The Clinical journal of pain
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Sex differences in the response threshold to painful stimuli and the higher number of chronic pain syndromes in women than in men have prompted a series of studies on lower animals and humans aimed at clarifying the role of gonadal hormones in pain. ⋯ This article examines the morphologic and functional aspects of gonadal hormone systems and the relations between gonadal hormones and pain circuits, to identify areas deserving of increased attention in elucidating the endocrine mechanisms that contribute to abnormal pain states.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Efficacy of a self-management group intervention for elderly persons with chronic pain.
To assess the efficacy of a self-management group intervention in improving physical functioning, mood, and pain among elderly persons with chronic pain, and to identify factors that may be associated with improvement. ⋯ This study provides preliminary support for the efficacy of a self-management group intervention for older adults with chronic pain and has implications for future studies of such approaches for this and similar populations.
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The treatment of pain during pregnancy other than that of labor is a clinical issue that has not been addressed in a systematic manner. ⋯ Experience in women seeking recovery from opioids and their newborns illustrates that opioids are an effective and safe pharmacological option for the treatment of pain during pregnancy. Controlled studies are needed to expand knowledge in this clinical area.
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The aim of this study is to describe the incidence and characteristics of pain, sensory abnormalities, abnormal body sweating, and pathologic gustatory sweating in pain patients with persistent post-sympathectomy pain. ⋯ The present study does not allow for conclusions about the effectiveness of surgical sympathectomy for neuropathic pain. However, our findings indicate that if the pain persists after the procedure, the complications may be quite serious and at times worse than the problem for which the surgery was originally performed.
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Analgesic drug development as currently undertaken is limited by a number of factors that contribute to the paucity of new analgesics introduced into clinical practice despite marked advances in delineating of the molecular-genetic mechanisms contributing to acute and chronic pain. The participants in this workshop explored the unmet need in analgesia and recommended strategies for enhancing analgesic drug development in the future. The workshop concluded that translating scientific advances into improved pain relief will require new thinking and a cooperative effort among the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies, funding agencies, the biomedical research community, professional societies and clinicians. The workshop also recommended that a better understanding of the epidemiology of pain could contribute to improvement in clinical trial methodology and outcome measures.