It is known that aminopeptidase N (APN) and neutral endopeptidase (NEP) in the central nervous system (CNS) regulate opioid peptides, leading to pain modulation. To examine whether these enzymes located on human neutrophils (PMNs) play a role in several modalities of pain, we measured the activity of these enzymes located on PMNs derived from patients with chronic pain and compared this with that of healthy volunteers. APN activity in the group of patients with chronic pain was significantly increased compared with that in group of healthy volunteers (4.25 +/- 0.17, n = 36 vs 3.53 +/- 0.21, n = 24, nmol.min-1.10(6) cells, P > 0.05, mean +/- SE). But NEP activity showed no differences in two groups. These results suggest that APN located on PMNs from patients with chronic pain may act as an indicator of continuous painful condition and there may be a pain-modulating system in the blood.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|
JMIR Form Res
January 2025
Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Background: Opioid medications are important for pain management, but many patients progress to unsafe medication use. With few personalized and accessible behavioral treatment options to reduce potential opioid-related harm, new and innovative patient-centered approaches are urgently needed to fill this gap.
Objective: This study involved the first phase of co-designing a digital brief intervention to reduce the risk of opioid-related harm by investigating the lived experience of chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) in treatment-seeking patients, with a particular focus on opioid therapy experiences.
Neurology
February 2025
Department of Medicine and Geriatrics, Tuen Mun Hospital, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
Background And Objectives: Mitochondrial disorders are multiorgan disorders resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to characterize death-associated factors in an international cohort of deceased individuals with mitochondrial disorders.
Methods: This cross-sectional multicenter observational study used data provided by 26 mitochondrial disease centers from 8 countries from January 2022 to March 2023.
JBJS Case Connect
January 2025
Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.
Case: A 14-year-old male athlete presented with a 9-month history of low back pain, worse with hyperextension. Nonoperative management for bilateral L4 spondylolysis had been unsuccessful. The patient underwent a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that generated a synthetic computed tomography (sCT).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCirc Res
January 2025
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine (J.B.H., J.D.B., A.C.D.), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
Cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, driven in part by chronic inflammation. Emerging research suggests that the bone marrow microenvironment, or marrow niche, plays a critical role in both immune system regulation and disease progression. The bone marrow niche is essential for maintaining hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and orchestrating hematopoiesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS Pathog
January 2025
Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) X protein (HBx) is a key factor for regulating viral transcription and replication. We recently characterized homeobox protein MSX-1 (MSX1) as a host restriction factor that inhibits HBV gene expression and genome replication by directly binding to HBV enhancer II/core promoter (EnII/Cp) and suppressing its promoter and enhancer activities. Notably, HBx expression was observed to be repressed more drastically by MSX1 compared to other viral antigens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!