Understanding the Neural Mechanisms of General Anesthesia from Interaction with Sleep-Wake State: A Decade of Discovery.

The development of cutting-edge techniques to study specific brain regions and neural circuits that regulate sleep-wake brain states and general anesthesia (GA), has increased our understanding of these states that exhibit similar neurophysiologic traits. This review summarizes current knowledge focusing on cell subtypes and neural circuits that control wakefulness, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, non-REM sleep, and GA. We also review novel insights into their interactions and raise unresolved questions and challenges in this field. Comparisons of the overlapping neural substrates of sleep-wake and GA regulation will help us to understand sleep-wake transitions and how anesthetics cause reversible loss of consciousness. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: General anesthesia (GA), sharing numerous neurophysiologic traits with the process of natural sleep, is administered to millions of surgical patients annually. In the past decade, studies exploring the neural mechanisms underlying sleep-wake and GA have advanced our understanding of their interactions and how anesthetics cause reversible loss of consciousness. Pharmacotherapies targeting the neural substrates associated with sleep-wake and GA regulations have significance for clinical practice in GA and sleep medicine.

Sialic acids as attachment factors in mosquitoes mediating Japanese encephalitis virus infection.

The role of Culex mosquitoes in the transmission of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is crucial, yet the mechanisms of JEV infection in these vectors remain unclear. Previous research has indicated that various host factors participate in JEV infection. Herein, we present evidence that mosquito sialic acids enhance JEV infection both in vivo and in vitro. By treating mosquitoes and C6/36 cells with neuraminidase or lectin, the function of sialic acids is effectively blocked, resulting in significant inhibition of JEV infection. Furthermore, knockdown of the sialic acid biosynthesis genes in Culex mosquitoes also leads to a reduction in JEV infection. Moreover, our research revealed that sialic acids play a role in the attachment of JEV to mosquito cells, but not in its internalization. To further explore the mechanisms underlying the promotion of JEV attachment by sialic acids, we conducted immunoprecipitation experiments to confirm the direct binding of sialic acids to the last α-helix in JEV envelope protein domain III. Overall, our study contributes to a molecular comprehension of the interaction between mosquitoes and JEV and offers potential strategies for preventing the dissemination of flavivirus in natural environments.IMPORTANCEIn this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of glycoconjugate sialic acids on mosquito infection with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). Our findings demonstrate that sialic acids play a crucial role in enhancing JEV infection by facilitating the attachment of the virus to the cell membrane. Furthermore, our investigation revealed that sialic acids directly bind to the final α-helix in the JEV envelope protein domain III, thereby accelerating virus adsorption. Collectively, our results highlight the significance of mosquito sialic acids in JEV infection within vectors, contributing to a better understanding of the interaction between mosquitoes and JEV.

Biological agent exerts therapeutic effects by reversing abnormalities in amino acid metabolic pathways in psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease with a complex pathogenesis involving immune system dysregulation and inflammation. Previous studies have indicated that metabolic abnormalities are closely related to the development and occurrence of psoriasis. However, the specific involvement of amino acid metabolism in the pathogenesis of psoriasis remains unclear. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of amino acid metabolism pathway changes in psoriasis patients using transcriptome data, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) data, and single-cell data. Our findings revealed 11 significant alterations in amino acid metabolism pathways within psoriatic lesions, with notable restorative changes observed after biological therapy. Branched-chain amino acids, tyrosine and arginine metabolism have a causal relationship with the occurrence of psoriasis and may play a crucial role by promoting the proliferation and differentiation of the keratinocytes or immune-related pathways. Activation of phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis suggests a favourable prognosis of psoriasis after treatment. Additionally, we identified the abnormal metabolic pathways in specific cell types and key gene sets that contribute to amino acid metabolic disorders in psoriasis. Overall, our study enhances understanding of the role of metabolism in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and provides potential targets for developing new therapeutic strategies for the disease.

CBe2 H5 - : Unprecedented 2σ/2π Double Aromaticity and Dynamic Structural Fluxionality in a Planar Tetracoordinate Carbon Cluster.

A 14-electron ternary anionic CBe2 H5 - cluster containing a planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) atom is designed herein. Remarkably, it can be stabilized by only two beryllium atoms with both π-acceptor/σ-donor properties and two hydrogen atoms, which means that the conversion from planar methane (transition state) to ptC species (global minimum) requires the substitution of only two hydrogen atoms. Moreover, two ligand H atoms exhibit alternate rotation, giving rise to interesting dynamic fluxionality in this cluster. The electronic structure analysis reveals the flexible bonding positions of ligand H atoms due to C-H localized bonds, highlighting the rotational fluxionality in the cluster, and two CBe2 3c-2e delocalized bonds endow its rare 2σ/2π double aromaticity. Unprecedentedly, the fluxional process exhibits a conversion in the type of bonding (σ bond↔π bond), which is an uncommon fluxional mechanism. The cluster can be seen as an attempt to apply planar hypercoordinate carbon species to molecular motors.

Dynamic Structural Fluxionality in a Planar Tetracoordinate Carbon Cluster Stabilized by Boron Ligands.

The design of boron-based molecular rotors stems from boron-carbon binary clusters containing multiple planar hypercoordinate carbons (phCs, such as C2B8). However, the design of boron-coordinated phCs is challenging due to boron's tendency to occupy hypercoordinate centers more than carbon. Although this challenge has been addressed, the designed clusters of interest have not exhibited dynamic fluxionality similar to that of the initial C2B8. To address this issue, we report a σ/π doubly aromatic CB2H5 + cluster, the first global minimum containing a boron-coordinated planar tetracoordinate carbon atom with dynamic fluxionality. Dynamics simulations show that two ligand H atoms exhibit alternate rotation, resulting in an intriguing dynamic fluxionality in this cluster. Electronic structure analysis reveals the flexible bonding positions of the ligand H atoms because they do not participate in π delocalized bonding nor bond to any other non-carbon atom, highlighting this rotational fluxionality. Unprecedentedly, the fluxional process involves not only the usual conversion of the number of bonding atoms, but also the type of bonding (3c π bonds ↔4c σ bonds), which is an uncommon fluxional mechanism. The cluster represents an effort to apply phC species to molecular machines.

Insight into the Role of Rb Doping for Highly Efficient Kesterite Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 Solar Cells.

Various copper-related defects in the absorption layer have been a key factor impeding the enhancement of the efficiency of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) solar cells. Alkali metal doping is considered to be a good strategy to ameliorate this problem. In this article, Rb-doped CZTSSe (RCZTSSe) thin films were synthesized using the sol-gel technique. The results show that the Rb atom could successfully enter into the CZTSSe lattice and replace the Cu atom. According to SEM results, a moderate amount of Rb doping aided in enhancing the growth of grains in CZTSSe thin films. It was proven that the RCZTSSe thin film had the densest surface morphology and the fewest holes when the doping content of Rb was 2%. In addition, Rb doping successfully inhibited the formation of CuZn defects and correlative defect clusters and promoted the electrical properties of RCZTSSe thin films. Finally, a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 7.32% was attained by the champion RCZTSSe device with a Rb content of 2%. Compared with that of un-doped CZTSSe, the efficiency improved by over 30%. This study offers new insights into the influence of alkali metal doping on suppressing copper-related defects and also presents a viable approach for improving the efficiency of CZTSSe devices.

Palladium-Catalyzed Ring-Opening Reaction of Cyclopropenones with Vinyl Epoxides.

We report herein the Pd-catalyzed selective ring-opening reaction of cyclopropenones with vinyl epoxides. By using a commercially available Pd2(dba)3·CHCl3-BINAP catalyst, a wide range of conjugated alkadienyl carboxylates could be accessed in good yield and excellent regioselectivity. The new application of zwitterionic π-allyl palladium intermediates has been demonstrated in organic synthesis.

Y©B8C4 cluster: a boron-carbon molecular wheel with dodeca-coordination number in plane.

Computational evidence is reported for the largest planar molecular wheel of the Y©B8C4 cluster, featuring an yttrium atom enclosed by a highly symmetric B8C4 ring. The B8C4 ring is viable in the -(BCB)4- form with double 9π/10σ aromaticity. The centered yttrium atom is dodeca-coordinated with the peripheral B8C4 ring, which sets a record coordination number for a planar structure in chemistry heretofore.

Morphine promotes tumorigenesis and cetuximab resistance via EGFR signaling activation in human colorectal cancer.

Morphine, a mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist, has been extensively used to treat advanced cancer pain. In particular, in patients with cancer metastasis, both morphine and anticancer drugs are given simultaneously. However, evidence showed that morphine might be a risk factor in promoting the tumor's malignant potential. In this study, we report that treatment with morphine could activate MOR and lead to the promotion of proliferation, migration, and invasion in HCT116 and DLD1 colorectal cancer (CRC) cells with time-concentration dependence. Moreover, morphine can also contribute to cetuximab's drug resistance, a targeted drug widely used to treat advanced CRC by inducing the activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The cell phenotype includes proliferation, migration, invasion, and drug resistance, which may be reversed by MOR knockdown or adding nalmefene, the MOR receptor antagonist. Receptor tyrosine kinase array analysis revealed that morphine selectively induced the transactivation of EGFR. EGFR transactivation resulted in the activation of ERK1/2 and AKT. In conclusion, morphine induces the transactivation of EGFR via MOR. It activates the downstream signal pathway AKT-MTOR and RAS-MAPK, increases proliferation, migration, and invasion, and promotes resistance to EGFR inhibitors in a CRC cell line. Furthermore, we verified that EGFR inhibition by cetuximab strongly reversed the protumoral effects of morphine in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, we provide evidence that morphine-EGFR signaling might be a promising therapeutic target for CRC patients, especially for cetuximab-resistant CRC patients.

Metal-Free Synthesis of Aryl Selenocyanates and Selenaheterocycles with Elemental Selenium.

This work reports a green method for the synthesis of aryl selenocyanates via a three-component reaction of arylboronic acids, Se powder, and trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) under metal-free and additive-free conditions. Remarkably, TMSCN acts as not only the substrate, but also the catalyst. Various selenaheterocycles can be also accessed with a catalytic amount of TMSCN.

α-Selective C(sp3)-H Thio/Selenocyanation of Ketones with Elemental Chalcogen.

A facile method is disclosed for the synthesis of α-thio/selenocyanato ketones through regioselective C-H thio/selenocyanation of ketones. The advantages include the use of easily available starting materials, high efficiency, simple operation, and easy scale-up. Control experiments provide evidence that the reaction proceeded via a radical way, while kinetic isotope effect experiments reveal that the cleavage of the C-H bond serves as the rate-limiting step.

Palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction of 2-iodobiphenyls with alkenyl bromides for the construction of 9-(diorganomethylidene)fluorenes.

An atom economical protocol for the construction of 9-(diorganomethylidene)fluorenes through palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions of 2-iodobiphenyls with alkenyl bromides has been reported. The reaction proceeds through the C-H activation/oxidative addition/reduction elimination/intramolecular Heck coupling reaction to afford a series of 9-(diorganomethylidene)fluorenes with good yields. Control experiments demonstrate that a five-membered palladacycle acts as a key intermediate and ß-H elimination serves as the rate-limiting step.

Ag2O-promoted ring-opening reactions of cyclopropenones with oximes.

Ag2O-promoted ring-opening reactions of cyclopropenones with oximes is disclosed in this work, providing a direct route to 1,3-oxazinones. This method highlights a new reactivity of cyclopropenones which undergo 1,4-addition with oximes followed by ß-carbon elimination to in situ generate a α-carbonyl ketene intermediate.

Boron-based ternary Rb6Be2B6 cluster featuring unique sandwich geometry and a naked hexagonal boron ring.

Computational evidence is reported on a boron-based ternary Rb6Be2B6 cluster as the "Big Mac" sandwich on a subnanoscale with thickness of 0.58 nm. The core hexagonal B6 ring, occurring in the naked form due to double 6π/6σ aromaticity, is capped by two tetrahedral BeRb3 ligands. Such a B6 motif is scarce in boron clusters. The sandwich cluster has four-fold 2σ/6π/6σ/2σ aromaticity and its tetrahedral BeRb3 ligand is the simplest case of three-dimensional aromaticity (or spherical aromaticity). The sandwich can be formulated as a charge-transfer complex, [Rb3Be]3+[B6]6-[BeRb3]3+, whose components are held together by robust electrostatics, facilitating dual-mode dynamic fluxionality.

The structure and chemical bonding in inverse sandwich B6Ca2 and B8Ca2 clusters: conflicting aromaticity vs. double aromaticity.

The typical electron-deficiency of the boron element renders fascinating architectures and chemical bonding to boron-based nanoclusters. We theoretically predict two di-Ca-doped boron clusters, B6Ca2 (D2h, 1Ag) and B8Ca2 (D8h, 1A1g), and both adopt interesting inverse sandwich geometries, showing an elongated D2h B6 or perfectly planar D8h B8 ring being sandwiched by two Ca atoms only, respectively. Natural atomic charge analyses indicate that the Ca atoms donate nearly all the 4s electrons to the B6 (or B8) ring, forming [Ca]2+[B6]4-[Ca]2+ and [Ca]2+[B8]4-[Ca]2+ charge transfer complexes. The interaction between the two Ca atoms and the boron rings is governed by robust electrostatics albeit by weaker B-Ca covalent interaction. Chemical bonding analyses show that B6Ca2 has 4σ and 6π delocalized electrons on the elongated B6 ring, leading to a conflicting aromatic system. B8Ca2, possessing 6σ and 6π delocalized electrons on the B8 ring, is doubly aromatic. Additionally, the B6Ca2 and B8Ca2 clusters show noticeable structural and electronic transmutation relative to their equivalent electronic B6Be2 and B8Mg2 clusters, respectively. The intrinsic reasons behind the transmutations are elucidated via in-depth bonding analyses.

Pain management after ambulatory surgery: a prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blinded parallel controlled trial comparing nalbuphine and tramadol.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain in ambulatory surgery is a multifactorial issue affecting patient satisfaction, time of discharge, and rehospitalization. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of nalbuphine for the treatment of postoperative pain after ambulatory surgery, relative to tramadol. METHODS: This multi-center, randomized, double blind, and controlled study was conducted at 10 centers. In accordance with the inclusion criteria, 492 ambulatory surgery patients were recruited. These patients had moderate to severe pain after ambulatory surgery, with a visual analogue scale (VAS) score > 3 cm. They were randomly divided into an experimental (n = 248) or control (n = 244) group and treated for analgesia with 0.2 mg/kg of nalbuphine or 2 mg/kg of tramadol, respectively. VAS scores, adverse events, and vital signs of the patients were recorded before administration (baseline; T1); and 30 min (T2), 2 h (T3), 4 h (T4), and 6 h (T5) after administration of analgesia. A decrease in pain intensity of more than 25% compared with the baseline was used as an indicator of analgesic efficacy. The experimental and control groups were compared with regard to this indicator of efficacy at each timepoint. RESULTS: The VAS scores of the experimental and control groups were statistically comparable at timepoints T1-T4. At T5, the VAS scores of the experimental group were significantly lower than that of the control. The pain intensity was significantly higher in the experimental group compared with the control at T2 and T3. Adverse events and vital signs were similar for the two groups at each timepoint. CONCLUSIONS: Nalbuphine can provide effective and safe pain relief in patients after ambulatory surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The registration number is ChiCTR-IOR-16010032 , the date of registration was 2016-11-28.

A requirement of TolC1 for effective survival, colonization and pathogenicity of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

To establish infection in the host, pathogens have evolved sophisticated systems to cope with environmental conditions and to protect cells against host immunity. TolC is the outer membrane channel component of type 1 secretion systems and multidrug efflux pumps that plays critical roles during the infection process in many pathogens. However, little is known about the exact roles of TolC1 in the pathogenicity of A. pleuropneumoniae, an etiological agent of the porcine contagious pleuropneumoniae that causes severe respiratory disease. In this study, deletion of tolC1 causes apparent ultrastructural defects in A. pleuropneumoniae cell examined by transmission electron microscopy. The tolC1 mutant is hypersensitivity to oxidative, osmotic and acid challenges by in vitro stress assays. Analysis on secreted proteins shows that the excretion of ApxIIA and an ApxIVA-like protein, ApxIVA-S, is abolished in the absence of TolC1. This result confirms the essential role of TolC1 in the secretion of Apx toxins and this is the first identification of an ApxIVA-like protein in in vitro culture of A. pleuropneumoniae. Besides, disruption of TolC1 leads to a significant attenuation of virulence in mice by an intraperitoneal route of A. pleuropneumoniae. The basis for the attenuation is further investigated using a mouse intranasal infection model, which reveals an impaired ability to colonize and induce lesions in the lungs for the loss of TolC1 of A. pleuropneumoniae. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate significant roles of TolC1 in facilitating bacterial survival in hostile conditions, maximum colonization as well as pathogenicity during the infection of A. pleuropneumoniae.

Propofol attenuates TNF-α-induced MMP-9 expression in human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells by inhibiting Ca2+/CAMK II/ERK/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) is able to degrade collagen IV, an important component of blood-brain barrier (BBB). Expression of MMPs, especially MMP-9, correlates with BBB disruption during central nervous system inflammation. Propofol has been reported to have anti-inflammation effects. In this study, we investigated the effects of propofol on TNF-α-induced MMP-9 expression in human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (hCMEC/D3 cells) and explored the underlying mechanisms. The hCMEC/D3 cells were treated with propofol (25 µM), followed by TNF-α (25 ng/mL). We showed that TNF-α treatment markedly increased MMP-9 expression and decreased collagen IV expression in hCMEC/D3 cells, which was blocked by pretreatment with propofol. TNF-α-induced downregulation of collagen IV was also reversed by MMP-9 knockdown with siRNA. We revealed that TNF-α upregulated MMP-9 expression in hCMEC/D3 cells through activation of Ca2+/CAMK II/ERK/NF-κB signaling pathway; co-treatment with inhibitors of CaMK II (KN93), ERK (LY3214996), NF-κB (PDTC) or Ca2+chelator (BAPTA-AM) abrogated the effect of TNF-α on MMP-9 expression. We further established an in vitro BBB model by co-culturing of hCMEC/D3 cells and human astrocytes for 6 days and measuring trans-endothelial electrical resistance (TEER) to reflect the BBB permeability. TNF-α treatment markedly decreased TEER value, which was attenuated by pretreatment with propofol (25 µM) or MMP-9 knockdown with siRNA. In conclusion, propofol inhibits TNF-α-induced MMP-9 expression in hCMEC/D3 cells via repressing the Ca2+/CAMKII/ERK/NF-κB signaling pathway. TNF-α-impaired BBB integrity could be reversed by propofol, and propofol attenuates the inhibitory effect of TNF-α on collagen IV.

Hsp40 Protein DNAJB6 Interacts with Viral NS3 and Inhibits the Replication of the Japanese Encephalitis Virus.

The Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus prevalent in east and southeast Asia, the Western Pacific, and northern Australia. Since viruses are obligatory intracellular pathogens, the dynamic processes of viral entry, replication, and assembly are dependent on numerous host-pathogen interactions. Efforts to identify JEV-interacting host factors are ongoing because their identification and characterization remain incomplete. Three enzymatic activities of flavivirus non-structural protein 3 (NS3), including serine protease, RNA helicase, and triphosphatase, play major roles in the flaviviruses lifecycle. To identify cellular factors that interact with NS3, we screened a human brain cDNA library using a yeast two-hybrid assay, and identified eight proteins that putatively interact with NS3: COPS5, FBLN5, PPP2CB, CRBN, DNAJB6, UBE2N, ZNF350, and GPR137B. We demonstrated that the DnaJ heat shock protein family (Hsp40) member B6 (DNAJB6) colocalizes and interacts with NS3, and has a negative regulatory function in JEV replication. We also show that loss of DNAJB6 function results in significantly increased viral replication, but does not affect viral binding or internalization. Moreover, the time-course of DNAJB6 disruption during JEV infection varies in a viral load-dependent manner, suggesting that JEV targets this host chaperone protein for viral benefit. Deciphering the modes of NS3-interacting host proteins functions in virion production will shed light on JEV pathogenic mechanisms and may also reveal new avenues for antiviral therapeutics.

Endohedral Ca@B38: stabilization of a B38(2-) borospherene dianion by metal encapsulation.

Based on extensive global-minimum searches and first-principles electronic structure calculations, we present the viability of an endohedral metalloborospherene Cs Ca@B38 () which contains a Cs B38(2-) () dianion composed of interwoven boron double chains with a σ + π double delocalization bonding pattern, extending the Bn(q) (q = n - 40) borospherene family from n = 39-42 to n = 38. Transition metal endohedral complexes Cs M@B38 (M = Sc, Y, Ti) (, , ) based on Cs B38(2-) () are also predicted.