Journal of hepatology
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Journal of hepatology · Apr 2008
Case ReportsSignificant improvement of portopulmonary hypertension after 1-week terlipressin treatment.
Cirrhosis associated with moderate and severe portopulmonary hypertension carries a poor prognosis. Optimal management has not yet been defined. ⋯ Here, we report the significant reduction of pulmonary arterial pressure after 1-week terlipressin treatment in a patient with concomitant hepato-renal syndrome. Terlipressin could be a novel and safe treatment for portopulmonary hypertension.
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Journal of hepatology · Apr 2008
CommentGastrin-releasing peptide and pruritus: more than just scratching the surface.
A gastrin-releasing peptide receptor mediates the itch sensation in the spinal cord. Sun YG, Chen ZF. Itching, or pruritus, is defined as an unpleasant cutaneous sensation that serves as a physiological self-protective mechanism to prevent the body from being hurt by harmful external agents. ⋯ Moreover, direct spinal cerebrospinal fluid injection of a GRPR antagonist significantly inhibited scratching behaviour in three independent itch models. These data demonstrate that GRPR is required for mediating the itch sensation rather than pain, at the spinal level. Our results thus indicate that GRPR may represent the first molecule that is dedicated to mediating the itch sensation in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, and thus may provide a central therapeutic target for anti-pruritic drug development.