As a special form of noncoding RNAs, circular RNAs (circRNAs) played important roles in regulating cancer progression mainly by functioning as miRNA sponge. While the function of circular RNA-ITCH (cir-ITCH) in lung cancer is still less reported, in this study, we firstly detected the expression of cir-ITCH in tumor tissues and paired adjacent noncancer tissues of 78 patients with lung cancer u...

evere chronic itch is debilitating symptom that results from a large umber of pathological conditions including skin disorders, organ ailure, and even some types of cancers [1]. In particular, conditions hat are associated with inflammation of the skin—such as atopic ermatitis and contact dermatitis—commonly result in itch that is ifficult to treat. Moreover, excessive scratching causes skin da...

Chronic itch is a debilitating condition that affects one in 10 people. Little is known about the molecules that mediate chronic itch in primary sensory neurons and skin. We demonstrate that the ion channel TRPA1 is required for chronic itch. Using a mouse model of chronic itch, we show that scratching evoked by impaired skin barrier is abolished in TRPA1-deficient animals. This model recapitul...

Recent discoveries in itch neurophysiology include itch-selective neuronal pathways, the clinically relevant non-histaminergic pathway, and elucidation of the notable similarities and differences between itch and pain. Potential involvement of glial cells in itch processing and the possibility of glial modulation of chronic itch have recently been identified, similarly to the established glial ...

Chronic itch affects millions of patients worldwide and has a significant impact on quality of life. The assessment of itch and its associated effects is a significant component of clinical practice in itch management. Despite itch being a common complaint, there are few studies describing the use of structured questionnaires for evaluation and measurement of itch and its sensory and affective ...

Itch and pain are two distinct sensory modalities elicited by noxious and pruritic stimuli, respectively. The cellular and electrophysiological characteristics of itch and pain are very similar; thus discerning the mechanical difference between these two sensory modalities has long been elusive. Recent advances in this field have revealed various neuronal receptors responsible for itch and pain...

Itch sensation is provoked by the binding of itch inducing substances (pruritogens) to their cognate receptors (pruriceptors) on peripheral sensory afferents. Because histamine is a well-known pruritogen, antihistamines are the class of agents used most frequently to treat itch. However, antihistamines are not fully effective in some dermatological and systemic diseases characterized by dry ski...

Differences in itch characteristics between different inflammatory dermatoses are not well described. The aim of this study was to assess differences in itch characteristics between patients with psoriasis and atopic dermatitis using a previously validated web-based questionnaire that was made available through the National Psoriasis Foundation and National Eczema Association for Science and Ed...

The cellular and molecular mechanisms mediating histamine-independent itch in primary sensory neurons are largely unknown. Itch induced by chloroquine (CQ) is a common side effect of this widely used antimalarial drug. Here, we show that Mrgprs, a family of G protein-coupled receptors expressed exclusively in peripheral sensory neurons, function as itch receptors. Mice lacking a cluster of Mrgp...

Although the trichomes (spicules) of a pod of cowhage (Mucuna pruriens) are known to evoke a histamine-independent itch that is mediated by a cysteine protease, little is known of the itch and accompanying nociceptive sensations evoked by a single spicule and the enhanced itch and pain that can occur in the surrounding skin. The tip of a single spicule applied to the forearm of 45 subjects typi...