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Patients with chronic pain are affected psychologically and socially. There are also individual differences in treatment efficacy. Insufficient research has been conducted on genetic polymorphisms that are related to individual differences in the susceptibility to chronic pain. Autoimmune disorders can lead to inflammation and chronic pain; therefore, we focused on the autoimmune-related protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2/F2RL1) and interleukin 17A (IL-17A/IL17A) genes. PAR2 and IL-17A are associated with autoimmune diseases that lead to chronic pain, and PAR2 regulates T-helper (Th) cell activation and differentiation. We hypothesized that the PAR2 and IL-17A genes are associated with chronic pain. The present study used a case–control design to statistically examine associations between genetic polymorphisms and the vulnerability to chronic pain. The rs2243057 polymorphism of the PAR2 gene and rs3819025 polymorphism of the IL-17A gene were previously reported to be associated with pain- or autoimmune-related phenotypes. Thus, these polymorphisms were investigated in the present study. We found that both rs2243057 and rs3819025 were significantly associated with a susceptibility to chronic pain. The present findings revealed autoimmune-related genetic factors that are involved in individual differences in chronic pain, further aiding understanding of the pathomechanism that underlies chronic pain and possibly contributing to future personalized medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Varying temperature affects cardiac systolic and diastolic function and the left ventricular (LV) pressure-time curve (PTC) waveform that includes information about LV inotropism and lusitropism. Our proposed half-logistic (h-L) time constants obtained by fitting using h-L functions for four segmental phases (Phases I-IV) in the isovolumic LV PTC are more useful indices for estimating LV inotropism and lusitropism during contraction and relaxation periods than the mono-exponential (m-E) time constants at normal temperature. In this study, we investigated whether the superiority of the goodness of h-L fits remained even at hypothermia and hyperthermia. Phases I-IV in the isovolumic LV PTCs in eight excised, cross-circulated canine hearts at 33, 36, and 38°C were analyzed using h-L and m-E functions and the least-squares method. The h-L and m-E time constants for Phases I-IV significantly shortened with increasing temperature. Curve fitting using h-L functions was significantly better than that using m-E functions for Phases I-IV at all temperatures. Therefore, the superiority of the goodness of h-L fit vs. m-E fit remained at all temperatures. As LV inotropic and lusitropic indices, temperature-dependent h-L time constants could be more useful than m-E time constants for Phases I-IV. Key words: hyperthermia, hypothermia, inotropism, lusitropism, mono-exponential time constant. Les variations de temperature affectent les fonctions cardiaques systolique et diastolique ainsi que la forme de la courbe temporelle des pressions (CTP) ventriculaires gauches (VG) qui contient des renseignements sur l'inotropisme et le lusitropisme VG. A temperature normale, les constantes de temps semi-logistiques (h-L) obtenues en ajustant les fonctions h-L a quatre phases segmentaires (phases I a IV) de la CTP VG isovolumetrique constituent des indices plus utiles a l'estimation de l'inotropisme et du lusitropisme VG pendant les periodes de contraction et de relaxation que les constantes de temps monoexponentielles (m-E). Dans cette etude, nous avons tente d'evaluer si la superiorite de l'ajustement des donnees h-L persistait en conditions d'hypothermie et d'hyperthermie. A l'aide des fonctions h-L et m- E ainsi que de la methode des moindres carres, nous avons analyse les phases I a IV des CTPVGisovolumetriques de huitcreurs canins excises sous circulation croisee a 33,36 et 38°C. Les constantes de temps h-L et m-E pour les phases I a IV ont nettement diminue en augmentant la temperature. A toutes les temperatures etudiees, l'ajustement aux phases I a IV avec les fonctions h-L etait bien meilleur qu'avec les fonctions mE. Par consequent, la superiorite de l'ajustement des phases avec les donnees h-L p/r a l'ajustement avec les donnees m-E persistait a toutes les temperatures etudiees. En tant qu'indices de l'inotropisme et du lusitropisme VG, les constantes de temps h-L dependantes de la temperature pourraient etre plus utiles pour les phases I a IV que les constantes de temps mE. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: hyperthermie, hypothermie, inotropisme, lusitropisme, constante de temps mono-exponentielle., Introduction It is well known that varying temperature affects cardiac systolic and diastolic functions and the left ventricular (LV) pressuretime curve (PTC) waveform that includes information about LV inotropism and [...]

Abstract: Temperature changes influence cardiac diastolic function. The monoexponential time constant ([τ.sub.E]), which is a conventional lusitropic index of the rate of left ventricular (LV) pressure fall, increases with cooling [...]

Zonal differences of DNA synthesis in hepatocytes caused by hepatocyte growth factor and/or scatter factor (HGF/SF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were studied utilizing male Wistar rats under fed or starved conditions. Findings showed that, in contrast to HGF/SF, zonal difference of DNA synthesis by EGF is affected by nutritional conditions. Also, DNA synthesis induced by HGF/SF might be related to tyrosine kinase, but the effect of tyrosine kinase on DNA synthesis is different between HGF/SF and EGF.