European journal of pain : EJP
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To facilitate efficient screening and reduce the length of comprehensive self-report batteries, a four-item short form of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and a two-item short form of the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) have been developed and evaluated in samples of patients with arm and upper extremity pain. ⋯ The strongest short forms of the PCS and PSEQ could facilitate the assessment of pain catastrophizing and self-efficacy in situations in which the use of the longer original measures is not feasible.
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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder mainly marked by selective degeneration of dopaminergic neurons that leads to disabling motor and cognitive impairment. This condition is less widely appreciated as a disease associated with a substantial variety of pain syndromes, although the prevalence of pain is relatively high. Repeated painful stimulation of peripheral nerves can cause pain 'wind-up' if the frequency of the stimulation is adequate and specifically stimulates the afferent C-fibres. We presumed that in case of PD, pain or pain severeness might be frequently caused by the aggravation of the 'wind-up' phenomenon due to any central or peripheral lesions or functional alterations. ⋯ These differences may arise from the deficiency in the efferent information, as well as the alterations in the central processing. It is highly likely that both processes contribute to this phenomenon simultaneously.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Interventions to address deficits of pharmacological pain management in nursing home residents - A cluster-randomized trial.
To evaluate the effect of interventions for general practitioners and nursing home staff to improve pain severity and appropriateness of pain medication in nursing home residents (NHR). ⋯ NHR exhibited a high prevalence of pain with overall low severity, while a high proportion of individuals received inappropriate pain medications. Both findings were not significantly improved by the intervention, although some aspects of drug treatment were meaningful improved.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Attention bias modification and its impact on experimental pain outcomes: Comparison of training with words versus faces in pain.
The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of training participants' attention towards or away from painful faces versus pain-related words on pain outcomes on an acute experimental pain paradigm. ⋯ These findings confirm that attentional biases are modifiable, and impact (in the expected manner) how quickly participants perceive pain. Further, exposure to painful faces resulted in additional benefits to the level of pain reported. However, we were unable to confirm that change in attentional biases was the mechanism of change.
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Activation of noradrenergic α2 receptor in spinal dorsal horn effectively alleviates the pathological pain. However, the precise mechanisms underlying noradrenergic pain suppression are not fully understood. Convincing evidence has indicated that extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) play a key role in spinal sensitization. The present study investigated the potential influence of noradrenergic α2 receptor agonist clonidine on ERK1/2 activity. ⋯ The analgesic action produced by noradrenergic α2 receptor agonist clonidine involved the reversal of ERK1/2 hyperactivity in spinal dorsal horn of inflamed mice.