Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effectiveness and Tolerability of a Moderate Dose of Tapentadol Prolonged Release for Managing Severe, Chronic Low Back Pain with a Neuropathic Component: An Open-label Continuation Arm of a Randomized Phase 3b Study.
To evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of tapentadol prolonged release (PR) for severe, chronic low back pain with a neuropathic component in a subpopulation that achieved adequate pain relief with tapentadol PR 300 mg/day in a randomized, double-blind, phase 3b study. ⋯ A subpopulation of patients with low back pain with a neuropathic component responded very well to tapentadol PR 300 mg/day, with significant improvements in pain intensity, neuropathic pain-related symptoms, and quality of life. Further research is needed to identify factors associated with a very positive treatment response.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Effectiveness and Safety of Tapentadol Prolonged Release (PR) Versus a Combination of Tapentadol PR and Pregabalin for the Management of Severe, Chronic Low Back Pain With a Neuropathic Component: A Randomized, Double-blind, Phase 3b Study.
To evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of tapentadol PR monotherapy versus tapentadol PR/pregabalin combination therapy for severe, chronic low back pain with a neuropathic component. ⋯ Tapentadol PR 500 mg is associated with comparable improvements in pain intensity and quality-of-life measures to tapentadol PR 300 mg/pregabalin 300 mg, with improved central nervous system tolerability, suggesting that tapentadol PR monotherapy may offer a favorable treatment option for severe low back pain with a neuropathic component.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Comparison of Problems and Unmet Needs of Patients with Advanced Cancer in a European Country and an Asian Country.
Patients with advanced cancer experience problems and unmet needs. However, we assume that patients with advanced cancer will have more problems and unmet needs in a country with a lower economic status than in an economically stronger country. We studied whether patients with advanced cancer in Indonesia have more problems and unmet needs than a similar group of patients in the Netherlands. ⋯ Apparently, economic and cultural differences hardly influence physical problems. Nonetheless, fewer Indonesian patients reported psychological and autonomy problems than Dutch patients. This difference contradicts our hypothesis. However, we found more unmet needs for professional attention in Indonesia than in the Netherlands, which is compatible with our hypothesis. These simple comparative data provide interesting insights into problems and unmet needs and give rise to our new hypothesis about cultural influences. This hypothesis should be studied in more depth.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Investigation of Central Nervous System Dysfunction in Chronic Pelvic Pain Using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Noninvasive Brain Stimulation.
Recent studies demonstrate that chronic pelvic pain is associated with altered afferent sensory input resulting in maladaptive changes in the neural circuitry of pain. To better understand the central changes associated with chronic pelvic pain, we investigated the contributions of critical pain-related neural circuits using single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). ⋯ tDCS increases pain thresholds in patients with chronic pelvic pain. Biochemical changes in pain-related neural circuits are associated with pain levels as measured by objective pain testing. These findings support the further investigation of targeted cortical neuromodulatory interventions for chronic pelvic pain.
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Multicenter Study
Dealing with Symptoms and Issues of Hospitalized Patients with Cancer in Indonesia: The Role of Families, Nurses, and Physicians.
Patients with cancer often face physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and emotional symptoms. Our aim was to study symptoms and issues of hospitalized patients with cancer in Indonesia, a country with strong family ties, and how family members, nurses, and physicians deal with them. ⋯ Hospitalized patients with cancer in Indonesia felt that most of their symptoms and issues had been addressed, and the family was highly involved. The strong family ties in Indonesian culture may have contributed to this family role. More research is needed to clarify how this influences patient outcome, quality of care, and quality of life of both the patients and their families, along with the degree of partnership between families and professionals. This information might help answer the question what advantages and disadvantages the family role in caring for a hospitalized patient with cancer generates for the patient, the family, and professional caregivers.