Rejected

Venous sampling for blood gas analysis has been suggested as an alternative to arterial sampling in order to reduce pain. The main objective was to compare pain induced by venous and arterial sampling and to assess whether the type of sampling would affect clinical management or not.

To determine whether regional grey and white matter differences characterize the brain of patients with visual snow syndrome, a newly defined neurologic condition, we used a voxel-based morphometry approach.

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and diabetes mellitus type 1 (T1DM) may compromise the quality of life (QoL). We decided to compare the QoL of T1DM patients to those suffering from CSU.

The pseudorabies virus (PRV) is an alphaherpesvirus and the causative agent of Aujeszky's disease (AD). PRV infects a wide range of animal species including swine as the natural host as well as ruminants, carnivores, rodents and lagomorphs. In these species, except for the pig, PRV infection causes acute, severe disease, characterized by insatiable itching, and is always lethal. Horses, chickens and non-human primates have been shown to be largely resistant to PRV infection, while disease in humans is still controversial. PRV is a pantropic virus, which preferably invades neural tissue, but also infects epithelia of various organs, whereupon multisystemic lesions may result. Although AD is mainly associated with severe pruritus, also known as "mad itch", there are notable differences regarding infection route, clinical signs, viral distribution and lesion patterns in different animal species. In this comprehensive review, we will present clinico-pathologic findings from different species, which have been either shown to be susceptible to PRV infection or have been tested experimentally.

Mesh infection is a serious complication of inguinal hernia repair, but surgeons have not reached a consensus on the method of treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of maximal mesh removal therapy with methylene blue injection for mesh infection after inguinal hernia repair. The study was a monocentric retrospective analysis following STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statements of all patients with mesh infection undergoing maximal mesh removal operation with methylene blue injection. Demographics, mesh infection characteristics, microbiology, early post-operative data, and follow-up data were recorded. Sixteen patients underwent complete removal of infected mesh and 13 had partial removal. The operation time was 76.3 ± 26.0 minutes. In 13 patients the cultures tested positive, five for . Twelve participants developed surgical site infection post-operatively and eventually healed after 27.4 ± 16.3 days of dressing. In a mean follow-up of 46 months, one patient suffered chronic pain and one had chronic sinus in the partial removal group, although none did in the complete removal group, without a statistically significant difference. No hernia recurrence occurred. Maximal mesh removal therapy with methylene blue injection can be considered as a feasible alternative for the treatment of mesh infection.

To determine the feasibility and acceptability of a heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) protocol in a focus group of Veterans with fibromyalgia (FM). A multimethod feasibility and acceptability study. A Veterans Health outpatient pain medicine clinic in the southern United States. The researcher enrolled seven women and three men between the ages of 33 and 68 years with a diagnosis of FM. Participants practiced HRVB on the at home for 20 min twice daily for 7 weeks. Feasibility to adhere to the HRVB protocol was measured using the practice frequency and time (minutes) data collected from the . The author compared the individual reports from participants with the Credibility/Expectancy Questionnaire to measure the acceptability of the intervention. In addition, the principal investigator evaluated data from the Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SFMQ) and the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) at the baseline and weekly study visits for a signal of efficacy for pain control, functional status, and quality of life (QOL). The majority of participants (80%) expected 50% or more improvement in their pain, and (70%) felt HRVB would reduce their FM-related pain by 50%-80%. The mean daily practice frequency rate was 0.80. The mean practice duration was 19.36 min. Pain score differences from the SFMQ were insignificant preintervention and postintervention. The mean total FIQR scores postintervention improved by 18.1 points. Findings suggest twice-daily HRVB practice protocol is not feasible. However, 20-min HRVB sessions were feasible and acceptable. Improved FIQR scores post-treatment suggest HRVB may be an effective strategy to improve functional status and QOL for Veterans with FM. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: Pro00079144.

: In Canada, 41% of veterans experience chronic pain compared to the general population (20%). Many veterans with chronic pain also have comorbid disorders such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), causing increased pain interference and disability. : This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a 4-week interdisciplinary pain management program at the Michael G. DeGroote Pain Clinic in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and to explore differences in pain experience and treatment outcomes between veterans and nonveterans in the program. : Data were obtained from psychometric measures completed by 68 veterans and 68 nonveterans enrolled in the pain management program. By matching groups for age and gender, scores were compared between veterans and nonveterans. Outcomes investigated include catastrophizing, pain traumatization, stages of change, acceptance of pain, and program satisfaction. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to examine session (admission-discharge) and group (veteran-nonveteran) differences, and independent tests were used to examine differences in satisfaction measures. : Results showed that the program was effective for all participants, with significant differences between admission and discharge on several measures. However, veterans experienced significantly greater improvements in pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, pain traumatization, pain acceptance, stages of change, and pain coping, compared to nonveterans (0.05). Though no significant differences in program satisfaction were found between groups, case managers evaluated veterans as having achieved greater benefits from the program. : This study presents evidence supporting the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary pain management program in addressing pain-related variables in veterans and nonveterans and provides insight into how pain management is experienced differently by veterans.

We analysed the neurological complications of patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection who required intensive care unit (ICU) admission.

Low back pain (LBP) is a common condition. It is estimated that 84% of adults will present LBP symptoms at some point in their lives. Rarely, however, is LPB an indication of a serious medical condition, requiring further investigation. The treatment of non-specific LBP is based on non-pharmacological strategies, e.g., non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) or skeletal muscle relaxants. The use of epidural steroid injection (ESI) or facet joint injections relieves pain originating from degenerative spine disorders or a disk herniation, thereby providing rapid pain improvement, despite considerable long-term outcomes. Although rare, ESI complications can occur, and infections are infrequently described. This paper describes a rare case of an abscess in the psoas muscle, secondary to facet joint lumbar block. We report a male aged between 30 and 40 years old with LBP, who was submitted to a facet joint and ESI. The procedure evolved into a spinal infection of the psoas muscle. In addition, we present a brief literature review on psoas infections after spinal injection. Infection post facet joint lumbar block is very rare, with few publications in the literature. Early detection and the aggressive broad-spectrum antibiotic course must be initiated until adequate cultures are obtained and antibiotics prolong to at least four weeks.