Copyright 2013 Medical News TodayLatest Health News and Medical News posted throughout the day, every day.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/pain/admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin)editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors)en-us Fri, 24 May 2013 02:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260954.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260954.phpJAMA Psychiatry Study Highlights A study by Mark A. Ilgen, Ph.D, of the Veterans Affairs Serious Mental Illness Treatment Resource and Evaluation Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan and colleagues examined the associations between clinical diagnosis of noncancer pain conditions and suicide...Pain / Anesthetics Fri, 24 May 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260971.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260971.php US scientists have found a molecule that triggers the sensation of itching in mice. They say the finding solves a mystery about itching: it is not a low level of pain but a separately wired circuit with a direct line into the brain. If studies show the same is true of humans, the discovery could lead to new drugs to relieve symptoms in chronic itching conditions like eczema...Neurology / Neuroscience Fri, 24 May 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260866.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260866.phpRegardless of pain, social class or age, a woman is more likely to be prescribed pain-relieving drugs. A study published in Gaceta Sanitaria (Spanish health scientific journal) affirms that this phenomenon is influenced by socioeconomic inequality between genders in the Autonomous Community in which the patient resides...Pain / Anesthetics Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260781.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260781.phpA new study conducted by Boston researchers reports that the link between asthma and early childhood use of acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be driven by underlying respiratory infections that prompt the use of these analgesics, rather than the drugs themselves. The results of the new study were presented at the ATS 2013 International Conference...Respiratory / Asthma Mon, 20 May 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260714.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260714.phpPatients with treatment-resistant major depression saw dramatic improvement in their illness after treatment with ketamine, an anesthetic, according to the largest ketamine clinical trial to-date led by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai...Depression Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260580.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260580.phpRegularly taking prescription painkillers, commonly called opioids, is linked to a greater risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men, according to a new study published in Spine. Over 11,000 men suffering from back pain were involved in the research...Erectile Dysfunction / Premature Ejaculation Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260274.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/260274.phpFor nearly half of all chronic back pain sufferers, s simple course of antibiotics may cure about 40% of patients with chronic back pain, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Birmingham, England, reported in the European Spine Journal. Neurologists are describing this breakthrough as "the stuff of Nobel Prizes"...Pain / Anesthetics Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260060.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260060.phpA new study led by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers is the first to identify a genetic risk factor for persistent pain after traumatic events such as motor vehicle collision and sexual assault...Pain / Anesthetics Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260061.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260061.phpFor many people who have fibromyalgia, even the thought of exercising is painful. Yet a new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center shows that exercise does not worsen the pain associated with the disorder and may even lessen it over time. The findings are published in the current online issue of the journal Arthritis Care & Research. According to Dennis Ang, M.D...Fibromyalgia Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260098.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260098.phpUsing regional anesthesia instead of general anesthesia in patients with sleep apnea undergoing total joint replacement decreases major complications by 17%, according to a study published online, ahead of print, in the journal Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine...Pain / Anesthetics Sun, 05 May 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259989.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259989.phpA University of Michigan study from the "Online First" edition of Anesthesiology found cardiac arrest was associated with improved survival when it occurred in the operating room (O.R.) or post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) compared to other hospital locations. The findings offer evidence that the presence of anesthesia providers in these locations may improve outcomes for certain patients...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Fri, 03 May 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259970.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259970.phpA highly underutilized anesthesia technique called neuraxial anesthesia, also known as spinal or epidural anesthesia, improves outcomes in patients undergoing hip or knee replacement, according to a new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery...Pain / Anesthetics Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259529.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259529.phpNew, nationally projectable survey results released by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation confirmed that one in four teens has misused or abused a prescription (Rx) drug at least once in their lifetime - a 33 percent increase over the past five years. The Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) also found troubling data on teen misuse or abuse of prescription stimulants...Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs Wed, 24 Apr 2013 02:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259558.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259558.phpMost of us probably know at least one woman, and maybe quite a few more, with endometriosis. Despite the disease's prevalence, there is no consensus on the cause of it, the existing treatment options leave a lot to be desired, and there are too few ways for women to, at the very least, effectively numb the pain that the disease provokes...Women's Health / Gynecology Wed, 24 Apr 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259513.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259513.phpGiving nitrous oxide as part of general anesthesia for noncardiac surgery doesn't increase the rate of complications and death - and might even decrease the risk of such events, according to a pair of studies in the May issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS)...Pain / Anesthetics Tue, 23 Apr 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259450.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259450.phpA three-dimensional image of one of the proteins that serves as an on-off switch as it binds to receptors on the surface of a cell suggests there may be a sort of main power switch that could be tripped. These surface receptors are responsible for helping cells discern light, set the heart racing, or detect pain...Genetics Tue, 23 Apr 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259453.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259453.phpRegular use of low-dose aspirin may prevent the progression of breast cancer, according to results of a study by researchers at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., and the University of Kansas Medical Center. The study found that aspirin slowed the growth of breast cancer cell lines in the lab and significantly reduced the growth of tumors in mice...Breast Cancer Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259419.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259419.phpArthritis Research UK-funded researchers at The University of Manchester claim their findings, presented at the Osteoarthritis Research Society International meeting in Philadelphia have enormous potential for treating this common joint condition effectively - as well as providing a simple and cheap alternative to painkillers...Arthritis / Rheumatology Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/259482.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/259482.phpA pill form of marijuana provides greater pain relief than when a person smokes it, according to a new study. The study was conducted by researchers at Columbia University in New York and was published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology...Pain / Anesthetics Mon, 22 Apr 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259368.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259368.phpWhen a baby is in the breech position at the end of pregnancy, obstetricians can sometimes turn the baby head-down to enable a safer vaginal birth. In the past, women were not given anesthesia during the turning procedure, which requires the physician to push on the woman's abdomen while monitoring the baby with ultrasound...Pregnancy / Obstetrics Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259341.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259341.phpPain is an undeniable focal point for patients with sickle cell disease but it's not the best focus for drug development, says one of the dying breed of physicians specializing in the condition...Blood / Hematology Sat, 20 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259399.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259399.phpRisk increases with dose; unrecognised problem, doctors warn Attempts to ward off pain in marathons and other endurance sports by taking over the counter painkillers may be ill advised, because these drugs may cause serious side effects in these circumstances, suggests research published in the online journal BMJ Open...Pain / Anesthetics Thu, 18 Apr 2013 01:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259226.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259226.phpEven as medical acupuncture is increasingly being validated as an effective treatment for a broad range of medical conditions, what has been missing is an understanding of the basic science and mechanisms of action of this age-old method of healing. A special issue of Medical Acupuncture, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc...Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259191.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259191.phpThinking about death can cause us to feel a sort of existential angst that isn't attributable to a specific source. Now, new research suggests that acetaminophen, an over-the-counter pain medication, may help to reduce this existential pain. The research is published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science...Psychology / Psychiatry Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 PDThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259249.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/259249.phpMonitoring pain and providing analgesics to patients in intensive care units (ICUs) during non-surgical procedures, such as turning and washing, can not only reduce the amount of pain but also reduce the number of serious adverse events including cardiac arrest, finds new research in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care...Pain / Anesthetics