Basal LFP relative power in six frequency bands (total: 1–60 Hz; delta: 1–4 Hz; theta: 4–8 Hz; alpha: 8–12 Hz; beta: 12–25 Hz; gamma: 25–60 Hz).

<p>A, saline injection in VPM did not change the values of LFP power in all bands. B, significant rise of power were found in all bands after BIC injection in VPM. Data shown as mean ± S.E.M. (n = 8). *, p < 0.05 versus control.</p

Schematic representation of the somatosensory ascending pathway.

<p>The tactile information was transmitted from mechanoreceptors of the facial skin to the primary somatosensory cortex (S1). The tungsten microelectrode allowed extracellular single-unit recordings in S1, while a glass electrode performed the injection of bicuculline (BIC) in the thalamic ventral posteromedial nucleus (VPM).</p

SEP responses before and after injection of saline/BIC in VPM.

<p>A and D, original traces. B, time course plots of SEP responses before and after saline injection in VPM (n=3). C, amplitudes of four components of SEP calculated from B, saline injection in VPM did not change the values of all components. C, SEP responses before and after BIC injection in VPM (n=11). D, increase in all response components were observed after BIC injection in VPM. Data shown as mean ± S.E.M. (n = 11). *, p < 0.05 versus control.</p

Results of LFP and SEP with BIC injection in S1.

<p>A, Schematic representation of the altered injection site (in S1 area) of BIC. B, original traces of LFP and SEP traces before and after BIC (and saline) injection in S1. C, power spectral density of LFP. D, basal LFP relative power in six frequency bands. E, time course plots of SEP responses before and after BIC (and saline) injection in S1. F, amplitudes of four components of SEP calculated from E. Data shown as mean ± S.E.M. (n = 5). *, p < 0.05 versus control.</p

Four response components in SEP.

<p>A, Time course plots of SEP responses to stimulus frequencies of 2 Hz during middle propofol anaesthesia. B, Typical SEP response with four components (N1, P1, N2, P2). Dashed lines show how the amplitude of each was calculated.</p

Additional file 1: of Incorporating pharmacodynamic considerations into caffeine therapeutic drug monitoring in preterm neonates

Table S1 Demographics of preterm neonates stratified by major dosing groups (DOCX 14 kb

Influence of Geometry, Porosity, and Surface Characteristics of Silica Nanoparticles on Acute Toxicity: Their Vasculature Effect and Tolerance Threshold

Silica nanoparticles (SiO₂) are widely used in biomedical applications such as drug delivery, cell tracking, and gene transfection. The capability to control the geometry, porosity, and surface characteristics of SiO₂ further provides new opportunities for their applications in nanomedicine. Concerns however remain about the potential toxic effects of SiO₂ upon exposure to biological systems. In the present study, the acute toxicity of SiO₂ of systematically varied geometry, porosity, and surface characteristics was evaluated in immune-competent mice when administered intravenously. Results suggest that <i>in vivo</i> toxicity of SiO₂ was mainly influenced by nanoparticle porosity and surface characteristics. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) increased in the following order: mesoporous SiO₂ (aspect ratio 1, 2, 8) at 30–65 mg/kg < amine-modified mesoporous SiO₂ (aspect ratio 1, 2, 8) at 100–150 mg/kg < unmodified or amine-modified nonporous SiO₂ at 450 mg/kg. The adverse reactions above MTDs were primarily caused by the mechanical obstruction of SiO₂ in the vasculature that led to congestion in multiple vital organs and subsequent organ failure. It was revealed that hydrodynamic sizes of SiO₂ post-protein exposure had an important implication in relating SiO₂ physicochemical properties with their vasculature impact and resultant tolerance threshold, as the larger the hydrodynamic size in the presence of serum protein, the lower the MTD. This study sheds light on the rational design of SiO₂ to minimize <i>in vivo</i> toxicity and provides a critical guideline in selecting SiO₂ as the appropriate system for nanomedicine applications

First Orange Fluorescence Composite Film Based on Sm-Substituted Tungstophosphate and Its Electrofluorochromic Performance

We chose a Sm-containing sandwich-type tungstophosphate K₃Cs₈[Sm­(PW₁₁O₃₉)₂]·10H₂O (SmPW11) as a molecular dyad, which contains photoluminescence and electrochromism components in a skeletal structure, and investigated its electrofluorochromic performance both in solution and in composite films. First, the electrochemical activity and luminescence property of SmPW11 were studied in different pH solutions to determine the optimal pH solution medium; and then, the electrofluorochromic performance of SmPW11 was investigated under the optimized pH solution medium. Subsequently, the composite films containing SmPW11 were prepared on quartz substrates and conductive ITO substrates through a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly method, using PDDA and PEI as molecular linkers. Characterization methods of the composite films include UV–vis spectra, fluorescence spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), bulk electrolysis with coulometry, chronoamperometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Finally, <i>in situ</i> UV-vis and fluorescence spectroelectrochemical systems were used to research electrofluorochromic properties for the composite films under electrochemical modulation. The results indicate that the composite films display not only orange luminescence emission but also reversible orange luminescence switching behaviors manipulated by the redox process of tungstophosphate species PW11 via the energy transfer between the orange luminescence component Sm and electroreduced species of tungstophosphate PW11

Dose-dependent group-average effects of propofol on VOCR and TPR.

<p>Compared with group A and group B,*p<0.05 and ▴p<0.05 mean level of significance, respectively.</p

Comprehensive Assessment of Milk Composition in Transgenic Cloned Cattle

<div><p>The development of transgenic cloned animals offers new opportunities for agriculture, biomedicine and environmental science. Expressing recombinant proteins in dairy animals to alter their milk composition is considered beneficial for human health. However, relatively little is known about the expression profile of the proteins in milk derived from transgenic cloned animals. In this study, we compared the proteome and nutrient composition of the colostrum and mature milk from three lines of transgenic cloned (TC) cattle that specifically express human α-lactalbumin (TC-LA), lactoferrin (TC-LF) or lysozyme (TC-LZ) in the mammary gland with those from cloned non-transgenic (C) and conventionally bred normal animals (N). Protein expression profile identification was performed, 37 proteins were specifically expressed in the TC animals and 70 protein spots that were classified as 22 proteins with significantly altered expression levels in the TC and C groups compared to N group. Assessment of the relationship of the transgene effect and normal variability in the milk protein profiles in each group indicated that the variation in the endogenous protein profiles of the three TC groups was within the limit of natural variability. More than 50 parameters for the colostrum and mature milk were compared between each TC group and the N controls. The data revealed essentially similar profiles for all groups. This comprehensive study demonstrated that in TC cattle the mean values for the measured milk parameters were all within the normal range, suggesting that the expression of a transgene does not affect the composition of milk.</p> </div