Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Possible alternatives found for Vioxx and Celebrex

According to Canadian and American researchers they have identified one reason why drugs like Celebrex and Vioxx - once popular for the treatment of pain and inflammation - cause heart problems.

18 Apr 2006

Researchers clarify the mechanism by which drugs like Celebrex and Vioxx cause heart problems

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have clarified the mechanism by which drugs like Celebrex and Vioxx cause heart problems, in multiple animal models.

18 Apr 2006

Locally injected steroids may not do much good for chronic headache pain

Locally injected steroids apparently don't enhance treatments for acute headache or migraine pain.

18 Apr 2006

Prevalence of Peyronie's disease in men with erectile dysfunction

Peyronie's disease (PD) is a localized connective tissue disorder that primarily affects the tunica albuginea and the areolar space between the tunica albuginea and erectile tissue.

17 Apr 2006

Nimesulide fights breast cancer by targeting key enzyme

A pain-killing medication appears to halt the production of an enzyme that is key to a common form of breast cancer, a new study using tissue cultures suggests.

16 Apr 2006

Researchers suggest drug could block metastasis or reduce pain for bone cancer patients

An international research team has identified what may be a critical molecule in the ability of tumours to metastasize -- or spread -- into bone.

13 Apr 2006

Computer program lets people with Trigeminal neuralgia diagnose themselves

Trigeminal neuralgia, or TN, is a disorder affecting the areas of the face where the trigeminal nerve's branches are distributed, including the lips, eyes, nose, scalp, forehead, and upper and lower jaws.

13 Apr 2006

FDA investigates abortion pill death

It seems that since the FDA approved the use of the abortion pill RU-486, (Mifeprex/ mifepristone) in September 2000, six women in the U.S. have died.

12 Apr 2006

Interstitial cystitis average cost in first year after diagnosis $3000 or more

Wu and colleagues studied data for patients under age 65 with at least one diagnosis of Interstitial Cystitis (IC) from a de-identified administrative database of 2 million beneficiaries that included medical, drug and disability claims for 1999-2002.

11 Apr 2006

Oral post-surgical complications following the administration of bisphosphonates given for osteopenia related to malignancy

The patient of a periodontist in private practice in New Orleans developed osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), a condition that can cause severe, often irreversible and debilitating damage to the jaw, following periodontal surgical therapy.

11 Apr 2006

St. John's wort and Echinacea increase activity of enzyme in the liver and intestine

St. John's wort and Echinacea, two widely-used herbal preparations, have been found to increase activity of a specific enzyme in the liver and intestine, an enzyme involved in the metabolization of roughly one in every four pharmaceutical drugs on the market today, reports a clinical pharmacologist at Indiana University School of Medicine.

11 Apr 2006

Lubricin research points to future therapies for osteoarthritis

New evidence to explain how the body's natural joint lubricant prevents the wear and tear that can lead to osteoarthritis has been uncovered by researchers at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering.The findings may lead to new methods for treating arthritis, the researchers said.

11 Apr 2006

Alcohol use, comorbidity, and mortality

Older men who drink as few as two drinks twice a week and also have diseases that could be worsened by alcohol or cause problems with medications taken while drinking alcohol have higher death rates, as compared to men who either drink less or may drink more but don't have such comorbidities.

11 Apr 2006

Guidelines for medication withdrawal

Although thousands of scientific papers evaluate and compare new and established drugs each year, providing evidence to help doctors prescribe safe and effective doses, almost no studies focus on when or how to stop these medications, even late in life.

11 Apr 2006

Study illustrates contribution of obesity to decreased mobility in high functioning older women with osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, common among older adults, is strongly linked to late-life disability, but the process by which this happens has not been well studied.

11 Apr 2006

Lack of research forcing elderly to cope with chronic pain

Annually, over 4,000 studies related to pain are published while only one percent of those look at pain and aging.

11 Apr 2006

Type 2 diabetics' urine acidity increases risk for kidney stones

People with type 2 diabetes have highly acidic urine, a metabolic feature that explains their greater risk for developing uric-acid kidney stones, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

7 Apr 2006

Photodynamic therapy may become the first line of treatment for Barrett's esophagus

When you think of heartburn, you probably think of greasy food, not cancer. You may not know that chronic heartburn is linked to esophageal cancer.

7 Apr 2006

Discovery of a new mechanism for the neurodegenerative effects of amphetamines

University of Toronto study finds amphetamines are converted in the brain into free radicals whose effects manifest and linger long after the amphetamine has left the body.

7 Apr 2006

Researchers improve Botox treatment

There may soon be a better way to fight unsightly wrinkles. Researchers have discovered a novel way to increase the potency of botulinum neurotoxin treatments - commonly known as Botox - that they say could one day allow patients to receive the injections less frequently while maintaining or even enhancing its cosmetic benefits.

7 Apr 2006