Increased cerebral nuclear factor kappa B in a complex regional pain syndrome rat model: possible relationship between peripheral injury and the brain

PURPOSE: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a rare but refractory pain disorder. Recent advanced information retrieval studies using text-mining and network analysis have suggested nuclear factor kappa B (NFkappaB) as a possible central mediator of CRPS. The brain is also known to play important roles in CRPS. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in cerebral NFkappaB in rats with CRPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The chronic post-ischemia perfusion (CPIP) model was used as the CRPS animal model. O-rings were applied to the left hind paws of the rats. The rats were categorized into three groups according to the results of behavioral tests: the CPIP-positive (A) group, the CPIP-negative (B) group, and the control (C) group. Three weeks after the CPIP procedure, the right cerebrums of the animals were harvested to measure NFkappaB levels using an ELISA. RESULTS: Animals in group A had significantly decreased mechanical pain thresholds (P<0.01) and significantly increased cerebral NFkappaB when compared to those in groups B and C (P=0.024). CONCLUSION: This finding indicates that peripheral injury increases cerebral NFkappaB levels and implies that minor peripheral injury can lead to the activation of pain-related cerebral processes in CRPS

Childcare in infancy and later obesity: A narrative review of longitudinal studies

Purpose of Review The purpose of this review was to summarize the current literature on the longitudinal relationship between non-parental childcare during infancy and later obesity. Recent Findings Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising 74 associations relevant to the review. Studies were highly heterogeneous in terms of defining childcare, categorizing different types of childcare, assessing obesity, and age at measurement of outcome and exposure. Most of the associations were either non-significant (42 associations, 57%) or showed a significant association between increased exposure to childcare and greater obesity (30 associations, 41%). There were very few examples of associations indicating that childcare was associated with lower obesity. Summary There is limited research on the longitudinal relationship between childcare in infancy and later obesity. Existing studies showed mixed results, similar to recent reviews reporting on cross-sectional studies and older ages. The different definitions of childcare and wide variety of measures of exposure make comparisons between studies challenging.Funding from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research, and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged

A MATLAB app to assess, compare and validate new methods against their benchmarks

Emerging technologies for physiological signals and data collection enable the monitoring of patient health and well-being in real-life settings. This re-quires novel methods and tools to compare the validity of this kind of in-formation with that acquired in controlled environments using more costly and sophisticated technologies. In this paper, we describe a method and a MATLAB tool that relies on a standard sequence of statistical tests to com-pare features obtained using novel techniques with those acquired by means of benchmark procedures. After introducing the key steps of the proposed statistical analysis method, this paper describes its implementation in a MATLAB app, developed to support researchers in testing the extent to which a set of features, captured with a new methodology, can be considered a valid surrogate of that acquired employing gold standard techniques. An example of the application of the tool is provided in order to validate the method and illustrate the graphical user interface (GUI). The app develop-ment in MATLAB aims to improve its accessibility, foster its rapid adoption among the scientific community and its scalability into wider MATLAB tools

Nanometer Sized Silver Particles Embedded Silica Particles—Spray Method

Spherical shaped, nanometer to micro meter sized silica particles were prepared in a homogeneous nature by spray technique. Silver nanoparticles were produced over the surface of the silica grains in a harmonized manner. The size of silver and silica particles was effectively controlled by the precursors and catalysts. The electrostatic repulsion among the silica spheres and the electro static attraction between silica spheres and silver particles make the synchronized structure of the synthesized particles and the morphological images are revealed by transmission electron microscope. The silver ions are reduced by sodium borohydride. Infra red spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirm the formation of silver–silica composite particles. Thermal stability of the prepared particles obtained from thermal analysis ensures its higher temperature applications. The resultant silver embedded silica particles can be easily suspended in diverse solvents and would be useful for variety of applications

Increased cerebral nuclear factor kappa B in a complex regional pain syndrome rat model: possible relationship between peripheral injury and the brain

Francis Sahngun Nahm,1,2 Sang-Soep Nahm,3 Woong Ki Han,1 Ho Young Gil,4 Eunjoo Choi,1 Pyung Bok Lee1,2 1Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, South Korea; 2College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea; 3Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea; 4Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Ajou University Hospital, Suwon, South Korea Purpose: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a rare but refractory pain disorder. Recent advanced information retrieval studies using text-mining and network analysis have suggested nuclear factor kappa B (NF&kappa;B) as a possible central mediator of CRPS. The brain is also known to play important roles in CRPS. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in cerebral NF&kappa;B in rats with CRPS. Materials and methods: The chronic post-ischemia perfusion (CPIP) model was used as the CRPS animal model. O-rings were applied to the left hind paws of the rats. The rats were categorized into three groups according to the results of behavioral tests: the CPIP-positive (A) group, the CPIP-negative (B) group, and the control (C) group. Three weeks after the CPIP procedure, the right cerebrums of the animals were harvested to measure NFkB levels using an ELISA. Results: Animals in group A had significantly decreased mechanical pain thresholds (P&lt;0.01) and significantly increased cerebral NF&kappa;B when compared to those in groups B and C (P=0.024). Conclusion: This finding indicates that peripheral injury increases cerebral NF&kappa;B levels and implies that minor peripheral injury can lead to the activation of pain-related cerebral processes in CRPS. Keywords: cerebrum, complex regional pain syndrome, enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay, nuclear factor kappa B, pai

Seasonal variation of skin reactivity and specific IgE antibody to house dust mite.

BACKGROUND: House dust mite is an important cause of bronchial asthma worldwide. While the allergen is present all year-round, a seasonal variation of house dust mite allergen levels has been found. There have been few reports, however, on seasonal variation of specific immune response to house dust mite. OBJECTIVE: We studied the changes in skin reactivity and specific IgE antibody to house dust mite associated with seasonal variation of house dust mite allergen levels in houses of mite-sensitive asthmatic patients. METHODS: In 14 mite-sensitive asthmatic patients, house dust mite allergen (Der f 1) contents in bedding were measured monthly. Skin reactivity on prick test and specific IgE antibody to house dust mite, Dermatophagoides farinae (D. farinae), were determined every 3 months from july to December. RESULTS: The concentration of Der f 1 in dust from bedding reached maximum levels in August and September, and significantly decreased in November and December compared with August and September (P < .05). Skin reactivity (a ratio of mean wheal diameter of allergen to histamine) to D. farinae decreased significantly in December compared with September (P < .05). Serum levels of total IgE and specific IgE antibody to D. farinae decreased significantly in December compared with September (P < .05). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that seasonal changes in natural exposure to house dust mite allergen might lead to concurrent changes in skin reactivity and specific IgE antibody to house dust mite in mite-sensitive asthmatic patients