European journal of pain : EJP
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Microvascular dysfunction and ischaemia in muscle play a role in the development of cutaneous tactile allodynia in chronic post-ischaemia pain (CPIP). Hence, studies were designed to assess whether pentoxifylline (PTX), a vasodilator and haemorrheologic agent, relieves allodynia in CPIP rats by alleviating microvascular dysfunction. ⋯ Since poor tissue perfusion underlies early stages of CPIP pain, the ameliorative effect of PTX on microvascular dysfunction might account for its anti-allodynic effect in our experimental model of complex regional pain syndrome type I.
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The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that associations with specific stress systems [hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and growth hormone (GH) axes] would increase as the number of unexplained disorders increased while accounting for the possible confounding effects of psychosocial factors. ⋯ Although previous studies have shown that stress axis function acts to moderate the risk of onset of some of these disorders, the present study shows that the degree of dysfunction is not correlated with a corresponding increasing load of disorders. The uncertainty surrounding the role of these biomarkers in the aetiology of unexplained disorders needs further investigation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
An experimental investigation of the effect of a justice violation on pain experience and expression among individuals with high and low just world beliefs.
Perceptions of injustice are linked with poorer physical and psychological outcomes in the context of pain and injury. Violations of injustice can arise out of violations of just world belief (JWB). However, no study has yet examined whether JWB moderates the effect of justice violation on pain experience. ⋯ Our results indicate that individuals with high JWB may show particularly adverse reactions in response to justice violations in the context of acute pain experience.
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Acacetin is a bioflavonoid with pharmacological properties such as antinociceptive/anti-inflammatory activities. However, scientific evidence of its spectrum activity and mechanisms of action is unknown. ⋯ Our data showed that systemic administration of acacetin decreased visceral and inflammatory nociception and prevented the formalin-induced oedema. In the mechanism of the acacetin antinociceptive effect, 5-HT1A, GABA/BDZs and opioid receptors but not the NO-cGMP-K(+) channel pathway seem to be involved. The data presented prove acacetin to be potentially useful in the therapy of pain-related diseases.
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Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in the development of chronic pain that is refractory to conventional treatment. Progesterone, a neuroprotective steroid, may offer a promising perspective in pain modulation after central injury. Here, we explore the impact of progesterone administration on the post-injury inflammatory cascade involving the enzymes cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) at the spinal cord level. We also analyse pain behaviours, the profile of glial cell activation, and IκB-α mRNA levels, as an index of NF-κB transactivation. ⋯ Our results suggest that progesterone, by modulating early neuroinflammatory events triggered after SCI, may represent a useful strategy to prevent the development of central chronic pain.