Infiltration by monocytes of the central nervous system and its role in multiple sclerosis: reflections on therapeutic strategies.

Mononuclear macrophage infiltration in the central nervous system is a prominent feature of neuroinflammation. Recent studies on the pathogenesis and progression of multiple sclerosis have highlighted the multiple roles of mononuclear macrophages in the neuroinflammatory process. Monocytes play a significant role in neuroinflammation, and managing neuroinflammation by manipulating peripheral monocytes stands out as an effective strategy for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, leading to improved patient outcomes. This review outlines the steps involved in the entry of myeloid monocytes into the central nervous system that are targets for effective intervention: the activation of bone marrow hematopoiesis, migration of monocytes in the blood, and penetration of the blood-brain barrier by monocytes. Finally, we summarize the different monocyte subpopulations and their effects on the central nervous system based on phenotypic differences. As activated microglia resemble monocyte-derived macrophages, it is important to accurately identify the role of monocyte-derived macrophages in disease. Depending on the roles played by monocyte-derived macrophages at different stages of the disease, several of these processes can be interrupted to limit neuroinflammation and improve patient prognosis. Here, we discuss possible strategies to target monocytes in neurological diseases, focusing on three key aspects of monocyte infiltration into the central nervous system, to provide new ideas for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Dynamic polysaccharide/platelet-rich plasma hydrogels with synergistic antibacterial activities for accelerating infected wound healing.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been recognized as an effective therapy in regenerative medicine and surgery, which can reduce the risk of antibiotic abuse and promote the healing of infected wounds. Recent advances in PRP-based treatments have focused on the controlled release of growth factors in PRP with biocompatible hydrogels and antimicrobial promotion by introducing hydrogel components or antibiotics, while the inherent antimicrobial activity of PRP is mostly neglected or sacrificed. Here, we demonstrate the combination of an antimicrobial polysaccharide, carboxymethyl chitosan, and PRP to construct an antimicrobial hydrogel via dynamic bonding with oxidized chondroitin sulfate. Significant inhibitory effects against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (95 % of inhibition rate) are achieved through the synergistic contributions of the polysaccharide and PRP. Additionally, the resulting hydrogel promotes the migration of NIH-3T3 fibroblasts and collagen deposition by approximately 1.7 and 1.8 times, respectively, thereby accelerating the healing process of infected wounds. This work may bring new perspectives for potent applications of PRP-based hydrogel dressings for antibiotic-free management of infected wounds.

Excitation-wavelength-dependent persistent luminescence from single-component nonstoichiometric CaGaxO4:Bi for dynamic anti-counterfeiting.

Materials capable of dynamic persistent luminescence (PersL) within the visible spectrum are highly sought after for applications in display, biosensing, and information security. However, PersL materials with eye-detectable and excitation-wavelength-dependent characteristics are rarely achieved. Herein, a nonstoichiometric compound CaGaxO4:Bi (x < 2) is present, which demonstrates ultra-long, color-tunable PersL. The persistent emission wavelength can be tuned by varying the excitation wavelength, enabling dynamic color modulation from the green to the orange region within the visible spectrum. Theoretical calculations, in conjunction with experimental observations, are utilized to elucidate the thermodynamic charge transitions of various defect states, thereby providing insights into the relationship between Bi3+ emitters, traps, and multicolored PersL. Furthermore, the utility of color-tunable PersL materials and flexible devices is showcased for use in visual sensing of invisible ultraviolet light, multicolor display, information encryption, and anti-counterfeiting. These discoveries create new opportunities to develop smart photoelectric materials with dynamically controlled PersL for various applications.

Impact of Structural Alterations from Chemical Doping on the Electrical Transport Properties of Conjugated Polymers.

Conjugated polymers (CPs) are widely used as conductive materials in various applications, with their conductive properties adjustable through chemical doping. While doping enhances the thermoelectric properties of CPs due to improved main-chain transport, overdoping can distort the polymer structure, increasing energy disorder and impeding intrinsic electrical transport. This study explored how different dopants affect the structural integrity and electrical transport properties of CPs. We found that dopants vary in their impact on CP structure, consequently altering their electrical transport capabilities. Specifically, ferric chloride (FeCl3)-doped indacenodithiophene-co-benzothiadiazole (IDTBT) shows superior electrical transport properties to triethyloxonium hexachloroantimonate (OA)-doped IDTBT due to enhanced backbone planarity and rigidity, which facilitate carrier transport and lower energetic disorder. These results highlight the critical role of dopant selection in optimizing CPs for advanced applications, suggesting that strategic dopant choices can significantly refine the charge transport characteristics of CPs, paving the way for their industrialization.

Electrochemiluminescence sensor for organophosphorus pesticides based on the regulation of resonance energy transfer between negative charged gold nanorods and Ru(bpy)32.

Combined the electrostatic interaction of the negatively charged gold nanorods (AuNRs) (as acceptor) and Ru(bpy)32+ (as donor), an electrochemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET) sensor was constructed and applied for the detection of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs). Negatively charged AuNRs were synthesized by modifying AuNRs with polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) firstly, which can bind to Ru(bpy)32+ through electrostatic interaction so that the luminophore was absorbed by the acceptor, the resonance energy transfer occurred and only low ECL signal had been detected. Thiocholine can be produced by the hydrolysis process of acetylthiocholine (ATCh) with the help of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which can bond with PSS-modified AuNRs (PSS-AuNRs) through gold-sulfur interaction, this caused the releasing of the adsorbed Ru(bpy)32+ into the solution and resulting in the restoration of the ECL intensity. However, the activity of AChE was inhibited by OPs, and the recovery process of the ECL signal was thus suppressed as well. In this study, chlorpyrifos was chosen as model target, the results indicated that the correlation between the ECL intensity and the logarithm of chlorpyrifos concentration showed remarkable linearity across 1 ng/mL to 1 mg/mL, achieving a detection limit of 0.51 ng/mL. The proposed system has been utilized for detecting OPs in real samples with satisfied results.

Beyond conventional treatment: ASGR1 Leading the new era of hypercholesterolemia management.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, with hypercholesterolemia being a major risk factor. Although various lipid-lowering therapies exist, many patients fail to achieve optimal cholesterol control, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic approaches. ASGR1 (asialoglycoprotein receptor 1), predominantly expressed on hepatocytes, has emerged as a key regulator of cholesterol metabolism and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) clearance. This receptor's ability to regulate lipid homeostasis positions it as a promising target for therapeutic intervention in hypercholesterolemia and related cardiovascular diseases. This review critically examines the biological functions and regulatory mechanisms of ASGR1 in cholesterol metabolism, with a focus on its potential as a therapeutic target for hypercholesterolemia and related cardiovascular diseases. By analyzing recent advances in ASGR1 research, this article explores its role in liver-specific pathways, the implications of ASGR1 variants in CVD risk, and the prospects for developing ASGR1-targeted therapies. This review aims to provide a foundation for future research and clinical applications in hypercholesterolemia management.

Regulating interaction with surface ligands on Au25 nanoclusters by multivariate metal-organic framework hosts for boosting catalysis.

While atomically precise metal nanoclusters (NCs) with unique structures and reactivity are very promising in catalysis, the spatial resistance caused by the surface ligands and structural instability poses significant challenges. In this work, Au25(Cys)18 NCs are encapsulated in multivariate metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to afford Au25@M-MOF-74 (M = Zn, Ni, Co, Mg). By the MOF confinement, the Au25 NCs showcase highly enhanced activity and stability in the intramolecular cascade reaction of 2-nitrobenzonitrile. Notably, the interaction between the metal nodes in M-MOF-74 and Au25(Cys)18 is able to suppress the free vibration of the surface ligands on the Au25 NCs and thereby improve the accessibility of Au sites; meanwhile, the stronger interactions lead to higher electron density and core expansion within Au25(Cys)18. As a result, the activity exhibits the trend of Au25@Ni-MOF-74 > Au25@Co-MOF-74 > Au25@Zn-MOF-74 > Au25@Mg-MOF-74, highlighting the crucial roles of microenvironment modulation around the Au25 NCs by interaction between the surface ligands and MOF hosts.

Robust Sequence Design Space for the Isothermal Exponential Amplification of Short Oligonucleotides.

Advances in isothermal amplification techniques have accelerated development in biosensing applications and the design of complex molecular devices. The exponential amplification reaction technique, or EXPAR, is uniquely positioned to process molecular information from short oligonucleotide strands (≈10 nucleotides length) typically encountered in molecular computing or microRNA detection. Despite its conceptual simplicity (requiring only a template strand and two enzymes), the issue of nonspecific background amplification has hindered broader adoption. In this work, a new system configuration is established at 37 °C to achieve significantly improved performance. Critical sequence motifs responsible for the excellent signal-to-background profile are identified and generalized as a universal adapter design framework. Orthogonal template sequences generated from the framework are implemented for a triplex reaction and successfully evaluated mixtures of multiple-target inputs in a single-step, one-pot format without the need for exogenous agents.

Analysis of genetic diversity among three Triplophysa tenuis populations by RAD-seq.

To investigate the genetic diversity of Triplophysa tenuis in the Shule River Basin of Gansu province, three populations were sequenced via RAD-seq technology. Twenty-nine microsatellite (SSR) markers with polymorphisms were finally screened to access the genetic diversity among the populations, of which 15 had high polymorphisms. The quantity of the alleles detected in the three populations of T. tenuis varied from 2 to 24. The locus with the most alleles was SSRC1, which had 24 alleles. Among the 29 SSRs, the range of effective allele number, observed heterozygosity, expected heterozygosity, and polymorphic information content were 1.246-16.615, 0.222-1, 0.198-0.940, and 0.178-0.937, respectively. Most of the identified loci were in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Analysis of the population structure revealed that the Yumen and Changma populations shared the same origin, while the Qiaowan population was different from them. The developed SSR markers discovered in this study will contribute to the conservation research on T. tenuis and the conservation of the fishery resources of the Shule River, providing scientific guidance for the development and utilization of T. tenuis resources and environmental protection.

iSECRETE: Integrating Microfluidics and DNA Proximity Amplification for Synchronous Single-Cell Activation and IFN-γ Secretion Profiling.

Cytokines, crucial in immune modulation, impact disease progression when their secretion is dysregulated. Existing methods for profiling cytokine secretion suffer from time-consuming and labor-intensive processes and often fail to capture the dynamic nature of immune responses. Here, iSECRETE, an integrated platform that enables synchronous cell activation, wash-free, and target-responsive protein detection for single-cell IFN-γ cytokine secretion analysis within 30 min at room temperature is presented. By incorporating a DNA proximity assay (DPA) into a multifunctional microfluidic system, one-pot homogenous cytokine signal amplification, with a limit of detection of ≈50 secreted molecules per cell is achieved. iSECRETE can robustly handle various sample types that are shown. Two distinct immune activation assay modalities are demonstrated on iSECRETE. Finally, the detection of single-cell IFN-γ secretion as an activation hallmark of chimeric antigen receptor T cells within 6 h of exposure to cancer targets is shown. iSECRETE represents the fastest single-cell sample-to-result cytokine secretion assay to date, providing a powerful tool for advancing the understanding of biological phenotypes, functions, and pathways under in vivo-like conditions.

Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability is Affected by Changes in Tight Junction Protein Expression at High-Altitude Hypoxic Conditions-this may have Implications for Brain Drug Transport.

Changes to blood-brain barrier structure and function may affect the delivery of drugs into the brain. It is worthwhile to exploring more study on how the blood-brain barrier changes in structure and function and how that affects drug transport in high-altitude hypoxic environment. The DIA high-throughput sequencing technique indicate that the rats blood-brain barrier has been identified to have 7252 proteins overall and 8 tight junction proteins, among which Claudin-7 was a plateau-specific tight junction protein under high-altitude hypoxia, and based on the interaction network study, 2421 proteins are found to interact with one another, with ZO-1 being the primary target. The results of the projected gene function analysis demonstrated that changes in tight junction proteins are related to the control of TRP channels by inflammatory mediators, the wnt signaling pathway, the ABC transporter system, and drug metabolism-CYP450 enzyme regulation. Additionally, the electron microscopy, the Evans blue combination with confocal laser scanning microscopy, and the Western Blot and RT-qPCR revealed that high-altitude hypoxic environment induces blood-brain barrier tight junctions to open, blood-brain barrier permeability increases, ZO-1, Occludin, Claudin-5 protein and mRNA expression decreased. Our research implies that structural and functional alterations in the blood-brain barrier induced by high altitude hypoxia may impact drug transport inside the central nervous system, and that drug transporters and drug-metabolizing enzymes may be key players in this process.

In-situ atomic tracking of intermetallic compound formation during thermal annealing.

Intermetallic compounds (IMCs) with ordered atomic structure have gained great attention as nanocatalysts for its enhanced activity and stability. Although the reliance of IMC preparation on high-temperature annealing is well known, a comprehensive understanding of the formation mechanisms of IMCs in this process is currently lacking. Here, we employ aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (AC-HAADF-STEM) to track the formation process of IMCs on carbon supports during in-situ annealing, by taking PtFe as a case study within an industry-relevant impregnation synthesis framework. We directly discern five different stages at the atomic level: initial atomic precursors; Pt cluster formation; Pt-Fe disordered alloying; structurally ordered Pt3Fe formation, and final Pt3Fe-PtFe IMC conversion. In particular, we find that the crucial role of high-temperature annealing resides in facilitating the diffusion of Fe towards Pt, enabling the creation of alloys with the targeted stoichiometric ratio, which in turn provides the thermodynamic driving force for the disorder-to-order transition.

Benefits of intensive lipid-lowering therapies in patients with acute coronary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous meta-analyses have investigated the efficacy of lipid-lowering therapies for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; however, few have focused on patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This meta-analysis aimed to compare the benefits of intensive lipid-lowering therapy with those of background statin therapy in patients with ACS. METHODS: Searches were performed on PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases for articles published until April 13, 2023. Randomized controlled trials that compared intensive lipid-lowering therapies and background statin therapies in patients with prior ACS and recorded the outcome of three-point major cardiovascular events (MACE) were included. The risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used as a measure of primary and secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Nine trials involving 38,640 patients with ACS were identified. Pooled results suggested that intensive lipid-lowering therapies are associated with a reduction in the risk of three-point MACE (RR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.83-0.94; p < 0.001), recurrent ACS (RR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.71-0.96; p = 0.013), nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) (RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.81-0.93; p < 0.001), stroke (RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73-0.94; p = 0.003), and unstable angina-related hospitalization (RR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.33-0.99; p = 0.046), but not all-cause mortality (RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.82-1.07; p = 0.329), cardiovascular disease-related mortality (RR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.88-1.06; p = 0.457) or coronary revascularization (RR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.79-1.00; p = 0.057). CONCLUSIONS: Intensive lipid-lowering therapies may reduce the risk of three-point MACE, recurrent ACS, nonfatal MI, stroke, and hospitalization for unstable angina in patients with ACS undergoing background statin therapy. These results may assist in clinical decision-making for the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events to initiate intensive lipid-lowering therapies immediately after ACS.

High-Sensitivity Homogeneous Detection of miRNA-155 Governed by DNA Walker-Regulated Surface DNA Density of Magnetic Electrochemiluminescence Nanoparticles.

Homogeneous electrochemiluminescence (ECL) has gained attention for its simplicity and stability. However, false positives due to solution background interference pose a challenge. To address this, magnetic ECL nanoparticles (Fe3O4@Ru@SiO2 NPs) were synthesized, offering easy modification, magnetic separation, and stable luminescence. These were utilized in an ECL sensor for miRNA-155 (miR-155) detection, with locked DNAzyme and substrate chain (mDNA) modified on their surface. The poor conductivity of long-chain DNA significantly impacts the conductivity and electron transfer capability of Fe3O4@Ru@SiO2 NPs, resulting in weaker ECL signals. Upon target presence, unlocked DNAzyme catalyzes mDNA cleavage, leading to shortened DNA chains and reduced density. In contrast, the presence of short-chain DNA has minimal impact on the conductivity and electron transfer capability of Fe3O4@Ru@SiO2 NPs. Simultaneously, the material surface's electronegativity decreases, weakening the electrostatic repulsion with the negatively charged electrode, resulting in the system detecting stronger ECL signals. This sensor enables homogeneous ECL detection while mitigating solution background interference through magnetic separation. Within a range of 100 fM to 10 nM, the sensor exhibits a linear relationship between ECL intensity and target concentration, with a 26.91 fM detection limit. It demonstrates high accuracy in clinical sample detection, holding significant potential for clinical diagnostics. Future integration with innovative detection strategies may further enhance sensitivity and specificity in biosensing applications.

Constructed wetlands and hyperaccumulators for the removal of heavy metal and metalloids: A review.

Water pollutions of heavy metal and metalloids (HMMs), typically including As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn, are becoming a severe environmental problem to be controlled. Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been intensively investigated and applied for the removal of HMMs. By analyzing a mass of data from the existing literatures, this review found that the HMM removals in CWs varied from 12.35 % to 91.01 %, depending upon the HMM species and CW conditions. Nonetheless, 88.50 % of the influent HMMs were eventually immobilized in the CW sediments, while the common wetland plants are inefficient (i.e., accounting for 4.64 %) to uptake and accumulate the HMMs. It was also found that the concentrations of certain HMMs in the CW sediments have already exceeded up to 100 % of various environmental standards, indicating the urgency of introducing HMM hyperaccumulators in the systems. Through comparison, both the aboveground and belowground HMM accumulating capacities of reported hyperaccumulators were higher by magnitudes than common wetland plants. Following this, the efficacies and mechanisms of candidate hyperaccumulators were provided for the various scenarios of HMM control in CWs. Further, the selection principals, culture methods, and harvest strategies of hyperaccumulator in CWs were discussed. Finally, several perspectives were suggested for the future research. Overall, this review provided guiding information for the utilization of hyperaccumulators in CWs, which can improve the efficiency and sustainability of HMM removal in the CW systems.

Enhancing the Electrocatalytic Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Through Cascade Structure Tuning for Highly Stable Biomass Upgrading.

Electrocatalytic 5-hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation reaction (HMFOR) provides a promising strategy to convert biomass derivative to high-value-added chemicals. Herein, a cascade strategy is proposed to construct Pd-NiCo2O4 electrocatalyst by Pd loading on Ni-doped Co3O4 and for highly active and stable synergistic HMF oxidation. An elevated current density of 800 mA cm-2 can be achieved at 1.5 V, and both Faradaic efficiency and yield of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid remained close to 100% over 10 consecutive electrolysis. Experimental and theoretical results unveil that the introduction of Pd atoms can modulate the local electronic structure of Ni/Co, which not only balances the competitive adsorption of HMF and OH- species, but also promote the active Ni3+ species formation, inducing high indirect oxidation activity. We have also discovered that Ni incorporation facilitates the Co2+ pre-oxidation and electrophilic OH* generation to contribute direct oxidation process. This work provides a new approach to design advanced electrocatalyst for biomass upgrading.

Genomic analysis of Alteromonas sp. M12 isolated from the Mariana Trench reveals its role in dimethylsulfoniopropionate cycling.

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a ubiquitous organosulfur molecule in marine environments with important roles in stress tolerance, global carbon and sulfur cycling, and chemotaxis. It is the main precursor of the climate active gas dimethyl sulfide (DMS), which is the greatest natural source of bio­sulfur transferred from ocean to atmosphere. Alteromonas sp. M12, a Gram-negative and aerobic bacterium, was isolated from the seawater samples collected from the Mariana Trench at the depth of 2500 m. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of strain M12 and its genomic characteristics to import and utilize DMSP. The genome of strain M12 contains one circular chromosome (5,012,782 bp) with the GC content of 40.88%. Alteromonas sp. M12 can grow with DMSP as a sole carbon source, and produced DMS with DMSP as a precursor. Genomic analysis showed that strain M12 contained a set of genes involved in the downstream steps of DMSP cleavage, but no known genes encoding DMSP transporters or DMSP lyases. The results indicated that this strain contained novel DMSP transport and cleavage genes in its genome which warrants further investigation. The import of DMSP into cells may be a strategy of strain M12 to adapt the hydrostatic pressure environment in the Mariana Trench, as DMSP can be used as a hydrostatic pressure protectant. This study sheds light on the catabolism of DMSP by deep-sea bacteria.

SNP alleviates mitochondrial homeostasis dysregulation-mediated developmental toxicity in diabetic zebrafish larvae.

The incidence of diabetes is increasing annually, and the disease is uncurable due to its complex pathogenesis. Therefore, understanding diabetes pathogenesis and developing new treatments are crucial. This study showed that the NO donor SNP (8 µM) significantly alleviated high glucose-induced developmental toxicity in zebrafish larvae. High glucose levels caused hyperglycemia, leading to oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage from excessive ROS accumulation. This promoted mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis and lipid peroxidation (LPO)-induced ferroptosis, along with immune inflammatory reactions that decreased mitochondrial function and altered intracellular grid morphology, causing imbalanced kinetics and autophagy. After SNP treatment, zebrafish larvae showed improved developmental toxicity and glucose utilization, reduced ROS accumulation, and increased antioxidant activity. The NO-sGC-cGMP signaling pathway, inhibited by high glucose, was significantly activated by SNP, improving mitochondrial homeostasis, increasing mitochondrial count, and enhancing mitochondrial function. It's worth noting that apoptosis, ferroptosis and immune inflammation were effectively alleviated. In summary, SNP improved high glucose-induced developmental toxicity by activating the NO-sGC-cGMP signaling pathway to reduce toxic effects such as apoptosis, ferroptosis and inflammation resulting from mitochondrial homeostasis imbalance.

Interfacial Charge-Transfer Excitonic Insulator in a Two-Dimensional Organic-Inorganic Superlattice.

Excitonic insulators are long-sought-after quantum materials predicted to spontaneously open a gap by the Bose condensation of bound electron-hole pairs, namely, excitons, in their ground state. Since the theoretical conjecture, extensive efforts have been devoted to pursuing excitonic insulator platforms for exploring macroscopic quantum phenomena in real materials. Reliable evidence of excitonic character has been obtained in layered chalcogenides as promising candidates. However, owing to the interference of intrinsic lattice instabilities, it is still debatable whether those features, such as the charge density wave and gap opening, are primarily driven by the excitonic effect or by the lattice transition. Herein, we develop an intercalation chemistry strategy for obtaining a novel charge-transfer excitonic insulator in organic-inorganic superlattice interfaces that serves as an ideal platform to decouple the excitonic effect from the lattice effect. In this system, we observe a narrow excitonic gap, formation of a charge density wave without periodic lattice distortion, and metal-insulator transition, providing visualized evidence of exciton condensation occurring in thermal equilibrium. Our findings identify self-assembly intercalation chemistry as a new strategy for developing novel excitonic insulators.

Effects of Remifentanil Pretreatment on Sufentanil-induced Cough Suppression During the Induction of General Anesthesia.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of remifentanil pretreatment on sufentanil-induced cough during general anesthesia induction. DESIGN: This experimental research was conducted as a single-center, randomized, parallel-group trial. METHODS: A total of 120 patients scheduled for elective surgery were equally randomized into two groups (remifentanil and control). The incidence and severity of coughing in both groups were recorded after sufentanil administration during general anesthesia induction. The mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and pulse oxygen saturation were recorded at T1 (before the injection of remifentanil or normal saline), T2 (1 minute after remifentanil administration), T3 (before intubation), and T4 (1 minute after intubation). Additionally, the incidences of adverse events, including dizziness, nausea, apnea, truncal rigidity, bradycardia, or other adverse effects were also recorded. FINDINGS: The incidence of sufentanil-induced cough in the remifentanil group was significantly decreased when compared with the control group (5.0% vs 35.0%, respectively; P < .001). No statistical differences were found in mean arterial pressure, heart rate, pulse oxygen saturation, and the incidences of other side effects between the two groups at T1, T2, T3, and T4 (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment with remifentanil at a dose of 0.5 mcg/kg can effectively and safely suppress the incidence and severity of sufentanil-induced coughing, providing a reference for medication during general anesthesia induction.