Here we present evidence from two individuals suggestive that this condition, long thought to be entirely psychological in origin, actually has a neurological VE-822 supplier basis. We found heightened skin conductance response to pinprick below the desired line of amputation. We propose apotemnophilia arises from congenital dysfunction of the right superior parietal lobule and its connection with the insula. NeuroReport 19:1305-1306 (c) 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.”
“Essential thrombocythemia
( ET) is a chronic myeloproliferative disorder, characterized by increased proliferation of megakaryocytes and elevated platelet count that usually occurs sporadically. We report a family with seven affected individuals in three generations, including one individual with a phenotype resembling polycythemia vera, a related disorder. Megakaryocyte (CFU-MK) colony formation occurred in the absence of added cytokines in cultures of peripheral blood from affected family members. Some reports of familial ET have identified mutations in THPO and MPL, the genes for a cytokine (thrombopoietin, TPO) that regulates platelet production and its receptor (c-MPL), respectively. In this family, the MPL gene was excluded by linkage analysis. Although TPO levels were elevated
in most affected family members and evidence for linkage was found between the disease and THPO (theta = 0.0, Z(max) = 3.0), a THPO mutation was not identified by DNA sequencing. The JAK2 V617F mutation that has been associated with 50% of DihydrotestosteroneDHT nmr sporadic cases of ET was identified as a somatic mutation, an acquired
defect, in peripheral blood of the two most severely affected family members. These patients also had elevated TPO levels. Further study of familial myeloproliferative diseases will help elucidate the initiating genetic events underlying ET.”
“Nitric oxide and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) have been implicated in craniofacial pain including migraine headache, and CGRP induces face-grooming indicative of nocifensive behavior in animals. The aim Farnesyltransferase of this study was to test whether systemic administration of nitroglycerin (NTG) influences the CGRP-induced behavior in awake rats and whether sumatriptan, a 5-HTIB/ID receptor agonist, can block the effects of NTG. CGRP was not significantly different from normal saline in inducing face-grooming behavior but NTG facilitated the effect of CGRP. Furthermore, sumatriptan was found to block the effect of NTG. These data suggest that facilitatory processes involving nitric oxide may be necessary for CGRP to play a role in some craniofacial pain conditions including possibly migraine headache. NeuroReport 19:1307-1311 (c) 2008 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.