Articles: neuralgia.
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Neuropathic pain (NPP) is likely the result of repetitive high-frequency bursts of peripheral afferent activity leading to long-lasting changes in synaptic plasticity in the spinal dorsal horn. Drugs that promote γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) activity in the dorsal horn provide partial relief of neuropathic symptoms. The authors examined how in vivo silencing of the GABA receptor type A (GABAA) α2 gene in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) controls NPP. ⋯ The GABAA receptor in the DRG plays an important role in pathophysiology of NPP caused by sciatic nerve injury and represents promising target for novel pain therapies.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Sep 2015
Current Approaches to the Management of Peripheral Neuropathic Pain.
Symptoms and signs of neuropathic pain can be both positive and negative. Tricyclic antidepressants are the first-line treatment option for neuropathic pain. ⋯ Combination therapy in the management of neuropathic pain is not well researched.-- This report is adapted from paineurope 2015: Issue 1, ©Haymarket Medical Publications Ltd., and is presented with permission. paineurope is provided as a service to pain management by Mundipharma International, Ltd., and is distributed free of charge to health care professionals in Europe. Archival issues can be viewed via the Web site: www.paineurope.com , at which health professionals can find links to the original articles and request copies of the quarterly publication and access additional pain education and pain management resources.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2015
Observational StudyCross-cultural Adaptation and Linguistic Validation of the Korean Version of the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs Pain Scale.
Distinction between neuropathic pain and nociceptive pain helps facilitate appropriate management of pain; however, diagnosis of neuropathic pain remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to develop a Korean version of the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) pain scale and assess its reliability and validity. The translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the original LANSS pain scale into Korean was established according to the published guidelines. ⋯ The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.928 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.885-0.959 (P < 0.001), suggesting good discriminate value. With a cut-off score ≥ 12, sensitivity was 72.6%, specificity was 98.0%, and the positive and negative predictive values were 98% and 76%, respectively. The Korean version of the LANSS pain scale is a useful, reliable, and valid instrument for screening neuropathic pain from nociceptive pain.
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Observational Study
Validation of the Greek Version of the DN4 Diagnostic Questionnaire for Neuropathic Pain.
The Douleur Neuropathique 4 questionnaire (DN4) was developed by the French Neuropathic Pain Group and is a simple and objective tool, primarily designed to screen for neuropathic pain. The aim of our study is to validate the DN4 in the Greek language. ⋯ The Greek version of DN4 is a valid tool for discriminating between neuropathic and nociceptive pain conditions in daily practice.
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The anterior pretectal nucleus (APtN) activates descending mechanisms of pain control. This study evaluated whether the APtN also controls neuropathic pain in rats. ⋯ APtN exerts a tonic inhibitory influence on persistent pain. The results point out to an important role of opioid and serotonergic mediation into the APtN to inhibit hyperalgesia during the initial phase of neuropathic pain.