Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Nighttime acid reflux and sleep

According to results of a survey presented at the 72nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, nighttime acid reflux, along with some of the less typical manifestations or symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is associated with significant sleep impairment.

16 Oct 2007

Knee buckling common in older adults

Knee buckling which is a sudden "giving way" of the knee is not an uncommon event particularly for older people.

16 Oct 2007

Hospital chairman quits over superbug scandal

Following a report that as many as 345 patients may have died from an infection contracted at a British hospital, the chairman of the hospital trust at the centre of the infection scandal has resigned.

16 Oct 2007

Night-time acid reflux can impact sleep

16 Oct 2007

Gastrointestinal disorders and work-related absenteeism

Those who suffer from common functional gastrointestinal disorders face work productivity losses and impairments in daily activity that amount to the loss of at least one day of work in a 40-hour workweek, according to a new study presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

16 Oct 2007

Landmark stent trial to be presented at TCT 2007

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) will release results of its landmark research study, HORIZONS AMI (Harmonizing Outcomes with Revascularization and Stents in Acute Myocardial Infarction) at the nineteenth annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium in Washington, D.C.

16 Oct 2007

GERD can masquerade as persistent cough or even severe chest pain

Many people may not realize that symptoms such as chronic cough or chest pain can be caused by acid reflux into the esophagus, because they do not experience classic heartburn symptoms or acid regurgitation.

16 Oct 2007

Dermatology's role in advancing the science of wound care

Cosmetic, medical and surgical dermatologists all play a role in the treatment and management of wounds, according to an editorial in the October issue of Archives of Dermatology, a theme issue on wound healing.

16 Oct 2007

Eating raw fish raises potential health concerns

Two case studies from Japan presented at the 72nd Annual Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology point to a potential health problem in the United States, as more Americans consume raw fish in the form of sushi and sashimi. Anisakiasis (round worm) is a human parasitic infection caused by the consumption of raw or undercooked seafood containing Anisakis larvae.

16 Oct 2007

Capsule endoscopy finds undiagnosed Crohn's disease

A small capsule that takes "snapshots" of the small intestine as it moves through the digestive tract helped doctors spot cases of Crohn's disease that had gone undiagnosed for up to 15 years, according to researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

16 Oct 2007

Health-care costs of NSAIDs injury

Patients underreported their use of common but potentially dangerous over-the-counter pain medications known as NSAIDs, according to research presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

16 Oct 2007

Pregabalin decreases pain after knee replacement surgery

The drug pregabalin, administered before and after knee replacement surgery, significantly decreased patient pain while increasing and expediting mobility after surgery, according to a new study.

15 Oct 2007

Cause and clinical outcome of portal vein thrombosis

Among the 118 patients with portal vein thrombosis, noncirrhotic and nontumoral extrahepatic portal vein obstruction are young and present with well tolerated bleed.

15 Oct 2007

Nicotine patch for prostate surgery relief?

The use of a nicotine patch - successfully used to help many smokers decrease their dependency on nicotine - was shown to reduce pain in men after prostate removal surgery in a new anesthesiology study.

15 Oct 2007

How does the opioid system work?

The opioid system controls pain, reward and addictive behaviors. Opioids exert their pharmacological actions through three opioid receptors, mu, delta and kappa whose genes have been cloned (Oprm, Oprd1 and Oprk1, respectively).

15 Oct 2007

Chili peppers and pain relief

Purified capsaicin, a drug derived from chili peppers, reduced pain for at least three days following groin hernia surgery, according to a new study.

15 Oct 2007

Pain medication use does not impair driving skills and reaction times according to new study

Moderate, long-term pain medication use does not impair a person's ability to drive safely, according to a new study.

15 Oct 2007

Picking the right stress test for heart disease risk analysis

Stress tests are good front-line tests indicators of heart disease, but just how good depends on ordering the right one, researchers say.

12 Oct 2007

Anticlotting drug found to be safe in sickle cell patients

An intravenous "blood thinner" widely used in patients with acute coronary syndromes and during coronary artery stent placement appears to be safe in patients with sickle cell disease and may have beneficial anti-inflammatory effects, a small study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has found.

12 Oct 2007

Trial of repeated antibiotic therapy for Lyme diseases

Findings from the first placebo-controlled study of chronic cognitive impairment after treated Lyme disease (also known as chronic Lyme encephalopathy) demonstrate that patients report moderate cognitive impairment, physical dysfunction comparable to patients with congestive heart failure, and fatigue comparable to patients with multiple sclerosis.

10 Oct 2007