Posts

Post-acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome, also known as long COVID, is a prolonged illness after the acute phase of COVID-19. Hospitalized patients were known to have persisting symptoms of fatigue, headache, dyspnea, and anosmia. There is a need to describe the characteristics of individuals with post-COVID-19 symptoms in comparison to the baseline characteristics.

Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a chronic heterogeneous inflammatory skin disease.

To measure the associations of diet, psycological distress, and lifestyle factors with premenstrual symptoms (PMSx) in women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Dengue viral infection is considered endemic in Ecuador. It is more frequent during winter, caused by an RNA virus in the Flavivirus group. Its presentation can range from an asymptomatic state to hemorrhagic fever with shock signs. Acute pancreatitis could be a rare form of acute abdomen presentation associated with dengue virus infection. This case illustrates a 26-year-old man who presents to the hospital with cramp-like pain in the epigastrium and radiation to the right upper quadrant, accompanied by nausea and vomiting. He also endorsed additional symptoms such as throbbing-like headache, myoarthralgias, and fever of 40.4°C (104.72°F). Laboratory tests revealed elevated hematocrit, thrombocytopenia, elevated pancreatic enzymes, transaminitis, elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT). Ultrasonography of the abdomen revealed hepatic steatosis, free fluid in the abdominal cavity, and small bilateral pleural effusions. Additional testing revealed IgM and IgG antibodies positivity to dengue virus. The patient was treated conservatively with intravenous (IV) fluid hydration and bowel rest. Acute pancreatitis should be considered when a patient presents with a suspected acute abdomen in the emergency department, and a detailed medical history is necessary to make a correct approach to the differential diagnosis.

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a clinical puzzle, especially in patients who still suffered from moderate and severe pain after standard treatment. This single-center, double-blinded, randomized controlled, prospective, and non-inferiority study observed the safety and effectiveness of the epidural application of morphine or hydromorphone, trying to provide an alternative method for those patients with refractory PHN. Eighty PHN patients with a visual analogue scale (VAS) still greater than 50 mm after routine management were randomly divided into two groups according to 1:1, respectively. One group received epidural morphine (EMO group), and the other group received epidural hydromorphone (EHM group). VAS, the number of breakthrough pain, quality of life (QOL), and anxiety/depression assessment (GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores) were also observed before treatment, at 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 60, and 90 days after treatment, as well as side effects. Opioid withdrawal symptoms (OWSs) were also measured from 3 to 28 days after treatment. The EHM group was non-inferior to the EMO group in terms of the VAS decrease relative to baseline (VDRB) after 1-week treatment. The VAS of the two groups on all days after treatment was significantly lower than the corresponding baseline findings ( < 0.05). The breakthrough pain (BTP) decreased significantly after treatment and lasted until 14 days after treatment ( < 0.05). There was no significant difference in BTP between the two groups at each time point ( > 0.05). In terms of the QOL, GAD-7, and PHQ-9 outcomes, those were significantly improved after treatment ( < 0.05), and there was no difference between the two groups ( > 0.05). No significant AE difference across the two groups was observed in this study. Few reports of OWS were found in this trial, and there were no significant differences between the two groups ( > 0.05). EHM was non-inferior to EMO in terms of the VDRB after 1-week treatment. For patients with VAS still greater than 50 mm after standard treatment, short-term application of EMO or EHM can ameliorate intractable pain, improve the quality of life, and have no obvious side effects. Short-term epidural opioid application will not lead to the appearance of OWS.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a still highly relevant problem and is known to be a distressing side effect in patients. The aim of this study was to develop a machine learning model to predict PONV up to 24 h with fentanyl-based intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA).

To assess the receptors of TRPV1 and GABA receptors that were colocalized in cerebrospinal fluid contacting nucleus (CSF-contact nucleus) of chronic inflammatory pain (CIP) rats bringing inspiration for reducing chronic pain.

Neuropathic pain (NP) is a chronic health condition that presents a significant burden on patients, society, and even healthcare systems. However, in recent years, an emerging field in the treatment of neuropathic pain – optogenetic technology has dawned, heralding a new era in the field of medicine, and which has brought with it unlimited possibilities for studying the mechanism of NP and the treatment of research. Optogenetics is a new and growing field that uses the combination of light and molecular genetics for the first time ever. This rare combination is used to control the activity of living cells by expressing photosensitive proteins to visualize signaling events and manipulate cell activity. The treatments for NP are limited and have hardly achieved the desirable efficacy. NP differs from other types of pain, such as nociceptive pain, in that the treatments for NP are far more complex and highly challenging for clinical practice. This review presents the background of optogenetics, current applications in various fields, and the findings of optogenetics in NP. It also elaborates on the basic concepts of neuropathy, therapeutic applications, and the potential of optogenetics from the bench to the bedside in the near future.

Adenomyosis is an estrogen-dependent gynecological disease. The pathogenesis of chronic pain, the main clinical symptom of adenomyosis, remains undefined. As a combination lymphocyte with both T-cell and natural killer (NK)-cell properties, NK T (NKT) cells play a role in immune defense against numerous diseases and modulate cell differentiation.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 selective inhibitors are the most widely used drugs to treat pain. Conventional NSAIDs and COX-2 selective inhibitors, however, cause several side effects such as gastric damage, kidney damage, and cardiovascular problems. Our previous study showed that 2-acetoxy-5-(2-4-(trifluoromethyl)-phenethylamino)-benzoic acid ie, flusalazine (also known as ND-07), which exerts dual actions by serving both as an anti-inflammatory agent and a free radical scavenger, is an effective and safe treatment for severe inflammatory diseases in mice. The goal of the present study was to examine the potential analgesic action and safety of flusalazine in mice models of pain.