Therapeutic Potential of α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Agonists in a Murine Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis
According to van Maanen et al., and their recent publication in PLoS One, two new experimental compounds affecting the acetylcholine-receptor system are able to delay collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice, showing the therapeutic potential of chemicals targeting the α7 subunit of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7nAChR). Previous research revealed that the efferent vagus nerve may decrease […]
Anxiety, Depression and Obesity May Jointly Contribute To Asthma Development
A recent study by M. Brumpton et al., published in the International Journal of Epidemiology has shed light on the complex interactions and joint effects of anxiety, depression and obesity on the onset and development of asthma. Approximately 300 million people suffer from asthma, amounting to nearly 1% of the total global disease burden, worldwide. […]
Evidence that Napping May Correct Interleukin-6 Changes and the Stress Induction Caused By Sleep Deprivation
A study published in the March issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) indicates that short-term napping is able to restore, to a great extent, the neurohormonal and immune changes induced by sleep deprivation. Insufficient sleep is well-known to be associated with poor attention and performance deficits. However, an increasing body of […]
Blood Levels of the New Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine IL-37 Are Increased In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
A recent study published in PLoS One suggests that interleukin (IL)-17 is involved in a control circuit that tries to regulate inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-17A and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Early intervention and treatment of RA is based on disease-modifying […]
TRPV1 Sensory Nerves May Be Key to the Genesis of Airway Hyperreactivity in Experimental Asthma
A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) of the USA implicates the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1)-expressing sensory nerves in the pathogenesis of asthma and/or asthma attacks. The TRPV1 receptor, initially identified as the receptor for capsaicin, the hot component of chilli peppers, is typically expressed in sensory […]
Blocking IL-12 and IL-23 in APPPS1 Mouse Model Shows Promise as an Experimental Therapeutic Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease
A recent study, published in Nature Medicine is perhaps the first one to show interleukin (IL)-23 involvement, and implicates both IL-23 and IL-12, key pro-inflammatory cytokines in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Importantly, it also demonstrates that in the APPPS1 Alzheimer’s disease mouse model, preventing the effects of these mediators, or ‘immune hormones’, with antibodies […]
New Evidence Indicates that Oxytocin Deficiency May Represent a Biomarker of Anxiety in Children
A study by Karen Parker and her research team from the Stanford University School of Medicine links low levels of oxytocin with anxiety in children. Recent evidence indicates that oxytocin is an anxiolytic hormone, as it decreases the release of stress hormones, while oxytocin imbalances have been associated with both anxiety (HJ Lee et al., […]
Vagus Nerve Stimulation Ameliorates Disease Activity in a Rodent Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis
A study published in PLoS ONE is perhaps the first to demonstrate that electrical neurostimulation of the vagus nerve reduces signs of inflammation and disease severity in the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a disease model of rheumatoid arthritis in rodents. Previous research indicates that cholinergic signaling along the vagus nerve is able to affect the production […]
High Neonatal Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-1 (MCP-1) Levels May Represent an Early Marker of Autism
A study published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation indicates that the chemokine monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) may represent an early marker for ASD. Immune dysregulation and markers of inflammation have been associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Yet, most of the prior studies have used specimens taken after clinical diagnosis, and even with the relatively […]
The Combination of Cortisol Diurnal Variation, IL-6 and TNF-α as Potential Diagnostic Marker in Autism
A study published in the Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders Journal indicates that cortisol, IL-6 and TNF-α may become useful markers for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). At present, 1 in 68 children in the US, and 1 in 100, in the UK, develop ASD. This is approximately a 30% increase versus the previous estimates reported […]
