Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Smaller breast reduction surgeries provide health benefits and should be reimbursed

Smaller-framed women reap significant health and quality-of-life benefits from breast reductions that involve the removal of under 500 grams of tissue per breast, according to a first-of-its-kind study from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the New York University School of Medicine.

13 Sep 2007

Key arthritis legislation could positively impact nation's most common cause of disability

On Wednesday, September 19, the American College of Rheumatology and the Arthritis Foundation will jointly brief members of Congress and their staffs about the devastating effects of arthritis and related rheumatic diseases.

13 Sep 2007

Health psychologists discuss latest research findings

Common physical symptoms such as fatigue, chest pain and lower back pain are related to the perception of everyday smells, University of Nottingham researchers will tell delegates at a health psychology conference on campus.

13 Sep 2007

Gallbladder removed through vagina

Surgeons at the University of California, San Diego Medical Center have performed the first clinical trial surgery in the Southwest to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of performing abdominal procedures through the body's natural openings, virtually eliminating scarring.

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 13 Sep 2007

Methadone for managing chronic pain

Approximately 30% of Canadians suffer daily from chronic pain. Patients may be affected differently depending on the intensity, but all chronic pain is debilitating and difficult to treat.

13 Sep 2007

New lung cancer guidelines say forget scans and chest X-rays

The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), is advising against low-dose CT scanning or chest X-rays to screen for lung cancer.

12 Sep 2007

Forces unite to tackle latest outbreak of Ebola in the Congo

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says another outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least five people.

12 Sep 2007

Drug spending caps cause some seniors to quit taking key medicines

Many seniors quit taking drugs for chronic illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure when they exceed their drug plan's yearly spending limits, according to a RAND Corporation study.

12 Sep 2007

Micro-needles a safe alternative to hypodermic syringes

New research presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester shows that micro-needles may be a safer and less painful method for delivering vaccines and other medicines traditionally administered using a hypodermic syringe.

11 Sep 2007

Novel mechanism discovered that balances the sizes of functional areas in the brain

In the cerebral cortex, the brain's powerful central processing unit responsible for higher functions, specialized subdivisions known as areas are laid out like a map, but little is known about the genetic forces that shape the geography of our brains.

11 Sep 2007

Better bras would mean less breast pain for women who exercise

Scientists in the UK have found that when it comes to exercising, regular bras and some sports bras are not effective in supporting women's breasts.

11 Sep 2007

Incidents of serious adverse drug events more than double

Incidents of serious adverse drug events including deaths reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rose by more than double over a seven year period and painkillers and immune-system boosters were responsible for most.

11 Sep 2007

Eight things you need to know about ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer doesn't get the kind of attention breast cancer gets. It's not as common, and because survival rates are poor, it does not produce an army of survivors to raise awareness.

11 Sep 2007

Oncologists critical in managing psychiatric disorders in patients with advanced cancer

Mental illness and emotional distress in patients with advanced cancer are often overlooked by oncologists but, if screened for, can be adequately managed to improve a patient's quality of life.

11 Sep 2007

New approaches to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation studied

Current post-operative pain control methods have proved inadequate for those who have undergone total knee replacement (TKR), according to University of Iowa College of Nursing researcher.

11 Sep 2007

New minimally-invasive coated vascular stent graft in use at Methodist DeBakey Heart Center

Surgeons at the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston were among the first in the U.S. to implant a new, less-invasive stent graft designed to reduce the risk of blood clots in patients treated for peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which affects as many as 12 million Americans over the age of 50.

11 Sep 2007

Most comprehensive recommendations related to lung cancer

New evidenced-based guidelines from the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) recommend against the use of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for the general screening of lung cancer.

11 Sep 2007

Mind-body therapies may help elderly chronic pain sufferers

Mind-body therapies, which focus on the interactions between the mind, body and behavior, and the ways in which emotional, mental, social and behavioral factors can affect health, may be of particular benefit to elderly chronic pain sufferers.

11 Sep 2007

Everything that itches isn't a yeast infection!

Most women who think they have a vaginal yeast infection are wrong and may be doing more harm than good in treating their problem, says a Saint Louis University researcher who presented her findings recently.

11 Sep 2007

Adverse drug events on the rise

The number of serious adverse drug events reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) more than doubled between 1998 and 2005, as did deaths associated with adverse drug events, according to a report in the September 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

11 Sep 2007