The ongoing challenge of prevention of pertussis in infants: what's new in 2024?

Introduction: Pertussis, a respiratory disease caused primarily by , is undergoing a resurgence despite decades of high rates of vaccination. The prevention of pertussis in infants presents several challenges, including the waning immunity of the acellular pertussis (aP) vaccine, the limited protection afforded to newborns before they complete the vaccine series, and the existence of gaps in maternal vaccination. Furthermore, the unwillingness or refusal of a considerable number of individuals, including some healthcare workers, to receive vaccinations represents another significant challenge.

Animal models of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and their role in drug discovery and development: a critical review.

Introduction: The use of laboratory animals is essential to understand the mechanisms underlying COPD and to discover and evaluate new drugs. However, the complex changes associated with the disease in humans are difficult to fully replicate in animal models.

Areas Covered: This review examines the most recent literature on animal models of COPD and their implications for drug discovery and development.

Spinal neuronal activity and neuroinflammatory component in a mouse model of CFA-induced vestibulodynia.

Vestibulodynia is a complex pain disorder characterized by chronic discomfort in the vulvar region, often accompanied by tactile allodynia and spontaneous pain. In patients a depressive behaviour is also observed. In this study, we have used a model of vestibulodynia induced by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) focusing our investigation on the spinal cord neurons and microglia.

The pharmacological management of asthma in adults: 2023 update.

Introduction: The pharmacotherapy of asthma is a dynamic process that changes as our knowledge of the underlying pathophysiology and treatment of this disease continues to evolve. This implies the need for continuous revision of the recommendations of asthma guidelines and strategies.

Areas Covered: This review summarizes the latest key practical information on the pharmacological management of asthma in adults.

Clinical characteristics, treatment patterns and adherence in patients with asthma on multiple inhaler triple therapy: a review of findings.

Introduction: The value of treating asthma with the triple regimen of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), long-acting β-agonist (LABA), and long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) delivered using multiple inhalers (MITT), or a single inhaler (SITT) is supported by a growing body of evidence, although research is still limited regarding the use of MITT.

Areas Covered: Clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, disease burden, and persistence/adherence associated with MITT use in asthma. The MEDLINE database was searched to identify references from inception until October 2022.

Current and emerging treatment modalities for bacterial rhinosinusitis in adults: a comprehensive review.

Introduction: Rhinosinusitis (RS) is defined as acute when it lasts up to 4 weeks and chronic when it lasts at least 12 weeks. Most acute forms begin with a viral upper respiratory infection that spreads into the paranasal sinuses and is followed by bacterial infection. It is uncertain how bacteria affect chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

Long-term neuropathic pain behaviors correlate with synaptic plasticity and limbic circuit alteration: a comparative observational study in mice.

Neuropathic pain has long-term consequences in affective and cognitive disturbances, suggesting the involvement of supraspinal mechanisms. In this study, we used the spared nerve injury (SNI) model to characterize the development of sensory and aversive components of neuropathic pain and to determine their electrophysiological impact across prefrontal cortex and limbic regions. Moreover, we evaluated the regulation of several genes involved in immune response and inflammation triggered by SNI.

Disputes over the production and dissemination of misinformation in the time of COVID-19.

Ultimate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mitigation and crisis resolution is dependent on trustworthy data and actionable information. At present time, there is still no cure for COVID-19, although some treatments are being used in severe illness. Regrettably, as the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads, the lack of cure has been accompanied by an increasing amount of medical misinformation.

2-Pentadecyl-2-oxazoline ameliorates memory impairment and depression-like behaviour in neuropathic mice: possible role of adrenergic alpha2- and H3 histamine autoreceptors.

Neuropathic pain (NP) remains an untreatable disease due to the complex pathophysiology that involves the whole pain neuraxis including the forebrain. Sensory dysfunctions such as allodynia and hyperalgesia are only part of the symptoms associated with neuropathic pain that extend to memory and affectivity deficits. The development of multi-target molecules might be a promising therapeutic strategy against the symptoms associated with NP.

Behavioral, Biochemical and Electrophysiological Changes in Spared Nerve Injury Model of Neuropathic Pain.

Neuropathic pain is a pathological condition induced by a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory system, with symptoms like allodynia and hyperalgesia. It has a multifaceted pathogenesis as it implicates several molecular signaling pathways involving peripheral and central nervous systems. Affective and cognitive dysfunctions have been reported as comorbidities of neuropathic pain states, supporting the notion that pain and mood disorders share some common pathogenetic mechanisms.

Ultra-micronized palmitoylethanolamide rescues the cognitive decline-associated loss of neural plasticity in the neuropathic mouse entorhinal cortex-dentate gyrus pathway.

Chronic pain is associated with cognitive deficits. Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) has been shown to ameliorate pain and pain-related cognitive impairments by restoring glutamatergic synapses functioning in the spared nerve injury (SNI) of the sciatic nerve in mice. SNI reduced mechanical and thermal threshold, spatial memory and LTP at the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC)-dentate gyrus (DG) pathway.

Ketones and pain: unexplored role of hydroxyl carboxylic acid receptor type 2 in the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain.

The mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain are poorly understood. Here we show the unexplored role of the hydroxyl carboxylic acid receptor type 2 (HCAR2) in 2 models of neuropathic pain. We used an oral treatment with dimethyl fumarate and the HCAR2 endogenous ligand β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in wild-type (WT) and HCAR2-null mice.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 7 in the dorsal striatum oppositely modulates pain in sham and neuropathic rats.

The study investigated the role of the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 7 (mGluR7) in pain signalling in the dorsal striatum of sham and neuropathic rats. Supraspinal circuitries involved in the dorsal striatum control of pain were also explored. In the sham rats, microinjection of N,N'-bis(diphenylmethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine (AMN082), a selective mGluR7 positive allosteric modulator, into the dorsal striatum, facilitated pain, increased the activity of the ON cells and inhibited the activity of the OFF cells in the rostral ventromedial medulla, and decreased glutamate levels in the dorsal striatum.

Spared Nerve Injury as a Long-Lasting Model of Neuropathic Pain.

This chapter describes surgical procedures for the induction of neuropathic pain using an animal model (rat or mouse) of spared nerve injury. In addition to technical details of the surgical technique, details of anesthesia and perioperative care are also included.

d-Aspartic acid ameliorates painful and neuropsychiatric changes and reduces β-amyloid Aβ peptide in a long lasting model of neuropathic pain.

Depressive symptoms and other neuropsychiatric dysfunctions are common in neurodegenerative disorders, including chronic pain and dementia. A correlation between the β-amyloid protein accumulation and the development of depression has been suggested, however the underlying mechanisms are unknown. d-Aspartate (d-Asp) is a free d-amino acid found in the mammalian brain and involved in neurological and psychiatric processes, such as cognition and affective disorders.

Preclinical evaluation of the urokinase receptor-derived peptide UPARANT as an anti-inflammatory drug.

Background: Inflammation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of several chronic diseases. The urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) exerts a plethora of functions in both physiological and pathological processes, including inflammation.

Objective And Design: In this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of a novel peptide ligand of uPAR, UPARANT, in different animal models of inflammation.

Olanzapine, but not clozapine, increases glutamate release in the prefrontal cortex of freely moving mice by inhibiting D-aspartate oxidase activity.

D-aspartate levels in the brain are regulated by the catabolic enzyme D-aspartate oxidase (DDO). D-aspartate activates NMDA receptors, and influences brain connectivity and behaviors relevant to schizophrenia in animal models. In addition, recent evidence reported a significant reduction of D-aspartate levels in the post-mortem brain of schizophrenia-affected patients, associated to higher DDO activity.

Palmitoylethanolamide Reduces Neuropsychiatric Behaviors by Restoring Cortical Electrophysiological Activity in a Mouse Model of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents a major public health problem, which is associated with neurological dysfunction. In severe or moderate cases of TBI, in addition to its high mortality rate, subjects may encounter diverse behavioral dysfunctions. Previous reports suggest that an association between TBI and chronic pain syndromes tends to be more common in patients with mild forms of brain injury.

Nociception modulation by supraspinal group III metabotropic glutamate receptors.

The modulatory actions of glutamate, the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS), are exerted through the activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). Of the eight known mGluRs (mGluR1-8), group III mGluRs (mGluR4, mGluR6, mGluR7, and mGluR8) are less understood because of the lack of selective ligands. Except for mGluR6, group III mGluRs are widely distributed throughout the CNS.

Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 7: From Synaptic Function to Therapeutic Implications.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGluR7) is localized presynaptically at the active zone of neurotransmitter release. Unlike mGluR4 and mGluR8, which share mGluR7's presynaptic location, mGluR7 shows low affinity for glutamate and is activated only by high glutamate concentrations. Its wide distribution in the central nervous system (CNS) and evolutionary conservation across species suggest that mGluR7 plays a primary role in controlling excitatory synapse function.

D-Aspartate drinking solution alleviates pain and cognitive impairment in neuropathic mice.

D-Aspartate (D-Asp) is a free D-amino acid detected in multiple brain regions and putative precursor of endogenous N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) acting as agonist at NMDA receptors. In this study, we investigated whether D-Asp (20 mM) in drinking solution for 1 month affects pain responses and pain-related emotional, and cognitive behaviour in a model of neuropathic pain induced by the spared nerve injury (SNI) of the sciatic nerve in mice. SNI mice developed mechanical allodynia and motor coordination impairment 30 days after SNI surgery.

Age-Related Changes in D-Aspartate Oxidase Promoter Methylation Control Extracellular D-Aspartate Levels and Prevent Precocious Cell Death during Brain Aging.

The endogenous NMDA receptor (NMDAR) agonist D-aspartate occurs transiently in the mammalian brain because it is abundant during embryonic and perinatal phases before drastically decreasing during adulthood. It is well established that postnatal reduction of cerebral D-aspartate levels is due to the concomitant onset of D-aspartate oxidase (DDO) activity, a flavoenzyme that selectively degrades bicarboxylic D-amino acids. In the present work, we show that d-aspartate content in the mouse brain drastically decreases after birth, whereas Ddo mRNA levels concomitantly increase.

Exposure to Allergen Causes Changes in NTS Neural Activities after Intratracheal Capsaicin Application, in Endocannabinoid Levels and in the Glia Morphology of NTS.

Allergen exposure may induce changes in the brainstem secondary neurons, with neural sensitization of the nucleus solitary tract (NTS), which in turn can be considered one of the causes of the airway hyperresponsiveness, a characteristic feature of asthma. We evaluated neurofunctional, morphological, and biochemical changes in the NTS of naive or sensitized rats. To evaluate the cell firing activity of NTS, in vivo electrophysiological experiments were performed before and after capsaicin challenge in sensitized or naive rats.