The ectoparasitic mite Pyemotes tritici (Lagrèze-Fossat & Montané) (Acari: Pyemotidae) caused paralysis and reduced longevity in eucalyptus longhorned borer, Phoracantha semipunctata F., under laboratory rearing conditions. Application of dusting sulfur to logs that contained pupating borers greatly reduced densities of mites on emerging adult beetles and increased beetle survivorship. Uniform ...

The association between itch and suicidal ideation has not been explored previously in the general population. The aim of the present study is to analyse the association between itch and suicidal ideation in adolescents, and to compare the findings with an expected association between pain and suicidal ideation in the same sample. A total of 4,744 adolescents were invited to join the questionna...

This Review highlights selected frontiers in pruritus research and focuses on recently attained insights into the neurophysiological, neuroimmunological, and neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying skin-derived itch (pruritogenic pruritus), which may affect future antipruritic strategies. Special attention is paid to newly identified itch-specific neuronal pathways in the spinothalamic tract that ...

Itch is the major symptom of many allergic or inflammatory skin diseases, yet it is still difficult to measure objectively. This article shows and updates the development and approaches of central nervous system investigation of itch.Human neuroimaging studies on the physiology and pathophysiology of itch sensation have been hampered by the lack of a reproducible "on-off" stimulus. Short-term a...

Increasing evidence suggests that Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) contributes importantly to spinal cord glial activation and chronic pain sensitization; however, its unique role in acute and chronic itch is unclear. In this study, we investigated the involvement of TLR4 in acute and chronic itch models in male mice using both transgenic and pharmacological approaches. Tlr4 mice exhibited normal ac...

Chronic itch, or pruritus, is associated with a wide range of skin abnormalities. The mechanisms responsible for chronic itch induction and persistence remain unclear. We developed a mouse model in which a constitutively active form of the serine/threonine kinase BRAF was expressed in neurons gated by the sodium channel Nav1.8 (BRAF(Nav1.8) mice). We found that constitutive BRAF pathway activat...

The neurophysiology of itch, the dominant symptom of skin disease, has previously received scant attention. Recent advances in the neurophysiology and molecular basis of itch include the use of microneurography to demonstrate the existence of a subset of itch-dedicated afferent C neurons distinct from neurons which transmit pain; use of functional positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic...

How neuropeptides in the primate spinal cord regulate itch and pain is largely unknown. Here we elucidate the sensory functions of spinal opioid-related peptides and gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) in awake, behaving monkeys. Following intrathecal administration, β-endorphin (10-100 nmol) and GRP (1-10 nmol) dose-dependently elicit the same degree of robust itch scratching, which can be inhibit...

The perception of itch in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is not characterized. Patients with primary biliary cirrhosis who were members of the PBCers Organization were invited to participate in an on-line survey addressing certain characteristics of their itch. Patients used their own words in the questions that asked for descriptions. A total of 238 subjects responded to the survey; of these,...

BACKGROUND Pruritus is a common and frustrating symptom in hemodialysis (HD) patients and 5-D itch scale is proposed as a reliable measurement of pruritus. However, information regarding 5-D itch scale categories is currently unavailable. We explored optimal cut-offs 5-D itching scale based on numerical rating scale (NRS) categories in HD patients. METHODS Four hundred and nine HD patients in...