Rejected

Cluster headache (CH) is a severe, highly disabling primary headache disorder. However, there is little research on CH-related disability, and most of it is based on non CH-specific questionnaires. The aim of this study was to develop a short, CH-specific disability questionnaire.

BBD is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine widely used in clinic to treat viral hepatitis, cholecystitis, angiocholitis and urinary tract infection. According to traditional medicinal theory, BBD exerts the effects of "clearing and humid heat, activating blood and removing toxicity, curing jaundice and relieving pain", the signs of which are recognized as common symptoms of inflammation during infectious diseases in modern medicine.

Percutaneous stereotactic radiofrequency rhizotomy (PSR) is an ablative procedure for trigeminal neuralgia (TN). The anatomic structures that pass through, or around, the foramen ovale (FO) play vital roles in the success rate of PSR. The presence of a variant pterygoid process ridge (PPR) obscuring the FO renders the cannulation procedure difficult but had not been described in the literature before.

Knee osteoarthritis affects nearly 30% of adults aged 60 or older and causes significant pain and disability. Walking is considered a "gold standard" treatment option for reducing knee osteoarthritis pain and maintaining joint mobility but does not reduce pain for all adults with knee osteoarthritis pain and may induce pain-particularly when starting a walking routine. The mechanism by which walking is helpful for knee osteoarthritis pain is unclear. Quantitative sensory testing has revealed that knee osteoarthritis pain has both peripheral and central components, which vary by individual.

The optimal analgesic strategy for patients undergoing donor hepatectomy is not known and the potential short- and long-term physical and psychological consequences of complications are significant.

Inflammation is a natural process in response to external stimuli associated with organism protection. However, this reaction could be exaggerated, leading to severe damages related to physiopathological processes, such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, diabetes, allergies, infections, among others. Inflammation is mainly characterized by pain, increased temperature, flushing, and edema, which can be controlled using anti-inflammatory drugs. In this context, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) inhibition has been targeted for designing new compounds with anti-inflammatory properties. It is a bioactive lipid overproduced during an inflammatory process, in which its increased production is carried out mainly by COX-1, COX-2, and microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 (mPGES-1). Recently, studies have demonstrated that mPGES-1 inhibition is a safe strategy to develop anti-inflammatory agents, which could protect against pain, acute inflammation, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, and different types of cancers. To decrease production costs and increase the probability of discovering active substances, computer-aided drug design (CADD) approaches have been increasingly used for designing new inhibitors. Thus, this review will cover all aspects involving high-throughput virtual screening, molecular docking, dynamics, fragment-based drug design, quantitative structure-activity relationship in seeking new promising mPGES-1 inhibitors.

Rectus sheath catheters are used as an analgesic alternative to thoracic epidural. The aim of this meta-analysis is to compare the analgesic effects and side effects of thoracic epidural and rectus sheath catheter in the setting of emergency or elective laparotomy.

Chronic low back pain (LBP) can be caused by sacroiliac joint (SIJ) disease. Many conditions could cause SIJ dysfunction. The lateral branches of the L4-S3 dorsal rami are responsible for the primary innervation of the posterior SI joint. Radiofrequency (RF) denervation represent an emerging promising treatment for refractory sacroiliac joint pain. There are different types of RF denervation such as thermal or cooled. Use of irrigation cooled electrodes allows targeted tissues to reach the neuroablative temperatures slowly, preventing collateral damage of adjacent tissue.

We report on the successful treatment of refractory cancer pain by intrathecal neurolysis using 96% absolute alcohol. A female patient with colorectal adenocarcinoma with metastases to the sacral bones, the patient had severe pain refractory to pharmacological and interventional treatment. Intrathecal neurolytic block at the L5-S1 intervertebral space was performed, she reported a significant improvement in her pain and decreased opioid use. The patient did not show deterioration of neurological functions after the procedure or associated complications, and outpatient treatment continued with a home medicine program. She remained comfortable until her death 6 weeks later. Considering that this is an accessible and cost-effective procedure, it could be a helpful alternative for the management of patients with refractory pain in the terminal stage.

Tapentadol is a centrally acting opioid analgesic prescribed for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. The study aimed to determine the characteristics of Australian toxicity deaths related to tapentadol.