Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

New easy to understand guide on treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee

A new pair of plain-language guides from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) examines the effectiveness, safety, and adverse effects of various treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee, including glucosamine and chondroitin, fluid injections, arthroscopic surgery, pain medications and other approaches.

13 Apr 2009

Health Canada approves Simponi (golimumab) for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis

Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. and Schering-Plough Corporation has announced that Health Canada has granted approval of Simponi (golimumab) as a once-monthly, subcutaneous therapy for the treatment of moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and active ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

13 Apr 2009

FDA acts to avoid shortage of medically necessary opioid

The U.S Food and Drug Administration today amended its March 30, 2009, action warning manufacturers to stop the production and distribution of certain unapproved prescription opioids, to allow the continued marketing and distribution of one particular type of opioid -- a high concentrate morphine sulfate oral solution -- on an interim basis.

12 Apr 2009

Seroquel XR supplemental NDA recommended for approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee (PDAC) conducted a review of the safety and efficacy of supplemental new drug applications (sNDA) for Seroquel XR (quetiapine fumarate) extended-release tablets proposed for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

9 Apr 2009

Telemonitoring changes the working practice of cardiac nurses

The 9th Annual Spring Meeting of the European Society of Cardiology Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (CCNAP), organised in cooperation with the Irish Nurses Cardiovascular Association (INCA), is being held at the Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland, on 24-25 April.

8 Apr 2009

Coartem tablets approved in U.S. to treat malaria

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Coartem tablets (artemether and lumefantrine) for the treatment of acute, uncomplicated malaria infections in adults and children weighing at least five kilograms (approximately 11 pounds).

8 Apr 2009

National study results change common method of treating asthma

A nationwide study of adults with asthma reveals no benefit for treatment for silent acid reflux, which long has been thought to be the culprit for some severe asthma symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and breathlessness.

8 Apr 2009

Acupressure wristbands ease nausea in cancer treatment

Cancer patients who wore acupressure wristbands had much less nausea while receiving radiation treatment, making the bands a safe, low-cost addition to anti-nausea medication, according to a study in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers.

8 Apr 2009

Teasing can be a positive experience for children

Teasing can be a positive experience for children as it teaches them how to show affection and deal with conflict.

8 Apr 2009

Managing pain in the ICU

Managing pain in the ICU is an ongoing and significant challenge for the critical care team.

8 Apr 2009

Trial of new biologic agent to treat psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis affects about 11 percent of patients with psoriasis.

8 Apr 2009

Two new hereditary corneal disorders discovered

Two new disorders affecting the cornea have been discovered by researchers at Linkoping University. The hereditary disorders were discovered in two Swedish families.

7 Apr 2009

FDA warns consumers to avoid eating Strubs Norwegian style steelhead salmon

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned consumers not to eat Strubs Norwegian Style Sliced Smoked Steelhead Salmon in 300 gram packages because of potential contamination with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can cause serious illness and death.

7 Apr 2009

Stem cells from bone marrow used to grow new blood vessels

Research led by David Hess of the Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario has identified how to use selected stem cells from bone marrow to grow new blood vessels to treat diseases such as peripheral artery disease.

6 Apr 2009

Simple bedside test improves diagnosis of chronic back pain, could guide treatment

A simple and inexpensive method of assessing pain, developed by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers, is better than currently used techniques for distinguishing neuropathic pain - pain caused by damage to the nervous system - from other types of chronic back pain.

6 Apr 2009

New standardized tool for the assessment of chronic pain helps distinguish pain subtypes

Joachim Scholz from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA and his colleagues studied the symptoms and signs of patients with peripheral neuropathic pain (nerve pain such as sciatica) and non-neuropathic (non-nerve) low back pain to identify the best clinical questions and physical tests for diagnosing pain types.

6 Apr 2009

Niacin findings could open up new avenues for drug discovery

Deft molecular detective work at Duke University Medical Center suggests that scientists may soon be able to resurrect niacin as one of the best and cheapest ways to manage cholesterol.

6 Apr 2009

Monitoring care of patients with lung cancer in Northern Ireland

Seventeen people are still dying from lung cancer each week in Northern Ireland despite a small improvement in survival rates for the disease.

6 Apr 2009

Researcher tackles deadly brain tumors

Natalie Ciaccio, a fourth-year graduate student researcher in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Kansas, is investigating what might be an ideal target for anti-cancer drug therapy, and she is focusing her work on brain tumors specifically.

6 Apr 2009

Does exercise help prevent breast cancer?

A new federally funded University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study aims to learn whether women at high risk of breast cancer can use exercise to meaningfully reduce their risk of getting the disease.

6 Apr 2009