European journal of pain : EJP
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The low quality of included trials, insufficient rigour in review methodology, ignorance of key pain issues, small size, and over-optimistic judgements about the direction and magnitude of treatment effects all devalue systematic reviews, supposedly the 'gold standard' of evidence. Available evidence indicates that almost all systematic reviews in the published literature contain fatal flaws likely to make their conclusions incorrect and misleading. ⋯ We argue that results of most systematic reviews should be dismissed. Forensically critical systematic reviews are essential tools to improve the quality of trials and should be encouraged and protected.
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This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of analgesia and incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) of several widely used clinical treatments for postoperative analgesia following abdominal surgery through network meta-analysis (NMA) based on published randomized controlled trials (RCTs). ⋯ The findings from our work provide evidence that preoperative paravertebral block was superior to continuous or postoperative wound infiltration to provide postoperative analgesia, nausea and vomiting after abdominal surgery.
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Multicenter Study
The characteristics and prognostic role of acute abdominal on-admission pain in acute pancreatitis: a prospective cohort analysis of 1432 cases.
Pain is the most common symptom in acute pancreatitis (AP) and is among the diagnostic criteria. Therefore, we aimed to characterize acute abdominal pain in AP. ⋯ Acute abdominal pain is the leading presenting symptom in acute pancreatitis; however, we currently lack specific guidelines for pain assessment and management. In our cohort analysis, intense and sharp pain on admission was associated with higher odds for severe AP and several systemic and local complications. Therefore, a comprehensive patient interview should include questions about pain characteristics and patients with intense and sharp pain might need closer monitoring.
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Nerve injury can lead to ectopic activation of injured nociceptorsand central sensitization characterized by allodynia and hyperalgesia. Reduction in the activity of primary afferent neurons has been shown to be sufficient in alleviating peripherally generated pain. The cell bodies of such trigeminal nociceptors are located in the trigeminal ganglia (TG) with central processes that terminate in the brainstem trigeminal nucleus caudalis (TNC). The TG is therefore a strategic locus where afferent input can be manipulated. We hypothesized that chemogenetic inhibition of TG would suppress TNC neuronal activity and attenuate pain behaviour in a rat model of painful traumatic trigeminal neuropathy (PTTN). ⋯ Trigeminal neuropathic pain is highly resistant to therapy and we are in dire need of novel approaches. This study provides further evidence for the successful application of DREADDs as an effective tool for modulating central nervous system function. CNO mediated activation of hM4Di-DREADDs in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) attenuates nerve injury induced neuropathic pain by acting on hyperactive TG cells. It also establishes the TG as an effective target to manage pain in the face and head. Accessing the TG in clinical populations is a relatively simple and safe procedure, making this approach highly significant. Moreover, the methodology described here has applications in trigeminal neuropathic pain from traumatic other etiologies and in spinal neuropathic pain. Chronic pain syndromes are characterized by a progressive failure of brain centers to adequately inhibit pain and as these are identified, we may be able to target them for therapy. Therefore, our findings might have wide application in chronic pain syndromes.
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We evaluated different pain profiles as prospective predictors of multisite pain in 13-year-old adolescents (1300 girls and 1457 boys) enrolled in Generation XXI, a birth cohort study in Portugal. ⋯ We identified sex-specific pain features that can be collected by practitioners in the first decade of life to improve the stratification of children in terms of their future risk of a maladaptive pain experience in adolescence. Using a prospective population-based cohort design, we show that early multisite pain and psychosocial triggers are relevant predictors of future multisite pain in girls, whereas repeated reports of high-frequency pain leading to activity restrictions are predictive of adolescent multisite pain in boys.