Pain
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Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) and painful bladder syndrome (PBS), subgroups of chronic pelvic pain syndromes (CPPS), are considered to share common biophysiological peripheral mechanisms. In addition, indications of a pronociceptive pain profile coexisting with psychological vulnerability suggest common dysfunctional pain processing and pain modulation in these 2 subgroups of CPPS. We therefore aimed at comparing the pain profile and psychological traits of patients with PVD and PBS to see whether the pain profile contributes to intersubject variability of clinical pain symptoms. ⋯ The latter was also correlated with pain catastrophizing (r = 0.504, P = 0.001) and depression symptoms (r = 0.361, P = 0.024). The findings suggest common mechanisms underlying a dysfunctional nociceptive system in both PVD and PBS. The intersubject variability in the level of dysfunction and its association with disease severity recommends a personalized pain treatment that may alleviate daily pain and dysfunction in patients with CPPS.
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The prediction of acute postoperative pain would be of great clinical advantage, but results of studies investigating possible predictors are inconsistent. Here, we studied the role of a wide variety of previously suggested predictors in 74 patients undergoing breast surgery. Preoperatively, patients filled out the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) and a set of psychological questionnaires (the Beck Depression Inventory [BDI], State-Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI], and Pain Catastrophizing Scale [PCS]) and participated in an experimental pain testing session, including assessment of conditioned pain modulation (CPM), temporal summation, and responses to heat, pinprick, and pressure pain. ⋯ In conclusion, prediction of acute postoperative pain in the whole group was limited. This might be due to differing predictors in specific subgroups of patients. Although CPM predicted pain in patients without pre-existing chronic pain, PSQ and PCS predicted pain in patients with pre-existing chronic pain.
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Previous studies estimate that >40% of long-stay nursing home (NH) residents experience persistent pain, with 20% of residents in pain receiving no analgesics. Strengthened NH surveyor guidance and improved pain measures on the Minimum Data Set 3.0 were introduced in March 2009 and October 2010, respectively. This study aimed to provide estimates after the important initiatives of (1) prevalence and correlates of persistent pain; and (2) prevalence and correlates of untreated or undertreated persistent pain. ⋯ One in 5 NH residents has persistent pain. Although this estimate is greatly improved, many residents may be undertreated. The disturbing disparities in untreated and undertreated pain need to be addressed.
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Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is one of the most common dose-limiting side effects of cancer treatment. Currently, there is no Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment available. Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is a microtubule-associated deacetylase whose function includes regulation of α-tubulin-dependent intracellular mitochondrial transport. ⋯ HDAC6 inhibition restored the loss of intraepidermal nerve fiber density in cisplatin-treated mice. Our results demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of HDAC6 completely reverses all the hallmarks of established cisplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy by normalization of mitochondrial function in dorsal root ganglia and nerve, and restoration of intraepidermal innervation. These results are especially promising because one of the HDAC6 inhibitors tested here is currently in clinical trials as an add-on cancer therapy, highlighting the potential for a fast clinical translation of our findings.