Effects of Vancomycin on Persistent Pain-Stimulated and Pain-Depressed Behaviors in Female Fischer Rats With or Without Voluntary Access to Running Wheels.

The present experiments determined the effects of the narrow-spectrum antibiotic vancomycin on inflammatory pain-stimulated and pain-depressed behaviors in rats. Persistent inflammatory pain was modeled using dilute formalin (0.5%).

A Novel Mechanism for Zika Virus Host-Cell Binding.

Zika virus (ZIKV) recently emerged in the Western Hemisphere with previously unrecognized or unreported clinical presentations. Here, we identify two putative binding mechanisms of ancestral and emergent ZIKV strains featuring the envelope (E) protein residue asparagine 154 (ASN154) and viral phosphatidylserine (PS). Synthetic peptides representing the region containing ASN154 from strains PRVABC59 (Puerto Rico 2015) and MR_766 (Uganda 1947) were exposed to neuronal cells and fibroblasts to model ZIKV E protein/cell interactions and bound MDCK or Vero cells and primary neurons significantly.

Females have greater susceptibility to develop ongoing pain and central sensitization in a rat model of temporomandibular joint pain.

Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) is a prevalent source of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD). Women are more commonly diagnosed with TMD and are more likely to seek care at tertiary orofacial pain clinics. Limited knowledge regarding mechanisms underlying temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain impairs development of improved pain management strategies.