Offering details on the pharmacology of itch, techniques of itch evaluation, and neurogenic itch, this reference presents new concepts in the neurophysiology and central mechanisms of itch, animal models of itch, and processing of histamine itch in the human cerebral cortex. The text clarifies itch in systemic and skin disease, exploring renal itch, uremic pruritus, lichen amyloidosis and more.

In this brief but staggering two-act, playwright Norris demonstrates his skill at drawing out the dark truth that lurks beneath the surface of the “perfect” family. His crackling satire takes dead aim at the self-satisfied, left-leaning American upper-middle class and its many self-delusions. On a winter afternoon, Kelly and Clay—an attractive, prosperous, seemingly happy couple with a four-year-old daughter and a newborn baby—must explain to a visitor the events of the previous Thanksgiving, on which, so it seems, someone or something had been gnawing at the avocados on their kitchen table. In the course of this holiday gathering—attended by Clay’s mother, a well-meaning but clueless first-grade teacher who spouts pointless liberal bromides; his brother, a plastic surgeon with a nihilistic streak and a taste for martinis; and his brother's girlfriend, a sexy Balkan immigrant with a love for all things American (racism included)—the recent past is unearthed along with revelations of failed marriages, fraternal hatred, infidelity and venereal disease, in the form of their daughter’s nasty genital infection. And it’s a comedy. As the story is gradually unfolded to their visitor, a Muslim cab driver, his relationship to the events becomes increasingly clear, as does the emptiness of the family’s supposed benevolence and sensitivity. With its crashing emotion and cutting humor, this vicious dissection of the comfortable progressive life lays bare the lies that people use to feel righteous even as they veer off a genuinely ethical path.

Advances in itch research have elucidated differences between itch and pain but have also blurred the distinction between them. There is a long debate about how somatic sensations including touch, pain, itch, and temperature sensitivity are encoded by the nervous system. Research suggests that each sensory modality is processed along a fixed, direct-line communication system from the skin to the brain. Itch: Mechanisms and Treatment presents a timely update on all aspects of itch research and the clinical treatment of itch that accompanies many dermatological conditions including psoriasis, neuropathic itch, cutaneous t-cells lymphomas, and systemic diseases such as kidney and liver disease and cancer. Composed of contributions from distinguished researchers around the world, the book explores topics such as: Neuropathic itch Peripheral neuronal mechanism of itch The role of PAR-2 in neuroimmune communication and itch Mrgprs as itch receptors The role of interleukin-31 and oncostatin M in itch and neuroimmune communication Spinal coding of itch and pain Spinal microcircuits and the regulation of itch Examining new findings on cellular and molecular mechanisms, the book is a compendium of the most current research on itch, its prevalence in society, and the problems associated with treatment.

Basic research on the pharmacology of itch has exploded in the wake of two very influential papers that were published in Nature (2007) and Science (2009). Long overlooked as a milder form of pain, itching has rapidly gained a new appreciation in both research and clinical communities because of its complexity and its negative effects on the quality of life of the distressed patients. Like pain, not all itches are the same. Unlike pain, there are no standard drugs equivalent to aspirin and morphine. Epidemiological studies emphasize the high incidence and economic costs of itch (pruritus). It is the most prevalent symptom of a wide variety of allergic and inflammatory skin conditions (e.g., psoriasis, atopic dermatitis), is associated with several systemic diseases (e.g., chronic kidney and liver disease), and occurs in patients undergoing hemodialysis, spinal administration of opioids, and in those suffering from AIDS. The reader will learn about the multiple pathways for itch and their interactions with pain. The relationship between these closely related, yet distinct sensory phenomena, will be emphasized. Both itch and pain use several common molecules to send signals to the brain. Thus, drugs that have been, and are being, developed as analgesics may also attenuate intractable itch. This has been an exciting and very necessary turn of events since traditional H-1 receptor antagonists are ineffective in blocking the pruritus associated with kidney failure and cholestasis. The clinical chapters will provide insights into contemporary treatment regimens for pruritus in different human scenarios.

We have all experienced itch, whether from insect bites or dry skin, but millions of people worldwide have chronic or even intractable itch. Just like chronic pain, chronic itch interferes with a person’s ability to function—and even affects quality of life. Living with Itch offers relief, drawing on the authors’ vast knowledge of itch, the suffering it causes, and available treatments. Itch researchers and clinicians Drs. Gil Yosipovitch and Shawn G. Kwatra explain the cascade of physiological events that causes us to experience itch. They describe the many skin diseases, from atopic dermatitis (eczema) to psoriasis, and conditions like chronic kidney disease, lymphoma, HIV, and neuropathies that cause itch. Living with Itch provides information on preventing itch as well as topical and systemic ways to treat it. Patient and parent narratives illustrate how people cope with itch and how, with medical and social support, itch can be managed.

'A great debut. You'll be itching to read more.' Anthony Horowitz Meet Itch - an accidental, accident-prone hero. Science is his weapon. Elements are his gadgets. All-action adventure perfect for fans of Alex Rider and Young Bond. Itchingham Lofte - known as Itch - is fourteen, and loves science, especially chemistry. He's also an element-hunter: he's collecting all the elements in the periodic table. Which has some interesting and rather destructive results in his bedroom. Then, Itch makes a discovery. A new element, never seen before. At first no one believes him - but soon someone hears about the strange new rock and wants it for himself. And Itch and his family are catapulted into a breathless adventure with terrifyingly high stakes . . . The debut novel from BBC radio presenter Simon Mayo.

a collection of 26 pieces of flash fiction

After the death of her beloved Gramps, Delores Colchester, better known as "Itch," moves with her grandmother from Florida to Ohio. Starting over is hard, and Itch feels like an outsider in her new school, until she becomes friends with popular baton-twirling Gwendolyn. On the outside, Gwendolyn seems perfect: talented, smart, and beautiful. But she has a dark secret, which Itch begins to suspect and soon discovers is true. "Speaking up takes courage," Gramps had always told Itch, and she's about to discover just how much. Michelle D. Kwasney weaves a compelling story about child abuse, family, and friendship against the backdrop of the late 1960s. Itch is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Life is embroiled in uncontrollable forces; millions of people walking a seemingly taut, but mostly infirm tightrope, in hopes of the elusive treasure hunt of fickle gold. Their feet trample on the fallen ones, the undistinguished, people reduced to back-alley rats. Learning to fight the only perpetrator, yourself. This journey is of havoc, the blackest plagues of hearts, the search for the tunnel with the light. A slippery gray gauge of the mind plays with fiction and facts of lives, unlived and strayed. Multiple truths lose semblance, reality and fantasy mesh, making the protagonist take the long, hard, and inevitable path toward the truth. This book is about the albatross, some choices that change your life forever. It is the glorious itch.

After almost poisoning his whole class with arsenic gas, going on the run from a psychotic science teacher and nearly dying of radiation poisoning, life is getting back to normal for Itchingham Lofte - at least, as normal as it can be when you have a round-the-clock detail of government security guards watching your every move. But sinister forces are still hunting for Element 126 and will stop at nothing to find out where Itch has hidden the precious radioactive rocks. With the help of his sister Chloe and his tomboy cousin Jack, Itch has to put 126 beyond the reach of unscrupulous scientists and international terrorists forever. It's time to save the world. Again. The second book in the explosively exciting ITCH series. 'A great debut. You'll be itching to read more.' Anthony Horowitz

With newly-weds Mary and Malcolm having just returned home from holidays and getting back into the routine of settling back into work again, it seems that Malcolm has brought home an uninvited guest...

How important is your legacy? The Book Itch is the first book to answer the question “Should I write a book?” helping you make smart decisions about your book before you ever write it. Inside, you will learn: • How to build your business with a book—good things happen to people who write the right book. (Page 35) • Right Role, Right Teammates—highest performing teams combine people of different strengths. (Page 67) • How to write the right book before you start writing—the smarter you start, the better you finish. (Page 77) • Plus, gain access to complete the Author Score quiz, which reliably assesses your motivation and readiness to become an author. Have you ever wondered: Is there a book in me? This book will quickly answer that question. In The Book Itch, you will learn: • How to write the right book before you start writing • How to make writing a book pay off • What teammates you need on your “book team” • Your Author Score—A 3-minute quiz that quickly tells you if you “have what it takes” to be an author • Your “ITCH” Score—A 3-minute quiz that tells you what teammates you need to get your book finishedthebookitch.com

From the author of the smashing debut bestseller Good Hair comes The Itch, the stirring story of a crisis-torn woman who discovers a depth of character and a sense of self she never knew she possessed. Abra Lewis Dixon is the envy of the fashionable, professional women of her well-heeled social circle. She leads a charmed life -- having attended all the right schools, married the right man, and started a successful film production company with her best friend, Natasha Coleman -- and seems like an ambassador from the world of perfection. It is only when her impeccable marriage turns suddenly shaky that her utopia is left in pieces.

There are five surviving species of rhinoceros: the Black, the Javan and the Sumatran rhinos are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning they could be extinct within 30-60 years. The Sumatran rhino is covered in a leathery, dark grey-brown skin. It is often called the “hairy rhino” because it has tufty reddish brown hair, unlike other rhinos. The Sumatran rhino is the only rhino in Asia that has two horns, however the smaller one never grows to more than about ten centimetres, which can make it look like it only has one horn. This rhino used to be found from the foothills of the Himalayas, through Eastern China right down to Peninsular Malaysia as well as the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo. However, today it is believed only about 200 rhinos survive mainly in parts of Sumatra and possibly Peninsula Malaysia. The Sumatran rhino lives in dense forests, swamps and forest highlands, staying close to water where they spend most of their day wallowing in muddy pools that they often dig or deepen themselves to keep them cool and protect them against insects. They like to eat in the evening and before dawn when it is cooler and live off up to 100 different types of fruit, bamboo, twigs, leaves and bark! Sumatran rhinos are rather shy, solitary animals staying within their own home range. The young usually stay with their mother until they are about 18 months old. Rhinos begin breeding when they are 7 or 8 years old, with a wait of 3 to 4 years between each birth. As the gestation period is about 15 to 16 months and not always successful, these animals are seriously at risk. The Sumatran rhino is the most endangered of all of the rhinoceros species, numbers have fallen more than 50% over the past 20 years, mainly because of poaching and habitat destruction. Rhino Protection Units help protect them and give this vulnerable species a chance at breeding and surviving. Further information about this gentle (if sometimes grumpy) animal can be found through ARKIVE: www.arkive.com and the International Rhino Foundation: www.rhinos.org.

Backside Itch is a humorous work of non- fiction. The ¿backside¿ is the barn area where thoroughbreds are made ready to race. Backside Itch is about the everyday life behind the scenes of racing, where it is all about the horses and their well-being. What does it take to be a ¿good hand¿ with racehorses? Join the author as she learns to speak ¿horse,¿ from hot walker to groom, with no experience, just a love for horses. Take the journey, learn, if you don¿t know, remember, if you already know, or, nod knowingly, if you are living the life.

A collection of poems seeks to confront questions of personal identity and buried family secrets.

Why is everyone so itchy? They've been in the ivy patch.

Meet Isabelle, the original itch Isabelle is an itch. She can’t sit still and is always jumping from one thing to another. Being an itch means that she plans, jokes, plots, and schemes her way through life. Isabelle fights her best friend, Herbie, every day after school, and she’s probably the fastest girl in her class, especially now that she has her new Adidas sneakers. Isabelle’s dad says she could climb a mountain if she could just focus on one thing at a time. But why do one thing when you could do ten? When her older brother needs a substitute for his morning paper route, Isabelle has a chance to prove to everyone, especially herself, that she can channel her energy into something useful. In this, the first in Constance C. Greene’s rollicking Isabelle series, readers will discover that a little determination can make all the difference.