European journal of pain : EJP
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Thunberg's thermal grill produces a sensation of strong heat upon skin contact with spatially interlaced innocuous warm and cool stimuli. ⋯ Both TRPM8-expressing and TRPA1-expressing afferent axons can affect grill-evoked thermal sensations. The enhancement of grill-evoked sensations of temperature with menthol and cinnamaldehyde may provide an additional clinically relevant means of testing altered thermal sensitivity, which is often affected in neuropathic patient groups.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of intravenous propranolol on heat pain sensitivity in healthy men.
Clinical studies have shown opioid-sparing effects of β-adrenergic antagonists perioperatively and β-blockers are being investigated for chronic musculoskeletal pain. However, the direct analgesic effects of β-blockers have rarely been examined in healthy humans. ⋯ Propranolol decreased pain sensitivity but its analgesic effects were small and counteracted by blood pressure decreases. The analgesic effects were not mediated by peripheral β-receptor blockade, sedation, mood or anxiety. The small effect indicates that the utility of β-blockers for clinical pain must be related to factors that do not play a significant role for experimental pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A comparison of the effect of mindfulness and relaxation on responses to acute experimental pain.
This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of mindfulness training in comparison with relaxation training on pain, threshold and tolerance during the cold pressor task. ⋯ These results show that a single, brief session of mindfulness based on body scanning is not sufficient to change the way in which individuals approach an experimental pain task in comparison with relaxation, which has previously been shown to be ineffective.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
No beneficial effect of intrathecal methylprednisolone acetate in postherpetic neuralgia patients.
High efficacy of intrathecal methylprednisolone acetate (MPA) with lidocaine has been reported in a large patient group suffering from intractable postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Because the treatment effect was never independently confirmed and there are ongoing safety concerns, intrathecal MPA did not become standard care for intractable PHN. We report the results of a replication trial assessing pain relief and spinal cytokine/chemokine levels in PHN patients. ⋯ Considering the absence of clinical benefits and the potential risks of the treatment, intrathecal administration of MPA is not recommended.