Facing the challenges of chronic pruritus: a report from a multi-disciplinary medical itch centre in Germany.

The complex nature and difficult-to-establish aetiology of chronic pruritus (CP) makes it challenging to provide medical care for patients with CP. This challenge can only be met with a multidisciplinary approach. The first multidisciplinary Itch Centre in Germany was established at the University of Münster in 2002 to meet the needs of this patient population.

Dissociated presenilin-1 and TACE processing of ErbB4 in lung alveolar type II cell differentiation.

Neuregulin (NRG) stimulation of ErbB4 signaling is important for type II cell surfactant synthesis. ErbB4 may mediate gene expression via a non-canonical pathway involving enzymatic cleavage releasing its intracellular domain (4ICD) for nuclear trafficking and gene regulation. The accepted model for release of 4ICD is consecutive cleavage by Tumor necrosis factor alpha Converting Enzyme (TACE) and γ-secretase enzymes.