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Pain is one of the most prevalent symptoms associated with cancer. Strong opioids are commonly used in the analgesic management of the disease, but carry the risk of severe side effects. Cebranopadol is a first-in-class drug candidate, combining nociceptin/orphanin FQ peptide and opioid peptide receptor agonism. For cancer patients, frequently experiencing multimorbidities and often exposed to polypharmacy, cebranopadol is easy to handle given its once-daily dosing, the small tablet size that enables swallowing, and the option to flexibly titrate to an effective dose.
Learn More >As a complex multidimensional construct, fatigue may play an important role in the physical and psychosocial functioning of youth with chronic pain. Based on a model previously tested in adults, the current study similarly utilized Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement System (PROMIS) to examine how fatigue contributes to functional outcomes for youth with chronic pain. The model tested self-reported ratings of pain intensity, depressive symptoms, and sleep disturbance as predictors of outcomes (mobility, pain-related interference, and school functioning) as mediated by ratings of fatigue.
Learn More >Previous research has shown that self-compassion is associated with improved functioning and health outcomes among multiple chronic illnesses. However, the role of self-compassion in chronic pain-related functioning is understudied. The present study sought to understand the association between self-compassion and important measures of functioning within a sample of patients with chronic pain. Treatment-seeking individuals (N= 343 with chronic pain) that were mostly White (97.9%) and female (71%) completed a battery of assessments that included the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS), as well as measures of pain-related fear, depression, disability, pain acceptance, success in valued activity, and use of pain coping strategies. Cross-sectional multiple regression analyses that controlled for age, sex, pain intensity, and pain duration, revealed that self-compassion accounted for a significant and unique amount of variance in all measures of functioning (r range: .07 – .32, all p < .001). Beta weights indicated that higher self-compassion was associated with lower pain-related fear, depression, and disability, as well as greater pain acceptance, success in valued activities, and utilization of pain coping strategies. These findings suggest that self-compassion may be a relevant adaptive process in those with chronic pain. Targeted interventions to improve self-compassion in those with chronic pain may be useful. SIGNIFICANCE: Self-compassion is associated with better functioning across multiple general and pain-specific outcomes, with the strongest associations among measures related to psychological functioning and valued living. These findings indicate that self-compassion may be an adaptive process that could minimize the negative impact of chronic pain on important areas of life. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Learn More >Pain in Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common and heterogeneous non-motor symptom. Though the characteristics and predictors of pain in general and of central pain in particular are still largely unknown.
Learn More >A comparative cohort study with 13-year follow-up.
Learn More >To characterize unmet treatment needs in a sample of Migraine in America Symptoms and Treatment (MAST) Study participants using oral, acute prescription migraine medications.
Learn More >Consultation-based reassurance for patients with low back pain (LBP) in primary care has been shown to be associated with patients' outcomes. Little is known about the role of reassurance in people with LBP consulting with orthopaedic spinal care teams. Reassurance may be important, especially in cases where surgery is not indicated and patients are discharged without treatment.
Learn More >Chronic pain remains a major public health issue that affects the lives of many worldwide, including patients with chronic pain. Comorbidities like depression have been associated with decreased quality of sleep, decreased enjoyment of life activities, increased anxiety, and decreased efficacy in treatments among patients with chronic pain. Despite these associations, the trends and demographic characteristics of patients with chronic pain with depression is yet to be investigated.
Learn More >To prospectively evaluate the abuse potential of NKTR-181, a novel opioid analgesic, in two phase 3 clinical trials using a newly developed reporting system: the Misuse, Abuse, and Diversion Drug Event Reporting System (MADDERS®).
Learn More >Although pain reduction after alcohol administration has repeatedly been demonstrated, alcohol effects on advanced and clinically relevant dynamic pain paradigms are still unknown. As such, temporal summation of pain (TSP) and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) indicate mechanisms of endogenous pain modulation and involve certain neurotransmitter systems crucially influenced by alcohol. Our study is the first to investigate acute alcohol effects on TSP and CPM. We investigated 39 healthy subjects in a placebo-controlled within-subject design and targeted alcohol levels of 0.06% (dose 1) and 0.08% (dose 2). Pain threshold, TSP, and CPM were evaluated before and after an alcoholic or placebo drink. Temporal summation of pain was assessed as enhanced pain response to 5 repetitive contact heat stimuli (threshold +3°C). Conditioned pain modulation was tested as pain inhibition when a conditioning stimulus (46°C hot water) was applied concurrently to a test stimulus (contact heat; threshold + 3°C). Both alcohol doses boosted CPM, with a greater effect size for the higher dose. Conditioning stimulus ratings increased after alcohol intake but were not correlated with CPM, suggesting independence of these effects. Temporal summation of pain was not affected by alcohol, and alcohol effects on pain threshold were small and limited to the higher dose. Our findings suggest that analgesic alcohol effects might be mainly driven by an enhancement of endogenous pain inhibition. The frequent use of alcohol as self-medication in chronic pain might be motivated by alcohol temporarily restoring deficient CPM, thus leading to pain relief in the short run and alcohol-related problems in the long run.
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