Development and Characterization of 3-Dimensional Cell Culture Models of Adrenocortical Carcinoma.

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy of the adrenal cortex that is associated with a poor prognosis. Developing effective treatment options for ACC is challenging owing to the current lack of representative preclinical models. This study addressed this limitation by developing and characterizing 3-dimensional (3D) cell cultures incorporating the ACC cell lines, MUC-1, HAC15, and H295R in a type I collagen matrix.

A pain research strategy for Europe: A European survey and position paper of the European Pain Federation EFIC.

Background: Pain is the leading cause of disability and reduced quality of life worldwide. Despite the increasing burden for patients and healthcare systems, pain research remains underfunded and under focused. Having stakeholders identify and prioritize areas that need urgent attention in the field will help focus funding topics, reduce 'research waste', improve the effectiveness of pain research and therapy and promote the uptake of research evidence.

Sex differences in the affective-cognitive dimension of neuropathic pain: Insights from the spared nerve injury rat model.

Over 40% of neuropathic pain patients experience mood and cognitive disturbances, often showing reduced response to analgesics, with most affected individuals being female. This highlights the critical role of biological sex in pain-related affective and cognitive disorders, making it essential to understand the emotional and cognitive circuits linked to pain for improving treatment strategies. However, research on sex differences in preclinical pain models is lacking.

Clinical measures in chronic neuropathic pain are related to the Kennedy and endocannabinoid pathways.

Background: Chronic neuropathic pain (CNP) is a debilitating condition, often refractory to currently available drugs. Understanding biochemical alterations in peripheral tissues such as blood will be useful for understanding underlying pathophysiological processes relating to CNP.

Methods: We collected blood from two independent cohorts of CNP and pain-free controls (CNP n = 129/Controls n = 127) in the UK and Ireland to investigate the relationship between CNP-associated molecular/biochemical alterations and a range of clinical and pain metric parameters.

Dopamine loss alters glutamate synapses and transporters in the medial prefrontal cortex and anxiety-related behaviour in a male MPTP rodent model of Parkinson's disease.

Anxiety is a prominent non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD). Changes in the B-spectrum recordings in PD patients of the prefrontal cortex correlate with increased anxiety. Using a rodent model of PD, we reported alterations in glutamate synapses in the striatum and substantia nigra following dopamine (DA) loss.