Ketamine is commonly used for anesthesia and as a recreational drug. In pregnant users, a potential neurotoxicity in offspring has been noted. Our previous work demonstrated that ketamine exposure of pregnant rats induces affective disorders and cognitive impairments in offspring. As the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is critically involved in emotional and cognitive processes, here we studied whether maternal ketamine exposure influences the development of the PFC in offspring. Pregnant rats on gestational day 14 were treated with ketamine at a sedative dose for 2 hrs, and pups were studied at postnatal day 0 (P0) or P30. We found that maternal ketamine exposure resulted in cell apoptosis and neuronal loss in fetal brain. Upon ketamine exposure in utero, PFC neurons at P30 showed more dendritic branching, while cultured neurons from P0 PFC extended shorter neurites than controls. In addition, maternal ketamine exposure postponed the switch of NR2B/2A expression, and perturbed pre- and postsynaptic protein expression in the PFC. These data suggest that prenatal ketamine exposure impairs neuronal development of the PFC, which may be associated with abnormal behavior in offsprings.

Caudal dexmedetomidine reduces the MLAC values of levobupivacaine and improves postoperative analgesia in children without any neurological side effects.

Intranasal dexmedetomidine induced satisfactory rescue sedation in 1- to 6-month-old infants during MRI study, and appears to cause sedation in a dose-dependent manner.

Mucosa is a protective and lubricating barrier in biological tissue, which has a great clinical inspiration because of its slippery, soft, and hydrophilic surface. However, mimicking mucosal traits on complex surface remains an enormous challenge. Herein, a novel approach to create mucosa‐like conformal hydrogel coating is developed. A thin conformal hydrogel layer mimicking the epithelial layer is obtained by first absorbing micelles, followed by forming covalent interlinks with the polymer substrate via interface‐initiated hydrogel polymerization. The resulting coating exhibits uniform thickness (≈15 µm), mucosa‐matched compliance (Young's modulus = 1.1 ± 0.1 kPa) and lubrication (coefficients of friction = 0.018 ± 0.003), robust interfacial bonding against peeling (peeling strength = 1218.0 ± 187.9 J m–2), as well as high water absorption capacity. It effectively resists adhesion of proteins and bacteria without compromising biocompatibility. As demonstrated by an in vivo cynomolgus monkey model and clinical trial, applications of the mucosa‐like conformal hydrogel coating on the endotracheal tube significantly reduce intubation‐related complications, such as invasive stimuli, mucosal lesions, laryngeal edema, inflammation, and postoperative pain. This work offers a promising prototype for surface decoration of biomedical devices and holds great prospects for clinical translation to enable interventional operations with minimally invasive impacts.