Der Schmerz
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A randomized, double-blind study was performed to test the analgesic effect of salmon calcitonin (sCT). The pain threshold of ten healthy subjects was measured during electrical stimulation of the dental pulp. Each subject underwent four different tests, whereby sCT at doses of 50 IU, 100 IU and 200 IU or placebo was administered subcutaneously. ⋯ The maximal threshold change was also significantly dependent on the dosage: with placebo the maximal change was 4 mA, while with sCT 50, sCT 100, and sCT 200 it was 14, 17 and 18 mA, respectively. The plasma levels of sCT and its analgesic activity were significantly correlated, as was demonstrated by means of linear regression based upon the bilogarithmic transformation of the plasma concentration. Altogether, the results prove conclusively that calcitonin given systemically possesses primary analgesic efficacy, a property that fits well into its spectrum of activity in the treatment of (painful) bone diseases.
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Neuroadenolysis of the pituitary (NALP) is an efficient measure for treatment of severe pain in patients with bony metastases. It is especially recommended for primary carcinomas of the breast or prostate. The procedure, transsphenoidal puncture of the pituitary under radiographic control and instillation of up to 2 ml 95% alcohol, is simple. ⋯ The following results are significant (P<0.05): (1) LH: poststimulation values are extremely suppressed; (2) FSH: basal values decrease; (3) ACTH: basal values decrease after the 6th day. The antalgic effect of NALP is independent of its hormonal consequences. NALP produces hormonal suppressions of various degrees, and is not a "chemical hypophysectomy".