Central, but not peripheral, nervous system ERK2 is essential for itch signals in murine allergic skin inflammation.

Background: Itch is a common cutaneous symptom in a variety of dermatological diseases, but detailed neuropathological mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. This study aimed to assess in vivo ERK2 functions in the nervous system for itch responses.

Methods: We generated conditional knockout mice deficient in ERK2 of the central nervous system (CNS) or peripheral nervous system (PNS), respectively, and assessed chemical and mechanical itch responses in vivo.

FALL-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING AND BEHAVIOUR DISTURBANCES IN DEMENTIA.

The purpose of this study is to clarify the activities of daily living and behaviour disturbances related to inpatients and outpatients with dementia experiencing falls. Patients diagnosed with dementia belonging to 18 facilities which consented to the study were subjected. The study involved "whether or not the patient has fallen in the past 12 months", "Barthel Index (B.

Roles of AQP5/AQP5-G103D in carbamylcholine-induced volume decrease and in reduction of the activation energy for water transport by rat parotid acinar cells.

In order to assess the contribution of the water channel aquaporin-5 (AQP5) to water transport by salivary gland acinar cells, we measured the cell volume and activation energy (E (a)) of diffusive water permeability in isolated parotid acinar cells obtained from AQP5-G103D mutant and their wild-type rats. Immunohistochemistry showed that there was no change induced by carbamylcholine (CCh; 1 μM) in the AQP5 detected in the acinar cells in the wild-type rat. Acinar cells from mutant rats, producing low levels of AQP5 in the apical membrane, showed a minimal increase in the AQP5 due to the CCh.

Induction of Sca-1 via activation of STAT3 system in the duct cells of the mouse submandibular gland by ligation of the main excretory duct.

To examine the very initial step that takes place immediately after tissue injury and is linked to tissue regeneration, we employed the submandibular gland (SMG), which was injured by ligation of its main excretory duct (MED). Ligation of the MED of the SMG in mice induced the expression of Sca-1, a protein marker of hematopoietic stem cells. In the normal gland, a low level of Sca-1 was expressed, which was localized predominantly in the excretory duct cells.