Neurology
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Pain usually results from activation of nociceptive afferents by actually or potentially tissue-damaging stimuli. Pain may also arise by activity generated within the nervous system without adequate stimulation of its peripheral sensory endings. For this type of pain, the International Association for the Study of Pain introduced the term neuropathic pain, defined as "pain initiated or caused by a primary lesion or dysfunction in the nervous system." While this definition has been useful in distinguishing some characteristics of neuropathic and nociceptive types of pain, it lacks defined boundaries. ⋯ The grade possible can only be regarded as a working hypothesis, which does not exclude but does not diagnose neuropathic pain. The grades probable and definite require confirmatory evidence from a neurologic examination. This grading system is proposed for clinical and research purposes.
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The authors estimated the prevalence and severity of cutaneous allodynia (CA) in individuals with primary headaches from the general population. ⋯ Cutaneous allodynia (CA) is more common and more severe in transformed migraine and migraine than in other primary headaches. Among migraineurs, CA is associated with female sex, headache frequency, increased body mass index, disability, and depression.
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Disruptive behavior can have a significant impact on care delivery, which can adversely affect patient safety and quality outcomes of care. Disruptive behavior occurs across all disciplines but is of particular concern when it involves physicians and nurses who have primary responsibility for patient care. ⋯ Health care organizations need to be aware of the significance of disruptive behaviors and develop appropriate policies, standards, and procedures to effectively deal with this serious issue and reinforce appropriate standards of behavior. Having a better understanding of what contributes to, incites, or provokes disruptive behaviors will help organizations provide appropriate educational and training programs that can lessen the likelihood of occurrence and improve the overall effectiveness of communication among the health care team.
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Comparative Study
High pulse pressure protects against headache: prospective and cross-sectional data (HUNT study).
Many antihypertensive drugs are also used as migraine prophylactics, but the relationship between blood pressure and headache is not been well understood. The objective of the present study was to explore the association between blood pressure and headache prevalence, and the effect of antihypertensive medication on this relationship, using both cross-sectional and prospective data from a large population. ⋯ Both increased systolic blood pressure and pulse pressure are related to arterial stiffness and may decrease headache prevalence through modulation of the baroreflex arch, which in turn generates hypoalgesia. This is due to a phenomenon called hypertension-associated hypalgesia. Stimulation of the baroreflex arch in response to increased blood pressure is assumed to inhibit pain transmission at both spinal and supraspinal levels, possibly because of an interaction of the centers modulating nociception and cardiovascular reflexes in the brainstem.