A conus peptide blocks nicotinic receptors of unmyelinated axons in human nerves.

The novel alpha-conotoxin Vc1.1 is a potential analgesic for the treatment of painful neuropathic conditions. In the present study, the effects of Vc1.

Characterization of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the membrane of unmyelinated human C-fiber axons by in vitro studies.

Application of acetylcholine to peripheral nerve terminals in the skin is a widely used test in studies of human small-fiber functions. However, a detailed pharmacological profile and the subunit composition of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in human C-fiber axons are not known. In the present study, we recorded acetylcholine-induced changes of the excitability and of the intracellular Ca2+ concentration in C-fiber axons of isolated human nerve segments.

Activation of adenosine and P2Y receptors by ATP in human peripheral nerve.

Receptors for ATP in the peripheral nervous system may contribute to the transduction of sensory, including nociceptive, stimuli and are candidates in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. In a complex neural tissue, such as the human peripheral nerve trunk, ATP may activate P2X, P2Y, and adenosine receptors present on various cell types. Experiments were performed on segments of isolated human sural nerves.

[Efficacy of child and adolescent health protection in a district--approaches for studying the effectiveness].

The evaluation of the effectiveness of medical in particular preventive measures is an essential prerequisite for the determination of the priorities in the further improvement of medical care conceptions taking into account practical demands. Endeavours to define the terms of quality and effectiveness prove the difficulty of the problem. The description of approaches allows to deduce investigation approaches to judgements on the individual and collective state of health, and to coordinative and cooperative correlations in the medical care for children and adolescents for the purpose of optimizing a health care model on district level.