Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Pain / Anesthetics News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/pain/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156272.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156272.php In response to the advisory committee's recommendations to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put new restrictions on acetaminophen this week, physician leaders from the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), have released the following statement: The American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), which represents the medical specialty of Pain Medicine, supports the safe and responsible use of acetaminophen both in over-the-counter and prescription medicines. Pain / Anesthetics Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156265.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156265.php Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACUR) and King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: KG) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Complete Response Letter regarding the New Drug Application (NDA) for Acurox (oxycodone HC1, USP and niacin, USP) Tablets CII, an immediate release product intended for the relief of moderate-to-severe pain. The Complete Response Letter raises issues regarding the potential abuse deterrent benefits of Acurox(R). Pain / Anesthetics Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156256.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156256.php An advisory committee to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted on Tuesday to recommend new restrictions on the popular pain relief drug acetaminophen (known in many other countries as paracetamol), which is found in many US top selling over the counter medications such as Tylenol, aspirin-free Anacin, Excedrin, and also in prescription drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet. Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156182.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156182.php A scary unknown for many children, the prospect of surgery can cause intense preoperative anxiety. While some amount of stress is normal, what many parents do not know is that extreme anxiety before surgery can contribute to the occurrence of emergence delirium, a distressing incidence of acute behavioral changes experienced when "waking up" from anesthesia. Pediatrics / Children's Health Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156122.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156122.php Novocaine? Not necessarily. The widespread belief that dentists rely on Novocaine to make those office visits almost painless needs some updating, according to an article scheduled for the June 29 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine. In fact, patients are more likely to get any of several other anesthetics than the century-old standby Novocaine, which once reigned as the archetypal dental anesthetic. Dentistry Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156024.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156024.php An observer feels more empathy for someone in pain when that person is in the same social group, according to new research in the July 1 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The study shows that perceiving others in pain activates a part of the brain associated with empathy and emotion more if the observer and the observed are the same race. The findings may show that unconscious prejudices against outside groups exist at a basic level. Psychology / Psychiatry Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156000.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156000.php A minimally invasive procedure to treat tendonitis in the rotator cuff of the shoulder provides immediate symptom relief to the patient, according to a study published in the July issue of Radiology. The study found that ultrasound-guided nonsurgical therapy significantly reduces pain from calcific tendonitis of the rotator cuff and restores lasting mobility after treatment. MRI / PET / Ultrasound Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156005.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/156005.php An unusual study at the Department of Surgery at Heidelberg University Hospital examined for the first time whether the incision technique used in major abdominal surgery had an effect on the results. Neither physician nor patient knew what kind of incision had been made. The study of 200 patients showed that pain perception and the healing process were unrelated to the technique used to open the abdominal cavity. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155741.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155741.php AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced positive results from the second Phase 2 clinical study evaluating the safety and efficacy of its ARX-01 Sufentanil NanoTabs(TM) for the management of acute post-operative pain in patients requiring opioid analgesia during hospitalization. Pain / Anesthetics Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155747.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155747.php AlphaRx Inc. (OTCBB: ALRX) and Gaia BioPharma Limited reported positive pre-clinical results on GAI-122 injectable nanoemulsion in multiple in vitro and in vivo studies of memory impairment after prolonged anesthesia. Delirium is a common mental disorder with serious adverse outcomes in post-operative hospitalized patients. Pain / Anesthetics Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155718.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155718.php UCB announced that Neupro(R) (rotigotine transdermal patch) can now be prescribed to all patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease in Europe and is newly available for the symptomatic treatment of moderate to severe idiopathic Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) in adults. This follows the decision of the European Commission to lift treatment restrictions on Neupro® in line with the recommendation of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), issued on 29 May 2009. Parkinson's Disease Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155700.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155700.php The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has today announced their recommendation to withdraw the marketing authorisations for dextropropoxyphene-containing medicines (including co-proxamol) across the European Union (EU). This recommendation was made after the Committee on Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) concluded that the risks, particularly of potentially fatal overdose, were greater than the medicine's benefits. Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155547.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155547.php The widely used antidepressant and pain medication amitriptyline--but not other closely related drugs -- can impersonate the brain's own growth factors, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have shown. The results are published online and will appear in the June 26 issue of the journal Chemistry & Biology. Depression Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155563.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155563.php German pain expert company Grünenthal GmbH announces that the new centrally acting analgesic tapentadol is now available in the United States. The drug is indicated for the relief of moderate to severe acute pain in patients 18 years of age and older. Approval was given by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2008 for tapentadol (NUCYNTATM) tablets. With the cooperation of Grünenthal and its marketing partner Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Pain / Anesthetics Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155589.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155589.php Many animals and people experience chronic joint pain. In dogs, a common source of joint pain is hip dysplasia, a developmental defect of the hip joint. Implantation of gold into the soft tissues around the hip joints of dogs with dysplasia can relieve pain and lessen stiffness for several years. Joint pain in animals and man may be due to injury, wear or deformity. Veterinary Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155408.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155408.php Finalising a review of the safety and efficacy of dextropropoxyphene-containing medicines, the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) concluded that their risks, particularly the risk of potentially fatal overdose, are greater than their benefits. The Committee therefore recommended that the marketing authorisations for these medicines be withdrawn across the European Union. Pain / Anesthetics Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155239.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155239.php Researchers at the University of Turin have launched a major initiative to prevent and reduce headaches, shoulder and neck pain, after workplace trials on an innovative cognitive and physical programme showed significant improvements. Residents living in the north-west Italian region of Piedmont, with its population of just under five million, will have free access to the ground-breaking programme, which will be promoted using a special website. Pain / Anesthetics Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155223.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155223.php Multiple sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy, and other conditions caused by a loss of myelin insulation around nerves can be debilitating and even deadly, but adequate treatments do not yet exist. That's in large part because of deficiencies in model research systems. In an upcoming issue of the journal Biomaterials, a UCF team addresses this problem with a report on the first lab-grown motor nerves that are insulated and organized the same way they are in the body. Neurology / Neuroscience Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155091.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155091.php Patients suffering from acute pain and healthcare professionals who treat pain have a new treatment option: NUCYNTA(TM) (tapentadol) CII immediate release tablets. This new medication for the relief of moderate to severe acute pain in patients 18 years of age or older is now available by prescription only in 50-mg, 75-mg and 100-mg tablets, announced PriCara,(R) Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Pain / Anesthetics Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155062.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155062.php While it is well known that excessive text messaging can result in sore thumbs, less is known about its possible effects on the neck, arms and hands. Young adults with symptoms in these parts of the body use a different technique when texting, according to a study at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Ergonomist Ewa Gustafsson studied mobile phone habits among 56 young adults who text message on a daily basis. Pain / Anesthetics Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155007.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/155007.php A study published in the July issue of Anesthesiology offers perhaps the first estimation of how genomic copy number variation (CNV) can influence anesthetic sensitivity and the magnitude of this influence. CNV is a sometimes naturally occurring halving or doubling of a block of genes in an organism. Pain / Anesthetics Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154834.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154834.php Withdrawal of the painkiller co-proxamol from the UK market has led to a major reduction in suicides and accidental poisonings involving the drug, without an increase in deaths from other painkillers, finds research published on bmj.com today. Co-proxamol was the most commonly prescribed drug used in suicides and was responsible for 766 deaths between 1997 and 1999 in England and Wales. Pain / Anesthetics Sat, 20 Jun 2009 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154715.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154715.php Gargling with a licorice solution can help reduce postoperative sore throat a common and painful complication of anesthesia in patients undergoing surgery, reports a study in the July issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS). Patients who gargled with licorice before surgery had fewer problems with postoperative sore throat and cough, according to the new study by Dr. Pain / Anesthetics Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154714.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154714.php Electrical spinal cord stimulation (SCS) provides an option for military personnel with back pain and other chronic pain conditions in appropriate cases, allowing soldiers to return to combat and other strenuous duties, according to a study in the July issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS). Pain / Anesthetics Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154353.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154353.php Using an opioid drug to induce a hibernatory state in rats reduces the damage caused by an artificial stroke. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biology have shown that those animals put into the chemical fugue suffered less behavioral dysfunctions after a period of cerebral artery blockage than control rats. Stroke