Heat shock proteins: A dual carrier-adjuvant for an anti-drug vaccine against heroin

Heroin is a highly abused opioid that has reached epidemic status within the United States. Yet, existing therapies to treat addiction are inadequate and frequently result into rates of high recidivism. Vaccination against heroin offers a promising alternative therapeutic option but requires further development to enhance the vaccine’s performance. Hsp70 is a conserved protein with known immunomodulatory properties and is considered an excellent immunodominant antigen. Within an antidrug vaccine context, we envisioned Hsp70 as a potential dual carrier-adjuvant, wherein immunogenicity would be increased by co-localization of adjuvant and antigenic drug hapten. Recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Hsp70 was appended with heroin haptens and the resulting immunoconjugate granted anti-heroin antibody production and blunted heroin-induced antinociception. Moreover, Hsp70 as a carrier protein surpassed our benchmark Her-KLH cocktail through antibody-mediated blockade of 6-acetylmorphine, the main mediator of heroin’s psychoactivity. The work presents a new avenue for exploration in the use of hapten-Hsp70 conjugates to elicit anti-drug immune responses.     

Patellofemoral cartilage stresses are most sensitive to variations in vastus medialis muscle forces

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of variations in quadriceps muscle forces on patellofemoral stress. We created subject-specific finite element models for 21 individuals with chronic patellofemoral pain and 16 pain-free control subjects. We extracted three-dimensional geometries from high resolution magnetic resonance images and registered the geometries to magnetic resonance images from an upright weight bearing squat with the knees flexed at 60°. We estimated quadriceps muscle forces corresponding to 60° knee flexion during a stair climb task from motion analysis and electromyography-driven musculoskeletal modelling. We applied the quadriceps muscle forces to our finite element models and evaluated patellofemoral cartilage stress. We quantified cartilage stress using an energy-based effective stress, a scalar quantity representing the local stress intensity in the tissue. We used probabilistic methods to evaluate the effects of variations in quadriceps muscle forces from five trials of the stair climb task for each subject. Patellofemoral effective stress was most sensitive to variations in forces in the two branches of the vastus medialis muscle. Femur cartilage effective stress was most sensitive to variations in vastus medialis forces in 29/37 (78%) subjects, and patella cartilage effective stress was most sensitive to variations in vastus medialis forces in 21/37 (57%) subjects. Femur cartilage effective stress was more sensitive to variations in vastus medialis longus forces in subjects classified as maltrackers compared to normal tracking subjects (p?=?0.006). This study provides new evidence of the importance of the vastus medialis muscle in the treatment of patellofemoral pain.     

Mechanically Activated Piezo Channels Mediate Touch and Suppress Acute Mechanical Pain Response in Mice

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Tail docking in horses: a review of the issues

Routinely performed painful procedures are of increasing interest and, in 2001 (Royal Order, May 17), Belgium prohibited docking in several vertebrates including horses. In 2004, opponents to this decision submitted a Bill (Doc51 0969/001) to Parliament, intending to obtain derogation for Belgian draught horses, which were traditionally docked. The Animal Welfare Council of Belgium, an official body advising the Minister of Public Health, was asked to evaluate this complex question, including biological, ethical and socio-economic aspects, on the basis of the available peer-reviewed studies. In this context, this study reviews legal aspects (overview of the European legislation), zootechnic aspects (uses of the Belgian draught horse) and biological aspects (pain potentially related to docking; horses' welfare linked to insect harassment and hygiene, communication and reproduction) of tail docking in draught horses. We conclude that (1) there is no benefit for horses in tail docking, including Belgian draught horses, (2) potential advantages of docking are essentially in favour of humans and these advantages could be scrupulously re-evaluated, taking into account practices of other countries. Therefore, there is no need to dock any horse other than for veterinary reasons.     

Cannabis, pain, and sleep: lessons from therapeutic clinical trials of Sativex, a cannabis-based medicine

Cannabis sativa L. has been utilized for treatment of pain and sleep disorders since ancient times. This review examines modern studies on effects of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) on sleep. It goes on to report new information on the effects on sleep in the context of medical treatment of neuropathic pain and symptoms of multiple sclerosis, employing standardized oromucosal cannabis-based medicines containing primarily THC, CBD, or a 1 : 1 combination of the two (Sativex). Sleep-laboratory results indicate a mild activating effect of CBD, and slight residual sedation with THC-predominant extracts. Experience to date with Sativex in numerous Phase I-III studies in 2000 subjects with 1000 patient years of exposure demonstrate marked improvement in subjective sleep parameters in patients with a wide variety of pain conditions including multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathic pain, intractable cancer pain, and rheumatoid arthritis, with an acceptable adverse event profile. No tolerance to the benefit of Sativex on pain or sleep, nor need for dosage increases have been noted in safety extension studies of up to four years, wherein 40-50% of subjects attained good or very good sleep quality, a key source of disability in chronic pain syndromes that may contribute to patients' quality of life.     

核心稳定训练联合五禽戏对颈型颈椎病患者颈椎疼痛、颈椎功能和生活质量的影响

目的:观察核心稳定训练联合五禽戏对颈型颈椎病(NTCS)患者颈椎疼痛、颈椎功能和生活质量的影响。方法:选取NTCS患者80例,按随机数字表法分为对照组(核心稳定训练)和研究组(核心稳定训练联合五禽戏)各40例。对比两组疗效、颈椎疼痛、颈椎功能和生活质量。结果:研究组的临床总有效率高于对照组(P<0.05)。两组干预1个月、2个月后、3个月后颈部视觉模拟评分法(VAS)评分逐渐下降,且研究组的下降程度大于对照组(P<0.05)。两组干预3个月后颈椎功能障碍指数(NDI)评分下降,且研究组的下降程度大于对照组(P<0.05),颈椎前屈、后伸、左旋、右旋活动度升高,且研究组的升高程度大于对照组(P<0.05)。两组干预3个月后SF-36各维度评分均较干预前升高,且研究组的升高程度大于对照组(P<0.05)。结论:NTCS患者采用五禽戏、核心稳定训练联合干预,可有效缓解颈椎疼痛,促进颈椎功能恢复,提高患者生活质量,疗效明确。     

Novel histone modifications in microglia derived from a mouse model of chronic pain

As the resident immune cells in the central nervous system, microglia play an important role in the maintenance of its homeostasis. Dysregulation of microglia has been associated with the development and maintenance of chronic pain. However, the relevant molecular pathways remain poorly defined. In this study, we used a mass spectrometry-based proteomic approach to screen potential changes of histone protein modifications in microglia isolated from the brain of control and cisplatin-induced neuropathic pain adult C57BL/6J male mice. We identified several novel microglial histone modifications associated with pain, including statistically significantly decreased histone H3.1 lysine 27 mono-methylation (H3.1K27me1, 54.8% of control) and H3 lysine 56 tri-methylation (7.5% of control), as well as a trend suggesting increased H3 tyrosine 41 nitration. We further investigated the functional role of H3.1K27me1 and found that treatment of cultured microglial cells for 4 consecutive days with 1–10 μM of NCDM-64, a potent and selective inhibitor of lysine demethylase 7A, an enzyme responsible for the demethylation of H3K27me1, dose-dependently elevated its levels with a greater than a two-fold increase observed at 10 μM compared to vehicle-treated control cells. Moreover, pretreatment of mice with NCDM-64 (10 or 25 mg/kg/day, i.p.) prior to cisplatin treatment prevented the development of neuropathic pain in mice. The identification of specific chromatin marks in microglia associated with chronic pain may yield critical insight into the contribution of microglia to the development and maintenance of pain, and opens new avenues for the development of novel nonopioid therapeutics for the effective management of chronic pain.     

腰痹通胶囊与布洛芬缓释胶囊联合用药治疗慢性腰痛疗效的随机对照研究

摘要 目的：观察腰痹通胶囊与布洛芬缓释胶囊联合用药治疗慢性腰痛的临床疗效。方法：将168例在我院门诊接受治疗的慢性腰痛患者随机分为A组、B组与C组（各56例）,A组给予口服腰痹通胶囊 (3粒/次),3次/d,饭后服药;B组给予布洛芬缓释胶囊治疗 (300 mg/次),2次/d,饭后口服;C组同时口服腰痹通胶囊和布洛芬缓释胶囊（用法同前）,3组均治疗1个疗程。观察治疗前后3组患者的临床疗效、视觉模拟评分（VAS）、Oswestry功能障碍指数（ODI）评分、日本骨科协会腰椎治疗评价量表（JOA）评分、血清炎性因子和药物副作用等各项指标,并进行对比分析。结果：所有患者均完成了研究,没有退出或脱落病例。A组的总有效率为76.79%,B组的总有效率为82.14%,C组的总有效率为96.43%,经统计学分析,AB两组之间没有显著的统计学差异（P>0.05）,而C组与A组或B组之间均有显著性差异（P<0.05）。3组的VAS、ODI、JOA评分在治疗前后具有显著的统计学差异（P<0.05）,其中C组治疗后的相关评分优于其他两组（P<0.05）。C组患者治疗后的炎性因子包括C反应蛋白(CRP)、白介素-6(IL-6)、肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)水平均低于A组、B组(P<0.05)。A组的药物副作用最少,B组的药物副作用最多,A组和C组的不良反应发生率低于B组（P<0.05）。结论：腰痹通胶囊联合布洛芬缓释胶囊口服治疗慢性腰痛的疗效明显优于这两种药物单独使用,可缓解患者腰部疼痛,改善腰椎功能,降低血清炎性因子水平。