Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Medicaid pays for one-third of drug abuse hospitalizations

Medicaid paid for more than one-third of the 1.3 million hospital stays related to prescription or illegal drug abuse in 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

2 Nov 2007

Researchers find stem cells in degenerating spinal discs, potential for repair

Orthopedic researchers at Jefferson Medical College have for the first time found stem cells in the intervertebral discs of the human spine, suggesting that such cells might someday be used to help repair degenerating discs and remedy lower back and neck pain.

2 Nov 2007

Preventing Morphine tolerance

Tolerance to the pain-relieving effects of morphine - which builds rapidly with prolonged use - can be prevented by blocking a key substance that's formed when the drug is taken, researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine have discovered.

2 Nov 2007

Review of aspirin therapy

Aspirin, long known to relieve fevers, aches and pain, has served an increasingly bigger role in health care in recent years.

2 Nov 2007

Acupuncture and Western-style medicine

Acupuncture, one of the oldest medical therapies in the world, is steadily gaining popularity in the United States.

2 Nov 2007

Blood gene expression signatures predict exposure levels

In a new study, researchers found they could detect toxic levels of acetaminophen in laboratory animals by analyzing gene expression in the blood.

1 Nov 2007

Massage therapy helps patients recover after heart surgery

A new Mayo Clinic study shows that massage therapy decreases pain levels for patients after heart surgery.

1 Nov 2007

Is it pancreatitis in acute abdominal pain in acute viral hepatitis?

Hepatitis viruses have a strong tropism for hepatocytes; viral antigen also has been detected in pancreas and gallbladder.

1 Nov 2007

Family ties determine who gets heart disease

The genetic family ties that bind brothers and sisters also link their risk for developing clogged arteries and having potentially fatal heart attacks, scientists at Johns Hopkins report.

31 Oct 2007

Stereotactic radiation is effective as surgery against nerve tumor

Specifically aimed, "stereotactic" radiation may be as good as surgery - and in some cases, even better - in treating benign but potentially devastating brain tumors called non-acoustic schwannomas, according to a study by rradiation oncologists at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

31 Oct 2007

Fibromyalgia pain caused by neuron mismatch

The unexplained pain experienced by patients with fibromyalgia is the result of a mismatch between sensory and motor systems, new research suggests.

31 Oct 2007

National Right to Life Committee defends Brownback's talks with Giuliani on abortion views

The National Right to Life Committee recently defended Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) after he was criticized for meeting with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, to discuss Giuliani's views on abortion, The Hill reports (Bolton, The Hill, 10/26).

30 Oct 2007

Pre-op antibiotics prevent infection for wisdom teeth surger

Patients who have their wisdom teeth pulled and do not take antibiotics before surgery are twice as likely to get an infection after the surgery than those who take a single dose of antibiotics shortly before surgery, says Eastman Dental Center researchersYan-Fang Ren, DDS, PhD, MPH and Hans Malmstrom, DDS.

30 Oct 2007

Smoked salmon dip recalled because of Listeria contamination

The Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. has alerted retailers and the public over food suspected of being contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

30 Oct 2007

DIY liver test tells you how damage has been done

According to the manufacturers, a simple DIY test can tell drinkers how much damage has been done to their livers.

30 Oct 2007

Injected dextrose solution helps ease chronic Achilles tendon pain

Patients with chronic tendinosis of the Achilles tendon can experience a reduction in pain when injected with a small amount of a dextrose solution, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, BC.

29 Oct 2007

Preventing lung scarring may extend lives of lung cancer patients

Researchers have found that using a special type of drug called a pharmaceutical monoclonal antibody to block the integrin beta6-TGF-beta pathway prevents a serious side effect of radiation therapy for lung cancer patients – pulmonary fibrosis (scarring of the lungs), thereby extending patients' lives and improving their quality of life, according to a study presented at the Plenary I session on October 29, 2007, at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 49th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

29 Oct 2007