Rejected

Epicardial approach to ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation is mainly performed under general anesthesia (GA). Although catheter manipulation and ablation in the epicardial space could be painful, GA lowers blood pressure and may interfere with arrhythmia induction and mapping, and the use of muscle relaxants precludes identification of the phrenic nerve (PN). Moreover, an anesthesiologist's presence is required during GA for the whole procedure, which may not always be possible. Therefore, we evaluated the feasibility and safety of epicardial VT ablations performed under conscious sedation using dexmedetomidine in our center.

It is well known that the course of migraine is influenced by comorbidities and that individual psychological characteristics may impact on the disease. Proper identification of psychological factors that are relevant to migraine is important to improve non-pharmacological management. This study aimed at investigating the relationship between psychological factors and migraine in subjects free of psychiatric comorbidities.

5-HT receptors (5-HTRs) are widely expressed in the central nervous system, including in the ventrolateral orbital cortex (VLO). The VLO is an important cortical component for pain processing. Brain 5-HTRs are implicated in both pro- and anti- nociceptive functions. However, the roles of 5-HTRs in the VLO in trigeminal neuralgia and neuronal synaptic function remain to be understood. We used chronic constriction injury of infraorbital nerve (IoN-CCI) model and shRNA mediated gene knockdown in mice to investigate the role of 5-HTRs in the VLO in trigeminal neuralgia. We found that knockdown of 5-HTRs in the VLO aggravated spontaneous pain and mechanical allodynia in mice after IoN-CCI. At the synaptic level, decreasing 5-HTR expression by shRNA or inhibition of 5-HTR activity by its antagonist ketanserin decreased the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) of the neurons in the VLO, whereas 5-HTR partial agonist 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) enhanced sEPSCs of the neurons in the VLO. In summary, 5-HTRs in the VLO modulate the trigeminal pain by regulating neuronal glutamatergic activity.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic pruritic skin disease that can have a profound negative impact on patients' quality of life, especially in cases of inadequate disease control. Dupilumab, a dual inhibitor of IL-4 and IL-13 signaling, is approved in the United States for the treatment of moderate-to-severe AD in adults (≥ 18 years old) and in children (≥ 6 years old). In this review, we present results from phase 3 trials evaluating dupilumab's efficacy and safety in adults, adolescents, and children. These trials demonstrate that dupilumab provides rapid improvements (in as little as 1 week) and sustained efficacy (up to 4 years) when used as a treatment for moderate-to-severe AD. Dupilumab not only improves skin signs and symptoms, but also provides multiple health benefits beyond the skin, including improvements in quality of life, itch, sleep disturbances, and pain/discomfort. Dupilumab is generally well tolerated, has a favorable safety profile in adults, adolescents, and children, has no serious drug-drug interactions, does not require routine laboratory testing, and is not an immunosuppressant. Taken together, phase 3 trials demonstrate that dupilumab provides rapid and sustained efficacy and is generally well tolerated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe AD across age groups.

Our aim was to compare the mid-term results of native tissue, biological xenograft and polypropylene mesh surgery for women with vaginal wall prolapse.

Schwannomatosis (SWN) is a rare tumor suppressor syndrome that predisposes affected individuals to develop multiple schwannomas and, less often, meningiomas. The most common symptom is chronic, severe pain. No medications are broadly effective in treating SWN-associated pain. The clinical trial described in this manuscript is a phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study investigating the safety and efficacy of tanezumab – a humanized monoclonal antibody that inhibits nerve growth factor – for treatment of SWN-related pain. As the first therapeutic trial for SWN-related pain, it also aims to evaluate trial endpoints, understand recruitment patterns, and improve clinical trial design in this rare disease.

International studies have shown negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mood and levels of distress. Correlations between the pandemic and higher levels of pain as well as greater pain-related disability have also been found; however, studies report ambiguous results about whether elderly people cope differently with the pandemic and its effects.

Contact allergy can manifest in a variety of ways clinically. Systemic contact allergy may occasionally present with pain in muscles and joints. Fibromyalgia is a chronic rheumatic disease characterized by pain and with virtually unknown aetiology.