Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Spine system: A new technique to treat lower back pain

Using a branch of science that crosses disciplines to study complex problems, a Michigan State University researcher is introducing a new way to understand and treat lower back pain, a condition affecting more than 40 million Americans and costing billions of dollars each year.

9 Dec 2009

Biomarkers can be important in identifying PTSD symptoms, says researchers

Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) frequently experience high rates of PTSD along with symptoms of depression and pain. However, little is known about why these symptoms occur together or the most effective treatments that can be used to alleviate them. One approach that may yield new insights is to search for biomarkers -- indicators of a biological state that can be easily and reliably measured in people with an illness -- to see if their presence or absence can predict symptoms that an individual will experience and identify optimal treatment strategies.

9 Dec 2009

Tips to prevent hangover during holiday season

"Eating food is an important element in reducing drinking and reducing risk of intoxication," Garbutt said. Eat a meal before you take your first sip of alcohol, he advises, and continue to take in food as the night wears on. Food, fats especially, help slow down the body's absorption of alcohol. But to truly be effective, the food must be in your stomach first. If you wait until you're feeling buzzed or tipsy to start eating, it's already too late.

9 Dec 2009

CSL Behring selects BioRx as an approved Berinert provider

BioRx, a specialty pharmacy company, has been named one of a small number of approved providers of Berinert®. Berinert® is a plasma-derived concentrate of C1 esterase inhibitor (human) indicated for the treatment of acute abdominal or facial attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in adult and adolescent patients. CSL Behring, the manufacturer of Berinert® selected BioRx as part of their distribution network to launch this exciting new product in the United States.

8 Dec 2009

Today's opinions and editorials

As a society, we have to make choices. Do we want our doctors to be well-qualified practitioners using their experience and judgment to help as many patients as they can? Or do we want detached, disenfranchised doctors looking to their next career while practicing medicine with the mentality of postal workers? (Soumi Eachempati 12/7).

8 Dec 2009

HALO procedure can help manage Barrett's esophagus and prevent esophageal cancer

Cancer prevention is an important goal for all Houstonians and Bay Area Gastroenterology advises that early detection can prevent esophageal cancer.

8 Dec 2009

ASH meeting highlights H1N1 pandemic threat, new trends and treatment options for children with genetic blood disorder

Sickle cell disease, a condition characterized by deformed and dysfunctional red blood cells, is one of the most common genetic blood disorders affecting millions of people around the world, including more than 70,000 Americans (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

8 Dec 2009

Study: Besides nerves, skin has a unique sensory system

The human sensory experience is far more complex and nuanced than previously thought, according to a groundbreaking new study published in the December 15, 2009 issue of the journal Pain (http://www.painjournalonline.com/article/S0304-3959%2809%2900526-0/abstract).

8 Dec 2009

Texas Sinus Center offers FinESS Sinus Treatment to break the cycle of chronic sinusitis

Dr. James Atkins, founder of the Texas Sinus Center (www.texassinuscenter.com), today announced he is now offering the FinESS® Sinus Treatment, a minimally invasive treatment that breaks the cycle of chronic sinusitis (CRS) at Foundation Surgical Hospital of San Antonio.

8 Dec 2009

Patients with recurrent shoulder dislocations may benefit from new surgical technique

The shoulder is the most commonly dislocated joint in the human body, occurring most often in young, athletic people. New research from the University of Michigan Health System shows patients who have recurrent shoulder dislocations may benefit from surgical reconstruction using cadaver bone and cartilage to essentially 'sculpt' a new shoulder.

8 Dec 2009

JAK2 inhibitor can control myelofibrosis, report researchers

A first-in-its class oral medication provides significant and durable relief for patients with a rare, debilitating and lethal bone marrow disorder called myelofibrosis, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reported today at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

8 Dec 2009

SAVI applicator for breast brachytherapy can be an effective therapy for breast cancer

The SAVI™ applicator for breast brachytherapy is a safe, effective therapy for breast cancer, according to a newly published study in a peer-reviewed journal.

8 Dec 2009

Geisinger installs catheter-based cardiac assist device, Impella 2.5

A minimally invasive, catheter-based cardiac assist device - the Impella 2.5 - is credited with saving the life of 86-year-old Rose Lombardo of Hazleton. Grandmother to seven and great-grandmother to another 12, Rose was "at death's door" after suffering concurrent heart attacks, according to her daughter, Gabriella Norgard.

8 Dec 2009

Deaths from opioid use in Ontario have doubled, according to new study

Deaths from opioid use in Ontario have doubled-from 13.7 deaths per million residents in 1991 to 27.2 deaths per million residents in 2004-according to a new study led by physicians at St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Toronto.

8 Dec 2009

Opioids can be a safe and effective treatment for pain, shows study

A study published in the current issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) by Dhalla et al. has reviewed opioid-related deaths in Ontario from 1991 to 2004. The Canadian Pain Society (CPS) is very concerned that a small percentage of the population is misusing opioid analgesics, also called narcotic pain killers, resulting in harm and even death.

8 Dec 2009

BD Diagnostics receives FDA clearance on Amplified DNA Assays

BD Diagnostics, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), announced today it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to utilize its BD ProbeTec(TM) Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) Qx and BD ProbeTec(TM) Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) Qx Amplified DNA Assays with samples collected during women's routine liquid-based Pap testing for cervical cancer screening.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 8 Dec 2009

CDA launches Acne And Rosacea Awareness Campaigns

The temperature drop outside is leaving many Canadians red in the face but dermatologists say the culprit could be acne or rosacea. The Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA) is launching Acne and Rosacea Awareness Campaigns to give sufferers the advice they need to cope with these diseases.

8 Dec 2009

Antiepileptic drugs may have a possible protective effect against seizure disorders

Despite government warnings about an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and actions while taking antiepileptic drugs, these medications do not appear to be associated with increased risk of suicide attempts in individuals with bipolar disorder, and may have a possible protective effect, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Dec 2009

Carfilzomib shows noteworthy responses and low side effects among multiple myeloma patients

The second-generation proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib is showing noteworthy response rates and low levels of adverse side effects among multiple myeloma patients in a phase II clinical trial, researchers reported today at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

8 Dec 2009

H1N1 virus causes more life-threatening complications than seasonal flu

Infection with the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, causes more life-threatening complications than seasonal flu in children with sickle cell disease, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

8 Dec 2009