European journal of pain : EJP
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The primary objective was to determine the levels of and potential relationships between procedure-related fear and pain in children. Secondary objectives were to determine if there are associations between the child's age and sex, diagnostic group, time since diagnosis, time since last needle insertion, cortisol levels and the parent's fear level in relation to fear and pain. ⋯ According to parents, children experienced more fear than pain during needle insertion when topical anaesthesia is used. Therefore, in addition to pain management, an extended focus on fear-reducing interventions is suggested for needle procedures.
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Dopamine is implicated in different orofacial pain-related diseases. The mechanisms underlying this invalidating pain are not yet understood. Therefore, the present study investigated if unilateral or bilateral lesions of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) could induce a trigeminal static mechanical allodynia (SMA) comparable to that obtained after chronic construction injury of the infraorbital nerve (CCI-IoN) in rats. ⋯ Our data show that unilateral and bilateral dopamine depletion promoted trigeminal SMA comparable to that obtained after CCI-IoN. This allodynia can be alleviated by D2R activation, making D2R agonist a potential analgesic for orofacial neuropathic pain.
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Pain perception is typically assessed using subjective measures; an objective measure of the response to pain would be valuable. In this study, Brain Network Activation (BNA), a novel multivariate pattern analysis and scoring algorithm, was applied to event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by cortical responses to brief heat stimuli. Objectives of this study were to evaluate the utility of BNA as a quantitative and qualitative measure of cortical response to pain. ⋯ These results may provide evidence that the multivariate analysis performed with BNA may be useful as a quantitative, temporally sensitive tool for assessment of pain perception.
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Oxycodone is increasingly being used in combination with pregabalin. Pregabalin use is prevalent in opioid-dependent individuals. A high number of deaths caused by the co-use of gabapentinoids and opioids occur. It is not known whether pregabalin affects concentrations of oxycodone or morphine in the central nervous system. ⋯ Pregabalin potentiated antinociceptive and sedative effects of oxycodone and morphine in acute nociception. Co-administration of pregabalin with the opioids did not affect the brain concentrations of oxycodone or morphine. Pregabalin did not prevent morphine tolerance.
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Mechano-sensitive and mechano-insensitive C-nociceptors in human skin differ in receptive field sizes and electrical excitation thresholds, but their distinct functional roles are yet unclear. ⋯ We conclude that activation of mechano-insensitive nociceptors is sufficient to provoke itch by histamine- and acid-induced pain. The mechano-sensitive nociceptors are crucial for cowhage-induced itch and for the assessment of heat pain thresholds.