Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Pain treatment in the field: Good for soldiers' comfort and better for rebuilding troop strength

Noncombat-related acute and recurrent chronic pain are the leading causes of soldier attrition in modern war, with the return-to-duty rate as low as 2 percent when these soldiers are treated outside the theaters of operation.

18 Dec 2007

Massage eases pain and anxiety after surgery

A 20-minute evening back massage may help relieve pain and reduce anxiety following major surgery when given in addition to pain medications, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

18 Dec 2007

Effectiveness and risks of six bisphosphonates for osteoporosis

Many medications reduce the risk of bone fractures in people with osteoporosis, but the most commonly used drugs - bisphosphonates - have not been proven more effective than alternatives, according to a new report funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

18 Dec 2007

Constipation most common cause of children's abdominal pain

A new study led by a University of Iowa researcher showed that acute and chronic constipation together accounted for nearly half of all cases of acute abdominal pain in children treated at one hospital.

18 Dec 2007

Combining medications often best strategy to battle rheumatoid arthritis

For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, combining one well-known, lower cost synthetic drug with one of six biologic medications often works best to reduce joint swelling or tenderness, according to a new report funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

18 Dec 2007

Tibetan meditation and post-traumatic stress disorder

Miami and Ohio State university researchers are using an ancient technique to address a modern problem.

17 Dec 2007

Survey underscores importance of emotional/educational needs among women with advanced breast cancer

Psychosocial support in women with advanced or metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is as important as the need for disease- and treatment-related information, according to results of a survey presented here today at the 30th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

17 Dec 2007

Preseason training helps young baseball pitchers avoid shoulder problems

For football and basketball players, the term “getting in shape” means hours of running and/or weight lifting to strengthen the body.

17 Dec 2007

Controlling lupus - new drug targets found

Investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery have identified two new targets for drugs aimed at controlling lupus.

17 Dec 2007

U.S. hospitals charged $873 billion in 2005

U.S. hospitals charged $873 billion in 2005 – a nearly 90 percent increase from the $462 billion charged in 1997 – according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research.

17 Dec 2007

New UIC center to study end-of-life transition

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing has received a federal grant to create a center to study people as they transition to the end of life.

14 Dec 2007

Chronic knee pain: Is surgery the only solution?

The results of a study published in the online open access journal, BMC Medicine indicate that sufferers of chronic patellofemoral syndrome (PFPS), a chronic pain in the front part of the knee, gain no extra benefit from surgery.

14 Dec 2007

Adapting to pregnancy played key role in human evolution

The human spine evolved differently in males and females in order to alleviate back pressure from the weight of carrying a baby, according to research spearheaded at The University of Texas at Austin.

14 Dec 2007

Different areas of the brain respond to belief, disbelief and uncertainty

The human mind is a prolific generator of beliefs about the world. The capacity of our minds to believe or disbelieve linguistic propositions is a powerful force for controlling both behavior and emotion, but the basis of this process in the brain is not yet understood.

13 Dec 2007

Sedative may have better outcomes than common medication for ICU patients on respirator

Intensive care unit patients on respirators who were sedated with the drug dexmedetomidine had more days alive without delirium or coma and better sedation compared to patients treated with the recommended drug lorazepam, according to a study in the December 12 issue of JAMA.

13 Dec 2007

Shingles virus and vaccination

When a vaccine to prevent shingles was approved for use in 2006, the Food and Drug Administration recommended the vaccine for people age 60 and older who previously had chickenpox.

13 Dec 2007

New minimally invasive procedure for torn aorta repair

Tears in the aorta which affect thousands of people each year coast to coast, may soon be treated with a much less invasive technique that could dramatically improve patients' chances of survival.

13 Dec 2007

Intensive care quality of sleep improved by new drug dexmedetomidine

A new sedative drug has been shown to improve the sleep quality and comfort levels of intensive care patients, compared to the most commonly-used medication, according to research published today in the journal JAMA.

13 Dec 2007

GlaxoSmithKline response to JAMA article on ICES retrospective analysis

The following is GlaxoSmithKline's response to the retrospective analysis by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) titled "Thiazolidinediones and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Older Patients with Diabetes".

13 Dec 2007

Carbamazepine based drugs to include new advice for patients with Asian ancestry

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that the manufacturers of drugs containing the active ingredient carbamazepine have agreed to add to the drugs' labeling a recommendation that, before starting therapy with the drugs, patients with Asian ancestry get a genetic blood test that can identify a significantly increased risk of developing a rare, but serious, skin reaction.

13 Dec 2007