Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Medical loss ratio rules for insurers could bring controversy to Sebelius' office

Once the National Association of Insurance Commissioners finalizes recommendations on insurance companies' spending on medical costs versus administrative expenses, the next stop for that proposal will be the desk of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Politico reports.

23 Aug 2010

Physiotherapy reduces pain in patients with shoulder problems

Most patients who receive physiotherapy after surgery experience that pain is reduced by a half within a few months. Most of them are free of pain after one to two years. This is the conclusion of a thesis presented at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

23 Aug 2010

Genzyme announces publication of phase 2 clinical trial results of eliglustat tartrate for Gaucher disease

Genzyme Corporation announced today that the two-year follow-up results from the phase 2 clinical trial of its investigational therapy known as eliglustat tartrate have been accepted for publication in the journal Blood. The results have been pre-published on the journal's website and are available to subscribers.

23 Aug 2010

InSite Vision initiates Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ISV-303

InSite Vision Incorporated, a company developing novel ophthalmic therapeutics, today announced the initiation of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ISV-303, a topical anti-inflammatory product intended to reduce the pain and inflammation associated with ocular surgery. ISV-303 combines a low dose of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory bromfenac with InSite Vision's proprietary DuraSite technology.

23 Aug 2010

Hospira Japan receives approval for long term use of Precedex IV sedative

Hospira Japan Co., Ltd. today announced it has received an approval for the long-term (greater than 24 hour) use of the sedative "Precedex IV™200ug" (generic name: dexmedetomidine hydrochloride). This approval follows Hospira's first launches earlier this year of Precedex in Canada and in South Korea, important milestones for Hospira as the company continues to build the molecule's global presence.

23 Aug 2010

U.S. Census Bureau features 'Immunization' on Profile America

Profile America — Saturday, August 21st. Many people die each year in the U.S. from diseases that could have been prevented by immunization. Many more experience pain, suffering and disability. That's why this is National Immunization Awareness Month — calling attention to the importance of people of all ages to get their shots.

21 Aug 2010

Early year-round sports specialization contributes to rise of overuse injuries

Bobby Boyle engages in serious year-round sports training and has had his share of minor muscle injuries. When the 12-year-old athlete felt tightness in the back of his thigh while sprinting at track practice, he and his parents thought he pulled a hamstring and assumed it would heal with limited exercise time.

21 Aug 2010

Hillandale Farms of Iowa voluntarily recalls shell eggs

Hillandale Farms of Iowa is voluntarily recalling shell eggs because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

21 Aug 2010

FDA issues update to nationwide Salmonella infected egg recall

Through tracebacks conducted as part of its ongoing investigation into the increase of Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses nationwide, FDA and the State of Minnesota identified Hillandale Farms in Iowa as a second potential source of contaminated shell eggs.

21 Aug 2010

Long-term exercise reduces chronic musculoskeletal pain: Research

Since returning home, some 100,000 veterans from the first Gulf War have reported chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) similar to fibromyalgia, and a new study in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society, shows that acute exercise can exacerbate the pain but long-term exercise has the opposite outcome and reduces it.

21 Aug 2010

Prescription opioids can be gate way to illicit drug addiction: Study

Thirty-one of 75 patients hospitalized for opioid detoxification told University at Buffalo physicians they first got hooked on drugs legitimately prescribed for pain. Another 24 began with a friend's left-over prescription pills or pilfered from a parent's medicine cabinet. The remaining 20 patients said they got hooked on street drugs.

21 Aug 2010

Palliative care prolongs metastatic lung cancer patient’s life: Study

A precedent-setting study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, August 19 demonstrates definitively that early referrals to palliative care prolongs life for patients living with metastatic lung cancer.

21 Aug 2010

ASIR can reduce radiation dose associated with abdominal CT scans: Study

A new low-dose abdominal computed tomography (CT) technique called adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) can reduce the radiation dose associated with abdominal CT scans by 23-66 percent, according to a study in the September issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

21 Aug 2010

Research finds association between pain quality and patient functioning in carpal tunnel syndrome

For carpal tunnel syndrome sufferers, itching and throbbing are pain qualities most responsible for impaired functioning and sleep disruption, according to new research reported in The Journal of Pain.

21 Aug 2010

Many ED patients could have been treated in an urgent care center: Study

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) National Health Statistics Reports shows continued use of the nation's emergency rooms for conditions that could be treated in an urgent care setting.

20 Aug 2010

Ohio appeals court reinstates claim that diet drug Redux should not have been marketed

An Ohio Federal Court of Appeals ruling issued yesterday is reinstating the late victim's claim that the recalled diet drug Redux (commonly called fen-phen) linked to her death should never have been marketed to the American people by Wyeth due in part to its pre-approval concerns about potentially lethal side effects.

20 Aug 2010

FDA releases statement on urgent nationwide egg recall

Working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health partners, the FDA reviewed epidemiologic and environmental investigation documents and identified 3 best-case clusters of Salmonella Enteritidis illnesses. Tracebacks revealed Wright County Egg in Iowa as the common shell egg supplier in these clusters.

20 Aug 2010

Cancer patients may live longer with palliative and hospice care services: Study

A new study released by the New England Journal of Medicine found that among patients with non-small-cell lung cancer, those who received palliative care lived, on average, almost two months longer than those who received standard care. Researchers also found that the patients receiving palliative care reported a higher quality of life through the final course of their illness.

20 Aug 2010

Benvenue Medical enrolls first patient in landmark KAST trial

Benvenue Medical, Inc., a developer of minimally invasive solutions for spine repair, announced today that it has enrolled the first patient into the landmark KAST (Kiva® System as a Vertebral Augmentation Treatment - A Safety and Effectiveness Trial) study. The case was performed by Sean Tutton, MD FSIR, Associate Professor of Radiology and Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

20 Aug 2010

SIR-Spheres safe, effective for patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases who have failed chemotherapy

Radioactive yttrium-90 labelled resin microspheres (SIR-Spheres; Sirtex Medical, Sydney, Australia) appear to be a safe and effective treatment for patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases who have failed available chemotherapy options, according to the final results of a prospective clinical multi-centre phase II trial conducted by the Italian Society of Locoregional Therapies in Oncology (SITILO) and published in the British Journal of Cancer.

20 Aug 2010