Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Unique protein expression could serve as a screening test for head and neck cancers

The blood of patients with head and neck cancer appears to have unique patterns of protein expression that one day could serve as a screening test for the highly aggressive cancer that is often diagnosed too late, researchers say.

10 May 2006

What is the best laparoscopic approach for laparoscopic radical nephrectomy?

Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is rapidly becoming the gold standard as the surgical procedure of choice in patients with localized renal cell carcinoma.

10 May 2006

Air purifiers increase ozone levels exceeding health standards

In a small, poorly ventilated room, an indoor air purifier that produces even a few milligrams of ozone per hour can create an ozone level that exceeds public health standards, researchers at UC Irvine have found.

10 May 2006

Lilly submits Cymbalta NDA for generalized anxiety disorder

Eli Lilly and Company has announced the recent submission of a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

10 May 2006

That dreadful feeling - most choose more pain sooner rather than less later

According to research into why people experience the feeling of dread, a team of Emory neuroscientists led by Gregory Berns, MD, PhD, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine the areas of the brain that are activated when someone gets that dreadful feeling.

9 May 2006

Doctors widely prescribe drugs without adequate scrutiny

In choosing which drugs to prescribe, doctors often select medications for patients despite a lack of conclusive medical evidence of their effects and safety, according to a new study led by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

9 May 2006

Off-label prescribing common, often not backed by data

A study of office-based physicians in the United States suggests that about one-fifth of medications are prescribed to treat conditions for which they are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and that nearly three-fourths of those uses lack strong scientific support, according to an article in the May 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

9 May 2006

Treatment with intravenous and oral antiviral medications may help relieve nerve pain related to shingles

A small trial suggests that treatment with intravenous and oral antiviral medications may reduce the nerve pain that occurs following shingles, according to a study posted online today that will appear in the July 2006 print issue of Archives of Neurology.

9 May 2006

$New procedure to treat fractured vertebrae caused by spinal tumors$

New procedure to treat fractured vertebrae caused by spinal tumors

A radiologist at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine has developed a new procedure to treat fractured vertebrae caused by spinal tumors, a procedure that may decrease the risk of complications, which are experienced by 5 to 10% of patients with malignant tumors of the spine.

8 May 2006

fMRI used to show dread responses in brain

In order to better understand how people make decisions when the outcomes are known to be unpleasant, a team of Emory neuroscientists led by Gregory Berns, MD, PhD, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine the areas of the brain that are activated when someone experiences dread.

8 May 2006

Patients have high expectations about breast cancer screening mammography

A substantial proportion of women have beliefs about their personal risk of breast cancer, and expectations about the performance of mammography that are abnormally high or unrealistic, according to a survey conducted at University of Michigan Health Systems in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

4 May 2006

The efficacy and safety of Rituximab in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis

Drugs aimed at suppressing inflammation-provoking cytokines--specifically those linked to T-cells--have improved the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disease. Still, the frequency of remission achieved by these biologic agents remains below 50 percent.

3 May 2006

Heart risks from Vioxx happen much earlier than believed

A new study led by Queen's University researcher Linda Livesque shows that heart attacks related to the use of Vioxx - a drug once popular for the treatment of pain and inflammation - can occur within the first two weeks of use.

3 May 2006

Cellular events leading to chondrocyte death after cartilage impact injury

Documented in extensive studies, backed by the anecdotal evidence of professional athletes, impact injury to joints causes degeneration of cartilage.

3 May 2006

Drug combo significantly more effective in reducing dyspepsia in arthritis patients

UCLA/VA researchers found that for arthritis patients, taking a combination of two drugs may be most effective in protecting against stomach upset called dyspepsia, which is a side effect of common pain medications.

3 May 2006

Ultrasound-guided, intra-tendonous injection of a dextrose solution effective in treating chronic tendonoses in the leg

Ultrasound-guided, intra-tendonous injection of a dextrose solution is a very effective treatment for certain chronic tendonoses in the leg, reported radiologists from the department of radiology at St. Paul's Hospital and the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia both in Vancouver, BC.

3 May 2006

Do symptoms correlate with cystoscopic findings in newly diagnosed PBS/IC?

In patients with untreated and newly diagnosed PBS/IC, can one find a correlation between symptoms and cystoscopic findings?

2 May 2006

Genetic and environmental factors impact chronic fatigue syndrome patients

People who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have a genetic make up that affects the body's ability to adapt to change, according to a series of papers released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

2 May 2006

Study indicates how drug efficacy can be increased by manipulating the signalling mechanism

Researchers believe they have found a way to change the action of 60 percent of currently available medications, in some cases making them many times more effective, according to an article published in the April 21 edition of the journal Science. The discovery has the potential to improve treatments for diseases including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression and arthritis. The study describes a new way to manipulate perhaps the most important signaling mechanism in human cells: G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs).

28 Apr 2006

New drug may revolutionize how chronic iron overload is treated in chronic anemia patients

Those with severe chronic anemias need frequent blood transfusions to remain healthy, but such frequent transfusions can cause a potentially deadly buildup of iron in the body, leading to heart and liver failure. The traditional treatment to remove excess iron is so onerous that many patients choose to forgo it, putting their own lives at risk. The results of an international study on deferasirox, a new drug that may revolutionize the way chronic iron overload is treated, will be published in the May 1, 2006, issue of Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.

26 Apr 2006