There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

More than any other cytokine family, the interleukin (IL)-1 family is closely linked to the innate immune response. This linkage became evident upon the discovery that the cytoplasmic domain of the IL-1 receptor type I is highly homologous to the cytoplasmic domains of all Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Thus, fundamental inflammatory responses such as the induction of cyclooxygenase type 2, increased expression of adhesion molecules, or synthesis of nitric oxide are indistinguishable responses of both IL-1 and TLR ligands. Both families nonspecifically affect antigen recognition and lymphocyte function. IL-1β is the most studied member of the IL-1 family because of its role in mediating autoinflammatory diseases. Although the TLR and IL-1 families evolved to assist in host defense against infection, unlike the TLR family, the IL-1 family also includes members that suppress inflammation, both specifically within the IL-1 family but also nonspecifically for TLR ligands and the innate immune response.

Immunological and Inflammatory Functions of the Interleukin-1 Family

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), whether produced endogenously as a consequence of normal cell functions or derived from external sources, pose a constant threat to cells living in an aerobic environment as they can result in severe damage to DNA, protein, and lipids. The importance of oxidative damage to the pathogenesis of many diseases as well as to degenerative processes of aging has becoming increasingly apparent over the past few years. Cells contain a number of antioxidant defenses to minimize fluctuations in ROS, but ROS generation often exceeds the cell's antioxidant capacity, resulting in a condition termed oxidative stress. Host survival depends upon the ability of cells and tissues to adapt to or resist the stress, and repair or remove damaged molecules or cells. Numerous stress response mechanisms have evolved for these purposes, and they are rapidly activated in response to oxidative insults. Some of the pathways are preferentially linked to enhanced survival, while others are more frequently associated with cell death. Still others have been implicated in both extremes depending on the particular circumstances. In this review, we discuss the various signaling pathways known to be activated in response to oxidative stress in mammalian cells, the mechanisms leading to their activation, and their roles in influencing cell survival. These pathways constitute important avenues for therapeutic interventions aimed at limiting oxidative damage or attenuating its sequelae.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jcp.10119

Cellular response to oxidative stress: signaling for suicide and survival.

http://yael-nissan.weebly.com/uploads/5/2/9/2/5292348/the_introduction_to_pain_an_integrative_review_-_millan.pdf

The induction of pain: an integrative review

The changing faces of glutathione, a cellular protagonist

Our experiments were conducted to determine whether substance P (SP) would elicit an itch sensation mediated by mast cells in mice. An intradermal injection of SP (10-135 microgram site-1) into the rostral back of the ICR mouse dose-dependently produced scratching of the injected site. The SP- (135 microgram site-1 = 100 nmol site-1) induced scratching was inhibited by capsaicin (repeated administration) and naloxone; features being similar to itch in humans. SP elicited scratching in mast cell-deficient (WBB6F1 W/Wv) mice as well as control (+/+) mice. Pretreatment with compound 48/80 produced similar degrees of inhibition of SP-induced scratching in mast cell-deficient mice as well as control +/+ and ICR mice. Intradermal injections of the NK1 receptor agonist GR73632 produced dose-dependent scratching, while the NK2 agonist GR64349 and the NK3 agonist senktide were without effects. SP-induced scratching was inhibited by the NK1 receptor antagonists spantide and L-668,169, but not by the NK2 antagonist L-659,877. The results suggest that scratching of the mouse induced by an i.d. injection of SP is itch-associated response. The SP action may be mediated at least partly by cutaneous NK1 receptors, and mast cells may not be key factors in SP-induced itching.

Substance P Induction of Itch-Associated Response Mediated by Cutaneous NK1 Tachykinin Receptors in Mice

http://www.jbc.org/content/277/12/9655.full.pdf

The roles of thioredoxin in protection against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells.

Involvement of increased expression of transient receptor potential melastatin 8 in oxaliplatin-induced cold allodynia in mice.

Differential Activation of Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene Promoters I and III by Ca2+ Signals Evoked vial-type Voltage-dependent andN-Methyl-d-aspartate Receptor Ca2+Channels

Tsugunobu Andoh

Papers

Substance P Induction of Itch-Associated Response Mediated by Cutaneous NK1 Tachykinin Receptors in Mice

The roles of thioredoxin in protection against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells.

Involvement of increased expression of transient receptor potential melastatin 8 in oxaliplatin-induced cold allodynia in mice.

Differential Activation of Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene Promoters I and III by Ca2+ Signals Evoked vial-type Voltage-dependent andN-Methyl-d-aspartate Receptor Ca2+Channels

Intradermal leukotriene B4, but not prostaglandin E2, induces itch-associated responses in mice