Feb 06, 2012 02:00AM

How To Boost The Power Of Pain Relief, Without Drugs

Placebos reduce pain by creating an expectation of relief. Distraction - say, doing a puzzle - relieves it by keeping the brain busy. But do they use the same brain processes? Neuromaging suggests they do. When applying a placebo, scientists see activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex...

Feb 06, 2012 01:00AM

Multiple Exposure To Anesthesia Increases Risk Of ADHD In Young Children

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that multiple exposures to anesthesia at a young age are associated with higher rates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children exposed to two or more anesthetics before age 3 had more than double the incidence of ADHD than children who had no exposure, says David Warner, M.D...

Feb 03, 2012 01:00AM

Anesthesia Exposure Linked To ADHD In Children

A study by researchers at Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minn., and published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, reveals that children who have been under anesthesia many times when they are young have a greater risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). According to David Warner, M...

Feb 02, 2012 02:00AM

Space Researchers Develop Ultrasound Technology That Detects, Treats Kidney Stones

Just the mention of kidney stones can cause a person to cringe. They are often painful and sometimes difficult to remove, and 10 percent of the population will suffer from them. In space, the risk of developing kidney stones is exacerbated due to environmental conditions. The health risk is compounded by the fact that resource limitations and distance from Earth could restrict treatment options...

Feb 02, 2012 02:00AM

Helping Seniors With Pain: New GSA Resources

The pain suffered by older adults is the shared focus of the two newest entries in The Gerontological Society of America's (GSA) From Publication to Practice* series. Together they address both pain management and new labeling changes for one of the most popular pain medications, acetaminophen...

Feb 02, 2012 01:00AM

Researchers Develop Novel Drug Delivery System

Long duration, controllable drug delivery is of wide interest to medical researchers and clinicians, particularly those seeking to improve treatment for patients with chronic pain or to prevent cancer recurrence after surgery...

Feb 02, 2012 01:00AM

Massages Scientifically Proven To Help Reduce Pain

According to a study published online in Science Translational Medicine by researchers from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario, massages aid the growth of new mitochondria in skeletal muscle, and help to reduce inflammation...

Jan 31, 2012 01:00AM

New Drug Release Mechanism Developed That Utilizes 3D Superhydrophobic Materials

According to a recent study, there is a new mechanism of drug release using 3D superhydrophobic materials that utilizes air as a removable barrier to control the rate at which drug is released. The study was electronically published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society...

Jan 30, 2012 10:00AM

Cyberknife Radiation Successful For Treating Tigeminal Neuralgia

A small study published online in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery shows that a technique in which highly concentrated beams of radiation are used, known as Cyberknife, can relieve the stabbing pain of the facial nerve condition trigeminal neuralgia...

Jan 27, 2012 02:00AM

Sedentary Lifestyle A Problem For 2 In 5 Adults With Rheumatoid Arthritis

A new study, funded by a grant from the National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), found that two in five adults (42%) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were inactive...

Jan 27, 2012 01:00AM

What Is Achilles Tendon Inflammation? What Is Achilles Tendinitis?

Achilles tendinitis (tendonitis) or Achilles tendon inflammation occurs when the Achilles tendon becomes inflamed as a result of the Achilles tendon being put under too much strain. The Achilles tendon joins the calf muscles to the heel bone, and is found at the back of a person's lower leg. It is the largest tendon in the body and is able to endure great force, but is still susceptible to injury...

Jan 26, 2012 01:00AM

Recommendations For Tablet Computer Use To Avoid Shoulder Pain

The sudden popularity of tablet computers such as the Apple iPad� has not allowed for the development of guidelines to optimize users' comfort and well-being...

Jan 25, 2012 02:00AM

Muscle Soreness Quantified By Researchers

Quantifying how sore a person is after a long workout is a challenge for doctors and researchers, but scientists from Loma Linda and Asuza Pacific Universities think they may have figured it out. Their research article describing a new technique to measure muscle soreness will be published in the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE)...

Jan 25, 2012 01:00AM

Study Of Electronic Medical Records Reveals That Women Report Feeling Pain More Intensely Than Men

Women report more-intense pain than men in virtually every disease category, according to Stanford University School of Medicine investigators who mined a huge collection of electronic medical records to establish the broad gender difference to a high level of statistical significance...

Jan 23, 2012 02:00PM

Females More Sensitive To Pain Than Males? Possibly

The idea that men suffer more when in pain than women could well be a myth, according to a new report written by Stanford University researchers in the Journal of Pain. The authors say that their large study found that even though women are able to endure childbirth, an ordeal that males never have to go through, their findings showed that overall, males appear to endure pain better than women...

Jan 23, 2012 02:00AM

Research Scientists Provide New Understanding Of Chronic Pain

Millions of people worldwide suffer from a type of chronic pain called neuropathic pain, which is triggered by nerve damage. Precisely how this pain persists has been a mystery, and current treatments are largely ineffective...

Jan 20, 2012 02:00AM

Major Public Health Campaign Called For By Stanford Dean To Fight Epidemic Of Unnecessary Suffering

The amount of needless suffering caused by both acute and chronic pain in the United States is a major, overlooked medical problem that requires improved education at multiple levels, stretching from the implementation of new public health campaigns to better training of primary care physicians in pain management...

Jan 20, 2012 02:00AM

Aspirin Merits Testing For Prevention Of Cervical Cancer In HIV-Infected Women

Research conducted by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center global health investigators and cancer specialists in New York, Qatar and Haiti suggests that aspirin should be evaluated for its ability to prevent development of cervical cancer in HIV-infected women...

Jan 20, 2012 02:00AM

Study Finds Good Intentions Ease Pain, Add To Pleasure

A nurse's tender loving care really does ease the pain of a medical procedure, and grandma's cookies really do taste better, if we perceive them to be made with love - suggests newly published research by a University of Maryland psychologist. The findings have many real-world applications, including in medicine, relationships, parenting and business...

Jan 20, 2012 01:00AM

Extended Pain Relief For Laser Eye Surgery Patients Via Contact Lenses

Scientists are reporting development of contact lenses that could provide a continuous supply of anesthetic medication to the eyes of patients who undergo laser eye surgery - an advance that could relieve patients of the burden of repeatedly placing drops of medicine into their eyes every few hours for several days. Their report appears in ACS' journal Langmuir...

Feb 06, 2012 06:15AM

Sympathetic Blocks Provided Sustained Pain Relief in a Patient with Refractory Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

The sympathetic nervous system has been implicated in pain associated with painful diabetic neuropathy. However, therapeutic intervention targeted at the sympathetic nervous system has not been established. We thus tested the hypothesis that sympathetic nerve blocks significantly reduce pain in a patient with painful diabetic neuropathy who has failed multiple pharmacological treatments. The diagnosis of small fiber sensory neuropathy was based on clinical presentations and confirmed by skin biopsies. A series of 9 lumbar sympathetic blocks over a 26-month period provided sustained pain relief in his legs. Additional thoracic paravertebral blocks further provided control of the pain in the trunk which can occasionally be seen in severe diabetic neuropathy cases, consequent to extensive inv...

Feb 03, 2012 01:15PM

NeurogesX Grants Equity Awards Under Its 2011 Inducement Stock Plan

SAN MATEO, Calif., Feb. 3, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeurogesX, Inc. (Nasdaq:NGSX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing a portfolio of novel non-opioid, pain management therapies, today announced that the Board of Directors granted equity awards under its 2011 Inducement Stock Plan (the "Plan") to its recently appointed President and Chief Executive Officer Ronald A. Martell. The Plan was originally adopted by the Board of Directors in September 2011 pursuant to NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) as a means of making stock grants to senior executives as an inducement to their joining the Company. (Source: Medical News (via PRIMEZONE))

Feb 03, 2012 01:00AM

What Do I Do With My Paper Chart? — The Middle of the Road Makes the Most Sense

Source: Seth Flam, Becker's Orthopedic, Spine & Pain Management Content: “Many healthcare providers who are transitioning from paper charts to electronic health records need help understanding how to work with the paper charts they built over their many years in practice. There are three general approaches.” Article Seth Flam, Becker’s Orthopedic, Spine & Pain Management, 2 February [...] (Source: ICMCC: The International Council on Medical and Care Compunetics)

Feb 02, 2012 11:23PM

Series of 8 cases of Irukandji syndrome? or bait-and-switch

1.5 out of 5 stars Irukandji Sydrome [sic] in the Torres Strait: A Series of 8 Cases. McIver LJ et al. Wilderness Environ Med 2011;22:338-342. Abstract The problems with this paper merely begin with the dropped “n” in the second word of the title. Then we get to the first sentence of the abstract, where despite the title’s promise of a case series of Irukandji syndrome (or sydrome, or whatever) we find a classic medical literature bait-and-switch: Objective–To review the presentations of a series of patients with suspected Irukandji syndrome in the Torres Strait, where the syndrome has hitherto been unknown or undocumented, in order to identify at-risk groups and improve the management of this condition in the region. So we’re dealing not with cases of Irukan...

Feb 02, 2012 10:47PM

Neuromodulators for pain management in rheumatoid arthritis

(Source: Prescriber)

Feb 02, 2012 09:00PM

Acute Genital Ulcers in Nonsexually Active Young Girls: Case Series, Review of the Literature, and Evaluation and Management Recommendations

Abstract:  Acute genital ulcers rarely occur in nonsexually active young girls. When present, they can cause significant physical and emotional distress for the patient and her parents, and prompt an evaluation for sexual abuse and sexually transmitted diseases. With this review, we aim to further characterize acute genital ulcers in nonsexually active young girls by reviewing the medical records of patients with this disorder and to offer an approach to the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of acute genital ulcers based on our understanding and knowledge of this condition. We retrospectively review our understanding and knowledge of acute genital ulcers in nonsexually active girls at a pediatric hospital. A review of the recent literature on acute genital ulcers and a multidisciplina...

Feb 02, 2012 11:20AM

Low-Risk Chest Pain In The Emergency Department: Current Guidelines

This issue of EM Practice Guidelines Update reviews 3 scientific statements that focus on strategies for the management of chest pain patients with possible acute coronary syndromes (ACS). (Source: EM Practice Guidelines Update)

Feb 02, 2012 10:13AM

Concomitant measurement of copeptin and high-sensitivity troponin for fast and reliable rule out of acute myocardial infarction

Conclusion  Copeptin in association with HsTnT is a fast and reliable tool to rule out AMI, with a sensitivity and NPV of 1.00 in our sample. Interventional studies are warranted to confirm these findings. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory OriginalPages 1-7DOI 10.1007/s00134-012-2481-8Authors Yonathan Freund, Service d’Accueil des Urgences, Hôpital Pitié-Salpétrière, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6 (UPMC), 47-83 Boulevard de l’Hôpital, 75651 Paris cedex 13, FranceCamille Chenevier-Gobeaux, Departement de Biochimie, Hôpital Cochin–Hôtel Dieu, APHP, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, 75679 Paris cedex 14, FranceYann-Erick Claessens, Service d’Accueil des Urgences, Hôpital Cochin–Hôtel Dieu, AP...

Feb 02, 2012 01:00AM

Helping Seniors With Pain: New GSA Resources

The pain suffered by older adults is the shared focus of the two newest entries in The Gerontological Society of America's (GSA) From Publication to Practice* series. Together they address both pain management and new labeling changes for one of the most popular pain medications, acetaminophen. Both issues aim to provide readers with information on how new advances in pain prevention, treatment, and management may improve care and quality of life for older adults... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Feb 01, 2012 09:00PM

Rational opioid dosing in the elderly: dose and dosing interval when initiating opioid therapy

Source: Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Area: Evidence > Medicines Management > References Opioids are the mainstay of treatment for moderate to severe pain.  However, opioid therapy in the elderly is often associated with significant morbidity because of excessive ventilatory depression.  The large amount of interindividual variability in opioid dose-response relationships makes it difficult to individualise the dose and dosing interval to provide safe and effective analgesia.  By examining how aging affects the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of opioids, it is possible to provide a rational basis for age adjustment in opioid dosing. Authors conclude that 'simulations with PK-PD models confirm the clinical impression that elderly patients n...

Feb 01, 2012 09:00PM

Intracutaneous or subcutaneous sterile water injection compared with blinded controls for pain management in labour

Source: Cochrane Library Area: Evidence > Drug Specific Reviews Background Intracutaneous or subcutaneous injection of sterile water is rapidly gaining popularity as a method of pain relief in labour and it is therefore essential that it is properly evaluated. Adequate analgesia in labour is important to women worldwide. Sterile water injection is inexpensive, requires basic equipment, and appears to have few side effects. It is purported to work for labour pain.   Objectives To determine the efficacy of sterile water injections for relief of pain (both typical contraction pain and intractable back pain) during labour compared to placebo (isotonic saline injections) or non-pharmacological interventions, and to identify any relevant effects on mode and timing of delivery, or ...

Feb 01, 2012 09:11AM

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: Current Concepts of Diagnosis and Management

Abstract  Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), one of the most common infections in non-pregnant women of reproductive age, remains an important public health problem. It is associated with major long-term sequelae, including tubal factor infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain. In addition, treatment of acute PID and its complications incurs substantial health care costs. Prevention of these long-term sequelae is dependent upon clinicians having a high index of suspicion in order to make an early diagnosis and development of treatment strategies based on knowledge of the microbiologic etiology of acute PID. It is well accepted that acute PID is a polymicrobic infection. The sexually transmitted organisms, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis, are pr...

Feb 01, 2012 06:53AM

A collaborative expert literature review of pain education, assessment and management

Aging Health , February 2012, Vol. 8, No. 1, Pages 43-54. (Source: Future Medicine: Aging Health)

Jan 31, 2012 09:00PM

Effectiveness of a multidisciplinary care program on recovery and return to work of patients after gynaecological surgery; design of a randomized controlled trial

DiscussionThe discrepancy between expected physical recovery and actual return to work after gynaecological surgery contributes to the relevance of this study. There is strong evidence that long periods of sick leave can result in work disability, poorer general health and increased risk of mental health problems. We expect that this multidisciplinary care program will improve peri-operative care, contribute to a faster return to work of patients after gynaecological surgery and, as a consequence, will reduce societal costs considerably.Trial registration: Netherlands Trial Register NTR2087 (Source: BMC Health Services Research)

Jan 31, 2012 09:00PM

Pain management for inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and other spondylarthritis)

Source: Cochrane Area: Evidence > Disease Focused Reviews Background Even with optimal disease-modifying treatment and good control of disease activity, persistent pain due to structural damage is common in people with inflammatory arthritis and therefore additional treatment for pain might be required. Because comorbidity is highly prevalent in people with inflammatory arthritis, it is important to consider comorbidities such as gastrointestinal or liver diseases in deciding upon optimal pharmacologic pain therapy.     Objectives To assess the efficacy and safety of pharmacological pain treatment in patients with inflammatory arthritis who have gastrointestinal or liver comorbidities, or both.     Search methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE...

Jan 31, 2012 09:00PM

The Economic Cost of Chronic Noncancer Pain in Ireland: Results From the PRIME Study, Part 2

Abstract: To assess the economic cost of chronic pain in Ireland, information was gathered from 140 people with chronic pain. Direct and indirect costs attributable to chronic pain and medical conditions of which chronic pain was a feature were recorded retrospectively for 12 months. Mean cost per chronic pain patient was estimated at €5,665 per year across all grades of pain, with mean costs increasing according to the severity of pain. A small proportion of patients account for the bulk of costs—the top 5% most expensive patients accounted for 26.4% of costs, with a mean cost per patient of €29,936, and the 10% most expensive patients were responsible for 42.8% of all costs. Total cost for individuals aged 20 and above was estimated at €5.34 billion per year, or 2.86% of Irish GD...

Jan 31, 2012 09:00PM

Chronic Female Pelvic Pain—Part 2: Differential Diagnosis and Management

Abstract:  Pelvic pain is a common condition. Treatment interventions have traditionally targeted biomedical conditions with variable success. Utilizing a systematic approach to examination of the pelvic girdle and related organ systems contained within the pelvis will aid the clinician in identifying the painful structure(s) as well as the associated impairments limiting functional recovery. From this, a complete management program can be instituted. The following description of gynecologic, urologic, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and neurologic conditions that can cause or are associated with chronic pelvic pain leads to conservative management proposals based on the available evidence. Finally, nonoperative interventional strategies are described, which target the pain system fro...

Jan 31, 2012 09:00PM

Functions and Outcomes of a Clinical Medical Ethics Committee: A Review of 100 Consults.

Conclusion: PCCS availability and growth throughout the hospital may have influenced EC consult requests. EC consults regarding family opposition to withdrawing LST and EC recommendations for patient/family support declined. PMID: 22302457 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Pain Physician)

Jan 31, 2012 09:00PM

Postoperative Headache Following Acoustic Neuroma Resection: Occipital Nerve Injuries Are Associated With a Treatable Occipital Neuralgia.

Conclusion.- In contradistinction to previous reports, we have identified a subset of patients in whom the syndrome of postoperative headache appears directly related to the presence of occipital nerve injuries. In patients with postoperative headache meeting diagnostic criteria for occipital neuralgia, occipital nerve excision appears to provide relief of the headache syndrome and meaningful improvement in quality of life. Further studies are needed to confirm these results and to determine whether occipital nerve injury may present as headache types other than occipital neuralgia. These findings suggest that patients presenting with chronic postoperative headache should be screened for the presence of surgically treatable occipital nerve injuries. PMID: 22296035 [PubMed - as supplied...

Jan 31, 2012 03:09AM

Natural language processing in EMRs can improve disease tracking

Source: Jaan Sidorov, KevinMD Content: “Years ago, if you were elderly, had diabetes, high blood pressure, low back pain, needed a yearly flu shot and came to see this electronic health record-enabled physician (now with the nom de plume “Disease Management Care Blog”), you would have had your diabetes, high blood pressure and low back [...] (Source: ICMCC: The International Council on Medical and Care Compunetics)