Lengthy use of general anesthetics (GAs) causes neurobehavioral deficits in the developing brain, which has raised significant clinical concerns such that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning on the use of GAs in children younger than 3 years. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms for GAs-induced neurotoxicity remain largely unknown. Here, we report that sevoflurane (Sevo), a commonly used GA in pediatrics, caused compromised astrocyte morphogenesis spatiotemporally correlated to synaptic overgrowth, with reduced synaptic function in developing cortex in a regional-, exposure-length-, and age-specific manner. Sevo disrupted astrocyte Ca 2+ homeostasis both acutely and chronically, which led to the down-regulation of Ezrin, an actin-binding membrane-bound protein, which we found was critically involved in astrocyte morphogenesis in vivo. Importantly, overexpression of astrocyte Ezrin rescued astrocytic and neuronal dysfunctions and fully corrected deficits in social behaviors in developing mice with lengthy Sevo exposure. Our data uncover that, in addition to neurons, astrocytes may represent important targets for GAs to exert toxic effects and that astrocyte morphological integrity is crucial for synaptogenesis and neurological behaviors.

To describe the psychological impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) on young doctors and their job burnout in the Department of Anesthesiology during the initial days of the pandemic and examine their awareness and familiarity with this pneumonia. We conducted a cross‐sectional study in West China Hospital in February 2020. A self‐designed questionnaire was sent to all young doctors working in the department of anesthesiology. Impact of Event Scale‐Revised and Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey were used to evaluate the psychological impact and degree of job burnout. Another questionnaire was conducted to explore the awareness and familiarity of COVID‐19. All participants were divided into five groups according to the time of clinical practice: Postgraduate year (PGY) 0.5 (less than 0.5 year), 0.6–1 (0.6–1 year), 1–2 (1–2 years), 2–3 (2–3 years), 3 (more than 3 years) groups. The results were collected and analyzed subsequently. A total of 188 questionnaires were collected. There were significant differences in distress level between PGY 0.5 and PGY 0.6–1 (17.60 ± 12.53 vs. 12.05 ± 10.65; p = 0.029), and PGY 3 and PGY 0.6–1 (19.92 ± 11.88 vs. 12.05 ± 10.65; p = 0.031). As for job burnout, there were no differences among the five subgroups. Most participants (86.70%) were kept in good working condition, and 25 participants showed a mild level of job burnout. Although all of the respondents had high awareness of the basic elements of COVID‐19, they had little knowledge about the details, such as lab tests, release criteria, and recommended therapy, and this result had no significant difference among the five groups. COVID‐19 had caused a mild level of distress and work burnout in young anesthetists. Most of the participants were not clear about the diagnostic, release criteria, and therapeutic method, which will become key teaching points in the future.