Immunosuppressant effects of anesthesia can be reduced by avoiding opioids and volatile anesthetics. We retrospectively compared incidence of recurrence of malignancy in patients with advanced head-and-neck malignancies who had undergone excision with reconstruction surgery 1 year back and had received two different regimens of opioid free anesthesia (OFA) versus standard regimen using...
Background/Objectives: Depression ranks among the most prevalent mental health conditions globally, marked by a variety of symptoms that frequently cause significant emotional distress and impairment in individuals, alongside a high recurrence rate. The predominant approach to treating depression revolves around monoamine theory, utilizing SSRIs and SNRIs, with Esketamine emerging as a...
The scope of this review is to discuss persistent aura without infarction, a rare, highly disabling, yet apparently benign clinical condition, straddling neurology, neuro-ophthalmology, and psychiatry, whose differential diagnosis is essential for an appropriate therapeutic approach and to avoid clinical complications. Here we attempt to report on the available literature, trying to present a...
The mechanism of action of antidepressants is not fully ascertained. In addition to monoamines, disparate other effectors are also implicated in the molecular and cellular effects of chronic stress including neurogenesis, neurodifferentiation, and neuroplasticity. Evidence suggests sigma-1 receptors (S1Rs) as a putative target and possible mediator of antidepressant activity. Data from...
Opioid-related overdose deaths have reached record high levels, and novel treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) are needed. The three United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications for OUD function primarily at the mu-opioid receptor. While these remain the gold-standard treatment for OUD, they have shortcomings and treatment options separate from the opioid receptor...
Cell ReportsMay 27, 2025Alexandra G Bardon, Jesus J Ballesteros, Scott L Brincat et al.8 citations
Many anesthetics cause loss of consciousness despite having diverse underlying molecular and circuit actions. To explore the convergent effects of these drugs, we examine how anesthetic doses of ketamine and dexmedetomidine affect bilateral oscillations in the prefrontal cortex of nonhuman primates. Both anesthetics increase phase locking in the ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex,...
Perception integrates external sensory signals with internal predictions that reflect prior knowledge about the world. Previous research suggests that this integration is governed by slow alternations between an external mode, driven by sensory signals, and an internal mode, shaped by prior knowledge. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over experiment in healthy human participants,...
Non-selective NMDA receptor antagonism produces rapid symptom improvement in treatment-resistant depression; however, associated side effects necessitate medical oversight during administration. We hypothesised that selective GluN2A antagonism could provide similar efficacy with an improved side effect profile. Here, we report the pharmacology of JNJ-78911118, a brain-penetrant, GluN2A...
PancreasMay 12, 2025Supradeep S Madduri, Kristen R Szempruch, Dhruv J Patel et al.1 citation
Pain control following surgery for chronic pancreatitis presents a significant challenge. Options like epidurals used in parenchymal preserving pancreatic surgery (PPS) are contraindicated in certain settings such as total pancreatectomy (TP) with islet cell auto-transplantation (IAT). Our aim is to assess the efficacy and safety of ketamine in these patients and compare it to that of epidural...
Journal of Forensic SciencesMay 1, 2025Diane M Moore, Alexander D Giachetti, M Elizabeth Zaney et al.3 citations
Eight fatalities between September 2020 and July 2024 in Miami-Dade County involving the ingestion of colored powders, referred to as "tusi," "tucibi," or "pink cocaine," are reported. For each case, a description of the terminal event, the postmortem toxicology findings, the cause and manner of death, and the chemical composition of the "tusi" powder(s) found on or near the decedent are...