Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA USA Departments of Medicine at UCLA Physiology at UCLA and Psychiatry at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA UCLA CURE Digestive Diseases Research Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA Department of Bioengineering at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Published: April 2015
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Chronic visceral pain syndromes are important clinical problems with largely unmet medical needs. Based on the common overlap with other chronic disorders of visceral or somatic pain, mood and affect, and their responsiveness to centrally targeted treatments, an important role of central nervous system in their pathophysiology is likely. A growing number of brain imaging studies in irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia, and bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis has identified abnormalities in evoked brain responses, resting state activity, and connectivity, as well as in gray and white matter properties. Structural and functional alterations in brain regions of the salience, emotional arousal, and sensorimotor networks, as well as in prefrontal regions, are the most consistently reported findings. Some of these changes show moderate correlations with behavioral and clinical measures. Most recently, data-driven machine-learning approaches to larger data sets have been able to classify visceral pain syndromes from healthy control subjects. Future studies need to identify the mechanisms underlying the altered brain signatures of chronic visceral pain and identify targets for therapeutic interventions.
Objective: This study evaluates the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) on visceral hypersensitivity (VH) and the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-2B (NMDAR-2B) and glutamate transporter EAAT2 in goats.
Methods: Twenty-four goats were divided into four groups: saline, 2, 4, 6-Trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS), TNBS + EA, and sham EA. EA was administered at Zusanli (ST36) with 60 Hz and 1-3 mA on specified days.
Background: Chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) is the most severe form of peripheral artery disease (PAD). Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have a faster progression of PAD and a fourfold increased risk of CLTI compared to patients without DM. Epidural spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been used as a method to improve microcirculation, relieve ischemic pain and reduce the number of amputations in patients with PAD.
Pain and psychological stress are intricately linked, with sex differences evident in disorders associated with both systems. Glutamatergic signalling in the central nervous system is influenced by gonadal hormones via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and is central in pain research. Emerging evidence supports an important role for the gut microbiota in influencing pain signalling.
High expression of cellular self-activated immunosuppressive molecules and extensive infiltration of suppressive immune cells in the tumor microenvironment are the main factors contributing to glioma's resistance to immunotherapy. Nonetheless, technology to modify the expression of glioma cellular self-molecules through gene editing requires further development. This project advances cell therapy strategies to reverse the immunosuppressive microenvironment of glioma (TIME).
The intrauterine device (IUD) is a widely utilized contraceptive method. In cases of uterine rupture, an IUD can migrate to the intra-abdominal or pelvic cavity, leading to various complications such as gastrointestinal perforation. The aim of this study was to report a case of a 29-year-old woman presented with acute left lumber pain.
