Feature Channels: Pain

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Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) researchers have developed one of the world’s smallest, most intense and fastest refrigeration devices, the wearable thin-film thermoelectric cooler (TFTEC), and teamed with neuroscientists to help amputees perceive a sense of temperature with their phantom limbs. This advancement, one of the first of its kind, enables a useful new capability for a variety of applications, including improved prostheses, haptics for new modalities in augmented reality (AR) and thermally modulated therapeutics for applications such as pain management.

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A new review paper co-authored by two Johns Hopkins pain experts suggests that scrambler therapy, a noninvasive pain treatment, can yield significant relief for approximately 80%–90% of patients with chronic pain, and it may be more effective than another noninvasive therapy: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). The write-up was published online July 13 in The New England Journal of Medicine.

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Opioids remain the most potent and effective pain relievers in medicine, but they’re also among the most addictive drugs that can halt a person’s ability to breathe during an overdose — which can be deadly. Researchers have been racing to develop safer pain reliever drugs that target a specific opioid receptor, called the kappa opioid receptor, that is only found in the central nervous system and not elsewhere in the body, like other opioid receptors.

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A social media trend inspired by the new film can cause pain and injuries if done for too long

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Chula Medicine researchers have successfully published an article on the injection of patient’s own platelets rich plasma into the shoulder ligaments resulting in pain reduction, heal torn ligaments and restore torn muscles as an alternative to surgery while reducing the side effects of prolonged use of pain medications.

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The latest research in psychology and psychiatry on Newswise.

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The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) has named Ladan Eshkevari, PhD, CRNA, L.Ac.,FAAN to serve as AANA’s Editor-in-Chief of The AANA Journal.

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An innovative anesthesiologist-led infection prevention program helped reduce the number of surgical site infections (SSIs) in colorectal patients by 50%, the number of days in the hospital by 46%, and led to significant cost savings over a two-year period, according to research presented at the virtual American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Anesthesia Quality and Patient Safety Meeting.

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Starting a patient-controlled epidural anesthesia (PCEA) infusion while the patient is still in the operating room (OR) — rather than in the recovery room after the procedure — may help provide better pain control, suggests research presented at the virtual American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Anesthesia Quality and Patient Safety Meeting.

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A measurement tool should be used to reduce overinflation of a device, located on breathing tubes, that protects the patient’s airway during general anesthesia to help prevent complications such as sore throat, according to results of a quality improvement initiative presented at the virtual American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Anesthesia Quality and Patient Safety Meeting.

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The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) condemned yet another year of cuts to Medicare payments for critically important anesthesia and pain medicine services. The proposed cuts, announced in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) 2024 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), represent the fifth consecutive year of either a pay freeze or payment cut for the services anesthesiologists provide to their patients as shown in the table below. The CMS-proposed Medicare payment cuts will compound the financial strain anesthesia practices are already facing.

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Avoiding experiences associated with pain can be an adaptive behavior. But when avoidance generalizes to safe movements and activities, it can come at the cost of other valued activities or even culminate in disability due to reduced activity levels.

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A gift of $1.5 million from Eugene Jhong will help launch a new research program within the UC San Diego Psychedelic and Health Research Initiative to learn more about the biological and psychological effects of DMT in humans.

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The peptide-guided treatment builds new mineral microlayers that penetrate deep into the tooth to create effective, long-lasting natural protection. The ultimate goal is to provide easily accessible relief for the millions of adults worldwide who suffer from tooth sensitivity.

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Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center research findings and other news. If you’re looking for resources who can comment on skin cancer awareness and skin protection during the summer months, see our list of experts and reach out to [email protected] to set up interviews.

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Dog breeds differ in pain sensitivity, but these differences don’t always match up with the beliefs people – including veterinarians – hold about breed-specific pain sensitivity.

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Emerging adults – those aged 18 to 24 years –who experience pain are more likely to engage in high-risk patterns of alcohol use such as binge drinking. Anxiety caused by pain may be what motivates unhealthy coping strategies such as excessive drinking as a form of escape/avoidance. These results and others will be shared at the 46th annual scientific meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) in Bellevue, Washington.