Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018681 (headache)
 56,091 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Topical nitroglycerin has been tried for the alleviation of Raynaud's phenomenon in rheumatic diseases, but its effect is not widely recognized. We evaluated the effect of nitroglycerin tape (NTG tape) for peripheral circulatory failure of 7 patients with rheumatic diseases (4 women and 3 men, aged 35-73 years). The underlying rheumatic diseases included: systemic sclerosis 4 patients, polyarteritis nodosa (PN) 1 patient, cutaneous PN 1 patient and digital microinfarction with pulmonary fibrosis 1 patient. An NTG tape (containing 2.5 mg of nitroglycerin) was applied unilaterally on one forearm or leg, and the change in skin temperature was evaluated by thermography. Skin temperature of the extremities significantly increased at 2 and 3 hours after the application of NTG tape. Feeling of cold and/or pain improved in all patients. Adverse effect was headache in one patient. These results suggest that NTG tape may deserve further use in the treatment of peripheral circulatory failure in patients with rheumatic diseases.
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PMID:[Nitroglycerin tape for Raynaud's phenomenon of rheumatic disease patients--an evaluation of skin temperature by thermography]. 780 Nov 96

Several treatments for anal fissure offer different responses and risks for complications. Reversible chemical sphincterotomy with topical nitroglycerin is an alternative to surgical sphincterotomy. The aim of this observational prospective study was to compare the effectiveness of topical nitroglycerin with the conventional medical treatment. Forty-three patients with anal fissure were treated: 22 (16 chronic and 6 acute) received 0.25% nitroglycerin topically, and 21 (16 chronic and 5 acute) received conventional treatment. Nitroglycerin or placebo was administered in two daily applications for two weeks. Median follow-up was 39 weeks. Healing rate with NTG was 75% for chronic and 83% for acute fissures, but recurrence rate for chronic fissures at 9 months was 67%. Healing rate with placebo for chronic fissures was only anecdotical (1 out of 16 patients). Headache as side effects occurred in 17 cases (77%). In conclusion, both treatments were effective for acute fissures, whereas for chronic ones NTG had a high healing rate but also a high recurrence rate.
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PMID:Long-term results of topical nitroglycerin in the treatment of chronic anal fissures are disappointing. 1187 81

Medication overuse headache is a common complex disorder with physical and psychologic elements. Treatment may be difficult but often is accomplished in an outpatient setting. Some patients require inpatient treatments. An option for some is day treatment with i.v medication in an infusion center over several consecutive days. The two most common classes of drugs that acutely induce headache are NO donors, typified by NTG, and PDE inhibitors, typified by sildenafil. NO donors cause a biphasic headache in migraineurs and PDE inhibitors a monophasic one.
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PMID:Drug-induced headache. 1506 33

Neurophysiological testing has become a valuable tool for investigating brain excitability and nociceptive systems in headache disorders. Previous reviews have suggested that most neurophysiological tests have limited value for headache diagnosis, but a vast potential for exploring the pathophysiology of headaches, the central effects of certain pharmacological treatments and phenotype-genotype correlations. Many protocols, however, lack standardization. This meta-analytical review of neurophysiological methods in migraine was initiated by a task force within the EUROHEAD project (EU Strep LSHM-CT-2004-5044837-Workpackage 9). Most of the neurophysiological approaches that have been used in headache patients are reviewed, i.e. evoked potentials, nociception-specific blink reflex, single-fibre electromyography, neuroimaging methods (functional MRI, PET, and voxel-based morphometry) and the nitroglycerin attack-provoking test. For each of them, we summarize the results, analyse the methodological limitations and propose recommendations for improved methodology and standardization of research protocols. The first part is devoted to electrophysiological methods, the second to neuroimaging techniques and the NTG test.
Cephalalgia 2007 Dec
PMID:Evaluation and proposal for optimalization of neurophysiological tests in migraine: part 1--electrophysiological tests. 1797 Jul 66

Migraine is a highly prevalent headache disorder, especially in women. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor tropomyosin receptor kinases (TrkB), as well as extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and its downstream target c-AMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) are strongly associated with the transmission of nociceptive information. However, the involvement of these substances in migraine has rarely been examined. In the present study, intraperitoneal injection of nitroglycerin (NTC) successfully induced rat migraine attack, as evidenced by behavioral testing. The location and abundance of these substances in the migraine model were determined by immunohistochemistry, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays (ELISA). Results showed that BDNF, TrkB, phosphor(p)-ERK and p-CREB were up-regulated in the brain neurons of both male and female rats with NTG-induced migraine compared to non-migraine control, whereas their expression levels were decreased in headache-free intervals of the migraine compared to migraine attacks. Estrogen is an important contributor to migraine. Female ovariectomized rats showed significant reduction in the expression of BDNF, TrkB, p-CREB and p-ERK in both attacks and intervals of NTG-induced migraine, relative to rats that have their ovaries. But, intraperitoneal administration of exogenous estrogen recovered their expression in ovariectomized rats. Collectively, this study unveiled a positive correlation of BDNF/TrkB and ERK/CREB axes in NTG-induced migraine and promoting effects of estrogen on their signals in the migraine. These findings contribute to further understanding the pathogenesis of migraine in the molecular basis.
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PMID:Involvement of BDNF/TrkB and ERK/CREB axes in nitroglycerin-induced rat migraine and effects of estrogen on these signals in the migraine. 2787 42

Headache disorders are highly prevalent and debilitating, with limited treatment options. Previous studies indicate that many proinflammatory immune cells contribute to headache pathophysiology. Given the well-recognized role of regulatory T (Treg) cells in maintaining immune homeostasis, we hypothesized that enhancing Treg function may be effective to treat multiple headache disorders. In a mouse model of chronic migraine, we observed that repeated nitroglycerin (NTG, a reliable trigger of migraine in patients) administration doubled the number of CD3 T cells in the trigeminal ganglia without altering the number of Treg cells, suggesting a deficiency in Treg-mediated immune homeostasis. We treated mice with low-dose interleukin-2 (ld-IL2) to preferentially expand and activate endogenous Treg cells. This not only prevented the development of NTG-induced persistent sensitization but also completely reversed the established facial skin hypersensitivity resulting from repeated NTG administration. The effect of ld-IL2 was independent of mouse sex and/or strain. Importantly, ld-IL2 treatment did not alter basal nociceptive responses, and repeated usage did not induce tolerance. The therapeutic effect of ld-IL2 was abolished by Treg depletion and was recapitulated by Treg adoptive transfer. Furthermore, treating mice with ld-IL2 1 to 7 days after mild traumatic brain injury effectively prevented as well as reversed the development of behaviors related to acute and chronic post-traumatic headache. In a model of medication overuse headache, Ld-IL2 completely reversed the cutaneous hypersensitivity induced by repeated administration of sumatriptan. Collectively, this study identifies ld-IL2 as a promising prophylactic for multiple headache disorders with a mechanism distinct from the existing treatment options.
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PMID:Low-dose interleukin-2 reverses behavioral sensitization in multiple mouse models of headache disorders. 3202 34