MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Pain' source. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:39:22 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607898&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911007676%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607898 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:18:01 +0100 5607898 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607930&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006920%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Long-term follow-up of a randomised controlled trial of a cognitive behavioural intervention for low back pain indicates that effects on disability and pain are maintained to at least 34 months.Abstract: Group cognitive behavioural intervention (CBI) is effective in reducing low back pain and disability over a 12-month period, in comparison to best practice advice in primary care. The aim was to study the effects of this CBI beyond 12 months. We undertook an extended follow-up of our original randomised, controlled trial of a group CBI and best practice advice in primary care, in comparison to best practice advice alone. Participants were mailed a questionnaire including measures of disability, pain, health services resource use, and health-related quality of life. The time of ext... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607930 Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5607930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607929&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006890%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In this study, we investigated mechanisms of opioid release by antigen-experienced effector CD4+ T cells that leave draining lymph nodes and come back into the inflammatory site. Effector antigen-primed CD4+ T lymphocytes generated in vitro were intravenously injected into nude mice previously immunized with either cognate or irrelevant antigens in complete Freund adjuvant (CFA). CFA-induced mechanical hyperalgesia was only reduced in mice immunized with cognate antigen. Thus, antinociceptive activity of effector CD4+ T cells requires the presence of the antigen for which they are specific within the inflammatory site. Accordingly, analgesia was inhibited by neutralizing cognate T cell receptor-mediated interaction between effector CD4+ T lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells at the sit... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607929 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523918&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006191%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This study undertook an economic analysis of the costs of early retirement due to back problems, with the aim of quantifying how much lower the value of accumulated wealth of individuals who exit the workforce early due to back problems is by the time they reach the traditional retirement age of 65years – compared to those who remained in the workforce. This was done using the output dataset of the microsimulation model Health&WealthMOD. It was found that over 99% of individuals who are employed full time will have accumulated some wealth at age 65years, whereas as little as 74% of those who are out of the labour force due to back problems will have done so. Those who retire from the labour force early due to back problems will have a median value of total accumulated wealth by the time ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523918 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:49:30 +0100 5523918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523889&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911007226%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523889 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:49:30 +0100 5523889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523888&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911007202%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523888 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:49:30 +0100 5523888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607922&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006622%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: A moderate dose of hydrocortisone reduced capsaicin-induced secondary hyperalgesia, but not pain to pinprick suggesting an antihyperalgesic action of glucocorticoids consistent with protection against maladaptive pain plasticity.Abstract: Relative hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction has been described as a common feature of several dysfunctional pain syndromes, and its end hormone cortisol may thus constitute a protective factor against the development of chronic pain. We investigated the potential influence of experimentally induced stresslike hypercortisolism on the induction of neurogenic hyperalgesia using 2 human surrogate models: secondary hyperalgesia after intradermal capsaicin injection into the volar forearm, and perceptual windup in normal skin. In a double-... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607922 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607928&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006907%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Menthol acts a state-selective blocker of voltage-gated Na+ channels and causes antinociception in mice, providing a molecular basis for its analgesic action.Abstract: Menthol is a natural compound of plant origin known to produce cool sensation via the activation of the TRPM8 channel. It is also frequently part of topical analgesic drugs available in a pharmacy, although its mechanism of action is still unknown. Compelling evidence indicates that voltage-gated Na+ channels are critical for experiencing pain sensation. We tested the hypothesis that menthol may block voltage-gated Na+ channels in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. By use of a patch clamp, we evaluated the effects of menthol application on tetrodotoxin (TTX)-resistant Nav1.8 and Nav1.9 channel subtypes in DRG neuro... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607928 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607926&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006701%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: This multifactorial mixed-methods randomized controlled trial quantified the specific and nonspecific factors of acupuncture, and found that the practitioner, not the treatment, has the strongest effect on outcome.Abstract: The nonspecific effects of acupuncture are well documented; we wished to quantify these factors in osteoarthritic (OA) pain, examining needling, the consultation, and the practitioner. In a prospective randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled, multifactorial, mixed-methods trial, 221 patients with OA awaiting joint replacement surgery were recruited. Interventions were acupuncture, Streitberger placebo acupuncture, and mock electrical stimulation, each with empathic or nonempathic consultations. Interventions involved eight 30-minute treatments over 4weeks.... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607926 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607932&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006944%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We thank Drs. Westerling and Lindblom for their careful reading of our paper on drug-induced liver injury following a repeated course of S(+)-ketamine treatment for chronic pain in patients with complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPS-I) . We agree with the authors that the increase in liver enzymes in 3 out of 6 patients treated with a repeated intravenous infusion is a serious issue and, as we conclude in our paper, indicates the need to monitor all patients receiving long-term or repeated ketamine infusions for any treatment. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607932 Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607924&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006671%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Parental protective responses to pain mediated the association between parent pain catastrophizing and child school functioning as assessed by school attendance and subjective report. Promoting adaptive parental responses to pain may enhance success at school.Abstract: Parental responses to children with chronic pain have been shown to influence the extent of the child’s functional disability, but these associations have not been well studied in relation to children’s pain-related school functioning. The current study tests the hypothesis that parental pain catastrophizing and parental protective responses to child pain influence the extent of school impairment in children with chronic pain. A mediational model was tested to determine whether parental protective behaviors serv... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607924 Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607923&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006646%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The objectives of this study are to determine the impact of pain on the course of depressive and/or anxiety disorders, and investigate to what extent the association between pain and course of these mental disorders is mediated by psychiatric characteristics. Data from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), collected between 2004 and 2009, were used. A total of 1209 participants with a depressive and/or anxiety disorder at baseline were followed up for 2years. Baseline pain was assessed by location, duration, use of pain medication, and severity (based on Chronic Pain Grade). Course of depressive and anxiety disorders was assessed by Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and Life Chart Interview. A higher number of pain locations (OR=1.10; P=.008), joint pai... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607923 Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607920&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006567%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Unmyelinated and myelinated skin nerves are diffusely affected in Guillain–Barré syndrome and its variants. Intraepidermal nerve fiber density declines early, remains low over time, correlates with pain severity in the acute phase, and may predict long-term disability.Abstract: We performed a prospective study in 32 patients with Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) or its variants to correlate intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) at the distal leg and lumbar region with pain, autonomic dysfunction, and outcome. In the acute phase, IENFD was reduced in 60% and 61.9% of patients at the distal leg and lumbar region, respectively. In the acute phase, 43.7% of patients complained of neuropathic pain. Their IENFD at the distal leg was significantly lower than in patients without p... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607920 Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607903&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006919%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In this issue of PAIN, Neziri et al. present data from a well-designed and very significant study of chronic low back pain patients. Pain and signs of central hypersensitivity in chronic low back pain were evaluated in 30 patients after intravenous administration tropisetron (a 5HT3 serotonin receptor antagonist) versus placebo in a randomized, double-blind cross-over trial. Unfortunately – and this much can be revealed ahead – the results turned out to be negative. In spite of this result, the study is a masterpiece of applied translational sciences: findings from basic research smoothly integrate into clinical practice. Additionally, insights from basic research were subsequently used to improve the design of the clinical study. This conclusion is convincingly illustrated by three fe... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607903 Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607931&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006932%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We have read with great interest the article by Noppers et al. , as well as the accompanying editorial , on liver injury following repeated intravenous ketamine treatment of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type I. Ketamine may be a useful alternative in the treatment of neuropathic pain and CRPS . In the perioperative period or following trauma, patients in severe pain may benefit from subanesthetic ketamine infusions as part of a balanced analgesia . (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607931 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607925&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006695%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This study investigated sex similarities and differences in pain-related functional connectivity in 60 healthy subjects. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging and psychophysiological interaction analysis to investigate how exposure to low vs high experimental pain modulates the functional connectivity of the periaqueductal gray (PAG). We found no sex differences in pain thresholds, and in both men and women, the PAG was more functionally connected with the somatosensory cortex, the supplemental motor area, cerebellum, and thalamus during high pain, consistent with anatomic predictions. Twenty-six men displayed a pain-induced increase in PAG functional connectivity with the amygdala caudate and putamen that was not observed in women. In an extensive literature search, we found that ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607925 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607919&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006609%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Spontaneously active C nociceptors in painful neuropathy patients reveal multiple firing to single electrical stimuli, suggesting that axonal hyperexcitability contributes to neuropathic pain.Abstract: Multiple firing of C nociceptors upon a single electrical stimulus has been suggested to be a possible mechanism contributing to neuropathic pain. Because this phenomenon maybe based on a unidirectional conduction block, it might also be related to neuropathic changes without a direct link to pain. We investigated painful neuropathy patients using microneurography and analysed nociceptors for the occurrence of multiple spiking and spontaneous activity. In 11 of 105 nociceptors, double spiking was found, with 1fibre even showing triple spikes on electrical stimulation. The interval b... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607919 Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607927&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006865%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Despite observations of thermal hyperalgesia, mechanical allodynia, and temporal alterations of offset analgesia, the magnitude of offset analgesia remains unaltered following capsaicin-heat and heat-only sensitization.Abstract: Pain perception is temporally altered during states of chronic pain and acute central sensitization; however, the mechanisms contributing to temporal processing of nociceptive information remain poorly understood. Offset analgesia is a phenomenon that reflects the presence of temporal contrast mechanisms for nociceptive information and can provide an end point to study temporal aspects of pain processing. In order to investigate whether offset analgesia is disrupted during sensitized states, 23 healthy volunteers provided real-time continuous visual analog... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607927 Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607927 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607918&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006555%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In conclusion, the expectation of pain relief can substantially change perceived painfulness of visceral stimuli, which is associated with activity changes in the thalamus, prefrontal, and somatosensory cortices. Placebo analgesia constitutes a paradigm to elucidate psychological components of the pain response relevant to the pathophysiology and treatment of chronic abdominal pain. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607918 Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607913&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006452%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Despite early diagnosis and treatment with antiviral agents, many herpes zoster patients report persistent pain and marked long-term reduction in health-related quality of life.Abstract: Understanding the effect of herpes zoster and zoster-related pain should inform care to improve health-related quality of life in elderly patients. A 12-month, longitudinal, prospective, multicenter observational study conducted in primary care in France enrolled patients aged ⩾50years with acute eruptive herpes zoster. Patient-reported zoster-related pain was assessed by validated questionnaires (Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions [DN4], Zoster Brief Pain Inventory [ZBPI], and Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory [NPSI]) on days 0 and 15, and at months 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12. Health-related quality... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607913 Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607921&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006610%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: The purinergic receptor P2Y1 modulates the thermal sensitivity of polymodal fibers and the functional phenotype of TRPV1-containing cutaneous fibers following inflammation.Abstract: We have recently found that, following complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammation, cutaneous polymodal nociceptors (CPM) lacking the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) are sensitized to heat stimuli. In order to determine possible mechanisms playing a role in this change, we examined gene expression in the L2/L3 sensory ganglia following CFA injection into the hairy hind paw skin and found that G-protein-coupled purinoreceptor P2Y1 expression was increased. This receptor is of particular interest, as most CPMs innervating mouse hairy skin bind isolectin B4, which co-localizes... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607921 Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607916&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006518%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Complement C5a receptor deletion prevents heat and mechanical nociceptive responses and generation of inflammatory and nociceptive mediators in superficial and deep tissues after incision.Abstract: The complement system is an important part of innate immunity. Complement activation generates a set of effector molecules with diverse biological functions. C5a is a crucial terminal component of the complement cascade. Several reports suggest that C5a can support nociceptive sensitization and inflammation in various models, including models of incisional pain. However, information concerning the differential effects of C5a on specific modalities of nociception, the role of C5a in supporting neutrophil infiltration, secondary nociceptive mediator generation, and the location of the rel... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607916 Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607916 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607911&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006269%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Use of the Chronic Pain Management Program was associated with significant decreases in pain-related, functional, and mental health outcomes and an increase in pain knowledge.Abstract: Internet-based educational and therapeutic programs (e-health applications) are becoming increasingly popular for a variety of psychological and physical disorders. We tested the efficacy of an online Chronic Pain Management Program, a comprehensive, fully self-directed and self-paced system that integrates social networking features and self-management tools into an interactive learning environment. Of 305 adult participants (196 women, 109 men), a total of 162 individuals with chronic pain were randomly assigned unsupervised access to the program for approximately 6weeks; 143 were assigned to the ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607911 Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607912&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006488%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Patients with central pain have a more hyperresponsive intralaminar thalamus and sensory–motor cortex than healthy individuals or patients with central lesions and painless sensory loss.Abstract: Patients with central pain (CP) typically have chronic pain within an area of reduced pain and temperature sensation, suggesting an impairment of endogenous pain modulation mechanisms. We tested the hypothesis that some brain structures normally activated by cutaneous heat stimulation would be hyperresponsive among patients with CP but not among patients with a central nervous system lesion causing a loss of heat or nociceptive sensation with no pain (NP). We used H215O positron emission tomography to measure, in 15 healthy control participants, 10 NP patients, and 10 CP patients, incre... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607912 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523926&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006579%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We thank Drs. Das and Rajalingham for their interest in our study . Drs. Das and Rajalingham state that they were concerned about the extent of adherence to the exclusion criteria. We adhered very strictly to the study inclusion and exclusion criteria. As we described in our article, all study participants (women aged 18–45years) randomized to the continuous oral contraceptive therapy (COCT) were evaluated by an experienced Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) who specialized in gynecology and was supervised by an obstetrician/gynecologist (Dr. Gretchen Lentz, co-author). The ARNP reviewed the medical history questionnaire completed by each study participant, completed a review of systems, performed breast and pelvic examinations, and ordered additional tests as needed to determ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523926 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607917&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS030439591100652X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In conclusion, we provide evidence that use of a matrix electrode that spatially targets strong nonpainful TENS for 30 to 45minutes at sites of low resistance can reduce pain intensity at rest and during walking. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607917 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607902&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006543%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes There is a growing international interest in the topic of pain in persons with dementia. To date, research efforts have mainly focused on the development of valid and reliable pain assessment tools, particularly for non-verbal, older persons, many of whom may be under-treated for their pain . Other studies have examined possible differences in pain perception and report in persons with dementia . However, one major domain of research that is currently lacking relates to the behavioral, functional, psychological and social impact(s) of unrelieved pain in persons with dementia. Although there is considerable research into the psychosocial and functional impacts of a persistent pain problem in the general population, and state-of-the-art treatment models often emphasize a multidisciplinary ap... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607902 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607902 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523927&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS030439591100666X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The authors regret that in the above published article the following error occurred. On page 175, second column, line 20, the algometer neoprene tip was reported to be “0.18cm2”. This is incorrect. The correct size of the algometer neoprene tip is “1.0cm2”. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523927 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523927 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523925&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006580%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This study highlighted the importance of dental hygienist-delivered pain self-management training (SMT), which is a nonpharmacological approach for the management of temporomandibular pain disorder. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523925 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523924&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006531%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes I commend Srikandarajah and Gilron for critiquing the pain assessment approach used in the current research literature. Pain assessment scores are a valuable source of quality outcome data on analgesia efficacy . It was disappointing to find that only 39% of trials included movement-evoked pain (MEP) as a quality measure . Assessment of acute pain intensity at rest (RAP) after surgery is important to allow the patient to rest and sleep, but MEP during mobilization, deep breathing, and coughing is more important to determine whether analgesia is adequate for recovery of function, reducing risks of cardiopulmonary and thrombembolic complications and hospital stay . Adequate postoperative analgesia is a basic human right; its management is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality . (Source... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523924 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523914&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006038%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Cognitively decreasing the perceived conditioning stimulus (CS) pain attenuates conditioned pain modulation (CPM) magnitude, although a ceiling effect may limit CPM enhancement after a cognitively increased CS pain.Abstract: Although painfulness of the conditioning stimulus (CS) is required for the activation of conditioned pain modulation (CPM), it is still unclear whether CPM expression depends on the objective physical intensity of the CS or the subjective perception of its pain. Accordingly, we cognitively manipulated the perceived CS pain, rendering the physical aspects of the CPM paradigm untouched. Baseline CPM was measured among 48 young healthy male subjects using the parallel paradigm with contact heat as test pain and hand immersion in hot water as CS. Subjects were the... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523914 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607915&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006476%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: One in 5 cancer pains are neuropathic, and 2 in 5 patients have neuropathic pain. Standard approaches to assess cancer neuropathic pain are needed.Abstract: Pain in cancer patients remains common and is often associated with insufficient prescribing of targeted analgesia. An explanation for undertreatment could be the failure to identify neuropathic pain mechanisms, which require additional prescribing strategies. We wanted to identify the prevalence of neuropathic mechanisms in patients with cancer pain to highlight the need for detailed assessment and to support the development of an international classification system for cancer pain. We searched for studies that included adult and teenage patients (age above 12years), with active cancer and who reported pain, and in which a cl... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607915 Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523920&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS030439591100621X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: This is the first study showing that it is not presurgical anxiety per se that predicts postsurgical pain intensity, but rather anxiety fully mediated through pain catastrophizing.Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the joint role of demographic, clinical, and psychological variables as predictors of acute postsurgical pain in women undergoing hysterectomy due to benign disorders. A consecutive sample of 203 women was assessed 24hours before (T1) and 48hours after (T2) surgery. Baseline pain and predictors were assessed at T1 and postsurgical pain and analgesic consumption at T2. Several factors distinguished women who had no or mild pain after surgery from those who had moderate to severe pain, with the latter being younger, having more presurgical pain, and showing a ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523920 Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523913&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005926%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: High-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed distinct and shared nociceptive heat and innocuous tactile processing networks within posterior parasylvian region of monkeys.Abstract: Emerging evidence supports an important role of posterior parasylvian areas in both pain and touch processing. Whether there are separate or shared networks for these sensations remains controversial. The present study compared spatial patterns of brain activation in response to unilateral nociceptive heat (47.5°C) or innocuous tactile stimulation (8-Hz vibration) to digits through high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in squirrel monkeys. In addition, the temporal profile of heat-stimulus-evoked fMRI Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) signal changes was c... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523913 Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607914&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006464%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: The facial expression of pain is a multidimensional response system that differentially encodes affective and sensory pain qualities.Abstract: The facial expression of pain plays a crucial role in pain communication and pain diagnostics. Despite its importance, it has remained unknown which dimensions of pain (sensory and/or affective) are encoded in the face. To answer this question, we used a well-established cognitive strategy (suggestions) to differentially modulate the sensory and affective dimensions of pain and investigate the effect of this manipulation on facial responses to experimental pain. Twenty-two subjects participated in the study. Their facial expressions, pain intensity, and unpleasantness ratings as well as skin conductance responses to tonic and phasic heat pa... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607914 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607910&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006014%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Single-dose intravenous administration of tropisetron in patients with chronic low back pain failed to affect the intensity of pain and parameters of central hypersensitivity.Abstract: The activation of 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 (5-HT-3) receptors in spinal cord can enhance intrinsic spinal mechanisms of central hypersensitivity, possibly leading to exaggerated pain responses. Clinical studies suggest that 5-HT-3 receptor antagonists may have an analgesic effect. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study tested the hypothesis that the 5-HT-3 receptor antagonist tropisetron attenuates pain and central hypersensitivity in patients with chronic low back pain. Thirty patients with chronic low back pain, 15 of whom were women (aged 53±14years) and 15 men (aged 48±... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607910 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607910 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607905&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS030439591100649X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Neuroplastic changes can be demonstrated in the brain following damage to the central and peripheral nervous system using imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and magnetoencephalography . The possibility of assessing functional and structural changes in vivo in the human brain may partly explain why the focus in the last 2 decades has been almost exclusively on cortical reorganization, at the expense of functional and structural changes occurring in spinal and other subcortical structures. The aim of this review is to attract attention to the involvement of subcortical, particularly spinal, mechanisms in neuroplasticity after nerve injury. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607905 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607901&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006592%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In this issue of Pain Dominick et al. investigate the association between physical and mental co-morbidity and the prevalence of chronic pain in a population-based sample of adults. Numerous studies have shown that many people with chronic pain have other health conditions, and that those with co-morbidities have poorer outcomes. In their new study, however, Dominick et al. take a novel approach by using the principle of allostatic load as the starting point of their analysis. Allostatic load (AL) is the term proposed by McEwen and Stellar to describe cumulative physiological wear and tear resulting from repeated efforts to adapt to stressors over time . By disrupting the physiological regulatory systems that mediate the stress response, cumulative lifetime exposure to social, psychologica... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607901 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607901 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523922&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006233%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Pain in men and women treated with patient-controlled epidural analgesia was almost equal; however, women showed lower total PCEA consumption that was influenced by BMI and vomiting.Abstract: Gender differences in pain modulation are evident but data are rare with regard to perioperative regional analgesia. The aim of the present analysis was to assess gender-related differences in pain ratings, analgesic consumption, and adverse events in a large group of patients treated with patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) after major surgery. Data from 14,988 adult patients (6506 women; 8482 men) receiving a PCEA between January 1998 and December 2009 were examined. Demographic data and postoperative measurements assessed by the Acute Pain Service, including total PCEA consumption... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523922 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523921&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006257%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Experimental laboratory data demonstrate that robust and persistent placebo analgesia can occur in a dose-dependent manner, mediated by levels of expectancy for pain relief.Abstract: Investigating dose-dependent effects of placebo analgesia (PA) in laboratory subjects undergoing pain testing, we evaluated 2 hypotheses: (1) greater expectancy for relief produces greater PA, and (2) cued expectancy for relief triggered by a predictive cue leads to more enhanced analgesia than does passive expectancy (no predictive cue). We used conditioning procedures in which 84 subjects experienced reduced stimulation intensity following the application of purported analgesic creams to the 2 experimental fingers, while the control finger received the same levels of stimulation as in the baseline b... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523921 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523917&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006178%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This study was conducted to investigate whether men and women exhibited different outcomes after an intensive multimodal pain treatment program. The daily outpatient program consisted of individual treatment as well as group therapy, with a total amount of therapy of 117.5h per patient. Overall, 496 patients (254 women) completed the multimodal program. Pretreatment parameters for pain, disability due to pain, pain duration, and pain chronicity stage, as well as age or psychiatric comorbidities, did not differ between genders. The average pain, measured with a Numeric Rating Scale, decreased after treatment of −1.54 (±1.96) with a large effect size (ES) of .911 for the total sample. However, there were considerable differences in the benefit for women (−1.83±2.12; ES 1.045) compared ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523917 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523909&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005860%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This study implies that a multidisciplinary cognitive behavioral program might have beneficial effects on people with chronic neuropathic SCI pain. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523909 Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607909&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005938%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In conclusion, this cross-sectional study provides evidence from a large sample of frail elderly showing an association between pain and behavioral and psychiatric symptoms. Treatment models that put together assessment and treatment of pain and evaluate their effect on behavioral and psychiatric symptoms are needed. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607909 Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607909 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523919&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006208%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We report results from 177 patients with subacute nonspecific low back pain at the start of outpatient treatment and at follow-up after 6months. At baseline, a multivariate analysis of variance found that the fear-avoidance patients scored higher in pain catastrophizing than the other groups. The distress-endurance patients displayed elevated anxiety/depression and helplessness/hopelessness accompanied with the highest scores in the classification variables thought suppression and persistence behavior. The eustress-endurance patients had the highest humor/distraction scores, pain persistence, and positive mood despite pain. All 3 maladaptive groups revealed a higher pain intensity than the adaptive patients at follow-up after 6months; however, disability at follow-up was elevated only in t... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523919 Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523911&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005896%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: The WAT-1 shows good psychometric performance and generalizability when used to assess clinically important withdrawal symptoms in the pediatric intensive care unit and general ward settings.Abstract: Critically ill pediatric patients frequently receive prolonged analgesia and sedation to provide pain relief and facilitate intensive care therapies. Iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome occurs when these drugs are stopped abruptly or weaned too rapidly. We investigated the validity and generalizability of the Withdrawal Assessment Tool-1 (WAT-1) in children during weaning of analgesics and sedatives. Of 308 children initially supported on mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure, 126 (41%) from 21 centers (median age 1.6years; interquartile range 0.6–7.7years) were exposed t... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523911 Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406941&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS030439591100618X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406941 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:57:38 +0100 5406941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406932&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005495%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We examined private musculoskeletal practitioners’ (chiropractors, osteopaths, and physiotherapists) beliefs and reported clinical behaviours in reference to patients’ work. A cross-sectional postal questionnaire of 900 musculoskeletal practitioners included the Attitudes to Back pain in musculoskeletal practitioners questionnaires, reported frequency of four work-related behaviours, and a new measure of practitioners’ work-related beliefs. Data from 337 respondents (37%) were analysed. Eighty percent of respondents reported recommending work absence to patients with LBP sometimes, and 14% recommended a work absence often or always. Seventy percent of practitioners never visit the patient’s workplace. Most practitioners report that they prescribe exercises that can be carried out a... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406932 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:57:38 +0100 5406932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406923&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004751%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Chronic pain is prevalent in children and adolescents, with headaches being most common. Quality assessment indicated that most epidemiological studies do not meet quality criteria.Abstract: Chronic and recurrent pain not associated with a disease is very common in childhood and adolescence, but studies of pain prevalence have yielded inconsistent findings. This systematic review examined studies of chronic and recurrent pain prevalence to provide updated aggregated prevalence rates. The review also examined correlates of chronic and recurrent pain such as age, sex, and psychosocial functioning. Studies of pain prevalence rates in children and adolescents published in English or French between 1991 and 2009 were identified using EMBASE, Medline, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases. Of ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406923 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:57:38 +0100 5406923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406911&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006403%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406911 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:57:38 +0100 5406911 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523923&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005884%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: A combination of low doses of ziconotide and morphine, administered intrathecally, allows safe and rapid control of oral opioid–refractory malignant pain.Abstract: Ziconotide is a nonopioid intrathecal analgesic drug used to manage moderate to severe chronic pain. The aim of this work is to assess the safety and efficacy of intrathecal (IT) combination of ziconotide and morphine in malignant pain refractory to high doses of oral opioids. Patients with malignant pain refractory to high oral opioids doses with a mean visual analogue scale of pain intensity (VASPI) score of ⩾70mm were enrolled. An IT combination therapy was administered: Ziconotide was started at a dose of 2.4μg/day, followed by increases of 1.2μg/day at intervals of at least 7days, and an initial IT daily dose... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523923 Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523895&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006506%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Several animal models of neuropathic pain, involving incomplete lesions of the sciatic nerve or its branches, have been developed since the late 1980s. The first of these, chronic constriction injury , involved loose ligation of the sciatic nerve, resulting in subsequent strangulation of the nerve. Shortly after this, Seltzer et al. reported that partial transection of the sciatic nerve could also be used as a model for neuropathic pain. A limitation with both of these methods was the inevitable variability in the extent and severity of the lesion. In order to address this limitation, Kim and Chung developed the spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model, in which either L5, or both L5 and L6, spinal nerves on one side were tightly ligated. These animals rapidly developed signs of mechanical and co... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523895 Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523895 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523915&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006166%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Spinal cord stimulation of the dorsal columns in treatment of experimental neuropathic pain acts through a segmental spinal site of action.Abstract: Although spinal cord stimulation (SCS) of the dorsal columns is an established method for treating chronic neuropathic pain, patients still suffer from a substantial level of pain. From a clinical perspective it is known that the location of the SCS is of pivotal importance, thereby suggesting a segmental spinal mode of action. However, experimental studies suggest that SCS acts also through the modulation of supraspinal mechanisms, which might suggest that the location is unimportant. Here we investigated the effect of the rostrocaudal location of SCS stimulation and the effectiveness of pain relief in a rat model of chronic neuropat... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523915 Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523893&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006221%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes It is now 60years since it was first reported in the medical literature that those patients with episodic headache who habitually overused acute headache medication (ergotamine) developed chronic headache . The subsequent worsening of the headache disorder could be relieved by withdrawal of this medication. Many terms have since been coined to describe this entity (analgesic abuse headache, medication misuse headache, drug-induced headache) but in 2004 the Classification Committee of the International Headache Society labelled it Medication Overuse Headache (MOH) and produced diagnostic criteria . The difficulties in defining the problem (and differentiating it from chronic migraine) were reflected in new appendix criteria which were published in 2006 . It is now recognised that MOH can be... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523893 Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523893 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607908&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005604%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Accumulated comorbid load is independently associated with chronic pain. Comorbid physical conditions increase risk additively, while anxiety/depression interacts with 2 specific conditions, increasing risk synergistically.Abstract: We investigated the association of chronic pain with physical and mental comorbidity in the New Zealand population by measuring chronic pain status separate from comorbid conditions. Models of allostatic load provided a conceptual basis for considering multi-morbidity as accumulated comorbid load and for using both discrete conditions and cumulative measures in analyses. The nationally representative cross-sectional survey data included self-reported doctor-diagnosed chronic physical and mental health conditions, Kessler 10-item scale scores, an indepe... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607908 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523916&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006154%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes TOC summary: The functional role of Gq/11 G proteins in nociceptors not only spans pathological pain, but, surprisingly, also includes tonic modulation of nociception.Abstract: Peripheral injury or inflammation leads to a release of mediators capable of binding to a variety of ion channels and receptors. Among these are the 7-transmembrane receptors (G protein-coupled receptors) coupling to Gs, Gi/o, G12/13, or Gq/11 G proteins. Each of the G protein-coupled receptor pathways is involved in nociceptive modulation and pain processing, but the relative contribution of individual signaling pathways in vivo has not yet been worked out. The Gq/G11 signaling branch is of particular interest because it leads to the activation of phospholipase C-β, protein kinase C, the release of calcium from in... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523916 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5523916 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607904&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005902%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Patient withdrawal from randomised trials is common in chronic pain trials, and more common for the experimental drug than for placebo . Different analysis strategies can be used to deal with missing data; all come with problems. Simply excluding withdrawals and analysing only for completers may appear honest, but can favour experimental treatment . The alternative is imputing (estimating) missing data by generating values for missing data points, extrapolating the last pain observation made, and carrying it forward to the end of the trial (last-observation-carried-forward, LOCF), or using baseline pain intensity measurement and zero pain relief as end-of-trial outcomes (baseline-observation-carried-forward, BOCF). (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607904 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607899&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006129%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The report by Krumova et al. in this issue raises important questions about the neural signaling involved in neuropathic pain, and highlights the presence of substantial gaps in our knowledge about how topical lidocaine relieves pain. The authors studied the sensory effects of applying an adhesive patch containing 5% lidocaine (Versatis® 5%) to the skin in normal subjects. The study was double blind and used a validated sensory testing protocol to assess affects on thermal and mechanical sensibility. The authors quantitatively corroborate the clinical impression that though topical lidocaine may relieve neuropathic pain , the effects on sensation are minimal. The study was performed after only six hours of application of the study medication, and one might quibble that this testing interv... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607899 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5607899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523912&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005872%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: The assessment of neurovascular interaction in skin innervated by the compressed nerve is well adapted to detect the severity of surrounding tissue damage.Abstract: Most studies of chronic nerve compression focus on large nerve function in painful conditions, and only few studies have assessed potential changes in the function of small nerve fibers during chronic nerve compression and recovery from compression. Cutaneous pressure-induced vasodilation is a neurovascular phenomenon that relies on small neuropeptidergic fibers controlling the cutaneous microvasculature. We aimed to characterize potential changes in function of these small fibers and/or in cutaneous microvascular function following short-term (1-month) and long-term (6-month) nerve compression and after release of com... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523912 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523910&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005859%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In conclusion, GABA-A and GABA-B receptors are promising targets for postoperative, incisional pain in humans. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523910 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523910 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523908&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS030439591100580X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: In a cohort of patients with whiplash injuries, fear avoidance partially mediated the relationship between pain soon after injury and disability 3months later.Abstract: The aim of this study was to test the capacity of the Fear Avoidance Model to explain the relationship between pain and disability in patients with whiplash-associated disorders. Using the method of Baron and Kenny , we assessed the mediating effect of fear of movement on the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between pain and disability. Two hundred and five subjects with neck pain due to a motor vehicle accident provided pain intensity (0 to 10 numerical rating scale), fear of movement (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia and Pictorial Fear of Activity Scale) and disability (Neck Disability Index) scores wit... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523908 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523903&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005483%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Although a limited number of L4 dorsal root ganglion neurons undergo minor injuries by L5 spinal nerve ligation, they are unlikely the major contributors to pathomechanisms.Abstract: The L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) is a widely used animal neuropathic pain model. There are conflicting reports regarding the extent of injury to the L4 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in this model. If a significant number of these neurons were injured, the previously reported phenotypic and electrophysiological changes at this level are in need of re-evaluation by separating the injured neurons and the frankly spared ones. So, we immunostained activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) and examined the change in expression of transcripts for neuropeptide Y (NPY), brain-derived neurotrophic factor ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523903 Fri, 04 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523903 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523907&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005811%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The objective of this article is to assess the contribution of disease activity, pain, and psychological factors to self-reported sleep disturbance in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to evaluate whether depression mediates the effects of pain on sleep disturbance. The sample included 106 patients with confirmed RA who participated in an assessment of their disease activity, pain, psychological functioning, and sleep disturbance during a baseline evaluation prior to participating in a prospective study to help them manage their RA. Self-measures included the Rapid Assessment of Disease Activity in Rheumatology, the SF-36 Pain Scale, the Helplessness and Internality Subscales of the Arthritis Helplessness Index, the Active and Passive Pain Coping Scales of the Pain Management In... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523907 Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523907 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523904&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005471%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: A novel small molecule inhibitor of Nav1.7 has been developed, and favorable efficacy using this therapeutic in erythromelalgia patients with Nav1.7 gain-of-function mutations is shown.Abstract: Mutations in the SCN9A gene leading to deficiency of its protein product, Nav1.7, cause congenital indifference to pain (CIP). CIP is characterized by the absence of the ability to sense pain associated with noxious stimuli. In contrast, the opposite phenotype to CIP, inherited erythromelalgia (IEM), is a disorder of spontaneous pain caused by missense mutations resulting in gain-of-function in Nav1.7 that promote neuronal hyperexcitability. The primary aim of this study was to demonstrate that Nav1.7 antagonism could alleviate the pain of IEM, thereby demonstrating the utility of this opp... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523904 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523894&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006142%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes According to models of attention and emotion, threat captures and holds attention (for a review, see ). Within normative levels, where estimation of threat corresponds closely with real dangers in the environment, rapid and accurate detection of threatening or emotionally salient stimuli is highly adaptive because it provides critical information about potential danger in the environment. Facilitated processing of threat-related stimuli becomes less adaptive, however, when threats are irrelevant to current goals. Indeed preferential attention towards negative information has been implicated in the aetiology and maintenance of anxiety and mood disorders . In the field of chronic pain, current theories suggest that attentional biases are critical contributors to the aetiology and maintenance... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523894 Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523894 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523906&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005793%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We report here that as a stabilized analog of DAPTA, the short peptide RAP-103 exhibits potent antagonism for both CCR2 (half maximal inhibitory concentration [IC50] 4.2pM) and CCR5 (IC50 0.18pM) in monocyte chemotaxis. Oral administration of RAP-103 (0.05–1mg/kg) for 7days fully prevents mechanical allodynia and inhibits the development of thermal hyperalgesia after partial ligation of the sciatic nerve in rats. Administered from days 8 to 12, RAP-103 (0.2–1mg/kg) reverses already established hypersensitivity. RAP-103 relieves behavioral hypersensitivity, probably through either or both CCR2 and CCR5 blockade, because by using genetically deficient animals, we demonstrated that in addition to CCR2, CCR5 is also required for the development of neuropathic pain. Moreover, RAP-103 is abl... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523906 Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406934&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005550%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: IL-1β expression in the contralateral hippocampus coincides with neuropathic pain behavior in rats, and the correlations between hippocampal IL-1β and IL-1ra or IL-6 are lost.Abstract: We have proposed that neuropathic pain engages emotional learning, suggesting the involvement of the hippocampus. Because cytokines in the periphery contribute to induction and maintenance of neuropathic pain but might also participate centrally, we used 2 neuropathic pain models, chronic constriction injury (CCI) and spared nerve injury (SNI), to investigate the temporal profile of hippocampal cytokine gene expression in 2 rat strains that show different postinjury behavioral threshold sensitivities. SNI induced long-lasting allodynia in both strains, while CCI induced allodynia with time-depende... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406934 Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406929&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005410%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Human cortical areas involved in pain modulation exert a causal influence upon areas activated by painful stimuli, which is stable over time and tasks.Abstract: The human ‘pain network’ includes cortical areas that are activated during the response to painful stimuli (termed category 1) or during psychological processes that modulate pain, for example, distraction (termed category 2). These categories include parts of the parasylvian (PS), medial frontal (MF), and paracentral cortex (S1&M1). Here we test the hypothesis that causal interactions both within and between category 1 and category 2 modules occur during attention to a painful stimulus. Event-related causality (ERC) was calculated from local field potentials recorded directly from these cortical areas during the respo... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406929 Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523905&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS030439591100563X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Nerve injury significantly increases endogenous cholecystokinin (CCK) in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM), and CCK drives descending facilitatory pathways from the RVM in naïve animals to increase spinal prostaglandin-E2 and serotonin (5-hydoxytryptophan/5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid).Abstract: Cholecystokinin (CCK) has been suggested to be both pro-nociceptive and “anti-opioid” by actions on pain-modulatory cells within the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM). One consequence of activation of RVM CCK2 receptors may be enhanced spinal nociceptive transmission; but how this might occur, especially in states of pathological pain, is unknown. Here, in vivo microdialysis was used to demonstrate that levels of RVM CCK increased by approximately 2-fold after ligation of L5/L6 spi... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523905 Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607900&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911006026%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Osteoarthritis (OA) pain represents a major unmet medical need. OA is the most common joint disorder, affecting primarily the knees, hips, hands, and spine . A recent American College of Rheumatology task force concluded that pain is the most common symptom of patients with rheumatic disorders, including OA, and pain is the major reason for seeking medical care . Available pharmacologic approaches include NSAIDs or analgesics, and intra-articular viscosupplementation or steroids, which can alleviate mild-to-moderate pain in OA. Treatment of severe OA pain remains inadequate and pain is a major reason for seeking surgical intervention. The number of total joint replacements in the United States keeps increasing, with a projected 600,000 hip and 1.4million knee replacements in the year 2015 ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607900 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5607900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523901&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005112%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Several risk factors for medication overuse headache did not increase the risk for chronic daily headache without overuse, which suggests they are distinct disorders.Abstract: Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is relatively common, but its incidence has not been calculated and there are no prospective population-based studies that have evaluated risk factors for developing MOH. The aim of this study was to estimate incidences of and identify risk factors for developing chronic daily headache (CDH) and MOH. This longitudinal population-based cohort study used data from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Surveys performed in 1995–1997 and 2006–2008. Among the 51,383 participants at baseline, 41,766 were eligible approximately 11years later. There were 26,197 participants (responder rate... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523901 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523901 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523897&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004854%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Proteasome inhibitor MG132 ameliorates joint pain and the progression of experimental osteoarthritis.Abstract: Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease with pain and loss of joint function as major pathological features. Recent studies show that proteasome inhibitors reduce pain in various pathological conditions. We evaluated the effects of MG132, a reversible proteasome inhibitor on pain and joint destruction in a rat model of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis was induced by intraarticular injection of monosodium iodoacetate into the rat knee. Knee joint stiffness was scored and nociception was evaluated by mechanical pressure applied to the respective hind paw. Knee joint destruction was assessed by radiological and histological analyses. Expression of matrix metalloproteina... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523897 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523891&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005835%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The lipids that make up the bulk of cell membranes are a rich source of signaling molecules, many of which trigger inflammation and magnify the response to painful stimuli. A classic example is provided by the eicosanoids, local mediators that are generated by enzymatic oxygenation of the polyunsaturated fatty acid, arachidonic acid, and bind to G protein-coupled receptors on sensory fibers, with a resultant lowering of the pain threshold during inflammation. A smaller, but growing number of lipid molecules act in an opposite way: they curb the inflammatory process, restore homeostasis in inflamed tissues, and blunt pain sensitivity by regulating neural pathways that transmit nociceptive signals from the periphery to the central nervous system (CNS). Among these membrane-derived analgesics... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523891 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523891 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523890&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005823%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes “Very long lives are the probable destiny of most people alive now in developed countries” . As average life expectancy has improved, attention has turned to the quality of our longer lives, to illness and disability in ‘later life’, to the role of preventable determinants in early, mid-, and late-life, and to the configuration of health and social services for an increasingly elderly population. The occurrence, management and scope for prevention of pain and pain-related disability in later life are important features of this debate. The study by Macfarlane et al. in this issue of Pain adds important new evidence on the occurrence and primary care management of one of the most common pains experienced in adulthood – low back pain (LPB) – and raises some interesting issues of w... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523890 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523890 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406940&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005628%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Neither Tlr4−/− K/BxN serum transfer arthritic mice nor those administered spinal TLR4 pharmacological blockade display persistent mechanical hypersensitivity, in contrast to WT mice.Abstract: Persistent pain after resolution of clinically appreciable signs of arthritis poses a therapeutic challenge, and immunosuppressive therapies do not meet this medical need. To investigate this conversion to persistent pain, we utilized the K/BxN serum transfer arthritis model, which has persistent mechanical hypersensitivity despite the resolution of visible inflammation. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 has been implicated as a potential therapeutic target in neuropathic and other pain models. We compared the relative courses of serum transfer arthritis and mechanical hypersensitivity in wild ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406940 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406940 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406939&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005616%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Foot and ankle pain affects approximately 20% of adults in middle and old age, with two-thirds reporting moderate or worse disability with daily activities.Abstract: A systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based epidemiological studies was undertaken to determine the prevalence of foot and ankle pain in middle and old age. Searches were conducted in the following electronic databases from inception to October 2010: PubMed, EMBASE, AMED, CINAHL, Cochrane, PEDro, and SportDiscus. Full-text English language articles were included if they used population sample frames, cross-sectional design or analysis, and reported prevalence estimates for foot and/or ankle pain in adults aged 45years and over. Thirty-four articles from 31 studies involving 75,505 participants provided 5... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406939 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406939 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406937&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005598%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In conclusion, the data presented show that the nonselective muscarinic agonist xanomeline is analgesic in models of persistent pain and suggest that the activation of supraspinal M1 receptors, and to a lesser extent supraspinal M4 receptors, contributes to that analgesia. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406937 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406937 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406936&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005574%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Evaluation of the occurrence of secondary hyperalgesia in the rat UV-B inflammatory pain model, and in a new model combining UV-B irradiation with heat rekindling.Abstract: Cutaneous inflammation induced by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in the UV-B range has received significant recent interest as a translational inflammatory pain model. Changes in thermal and mechanical sensitivities in the area of primary hyperalgesia are well documented in both the rat and human UV-B models, but the occurrence of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia is controversial. We investigated the occurrence of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia in the rat UV-B model. Additionally, we investigated whether secondary hyperalgesia was enhanced by heat rekindling of UV-B-irradiated skin as a new rat inflammatory m... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406936 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406935&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005562%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We report the first nationwide survey of the impact of neuropathic pain, as opposed to nonneuropathic pain, on quality of life and health care utilization in the French general population. A postal questionnaire was sent to a representative sample of 4554 respondents from an initial nationwide survey of 30,155 subjects with or without chronic pain. It included pain characteristics (Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory, DN4), quality of life (Medical Outcomes Short Form 12, SF-12), sleep, anxiety/depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and health care utilization. In total, 3899 (85.6%) questionnaires were returned, 3816 (97.9%) could be assessed and 3165 subjects (82.9%) confirmed their pain status. Subjects reporting pain and neuropathic characteristics based on the DN4 ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406935 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334932&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004817%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of breastfeeding for reducing pain and to determine if breastfeeding skills were altered after this treatment. Fifty-seven infants born at 30–36weeks gestational age were randomized to be breastfed (BF) or to be given a soother during blood collection. Changes in the Behavioral Indicators of Infant Pain (BIIP) and in mean heart rate (HR) across 3 phases of blood collection were measured. In the BF group, the Premature Infant Breastfeeding Behaviors (PIBBS) scale was scored before and 24hours after blood collection. Longitudinal regression analysis was used to compare changes in Lance/squeeze and Recovery phases of blood collection between groups, with gestational age at birth, baseline BIIP scores, and mean HR included as covaria... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334932 Fri, 21 Oct 2011 23:53:03 +0100 5334932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334912&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005744%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334912 Fri, 21 Oct 2011 23:53:03 +0100 5334912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523892&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005847%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes There has been an ongoing discussion on optimum readouts for pain. A particular objective is to define the best correlate of spontaneous pain. Evoked behavior in the setting of inflammatory pain could reflect extreme sensitization and this could correlate with “spontaneous” pain being evoked by regular daily activity. However, as previously suggested , to assess spontaneous neuropathic pain, non-evoked pain behaviors might be more appropriate. It seems reasonable and relatively straightforward to link ongoing activity in primary nociceptors with spontaneous pain. Indeed, spontaneous foot lifting in nerve injury models in rodents was correlated with spontaneous activity of C-nociceptors . (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523892 Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607907&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS030439591100546X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Partial medial meniscectomy produces progressive degenerative joint disease and accompanying evoked pain behaviours in C57Bl/6 mice, providing a model for the study of osteoarthritic pain behaviours.Abstract: Murine models of osteoarthritis (OA) provide a potentially powerful tool to elucidate mechanisms responsible for OA pain. However, few studies have examined pain behaviours in relevant OA models in mice. We have therefore characterized the time course and pharmacological sensitivities of pain-related behaviours in a model of OA in C57Bl/6 mice induced by partial medial meniscectomy. Progressive degenerative joint damage developed in a time-dependent manner and was first detected 4weeks after surgery. Pain was assessed by monitoring weight bearing, mechanical hyperalgesia, col... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607907 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5607907 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523902&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005148%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Both patients and caregivers demonstrated biases towards painful faces that were not observed in control participants or to happy faces.Abstract: Despite increasing interest in the attentional biases of pain patients towards pain-related stimuli, there have been no investigations of whether the main caregivers of chronic pain patients also selectively attend to pain-related information. We compared the attentional biases to painful or happy faces of 120 chronic pain patients, 118 caregivers, and 50 controls. Analyses found that both patients and caregivers demonstrated biases towards painful faces that were not observed in control participants or to happy faces. Those patients and caregivers who were high in fear of pain demonstrated greater biases than those low in fear of pain, ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523902 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523902 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406938&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005586%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This study investigated the effects of pharmacological inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)γ in the pruriceptive, inflammatory, and nociceptive responses induced by trypsin in mice. The animals were orally treated with the selective PI3Kγ inhibitor AS605240 (0.3–30mg/kg) 30minutes beforehand. In separate groups, AS605240 was given by intrathecal (i.t.) or intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) routes. The control groups received saline at the same schedules. The effects of PI3K blocking were assessed in different experimental assays. The oral treatment with AS605240 produced a marked reduction of scratching behavior elicited by trypsin. Moreover, AS605240 (1mg/kg) was able to produce a partial but significant inhibition of the scratching bouts elicited by CP 48/80. Interestingl... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406938 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406933&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005537%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Discussion addresses implications for both researchers and clinicians who work with infants in pain. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406933 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406933 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406931&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005446%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Women with widespread vs localized chronic pain exhibit distinctive alterations in molecular-genetic profiles of the inflammatory mediators MCP-1, IL-1ra, IL-8, and TGFβ1.Abstract: For reasons unknown, temporomandibular disorder (TMD) can manifest as localized pain or in conjunction with widespread pain. We evaluated relationships between cytokines and TMD without or with widespread palpation tenderness (TMD−WPT or TMD+WPT, respectively) at protein, transcription factory activity, and gene levels. Additionally, we evaluated the relationship between cytokines and intermediate phenotypes characteristic of TMD and WPT. In a case-control study of 344 females, blood samples were analyzed for levels of 22 cytokines and activity of 48 transcription factors. Intermediate phenotypes wer... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406931 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5607906&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005136%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Topical lidocaine (5%) induced a selective, but only partial blockade of Ad- and C-fibers of variable magnitude in healthy subjects, with significantly increased thermal detection and mechanical pain thresholds and decreased mechanical pain sensitivity.Abstract: Topical lidocaine (5%) leads to sufficient pain relief in only 29%–80% of treated patients, presumably by small-fiber block. The reasons for nonresponse are unclear; it may be due to different underlying pain mechanisms or partly insufficient anesthetic effect. Using quantitative sensory testing (QST) following the protocol of the DFNS (German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain), this study aims to assess the type and extent of somatosensory changes after lidocaine application in healthy volunteers. Twenty-six healthy ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5607906 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5607906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406930&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005422%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Variables consistent with psychological flexibility mediate the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based interventions to improve functioning in patients with chronic debilitating pain.Abstract: Even though psychological interventions are well established in the treatment of pediatric chronic pain, there is a clear need for further development, especially with severely disabled patients. However, optimizing effectiveness in psychological treatments for pain requires clarification of the mechanisms of action. Studies addressing change processes are scarce, however, particularly in relation to pediatric chronic pain. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as an extension of traditional cognitive behavior therapy, is essentially aimed at improving functioning by increasin... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406930 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406912&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005549%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes According to the WHO, “every country in the world is now party to at least one human rights treaty that addresses health related rights. This includes the right to health as well as other rights that relate to conditions necessary for health” (http://www.who.int/hhr/en/). In the past decade there has been considerable attention focused on the topic of health as a human right in general with particular reference to the field of palliative care and pain management . (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406912 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523900&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005082%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Microneurography can detect spontaneous activity in C-nociceptors in neuropathic pain states in humans and in rats.Abstract: C-nociceptors do not normally fire action potentials unless challenged by adequate noxious stimuli. However, in pathological states nociceptors may become hyperexcitable and may generate spontaneous ectopic discharges. The aim of this study was to compare rat neuropathic pain models and to assess their suitability to model the spontaneous C-nociceptor activity found in neuropathic pain patients. Studies were performed in normal rats (n=40), healthy human subjects (n=15), peripheral neuropathic pain patients (n=20), and in five rat neuropathic pain models: nerve crush (n=24), suture (n=14), chronic constriction injury (n=12), STZ-induced diabetic neuropathy (... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523900 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406916&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005458%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The paper by Høimyr and colleagues in this issue of PAIN is a valuable reminder that minimizing surgical injury is the best way to prevent neuropathic pain. Taking advantage of the large database of melanoma patients in Denmark and a standard approach to the disease, the authors surveyed 402 surviving patients. A total of 175 survey responders had undergone a lymph node staging procedure, consisting of a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) in 171. In 47 patients (27.5%), the SNB showed malignant cells and these patients underwent lymph node dissection (LND). Four additional patients known to have metastatic disease proceeded directly to LND. All respondents with pain, and a gender and age-matched group of respondents without pain were then invited to participate in a clinical study that invo... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406916 Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406916 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523898&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004891%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Amongst the oldest old, severe back pain (but not back pain overall) is most common, and primary care consultation is more likely to result in pharmacological-only management.Abstract: The aim of the current study was to determine: the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) and associated disability; the frequency of consultation to general practice; whether there were differences in management by age. We conducted a cross-sectional population study in Aberdeen city and Cheshire County, UK. Participants were 15,272 persons aged 25years and older. The 1-month period prevalence of LBP was 28.5%. It peaked at age 41–50years, but at ages over 80years was reported by 1 in 4 persons. Older persons were more likely to consult, and the prevalence of severe LBP continued to increase with age.... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523898 Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523898 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406928&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005409%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Friendships of adolescents with chronic pain may be different than those of healthy peers. Differences in cognitive processes during social interactions reveal potential strategies to ameliorate differences.Abstract: Adolescents with chronic pain are at risk for impairment in their friendships. They miss out on leisure activities, have increased school absence, may have fewer friends, are at an increased risk for victimization, and may be perceived by peers as less likeable. To help determine the source of these problems, the Social Information Processing Model (SIP) was adapted using narrative vignettes to determine if adolescents with chronic pain interpret friendship interactions differently in terms of supportive and nonsupportive behaviors compared to healthy peers. One hundr... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406928 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406927&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005185%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In conclusion, the agonist-induced activation of nociceptors by TRPA1 and TRPV1 elicits painful sensations, whereas nonneuronal tissue cells respond with differential release of inflammatory mediators, thus influencing local vasodilatation and neuronal sensitization. These results have implications for the application of transient receptor potential antagonists to improve inflammatory skin conditions and pain management. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406927 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406927 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406926&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005173%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Pain partially mediated the association between sociodemographic/clinical characteristics and illicit drug use/depressive symptoms in a longitudinal cohort of HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative men.Abstract: Pain in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) frequently co-occurs with substance use and depression. The complex associations among patient characteristics, pain, depression, and drug use in HIV suggests a role for testing models that can account for relationships simultaneously, control for HIV status, and also test for mediation. Using structural equation modeling, the current study examined associations among pain, sociodemographics, illicit drug use, and depressive symptoms in 921 HIV-seropositive and 1019 HIV-seronegative men from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, an on... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406926 Mon, 03 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406924&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005100%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In conclusion: (1) SS and SD of cold pain are reciprocal; (2) whereas cold pain can summate over large distances, the SD of cold pain is poor; (3) SS of cold pain does not exist between contralateral body sides, however, inhibition occurs; (4) SS is independent of skin type and sensitivity to cold pain; (5) differences in pain quality between hairy and glabrous skin may reflect innervation differences. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406924 Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406915&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005434%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Literacy has been largely ignored in the design and evaluation of cognitive-behavioral and educational interventions for pain management. In the broader public health arena, research indicates that health information is often too difficult for the majority of adults to understand . Furthermore, this limited understanding of health information can have serious health consequences for individuals and populations . Recent studies suggest that literacy may be one mechanism through which race and education have an impact on health and health disparities . This has led to a growing literature on guidelines for adapting educational materials for maximum comprehension and effectiveness . (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406915 Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259969&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004313%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This study examined the influence of patients’ likability on pain estimations made by observers. Patients’ likability was manipulated by means of an evaluative conditioning procedure: pictures of patients were combined with either positive, neutral, or negative personal traits. Next, videos of the patients were presented to 40 observers who rated the pain. Patients were expressing no, mild-, or high-intensity pain. Results indicated lower pain estimations as well as lower perceptual sensitivity toward pain (i.e., lower ability to discriminate between varying levels of pain expression) with regard to patients who were associated with negative personal traits. The effect on pain estimations was only found with regard to patients expressing high-intensity pain. There was no effect on resp... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259969 Wed, 28 Sep 2011 23:52:56 +0100 5259969 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259944&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005331%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259944 Wed, 28 Sep 2011 23:52:56 +0100 5259944 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406925&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS030439591100515X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This study assessed functional brain activation in rats during expectation of visceral pain. Male rats were trained in step-down passive avoidance (PA) for 2days. Upon stepping down from a platform, conditioned animals received noxious colorectal distension delivered through a colorectal balloon, whereas the balloon in control rats remained uninflated. On day 3, PA behavior was assessed while [14C]-iodoantipyrine was infused intravenously, followed by immediate euthanasia. Regional cerebral blood flow-related tissue radioactivity (rCBF) was analyzed by statistical parametric mapping using 3-dimensional brains reconstructed from autoradiographic brain slice images. Associated with retrieved PA behavior, conditioned rats compared with control subjects showed increases in rCBF in sensory (ant... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406925 Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334942&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005094%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Some, but not all, forms of pain reduction by distraction seem to rely on descending pain inhibition.Abstract: Distraction from pain reduces pain perception, and imaging studies have suggested that this may at least partially be mediated by activation of descending pain inhibitory systems. Here, we used the nociceptive flexor reflex (RIII reflex) to directly quantify the effects of different distraction strategies on basal spinal nociception and its temporal summation. Twenty-seven healthy subjects participated in 3 distraction tasks (mental imagery, listening to preferred music, spatial discrimination of brush stimuli) and, in a fourth task, concentrated on the painful stimulus. Results show that all 3 distraction tasks reduced pain perception, but only the brush task also reduce... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334942 Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334942 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334939&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005045%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Use of escitalopram 10mg daily compared to placebo resulted in decreased pain severity and interference in a sample of opioid-dependent patients with depressive symptoms.Abstract: Pain is common among opioid-dependent patients, yet pharmacologic strategies are limited. The aim of this study was to explore whether escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, was associated with reductions in pain. The study used longitudinal data from a randomized, controlled trial that evaluated the effects of escitalopram on treatment retention in patients with depressive symptoms who were initiating buprenorphine/naloxone for treatment of opioid dependence. Participants were randomized to receive escitalopram 10mg or placebo daily. Changes in pain severity, pain interference, and depr... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334939 Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334939 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406921&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004477%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Cognitive behavioral therapy was compared with pain education within an underserved, low-socioeconomic status, rural chronic pain population. Both interventions were found to be viable treatment options.Abstract: Chronic pain is a common and costly experience. Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) are efficacious for an array of chronic pain conditions. However, the literature is based primarily on urban (white) samples. It is unknown whether CBT works in low-socioeconomic status (SES) minority and nonminority groups. To address this question, we conducted a randomized controlled trial within a low-SES, rural chronic pain population. Specifically, we examined the feasibility, tolerability, acceptability, and efficacy of group CBT compared with a group education intervention (EDU). ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406921 Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406917&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005161%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Numerous epidemiological studies of chronic and recurrent pain in the pediatric age range have been conducted using community surveys. Based on the medians reported in the systematic review by King et al. in this issue of Pain, one in four schoolchildren has headaches at least weekly. One in four has back pain at least once a month. One in five has abdominal pain at least weekly. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406917 Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334940&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005057%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Tumor necrosis factor-α and its receptors demonstrated a role in the long-term outcome of sciatic pain in patients after lumbar disc hernia surgery.Abstract: Lumbar disc hernia (LDH) is a leading cause of chronic pain in adults. The underlying pathology of chronic pain after discectomy remains unclear. Chronic local inflammation is considered to underlie painful symptomatology. In this context, we investigated tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1), and TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2) expression at the time of surgery in LDH patients and correlated it with the severity of postoperative pain. We analyzed protein and mRNA levels from muscle, ligamentum flavum (LF), annulus fibrosus (AF), and nucleus pulposus (NP) in LDH patients and scoliosis patients (SP), who served as con... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334940 Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334940 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334933&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004842%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Systemic inhibition of mTORC1 with rapalog CCI-779 or a ATP-competitive inhibitor Torin1 alleviates the mechanical hypersensitivity associated with inflammation and neuropathy without damaging sensory neurons.Abstract: The management of neuropathic pain is unsatisfactory, and new treatments are required. Because the sensitivity of a subset of fast-conducting primary afferent nociceptors is thought to be regulated by the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway, selectively targeting mTORC1 represents a new strategy for the control of chronic pain. Here we show that activated mTOR was expressed largely in myelinated sensory fibers in mouse and that inhibiting the mTORC1 pathway systemically alleviated mechanical hypersensitivity in mouse models of inflamma... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334933 Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334933 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334930&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004829%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The objectives of this study were to determine the effectiveness of 2 brief educational modules with different orientations (biomedical or biopsychosocial) on changing the beliefs and attitudes of physical therapy students and the recommendations that they give to patients. The intervention in the experimental group was based on the general biopsychosocial model, whereas the sessions in the control group dealt with the basics of the biomechanics of back pain. The participants completed the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ), Health Care Providers’ Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS), and Rainville et al. Clinical Cases questionnaire before and after the interventions. The participants attending the biopsychosocial session displayed a reduction in fear-avoidance bel... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334930 Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334937&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS030439591100491X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In conclusion, developmental changes during the puberty appear to influence pain perception, whereas sex effects in childhood are negligible. At present, it is not clear what brings about the differences between adult men and women that are apparent in epidemiological studies. Our results contradict the hypothesis that differences in peripheral nerve-fiber functioning underlie sex effects. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334937 Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334937 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334936&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004908%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Adult survivors of childhood cancer experience increased risk for reporting a pain condition and for using prescription analgesics compared to a sibling control group.Abstract: Little is known about pain among long-term adult survivors of childhood cancers. The study investigated pain prevalence in this population compared with sibling controls and examined pain-related risk factors. Three self-reported pain outcomes including pain conditions, prescription analgesics used, and pain attributed to cancer and treatment were assessed among 10,397 cancer survivors and 3034 sibling controls from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Pain conditions (pain/abnormal sensation, migraines, and other headaches) were reported by 12.3%, 15.5%, and 20.5% of survivors, respectively; 16.7% of survi... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334936 Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334935&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004878%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This study may provide a new strategy for treating neuropathic pain using KATP channel openers in the clinic. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334935 Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334931&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004799%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: As cancer cell colonies proliferate, undergo necrosis, and metastasize in bone, sensory and sympathetic nerve fibers also undergo a concomitant sprouting, degeneration, and resprouting.Abstract: Early, preemptive blockade of nerve growth factor (NGF)/tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA) attenuates tumor-induced nerve sprouting and bone cancer pain. A critical unanswered question is whether late blockade of NGF/TrkA can attenuate cancer pain once NGF-induced nerve sprouting and neuroma formation has occurred. By means of a mouse model of prostate cancer-induced bone pain, anti-NGF was either administered preemptively at day 14 after tumor injection when nerve sprouting had yet to occur, or late at day 35, when extensive nerve sprouting had occurred. Animals were humanely killed at ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334931 Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259945&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005124%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes David Bowsher was born in Amesbury, Wiltshire, UK, on 23 February 1925, although he was always proud of his mother’s Welsh ancestry. David had a conventional education, first at a French-orientated prep school, then at Haileybury College. Here, he won the Tancred Scholarship in Physick to study medicine at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. He completed his medical education at University College Hospital London, qualifying in medicine in 1950. After a short trip to Italy, where he met his first wife (Anna) Meryl Reid, he took his first medical job as Gynaecological House Surgeon at St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester. He moved to Liverpool, where Meryl’s family (also medical) lived, in March 1951 and spent the rest of his life there. After serving as House Surgeon at the Liverpool Roya... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259945 Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523896&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005069%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The prevalence of neuropathic cancer pain is estimated to be between 40% and 80% and may be directly caused by tumour infiltration or compression (92.5%), or by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery (20.8%) . Neuropathic cancer pain has long been suggested to reduce opioid responsiveness and has been claimed to be a major prognostic factor for poor pain control . (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523896 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523896 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334941&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005070%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Ankle joint mobilization suppressed pain behavior and attenuated astroglial activation, as well as accelerated motor functional recovery after sciatic nerve crush in rat.Abstract: An important issue in physical rehabilitation is how to protect from or to reduce the effects of peripheral nerve injury. In the present study, we examined whether ankle joint mobilization (AJM) would reduce neuropathic pain and enhance motor functional recovery after nerve injury. In the axonotmesis model, AJM during 15 sessions every other day was conducted in rats. Mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia and motor performance deficit were measured for 5weeks. After 5weeks, we performed morphological analysis and quantified the immunoreactivity for CD11b/c and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), marker... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334941 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334938&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005021%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In conclusion, PC-PEP improves pain, daily interference, and patient adherence in oncology outpatients. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334938 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334927&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004787%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: The findings suggest that the medial septum is pro-nociceptive and facilitates central processing of nociceptive information. The region may coordinate cortical and subcortical nociceptive responses.Abstract: The medial septum is anatomically and functionally linked to the hippocampus, a region implicated in nociception. However, the role of medial septum in nociception remains unclear. To investigate the role of the region in nociception in rats, muscimol, a GABA agonist, or zolpidem, a positive allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors, was microinjected into medial septum to attenuate the activity of neurons in the region. Electrophysiological studies in anesthetized rats indicated that muscimol evoked a stronger and longer-lasting suppression of medial septal-mediated activation... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334927 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334927 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334924&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004519%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Rats with peripheral neuropathy manifest a range of abnormal firing patterns of single neurons in the ventral posterolateral thalamus, whereas high-frequency, but not low-frequency, microstimulation within the ventral posterolateral thalamus reverses these changes and attenuates hyperalgesia.Abstract: Chronic neuropathic pain is associated with long-term changes at multiple levels of the neuroaxis, including in the brain, where electrical stimulation has been used to manage severe pain conditions. However, the clinical outcome of deep brain stimulation is often mixed, and the mechanisms are poorly understood. By means of electrophysiologic methods, we sought to characterize the changes in neuronal activity in the ventral posterolateral nucleus of the thalamus (VPL) in a rat model ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334924 Fri, 09 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334924 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5523899&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911005033%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: The role of allopregnanolone in the antinociceptive and antiallodynic effect of palmitoylethanolamide has been addressed in two models of acute and persistent pain in mice.Abstract: We investigated the involvement of de novo neurosteroid synthesis in the mechanisms underlying the analgesic and antihyperalgesic effects of N-palmitoylethanolamine (PEA) in two models of acute and persistent pain, the formalin test and carrageenan-induced paw edema. The pivotal role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α in the antinocifensive effect of PEA was confirmed by the lack of this effect in PPAR-α-null mice. PEA antinociceptive activity was partially reduced when the animals were treated with aminoglutethimide or finasteride, implying that de novo neurosteroid synthesis is ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5523899 Wed, 07 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5523899 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406918&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS030439591100488X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Normally, pain is felt when signals generated by noxious stimuli in thinly myelinated Aδ- or unmyelinated C-nociceptive afferents reach a conscious brain. We propose that the intrinsic innervation of teeth may be a unique exception. Teeth are densely innervated by primary sensory neurons located in the trigeminal ganglion (TRG). There are many Aδ- and C-fibers in the tooth pulp, with the Aδ axons ending mostly in the inner third of the dentinal tubules and the C-fibers ending mostly in the pulp itself . This, coupled with the fact that tooth pulp stimulation primarily evokes pain, has lead to the doctrine that Aδ- and C-nociceptors dominate intrinsic tooth innervation. Among the few Aβ-fibers present, some might be nociceptive , but most are thought to be low-threshold mechanoreceptor... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406918 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334934&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004866%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This study explored how psychosocial variables (ie, depression and partner responses) influence patient pain behaviors and partner responses in 191 couples coping with MBC. Because few studies have examined the biopsychosocial model in cancer, it also examined associations between partner responses and patient pain behaviors. Multilevel models showed that depression partially mediated: (1) associations between patients’ and partners’ reports of patient pain (MPI) and their ratings of patient pain behaviors (PBCL), accounting for 41% to 71% of the variance; and (2) associations between both partners’ reports of patient pain and the partner’s distracting and punishing responses (MPI), accounting for 66% to 75% of the variance. Partner punishing responses moderated associations betwee... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334934 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334925&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS030439591100474X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In conclusion, chronic postsurgical pain was common after major surgery in the ENIGMA trial. Intraoperative nitrous oxide administration was associated with a reduced risk of chronic postsurgical pain. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334925 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334918&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004775%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes The purpose of this topical review is to examine the key discoveries and events in the last half century that have advanced our understanding and management of pediatric pain. All histories are influenced by selection biases and this history is no different. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334918 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334926&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004763%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Chronic back pain patients indicated that a composite operant model significantly predicted physical activity as measured by actigraphy, while fear-avoidance and pain models did not.Abstract: Back pain is one of the most common causes of disability in industrialized nations. Despite this, the variables that contribute to disability are not well understood and optimal measurement strategies of disability have not yet been determined. The present study sought to comprehensively assess the strongest predictors of physical activity as a proxy for disability. New patients in a chronic pain specialty clinic completed questionnaires to assess the predictors of physical activity and engaged in 5days of home data collection wearing an accelerometer to assess physical activity in daily life... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334926 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334926 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259977&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004520%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Phenotypic switching of Aβ afferents seems to contribute to the heritable difference in pain behavior in pain prone vs pain-protected rats.Abstract: Pain is normally mediated by nociceptive Aδ and C fibers, while Aβ fibers signal touch. However, after nerve injury, Aβ fibers may signal pain. Using a genetic model, we tested the hypothesis that phenotypic switching in neurotransmitters expressed by Aβ afferents might account for heritable differences in neuropathic pain behavior. The study examined selection-line rats in which one line, high autotomy (HA), shows higher levels of spontaneous pain in the neuroma neuropathy model, and of tactile allodynia in the spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model, than the companion low autotomy (LA) line. Changes in calcitonin gene-related peptid... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259977 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259977 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259976&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004507%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In conclusion, increased FOP was found to reduce subjective and electrophysiological placebo analgesic responses. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259976 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259976 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406922&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004490%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This study suggested that nerve injury was the main underlying mechanism of persistent pain after lymph node excision. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406922 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259973&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004441%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This article assesses the effects of catastrophizing and depression on clinically significant TMJD pain (Graded Chronic Pain Scale [GCPS] II–IV). Four hundred eighty participants, recruited from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area through media advertisements and local dentists, received examinations and completed the GCPS at baseline and at 18-month follow-up. In a multivariable analysis including gender, age, and worst pain intensity, baseline catastrophizing (β 3.79, P (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259973 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259973 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334917&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004921%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Using a mouse model of prostate cancer metastasis, Jimenez-Andrade and colleagues show in this issue of Pain that peritumoral sensory and sympathetic nerves continually remodel as a bony lesion progresses, and that early or late blockade of NGF/TrkA attenuates neural reorganization and the nociceptive behaviors with which it is associated . This work contributes to a large body of research illuminating the mechanisms that may be responsible for sustaining cancer-related bone pain . The study complements equally robust investigations of the mechanisms that underlie the predilection of some tumors to colonize and grow in bone . Together, the findings underscore the complicated interplay between tumor and host that increases the likelihood of bony metastasis in some cancers, and the occurrenc... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334917 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259972&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004350%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Lesioning the hypothalamic dopaminergic A11 nucleus facilitates trigeminal nociceptive transmission. Serotoninergic and dopaminergic inputs to the trigeminocervical complex are required for optimal modulation of nociceptive signalling.Abstract: Both serotonergic and dopaminergic receptor modulation can alter trigeminal nociceptive processing, and descending A11 dopaminergic projections can affect trigeminal nociceptive transmission. Here we aimed to test the interaction between dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT1B/1D receptors and their individual and combined effects in order to better understand the relationship of the descending influences of these systems on nociceptive trigeminovascular afferents. Extracellular recordings were made in the rat trigeminocervical complex in response... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259972 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259972 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334929&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004805%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Neonatal stress induces a persistent decrease in skeletal muscle, but not cutaneous, mechanical nociceptive threshold and a PKCε-dependent hyperalgesic priming in muscle as well as skin.Abstract: Chronic pain in adults has been associated with early-life stress. To examine the pronociceptive effect of early-life stress, we evaluated cutaneous and muscle nociception and activity in muscle nociceptors in an animal model of neonatal stress, limited bedding, in the rat. In this neonatal limited bedding (NLB) model, litters are exposed to limited bedding between postnatal days 2 and 9, and controls to standard bedding. In adult NLB-treated rats, mechanical nociceptive threshold in skeletal muscle was significantly lower (∼22%) than in controls. Furthermore, administration of prostag... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334929 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334928&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004830%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: The fear-avoidance model required adjustments for people experiencing acute/subacute pain where fear avoidance beliefs and depressive symptoms were influenced simultaneously rather than sequentially.Abstract: Studies in the literature do not show clear evidence supporting the relationship between pain and depressive symptoms in individuals experiencing acute/subacute pain compared to those experiencing chronic pain. However, more information is needed about which variables act as mediators in the pain-depression relationship in people having acute/subacute pain, before pain becomes chronic. Our objectives were to test the suitability of the fear-avoidance model in a sample of 110 health care workers experiencing acute/subacute pain using path analyses, to improve the model as need... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334928 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334928 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334923&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004544%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This study aimed to investigate the role of the endocannabinoid system in the ventral hippocampus (vHip) in FCA and in fear responding in the presence of nociceptive tone. Fear-conditioned rats displayed significantly increased freezing and 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalisation and a reduction in formalin-evoked nociceptive behaviour (ie, FCA) upon re-exposure to a context previously paired with footshock. Tissue levels of the endocannabinoids, anandamide, and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, as well as the fatty acid amide, palmitoylethanolamide, were significantly higher in the vHip of fear-conditioned rats compared with non-fear-conditioned controls. URB597 (inhibitor of fatty acid amide hydrolase [FAAH]), administered bilaterally into the vHip, significantly enhanced FCA during the entire trial and in... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334923 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259974&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004465%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Behavioral, electrophysiological, and modeling studies of Zfhx1b[+/−] mice suggest a role of Zfhx1b in regulating pain sensitivity by controlling the transduction properties of primary nociceptive neurons.Abstract: The perception of pain is initiated by the transduction of noxious stimuli through specialized ion channels and receptors expressed by primary nociceptive neurons. The molecular mechanisms that orchestrate the expression and function of ion channels relevant for pain processing are poorly understood. We demonstrate here a central role of the transcription factor Smad-interacting protein 1 (Sip1/Zfhx1b/Zeb2), a 2-handed zinc finger DNA-binding protein with essential functions in neural crest and forebrain development, in controlling nociceptive neuron excitability and ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259974 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259974 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259975&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004453%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: The validity of 4 common pain intensity measures is supported, although the 0–10 Numerical Rating Scale and Visual Analogue Scale evidenced the most responsivity.Abstract: The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Verbal Rating Scale (VRS), and the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R) are among the most commonly used measures of pain intensity in clinical and research settings. Although evidence supports their validity as measures of pain intensity, few studies have compared them with respect to the critical validity criteria of responsivity, and no experiment has directly compared all 4 measures in the same study. The current study compared the relative validity of VAS, NRS, VRS, and FPS-R for detecting differences in painful stimulus intensity and differences ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259975 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259975 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5131569&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004696%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5131569 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:22:33 +0100 5131569 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406914&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS030439591100443X%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes What protects us against pain is a neglected discussion. The majority of patients with diseases or lesions to the primary afferent branch of the nervous system do not develop chronic pain. Across the different etiologies of neuropathies the percentage varies between 5% and 30%. Furthermore, only a fraction of patients with spontaneous neuropathic pain also develop mechanical hypersensitivity. In a large multi-centre study in Germany punctate mechanical hyperalgesia was present in 9%, 36% and 30% of patients with painful polyneuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia and peripheral nerve injury pain, respectively. Dynamic mechanical allodynia occurred in 12%, 49% and 18% of patients with these different conditions . (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406914 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334916&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004532%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Although pruritus is one of the most common symptoms in cutaneous as well as systemic diseases , our understanding of itch-coding neural mechanisms is still unsatisfactory. For example, it is commonly believed that histamine injection produces only itch and capsaicin injection only pain. In an intriguing article in this issue of Pain, however, Sikand et al. demonstrate that histamine injections not only produce itch, but also nociceptive sensations, such as pricking/stinging or burning. These sensations do not necessarily “hurt” or are painful. Furthermore, this article substantiates the dual contribution of capsaicin-expressing, TRPV1+ positive neurons to both itch and pain. Capsaicin injection or treatment of patients with capsaicin cream usually produces nociceptive sensations with ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334916 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334916 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259970&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004301%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Artificial miRNAs targeting mouse acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) reduce pH sensitivity of heteromeric ASIC1/3 channels, ASIC3 protein, and mRNA expression, and prevent the development of hyperalgesia after muscle inflammation.Abstract: Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are activated by acidic pH and may play a significant role in the development of hyperalgesia. Earlier studies show ASIC3 is important for induction of hyperalgesia after muscle insult using ASIC3−/− mice. ASIC3−/− mice lack ASIC3 throughout the body, and the distribution and composition of ASICs could be different from wild-type mice. We therefore tested whether knockdown of ASIC3 in primary afferents innervating muscle of adult wild-type mice prevented development of hyperalgesia to muscle inflammation... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259970 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259970 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259971&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004325%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: A diffusion tensor imaging technique demonstrated alteration in the fraction of anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient values of the affected trigeminal nerve, suggesting structural or functional changes in patients with neurovascular compression-induced trigeminal neuralgia.Abstract: Because diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is able to assess tissue integrity, we used diffusion to detect abnormalities in trigeminal nerves (TGN) in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) caused by neurovascular compression (NVC). We also studied anatomical TGN parameters (cross-sectional area [CSA] and volume [V]). Using DTI sequencing in a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, we measured the fraction of anisotropy (FA) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of TGN in 10 patient... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259971 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259971 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259968&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004295%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Evidence about how the motivational impact of written information on pain self-management can be improved, which could help to prepare people for more intensive self-management interventions.Abstract: A DVD (digital video disk) intervention to increase readiness to self-manage joint pain secondary to hemophilia was informed by a 2-phase, motivational-volitional model of readiness to self-manage pain, and featured the personal experiences of individuals with hemophilia. The DVD was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial in which 108 men with hemophilia completed measures of readiness to self-manage pain (Pain Stages of Change Questionnaire) before and 6 months after receiving the DVD plus information booklet (n=57) or just the booklet (n=51). The effect of the DVD was assessed ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259968 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259968 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406919&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911003940%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Complex regional pain syndrome patient sera contain functional active autoantibodies against the β2 adrenergic receptor and muscarinic-2 receptor, supporting the concept of an autoimmune etiology in CRPS.Abstract: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a painful condition affecting one or more extremities of the body, marked by a wide variety of symptoms and signs that are often difficult to manage because the pathophysiology is incompletely understood. Thus, diverse treatments might be ineffective. A recent report revealed the presence of autoantibodies against differentiated autonomic neurons in CRPS patients. However, it remained unclear how the antibodies act in the development of CRPS. We therefore aimed to characterize these antibodies and identify target antigens. Functi... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406919 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5406913&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004489%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes There is a long history of discovery of autoantibodies in the peripheral nervous system, in disorders such as myasthenia gravis and in certain types of peripheral neuropathies. Autoantibodies are also recognized as pathogenic in disorders of the central nervous system, including encephalitis, neuromyelitis optica, seizures and psychiatric disorders. The mechanisms by which autoantibodies induce disease are especially intriguing, often elucidating the pathophysiology of a disease, as in the so-called channelopathies, in which autoantibodies are directed against neuronal ion channels . Even antibodies to intracellular antibodies can induce disease, via very specific pathophysiological mechanisms . In many chronic pain disorders, however, the pathophysiology is still incompletely understood. ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5406913 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5406913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5334922&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911003770%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Similar sensory responses for histamine were noted, but different qualities of sensations and dysesthesias for capsaicin, following punctate and injection application.Abstract: A punctate, cutaneous application of capsaicin or histamine by means of a cowhage spicule elicits itch accompanied by pricking/stinging, burning, and typically, one or more areas of dysesthesia (alloknesis, hyperalgesia, hyperknesis). When applied over a wider and deeper area of skin by means of intradermal injection, histamine evokes the same sensory effects, but capsaicin evokes pain and hyperalgesia with allodynia instead of alloknesis. To examine the sensory effects of the spatial spread, depth, and amount of capsaicin and histamine, we applied different amounts of capsaicin or histamine by intradermal ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5334922 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5334922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259979&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004039%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: Massage therapy provides benefits that are statistically superior to a social attention control on pain intensity, mood status, and muscle relaxation in hospitalized Taiwanese patients with metastatic bone pain.Abstract: To date, patients with bony metastases were only a small fraction of the samples studied, or they were entirely excluded. Patients with metastatic cancers, such as bone metastases, are more likely to report pain, compared to patients without metastatic cancer (50–74% and 15%, respectively). Their cancer pain results in substantial morbidity and disrupted quality of life in 34–45% of cancer patients. Massage therapy (MT) appears to have positive effects in patients with cancer; however, the benefits of MT, specifically in patients with metastatic bone pain, rem... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259979 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259979 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259965&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004015%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes Summary: This project represents the initial validation of adolescent and parent measures of readiness to adopt a self-management approach to pediatric chronic pain, using the Pain Stages of Change Questionnaire for adolescents and for parents, respectively.Abstract: Despite the clinical importance of readiness to change in predicting treatment outcomes among adults, no studies have examined this construct among pediatric pain patients. Because parents play a key role in adolescent pain management, both adolescent and parent readiness to adopt a self-management approach to pain merit further study. The primary goal of the current study was to validate adolescent and parent-report adaptations of the adult Pain Stages of Change Questionnaire (PSOCQ). Participants included 259 adolescent pati... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259965 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259965 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259980&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004040%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes With their article, Briggs et al. address the importance of considering the level of health literacy of patients with low back pain—an important and urgent message, especially because low health literacy is associated with low health outcomes . We do, however, have some difficulty with the research design used and the conclusions that were drawn. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259980 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259980 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259981&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004052%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes We thank Welbie and Wittink for their interest in our recent paper and the Editor for the opportunity to respond. Welbie and Wittink raise three main issues: (1) the study design and method, (2) their interpretation of our conclusions about the measurement properties of the S-TOFHLA instrument, and (3) concerns relating to the development of instruments designed to measure the broader elements of health literacy. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259981 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259981 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5131597&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911003551%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In conclusion, acetylcholine signaling through β2∗-nAChRs seems to be essential for setting nociceptive thresholds by controlling GABAergic inhibition in the spinal cord. (Source: Pain) Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5131597 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5131597 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259964&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004003%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes This study validates the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire, parent report, which assesses parent acceptance of child pain and emphasizes the importance of the social context of pain.Abstract: Parent perceptions of and responses to pain have been identified as important factors in understanding pain-related disability among children and adolescents with chronic pain. The ability to accept chronic pain rather than focus on ways to avoid or control it has been linked to positive outcomes in chronic pain research. To examine parent beliefs about child acceptance of pain, the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire, parent report (CPAQ-P), was developed and administered to 195 parents of children with persistent pain evaluated in a multidisciplinary pain clinic. Analyses support the internal ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259964 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259964 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5259947&cid=s_36184_5_f&fid=36184&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.painjournalonline.com%2Farticle%2FPIIS0304395911004337%2Fabstract%3Frss%3Dyes In this issue of Pain, Dalmolin and colleagues report on the in vivo characterization of a 51kDa peptide, Tx3-3, obtained from Brazilian armed spider venom. This peptide has previously been shown to be a blocker of the P/Q (Cav 2.1) and R (Cav 2.3) channels. When given intrathecally or intraventricularly, this agent produced a potent attenuation of the tactile allodynia observed in neuropathic pain models of sciatic nerve ligation and diabetic neuropathy in mice and rats, with no effect upon Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA)-evoked allodynia. Aside from the intrigue presented by its natural origin, the pharmacology and profile of behavioral effects of the compound raises interesting issues as to the respective contribution of the various voltage sensitive calcium channels (VSCC) that are ... Pain journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5259947 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5259947