Articles: chronic.
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Adolescents with chronic pain (ACP) often experience impairments in their social functioning. Little is known about the consequences of these impairments on peer relationships of ACP. This study applied social network analysis to examine whether adolescents with more pain problems are less popular (RQ1), adolescents with similar pain problems name each other more often as being part of the same peer group (RQ2), dyads with an adolescent experiencing more pain problems report less positive (eg, support) and more negative (eg, conflict) friendship qualities (RQ3), and positive and negative friendship qualities moderate the relationship between pain and emotional distress (RQ4). ⋯ Finally, positive and negative friendship qualities moderated the relationship between pain and emotional distress. This study contributes to the literature on the importance of peer relationships of ACP. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
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The transient receptor potential ion channel TRPM3 is highly prevalent on nociceptive dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, but its functions in neuronal plasticity of chronic pain remain obscure. In an animal model of nonspecific low back pain (LBP), latent spinal sensitization known as nociceptive priming is induced by nerve growth factor (NGF) injection. Here, we address the TRPM3-associated molecular basis of NGF-induced latent spinal sensitization at presynaptic level by studying TRPM3-mediated calcium transients in DRG neurons. ⋯ TRPM3 activation provokes an outbreak of pulsatile superoxide production (mitoflash) that comes in the form of a surge in frequency being tunable. We suggest that mitoflash pulsations downstream of TRPM3 activation might be an early signaling event initiating pain sensitization. Tuning of mitoflash activity would be a novel bottom-up therapeutic strategy for chronic pain conditions such as LBP and beyond.
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Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is the leading cause of years lived with disability. Recently, it has been reported that CLBP is associated with alterations in the central nervous system. The present study aimed to investigate the association between CLBP and regional brain atrophy in an older Japanese population. ⋯ In addition, the left superior frontal gyrus was identified as a significant cluster by the Query, Design, Estimate, Contrast interface. There were no significant differences in the brain volumes of pain-related regions between the NCP and the OCP groups. The present study suggests that CLBP is associated with lower brain volumes of pain-related regions in a general older population of Japanese.
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The transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member-3 (TRPM3) channel is a recently recognized noxious heat sensor that is involved in inflammatory thermal hyperalgesia. To examine its involvement in the development of hyperalgesia in interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS), rats with cyclophosphamide (CYP)-induced chronic cystitis were used as a model of IC/PBS. Mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in lower abdominal region overlying the bladder in CYP rats were measured using von Frey filaments and radiant heat, respectively. ⋯ In CYP rats, pretreatment with the TRPM3 antagonist primidone (2 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly alleviated the mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia, bladder submucosal edema, mast cell infiltration, and bladder hyperactivity. Cyclophosphamide-induced cystitis was associated with TRPM3 upregulation at the mRNA, protein, and functional levels in bladder afferent neurons. Our results suggest that upregulation of TRPM3 channels is involved in the development of chronic pain in CYP-induced cystitis, and targeting TRPM3 may be a pharmacological strategy for treating bladder pain in IC/PBS.
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Case Reports
A 72-Year-Old Woman With Dyspnea, Multiple Pulmonary Nodules, and Mediastinal Lymphadenopathy.
A 72-year-old woman presented to our institution with gradually worsening shortness of breath and bilateral lower extremity edema of 3 weeks' duration. She had associated complaints of cough and intermittent hemoptysis. Her medical history was significant for hypertension and hypothyroidism. ⋯ The procedure demonstrated both acute and chronic inflammation, with one specimen showing few atypical cells on cytopathology and no growth on bacterial, fungal, and mycobacterial cultures. She was treated empirically with oral steroids for presumed sarcoidosis. However, this did not result in clinical benefit, and because of progressive symptoms, she presented to our institution.