Antisense oligonucleotide as a new technology application for CsLOB1 gene silencing aiming citrus canker resistance.

Citrus canker disease, caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri, poses a significant threat to global citrus production. The control of the disease in the field relies mainly on the use of conventional tools such as copper compounds, which are harmful to the environment and could lead to bacterial resistance. This scenario stresses the need for new and sustainable technologies to control phytopathogens, representing a key challenge in developing studies that translate basic into applied knowledge. During infection, X. citri subsp. citri secretes a transcriptional activator-like effector that enters the nucleus of plant cells, activating the expression of the canker susceptibility gene LATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES 1 (LOB1). In this study, we explored the use of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) with phosphorothioate modifications to transiently inhibit the gene expression of CsLOB1 in Citrus sinensis. We designed and validated three potential ASO sequences, which led to a significant reduction in disease symptoms compared to the control. The selected ASO3-CsLOB1 significantly decreased the expression level of CsLOB1 when delivered through two distinct delivery methods and the reduction of the symptoms ranged from approximately 15% to 83%. Notably, plants treated with ASO3 did not exhibit an increase in symptoms development over the evaluation period. This study highlights the efficacy of ASO technology, based on short oligonucleotide chemically modified sequences, as a promising tool for controlling phytopathogens without the need for genetic transformation or plant regeneration. Our results demonstrate the potential of ASOs as a biotechnological tool for the management of citrus canker disease.

The effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on psychological state and wound healing: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), in which patients receive high concentrations of oxygen in a pressurized chamber, has been used in clinical practice to improve wound healing. More recent applications of HBOT have resulted in successful management of a wide range of conditions; however, the psychosomatic factors associated with these conditions remain understudied and require clarification. PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of HBOT in a female patient without diabetes who presented with an atypical wound of 9 years' duration with no sign of healing as well as with psychosomatic factors. CASE REPORT: The patient underwent 20 once-daily sessions of HBOT for 120 minutes per session every Monday through Friday for 4 weeks at 2.4 ATA (atmosphere absolute pressure) and received daily dressing changes with a nonadherent dressing containing silver, alginate, and carboxymethylcellulose. The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale quality-of-life questionnaires were administered before treatment and after 1 year of treatment. HBOT resulted in complete lasting wound remission as well as subjective improvement in quality of life and in levels of anxiety and depression. CONCLUSION: HBOT has known therapeutic effects on wound healing, and it may also have a substantial effect on psychosomatic mechanisms.

N-acetylcysteine absorption and its potential dual effect improve fitness and fruit yield in Xylella fastidiosa infected plants.

BACKGROUND: Xylella fastidiosa is a multi-host bacterium that can be detected in hundreds of plant species including several crops. Diseases caused by X. fastidiosa are considered a threat to global food production. The primary method for managing diseases caused by X. fastidiosa involves using insecticides to control the vector. Hence, it is necessary to adopt new and sustainable disease management technologies to control not only the insect but also the bacteria and plant health. We demonstrated that N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a low-cost cysteine analogue, is a sustainable molecule that can be used in agriculture to decrease the damage caused by X. fastidiosa and improve plant health. RESULTS: Using 15N-NAC we proved that this analogue was absorbed by the roots and transported to different parts of the plant. Inside the plant, NAC reduced the bacterial population by 60-fold and the number of xylem vessels blocked by bacterial biofilms. This reflected in a recovery of 0.28-fold of the daily sap flow compared to health plants. In addition, NAC-treated citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) plants decreased the oxidative stress by improving the activity of detoxifying enzymes. Moreover, the use of NAC in field conditions positively contributed to the increase in fruit yield of CVC-diseased plants. CONCLUSION: Our research not only advances the understanding of NAC absorption in plants, but also indicates its dual effect as an antimicrobial and antioxidant molecule. This, in turn, negatively affects bacterial survival while improving plant health by decreasing oxidative stress. Overall, the positive field-based evidence supports the viability of NAC as a sustainable agricultural application. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

I remember it now, so I'll remember it later: Working memory strength guides predictions for long-term memory performance.

Judgments of learning (JOLs) are assumed to be made inferentially, based on cues. This cue-utilization approach substituted the theory that memory strength guides JOLs. The rejection of this theory ignores the existence of two memory systems: working memory (WM), which holds representations immediately accessible, and long-term memory (LTM), which is a permanent store. By manipulating and measuring WM strength, we tested a revised version of the memory-strength theory in which JOLs are guided by WM representations. In Experiment 1, participants memorized sequences of two or four colored objects, then they provided JOLs for an LTM test of these objects, and performed a WM test on the objects' colors. After learning 200 objects, the LTM test followed. Sequence-length affected WM, but not LTM performance. JOLs, however, were higher for sequences of two than for four objects and correlated higher with WM than LTM performance. We replicated these results with a simultaneous presentation of the objects (Experiment 2), in the absence of a WM test (Experiment 3), and in a word-pair task (Experiment 4). Overall, our findings are consistent with the revised memory-strength theory. WM strength should therefore be considered when examining the factors guiding JOLs.

Novel naphthoquinone-1H-1,2,3-triazole hybrids: Design, synthesis and evaluation as inductors of ROS-mediated apoptosis in the MCF-7 cells.

The search for novel anticancer drugs is essential to expand treatment options, overcome drug resistance, reduce toxicity, promote innovation, and tackle the economic impact. The importance of these studies lies in their contribution to advancing cancer research and enhancing patient outcomes in the battle against cancer. Here, we developed new asymmetric hybrids containing two different naphthoquinones linked by a 1,2,3-1H-triazole nucleus, which are potential new drugs for cancer treatment. The antitumor activity of the novel compounds was tested using the breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, using the non-cancer cell line MCF10A as control. Our results showed that two out of twenty-two substances tested presented potential antitumor activity against the breast cancer cell lines. These potential drugs, named here 12g and 12h were effective in reducing cell viability and promoting cell death of the tumor cell lines, exhibiting minimal effects on the control cell line. The mechanism of action of the novel drugs was assessed revealing that both drugs increased reactive oxygen species production with consequent activation of the AMPK pathway. Therefore, we concluded that 12g and 12h are novel AMPK activators presenting selective antitumor effects.

Open Access and Reproducibility in Plant Pathology Research: Guidelines and Best Practices.

The landscape of scientific publishing is experiencing a transformative shift toward open access, a paradigm that mandates the availability of research outputs such as data, code, materials, and publications. Open access provides increased reproducibility and allows for reuse of these resources. This article provides guidance for best publishing practices of scientific research, data, and associated resources, including code, in The American Phytopathological Society journals. Key areas such as diagnostic assays, experimental design, data sharing, and code deposition are explored in detail. This guidance aligns with that observed by other leading journals. We hope the information assembled in this paper will raise awareness of best practices and enable greater appraisal of the true effects of biological phenomena in plant pathology.

The use of blue dye alone for sentinel lymph node biopsy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with initially node-positive breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: False-negative sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) rates following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in initially node-positive (cN1/2) breast cancer patients are high, but decrease when lymph nodes are clipped, ≥3 sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) are removed or dual-tracer localization (radioisotope and blue dye) is used. Radiotracer, however, is often unavailable and outcomes with blue dye alone are unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Initially cT1-4, cN1/2 patients treated with NACT in 2013-2023 who underwent SLNB using blue dye alone were evaluated regarding SLN identification, axillary recurrence, disease-free and overall survival rates. RESULTS: Of 119 patients included, 19 remained cN1/2 after NACT. SLNB was performed using blue dye alone in 100 ycN0 cases (84%), with an identification rate of 96%. The SLN was negative in 70/119 cases (i.e. 59% avoided axillary dissection). The number of SLN detected was ≥3 in 55/70 cases (78%) (median 3.1; 1-6). Median age was 49 years (25-84). Most were T2 (n = 40, 57.1%), N1 (n = 64, 91.4%). Predominant subtypes were ERBB2 (52.9%) and triple-negative (20%). No axillary recurrence occurred over a median 36-month period. Five-year disease-free and overall survival were, respectively, 85.9% (95%CI: 74-99.8) and 96.3% (95%CI: 89.4-100). The ERBB2 subtype (1.99, 95%CI: 1.02-3.85, p = 0.04) and N1 lymph node status (2.58, 95%CI: 1.54-9.10, p = 0.03) were associated with a greater likelihood of undergoing SLNB alone without axillary dissection. CONCLUSIONS: SLNB with blue dye alone following NACT in initially cN1/2 patients avoided axillary dissection in almost 60% of cases, with no recurrences during the period evaluated. Longer follow-up studies are necessary.

Analysis of CRISPR-Cas loci distribution in Xanthomonas citri and its possible control by the quorum sensing system.

Xanthomonas is an important genus of plant-associated bacteria that causes significant yield losses of economically important crops worldwide. Different approaches have assessed genetic diversity and evolutionary interrelationships among the Xanthomonas species. However, information from clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) has yet to be explored. In this work, we analyzed the architecture of CRISPR-Cas loci and presented a sequence similarity-based clustering of conserved Cas proteins in different species of Xanthomonas. Although absent in many investigated genomes, Xanthomonas harbors subtype I-C and I-F CRISPR-Cas systems. The most represented species, Xanthomonas citri, presents a great diversity of genome sequences with an uneven distribution of the CRISPR-Cas systems among the subspecies/pathovars. Only X. citri subsp. citri and X. citri pv. punicae have these systems, exclusively of subtype I-C system. Moreover, the most likely targets of the X. citri CRISPR spacers are viruses (phages). At the same time, few are plasmids, indicating that CRISPR/Cas system is possibly a mechanism to control the invasion of foreign DNA. We also showed in X. citri susbp. citri that the cas genes are regulated by the diffusible signal factor, the quorum sensing (QS) signal molecule, according to cell density increases, and under environmental stress like starvation. These results suggest that the regulation of CRISPR-Cas by QS occurs to activate the gene expression only during phage infection or due to environmental stresses, avoiding a possible reduction in fitness. Although more studies are needed, CRISPR-Cas systems may have been selected in the Xanthomonas genus throughout evolution, according to the cost-benefit of protecting against biological threats and fitness maintenance in challenging conditions.

Clinical, immunological, and microbiological analysis of the association between periodontitis and COVID-19: a case-control study.

PURPOSE: Periodontitis and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) share risk factors and activate similar immunopathological pathways, intensifying systemic inflammation. This study investigated the clinical, immunological and microbiological parameters in individuals with COVID-19 and controls, exploring whether periodontitis-driven inflammation contributes to worsening COVID-19 endpoints. METHODS: Case (positive RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2) and control (negative RT-PCR) individuals underwent clinical and periodontal assessments. Salivary levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, IL-10, OPG, RANKL, neutrophil extracellular traps, and subgingival biofilm were analyzed at two timepoints. Data on COVID-19-related outcomes and comorbidity information were evaluated from medical records. RESULTS: Ninety-nine cases of COVID-19 and 182 controls were included for analysis. Periodontitis was associated with more hospitalization (p = 0.009), more days in the intensive care unit (ICU) (p = 0.042), admission to the semi-ICU (p = 0.047), and greater need for oxygen therapy (p = 0.042). After adjustment for confounders, periodontitis resulted in a 1.13-fold increase in the chance of hospitalization. Salivary IL-6 levels (p = 0.010) were increased in individuals with COVID-19 and periodontitis. Periodontitis was associated with increased RANKL and IL-1ß after COVID-19. No significant changes were observed in the bacterial loads of the periodontopathogens Porphyromona gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Tanerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola. CONCLUSIONS: Periodontitis was associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes, suggesting the relevance of periodontal care to reduce the burden of overall inflammation. Understanding the crosstalk between SARS-CoV-2 infection and chronic conditions such as periodontitis that can influence disease outcome is important to potentially prevent complications of COVID-19.

Testing expectations and retrieval practice modulate repetition learning of visuospatial arrays.

One of the best-known demonstrations of long-term learning through repetition is the Hebb effect: Immediate recall of a memory list repeated amidst nonrepeated lists improves steadily with repetitions. However, previous studies often failed to observe this effect for visuospatial arrays. Souza and Oberauer (2022) showed that the strongest determinant for producing learning was the difficulty of the test: Learning was consistently observed when participants recalled all items of a visuospatial array (difficult test) but not if only one item was recalled, or recognition procedures were used (less difficult tests). This suggests that long-term learning was promoted by increased testing demands over the short term. Alternatively, it is possible that lower testing demands still lead to learning but prevented the application of what was learned. In four preregistered experiments (N = 981), we ruled out this alternative explanation: Changing the type of memory test midway through the experiment from less demanding (i.e., single item recall or recognition) to a more demanding test (i.e., full item recall) did not reveal hidden learning, and changing it from the more demanding to a less demanding test did not conceal learning. Mixing high and low demanding tests for nonrepeated arrays, however, eventually produced Hebb learning even for the less demanding testing conditions. We propose that testing affects long-term learning in two ways: Expectations of the test difficulty influence how information is encoded into memory, and retrieval consolidates this information in memory. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Low rate of complications in nipple-sparing mastectomy for patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation.

Background: To describe the indications and outcomes of BRCA mutation carriers undergoing nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM). Methods: In this retrospective study, 76 BRCA mutation carriers with no cancer who opted to undergo risk reduction NSM or diagnosed with breast cancer (BC) who opted to undergo therapeutic NSM were included. Results: Indications for NSM: cancer treatment (n = 33), bilateral risk reduction (n = 39) and contralateral prophylactic NSM (n = 4). In a mean follow-up of 45 months (median: 30 months), one patient (2.5%) undergoing risk-reducing NSM developed a new BC. One (3%) local, one (3%) ipsilateral axillary and one (3%) distant recurrence were observed in BC patients. No partial or total nipple necrosis occurred. Conclusion: NSM is safe for reducing the risk of BC development in BRCA mutation carriers and for treating cancer.

Use of digital retinography to detect vascular changes in pre-diabetic patients: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common complication of DM and may go unnoticed until irreversible damage occurs. Its screening can contribute to the early detection. Although, there are no studies which investigate the ability of digital retinography to detect vascular changes in pre-diabetic patients. OBJECTIVE: Identify the prevalence and severity of RD in patients with pre-diabetes. METHODS: Cross-sectionalstudy carried out in a sample of patients with pre-diabetes and weight excess characterized from January 2020 to April 2023. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected, in addition to lifestyle habits. Retinographic evaluation was also performed using a Digital Retinography. For the analysis of all variables, the adopted significance level was 5%. The software used for the analysis was SPSS version 25.0. RESULTS: Of 108 patients selected 7.1% have alteration in the exam indicating DR. Among the participants with diabetic retinopathy, four had the moderate form (50%), three the moderate form (37%) and only one participant had the severe form (13%). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the importance of preventive measures and adequate control of these conditions in pre-diabetic patients, in order to prevent or delay the progression of diabetic retinopathy and, consequently, reduce the risk of blindness and other ocular complications.

Structure-based design of new N-benzyl-piperidine derivatives as multitarget-directed AChE/BuChE inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease.

The pathogenic complexity of Alzheimer's disease (AD) demands the development of multitarget-directed agents aiming at improving actual pharmacotherapy. Based on the cholinergic hypothesis and considering the well-established role of butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) in advanced stages of AD, the chemical structure of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor drug donepezil (1) was rationally modified for the design of new N-benzyl-piperidine derivatives (4a-d) as potential multitarget-direct AChE and BuChE inhibitors. The designed analogues were further studied through the integration of in silico and in vitro methods. ADMET predictions showed that 4a-d are anticipated to be orally bioavailable, able to cross the blood-brain barrier and be retained in the brain, and to have low toxicity. Computational docking and molecular dynamics indicated the formation of favorable complexes between 4a-d and both cholinesterases. Derivative 4a presented the lowest binding free energy estimation due to interaction with key residues from both target enzymes (-36.69 ± 4.47 and -32.23 ± 3.99 kcal/mol with AChE and BuChE, respectively). The in vitro enzymatic assay demonstrated that 4a was the most potent inhibitor of AChE (IC50 2.08 ± 0.16 µM) and BuChE (IC50 7.41 ± 0.44 µM), corroborating the in silico results and highlighting 4a as a novel multitarget-directed AChE/BuChE inhibitor.

KPC-2-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from wild animals in Brazil.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa an opportunistic pathogen that causes infections in hospitals and has high morbidity and mortality rates. In addition, it is a widely distributed environmental bacterium that can colonise a variety of habitats. Although wild animals do not have access to antibiotics, antibacterial resistance in these animals has increasingly been reported worldwide. Although the presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) is uncommon in P. aeruginosa, it has been increasingly reported. This study examined KPC-2-producing P. aeruginosa in wild animals. A total of 27 P. aeruginosa isolates were obtained from clinical cases treated at the Microbiology Laboratory of the Veterinary Hospital of UFMT, Brazil. P. aeruginosa and blaKPC-2 carbapenemase resistance genes were identified using PCR. Antimicrobial susceptibility of KPC-producing P. aeruginosa was evaluated using the disk diffusion method. The blaKPC-2 gene was detected in 40.7% of the isolates (11/27). The rates of antimicrobial resistance and intermediate sensitivity were as follows: piperacillin/tazobactam (44.4%), imipenem (29.6%), meropenem (51.8%), amikacin (77.8%), cefepime (85.2%), and ciprofloxacin (70.4%). Twelve isolates were classified as Multidrug-resistant (MDR). This study presents the first report of P. aeruginosa with the blaKPC-2 gene in wild animals in Brazil, highlighting the importance of molecular research on resistance genes in P. aeruginosa from a One-Health perspective.

A diffusion model analysis of age and individual differences in the retro-cue benefit.

The limited capacity of working memory (WM) constrains how well we can think and act. WM capacity is reduced in old age, with one explanation for this decline being a deficit in using attention to control WM contents. The retro-cue paradigm has been used to examine the ability to focus attention in WM. So far, there are conflicting findings regarding an aging deficit in the retro-cue effect. The present study evaluated age-related changes and individual differences in the retro-cue effect through a well-established computational model that combines speed and accuracy to extract underlying psychological parameters. We applied the drift-diffusion model to the data from a large sample of younger and older adults (total N = 346) that completed four retro-cue tasks. Retro-cues increased the quality of the evidence entering the decision process, reduced the time taken for memory retrieval, and changed response conservativeness for younger and older adults. An age-related decline was observed only in the retro-cue boost for evidence quality, and this was the only parameter capturing individual differences in focusing efficiency. Our results suggest that people differ in how well they can strengthen and protect a focused representation to boost evidence-quality accumulation, and this ability declines with aging.

Use of in silico and in vitro methods as a potential new approach methodologies (NAMs) for (photo)mutagenicity and phototoxicity risk assessment of agrochemicals.

The increased use of agrochemicals raises concerns about environmental, animal, and mainly human toxicology. The development of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for toxicological risk assessment including new in vitro tests and in silico protocols is encouraged. Although agrochemical mutagenicity testing is well established, a complementary alternative approach may contribute to increasing reliability, with the consequent reduction of false-positive results that lead to unnecessary use of animals in follow-up in vivo testing. Additionally, it is unreasonable to underestimate the phototoxic effects of an accidental dermal exposure to agrochemicals during agricultural work or domestic application in the absence of adequate personal protection equipment, especially in terms of photomutagenicity. In this scenario, we addressed the integration of in vitro and in silico techniques as NAMs to assess the mutagenic and phototoxic potential of agrochemicals. In the present study we used the yno1 S. cerevisiae strain as a biomodel for in vitro assessment of agrochemical mutagenicity, both in the absence and in the presence of simulated sunlight. In parallel, in silico predictions were performed using a combination of expert rule-based and statistical-based models to assess gene mutations and phototoxicity. None of the tested agrochemicals showed mutagenic potential in the two proposed approaches. The Gly and 2,4D herbicides were photomutagenic in the in vitro yeast test despite the negative in silico prediction of phototoxicity. Herein, we demonstrated a novel experimental approach combining both in silico and in vitro experiments to address the complementary investigation of the phototoxicity and (photo)mutagenicity of agrochemicals. These findings shed light on the importance of investigating and reconsidering the photosafety assessment of these products, using not only photocytotoxicity assays but also photomutagenicity assays, which should be encouraged.

Ergonomic risk assessment of surgeon's position during radical prostatectomy: Laparoscopic versus robotic approach.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Radical prostatectomy (RP) is a definitive surgical therapy for localized prostate cancer. Evidence suggests that the poor ergonomics of surgeons during RP may lead to work-related musculoskeletal disorders and loss of productivity. Since each surgery modality has its physical demands, we compared the ergonomic risk between laparoscopic (LRP) and robotic-assisted (RARP) radical prostatectomy. METHODS: The study assessed the posture of 10 urological surgeons during LRP and RARP surgeries with the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) scale. RESULTS: We found that the RARP approach resulted in lower REBA scores over the LRP procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic surgery improves body posture for the urological surgeon like in other medical specialties. However, the surgeons display harmful postures in both surgeries.

Anxiety and depression disorders in oncological patients under palliative care at a hospital service: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the risk and protective factors associated with anxiety and depression symptoms in cancer patients at an advanced stage of cancer. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with advanced cancer who were receiving palliative care. Cancer patients aged 18 years or older, with preserved cognitive function who completed the questionnaires were eligible. The questionnaires of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and health related of quality of life questionnaire; the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC-C30) were applied. Outcome variables were the depression and anxiety symptoms of cancer patients under palliative care, according to the answers to the 14 items that make up the HADS Scale. The analysis used the R software, version 4.2.0. RESULTS: Seventy cancer patients with advanced cancer were included. The colon was the most common neoplastic diagnostic (20%), followed by breast (12.9%) and lung (10%). The prevalence of depression was 44.3%, 25.7% anxiety and 52.9% had both symptoms. Patients with a high level of functionality had a lower chance of anxiety (OR = 0.80;p = 0.025), depression (OR = 0.82; p = 0.007), and anxiety and depression (OR = 0.82p = 0.008). We observed a lower chance of depression and depression/anxiety who showed a high level of Overall Performance. Three symptoms increased the chance of depression/anxiety: nausea/vomiting (p = 0.019), fatigue (0.031), loss of appetite (0.048). CONCLUSION: This study found high prevalence of anxiety and depression.Better quality of life and functionality were negatively associated with these outcomes. Examining the patient's functions will assist the clinician in alleviating symptoms of anxiety and depression, giving cancer patients in palliative care more dignity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.

Preemptive transcranial direct current stimulation induces analgesia, prevents chronic inflammation and fibrosis, and promotes tissue repair in a rat model of postoperative pain.

This study evaluated the effects of previous exposure to Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on nociceptive, neuroinflammatory, and neurochemical parameters, in rats subjected to an incisional pain model. Forty adult male Wistar rats (60 days old; weighing âˆ¼ 250 g) were divided into five groups: 1. control (C); 2. drugs (D); 3. surgery (S); 4. surgery + sham-tDCS (SsT) and 5. surgery + tDCS (ST). Bimodal tDCS (0.5 mA) was applied for 20 min/day/8 days before the incisional model. Mechanical allodynia (von Frey) was evaluated at different time points after surgery. Cytokines and BDNF levels were evaluated in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, brainstem, and spinal cord. Histology and activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase (NAGase) were evaluated in the surgical lesion sites in the right hind paw. The results demonstrate that the surgery procedure increased BDNF and IL-6 levels in the spinal cord levels in the hippocampus, and decreased IL-1ß and IL-6 levels in the cerebral cortex, IL-6 levels in the hippocampus, and IL-10 levels in the brainstem and hippocampus. In addition, preemptive tDCS was effective in controlling postoperative pain, increasing BDNF, IL-6, and IL-10 levels in the spinal cord and brainstem, increasing IL-1ß in the spinal cord, and decreasing IL-6 levels in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, IL-1ß and IL-10 levels in the hippocampus. Preemptive tDCS also contributes to tissue repair, preventing chronic inflammation, and consequent fibrosis. Thus, these findings imply that preemptive methods for postoperative pain management should be considered an interesting pain management strategy, and may contribute to the development of clinical applications for tDCS in surgical situations.