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, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170003.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170003.php New research shows that the widely used pain reliever acetaminophen may be associated with an increased risk of asthma and wheezing in both children and adults exposed to the drug. Researchers from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, conducted a systematic review and metaanalysis of 19 clinical studies (total subjects=425,140) that compared the risk of asthma or wheezing with acetaminophen exposure. Pain / Anesthetics Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169841.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169841.php Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), a radiation therapy procedure pioneered at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) that precisely delivers a large dose of radiation to tumors, effectively controls pain in patients with cancer that has spread to the spine, according to researchers from UPCI. The results of the research were presented this week during the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting in Chicago, being held November 1 - 5, 2009. Pain / Anesthetics Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169847.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169847.php Science now offers us ever more advanced ways to understand and control pain. But with those new treatments come new questions about the use (and misuse) of state-of-the-art technology and how far pain management can and should go. Neurology / Neuroscience Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169778.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169778.php A recent review in Faculty of 1000 Medicine Reports, a publication in which clinicians highlight advances in medical practice, suggests regional pain relief could be used during abdominal surgery. In this review, Michael Schaefer recommends a new approach that can be performed without the need for general anaesthetics. Pain / Anesthetics Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169742.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169742.php With flu vaccination season in full swing, research from the University of Rochester Medical Center cautions that use of many common pain killers -- Advil, Tylenol, aspirin -- at the time of injection may blunt the effect of the shot and have a negative effect on the immune system. Richard P. Phipps, Ph.D. Immune System / Vaccines Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169704.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169704.php Research at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute into the genes involved in breast cancer development, new drugs for chronic pain, and the proteins involved in inflammatory diseases has received funding in this year's round of Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project grants. Seven projects proposed by institute researchers have received ARC support. Breast Cancer Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169642.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169642.php Obesity, not the amount of radiation given, is the greatest factor in whether early-stage lung cancer patients develop chest wall pain after receiving stereotactic body radiation therapy to the chest wall, with obese patients being more than twice as likely to develop chronic pain compared to those who have less body weight, according to a first-of-its-kind study presented Tuesday, November 3, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Lung Cancer Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169503.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169503.php Covidien (NYSE: COV), a leading global provider of healthcare products, announced that its subsidiary, Mallinckrodt Inc., has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Oral Transmucosal Fentanyl Citrate (CII). Covidien's product is a generic alternative to the branded ACTIQ®. It is a solid formulation of fentanyl that resembles a lozenge on a handle. Cancer / Oncology Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169385.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169385.php AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc announced that it has successfully completed an End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA for ARX-01, a drug/device combination product based on the company's proprietary NanoTab(TM) dosage form, which enables delivery of sufentanil by the non-invasive oral transmucosal (sublingual) route. ARX-01 offers a non-invasive alternative to intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA) for the management of acute post-operative pain in the hospital setting. Pain / Anesthetics Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169354.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169354.php Biofield therapies, which claim to use subtle energy to stimulate the body's healing process, are promising complementary interventions for reducing the intensity of pain in a number of conditions, reducing anxiety for hospitalized patients and reducing agitated behaviors in dementia, over and above what standard treatments can achieve. However, longer-term effects are less clear. Dr. Shamini Jain, from the UCLA Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Research, and Dr. Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169357.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169357.php An f1000 evaluation examines how pain relief improves greatly when the sufferer can actually see the area where the pain is occurring. In an Anglo-Italian study, thirty healthy subjects were invited to look at either their own hand, the experimenter's hand, or an object, while their hand was subjected to laser-induced pain. Pain / Anesthetics Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169194.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169194.php Researchers from Tufts University School of Medicine have determined that patients over 65 years of age with knee osteoarthritis (OA) who engage in regular Tai Chi exercise improve physical function and experience less pain. Tai Chi (Chuan) is a traditional style of Chinese martial arts that features slow, rhythmic movements to induce mental relaxation and enhance balance, strength, flexibility, and self-efficacy. Arthritis / Rheumatology Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169175.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169175.php Less pain during injections for wrinkle-fighting facial fillers. Less swelling afterward. Less time in the office waiting for anesthesia to take effect. These and other benefits of a new injection technique that UT Southwestern Medical Center plastic surgeons are helping pioneer are outlined in the October issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169148.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169148.php Despite recent advances in anti-inflammatory therapy, many rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients continue to suffer from pain. Research published in BioMed Central's open access journal, Arthritis Research & Therapy found that inflammation is associated with heightened pain sensitivity at joint sites, whereas increased sleep problems are associated with heightened pain sensitivity at both joint and non-joint sites. Arthritis / Rheumatology Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169117.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169117.php The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has welcomed the release of the initial draft of the National Pain Strategy. PSA National Vice President and the only pharmacy representative on to the National Pain Summit Leaders' Meeting, Dr Lisa Nissen, said that PSA supported the intent of the draft strategy and looked forward to seeing the strategy finalised. Pain / Anesthetics Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169036.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169036.php Alkermes, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALKS) announced the initiation of a phase 1 clinical study of ALKS 37, an orally active, peripherally-restricted opioid antagonist with potential to block the opioid agonist effects on gastrointestinal motility, commonly referred to as opioid-induced constipation (OIC). GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168888.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168888.php Pregabalin, FDA-approved for neuropathic pain (pain caused by shingles and peripheral neuropathy), effectively reduced abdominal pain and improved sleep in women with adhesions, according to a Henry Ford study. Adhesion pain, a common complication after abdominal or pelvic surgery, currently lacks effective therapy. Adhesions can also form after infections in the bowel such as diverticulitis. Pain / Anesthetics Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168870.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168870.php The rationale behind torture is that pain will make the guilty confess, but a new study by researchers at Harvard University finds that the pain of torture can make even the innocent seem guilty. Participants in the study met a woman suspected of cheating to win money. The woman was then "tortured" by having her hand immersed in ice water while study participants listened to the session over an intercom. Psychology / Psychiatry Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168771.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168771.php A new Pain Medicine Position Paper published by leaders of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), reveals businesses lose $61 billion annually due to ineffective pain care and the lack of optimal pain care delivery. Leaders from the organization are now implementing and teaching a new, "population-based" approach to delivering care with the goal of alleviating pain so patients can get on with their lives. AAPMedicine's President Rollin M. Pain / Anesthetics Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168774.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168774.php The discovery of a multi-level arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the thoracic epidural space can now bring relief to potentially thousands of suffers of chronic thoracic pain and progressive myelopothy. Identified as thoracic epidural arteriovenous malformation (T.E.A.M.), this particular AMV primarily affects younger women ages 20 to 40. Back Pain Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168754.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168754.php It is a fact known by every woman who has had a baby - the amount of pain experienced increases as labor progresses, but some women experience more pain during labor than others. A new study in the November issue of Anesthesiology further explores individual labor variables, reporting associations between ethnicity, and labor progress and pain. Pain / Anesthetics Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168756.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168756.php In new study published in the November edition of Anesthesiology, researchers examine a concern common among Seniors and their caregivers - the occurrence of long-term cognitive decline following surgery or illness. Overall, researchers did not find long-term cognitive decline to be independently attributable to surgery or illness. In addition, surgery and illness were not associated with accelerated progression of dementia. Seniors / Aging Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168685.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168685.php Botox Takes a Shot at Pain No longer just a wrinkle fighter, Botox® may have indications as a pain medication to fight Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), reports a new study presented at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery 2009 conference, Oct. 23-27, in Seattle. Between 5 and 26 people out of every 100,000 have their lives significantly disrupted by some form of chronic pain. Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168560.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168560.php A proactive ergonomic intervention reduces pain related to poor work postures in office employees, reports a study in the October Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). Pain / Anesthetics Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168587.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168587.php It's no wonder that many people feel extra soreness and aches in their backs during winter months -- they're often not getting enough vitamin D. The body makes vitamin D from the sun's ultraviolet rays, so it's known as the sunshine vitamin. However, even in the sunniest parts of America, this essential vitamin for keeping bones healthy is in short supply during late fall and winter. Up to 8 out of 10 persons will have back pain in their lifetimes. Pain / Anesthetics