Nature
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Comment Letter Historical Article
Religion: Islamic science fading before colonialism.
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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. Chronic itch represents a significant clinical problem resulting from renal diseases and liver diseases, as well as several serious skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis. The identity of the itch-specific mediator in the central nervous system, however, remains elusive. ⋯ 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 antipruritic drug development.