European journal of pain : EJP
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There is ample research to support the existence of bias in the perception of others' pain. Both studies involving health-care professionals and student surrogate samples have found that, firstly, pain is under-perceived when using nonverbal cues to gauge another's suffering and, secondly, that personal characteristics of both the viewer and the target (such as gender) can bias pain perception, affecting the allocation of help. However, the extant research shows conflicts about the direction of the bias that target gender exerts on pain perception. Our study aims to address these challenges by examining whether under-perception of pain can be attenuated or exacerbated with gender primes and how target gender affects nonverbal pain perception, in particular. ⋯ These results suggest that gender cues may influence the perception of observed pain and, as a result, clinical decision making. They also support the conjecture that nonverbal pain cues may be under-perceived in women.
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Evidence has accumulated indicating that microglia within the spinal cord play a critical role in morphine tolerance. The present study investigated the effects and possible mechanisms of 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator resveratrol and AICAR to inhibit microglial activation and to limit the decrease in antinociceptive effects of morphine. ⋯ Resveratrol directly suppresses morphine-induced microglial activation through activating AMPK, resulting in significant attenuation of morphine antinociceptive tolerance.
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We have recently demonstrated that intrathecal (i.t.) administration of angiotensin II (Ang II) induces nociceptive behaviour in mice accompanied by a phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) mediated through Ang II type 1 (AT1 ) receptors. The N-terminal fragment of Ang II, Ang (1-7), plays a pivotal role in counterbalancing many of the well-established actions induced by Ang II. However, the role of Ang (1-7) in spinal nociceptive transmission remains unclear. Therefore, we examined whether i.t. administration of Ang (1-7) can inhibit the Ang II-induced nociceptive behaviour in mice. ⋯ Our data show that the i.t. administration of Ang (1-7) attenuates an Ang II-induced nociceptive behaviour and is accompanied by the inhibition of p38 MAPK phosphorylation mediated through Mas receptors.
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Botulinum toxin A (Onabot/A) has been shown to have an antinociceptive effect. This might be due to an impairment of sensory nerves not only in the peripheral but also in the central nervous system. In this work, we analysed both systems by studying the effect of intrathecal (i.t.) administration of botulinum toxin A in an animal model of bladder pain and hyperactivity induced by cyclophosphamide (CYP). ⋯ Our findings suggest that i.t. Onabot/A has a strong analgesic effect in a model of severe bladder pain. This route of administration can be further explored to treat intractable forms of pain.