Dopamine Inputs from the Ventral Tegmental Area into the Medial Prefrontal Cortex Modulate Neuropathic Pain-Associated Behaviors in Mice.

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a brain region involved in the affective components of pain and undergoes plasticity during the development of chronic pain. Dopamine (DA) is a key neuromodulator in the mesocortical circuit and modulates working memory and aversion. Although DA inputs into the mPFC are known to modulate plasticity, whether and how these inputs affect pain remains incompletely understood. By using optogenetics, we find that phasic activation of DA inputs from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) into the mPFC reduce mechanical hypersensitivity during neuropathic pain states. Mice with neuropathic pain exhibit a preference for contexts paired with photostimulation of DA terminals in the mPFC. Fiber photometry-based calcium imaging reveals that DA increases the activity of mPFC neurons projecting to the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG). Together, our findings indicate an important role of mPFC DA signaling in pain modulation.

Association of vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to bone and joint tuberculosis in Chinese Han population / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the association between vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene Apa I polymorphism and the susceptibility to bone and joint tuberculosis in Chinese Han population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Between May, 2015 and June, 2016, 100 patients with bone and joint tuberculosis and 100 healthy volunteers were recruited concomitantly in Heyuan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Vitamin D receptor gene Apa I polymorphisms in these subjects were analyzed using SNaPshot.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The genotype frequencies of Apa I-AA, Apa I-Aa and Apa I-aa were 51%, 41%, and 8% in the case group and 33%, 55%, and 12% in the control group, respectively, showing significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05). The genotype of Apa I-AA was significantly higher in the case group with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.073 (95% CI: 1.142-3.763).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The Apa I polymorphisms of the VDR gene are associated with the susceptibility to bone and joint tuberculosis in Chinese Han population, and individuals with a Apa I-AA genotype are at greater risks to develop bone and joint tuberculosis.</p>