Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Uterine cancer deaths rise 20% in the last decade

Deaths from womb (uterine) cancer have risen by nearly twenty per cent in the last decade, according to new figures from Cancer Research UK today.

5 Apr 2012

µ-PIIIA conotoxin can be effective in controlling cancer pain

Hidden in the mud, the cone snail Conus purpurascens lies in wait for its victims. It attracts its prey, fish, with its proboscis, which can move like a worm, protruding from the mud. Once a fish approaches out of curiosity, the snail will rapidly shoot a harpoon at it, which consists of an evolutionarily modified tooth. The paralyzed victim then becomes an easy meal. It takes the venomous cone snail about two weeks to digest a fish. During this time, its venomous harpoon is also replaced.

5 Apr 2012

FDA clears additional indications for Anulex’s fiXate Tissue Band product

Anulex Technologies, Inc., a privately held medical device manufacturer, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared additional indications for use of its fiXate Tissue Band product.

5 Apr 2012

Height and ovarian cancer link and diagnosis woes

A review of studies has revealed that taller women have a slightly higher risk of ovarian cancer. Obesity is also a risk factor among women who have never taken HRT, say international researchers. Previous studies have suggested a link, but there has been conflicting evidence.

4 Apr 2012

Bare platinum coils vs. newer gel-coated coils for aneurysm treatment

Approximately 6 million Americans have brain aneurysms, a condition that occurs when a weak or thin spot develops on a blood vessel in the brain causing it to balloon. Often, these do not cause symptoms and go undetected, but every year an estimated 30,000 Americans experience a ruptured aneurysm that bleeds into the brain causing a life threatening injury.

4 Apr 2012

Post-operative complications after oesophageal cancer surgery may cause other health problems

Oesophageal cancer is a very serious form of cancer that, if not fatal, requires extensive surgery. A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that when serious complications arise after surgery for oesophageal cancer, many patients suffer other health problems, such as breathlessness, fatigue, insomnia and eating problems, for five years afterwards.

4 Apr 2012

Researchers identify how neural cells build up resistance to opioid pain drugs within hours

Researchers at the University of Montreal's Sainte-Justine Hospital have identified how neural cells are able to build up resistance to opioid pain drugs within hours. "A better understanding of these mechanisms will enable us to design drugs that avoid body resistance to these drugs and produce longer therapeutic responses, including prolonged opioid analgesia", lead author Dr. Graciela Pineyro said.

4 Apr 2012

Loyola’s hand surgeons see more patients with thumb arthritis

As baby boomers age, orthopedic surgeons are seeing more and more patients, especially women, who suffer from debilitating arthritis of the thumb.

4 Apr 2012

Young girls face increased risk of side effects after Gardasil vaccination

Younger girls are more likely than adult women to report side effects after receiving Gardasil, the human papillomavirus vaccine.

4 Apr 2012

Many RA patients more likely to develop lower GI disease

Add lower gastrointestinal (GI) problems such as ulcers, bleeding and perforations to the list of serious complications facing many rheumatoid arthritis patients. They are at greater risk for GI problems and gastrointestinal-related death than people without the disease, a Mayo Clinic study shows.

4 Apr 2012

Public service announcement on pediatric pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) sounds like an adult disease, but the life-threatening lung condition strikes children too. Ten-year-old Lucas Van Wormer is one of them.

3 Apr 2012

Doctors more reluctant to start their patients on insulin

Doctors are more reluctant to start their patients on insulin than the patients are themselves, according to a new study led by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital.

3 Apr 2012

Study shows how morphine creates inflammatory response in the brain

An international team of researchers involving the University of Adelaide and University of Colorado has made a major discovery that could lead to more effective treatment of severe pain using morphine.

3 Apr 2012

TLR4/MD-2 protein complex triggers morphine-induced inflammation

A University of Colorado Boulder-led research team has discovered that two protein receptors in the central nervous system team up to respond to morphine and cause unwanted neuroinflammation, a finding with implications for improving the efficacy of the widely used painkiller while decreasing its abuse potential.

3 Apr 2012

UCB receives FDA approval for Neupro to treat idiopathic Parkinson's, RLS

UCB announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Neupro (Rotigotine Transdermal System) for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of advanced stage idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) and as a treatment for moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome.

3 Apr 2012

Patients prefer immediate access to radiology reports

You've been experiencing severe back pain and weakness in your right leg. Your doctor orders a spinal MRI to help determine the cause. The radiology report diagnoses cancer. Would you rather read the detailed medical report right away at home or wait until your doctor was available to explain the test results, diagnosis and treatment options? This scenario was part of a study at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center designed to determine if patients wanted online access to radiology test results and, if so, how quickly.

3 Apr 2012

Only few cancer patients are referred to orthopedic services

There is a disconnect between the number of cancer patients estimated to have bone metastases and the number of patients who are sent for orthopedic care each year, states an article in the Canadian Journal of Surgery (CJS).

3 Apr 2012

New research: ADHD is more than one disorder

According to new research conducted at Oregon Health & Science University, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is more than one disorder. It's an entire family of disorders, much like the multiple subtypes of cancer.

3 Apr 2012

Merck announces data from ZOSTAVAX Phase III study on shingles

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that data from the pivotal Phase III study with ZOSTAVAX(Zoster Vaccine Live) in adults ages 50 to 59 were published in the April 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

3 Apr 2012

Hypnotherapy effective for treating bowel disorder IBS

Hypnosis can be a highly effective treatment for the bowel disorder IBS. Studies involving a total of 346 patients conducted by researchers at The Sahlgrenska Academy of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, showed that hypnotherapy alleviated symptoms in 40 per cent of those affected - and that the improvement is long-term.

2 Apr 2012