Irvine, Calif., Feb. 1, 2021 — Researchers from the University of California, Irvine and the University of Minnesota have found that an enriched diet and companionship can reduce pain in mice with sickle cell disease by increasing serotonin. They also discovered that duloxetine, an antidepressant that boosts serotonin levels, could be an alternative to opioids in treating chronic pain.
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have engineered cartilage cells to release an anti-inflammatory drug in response to stresses such cells undergo when they are compressed during weight bearing and movement.
As surgeons balance the need to control their patients’ post-surgery pain with the risk that a routine operation could become the gateway to long-term opioid use or addiction, a new study shows the power of an approach that takes a middle way.
People who take opioid medications for chronic pain may have a hard time finding a new primary care clinic that will take them on as a patient if they need one, according to a new “secret shopper” study of hundreds of clinics across the country.
A pain management regimen comprised mostly of over-the-counter medication reduced opioid exposure in trauma patients while achieving equal levels of pain control, according to a new study by physician-researchers at UTHealth.
Antidepressants are commonly used worldwide to treat pain, however new research from the University of Sydney shows they offer little to no help for people suffering chronic back pain and osteoarthritis and may even cause harm.
More than half of people who use medical marijuana products to ease pain also experience clusters of multiple withdrawal symptoms when they’re between uses, a new study finds. And about 10% of the patients taking part in the study experienced worsening changes to their sleep, mood, mental state, energy and appetite over the next two years as they continued to use cannabis.
Research from life-saving charity Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) in partnership with the University of Surrey has shown the benefits of dispatching HEMS to patients with a sudden, unexplained LOC of medical origin and a high prevalence of acute neurological pathology.
As anyone living with hay fever can attest, days with high pollen counts can bring attacks of sneezing, nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms. Now, a new study suggests rising pollen levels may also trigger flare-ups of pain and other symptoms in patients with urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome (UCPPS), reports The Journal of Urology®, Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
For patients receiving spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for chronic pain, integration with an immersive virtual reality (VR) system – allowing patients to see as well as feel the effects of electrical stimulation on a virtual image of their own body – can enhance the pain-relieving effectiveness of SCS, reports a study in PAIN®, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
New epidemiological and neuroscientific evidence suggests emotional pain activates many of the same limbic brain centers as physical pain.
Pain experts Mark Sullivan and Jane Ballantyne at the University of Washington School of Medicine explain the relation in a reflections column published ahead of print in the Annals of Family Medicine.
The researchers say opioids may make patients feel better early on, but over the long term these drugs cause all kinds of havoc on their well-being.
Exercise is scientifically proven to provide relief from chronic low back pain (CLBP), but a new UNSW Sydney systematic review shows researchers are still unsure as to why it's beneficial.
A combined research team from the Universities of Portsmouth and Bournemouth and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust has shown that an assessment score used to measure a patient's severity of illness can be applied to patients with Covid-19 without modification.
Research from Saint Louis University finds that among patients at risk for opioid misuse, the odds of receiving a schedule II opioid for non-cancer pain were similar to those not at risk, despite new prescribing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Irvine, Calif., Dec. 1, 2020 — The coming of winter means cooler temperatures, shorter days and flu shots. While no one looks forward to a vaccination, a study led by the University of California, Irvine, has found that either a sincere smile or a grimace can reduce the pain of a needle injection by as much as 40 percent. A genuine, or Duchenne, smile – one that elevates the corners of the mouth and creates crow’s feet around the eyes – can also significantly blunt the stressful, needle-related physiological response by lowering the heart rate.
Researchers in Japan have revealed a previously unknown mechanism for pain control involving a newly identified group of cells in the spinal cord, offering a potential target for enhancing the therapeutic effect of drugs for chronic pain.
Giving nurse practitioners the authority to prescribe buprenorphine has brought that gold standard treatment for opioid addiction to people who might not have had access to it before, according to a new study led by Tracy Klein, PhD, associate professor at the Washington State University College of Nursing in Vancouver.
While prostate cancer originates within the prostate, metastasis, or the spread of a tumor from the site of origin to other organs, remains a leading cause of death among people with the disease. Prostate tumors can metastasize to a number of different organs, including the liver, lymph nodes and bone.
As the final step of the implementation of South Dakota Senate Bill 50, the South Dakota Board of Nursing this week adopted rules regarding full practice authority for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) in the state.
Dr. Lorraine Kelley-Quon forms team of health care providers and community advocates to establish recommendations for safe opioid use. According to the National Institutes of Health, opioid misuse and addiction in the United States is a national crisis, with an economic burden upwards of $78 billion. Opioids are useful for pain management following surgery and other major procedures, but until now there have been no recommendations guiding safe use of opioids in children.
Researchers from the Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research uncovered additional complexities behind mechanical allodynia – the sensation of pain from innocuous stimuli, such as light touch.
A wave of new studies shows what happens when surgical teams work together to reduce the emphasis on, and supply of, opioid painkillers while still seeking to ease surgery patients’ pain.
In a study of cancer patients treated with methylnaltrexone, about 50%–70% experienced relief from opioid-induced constipation within 4 hours without the use of additional treatments, compared with 15% of placebo-treated patients. In addition, more patients treated with methylnaltrexone maintained a response at 24 hours after dosing compared with patients treated with placebo.
Neuromonitoring has been used in the fields of neurological and orthopedic surgery for years but has just recently made its debut in SCS implantation. There are limited studies observing neuromonitoring in this application, so doctors have shared the case study of a patient who successfully underwent the procedure and reported 90% pain reduction one week later.
Researchers are looking at the potential of a technique called differential target multiplexed programming (DTMP) to reduce chronic pain by targeting certain proteins linked to inflammation.
A recent study conducted by physicians across the country shows promise for a new treatment option for patients suffering chronic pain from diabetic neuropathy. The treatment entails spinal cord stimulator implantation, a technique commonly associated with chronic back and leg pain treatment.
A new study shows using fewer and higher doses of high-precision radiation therapy is a more effective approach for treating painful spinal tumors than conventional radiation therapy. Findings from the Canadian phase II/III trial (NCT02512965) will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.
In the wake of the opioid addiction crisis that has cost more than 500,000 U.S. lives, medical investigators have focused on finding new methods to help patients control pain.
US veterans with unhealthy alcohol use who reduce their drinking may gain some improvement in chronic pain symptoms and use of other substances, according to a study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Hazardous drinking is common in the US, and frequently co-occurs with chronic pain, depression and anxiety, and with tobacco, cannabis or cocaine use. Many people use alcohol and other substances to mask or self-manage pain and psychiatric symptoms, although there is little evidence to support such use. If, conversely, a reduction in drinking (or use of treatment for alcohol misuse) were to benefit co-occurring conditions or substance use, this could support an integrated approach to screening or treatment. The new analysis assessed the impact of drinking reduction on improvement of chronic pain, psychiatric symptoms, and other substance use among US veterans with unhealthy alcohol use – a population with high rates of these co-occurring conditions.
Beverly K. Philip, M.D., FACA, FASA, founding director of the Day Surgery Unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School in Boston, was today named president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), the nation’s largest organization of physician anesthesiologists.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today announced Michael W. Champeau, M.D., FASA, has been named first vice president of ASA. Dr. Champeau was elected at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2020 annual meeting and will serve for one year.
Oral cancer is more likely to spread in patients experiencing high levels of pain, according to a team of researchers at NYU College of Dentistry that found genetic and cellular clues as to why metastatic oral cancers are so painful.
Researchers have developed a stretchable conductive hydrogel that could someday be used to repair peripheral nerves when there’s damage. They report their results in ACS Nano.
The NIH selected two researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania to receive its Director’s Awards, part of the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program. Brian Litt was honored with a Pioneer Award, supporting his novel neurodevice research. Gregory Corder was selected as a New Innovator Award winner for research investigating the mechanisms of chronic pain.
For people who experience back pain with sciatica, meaning their pain radiates into their leg, it may be worthwhile to start physical therapy right away, according to new research reported in Annals of Internal Medicine. That approach is different from the initial advice doctors often give patients with back pain, which is to try to remain active and give their symptoms time to subside before considering treatment like physical therapy.
Veterans who have acupuncture before surgery report less pain and need far fewer opioids to manage their discomfort, according to a randomized, controlled study being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2020 annual meeting.
Not only might cannabis users require more anesthesia during surgery than non-users, they may have increased pain afterwards and use higher doses of opioids while in the hospital, suggests first-of-its kind research being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2020 annual meeting.
Patients who saw a pain medicine specialist via telemedicine saved time and money and were highly satisfied with their experience, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2020 annual meeting.
Artificial intelligence (AI) used in machine learning models can predict which patients are at highest risk for severe pain after surgery, and help determine who would most benefit from personalized pain management plans that use non-opioid alternatives, suggests new research being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2020 annual meeting.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today presented Patricia A. Kapur, M.D., with its 2019 Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her long and highly distinguished career as a physician anesthesiologist, administrator and educator.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today presented Ru-Rong Ji, Ph.D., with its 2020 Excellence in Research Award in recognition of his extensive research career focused on understanding the molecular and cellular basis of pain.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today presented Robert D. Sanders, B.Sc., M.B.B.S., Ph.D., F.R.C.A., with its 2020 James E. Cottrell Presidential Scholar Award in recognition of his outstanding work in anesthesia and translational research.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today presented Albert J. Varon, MD, MHPE, FCCM, FASA, with its 2020 Excellence in Education Award in recognition of his exemplary educational initiatives and programs that have been adopted into anesthesiology training programs at the state and national level.
New research presented at the virtual American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2020 reports that opioid guidelines may be missing a small group of patients that need a greater level of pain control.
Almost 20 years into the opioid epidemic, there finally is evidence of significant and continual decreases in the abuse of these risky pain medications, according to an analysis of national data being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2020 annual meeting.
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