Circuit dissection of the role of somatostatin in itch and pain

Stimuli that elicit itch are detected by sensory neurons that innervate the skin. This information is processed by the spinal cord; however, the way in which this occurs is still poorly understood. Here we investigated the neuronal pathways for itch neurotransmission, particularly the contribution of the neuropeptide somatostatin. We find that in the periphery, somatostatin is exclusively expressed in Nppb+ neurons, and we demonstrate that Nppb+somatostatin+ cells function as pruriceptors. Employing chemogenetics, pharmacology and cell-specific ablation methods, we demonstrate that somatostatin potentiates itch by inhibiting inhibitory dynorphin neurons, which results in disinhibition of GRPR+ neurons. Furthermore, elimination of somatostatin from primary afferents and/or from spinal interneurons demonstrates differential involvement of the peptide released from these sources in itch and pain. Our results define the neural circuit underlying somatostatin-induced itch and characterize a contrasting antinociceptive role for the peptide

Protein kinase C and cardiac dysfunction: a review

Heart failure (HF) is a physiological state in which cardiac output is insufficient to meet the needs of the body. It is a clinical syndrome characterized by impaired ability of the left ventricle to either fill or eject blood efficiently. HF is a disease of multiple aetiologies leading to progressive cardiac dysfunction and it is the leading cause of deaths in both developed and developing countries. HF is responsible for about 73,000 deaths in the UK each year. In the USA, HF affects 5.8 million people and 550,000 new cases are diagnosed annually. Cardiac remodelling (CD), which plays an important role in pathogenesis of HF, is viewed as stress response to an index event such as myocardial ischaemia or imposition of mechanical load leading to a series of structural and functional changes in the viable myocardium. Protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes are a family of serine/threonine kinases. PKC is a central enzyme in the regulation of growth, hypertrophy, and mediators of signal transduction pathways. In response to circulating hormones, activation of PKC triggers a multitude of intracellular events influencing multiple physiological processes in the heart, including heart rate, contraction, and relaxation. Recent research implicates PKC activation in the pathophysiology of a number of cardiovascular disease states. Few reports are available that examine PKC in normal and diseased human hearts. This review describes the structure, functions, and distribution of PKCs in the healthy and diseased heart with emphasis on the human heart and, also importantly, their regulation in heart failure

Laser cladding and thermal spray coatings on steel pipe serving the oil and gas industry.

Different coating systems were characterized using a commercial API 5CT steel grade L80 type 1, which is commonly used in the oil and gas industry. Two Ni-based alloys and one Co-based alloy were deposited by laser cladding. Two coatings were deposited (Ni-based alloy and a composite W-C/Co-base) by means of thermal spray process. It has been shown the presence of a hard heat affected zone (HAZ) in the substrate for the as-laser deposited coating. The main explanation for this HAZ is devoted to the heat gradient causing a gradient on the prior austenite grain size and consequently different martensite hardness along the HAZ. For the thermal sprayed coatings, no HAZ was formed due to low heat input process. All the studied coating systems seem to be very interesting for different technically demanding applications, such as, stress sulfide corrosion and wear resistance

Evaluation of hydrogen-Induced cracking resistance of the In625 laser coating system on a C-Mn steel substrate.

The corrosion of C-Mn steels in the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) represents a significant challenge to oil production and natural gas treatment facilities. The failure mechanism induced by hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) in a Inconel 625 coating / C-Mn steel has not been extensively investigated in the past. In the present work, an API 5CT steel was coated with In625 alloy using laser cladding and the HIC resistance of different regions, such as the coating surface, the substrate and HAZ, were evaluated. SEM observations illustrated that all HIC cracks were formed at the hard HAZ after 96h of exposure. No HIC cracks were observed in the substrate and the In625 coating after the same exposure duration. Pitting was recorded in the substrate caused by non-metallic inclusion dissolving

Protein kinase Cθ is required for cardiomyocyte survival and cardiac remodeling

Protein kinase Cs (PKCs) constitute a family of serine/threonine kinases, which has distinguished and specific roles in regulating cardiac responses, including those associated with heart failure. We found that the PKCθ isoform is expressed at considerable levels in the cardiac muscle in mouse, and that it is rapidly activated after pressure overload. To investigate the role of PKCθ in cardiac remodeling, we used PKCθ−/− mice. In vivo analyses of PKCθ−/− hearts showed that the lack of PKCθ expression leads to left ventricular dilation and reduced function. Histological analyses showed a reduction in the number of cardiomyocytes, combined with hypertrophy of the remaining cardiomyocytes, cardiac fibrosis, myofibroblast hyper-proliferation and matrix deposition. We also observed p38 and JunK activation, known to promote cell death in response to stress, combined with upregulation of the fetal pattern of gene expression, considered to be a feature of the hemodynamically or metabolically stressed heart. In keeping with these observations, cultured PKCθ−/− cardiomyocytes were less viable than wild-type cardiomyocytes, and, unlike wild-type cardiomyocytes, underwent programmed cell death upon stimulation with α1-adrenergic agonists and hypoxia. Taken together, these results show that PKCθ maintains the correct structure and function of the heart by preventing cardiomyocyte cell death in response to work demand and to neuro-hormonal signals, to which heart cells are continuously exposed

MANEJO DE Amburana cearensis var. acreana NO ESTADO DO ACRE, BRASIL

This work has as its objectives: a) to assess the geographical distribution and population structure of Amburana cearensis var. acreana; b) to calculate sustainable cutting rates, according to stipulated cutting cycles, and c) to simulate the projected recovery potential in volume based on the calculated cutting rate. It was used data from sustainable forest management plans, and the results will contribute for future decisions about its endangered condition. The results did not corroborate the information that Amburana cearensis var. acreana is endangered in Acre state. However the management sustainability will only be feasible if considered the ideal remaining population structure and the estimative of the optimal cutting rate according to the cutting cycle.Os objetivos desse trabalho foram: a) analisar a distribui\ue7\ue3o geogr\ue1fica e a estrutura populacional de Amburana cearensis var. acreana; b) calcular taxas de corte sustent\ue1veis baseado em ciclos de corte estipulados e c) simular a recupera\ue7\ue3o potencial em volume baseado na taxa de corte calculada. Foram usados dados de planos de manejo florestal sustent\ue1vel, e os resultados contribuir\ue3o para as tomadas de decis\ue3o futuras sobre sua condi\ue7\ue3o de esp\ue9cie amea\ue7ada. Os resultados n\ue3o corroboram a informa\ue7\ue3o de que a Amburana cearensis var. acreana est\ue1 amea\ue7ada no Estado do Acre. Entretanto, o manejo sustent\ue1vel dessa esp\ue9cie s\uf3 ser\ue1 poss\uedvel se for considerada a estrutura para a popula\ue7\ue3o remanescente ideal e a estimativa da taxa \uf3tima de corte, considerando o ciclo de corte vigente

The prevalence of schistosomiasis in school-aged children as an appropriate indicator of its prevalence in the community

School-aged children (6-15 years) from the endemic area of Pernambuco were evaluated both as a target group for and an indicator of schistosomiasis control in the community. Parasitological data were drawn from baseline stool surveys of whole populations that were obtained to diagnose Schistosoma mansoni infection. Nineteen representative localities were selected for assessing the prevalence of schistosomiasis among individuals in the following age groups: 0-5, 6-15, 16-25, 26-40 and 41-80 years. For each locality, the prevalence in each age group was compared to that of the overall population using contingency table analysis. To select a reference group, the operational difficulties of conducting residential surveys were considered. School-aged children may be considered to be the group of choice as the reference group for the overall population for the following reasons: (i) the prevalence of schistosomiasis in this age group had the highest correlation with the prevalence in the overall population (r = 0.967), (ii) this age group is particularly vulnerable to infection and plays an important role in parasite transmission and (iii) school-aged children are the main target of the World Health Organization in terms of helminth control. The Schistosomiasis Control Program should consider school-aged children both as a reference group for assessing the need for intervention at the community level and as a target group for integrated health care actions of the Unified Health System that are focused on high-risk groups

Uso de serviços de saúde segundo posição socioeconômica em trabalhadores de uma universidade pública

OBJETIVO: Analisar o uso de serviços de saúde segundo posição socioeconômica em trabalhadores de uma universidade pública. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com 759 funcionários de uma universidade pública brasileira que referiram restrição das atividades habituais por motivo de saúde nos últimos 14 dias. Foram utilizados dados de 2001 provenientes da coorte "Estudo Pró-Saúde", realizado no Rio de Janeiro, RJ. O uso de serviços de saúde foi avaliado pela proxy busca por assistência de saúde e tipo de serviço. A presença de variações adicionais na morbidade foi verificada pelo tempo de restrição. Foram analisados os marcadores de escolaridade, renda e ocupação e calculadas razões de proporções brutas e ajustadas do uso e por tipo de serviço. RESULTADOS: Nível ocupacional foi o indicador de maior desigualdade no uso de serviços de saúde. Após o ajuste por sexo, idade e demais marcadores de posição socioeconômica, a razão de proporção de uso de assistência de saúde entre trabalhadores de rotina manual foi 1,31 (IC95% 1,11;1,55) e entre trabalhadores de rotina não-manual foi 1,21 (IC95% 1,06;1,37), comparados aos profissionais, considerada a categoria de referência. CONCLUSÕES: Padrão de desigualdade social foi observado no uso de serviços de saúde em favor dos indivíduos de menor posição socioeconômica, mesmo após o controle por necessidade, com destaque para o marcador de ocupação. As diferenças remanescentes na morbidade dos indivíduos parecem não ser suficientes para explicar o achado e fatores ocupacionais podem exercer maior influência no uso de serviços de saúde dessa população.OBJECTIVE: To analyze the use of health services and socioeconomic status among a public university workers. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 759 workers at a Brazilian public university who reported health-related restrictions of their usual activities in the previous 14 days, was carried out. Data were supplied by the 2001 cohort of the "Pró-Saúde Study" in Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil. Health services use was assessed with a proxy for "seeking health care" and according to the type of service. The presence of additional variation in morbidity was verified by time restriction. Schooling, income and occupation markers were analyzed, and crude and adjusted proportion ratios of use and types of service were calculated. RESULTS: The occupation level was the indicator of the greatest inequality in health services use. After adjustments for gender, age and the other socioeconomic status markers, the ratio of the proportion of health care use was 1.31 for manual workers (95%CI: 1.11;1.55) and 1.21 for non-manual workers (95%CI: 1.06;1.37) compared to the reference category of professionals. CONCLUSIONS: A pattern of social inequality was identified in health services use. Even after an adjustment for health need, the pattern favored individuals with lower socioeconomic status, particularly for the occupation marker. Remaining differences in individual morbidities do not explain this finding. Rather, occupational factors may exert a greater influence on health services use in this population.OBJETIVO: Analizar el uso de servicios de salud según posición socioeconómica en trabajadores de una universidad pública. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal con 759 funcionarios de una universidad pública brasileña que refirieron restricción de las actividades habituales por motivo de salud en los últimos 14 días. Se utilizaron datos de 2001 provenientes de la cohorte "Estudio Pro-Salud", realizado en Rio de Janeiro, Sureste de Brasil. El uso de servicios de salud fue evaluado por la proxy "búsqueda por asistencia de salud" y "tipo de servicio". La presencia de variaciones adicionales en la morbilidad fue verificada por el tiempo de restricción. Se analizaron los marcadores de escolaridad, renta y ocupación y calculadas tasas de proporciones brutas y ajustadas del uso y por tipo de servicio. RESULTADOS: El nivel ocupacional fue el indicador de mayor desigualdad en el uso de servicios de salud. Posterior al ajuste por sexo, edad y demás marcadores de posición socioeconómica, la tasa de proporción de uso de asistencia de salud entre trabajadores de rutina manual fue 1,31 (IC95% 1,11;1,55) y entre trabajadores de rutina no manual fue 1,21 (IC95% 1,06;1,37), comparados con los profesionales considerados en la categoría de referencia. CONCLUSIONES: El patrón de desigualdad social fue observado en el uso de servicios de salud a favor de los individuos de menor posición socioeconómica, aún después del control por necesidad, resultando el marcador ocupacional. Las diferencias remanentes en la morbilidad de los individuos parecen no ser suficientes para explicar el resultado y factores ocupacionales pueden ejercer mayor influencia en el uso de servicios de salud de esta población