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This prospective study examined 1) whether antenatal pain is associated with postnatal maternal bonding disorder (MBD) through postnatal depression and 2) whether intimate partner violence (IPV) has a moderating effect on the association between antenatal pain and postnatal MBD. We analyzed 77,326 pregnancies of women who completed self-report questionnaires including the SF-8 bodily pain item, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale, and an assessment of IPV. We conducted a mediation analysis to assess whether postnatal depression mediated the association between antenatal pain and MBD 1 year after delivery. A moderated mediation model was used to examine the conditional effect of IPV during pregnancy on the association between antenatal pain and postnatal MBD, operating through postnatal depression. All analyses were adjusted for demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, perinatal and infant factors, medical history, and psychological status. Of the 77,326 pregnancies, 5,420 (7.0%) were characterized by persistent moderate-to-severe pain. The total effect of antenatal pain on MBD was significant (standardized path coefficient = 0.06, 95% CI, 0.05-0.06) and postnatal depression dominantly mediated the association between antenatal pain and postnatal MBD (70.8% mediation). Contrary to our hypothesis, IPV during pregnancy did not moderate the association between antenatal pain and postnatal MBD. However, IPV during pregnancy did have independent negative effects on both postnatal depression and MBD. Our findings suggest that antenatal pain and postnatal depression should be assessed and treated with consideration of the presence of IPV during pregnancy to better monitor and prevent the development of MBD.
Learn More >Exercise has been shown to significantly improve pain and function in individuals with fibromyalgia. Research into the effectiveness of exercise is often based on standardised exercise programmes that are chosen by the investigating clinical research team. However, such programmes may not necessarily be appealing to the participating patients. Furthermore, in addition to being taught exercises, patients with chronic conditions like fibromyalgia also need to learn to manage their condition themselves and so be actively involved in their treatment. The primary aim of this study is to compare the effects of two, 6-month physical activity programs on quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia. One group followed a patient-led, fibromyalgia-orientated programme (experimental) whilst the control group followed a standard, general exercise programme.
Learn More >The gut microbiome has been implicated in multiple human chronic gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Determining its mechanistic role in disease has been difficult due to apparent disconnects between animal and human studies and lack of an integrated multi-omics view of disease-specific physiological changes. We integrated longitudinal multi-omics data from the gut microbiome, metabolome, host epigenome, and transcriptome in the context of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) host physiology. We identified IBS subtype-specific and symptom-related variation in microbial composition and function. A subset of identified changes in microbial metabolites correspond to host physiological mechanisms that are relevant to IBS. By integrating multiple data layers, we identified purine metabolism as a novel host-microbial metabolic pathway in IBS with translational potential. Our study highlights the importance of longitudinal sampling and integrating complementary multi-omics data to identify functional mechanisms that can serve as therapeutic targets in a comprehensive treatment strategy for chronic GI diseases. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
Learn More >Migraine can negatively impact patient functioning and quality of life. Here, we report the effects of galcanezumab (GMB), a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to calcitonin gene-related peptide, on patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures in migraine.
Learn More >There is an unmet need for psychometrically sound instruments to measure pruritus associated with prurigo nodularis (PN).
Learn More >Central sensitization is present in different pain conditions, including chronic whiplash-associated disorders. In the absence of a gold standard method of assessment to determine the presence of central sensitization, quantitative sensory testing is currently understood as an optimal proxy. Laboratory sensory testing is, however, not feasible in clinical practice, and the Central Sensitization Inventory was developed as an alternative. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the convergent validity of the Central Sensitization Inventory in chronic whiplash-associated patients by determining the association between the Central Sensitization Inventory and quantitative sensory testing, pain intensity, fatigue, and psychosocial factors.
Learn More >The fear-avoidance model of chronic pain predicts that catastrophic (mis)interpretation of pain elicits pain-related fear that in turn may spur avoidance behaviour leading to chronic pain disability. Here we investigated whether performing a movement to avoid a painful stimulus in the context of a novel movement increases threat and pain-related fear towards this novel movement, and whether avoidance behaviour persisted when given the choice between performing the acquired movement to avoid a painful stimulus or an alternative, novel movement. Applying a robotic arm-reaching task, participants could choose between two movements to reach a target location: a short, but painful movement trajectory, or a longer non-painful movement trajectory. After avoidance acquisition, the option to choose the painful trajectory was removed. The Experimental Group (N=50) could choose between the longest trajectory or a novel intermediate trajectory, whereas the Control Group (N=50) was allowed to only perform the novel trajectory. In a final test, participants of both groups were allowed to choose any of the three trajectories. Post-acquisition, Experimental Group participants showed elevated pain-expectancy and pain-related fear towards the novel trajectory, compared to the Control Group. During test, the Experimental Group participants persisted in performing the longest pain-free (avoidance) trajectory, and were less likely to choose the novel trajectory. In addition, these participants maintained higher levels of pain-related fear for the novel trajectory compared to the Control Group. These findings suggest that avoidance in the context of other neutral activities/movements may lead to the development and maintenance of threat appraisals and irrational fears.
Learn More >Surgical procedures are necessary in up to 50% of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) patients. While radiofrequency (RF) is more widely used, it is associated with high intra-procedural costs and long technical learning time. Other simpler procedures such as balloon compression (BC) require a lower training period and have significant lower costs. We evaluated the effects of BC and RF in pain control in primary TN in a randomized, double-blinded, head-to-head trial. Individuals were randomly allocated in one of two groups: BC and RF. Throughout pain, psychological and quality of life measurements were performed at baseline and after surgery. The main outcome was the worst pain in the last 24 hours (0-10) at six months postoperatively. After the inclusion of half of the estimated sample, a pre-planned interim analysis was performed when thirty-three patients (62.1 ± 9.4 y.) completed the study. Pain intensity (CI95% 0.6-3.8, and -0.6-2.2, for BC and RF) did not significantly differ. Complications, interference of pain in daily life (CI95% -0.1-2.3 and -0.4-2.3, for BC and RF), neuropathic pain symptoms (CI95% 1.7-3.6 and 3.0-5.7, for BC and RF), mood (CI95% 4.8-11.5 and 5.5-15.1, BC and RF, respectively), medication use and quality of life (CI95% 80.4-93.1 and 83.9-94.2, for BC and RF) were also not different. RF presented more paresthetic symptoms than BC at 30 days following intervention. Based on these results, the study was halted due to futility as BC was not superior do RF.
Learn More >A common experimental neurophysiological method to study synaptic plasticity is pairing activity of somatosensory afferents and motor cortical circuits, so-called paired associative stimulation (PAS). Dysfunctional inhibitory and excitatory PAS mechanisms within the sensorimotor system were described in patients with migraine without aura (MO) between attacks. We have recently observed that the same bidirectional PAS rules also apply to the visual system. Here, we have tested whether dysfunctioning associative plasticity might characterize the visual system of patients with MO. In 14 patients with MO between attacks and in 15 healthy volunteers, we performed a previously validated visual PAS (vPAS) protocol by coupling 90 black-and-white checkerboard reversals with low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation pulses over the occipital cortex at 2 interstimulus intervals of -25/+25 ms around the visual-evoked potential (VEP) P1 latency. We recorded VEPs (600 sweeps) before, immediately after, and 10 min after each vPAS session. We analysed VEP N1-P1 amplitude and delayed habituation. Although vPAS-25 significantly enhanced and vPAS + 25 reduced VEP amplitude habituation in healthy volunteers, the same protocols did not significantly change VEP amplitude habituation in MO between attacks. We provide evidence for lack of habituation enhancing and habituation suppressing visual PAS mechanisms within the visual system in interictal migraine. This finding, in combination with those previously obtained studying the sensorimotor system, leads us to argue that migraine disease-related dysrhythmic thalamocortical activity prevents the occurrence of physiological bidirectional synaptic plasticity induced by vPAS.
Learn More >To describe how chronic low back pain (CLBP) impacts on utility scores and which patients' characteristics most affect these scores in the province of Quebec.
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