Propofol causes neuronal degeneration in neonatal mice and long-term neurocognitive consequences in adult mice

Purpose: To investigate the effect of propofol on brain development in neonatal mice and long-term neurocognitive impact in adult mice.Method: The offspring of female C57Bl/6 and male CD-1 mice were administered propofol at concentrations of 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg (treatment group) or normal saline (control) on postnatal day 7. Thereafter, histological and immunohistochemical examinations were performed on the mice brain. Apoptotic assay, neuronal nuclei antigen immunohistochemistry (to assess neuron density), and behavioral and neurocognitive tests were conducted on the adult mice.Results: Propofol induced cellular degeneration and apoptosis in the brains of neonatal mice. It also modulated physiological parameters (pH, PO2, glucose and lactate), among which decreased blood glucose might be associated with cellular degeneration in the brain. Propofol also caused long-term neuronal deficits in adults, which showed impaired neurocognitive functions. Upon reaching adulthood, propofol-treated mice showed slow learning response and poor memory compared to controls.Conclusion: Propofol causes neurodegeneration in neonatal mice and has long-term neurocognitive consequences in adults, indicating that the use of propofol anesthetics in neonates requires careful consideration.Keywords: Anesthesia, Apoptosis, Brain injury, Neonate, Neurodegeneration, Propofo

Haplotype of gene Nedd4 binding protein 2 associated with sporadic nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the Southern Chinese population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bcl-3 as an oncoprotein is overexpressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Nedd4 binding protein 2 (N4BP2), which is located in the NPC susceptibility locus, is a Bcl-3 binding protein. This study is aimed to explore the association between N4BP2 genetic polymorphism and the risk of NPC.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a hospital-based case-control study, including 531 sporadic NPC and 480 cancer-free control subjects from southern China. PCR-sequencing was carried out on Exons, promoter region and nearby introns of the N4BP2 gene. The expression pattern of N4BP2 and Bcl-3 was also analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed a statistically significant difference in haplotype blocks ATTA and GTTG between cases and controls. In addition, three novel SNPs were identified, two of which were in exons (loc123-e3l-snp2, position 39868005, A/G, Met171Val; RS17511668-SNP2, position 39926432, G/A, Glu118Lys), and one was in the intron6 (RS794001-SNP1, position 39944127, T/G). Moreover, N4BP2 was at higher levels in a majority of tumor tissues examined, relative to paired normal tissues.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest that haplotype blocks ATTA and GTTG of N4BP2 is correlation with the risk of sporadic nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the Southern Chinese population and N4BP2 has a potential role in the development of NPC.</p

Topographic beta spiral and onshore intrusion of the Kuroshio Current

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2018. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Research Letters 45 (2018): 287–296, doi:10.1002/2017GL076614.The Kuroshio intrusion plays a vitally important role in carrying nutrients to marginal seas. However, the key mechanism leading to the Kuroshio intrusion remains unclear. In this study we postulate a mechanism: when the Kuroshio runs onto steep topography northeast of Taiwan, the strong inertia gives rise to upwelling over topography, leading to a left-hand spiral in the stratified ocean. This is called the topographic beta spiral, which is a major player regulating the Kuroshio intrusion; this spiral can be inferred from hydrographic surveys. In the world oceans, the topographic beta spirals can be induced by upwelling generated by strong currents running onto steep topography. This is a vital mechanism regulating onshore intruding flow and the cross-shelf transport of energy and nutrients from the Kuroshio Current to the East China Sea. This topographic beta spiral reveals a long-term missing link between the oceanic general circulation theory and shelf dynamic theory.Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Grant Numbers: XDA11020104, XDA110203052; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Grant Numbers: 41576023, 41376030, 41476019; Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of NSFC Grant Number: 41421005; NSFC-Shandong Joint Fund for Marine Science Research Centers Grant Number: U1406401; Aoshan Sci-Tec Innovative Project of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology Grant Number: 2016ASKJ02; National Key Research and Development Program of China Grant Numbers: 2017YFC1404000, 2016YFC1401601; National Key research and development Plan Sino-Australian Center for Healthy Coasts Grant Number: 2016YFE01015002018-07-1

High-quality multi-wavelength quantum light sources on silicon nitride micro-ring chip

Multi-wavelength quantum light sources, especially at telecom band, are extremely desired in quantum information technology. Despite recent impressive advances, such a quantum light source with high quality remains challenging. Here we demonstrate a multi-wavelength quantum light source using a silicon nitride micro-ring with a free spectral range of 200 GHz. The generation of eight pairs of correlated photons is ensured in a wavelength range of 25.6 nm. With device optimization and noise-rejecting filters, our source enables the generation of heralded single-photons - at a rate of 62 kHz with $g^{(2)}_{h}(0)=0.014\pm0.001$, and the generation of energy-time entangled photons - with a visibility of $99.39\pm 0.45\%$ in the Franson interferometer. These results, at room temperature and telecom wavelength, in a CMOS compatible platform, represent an important step towards integrated quantum light devices for the quantum networks.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

The genome of broomcorn millet

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) is the most water-efficient cereal and one of the earliest domesticated plants. Here we report its high-quality, chromosome-scale genome assembly using a combination of short-read sequencing, single-molecule real-time sequencing, Hi-C, and a high-density genetic map. Phylogenetic analyses reveal two sets of homologous chromosomes that may have merged ~5.6 million years ago, both of which exhibit strong synteny with other grass species. Broomcorn millet contains 55,930 proteincoding genes and 339 microRNA genes. We find Paniceae-specific expansion in several subfamilies of the BTB (broad complex/tramtrack/bric-a-brac) subunit of ubiquitin E3 ligases, suggesting enhanced regulation of protein dynamics may have contributed to the evolution of broomcorn millet. In addition, we identify the coexistence of all three C4 subtypes of carbon fixation candidate genes. The genome sequence is a valuable resource for breeders and will provide the foundation for studying the exceptional stress tolerance as well as C4 biology

Intervention effects of Ganoderma lucidum spores on epileptiform discharge hippocampal neurons and expression of Neurotrophin-4 and N-Cadherin

Epilepsy can cause cerebral transient dysfunctions. Ganoderma lucidum spores (GLS), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, has shown some antiepileptic effects in our previous studies. This was the first study of the effects of GLS on cultured primary hippocampal neurons, treated with Mg2+ free medium. This in vitro model of epileptiform discharge hippocampal neurons allowed us to investigate the anti-epileptic effects and mechanism of GLS activity. Primary hippocampal neurons from <1 day old rats were cultured and their morphologies observed under fluorescence microscope. Neurons were confirmed by immunofluorescent staining of neuron specific enolase (NSE). Sterile method for GLS generation was investigated and serial dilutions of GLS were used to test the maximum non-toxic concentration of GLS on hippocampal neurons. The optimized concentration of GLS of 0.122 mg/ml was identified and used for subsequent analysis. Using the in vitro model, hippocampal neurons were divided into 4 groups for subsequent treatment i) control, ii) model (incubated with Mg2+ free medium for 3 hours), iii) GLS group I (incubated with Mg2+ free medium containing GLS for 3 hours and replaced with normal medium and incubated for 6 hours) and iv) GLS group II (neurons incubated with Mg2+ free medium for 3 hours then replaced with a normal medium containing GLS for 6 hours). Neurotrophin-4 and N-Cadherin protein expression were detected using Western blot. The results showed that the number of normal hippocampal neurons increased and the morphologies of hippocampal neurons were well preserved after GLS treatment. Furthermore, the expression of neurotrophin-4 was significantly increased while the expression of N-Cadherin was decreased in the GLS treated group compared with the model group. This data indicates that GLS may protect hippocampal neurons by promoting neurotrophin-4 expression and inhibiting N-Cadherin expression