Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Older-style antidepressants, as well as anticonvulsant drugs, can help ease the disabling pain caused by nerve tissue damage

For many years antidepressants, which are believed to work by dampening pain signals, have been the first-line drugs for neuropathic pain. "It is usual to start with an antidepressant like amitriptyline, and if this fails then try an anticonvulsant," says Phil Wiffen, a researcher at Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England. "The results of these meta-analyses suggest this is probably still the best approach to take."

19 Jul 2005

Camera-guided surgery through small incisions works better than conventional surgery for colon cancer

Camera-guided surgery through small incisions works better than conventional surgery for colon cancer and related diseases, at least in the short term recovery, a new review of previous studies confirms. In the long term, researchers found no difference between the two.

19 Jul 2005

$New protective drugs called bisphosphonates reduce pain and fractures in metastatic breast cancer$

New protective drugs called bisphosphonates reduce pain and fractures in metastatic breast cancer

When breast cancer spreads to bones, relatively new protective drugs called bisphosphonates can reduce skeletal damage, says a new systematic review of previous studies. While the new treatment approach does not improve survival rates, it can minimize disabling fractures, spinal cord compression and pain.

19 Jul 2005

Surgical removal of severe hemorrhoids is more effective in the long run than tying them off with rubber bands

The review found no significant difference in patients' acceptance of each technique, "implying patients' preference for complete long-term cure of symptoms" despite the pain and higher risk of complications following surgery.

19 Jul 2005

Ibuprofen can increase bleeding during surgery

Researchers from the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine recommend the discontinuation of ibuprofen prior to surgery to correct gum disease because blood loss is two times greater for those using the medication than those not taking it.

19 Jul 2005

Cancer patients are being forced to bear the massive financial burden of changes in NHS treatment

The side effects of cancer treatment mean patients often have to give up work, and may have to live on a low income; forcing many patients to make a choice between finding the money for travel to hospital and basic necessities such as food, children's clothes and household bills.

19 Jul 2005

FDA examines deaths of patients using pain patches

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating reports of the deaths of patients who were using pain patches that contain the narcotic fentanyl.

18 Jul 2005

Video games can be useful in health care and research

One innovative application of video games in health care is their use in pain management as the degree of attention needed to play such a game can distract the player from the sensation of pain, writes Mark Griffiths, Professor of gambling studies at Nottingham Trent University.

14 Jul 2005

At the end of life hospices better option for the elderly than nursing homes

A new study has shown that straight talking elderly people, who are facing death in nursing homes, raises the likelihood of them agreeing to enter hospices in the last days of their life.

14 Jul 2005

Erlotinib increases survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

An international clinical study led by Canadian researchers has demonstrated that a drug called erlotinib increases survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who typically have no other treatment options.

13 Jul 2005

Emergency physicians' fear of malpractice in evaluating patients with possible acute cardiac ischemia

A new survey of emergency physicians finds those most concerned about lawsuits are more likely to admit patients with cardiac symptoms and to order more tests. The results will be published by Annals of Emergency Medicine as an early online release July 13 (Emergency Physicians' Fear of Malpractice In Evaluating Patients With Possible Acute Cardiac Ischemia).

13 Jul 2005

Single mutation in a human sodium channel gene can trigger pain in people with primary erythromelalgia

Yale School of Medicine researchers report the first demonstration that a single mutation in a human sodium channel gene can trigger pain in people with an inherited pain syndrome known as primary erythromelalgia, according to a study published this month in the journal Brain.

13 Jul 2005

White blood cell called a neutrophil appears to be crucial to abdominal aortic aneurysm formation

Each year, 200,000 Americans find out that the largest blood vessel in their body, the aorta, may burst open at any time. About 20,000 die suddenly from such a rupture. And another 36,000 have surgery to repair or replace the swelling section of aorta before time runs out.

13 Jul 2005

Australian product promotes healing in venous stasis ulcers

Novogen has announced the results of a Phase II clinical trial of its investigational wound healing compound, Glucoprime, in venous stasis ulcers.

13 Jul 2005

Hospice referral rates increase with intervention

A simple information and communication intervention between a patient and physician can increase hospice referral rates among nursing home residents, increase their families' ratings of end-of-life care, and may decrease use of acute care resources, according to an article in the July 13 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

13 Jul 2005

Women beware of black cohosh, red clover and ginseng!

Women who take soy or herbal supplements, such as black cohosh, red clover and ginseng, should do so with care, says a Cornell University expert affiliated with the Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors (BCERF) at Cornell, the land-grant institution of New York state.

13 Jul 2005

Menopause symptoms return with a vengence when women stop HRT

In somewhat depressing news for women battling that often miserable phase in their lives, the menopause, it appears that more than half of women who start taking hormone replacement therapy to relieve the discomfort, can expect to see a dramatic resurgence of those symptoms, when they discontinue the therapy.

12 Jul 2005

Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) offers clues to SIDS, sleep apnea

Imagine raising a child who stops breathing when falling asleep - and has to be reminded to visit the bathroom after drinking a Big Gulp. That's the dilemma faced by parents of children born with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS).

11 Jul 2005

Prescription drug abuse in the USA exceeds 15 million

A recently released report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University suggests between 1992 and 2003, more Americans were abusing controlled prescription drugs than cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin put together.

11 Jul 2005

Vioxx safe enough for Canadian market says health panel

A canadian health advisory panel says that Merck's arthritis drug Vioxx should be allowed to go on sale again in the country, 10 months after the company withdrew the blockbuster painkiller over reports that it increased the risk of heart disease.

11 Jul 2005

Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Older-style antidepressants, as well as anticonvulsant drugs, can help ease the disabling pain caused by nerve tissue damage

Camera-guided surgery through small incisions works better than conventional surgery for colon cancer

New protective drugs called bisphosphonates reduce pain and fractures in metastatic breast cancer

Surgical removal of severe hemorrhoids is more effective in the long run than tying them off with rubber bands

Ibuprofen can increase bleeding during surgery

Cancer patients are being forced to bear the massive financial burden of changes in NHS treatment

FDA examines deaths of patients using pain patches

Video games can be useful in health care and research

At the end of life hospices better option for the elderly than nursing homes

Erlotinib increases survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Emergency physicians' fear of malpractice in evaluating patients with possible acute cardiac ischemia

Single mutation in a human sodium channel gene can trigger pain in people with primary erythromelalgia

White blood cell called a neutrophil appears to be crucial to abdominal aortic aneurysm formation

Australian product promotes healing in venous stasis ulcers

Hospice referral rates increase with intervention

Women beware of black cohosh, red clover and ginseng!

Menopause symptoms return with a vengence when women stop HRT

Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) offers clues to SIDS, sleep apnea

Prescription drug abuse in the USA exceeds 15 million

Vioxx safe enough for Canadian market says health panel

Evolving spectrophotometry for modern biopharma workflows

Scaling B-cell cloning workflows for antibody development

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation

Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Evolving spectrophotometry for modern biopharma workflows

Scaling B-cell cloning workflows for antibody development

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation

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