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In brain disorders, reactive astrocytes, which are characterized by hypertrophy of the cell body and proliferative properties, are commonly observed. As reactive astrocytes are involved in the pathogenesis of several brain disorders, the control of astrocytic function has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy, and target molecules to effectively control astrocytic functions have been investigated. The production of brain endothelin-1 (ET-1), which increases in brain disorders, is involved in the pathophysiological response of the nervous system. Endothelin B (ET) receptors are highly expressed in reactive astrocytes and are upregulated by brain injury. Activation of astrocyte ET receptors promotes the induction of reactive astrocytes. In addition, the production of various astrocyte-derived factors, including neurotrophic factors and vascular permeability regulators, is regulated by ET receptors. In animal models of Alzheimer's disease, brain ischemia, neuropathic pain, and traumatic brain injury, ET-receptor-mediated regulation of astrocytic activation has been reported to improve brain disorders. Therefore, the astrocytic ET receptor is expected to be a promising drug target to improve several brain disorders. This article reviews the roles of ET receptors in astrocytic activation and discusses its possible applications in the treatment of brain disorders.

Partial meniscectomy is a common orthopedic procedure intended to improve knee pain and function in patients with irreparable meniscal tears. However, 6-25% of partial meniscectomy patients experience persistent knee pain after surgery. In this randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving subjects with knee pain following partial meniscectomy, it was hypothesized that treatment with a synthetic medial meniscus replacement (MMR) implant provides significantly greater improvements in knee pain and function compared to non-surgical care alone.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, immune-mediated disease and the leading cause of disability among young adults. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Of them, miR-155 is a crucial regulator of inflammation and plays a role in modulating the autoimmune response in MS. miR-155 is involved in blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption via down-regulation of key junctional proteins under inflammatory conditions. It drives demyelination processes by contributing to, e.g., microglial activation, polarization of astrocytes, and down-regulation of CD47 protein and affecting crucial transcription factors. miR-155 has a huge impact on the development of neuropathic pain and indirectly influences a regulatory T (Treg) cell differentiation involved in the alleviation of pain hypersensitivity. This review also focused on neuropsychiatric symptoms appearing as a result of disease-associated stressors, brain atrophy, and pro-inflammatory factors. Recent studies revealed the role of miR-155 in regulating anxiety, stress, inflammation in the hippocampus, and treatment-resistant depression. Inhibition of miR-155 expression was demonstrated to be effective in preventing processes involved in the pathophysiology of MS. This review aimed to support the better understanding the great role of miR-155 dysregulation in various aspects of MS pathophysiology and highlight future perspectives for this molecule.

Several pharmacological therapies have been proposed for the management of chronic low back pain (LBP), but no consensus has been reached yet.

Musculoskeletal pain is often associated with pain referred to adjacent areas or skin. So far, no study has analyzed the somatosensory changes of the skin after the stimulation of different underlying fasciae. The current study aimed to investigate heterotopic somatosensory crosstalk between deep tissue (muscle or fascia) and superficial tissue (skin) using two established models of deep tissue pain (namely focal high frequency electrical stimulation (HFS) (100 pulses of constant current electrical stimulation at 10× detection threshold) or the injection of hypertonic saline in stimulus locations as verified using ultrasound). In a methodological pilot experiment in the TLF, different injection volumes of hypertonic saline (50-800 µL) revealed that small injection volumes were most suitable, as they elicited sufficient pain but avoided the complication of the numbing pinprick sensitivity encountered after the injection of a very large volume (800 µL), particularly following muscle injections. The testing of fascia at different body sites revealed that 100 µL of hypertonic saline in the temporal fascia and TLF elicited significant pinprick hyperalgesia in the overlying skin (-26.2% and -23.5% adjusted threshold reduction, < 0.001 and < 0.05, respectively), but not the trapezius fascia or iliotibial band. Notably, both estimates of hyperalgesia were significantly correlated (r = 0.61, < 0.005). Comprehensive somatosensory testing (DFNS standard) revealed that no test parameter was changed significantly following electrical HFS. The experiments demonstrated that fascia stimulation at a sufficient stimulus intensity elicited significant across-tissue facilitation to pinprick stimulation (referred hyperalgesia), a hallmark sign of nociceptive central sensitization.

Low back pain is common and imposes major societal burdens for patient suffering and costs. Prolotherapy injections are used for musculoskeletal conditions including tendinopathies, osteoarthritis and low back pain to enhance soft-tissue healing. This review aims to clarify the place of prolotherapy in chronic low back pain (CLBP).

Some naturalphytogenic feed additives, which contain several active compounds, have been shown to be effective alternatives to traditional antibiotics. () is a whole grass in the family Loganiaceae. It is a known toxic plant widely distributed in China and has been used as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine for many years to treat neuropathic pain, rheumatoid pain, inflammation, skin ulcers, and cancer. However, not only is nontoxic to animals such as pigs and sheep but also has an obvious growth-promoting effect. To our knowledge, the internal mechanism of the influence of on the animal body is still unclear. The goal of this work is to evaluate the metabolic consequences of feeding piglets for 45 days based on the combination of transcriptomics and metabolomics. According to growth measurement and evaluation, compared with piglets fed a complete diet, adding 20 g/kg powder to the basal diet of piglets significantly reduced the feed conversion ratio. Results of the liver transcriptome suggest that glycine and cysteine-related regulatory pathways, including the MAPK signaling pathway and the mTOR signaling pathway, were extensively altered in -induced piglets. Plasma metabolomics identified 21 and 18 differential metabolites ( < 0.05) in the plasma of piglets in the positive and negative ion modes, respectively, between exposure and complete diet groups. The concentrations of glycine and its derivatives and N-acetylcysteine were higher in the exposure group than in the complete diet group.This study demonstrated that could be an alternative to antibiotics that improves the immune function of piglets, and the latent mechanism of may be related to various signaling pathways, including the MAPK signaling pathway and the PPAR signaling pathway.

Music-induced analgesia (MIA) is a phenomenon that describes a situation in which listening to music influences pain perception. The heterogeneity of music used in MIA studies leads to a problem of a specific effect for an unspecified stimulus. To address this, we use a previously established model of musical preferences that categorizes the multidimensional sonic space of music into three basic dimensions: arousal, valence and depth. Participants entered an experimental pain stimulation while listening to compilations of short musical excerpts characteristic of each of the three attribute dimensions. The results showed an effect on the part of music attribute preferences on average pain, maximal pain, and pain tolerance after controlling for musical attributes and order effects. This suggests that individual preferences for music attributes play a significant role in MIA and that, in clinical contexts, music should not be chosen arbitrarily but according to individual preferences.

Salmonellosis is the second most reported gastrointestinal disorder in the EU resulting from the consumption of -contaminated foods. Symptoms include gastroenteritis, abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhoea, fever, myalgia, headache, nausea and vomiting. In 2018, accounted for more than half of the numbers of foodborne outbreak illnesses reported in the EU. contamination is mostly associated with produce such as poultry, cattle and their feeds but other products such as dried foods, infant formula, fruit and vegetable products and pets have become important. Efforts aimed at controlling are being made. For example, legislation and measures put in place reduced the number of hospitalizations between 2014 and 2015. However, the number of hospitalizations started to increase in 2016. This calls for more stringent controls at the level of government and the private sector. Food handlers of "meat processing" and "Ready to Eat" foods play a crucial role in the spread of . This review presents an updated overview of the global epidemiology, the relevance of official control, the disease associated with food handlers and the importance of food safety concerning salmonellosis.

Postpartum peripheral nerve disorders are an uncommon obstetrical complication, with most cases resulting from intrinsic obstetric palsies. We present the case of a full-term nulliparous pregnant 33-year-old woman with a vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery due to a prolonged second stage of labour and occipitoposterior position of the fetal head. For analgesia, a combined spinal-epidural technique was used. Four hours after delivery, the patient experienced a painless asymmetric motor deficit and hypoesthesia in the lower limbs, followed by sphincter disturbance. Emergent MRI was unremarkable. Electromyography showed signs of a bilateral lumbosacral radiculopathy. The patient experienced a gradual recovery over the following 2 months. Although a definitive aetiological diagnosis could not be confirmed, a lumbosacral polyradiculopathy due to intrinsic obstetric complication was considered. The patient presented several risk factors known to be associated with intrinsic obstetric palsies. Obstetricians and anaesthesiologists have an important role in preventing and diagnosing postpartum peripheral nerve disorders.