Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

CDC warns acute flaccid myelitis is poised for a comeback in kids this fall

As if the novel coronavirus pandemic was not enough! Now the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns parents and pediatricians to be on the watch for a rare condition called Acute Flaccid Myelitis or AFM for short, which could affect young children and cause unexplained muscle paralysis similar to poliomyelitis. Their report is published today in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

5 Aug 2020

Bisphosphonates may be safe and beneficial for osteoarthritis patients

Bisphosphonates (a class of drugs that prevent the loss of bone density and used to treat osteoporosis and similar diseases) appear to be safe and beneficial for osteoarthritis patients.

5 Aug 2020

Surgery for acute cholecystitis during pregnancy may be safer than postponing

Painful gallstones are common during pregnancy. The pain can be intense, coming on suddenly, increasing and often radiating to the back.

5 Aug 2020

New research project receives federal funding to expand treatment options for sickle cell patients

A new research project that could impact and expand the discovery of new treatment options for sickle cell patients has received significant federal funding.

5 Aug 2020

NICE guideline advises GPs to stop prescribing opioids for chronic pain

Published today, the first ever NICE guideline on the treatment of chronic pain has said that GPs should not prescribe opioids and other medicines like paracetamol to patients because they could be ‘harmful’ and cause addiction.

5 Aug 2020

Gout diagnoses increased dramatically from 1990 to 2017, shows new analysis

The prevalence of gout--a form of arthritis characterized by severe pain, redness, and tenderness in joints--increased across the world at an alarming rate from 1990 to 2017, according to an analysis published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

5 Aug 2020

Scientists develop new models to study molecular characteristics of lung and pancreatic cancers

Scientists at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (U of U) report today the development of new models to study molecular characteristics of tumors of the lung and pancreas

5 Aug 2020

Study shows link between selenium-deficient diet and paracetamol toxicity

A lack of the mineral selenium in the diet puts people at risk of paracetamol overdose, even when the painkiller is taken at levels claimed to be safe on the packaging, according to collaborative research emerging from the University of Bath and Southwest University in China.

5 Aug 2020

A quarter of arthritis cases in the U.S. are attributable to excess weight, shows study

A new Boston University School of Public Health study shows that weight loss between early adulthood and midlife lowers arthritis risk, and found no evidence of any persistent risk of arthritis for people who were heavier earlier in life and then lost weight.

4 Aug 2020

University of Warwick pain management expert wins 2020 Hero of Hope Award

An expert in pain management from the University of Warwick has been recognized for her commitment and research in supporting patients with chronic pain diseases with an international award.

4 Aug 2020

Applying "temporal pressure" to the skin can help deliver more drugs

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have showed that applying "temporal pressure" to the skin of mice can create a new way to deliver drugs.

4 Aug 2020

Estrogen modestly protective against COVID-19?

Almost from the beginning, scientists have been struck by the disproportionately higher numbers of men and older adults who have developed severe COVID-19 disease compared to younger individuals and women. Prior research has shown that in 37 of the 38 countries from which sex-stratified data was available, males were at a higher risk of death. Also, post-menopausal women are at increased risk of severe COVID-19. However, the biological underpinnings of this have been less visible.

4 Aug 2020

Despite COVID-19 pressures, hospitals are maintaining emergency cardiac services in majority of cases

The death rate for patients who experienced what is normally a lower-risk heart attack rose sharply during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in England, according to an analysis of NHS data.

4 Aug 2020

California GOP consultant rues ‘big mistake’ that led to family’s COVID infections

The tweet Richard Costigan posted July 23 was bluntly honest: "We tried our best to limit exposure to #COVID19 but we slipped up somewhere."

3 Aug 2020

Smartphone alert can aid laypersons in opioid overdose reversal

Without timely reversal, opioid overdose causes respiratory depression that may deteriorate into apnea, leading to brain injury and even death.

3 Aug 2020

Screening for pancreatic cancer using artificial intelligence

Dr. Ananya Malhotra speaks to News-Medical about her research into how pancreatic cancer prognosis could be improved by using artificial intelligence.

3 Aug 2020

FDA approves CBD oral solution for treatment of seizures related to tuberous sclerosis complex

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Epidiolex (cannabidiol) [CBD] oral solution for the treatment of seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) in patients one year of age and older.

31 Jul 2020

Human cerebellum has almost 80% of the cerebral cortex’s surface area

When we say someone has a quick mind, it may be in part thanks to our expanded cerebellum that distinguishes human brains from those of macaque monkeys, for example.

31 Jul 2020

Leading expert is sounding the alarm on newly-identified symptom of coronavirus

A VascularNurse Consultant and senior lecturer at the University of Huddersfield is sounding the alarm on a newly-identified symptom of the coronavirus, dubbed COVID-toes, after witnessing a sharp increase in the amount of patients being referred to vascular clinics, with similar symptoms to arterial disease but, who then test positive for COVID-19.

31 Jul 2020

Avoiding care during the pandemic could mean life or death

These days, Los Angeles acting teacher Deryn Warren balances her pain with her fear. She's a bladder cancer patient who broke her wrist in November. She still needs physical therapy for her wrist, and she's months late for a cancer follow-up.

31 Jul 2020