cancer patients. In the tumor microenvironment, M2 polarization of macrophages can promote the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. OVOL2 is an evolutionarily conserved transcription regulator, but its effect in macrophages has not been described previously.

Etomidate propofol in coronary heart disease patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: The ideal depth of general anesthesia should achieve the required levels of hypnosis, analgesia, and muscle relaxation while minimizing physiologic responses to awareness. The choice of anesthetic strategy in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) undergoing major noncardiac surgery is becoming an increasingly important issue as the population ages. This is because general anesthesia is associated with a risk of perioperative cardiac complications and death, and this risk is much higher in people with CHD.

Dexmedetomidine alleviates pulmonary edema through the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) via the PI3K/Akt/Nedd4-2 pathway in LPS-induced acute lung injury.

Dexmedetomidine (Dex), a highly selective α-adrenergic receptor (αAR) agonist, has an anti-inflammatory property and can alleviate pulmonary edema in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI), but the mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we attempted to investigate the effect of Dex on alveolar epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) in the modulation of alveolar fluid clearance (AFC) and the underlying mechanism. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce acute lung injury (ALI) in rats and alveolar epithelial cell injury in A549 cells.

α-Amino Acids and Peptides as Bifunctional Reagents: Carbocarboxylation of Activated Alkenes via Recycling CO.

Carboxylic acids, including amino acids (AAs), have been widely used as reagents for decarboxylative couplings. In contrast to previous decarboxylative couplings that release CO as a waste byproduct, herein we report a novel strategy with simultaneous utilization of both the alkyl and carboxyl components from carboxylic acids. Under this unique strategy, carboxylic acids act as bifunctional reagents in the redox-neutral carbocarboxylation of alkenes.

Visible-Light Photoredox-Catalyzed Ring-Opening Carboxylation of Cyclic Oxime Esters with CO.

The carboxylation of cyclic oxime esters with carbon dioxide via visible-light photoredox catalysis is demonstrated for the first time. A variety of cyclic oxime esters undergo ring-opening C-C bond cleavage and carboxylation to give cyanoalkyl-containing carboxylic acids in moderate to good yields. Moreover, this methodology features mild reaction conditions (room temperature, 1 atm), wide substrate scope, good functional group tolerance as well as facile derivations of products.

Visible-Light Photoredox-Catalyzed Remote Difunctionalizing Carboxylation of Unactivated Alkenes with CO.

Remote difunctionalization of unactivated alkenes is challenging but a highly attractive tactic to install two functional groups across long distances. Reported herein is the first remote difunctionalization of alkenes with CO . This visible-light photoredox catalysis strategy provides a facile method to synthesize a series of carboxylic acids bearing valuable fluorine- or phosphorus-containing functional groups.

Reductive dearomative arylcarboxylation of indoles with CO via visible-light photoredox catalysis.

Catalytic reductive coupling of two electrophiles and one unsaturated bond represents an economic and efficient way to construct complex skeletons, which is dominated by transition-metal catalysis via two electron transfer. Herein, we report a strategy of visible-light photoredox-catalyzed successive single electron transfer, realizing dearomative arylcarboxylation of indoles with CO. This strategy avoids common side reactions in transition-metal catalysis, including ipso-carboxylation of aryl halides and β-hydride elimination.

CO = CO + [O]: recent advances in carbonylation of C-H bonds with CO.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an ideal one-carbon source owing to its nontoxicity, abundance, availability, and recyclability. Although the thermodynamic stability and kinetic inertness of CO2 bring its utilization challenges, many groups have achieved significant progress in the utilization of CO2 to synthesize valuable carbonyl-containing compounds, which could be also generated via oxidative carbonylation of C-H bonds with CO. As CO2 has a higher oxidation state than CO, it could be considered as a combination of CO and oxidant (CO2 = CO + [O]), thus providing a safe, redox-neutral and economic strategy.

DNA Hypomethylation of miR-30a Mediated the Protection of Hypoxia Postconditioning Against Aged Cardiomyocytes Hypoxia/Reoxygenation Injury Through Inhibiting Autophagy.

Background: Ischemic postconditioning (IPostC) is an endogenous protective mechanism to reduce ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, whether IPostC protects aged cardiomyocytes against I/R injury is not fully understood. Considering the protective function of microRNA 30a (miR-30a) against ischemia-induced injury in H9C2 cells, its role in the protective effects of IPostC on I/R injury of aged cardiomyocytes was investigated further.

Highly Selective and Catalytic Generation of Acyclic Quaternary Carbon Stereocenters via Functionalization of 1,3-Dienes with CO.

The catalytic asymmetric functionalization of readily available 1,3-dienes is highly important, but current examples are mostly limited to the construction of tertiary chiral centers. The asymmetric generation of acyclic products containing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters from substituted 1,3-dienes represents a more challenging, but highly desirable, synthetic process for which there are very few examples. Herein, we report the highly selective copper-catalyzed generation of chiral all-carbon acyclic quaternary stereocenters via functionalization of 1,3-dienes with CO.

Protective effect of dexmedetomidine against organ dysfunction in a two-hit model of hemorrhage/resuscitation and endotoxemia in rats.

Dexmedetomidine (DEX), a selective agonist of α2-adrenergic receptors, has anti-inflammation properties and potential beneficial effects against trauma, shock, or infection. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether DEX might protect against multiple-organ dysfunction in a two-hit model of hemorrhage/resuscitation (HS) and subsequent endotoxemia. Eighty Wistar rats were randomized into four groups: NS (normal saline), HS/L (HS plus lipopolysaccharide), HS/L+D (HS/L plus dexmedetomidine), and HS/L+D+Y (HS/L+D plus yohimbine).

3-Methyladenine and dexmedetomidine reverse lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury through the inhibition of inflammation and autophagy.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of 3-methyladenine (3-MA) and dexmedetomidine (DEX) pretreatment on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) and the potential mechanism underlying the effects. LPS was instilled into the trachea of BALB/c mice to induce the ALI model. Solutions of 3-MA or DEX were intravenously injected into the mice 1 h later to establish the 3-MA and DEX groups.

In renal hypertension, Cirsium japonicum strengthens cardiac function via the intermedin/nitric oxide pathway.

Cirsium japonicum, a constituent of traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown to exert inflammatory effects as well as to improve the circulation and thus to counteract hematologic stasis. Studies have demonstrated that intermedin (IMD) has protective effects on hypertension in rats by regulating the Ang/NO metabolic pathway. In this study, we investigated whether by regulating the expression of IMD, Cirsium japonicum could improve cardiac function in rats with 2k1c-induced renal hypertension.

Lin28a functionally modulates bupivacaine-induced dorsal root ganglion neuron apoptosis through TrkA activation.

Purpose: Lin-28 Homolog A gene (Lin28a) is an important regulator in nerve system. In this study, we investigated the functional mechanism of Lin28a during the process of bupivacaine (BUP)-induced neuronal apoptosis of spinal cord dorsal root ganglion neurons (DRGNs).

Methods: Young mouse DRGNs were cultured in vitro and treated with series concentrations of BUP.

Target-controlled infusion of propofol and remifentanil combined with dexmedetomidine reduces functional endoscopic sinus surgery bleeding.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of target-controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol and remifentanil combined with dexmedetomidine on functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) bleeding and surgical field. 62 patients scheduled to undergo FESS were randomly divided into experimental group (intravenous 0.5 µg kg h dexmedetomidine after 0.

Dexmedetomidine alleviates pulmonary edema by upregulating AQP1 and AQP5 expression in rats with acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide.

This study aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which dexmedetomidine alleviates pulmonary edema in rats with acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: normal saline control (NS) group, receiving intravenous 0.9% normal saline (5 mL/kg); LPS group, receiving intravenous LPS (10 mg/kg); small-dose dexmedetomidine (S) group, treated with a small dose of dexmedetomidine (0.

Antinociceptive effects of matrine on neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury.

Context: Sophora alopecuroides L. (Leguminosae) is a commonly used Chinese herbal drug that possesses antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Among various alkaloids isolated from S.

Relaxative effect of core licorice aqueous extract on mouse isolated uterine horns.

Context: Primary dysmenorrhea is one of the most frequent gynecological disorders in young women. Chinese herbal medicine has the advantage in terms of multi-targeting efficacy, lower toxicity, as well as lower cost. Core licorice is the hard and atropurpureus heart part in root and rootstock of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch (Leguminosae), having a therapeutic effect on dysmenorrhea.

Protective effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide on neonatal rat primary cultured hippocampal neurons injured by oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion.

This study investigated the protective effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on alleviating injury from oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/RP) in primary cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Cultured hippocampal neurons were exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) for 2 h followed by a 24 h re-oxygenation. The MTT assay and the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release were used to determine the neuron viability.