Many neurotropic viruses exist and may cause classical inflammation but also low-level neuroinflammation. However, viruses may be dormant within the CNS and become active later. The role of neurotropic virus infections in the causation of psychiatric disorders may be underestimated, because the diagnostic approach to the CNS is difficult and to dormant infections in general, but especially with...

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...

Pulpal inflammation can result from mechanical, chemical, or bacterial insult. The initial vascular reactions during inflammation in the dental pulp are vasodilation and increased vascular permeability. These vascular reactions are induced by activation of sensory nerve endings of C-fiber. This condition is called neurogenic inflammation. The inflammatory process in the pulp does not differ sig...

BACKGROUND Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a primary progressive neurodegenerative disease characterised by neuronal loss of lower motor neurons (in the spinal cord and brainstem) and/or upper motor neurons (in the motor cortex) and subsequent denervation atrophy of skeletal muscle. AIM A comprehensive examination of muscle pathology from a cohort of clinically confirmed ALS patients, ...

Volatile anesthetics have been the major anesthetics used clinically for more than 150 years. They provide all components of general anesthesia and are easy to be applied and monitored with modern equipment and technology. In addition to having anesthetic property, volatile anesthetics have multiple other effects. Many studies have clearly shown that volatile anesthetics can reduce systemic and...

There is growing evidence for extensive interaction between sensory neurons, immune and mucosal epithelial cells during airway inflammation and hyperreactivity. This neuro-immune cross-talk (neurogenic inflammation) involves different groups of mediators, which include the neurotrophin family (nerve growth factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 and -4). Neurotrophin...