Articles: function.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation versus Surgery for Women with Unilateral Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Parallel-group Trial.
The aim of this clinical trial was to compare the outcomes of the application of ultrasound-guided percutaneous nerve stimulation (PENS) targeting the median nerve versus surgery for improving pain and function in women with CTS. ⋯ The application of percutaneous nerve stimulation was more effective at short-term, but similar effective at mid and long-term, than surgery in women with carpal tunnel syndrome.
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Adaptations in somatosensory function characterize several chronic pain conditions, including nonspecific neck pain (NNP). Early signs of central sensitization (CS) contribute to pain chronification and poor treatment responses after conditions such as whiplash injury and low back pain. Despite this well-established association, the prevalence of CS in patients with acute NNP, and accordingly, the potential impact of this association, is still unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether changes in somatosensory function occur during the acute phase of NNP. ⋯ Changes in somatosensory function occur already in acute NNP. Local mechanical hyperalgesia demonstrated peripheral sensitization, while enhanced pain facilitation, impaired conditioned pain modulation, and self-reported symptoms of CS suggest adaptations in pain processing already early in the stage of NNP.
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Chronic pain is a major health problem given its high prevalence and its multiple consequences on the physical and psychological functioning of patients. It is therefore important to determine the relationship between these consequences and pain management strategies such as activity pacing. This review aimed to examine the association between activity pacing and the level of negative emotions in chronic pain. A second objective was to explore sex differences in this association. ⋯ Pacing is multidimensional and consists of various strategies of pain management which are not equally associated with negative emotions. It is important to use measures reflecting this conception to strengthen knowledges about the role of pacing in the development of negative emotions.
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Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have enabled the generation of various difficult-to-access cell types such as human nociceptors. A key challenge associated with human iPSC-derived nociceptors (hiPSCdNs) is their prolonged functional maturation. While numerous studies have addressed the expression of classic neuronal markers and ion channels in hiPSCdNs, the temporal development of key signaling cascades regulating nociceptor activity has remained largely unexplored. ⋯ However, effective inhibition of forskolin-induced PKA-II activation by opioid receptor agonists required 70 days of in vitro differentiation. Our results identify a pronounced time difference between early expression of functionally important ion channels and emergence of regulatory metabotropic sensitizing and desensitizing signaling only at advanced stages of in vitro cultivation, suggesting an independent regulation of ionotropic and metabotropic signaling. These data are relevant for devising future studies into the development and regulation of human nociceptor function and for defining time windows suitable for hiPSCdN-based drug discovery.
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This study aimed to identify the clinical usefulness of assessing nutritional status using validated tools for the indication of enteral nutrition for patients with incurable cancer in palliative care. ⋯ Using the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score to identify the existence and severity of CC, which is associated with function, has the potential to help clinical decision making concerning the indication of enteral nutrition in patients with incurable cancer receiving palliative care.