Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Plasma adrenaline increases in anesthetized patients given electro-acupuncture before surgery.
In anesthetized patients, electro-acupuncture (EA) has been found to reduce sevoflurane-induced suppression of cranial and spinal motor responses to surgery without influencing the level of anesthesia. The underlying mechanisms are unclear. In the present study, blood samples were analyzed to evaluate if the increased clinical motor responses to surgery in patients subjected to EA under sevoflurane anesthesia are also reflected in higher plasma levels of catecholamines, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), or cortisol. ⋯ The clinical facilitation of both cranial and spinal motor responses to surgery in patients given acupuncture under sevoflurane anesthesia is associated with increased plasma levels of adrenaline, possibly reflecting sympathetic activation.
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Case Reports
Intrathecal granuloma formation in a patient receiving long-term spinal infusion of tramadol.
Intrathecal granuloma associated to the tip of subarachnoid catheters implanted in patients receiving long-term spinal infusion is a rare but potentially catastrophic complication. Its development seems to be related to the intrathecal administration of opioid drugs, although not all opioids induce granuloma formation with the same frequency. ⋯ Chronic intrathecal administration of high-dose tramadol could cause an inflammatory mass as it can be caused by similar, off-label infusions of morphine or hydromorphone. Additionally, tramadol stimulates the activity of natural killers and the proliferation of lymphocytes.
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The study aims to compare the omega-6 (n-6) and omega-3 (n-3) highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA), and trans fatty acid (trans FA) status of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) patients to pain-free controls. ⋯ These pilot data suggest that elevated n-6 HUFA and trans FA may play a role in CRPS pathogenesis. These findings should be replicated, and more research is needed to explore the clinical significance of low n-6 and trans FA diets with or without concurrent n-3 HUFA supplementation, for the management of CRPS.
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The Self-Administered Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (S-LANSS) is a 7-item self-report scale developed to identify pain of predominantly neuropathic origin. The aim of this study was to develop a Turkish version of the S-LANSS and to test its validity and reliability in chronic pain patients. ⋯ This study reports the first validation of a translated version of the S-LANNS into another language. The results suggest that the Turkish version of S-LANSS is a reliable and valid differential diagnostic measure of neuropathic pain in chronic pain patients.