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Migraine is one of the most common neurological disorders associated with recurrent attacks of moderate to severe headache. Oxidative stress may play an important role in migraine pathogenesis. This study aimed to measure and compare the serum levels of Selenium, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and malondialdehyde) MDA (in migraine patients and healthy individuals. This case-control study was performed on 31 migraine patients and 30 age and gender-matched healthy controls. The severity of headache was assessed with a standard questionnaire, and the serum levels of Selenium (Se), MDA, and TAC were measured via biochemical methods. The odds of migraine were calculated across quartile of Se and oxidative stress biomarkers via binary logistic regression. Migraine patients had a significant lower Se levels (81.06 ± 8.66 vs. 88.94 ± 10.23 μg/L, P = 0.002) and a significant higher MDA levels (3.04 ± 1.74 vs. 2.06 ± 0.59 nmol/ml, P = 0.005) compared to healthy participants. Although serum TAC levels (1.34 ± 0.34 vs.1.37 ± 0.33 mmol/L, P = 0.755) were not significantly different between migraine patients rather than healthy subjects. Individuals in the lowest quartile of Se levels were about eleven times more likely to have migraine than those in the highest quartile (OR: 11.2; 95%CI: 1.57 to 80.2; P-trend: 0.016). Besides, being in the highest quartile of the serum MDA level, the odds of having migraine increases 15.4 times compared to the lowest quartile (OR = 15.4, 95%CI: 1.1 to 221, P = 0.044). No significant association was found between TAC and migraine. The lower Se and MDA levels in migraine patients gives rise to the probability which oxidant status may play an underlying role in migraine pathophysiology.
Learn More >It is unclear how to address PTSD in the context of chronic pain management. Here we examine the potential benefits of an addition of prolonged exposure (PE) therapy for PTSD for adults attending multidisciplinary CBT for chronic pain.
Learn More >Continuous femoral nerve block (CFNB) is a common procedure used for postoperative analgesia in total knee arthroplasty. Continuous nerve block using a conventional needle (catheter-through-needle/CTN) is complicated by leakage of the anesthetic from the catheter insertion site. A different type of needle (catheter-over-needle/ CON) is now available, which is believed to reduce leakage as the diameter of the catheter is larger than that of the needle. The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of leakage from the catheter insertion site during CFNB while using CTN and CON for postoperative analgesia after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
Learn More >Complete arthrocentesis of the effusive knee ameliorates patient pain, reduces intra-articular and intraosseous pressure, removes inflammatory cytokines, and has been shown to substantially improve the therapeutic outcomes of intra-articular injections. However, conventional arthrocentesis incompletely decompresses the knee, leaving considerable residual synovial fluid in the intra-articular space. The present study determined whether external pneumatic circumferential compression of the effusive knee permitted more successful arthrocentesis and complete joint decompression.
Learn More >To investigate the effects of one and two doses of intravenous dexamethasone in patients after total knee arthroplasty.
Learn More >Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an effective treatment for chronic neuropathic pain. However, its clinical efficacy in regard to specific types of pain has not been well studied. The primary objective of this study was to retrospectively analyze the clinical outcomes of paddle-type SCS according to the type of neuropathic pain.
Learn More >Background and purpose – Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is an effective and common procedure. However, persistent pain and analgesic requirement up to 2 years after THA surgery are common. We examined the trends in the utilization of analgesics before and after THA, overall, and in relation to socioeconomic status (SES) in a populationbased cohort. Patients and methods – We used the Danish Hip Arthroplasty Register to identify 103,209 patients who underwent THA between 1996 and 2018. Data on prescriptions and SES markers was obtained from Danish medical databases. Prevalence rates of redeemed prescriptions for analgesics with 95% confidence intervals were calculated for 4 quarters before and 4 quarters after THA for the entire THA population, and by 3 SES markers (education, cohabiting status, and wealth). Results – Overall, the prevalence of analgesic use prior to surgery was 42% at 9-12 months and 59% at 0-3 months before the THA. The prevalence of analgesics reached its highest at 64% 0-3 months after THA but declined to 27% at 9-12 months after THA. Low education, living alone, and having low wealth (low SES) were associated with higher prevalence of analgesics use both before and after THA. Interpretation – 59% of patients used analgesics 0-3 months before surgery, which could indicate that THA might not be considered the last option for treatment and that surgery criteria might depend more on factors such as patient preferences or hip function. Moreover, health professionals should prioritize the use of a detailed plan when phasing out analgesics after THA to counteract unnecessary use, especially when treating patients with low SES.
Learn More >Dry eye-induced chronic ocular pain is also called ocular neuropathic pain. However, details of the pathogenic mechanism remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the pathogenic mechanism of dry eye-induced chronic pain in the anterior eye area and develop a pathophysiology-based therapeutic strategy.
Learn More >Chronic pain and the accompanying level of disability is a healthcare crisis that reaches epidemic proportions and is now considered a world level crisis. Chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) contributes a significant proportion to the chronic pain population. CNLBP occurs with overlapping psychosocial factors. This study was design to investigate specific psychosocial factors and their influence on reported disability in a population with CNLBP.
Learn More >Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a major public health problem. Reliably measuring the effects of chronic pain on movement and activity, and any changes due to treatment, is a healthcare challenge. A recently published paper demonstrated that a novel digital therapeutic (DTxP) was efficacious in reducing fear of movement and increasing the quality of life of adult patients with moderate to severe CLBP. In this paper, we report a study of how data from wearable devices collected in this study could be used as a digital measure for use in studies of chronic low back pain.
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