Pain
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Chronic pain interrupts behaviour, interferes with functioning, and may affect a person's identity: their sense of self. We tested whether loss of role and personal attributes and current and past self-concept differentiation, predicted adjustment as indexed by measures of depression. Chronic pain patients (n=80) completed measures of pain (MPQ), disability (PDI), depression and anxiety (BDI, HADS). ⋯ Multiple regression analyses revealed that after controlling for demographic and clinical differences, role and attribute loss predicted depression scores. There was no evidence that depression was associated with past self-concept differentiation. The results are discussed with reference to the methodology used and the relevance of self-identity to understand adjustment to chronic pain.
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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal illnesses and is characterized by altered visceral perception. The aim of the study was to determine if local anesthetic blockade of peripheral visceral nociceptive input reduces both visceral and cutaneous secondary hyperalgesia in IBS patients. Ten women with IBS (mean age 30+/-10 years) and ten control subjects (all women) (mean age 29+/-7 years) rated pain intensity and unpleasantness to distension of the rectum (35 mmHg) and thermal stimulation (47 degrees C) of the foot before and after rectal administration of either lidocaine jelly or saline jelly in a double blind crossover design. ⋯ The results of this study support the hypothesis that local anesthetic blockade of peripheral impulse input from the rectum/colon reduces both visceral and cutaneous secondary hyperalgesia in IBS patients. The results provide further evidence that visceral hyperalgesia and secondary cutaneous hyperalgesia in IBS reflects central sensitization mechanisms that are dynamically maintained by tonic impulse input from the rectum/colon. Rectal administration of lidocaine jelly may also be a safe and effective means of reducing pain symptoms in IBS patients.
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Genetic polymorphisms result in absent enzyme activity of CYP2D6 (poor metabolizers, PM) in about 10% of the Caucasian population. This study investigates whether the PM genotype has an impact on the response to tramadol analgesia in postoperative patients. A prospective study design was used and 300 patients recovering from abdominal surgery were enrolled. ⋯ PM for CYP2D6 showed a lower response rate to postoperative tramadol analgesia than EM. Therefore, CYP2D6 genotype has an impact on analgesia with tramadol. Pharmacogenetics may explain some of the varying response to pain medication in postoperative patients.
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Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a form of non-pharmacological treatment for pain. Involvement of descending inhibitory systems is implicated in TENS-induced analgesia. In the present study, the roles of spinal 5-HT and alpha(2)-adrenoceptors in TENS analgesia were investigated in rats. ⋯ Ketanserin attenuated the antihyperalgesic effects of low frequency TENS whereas NAN-190 had no effect. The results from the present study show that spinal 5-HT receptors mediate low, but not high, frequency TENS-induced antihyperalgesia through activation of 5-HT(2A) and 5-HT(3) receptors in rats. Furthermore, spinal noradrenergic receptors are not involved in either low or high frequency TENS antihyperalgesia.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
The analgesic effect of oral delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), morphine, and a THC-morphine combination in healthy subjects under experimental pain conditions.
From folk medicine and anecdotal reports it is known that Cannabis may reduce pain. In animal studies it has been shown that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has antinociceptive effects or potentiates the antinociceptive effect of morphine. The aim of this study was to measure the analgesic effect of THC, morphine, and a THC-morphine combination (THC-morphine) in humans using experimental pain models. ⋯ A slight additive analgesic effect could be observed for THC-morphine in the electrical stimulation test. No analgesic effect resulted in the pressure and heat test, neither with THC nor THC-morphine. Psychotropic and somatic side-effects (sleepiness, euphoria, anxiety, confusion, nausea, dizziness, etc.) were common, but usually mild.