Rejected

Endometriosis remains a common but challenging gynecological disease among reproductive-aged women with an unclear pathogenesis and limited therapeutic options. Numerous pieces of evidence suggest that NF-κB signaling, a major regulator of inflammatory responses, is overactive in endometriotic lesions and contributes to the onset, progression, and recurrence of endometriosis. Several factors, such as estrogen, progesterone, oxidative stress, and noncoding RNAs, can regulate NF-κB signaling in endometriosis. In the present review, we discuss the mechanisms by which these factors regulate NF-κB during endometriosis progression and provide an update on the role of NF-κB in affecting endometriotic cells, peritoneal macrophages (PMs) as well as endometriosis-related symptoms, such as pain and infertility. Furthermore, the preclinical drugs for blocking NF-κB signaling in endometriosis are summarized, including plant-derived medicines, NF-κB inhibitors, other known drugs, and the potential anti-NF-κB drugs predicted through the Drug-Gene Interaction Database. The present review discusses most of the studies concerning the multifaceted role of NF-κB signaling in endometriosis and provides a summary of NF-κB-targeted treatment in detail.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge worldwide for healthcare workers (HCWs) and other hospital employees. Disruptions in work and personal life may have led to mental health problems. To prevent or limit the severity of such issues, a local initiative has been implemented in a French hospital: a dedicated lounge, also called "" (literally bubble and meaning safe space) has been created to provide a quiet caring environment and health support. Other similar wellbeing centers have been implemented in other countries, but very little data are available on their practical effectiveness. The purpose of our study was to assess what type of hospital workers have frequented the and to describe their psychological state in terms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) just after the first wave, compared to those who had not come to the .

(Maxim.) Pascher, has been used for the treatment of septic shock, analgesia, motion sickness, and anesthesia in traditional Tibetan medicine for 2,000 years. However, the chemical metabolites and geographical traceability and their network pharmacology are still unknown. A total of 71 samples of were analyzed by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography Q-Exactive Mass Spectrometer in combination with chemometrics developed for the discrimination of from different geographical origins. Then, network pharmacology analysis was used to integrate the information of the differential metabolite network to explore the mechanism of pharmacological activity. In this study, 29 metabolites were identified, including tropane alkaloids, hydroxycinnamic acid amides and coumarins. Principal component analysis (PCA) explained 49.5% of the total variance, and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) showed good discrimination (R2Y = 0.921 and Q2 = 0.839) for samples. Nine differential metabolites accountable for such variations were identified through variable importance in the projection (VIP). Through network pharmacology, 19 components and 20 pathways were constructed and predicted for the pharmacological activity of . These results confirmed that this method is accurate and effective for the geographic classification of , and the integrated strategy of metabolomics and network pharmacology can explain well the "multicomponent–multitarget" mechanism of .

POEMS syndrome (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M-protein, skin changes) is a kind of plasma cell disease with complex clinical manifestations involving multiple systems. Metal poisonings through a mucocutaneous are rare in clinic and reported less in the literature. People may exposure to toxic metals through air, food, water, or inappropriate use of drugs. Acute or chronic poisonings can lead to various toxic effects on body tissues and organs. Both POEMS syndrome and heavy metal intoxication are uncommon with multifarious and nonspecific clinical manifestations. Here we describe a case of a 54-year-old man with polyarticular pain and IgA lambda type monoclonal protein in his serum. The diagnosis was confirmed by heavy metals testing in his urine and the herbal mixtures he took. This is the first available report of arsenic and mercury intoxication mimicking POEMS syndrome.

We describe the case of a 57-years-old patient who presented an Anton-Babinski syndrome in the context of a stroke-like migraine attack after radiation therapy (SMART).

Paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN) is increasingly becoming one of the most widespread adverse effects in the treatment of cancer patients, and further precipitate neuroinflammation in the nervous system. Interestingly, Shaoyao Gancao Decoction (SGD), a traditional Chinese analgesic prescription, has emerged as a primary adjuvant to chemotherapy in relieving side effects, especially in the case of PIPN. However, the underlying mechanism of SGD functioning in PIPN remains elusive. Accordingly, the current study set out to explore the potential axis implicated in the functioning of SGD in PIPN.

Aging is a significant risk factor in chronic pain development with extensive disability and greater health care costs. Mind-body exercise (MBE) has been scientifically proven to affect the pain intensity and physical health.

Neuropathic pain (NP) after spinal cord injury (SCI-evoked NP) is clinically challenging; the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood, leading to a lack of promising treatment options. NP occurs in only a subset of patients with SCI. The injured spinal cord exhibits a series of histopathological changes, and the complement system has been shown to play an important role in these processes. In addition, NMDA receptor subunit 2B (NR2B) is involved in the development and maintenance of NP. This preliminary study was performed to investigate the correlations of the complement receptor 3/complement component 3 (CR3/C3) pathway and NR2B with SCI-evoked NP.

Lysophosphatidyl-choline (LPC), a member of the phospholipid family, is an emerging player in pain. It is known to modulate different pain-related ion channels, including Acid-Sensing Ion Channel 3 (ASIC3), a cationic channel mainly expressed in peripheral sensory neurons. LPC potentiates ASIC3 current evoked by mild acidifications, but can also activate the channel at physiological pH. Very recently, LPC has been associated to chronic pain in patients suffering from fibromyalgia or osteoarthritis. Accordingly, repetitive injections of LPC within mouse muscle or joint generate both persistent pain-like and anxiety-like behaviors in an ASIC3-dependent manner. LPC has also been reported to generate acute pain behaviors when injected intraplantarly in rodents. Here, we explore the mechanism of action of a single cutaneous injection of LPC by studying its effects on spinal dorsal horn neurons. We combine pharmacological, molecular and functional approaches including patch clamp recordings and recordings of spinal neuronal activity. We show that a single cutaneous injection of LPC exclusively affects the nociceptive pathway, inducing an ASIC3-dependent sensitization of nociceptive fibers that leads to hyperexcitabilities of both high threshold (HT) and wide dynamic range (WDR) spinal neurons. ASIC3 is involved in LPC-induced increase of WDR neuron's windup as well as in WDR and HT neuron's mechanical hypersensitivity, and it participates, together with TRPV1, to HT neuron's thermal hypersensitivity. The nociceptive input induced by a single LPC cutaneous rather induces short-term sensitization, contrary to previously described injections in muscle and joint. If the effects of peripheral LPC on nociceptive pathways appear to mainly depend on peripheral ASIC3 channels, their consequences on pain may also depend on the tissue injected. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the nociceptive signaling pathway activated by peripheral LPC ASIC3 channels, which is an important step regarding the ASIC3-dependent roles of this phospholipid in acute and chronic pain conditions.

Over the last several decades, rates of opioid use and associated problems have dramatically increased in the United States leading to laws limiting prescription duration for acute pain management. As a result, orthopedic surgeons who perform total hip arthroplasty (THA), a procedure that often leads to significant postoperative pain, have been faced with substantial challenges to adequately mitigate patient pain while also reducing opioid intake. Current strategies include identifying and correcting modifiable risk factors associated with postoperative opioid use such as preoperative opioid use, alcohol and tobacco abuse, and untreated psychiatric illness. Additionally, recent evidence has emerged in the form of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols suggesting that a multidisciplinary focus on patient factors perioperatively can lead to reduced postoperative opioid administration and decreased hospital stays. A cornerstone of ERAS protocols includes multimodal pain regimens with opioid rescue only as needed, which often includes multiple systemic pain therapies such as acetaminophen, gabapentin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as targeted pain therapies that include epidural catheters and ultrasound-guided nerve blocks. Many hospital systems and states have also implemented opioid prescribing limitations with mixed success. As the opioid epidemic continues in the United States, while contributing to poor outcomes following elective surgeries, further research is warranted to identify multidisciplinary strategies that mitigate opioid use while also allowing for adequate pain control and rehabilitation.