The neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) stimulates nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs) expressed in both excitable and non-excitable cells. Cholinergic signaling in non-excitable cells induces anti-inflammatory responses; the cholinergic anti-inflammatory system inhibits the development of inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, colitis and rheumatoid arthritis. The subunits of nAChR are expressed in different layers of the epidermis. Cholinergic anti-inflammatory signaling is involved in the development of cutaneous inflammatory diseases. However, the role of nAChR-related signaling remains unclear in psoriasiform dermatitis. In this study, a mouse model of imiquimod-induced psoriasiform dermatitis demonstrated impaired cholinergic signaling. However, the nAChR subunits expression remained almost unchanged. Nicotine, a nonselective nAChR agonist, ameliorated the dermatitis phenotype and abnormal cholinergic signaling. The therapeutic effect of nAChR-signaling was independent of nAChRα7. Taken together, these results suggest that nAChR-mediated cholinergic anti-inflammatory signaling might be a good therapeutic target for treating dermatitis.

In Japan, digitization of the package insert was stipulated in the Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy, and Safety of Products Including Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, amended in December 2019 and enforced on August 1, 2021. Therefore, it is possible to access the contents of the package insert that are posted on the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency website by scanning the GS1 barcode on the outer box of the drug with a smartphone application. Additionally, the inclusion of paper package inserts in products will be abolished by the end of July 2023. The digitization of the package insert will present benefits such as convenience in utilization of package inserts, access to the latest package inserts, and saving of paper resources, despite some challenges remaining. Further linkage with other healthcare information is expected to be promoted in addition to solving these challenges.

The COVID-19 is still raging worldwide. COVID-19 has shown severe pathogenicity in the elderly and people with underlying diseases. Thus, it is necessary to elucidate the pathology in patients with underlying diseases and in elderly patients. The use of an appropriate animal model is needed to overcome COVID-19; however, healthy young animals are usually used as experimental animals. Here, we discuss SARS-CoV-2 infection and related pathological conditions in cynomolgus monkeys including those with underlying diseases causing severe pathogenicity such as metabolic disease and advanced age. Cynomolgus macaques, with various clinical conditions and ages, were infected with SARS-CoV-2. There were differences between the pathologies of young and elderly macaques with underlying diseases. Consistent with humans, both viral RNA and infectious virus particles in pharyngeal swabs was higher in the aged macaques than in the young macaques. These were for a long period of time in the aged macaques. Inflammation due to pneumonia lasted for a longer period in the aged macaques. Therefore, the COVID-19 cynomolgus monkey model would be useful for elucidating COVID-19 pathophysiology, as well as, developing therapeutic and prophylactic agents against this disease.

There is an urgent need for the development of therapeutic drugs for central nervous system (CNS) diseases, such as depression, dementia, and pain. Behavioral analysis of animal disease models is indispensable for the pathological investigation and drug evaluation of these diseases. However, we do not know whether laboratory animals, such as mice and rats, represent depression, anxiety, and congenital disorders similar to humans. In addition, we do not know how to evaluate their detailed expressions. In the evaluation of various disease models, including CNS diseases, the reproducibility and objectivity of animal experiments and their extrapolation to human beings is always an issue. To address these questions and issues, we need to establish a new evaluation system for experimental animals. In the last decade, the development of technologies for image acquisition and analysis has advanced dramatically, accompanied by an increase in computer processing speed. Various technologies have been developed to analyze human behavior and emotions. These technologies can also be applied to the analysis of animal behavior and emotions. We developed a system to assess the behavior of laboratory animals using video analysis technologies and artificial intelligence. In this review, we introduce technologies that enable the identification of body feature points and behavior and individuals of mice and rats in their home cages. In addition, we discuss the possibility of developing and applying new technologies that will lead to breakthroughs in new drug development.