Sir, We read with interest the recent paper of Gibb et al. (1985) in which reversible coma in Wernicke's encephalopathy was reported. Treatment with thiamine was successful in that the patient regained consciousness but unsuccessful in preventing the residual amnestic defect of Korsakoff's encephalopathy. In a similar report (Wallis et al., 1978) four comatose patients with the Wernicke syndrom...

BACKGROUND Even though inflammation is a traditional tool for the induction of hyperalgesia in many tissues, recent observations suggest that not all inflammatory processes produce this change. Tolerance to colorectal distension (CRD) is reduced in patients with acute ulcerative colitis but is increased in patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease. This suggests that the nature of the in...

The effects of dyadic satisfaction and conflict have not been well defined in the hemodialysis (HD) population. The aim of this study was to determine whether the perception of decreased dyadic satisfaction was associated with mortality in patients treated with HD, and if so, whether there were different relationships between risk factors, and differential outcomes in men and women. A total of ...

This perspective attempts to outline the emerging role of positron emission tomography (PET) ligand activation studies in human exercise research. By focusing on the endorphinergic system and its acclaimed role for exercise-induced antinociception and mood enhancement, we like to emphasize the unique potential of ligand PET applied to human athletes for uncovering the neurochemistry of exercise...

Local analgesic effects of exogenous opioid agonists are particularly prominent in painful inflammatory conditions and are mediated by opioid receptors on peripheral sensory nerves. The endogenous ligands of these receptors, opioid peptides, have been demonstrated in resident immune cells within inflamed tissue of animals and humans. Here we examine in vivo and in vitro whether interleukin 1 be...

It is known that the opioid peptide dynorphin A has a broad distribution throughout the neuraxis. Recent biochemical studies have extended the sequence of dynorphin A by 15 amino acids to include another [Leu]enkephalin-containing peptide known as dynorphin B. These sequence data have been validated by the elucidation of the structure of the hypothalamic mRNA coding for alpha- and beta-neo-endo...

In Mammals, opioid peptides are involved in various physiological processes including the reproductive function. The knowledge of the distribution of beta-endorphin, one of opioid peptides in Reptiles ovaries is very limited. Therefore, the present study used the lizard ovarian follicles to further elucidate the role of this peptide in steroidogenesis. In Uromastyx acanthinura, the localization...

Abstract Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a prevalent and impairing behavior, affecting individuals with without additional psychopathology. To shed further light on biological processes that precede result from NSSI acts, we built previous cross-sectional evidence suggesting the endogenous opioid system, especially β-endorphin, involved in psychopathology of NSSI. This first study assessing s...

Endorphins and endorphin agonists play a crucial role in the neural modulation of mood, anxiety, pain and addiction. Historical, experimental and clinical data strongly support the potential benefits of opiates for severe depression, addictive disorders, pain and psychosis. Recent studies have also elucidated a crucial mechanism of treating depressionenhancing prefrontal cortex influence and da...