International journal of clinical pharmacology research
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Int J Clin Pharmacol Res · Jan 1991
Endogenous opiate response to pain in rheumatoid arthritis and cortical and subcortical response to pain in normal volunteers using positron emission tomography.
Identification of the main areas in the brain that respond specifically to the "suffering" components of pain has been achieved by using serial dynamic measurements of blood flow as an index of synaptic activity. Specific response to a repeated painful thermal stimulus as compared to a non-painful thermal stimulus in normal male volunteers identified the anterior cingulate cortex and the thalamus contralateral to the side of stimulation as the main sites of significant response. ⋯ In the two patients with active rheumatoid arthritis substantial changes in opioid receptor binding in the brain are described. The significance of these findings are discussed.
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Int J Clin Pharmacol Res · Jan 1991
The importance of non-opioid analgesics for cancer pain relief according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization.
In a retrospective study of 1070 cancer patients being treated according to guidelines of the World Health Organization during a period of 55,285 days, the importance, efficacy and side-effects of non-opioid analgesics were evaluated. The non-opioids were given alone on 6917 days and in combination with weak opioids on 15,253 days, with strong opioids on 24,246 days and with spinal opioids on 1008 days. In evaluating efficacy and safety, it was not possible to differentiate adequately between the effects of non-opioids, opioids and adjuvant drugs, but it was demonstrated that an adequate combination of these drugs was effective and safe in the treatment of cancer pain.