The Upstream Sequence Transcription Complex dictates nucleosome positioning and promoter accessibility at piRNA genes in the C. elegans germ line.

The piRNA pathway is a conserved germline-specific small RNA pathway that ensures genomic integrity and continued fertility. In C. elegans and other nematodes, Type-I piRNAs are expressed from >10,000 independently transcribed genes clustered within two discrete domains of 1.

Investigational Drugs for the Treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia: Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

The pharmacological treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is unsatisfactory, and there is a clinical need for new approaches. Several drugs under advanced clinical development are addressed in this review. A systematic literature search was conducted in three electronic databases (Medline, Web of Science, Scopus) and in the ClinicalTrials.

Antinociceptive and modulatory effect of pathoplastic changes in spinal glia of a TLR4/CD14 blocking molecule in two models of pain in rat.

The role of spinal glia in the development and maintenance of chronic pain has become over the last years a subject of increasing interest. In this regard, toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling has been proposed as a major trigger mechanism. Hence, in this study we explored the implications of TLR4 inhibition in the periphery and primarily in the CNS, focusing on the impact this inhibition renders in pain development and glia activation in the dorsal horn in two models of pain.

SGK1.1 isoform is involved in nociceptive modulation, offering a protective effect against noxious cold stimulus in a sexually dimorphic manner.

The serum and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) is a widely expressed protein in the Central Nervous System (CNS), involved in regulating the activity of a wide variety of ion channels and transporters and physiological functions, such as neuronal excitability. SGK1.1 is a neuronal splice isoform of SGK1, expressed exclusively in the CNS, distributed in brain and cerebellum, that decreases neuronal excitability via up-regulation of M-current, linked to Kv7.

Monoclonal Antibodies for Chronic Pain Treatment: Present and Future.

Chronic pain remains a major problem worldwide, despite the availability of various non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatment options. Therefore, new analgesics with novel mechanisms of action are needed. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are directed against specific, targeted molecules involved in pain signaling and processing pathways that look to be very effective and promising as a novel therapy in pain management.

Maternal separation affects the electrophysiological properties of Aδ-fibres and nociceptive behaviours in male and female mice.

Aim: Early life adverse effects have been associated with an increased risk of suffering pain syndromes in adulthood. Although animal models are of great importance to study modifications of pain sensitivity, up to date the results obtained are contradicting due to the varied methodologies used. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to characterise, as a whole, possible modifications in visceral and somatic nociceptive responses in male and female ICR mice, submitted to two different protocols of maternal separation (MS), and possible modifications in the electrophysiological properties of peripheral nociceptive Aδ-primary afferents.

May a sigma-1 antagonist improve neuropathic signs induced by cisplatin and vincristine in rats?

Background: The antineoplastic drugs cisplatin and vincristine induce peripheral neuropathies. The sigma-1 receptor (σ1R) is expressed in areas of pain control, and its blockade with the novel selective antagonist MR-309 has shown efficacy in nociceptive and neuropathic pain models. Our goal was to test whether this compound reduces neuropathic signs provoked by these antitumoural drugs.