Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Juvenile immune arthritis – new treatments wanted

Juvenile immune arthritis (JIA) is a severely undertreated condition, and new medications are badly needed to relieve the signs and symptoms of the illness, according to a new study presented at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting.

11 Nov 2019

Male patients with lupus often have more severe disease, receive little support

A national survey of male patients with lupus finds the illness has a significant impact on their physical and emotional health, yet they often do not receive support that could help them cope.

11 Nov 2019

Methotrexate reduces joint damage in hand osteoarthritis

A new study presented at the 2019 ACR/ARP meeting shows that methotrexate stopped further damage to the hand joints and even perhaps improved bone remodeling in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand, when they were assessed at 3 and 12 months.

11 Nov 2019

Rheumatoid arthritis: biologics useful in young and old alike

A new study presented at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting says that all rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, irrespective of their age, benefit to a similar extent from the use of biologic drugs in their treatment. The study measured improvement in disease parameters 48 weeks after the beginning of therapy to establish this conclusion.

11 Nov 2019

Groundwork laid for new kind of neural interface system

By electrically stimulating nerves, neuromodulation therapies can reduce epileptic seizures, soothe chronic pain, and treat depression and a host of other health conditions without the use of conventional drugs like opioids.

11 Nov 2019

Australian women with endometriosis turning to cannabis to alleviate symptoms

A new study published today in Journal of Obstetrics Gynaecology Canada has found one in eight Australian women with endometriosis use cannabis to alleviate pain and other symptoms, rating the plant based medicine as the most effective way to self-manage the disorder.

11 Nov 2019

Artistic activities from a young age can reduce social inequalities, encourage healthy behaviors

Engaging in artistic activities such as singing and dancing from a young age can reduce social inequalities and encourage healthy behaviors, according to a new report from UCL and the World Health Organization.

11 Nov 2019

American Association of Endodontists commends new ADA guidelines

The American Association of Endodontists (AAE), a global membership organization of specialized dentists who provide root canal treatment, applauds the American Dental Association for updating its guidelines on using antibiotics to treat tooth pain.

11 Nov 2019

Gadolinium-enhanced MRI of shoulders helps predict recurrence of polymyalgia rheumatica

According to new research findings presented this week at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, use of gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in shoulders of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica may contribute to more accurate diagnosis and prediction of recurrence.

11 Nov 2019

How Germany averted an opioid crisis

In 2016, 10 times as many Americans as Germans died as a result of drug overdoses, mostly opiates. Three times as many Americans as Germans experienced opioid addiction.

11 Nov 2019

Monash researchers create nanoparticle for improving properties of painkillers

Researchers at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology have created a nanoparticle that could improve the properties of painkillers by delivering them directly to the source of pain.

11 Nov 2019

Sit, heal: Dog teaches military med students the merits of service animals

The newest faculty member at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences has a great smile — and a wagging tail.

11 Nov 2019

Cancer patients with RA treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors likely to experience a flare

A new study found that cancer patients with a pre-existing autoimmune disease receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors as treatment are likely to experience a flare.

11 Nov 2019

Research highlights benefits of oral prednisolone in patients with hand osteoarthritis

Research presented at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting found that a six-week treatment with low-dose oral prednisolone substantially improves pain and decreases signs of inflammation in patients with painful hand osteoarthritis.

11 Nov 2019

Opioids do not improve quality of life or depression in OA patients

New research presented at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting suggests that opioids contribute no measurable benefit to quality of life or depression for patients with osteoarthritis (OA).

11 Nov 2019

Methotrexate appears to facilitate bone remodeling in patients with osteoarthritis

According to new research findings presented at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, methotrexate did not demonstrate superior efficacy over placebo for pain relief and function evolution at three and 12 months in patients with erosive hand osteoarthritis.

11 Nov 2019

Tocilizumab more effective than rituximab in achieving low disease activity in RA patients

New research discovered that tocilizumab is more effective than rituximab in achieving low disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis whose synovial tissue show a low level of B cell infiltration and did not respond to conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (conventional synthetic DMARDs) or tumor necrosis factor inhibitors first.

11 Nov 2019

Biologics can be used effectively for both elderly-onset and young-onset RA patients

According to new research findings presented this week at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, both patients with rheumatoid arthritis whose disease onset occurred at an older age and those whose disease onset occurred earlier in life have similar improvements in clinical disease at 48 weeks after starting biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, as well as similar drug maintenance and adverse events discontinuation rates.

10 Nov 2019

New light on the essential reproductive role of the clitoris

A new study focuses on the role of the clitoris in females, showing that when it is stimulated, it triggers a wave of changes within the rest of the reproductive tract. The outcome of these changes confers on the clitoris not only recreative but also reproductive importance, according to the studies.

10 Nov 2019

Skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby after C-section has risks

It was widely accepted that putting the newborn baby on the mother’s chest promotes skin-to-skin contact and bonding between the two who share the common experience of birth, and enhances the chances of successful breastfeeding, after a Cesarean section. However, from the viewpoint of anesthesiologists, who oversee the critical part of keeping the mother pain-free yet healthy during the surgical procedure, this introduces unnecessary risks.

10 Nov 2019