The molecular mechanisms of refractory pain in postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) patients are not fully understood. PHN may be related to skin abnormality after herpes zoster induced skin lesions. We previously reported 317 differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) in PHN skin compared with the contralateral normal mirror skin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Despite previous reports on cerebral structures and functional connectivity in patients with myofascial pain (MFP), it is not clear whether alterations in neurovascular coupling occur in these patients.
Objectives: We analyzed the coupling between resting-state cerebral blood flow (CBF) and functional connectivity strength (FCS) for observation of neurovascular coupling in patients with chronic MFP.
Study Design: Observational study.
Background: Protein kinase C (PKC), nuclear factor-kappa B p65 (NF-B p65), and P2X receptor (P2XR) play significant roles in the sensitization and transduction of nociceptive signals, which are considered as potential targets for the treatment of neuropathic pain. However, the mechanisms and relationships among them have not been clearly clarified.
Methods: 80 rats were randomized and divided into 10 groups ( = 8).
Objective: To assess the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the affected and normal skin of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) patients.
Methods: Affected skin and normal skin samples were collected from PHN patients. Inflammatory cell infiltration in the dermis were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining.
Mechanisms of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) are still not clear. Transcripts such as microRNA (miRNA) and circular RNA (circRNA) in the affected skin may take part in the initiation and development of this neuropathic pain; however, their expression profiles in skins of PHN patients have not been reported. The PHN affected skin and the mirror skin were collected and subjected to miRNA and circRNA microarray, and expression profiles were comparatively analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTRPM8 channel plays central roles in the sensitization of nociceptive transduction and is thought as one of the potential targets for the treatment of neuropathic pain. However, the specific molecular mechanisms are still less clear. Sciatic chronic constriction injury (CCI) rats were intrathecally administered with AMTB (TRPM8-selective antagonist) or PDTC (nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) inhibitor).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Herpes zoster (HZ) can develop into postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), which is a chronic neuropathic pain (NP). Whether the chronification from HZ to PHN induced brain functional or structural change is unknown and no study compared the changes of the same brains of patients who transited from HZ to PHN. We minimized individual differences and observed whether the chronification of HZ to PHN induces functional and pain duration dependent grey matter volume (GMV) change in HZ-PHN patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mechanisms of neuropathic pain are still largely unknown. Molecular changes in spinal dorsal horn may contribute to the initiation and development of neuropathic pain. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been identified as microRNA sponges and involved in various biological processes, but whether their expression profile changes in neuropathic pain condition is not reported.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF[This corrects the article on p. 122 in vol. 10, PMID: 28066193.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Herpes zoster (HZ) can develop into postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), both of which are painful diseases. PHN patients suffer chronic pain and emotional disorders. Previous studies showed that the PHN brain displayed abnormal activity and structural change, but the difference in brain activity between HZ and PHN is still not known.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMyofascial pain, presented as myofascial trigger points (MTrPs)-related pain, is a common, chronic disease involving skeletal muscle, but its underlying mechanisms have been poorly understood. Previous studies have revealed that chronic pain can induce microstructural abnormalities in the cerebral gray matter. However, it remains unclear whether the brain gray matters of patients with chronic MTrPs-related pain undergo alteration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Changes in functional activity and connectivity have been shown in patients experiencing postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) pain. However, PHN-induced structural changes, particularly in the gray matter of which volume and density was widely reported to be altered by other chronic pain, have not been well characterized.
Objective: In this study, we aimed to detect the difference in the microstructure of gray matter of PHN patients as compared to the healthy controls, and to analyze the correlation between microstructural alterations and clinical features of PHN patients.
Background: Etomidate is a commonly used sedative in intravenous anesthesia. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of various etomidate doses administered by continuous infusion on adrenal function in dogs under general anesthesia.
Methods: Thirty-six healthy adult male dogs were randomly divided into six groups.
Background: An increasing number of people suffer from neck pain due to life style and prolonged use of computers. Research has revealed that myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) and the intramuscular innervation zone (IZ) are involved in neck pain. MTrPs are induced mainly by IZ dysfunction of the affected skeletal muscle and the 2 do not overlap in location.
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