OBJECTIVE To investigate whether filaggrin gene defects, present in up to one in 10 western Europeans and North Americans, increase the risk of developing allergic sensitisation and allergic disorders. DESIGN Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES Medline, Embase, ISI Science Citation Index, BIOSIS, ISI Web of Knowledge, UK National Research Register, clinical trials.gov, the Ind...

Similarly to various other addictive substances, methamphetamine (Met) produces, following repeated application, a strong increase in behavioural responses (particularly locomotor behaviour), a phenomenon termed behavioural sensitisation. In our previous studies we tested the effects of various psychotropic drugs on behavioural sensitisation to Met, particularly the effects of cannabinoid recep...

Some patients awaiting heart transplantation may develop positive panel reactive antibodies (PRA). Several reports have demonstrated that pre-transplant sensitisation is associated with decreased survival and a higher rejection rate, and leads to the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy. We describe our experience with a highly sensitised transplant recipient. To reduce sensitisation, ...

The atopic syndrome consists of a number of diseases affecting different organs, e.g. allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis and atopic eczema. A person may have one or more of these diseases that may also vary with time, depending partly on exposure to triggers. The atopic phenotype has a strong hereditary component. About 40% of children are born with this hereditary trai...

BACKGROUND To estimate the effectiveness of routine antenatal anti-D prophylaxis for preventing sensitisation in pregnant Rhesus negative women, and to explore whether this depends on the treatment regimen adopted. METHODS Ten studies identified in a previous systematic literature search were included. Potential sources of bias were systematically identified using bias checklists, and their i...

The aim of the present study was to gain a better understanding role brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and dopamine D3 receptors in effects chronic methamphetamine (METH) on prepulse inhibition (PPI), an endophenotype psychosis. We compared effect three-week adolescent METH treatment protocol regulation PPI wildtype mice, BDNF heterozygous mice (HET), receptor knockout (D3KO), double-mut...

The amygdala is critical for the production of appropriate responses towards emotional or stressful stimuli. It has a characteristic neuronal activation pattern to acute stressors. Chronic pain and stress have each been shown independently modulate activity amygdala. Few studies investigated effect injury, on stress. This study effects neuropathic injury response an restraint constriction right...