Background: Pruritus is a distressing symptom of cholestatic, inflammatory, and malignant liver diseases. It is a common symptom in many biliary and cholestatic disorders such as primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Sever...Background: Pruritus is a distressing symptom of cholestatic, inflammatory, and malignant liver diseases. It is a common symptom in many biliary and cholestatic disorders such as primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Several mechanisms are generally accepted as possible explanations to the underlying basis of itch. However, the exact pathophysiology of pruritus in liver diseases remains unclear. The cutaneous and central neurobiology of pruritus is complex and underlies a regulation of variable mechanisms. At present, not all mechanisms including neuromediators and receptors are known. Objective: Our objective is to evaluate whether the expression pattern of NGF and its receptor TrK A has a role in pruritus in a group of Egyptian cirrhotic patients. Patients and Methods: Forty Patients with liver cirrhosis were enrolled in the study depending on clinical evidence of stigmata of chronic liver disease (e.g. jaundice, ascites, palmar erythema, spider naevi, etc.) and ultrasonographic features of liver cirrhosis (e.g. coarse echo texture, shrunken liver, etc.). Patients were divided into two groups. Group (1): included 20 patients cirrhotic patients without pruritus. Group (2): included 20 patients cirrhotic patients with pruritus. A group of age and sex matched healthy twenty volunteers as a control. Results: After evaluation of histopathological using hematoxylin and eosin stained sections (H&E) was done. There was positive correlation between NGF protein expression and severity of pruritus in cirrhotic patients with pruritus (r = 0.876, p value ≤ 0.001). Also there was positive correlation between TrK A protein expression and severity of pruritus in cirrhotic patients with pruritus (r = 0.44, p value ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: We report, for the first time, role of these proteins (NGF/TrK A) in the mechanism of pruritus in cirrhotic patients and may provide a potential target for new treatment of pruritus in cirrhotic.展开更多
This article discusses the effects of estrogen on the expression of estrogen receptor （ER）, nerve growth factor （NGF）, and choline acetyltransferase （CHAT） in the cerebellum of rats. The model of aging female ra...This article discusses the effects of estrogen on the expression of estrogen receptor （ER）, nerve growth factor （NGF）, and choline acetyltransferase （CHAT） in the cerebellum of rats. The model of aging female rat was established to study the expression and distribution of ER, NGF, and ChAT in the cerebellum following 17β-estradiol treatment using the technique of immunohistochemical ultrasensitive SP in sprague-dawley rat. The immunoreactive productions were distributed in stratum Purkinje cell, nucleus dentatus, nucleus interpositus, and nucleus fastigii of cerebellum, and the ER positive production was mainly located in the plasma, cytoplasmic membrane, and neurite, and also existed in nucleus. The general tendency of the expression of ER, NGF, and ChAT positive production in the cerebellum cortex and nuclei of aging rat significantly decreases, while the intensity and quantity of the immunoreactive production ascends predominantly after 17β-estradiol treatment. Simultaneously, the positive neurite of Purkinje cell shows a similar tendency. The above- mentioned results suggest that the estrogen upregulates the expression of NGF and CHAT, and plays a vital role in sustaining and protecting the structure and function of cerebellum neurons. Furthermore, the similarity of their changing tendency implies that they were correlated and cooperated during the course in effect of estrogen on cerebellum. It also showed that the action of estrogen in cerebellum could be via genomic and nongenomic mechanism.展开更多
文摘Background: Pruritus is a distressing symptom of cholestatic, inflammatory, and malignant liver diseases. It is a common symptom in many biliary and cholestatic disorders such as primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Several mechanisms are generally accepted as possible explanations to the underlying basis of itch. However, the exact pathophysiology of pruritus in liver diseases remains unclear. The cutaneous and central neurobiology of pruritus is complex and underlies a regulation of variable mechanisms. At present, not all mechanisms including neuromediators and receptors are known. Objective: Our objective is to evaluate whether the expression pattern of NGF and its receptor TrK A has a role in pruritus in a group of Egyptian cirrhotic patients. Patients and Methods: Forty Patients with liver cirrhosis were enrolled in the study depending on clinical evidence of stigmata of chronic liver disease (e.g. jaundice, ascites, palmar erythema, spider naevi, etc.) and ultrasonographic features of liver cirrhosis (e.g. coarse echo texture, shrunken liver, etc.). Patients were divided into two groups. Group (1): included 20 patients cirrhotic patients without pruritus. Group (2): included 20 patients cirrhotic patients with pruritus. A group of age and sex matched healthy twenty volunteers as a control. Results: After evaluation of histopathological using hematoxylin and eosin stained sections (H&E) was done. There was positive correlation between NGF protein expression and severity of pruritus in cirrhotic patients with pruritus (r = 0.876, p value ≤ 0.001). Also there was positive correlation between TrK A protein expression and severity of pruritus in cirrhotic patients with pruritus (r = 0.44, p value ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: We report, for the first time, role of these proteins (NGF/TrK A) in the mechanism of pruritus in cirrhotic patients and may provide a potential target for new treatment of pruritus in cirrhotic.
文摘This article discusses the effects of estrogen on the expression of estrogen receptor （ER）, nerve growth factor （NGF）, and choline acetyltransferase （CHAT） in the cerebellum of rats. The model of aging female rat was established to study the expression and distribution of ER, NGF, and ChAT in the cerebellum following 17β-estradiol treatment using the technique of immunohistochemical ultrasensitive SP in sprague-dawley rat. The immunoreactive productions were distributed in stratum Purkinje cell, nucleus dentatus, nucleus interpositus, and nucleus fastigii of cerebellum, and the ER positive production was mainly located in the plasma, cytoplasmic membrane, and neurite, and also existed in nucleus. The general tendency of the expression of ER, NGF, and ChAT positive production in the cerebellum cortex and nuclei of aging rat significantly decreases, while the intensity and quantity of the immunoreactive production ascends predominantly after 17β-estradiol treatment. Simultaneously, the positive neurite of Purkinje cell shows a similar tendency. The above- mentioned results suggest that the estrogen upregulates the expression of NGF and CHAT, and plays a vital role in sustaining and protecting the structure and function of cerebellum neurons. Furthermore, the similarity of their changing tendency implies that they were correlated and cooperated during the course in effect of estrogen on cerebellum. It also showed that the action of estrogen in cerebellum could be via genomic and nongenomic mechanism.
