Background Itch is a common symptom in the general population. Affected individuals often do not seek medical consultation and rely on Internet searches to obtain information regarding their itch. Objectives The aim of this study was attain insights into concerns population itch can by analysing itch-related search behaviour. Methods Google AdWords Keyword Planner used assess volumes for terms ...

The Hippo kinase pathway is emerging as a conserved signaling pathway that is essential for organ growth and tumorigenesis. Recently, we reported that the ubiquitin E3 ligase ITCH negatively regulates LATS1, thereby increasing YAP activity, which leads to increased cell proliferation and decreased apoptosis. Here, we investigated the role of ITCH in breast tumorigenesis. In particular, we show ...

The thermoreceptive transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) is important in the transmission of itch, and its agonist trans-cinnamaldehyde has occasionally been reported to be a pruritogen in humans. However, no studies have accurately quantified the capabilities of trans-cinnamaldehyde to induce itch and related dysesthetic sensations. The present study examined alterations in somatosen...

There is a widespread belief that subjective accounts of disease are key components of measures of disease severity and quality of life. In the present study we have set out to test this hypothesis using visual analogue scales (VAS) for itch, as a subjective measure, and actigraphy as an objective measure. One-hundred and seventeen itchy children and adults (and 25 controls) were studied for cl...

The HECT-containing E3 ubiquitin ligase Itch mediates the degradation of several proteins, including p63 and p73, involved in cell specification and fate. Itch contains four WW domains, which are essential for recognition on the target substrate, which contains a short proline-rich sequence. Several signaling complexes containing these domains have been associated with human diseases such as mu...

Persons with chronic wounds may experience wound-related itch (pruritus) and pain. A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the occurrence of itch and pain in chronic wounds and the relationship of the intensity between these factors. Patients in an outpatient wound care center, 18 years and older with an open wound, were recruited consecutively over a 5-month period. The 199 participan...

The 4th International Workshop for the Study of Itch* was held 9–11 September 2007 in San Francisco, California. For the first time, the meeting was sponsored in part by a grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and the Office of Rare Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. Also for the first time, the meeting was held under the auspices of th...

Chronic itch can be caused by dysfunctions of itch-sensing neurons that produce sensory hallucinations of pruritogenic stimuli. The cellular and molecular mechanisms are still unknown. All neurological disease categories have been implicated, and neurological causes should be considered for patients with otherwise-unexplained itch. The same neurological illnesses that cause neuropathic pain can...

While considerable effort has been made to investigate the neural mechanisms of pain, much less effort has been devoted to itch, at least until recently. However, itch is now gaining increasing recognition as a widespread and costly medical and socioeconomic issue. This is accompanied by increasing interest in the underlying neural mechanisms of itch, which has become a vibrant and rapidly-adva...

Proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR2) participates in itch, but the role of the other subtypes of this receptor remain unknown. To investigate this issue, scratching, an itch-related behavior, was observed following intradermal injections of the activating peptides of PAR1-4 in mice. Activating peptides of PAR1, PAR2, and PAR4, but not PAR3, induced scratching. The antihistamine terfenadine su...