Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Smoking cessation programs could help combat opioid epidemic

Smoking is recognized as a leading cause of preventable disability and death. New research shows that as smokers increase their daily number of cigarettes, they report higher rates of chronic pain, more prescription opioid use, severe work limitations due to pain, and poor mental health.

9 Oct 2024

Study reveals why paternal mitochondria must be removed during early development

It's one of the basic tenets of biology: We get our DNA from our mom and our dad.

9 Oct 2024

New study links persistent SARS-CoV-2 proteins to long COVID symptoms

Brigham researchers found people with wide-ranging long COVID symptoms were twice as likely to have SARS-CoV-2 proteins in their blood, compared to those without long COVID symptoms.

9 Oct 2024

Tiny molecule offers hope in reducing opioid side effects

Opioid drugs are highly effective at relieving pain but come with severe drawbacks. Their side effects range from dizziness to potentially fatal respiratory depression.

9 Oct 2024

Poppy seed brew triggers morphine overdose, drawing attention of lawmakers

It sounds like a joke: poppy seeds infused with opioids. Indeed, it was a plotline on the sitcom Seinfeld. But for some it has been a tragedy.

9 Oct 2024

Increasing cases of mosquito-borne diseases call for greater awareness

The hospitalization last summer of Dr. Anthony Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, with West Nile virus – and his account of it this week in the New York Times – have helped raise public awareness of the dangers of mosquito borne-illness, which can range from Zika and malaria to dengue and West Nile virus.

8 Oct 2024

Brainstem inflammation may explain long Covid symptoms

Damage to the brainstem – the brain's 'control center' – is behind long-lasting physical and psychiatric effects of severe Covid-19 infection, a study suggests.

8 Oct 2024

SCD health disparities tied to community factors

A new study finds that preschool-aged children with sickle cell disease (SCD) who live in food deserts and have limited access to transportation are at greater risk for acute complications and hospitalizations, despite receiving free evidence-based therapy and social support, according to results published today in Blood Advances.

8 Oct 2024

Scurvy is not just an 18th-century seafarers' disease, study shows

Scurvy, or vitamin C deficiency, is not just an 18th-century seafarers' disease, as a case study of a 65-year-old woman with mobility issues and social isolation shows.

7 Oct 2024

New deep-learning framework identifies non-addictive pain relief options

An estimated one in five Americans live with chronic pain and current treatment options leave much to be desired.

7 Oct 2024

Catholic hospital offered bucket, towels to woman it denied an abortion, California AG said

When Anna Nusslock showed up at her local hospital 15 weeks pregnant and in severe pain earlier this year, she said, a doctor delivered devastating news: The twins she and her husband had so desperately wanted were not viable.

7 Oct 2024

COVID-19 increases chronic fatigue risk

Study reveals that COVID-19 significantly increases the risk of chronic fatigue syndrome, with specific populations, such as older adults, Asians, and non-hospitalized patients, at higher risk.

7 Oct 2024

Exploring the venomous potential of marine crustaceans for drug development

Many animals use venoms for self-defense or hunting. The components of such venom, known as toxins, interfere with various physiological processes - which is also the reason why they are so interesting for the development of new pharmacological agents.

4 Oct 2024

Study paves way to more efficient non-addictive treatment for chronic pain

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed a new comprehensive mapping of genetic activity for understanding the causes of chronic pain.

4 Oct 2024

Trump leads, and his party follows, on vaccine skepticism

More than four years ago, former President Donald Trump’s administration accelerated the development and rollout of the covid-19 vaccine.

4 Oct 2024

Study highlights benefits and risks of doxy-PEP for STI prevention

Taking a dose of the oral antibiotic doxycycline after a high-risk sexual encounter has dramatically reduced the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in places where the strategy is being tried.

4 Oct 2024

Early-life trauma increases pain, depression in final years, study finds

Repeating a school year, experiencing parental abuse or engaging in armed combat have far-reaching long-term effects. Lifetime trauma may even worsen end-of-life pain and discomfort, depression and loneliness.

4 Oct 2024

NIH supports research on non-opioid pain relief for oral cancer patients

The School of Dentistry at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) earned the first National Institutes of Health grant under its new Center for Pain Therapeutics and Addiction Research, addressing pain in patients with head and neck carcinoma.

4 Oct 2024

Oropouche virus spreads in South America as scientists warn of potential outbreaks in the U.S.

Researchers review the reemergence and range expansion of Oropouche virus in South America, highlighting risks of spread to the U.S. and need for improved diagnostic tests. Over 9,000 cases and two deaths were reported in 2024.

4 Oct 2024