Spinal extradural arachnoid cysts usually cause symptoms related to spinal cord or nerve root compression. Here, we report an atypical presentation of a spinal extradural arachnoid cyst combined with congenital hemivertebra which was presented as a retroperitoneal mass that exerted mass effects to the abdominal organs. On image studies, the communication between the cystic pedicle and the spina...

Nav1.3 is a tetrodotoxin-sensitive isoform among voltage-gated sodium channels that are closely associated with neuropathic pain. It can be up-regulated following nerve injury, but its biological function remains uncertain. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous non-coding RNAs that can regulate post-transcriptional gene expression by binding with their target mRNAs. Using Target Scan software, we d...

We show that transsynaptic apoptosis is induced in the superficial dorsal horn (laminas I-III) of the spinal cord by three distinct partial peripheral nerve lesions: spared nerve injury, chronic constriction, and spinal nerve ligation. Ongoing activity in primary afferents of the injured nerve and glutamatergic transmission cause a caspase-dependent degeneration of dorsal horn neurons that is s...

Cell membrane has a critical and vital role in functioning and existence of nerve cells that form central nervous system (CNS) in mammals. Disruption of nerve membrane that normally occurs following an accident injuring spinal cord is known to be the major cause of paralysis. In most occasions, spinal cord injuries are not leading to complete cut in spinal cord fibers but are known to cause cru...

Increased glutamatergic input to spinal dorsal horn neurons constitutes an important mechanism for neuropathic pain. However, the role of group III metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in regulation of nociception and dorsal horn neurons in normal and neuropathic pain conditions is not fully known. In this study, we determined the effect of the group III mGluR specific agonist L(+)-2-amino...

Neuropathic pain (NP) caused by nerve injuries continues to be an intractable challenge due to inadequate therapeutic strategies. Recent study demonstrated glia-induced neuro-inflammation in the spinal cord, especially the activation of astrocytes, plays an essential role in the development of NP, which opens new avenues for NP treatment. In this study, we explored the anti-hyperalgesia propert...

Lymphocyte is one of the subtypes of white blood cell (WBC) in immune system. Lymphocytes contain T cells, natural killer cells , and B cells. They are the head type of cell found in lymph, which for this reason the name "lymphocyte". Lymphocytes can be recognized by their large nucleus. Infiltration of immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS) helps the start of chronic pain. ...

Autophagy is an intracellular membrane trafficking pathway controlling the delivery of cytoplasmic material to the lysosomes for degradation. It plays an important role in cell homeostasis in both normal settings and abnormal, stressful conditions. It is now recognised that an imbalance in the autophagic process can impact basal cell functions and this has recently been implicated in several hu...

BACKGROUND Plants rich in flavonoids, such as açaí (Euterpe oleraceae Mart.), can induce antinociception in experimental animals. Here, we tested an extract obtained from the stones of açaí fruits (açaí stone extract, ASE), a native plant from the Amazon region of Brazil, in models of acute/inflammatory and chronic pain. METHODS Antinociceptive effects of ASE were evaluated in the hot plate, ...