Neuroscience letters
-
Neuroscience letters · Jun 2014
Review Meta AnalysisVitamin D status and the risk of multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
To estimate the associations between vitamin D status and multiple sclerosis (MS). We searched electronic databases of the human literature in PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library up to February, 2014 using the following keywords: 'vitamin D' or '25(OH)D' and 'status' or 'deficiency' or 'insufficiency' and 'multiple sclerosis'. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on observational studies that reported the association between blood vitamin D levels and MS. ⋯ There were statistically significant heterogeneity (P<0.00001; I(2)=92%). The significant heterogeneity may be due to the differences in ethnicity, country, season of blood sampling and age of the participants studied. To sum up, low vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of MS.
-
Neuroscience letters · Jun 2014
Review Meta AnalysisVitamin D status and the risk of multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
To estimate the associations between vitamin D status and multiple sclerosis (MS). We searched electronic databases of the human literature in PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library up to February, 2014 using the following keywords: 'vitamin D' or '25(OH)D' and 'status' or 'deficiency' or 'insufficiency' and 'multiple sclerosis'. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on observational studies that reported the association between blood vitamin D levels and MS. ⋯ There were statistically significant heterogeneity (P<0.00001; I(2)=92%). The significant heterogeneity may be due to the differences in ethnicity, country, season of blood sampling and age of the participants studied. To sum up, low vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of MS.
-
Neuroscience letters · Dec 2013
ReviewChallenging the catechism of therapeutics for chronic neuropathic pain: Targeting CaV2.2 interactions with CRMP2 peptides.
Chronic neuropathic pain management is a worldwide concern. Pharmaceutical companies globally have historically targeted ion channels as the therapeutic catechism with many blockbuster successes. Remarkably, no new pain therapeutic has been approved by European or American regulatory agencies over the last decade. ⋯ In vivo administration of this peptide reduces pain behavior in a number of models of neuropathic pain without affecting sympathetic-associated cardiovascular activity, memory retrieval, sensorimotor function, or depression. A CRMP2-derived peptide analgesic, with restricted access to the CNS, represents a completely novel approach to the treatment of severe pain with an improved safety profile. As peptides now represent one of the fastest growing classes of new drugs, it is expected that peptide targeting of protein interactions within the calcium channel complex may be a paradigm shift in ion channel drug discovery.
-
Neuroscience letters · Dec 2013
ReviewThe known knowns of microglia-neuronal signalling in neuropathic pain.
Microglia are key cellular mediators of plasticity in the spinal cord that drives the development and maintenance of pain hypersensitivity following peripheral nerve damage. An essential reactive microglial phenotype is characterized by induced expression of purinergic P2X4 receptors. Activation of these receptors initiates a core microglial-neuronal signalling pathway which through disinhibition transforms the output of dorsal horn neurons projecting to the brain pain networks. Here we describe recent advances in elucidating molecules that regulate key aspects of this core pathway, and opportunities for targeting critical signalling hubs to treat neuropathic pain.
-
Neuroscience letters · Dec 2013
ReviewVoltage gated sodium and calcium channel blockers for the treatment of chronic inflammatory pain.
The inflammatory response is a natural response of the body that occurs immediately following tissue damage, which may be due to injury, infection or disease. The acute inflammatory response is an essential mechanism that promotes healing and a key aspect is the ensuing pain, which warns the subject to protect the site of injury. Thus, it is common to see a zone of primary sensitization as well as consequential central sensitization that generally, is maintained by a peripheral drive from the zone of tissue injury. ⋯ The latter has been the main area for trials and use of drugs that modulate ion channels such as carbamazepine and gabapentin, but given the large peripheral drive that follows tissue damage, there is a clear rationale for blocking voltage gated sodium and calcium channels in these pain states. It has been hypothesized that pain of inflammatory origin may evolve into a condition that resembles neuropathic pain, but mixed pains such as low back pain and cancer pain often include elements of both pain states. This review considers the therapeutic potential for sodium and calcium channel blockers for the treatment of chronic inflammatory pain states.