European journal of pain : EJP
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Clinical trial of the p38 MAP kinase inhibitor dilmapimod in neuropathic pain following nerve injury.
Current treatments of neuropathic pain arising from conditions such as nerve injury/compression are only partially effective, and limited in their use by side-effects. p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is involved in the regulation and synthesis of inflammatory mediators, and is the target for a novel class of cytokine-suppressive anti-inflammatory drugs. p38 inhibitors may reduce neuronal sensitisation in preclinical models of neuropathic pain, particularly where there is a substantial inflammatory component. An exploratory, multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-period, cross-over trial was undertaken to evaluate the effect of dilmapimod (SB-681323), a selective p38 MAPK inhibitor, on neuropathic pain symptoms and signs. Fifty patients with nerve trauma, radiculopathy or carpal tunnel syndrome were randomised; 43 patients completed the study. ⋯ There was a statistically significant reduction in the primary endpoint of average daily pain score during the second week of treatment among patients treated with dilmapimod (15 mg/day) compared to placebo using NRS [0.80; 95% CI (0.28, 1.33); p=0.0034]. A similar trend for effect was seen in some secondary endpoints. Dilmapimod was well tolerated, with no clinically relevant safety findings. p38 MAPK inhibitors merit further evaluation for neuropathic pain in larger clinical trials, particularly for clinically meaningful analgesic effect size.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of morphine in needle procedures in children with cancer.
The aim was to investigate whether children experience less fear, distress, and/or pain when they receive oral morphine vs. placebo before a needle is inserted in a subcutaneously implanted intravenous port when combined with topical anesthesia. ⋯ We could not reject the null hypothesis that there is no difference between the oral morphine and placebo groups assuming an effect size of 15 mm on VAS. Therefore it seems that oral morphine at 0.25 mg/kg does not give any additional reduction of fear, distress or pain compared with placebo when combined with topical anesthesia in pediatric patients undergoing subcutaneous port needle insertion, and would not be expected to be of any advantage for similar procedures such as venipuncture and venous cannulation when topical anesthesia is used.