European journal of pain : EJP
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Surveys show consistently that pain is not treated well. Improvement depends on knowing which treatments are the most effective. We used systematic review to compare the relative efficacy of two common analgesics, ibuprofen and diclofenac, in post-operative pain. ⋯ Both drugs worked well. Choosing between them is an issue of dose, safety and cost. Copyright 1998 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain.
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The formalin test is a well-established model for assessing nociceptive processes and analgesic drug effects. Previous studies have provided statistical validation of optimal procedures for conducting and scoring the rat formalin test. In the mouse model, formalin concentration has been subjected to validation studies. ⋯ Multiple regression analyses defined the optimal second-phase formalin response in outbred, Swiss-Webster mice as 15-35 min post formalin injection, and revealed that the second-phase response is best characterized by the cumulative time spent biting/licking the injected paw. Finally, paw physiological measures provided convergent evidence of nociceptive and antinociceptive processes in the mouse formalin test. Copyright 1998European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain.
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The extent of surgical trauma was related to postoperative pain intensity in a previous study. However, more extensive surgical procedures with higher baseline pain intensity did not appear to influence the ability to document the additive analgesic effect of codeine when given with paracetamol, partly due to large interindividual variation in baseline pain intensity. The aim of the present study was to attempt to improve upside assay sensitivity in this dental pain model by: (1) selecting patients with high baseline pain intensity; and (2) closer supervision of outpatients>> drug intake and compliance with protocol. ⋯ More pain relief was revealed when codeine 60 mg was added to paracetamol 1000 mg on the following measures of effect: change of pain intensity with time (p<0.05, Mann-Whitney), sum of pain intensities (p=0.019), pain intensity difference (p
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A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to study the analgesic efficacy of the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor antagonist memantine (1-amino-3,5-dimethyladamantane hydrochloride) in relieving postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Memantine (or an identical-looking placebon=12/group) was administered at a dose of 10 mg/day for one week, and 20 mg/day for an additional 4 weeks. All patients were required to record their pain level twice daily during the entire study period, with the use of a 0-10 numerical pain scale (NPS). ⋯ Although three patients were withdrawn from the memantine group and only one from the control group, no differences in incidence of adverse effects between the two groups were found. Study results show that memantine is ineffective in reducing spontaneous and evoked pain in patients with PHN. Copyright 1998 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain.