Anesthesiology
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Physical injury, including surgery, can result in chronic pain; yet chronic pain following childbirth, including cesarean delivery in women, is rare. The mechanisms involved in this protection by pregnancy or delivery have not been explored. ⋯ These results suggest that the postpartum period rather than pregnancy protects against chronic hypersensitivity from peripheral nerve injury and that this protection may reflect sustained oxytocin signaling in the central nervous system during this period.
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In animal models, several anesthetics induce widespread increases in neuronal apoptosis in the developing brain with subsequent neurologic deficits. Although the mechanisms are largely unknown, the neurotoxicity may, at least in part, be due to elevated oxidative stress caused by mitochondrial dysfunction. In an investigation of potential therapies that could protect against this type of damage, we studied the effects of molecular hydrogen on anesthetic-induced neurotoxicity in the developing mouse brain. ⋯ Inhalation of hydrogen gas robustly decreased neuronal apoptosis and subsequent cognitive impairments caused by neonatal exposure to sevoflurane.