INTRODUCTION We recently reported that a majority of opioid-dependent Malay males on methadone therapy are cold pain sensitive. It is postulated that common OPRM1 polymorphisms may be responsible. This study investigated the association between 118A>G (dbSNP rs1799971) and IVS2+691G>C (dbSNP rs2075572) variants on cold pain responses among opioid-dependent Malay males on methadone maintenance t...

Cold stress affects rice growth, quality and yield. The investigation of genome-wide gene expression is important for understanding cold stress tolerance in rice. We performed comparative transcriptome analysis of the shoots and roots of 2 rice seedlings (TNG67, cold-tolerant; and TCN1, cold-sensitive) in response to low temperatures and restoration of normal temperatures following cold exposur...

Surprisingly little is known concerning the central processing of innocuous thermal somatosensory information. The aim of the present study was to obtain quantitative data on the characteristics of neurons in the rat superficial medullary dorsal horn (sMDH) that responded to innocuous thermal stimulation of the rat's face and tongue. Single-unit extracellular recordings were obtained in chloral...

The increasing use of transgenic mice for the study of pain mechanisms necessitates comprehensive understanding of the murine somatosensory system. Using an in vivo mouse preparation, we studied response properties of tibial nerve afferent fibers innervating glabrous skin. Recordings were obtained from 225 fibers identified by mechanical stimulation of the skin. Of these, 106 were classed as A ...

Perception of the thermal environment begins with the activation of peripheral thermosensory neurons innervating the body surface. To understand how temperature is represented in vivo, we used genetically encoded calcium indicators to measure temperature-evoked responses in hundreds of neurons across the trigeminal ganglion. Our results show how warm, hot, and cold stimuli are represented by di...

gamma aminobutyrate (gaba) is a non-protein amino acid that is thought to play an important role in the modulation of the central response to stress. mechanisms by which gaba may facilitate these responses to stress are metabolic and/or mechanical disruptions. environmental stresses increase gaba accumulation through cytosolic acidification, induce an acidic ph-dependent activation of glutamate...

1. Purinergic and cholinergic components of parasympathetic neurotransmission and contractile responses to exogenous alpha,beta-methylene ATP, acetylcholine, substance K, substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and capsaicin have been investigated in the urinary bladder of hibernating hamsters (4 weeks), cold exposed (4 weeks) and age-matched controls. 2....

Behavioral models of cold responses are important tools for exploring the molecular mechanisms of cold sensation. To complement the currently cold behavioral assays and allow further studies of these mechanisms, we have developed a new technique to measure the cold response threshold, the cold plantar assay. In this assay, animals are acclimated on a glass plate and a cold stimulus is applied t...

We investigated the role of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and the effects of PLA2 products (polyunsaturated fatty acids and lysophospholipids) on the cold-sensitive channel transient receptor potential (melastatin)-8 (TRPM8), heterologously expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. TRPM8 responses to cold and the agonist icilin were abolished by inhibitors of the calcium-independent (iPLA2) form of t...

The objective of the study was to examine the influence of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition on circulatory responses to standardized stress tests in primary mild to moderate hypertension. Patients (n = 28) received 5 mg ramipril daily or placebo for 6 weeks in a double-blind crossover design, followed by 6 months of open ramipril treatment. Mental stress (a 20-min Stroop's color w...