Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Pre-hospital electrocardiography offers more timely diagnosis of heart attack

A study conducted by researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine along with colleagues from Rural/Metro Ambulance San Diego and the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, shows that emergency medical personnel can obtain an electrocardiogram (ECG) in the field for chest pain patients without an increase in scene time or transport time to the hospital.

30 Jul 2012

Genentech's BREVACTA study of ACTEMRA on rheumatoid arthritis meets primary endpoint

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that the BREVACTA study of ACTEMRA (tocilizumab) given as a subcutaneous (SC) injection to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) met its primary endpoint.

28 Jul 2012

EC approves Vertex's KALYDECO for treatment of cystic fibrosis

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that the European Commission has approved KALYDECOTM (ivacaftor) for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) ages 6 and older who have at least one copy of the G551D mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene.

28 Jul 2012

Roundup: Mass. lawmakers struggle to reach agreement on cost controls; $100M grant for Calif. stem cell research; N.C. to move mentally ill from elderly homes

The House and Senate are under the gun to reach an agreement on how to lower health care costs while improving care. A conference committee aims to have a bill out on Sunday. Their deadline is Monday evening. In the meantime, several major issues are still unresolved, including what to do about hospitals that use their market clout to demand high prices that are not based on higher quality. Attorney General Martha Coakley, the state's top insurers and several consumer groups argue that price is a critical issue.

28 Jul 2012

Orthognathic surgery requires a balancing act in anesthetic technique

Orthognathic surgery, affecting the jaws and face, requires a balancing act in anesthetic technique. Limiting blood loss, avoiding respiratory depression, and averting postoperative nausea and vomiting lead to optimum patient outcomes. The use of the drugs propofol and remifentanil are increasing because they can meet these needs; however, patients may subsequently experience more postoperative pain.

27 Jul 2012

Study highlights advantages of Baxano's iO-Flex system in performing lumbar spinal decompression

Baxano, Inc., the manufacturer of the innovative and cost-effective iO-Flex System, announced today the publication of a peer-reviewed study highlighting the advantages of the flagship iO-Flex technology in performing lumbar spinal decompression, a procedure that can be done with and without spinal fusion.

26 Jul 2012

FDA approves Horizon Pharma's RAYOS to treat key IL-6 mediated diseases

Horizon Pharma, Inc., announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved RAYOS (prednisone) delayed-release tablets (1 mg, 2 mg and 5 mg) to treat a broad range of diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

26 Jul 2012

Takeda, Sucampo file AMITIZA sNDA with FDA for treatment of opioid-induced constipation

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A. Inc. today announced the filing of a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval for a new indication for AMITIZA (lubiprostone) for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in patients with chronic, non-cancer pain.

26 Jul 2012

Study supports sphincter-saving surgery

Fissurectomy results in high levels of healing and low rates of anal incontinence, show the results of the largest ever prospective study of the technique.

26 Jul 2012

Short-course palliative RT shows promise

A 2-day course of three-dimensional radiotherapy delivered in twice-daily fractions up to 18 Gy resulted in no dose-limiting toxicities, and high rates of symptom relief in patient with pelvic cancer, especially those with bleeding, report researchers.

26 Jul 2012

Myotonia less important to patients with myotonic dystrophy than other symptoms

Complex, multi-system diseases like myotonic dystrophy - the most common adult form of muscular dystrophy - require physicians and patients to identify which symptoms impact quality of life and, consequently, what treatments should take priority. However, a new study out this month in the journal Neurology reveals that there is often a disconnect between the two groups over which symptoms are more important, a phenomenon that not only impacts care but also the direction of research into new therapies.

26 Jul 2012

Insomnia: an interview with Dr Darryle Schoepp

Insomnia is a very common disorder. In medical terms it can affect a third of people. It affects elderly as well as non-elderly people, and is more common in women.

26 Jul 2012

RADARS System Poison Center data can predict methadone overdose trends in the U.S.

A new report, published today in PLoS One shows that RADARS(R) System Poison Center data can be used to predict methadone overdose trends in the U.S.

26 Jul 2012

Female stroke patients more affected in all quality of life domains than males

Having a stroke or mini stroke has a much more profound effect on women than men when it comes to their quality of life, according to research published in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

26 Jul 2012

Multi-center clinical trial results demonstrate safety and efficacy of carfilzomib for multiple myeloma

Researchers from John Theurer Cancer Center at HackensackUMC, one of the nation's 50 best hospitals for cancer, played leading roles in three separate multi-center studies with the new proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib published in Blood, a major peer-reviewed scientific journal.

26 Jul 2012

Diabetic women more likely to report low overall sexual satisfaction

Women with diabetes are just as likely to be interested in, and engage in, sexual activity as non-diabetic women, but they are much more likely to report low overall sexual satisfaction, according to a UCSF study.

26 Jul 2012

Studies look at surgical site infections and hyperglycemia

Two recent studies in the July issues of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) looked at surgical site infections and hyperglycemia, the technical term for high blood glucose, or high blood sugar.

26 Jul 2012

Benefit of in-joint anesthesia queried in canine arthroscopy

Measurements of gait and lameness after arthroscopy in dogs show no evidence that either intra-articular bupivacaine or morphine provide an analgesic effect in the immediate postoperative period, despite bupivacaine having some effect on pain, report researchers.

25 Jul 2012

Constant pain after breast cancer surgery ‘more taxing’

Women who experience chronic pain after treatment for breast cancer are not significantly more anxious or depressed than women without pain, find researchers.

25 Jul 2012

Giving patients a new immune system can cure Crohn's disease

Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have opened a clinical trial to test the theory that giving a patient a new immune system can cure severe cases of Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract.

25 Jul 2012