Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Trial to eliminate deadly Dengue begins

The 12 week programme costing $18 million named ‘Eliminate Dengue’ has commenced. Mosquitoes bearing a special bacteria would be released into the wild around Cairns as part of a trial to rid the area of the insects that carry Dengue fever.

4 Jan 2011

Clinicians rely upon analgesics and surgery; overlook exercise and weight loss for OA patients

New research found clinicians who care for patients with osteoarthritis (OA) are likely not following standard care guidelines that are based on current medical evidence. Researchers noted physicians were prescribing medications for pain and inflammation, or opting for surgical interventions rather than recommending weight loss plans or exercise programs to OA patients.

4 Jan 2011

Past smoking history does not affect RA patient's response to treatments

Patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are current smokers were less likely to achieve good response to methotrexate (MTX) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors than those who never smoked. The study by researchers from Sweden also found that RA patients who smoked in the past did not experience a lower response to these therapies. Results of the 10-year study appear in the January 2011 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

4 Jan 2011

People fail to understand consequences of social trauma felt by bullied victims

Taunted, harassed, and pushed to a deadly breaking point. Last year, stories of teen bullying brought to life the heartbreaking consequences of young lives cut short by ruthless and unchecked behavior. While recent media coverage of these violent acts has increased national awareness of bullying's deadly consequences, it has done little to stop it from happening.

4 Jan 2011

Clinical Decision Support Systems help reduce unnecessary CT and MRI scans

Researchers from Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA, have found that clinical decision support systems can help reduce inappropriate medical imaging, including unnecessary computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, according to a study in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (www.jacr.org).

4 Jan 2011

Tips to prevent a hangover

Dr. Andrew Yacht, director of the division of general medicine and vice chair of medicine for education at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City said, “Alcohol clearly causes hangovers, but why it causes hangovers isn’t very well understood…Part of the suspected cause is dehydration and an electrolyte and hormonal imbalance. Some of the symptoms may be caused by low blood sugar. Or, it may be that the direct toxic effects of alcohol are causing the symptoms.”

2 Jan 2011

General anaesthesia brings reversible coma and not sleep: Study

Anaesthesia has been one of the greatest gifts of science and use of general anaesthesia is a routine part of surgical operations at hospitals and medical facilities around the world. However precise biological mechanisms of the drugs’ effects on the brain are only now being analyzed. In a review article published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists have tried to analyze a range of disciplines, including neuroscience and sleep medicine to understand how anaesthesia actually works.

2 Jan 2011

How parents gauge level of ear pain in preverbal children

Levels of pain severity from ear aches observed and reported by parents of preverbal children can be influenced as much by socioeconomic status and other non-clinical factors as symptoms unless physicians ask about specific observable symptoms, according to research in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society.

30 Dec 2010

General anesthesia's similarities with and differences from sleep and coma

The use of general anesthesia is a routine part of surgical operations at hospitals and medical facilities around the world, but the precise biological mechanisms that underlie anesthetic drugs' effects on the brain and the body are only beginning to be understood. A review article in the December 30 New England Journal of Medicine brings together for the first time information from a range of disciplines, including neuroscience and sleep medicine, to lay the groundwork for more comprehensive investigations of processes underlying general anesthesia.

30 Dec 2010

Omega-3 fatty acids may reduce inflammation, disease symptoms and cartilage degeneration

Omega-3 fatty acids from seafood may reduce inflammation, symptoms of gum disease and risk of abnormal heartbeats early after cardiac surgery. One type of omega-3, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), may also have lasting benefits in visual function for years in children whose mothers consume sufficient prenatal DHA.

30 Dec 2010

New study reports close association between obesity and fibromyalgia

Afflicting up to 5 percent of the U.S. population, mostly women, fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread pain and range of function problems. A new study in The Journal of Pain reports there is close association between obesity and disability in fibromyalgia patients.

29 Dec 2010

FDA stops pain drug trial over safety concerns

Johnson & Johnson revealed Tuesday this week that a clinical trial of its experimental pain drug, fulranumab, has been stopped after the Food and Drug Administration expressed concerns that patients taking the drug could suffer increased joint damage.

29 Dec 2010

King Pharmaceuticals resubmits NDA for REMOXY

King Pharmaceuticals®, Inc. and Pain Therapeutics®, Inc. today announced that King has resubmitted a New Drug Application for REMOXY® to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in response to a Complete Response letter received by Pain Therapeutics in December 2008.

28 Dec 2010

Vicus initiates VT-122 Phase 2 trial in advanced liver cancer, systemic inflammation and cachexia

Vicus Therapeutics, LLC, today announced the initiation of a Phase 2 trial evaluating VT-122, a novel investigational combination of etodolac and propranolol, and Nexavar® (sorafenib) tablets, as a potential new treatment option for patients with advanced liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma), systemic inflammation and cachexia.

28 Dec 2010

NDA resubmitted for DURECT's ORADUR technology based REMOXY

DURECT Corporation today reported that King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Pain Therapeutics, Inc. have announced that King has resubmitted a New Drug Application (NDA) for REMOXY® to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to a Complete Response Letter received by Pain Therapeutics in December 2008. This is a Class 2 resubmission with a six month review cycle.

28 Dec 2010

Placebos work

According to a new study people who knowingly take a dummy pill or placebo may benefit from it. These pills are usually made from sugar or other inert non-harmful materials. Usually when used in clinical trials patients are unaware whether they are taking the tested drug or a placebo to ensure the medical benefits of a potential new drug are assessed rigorously. However this new study published in the science journal PLoS ONE, found placebos may work even when patients are aware that they are taking them.

27 Dec 2010

Stem cell therapy helps patient with diabetes gangrene recover from foot ulcer: ICMS conference

During ICMS Annual International Congress on Regenerative and Cell Based Medicine Conference held on November 12, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada, it was announced that a patient with complications of diabetes gangrene recovered from foot ulcer through stem cell therapy.

27 Dec 2010

Male partners' sympathy levels during menstrual periods lacking

New research from Lloydspharmacy reveals that whilst an overwhelming number of women suffer from menstrual cramps, male partners' sympathy levels at that time of the month appear to be lacking. Although 87% of men claim to be very or fairly compassionate, a quarter of women (25%) who have suffered discomfort with 'Mother Nature's gift' say their partners are unsympathetic.

24 Dec 2010

New study shows striking changes, variations by region in admission rates for substance abuse treatment

Although the overall rate of admissions to substance abuse treatment in the U.S. remained stable between 1998 and 2008, at about 770 admissions for every 100,000 persons in the population, a new study shows striking changes and variations in admission rates by region. For example, the rate of admissions for alcohol as the primary drug has declined by 15 percent nationally. However admission rates for alcohol in West North Central states (Ark., Iowa, Kan., Minn., Mo., N.D., Neb. and S.D.) remained the same.

24 Dec 2010

Bonovo Orthopedics announces closing of $10M Series C Preferred Stock financing

Bonovo Orthopedics, Inc., a leading provider of orthopedic products to the Chinese healthcare market, announced today that it closed a US$10 million Series C Preferred Stock financing. The financing was led by OrbiMed Asia Partners and was participated in by Legend Capital and Bonovo's existing shareholders.

24 Dec 2010