São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Post-thoracotomy pain relief with subpleural analgesia or thoracic epidural analgesia: randomized clinical trial.
Post-thoracotomy pain is a severe and intense pain caused by trauma to ribs, muscles and peripheral nerves. The current study aimed to compare subpleural analgesia (SPA) with thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) in patients undergoing thoracotomy. ⋯ Thoracic epidural analgesia is superior to subpleural analgesia for relieving post-thoracotomy pain. We suggest that studies on effective drug dosages for providing subpleural analgesia are necessary.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of preoperative gabapentin on pain intensity and development of chronic pain after carpal tunnel syndrome surgical treatment in women: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Effective postoperative analgesia is important for reducing the incidence of chronic pain. This study evaluated the effect of preoperative gabapentin on postoperative analgesia and the incidence of chronic pain among patients undergoing carpal tunnel syndrome surgical treatment. ⋯ Preoperative gabapentin (600 mg) did not improve postoperative pain control, and did not reduce the incidence of chronic pain among patients undergoing carpal tunnel syndrome surgery.
-
Review
Perspectives for treating Alzheimer's disease: a review on promising pharmacological substances.
Dementia is a syndrome characterized by functional and cognitive decline. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common causes of dementia and has high prevalence among the elderly. It is known that there is no drug capable of interfering with the course of the disease. Research on treatments for AD has been marked by the appearance of new drugs and their abandonment. This study aimed to describe drugs that have been studied with regard to treating AD and which are capable of influencing the course of the disease. ⋯ There are no drugs capable of influencing the course of AD such that treatments are safe and effective. However, immunomodulators stood out as promising, given their effectiveness and quality in the articles analyzed.
-
Non-specific low back pain is a major health problem worldwide. Interventions based on exercises have been the most commonly used treatments for patients with this condition. Over the past few years, the Pilates method has been one of the most popular exercise programmes used in clinical practice. ⋯ We did not find any high quality evidence for any of the treatment comparisons, outcomes or follow-up periods investigated. However, there is low to moderate quality evidence that Pilates is more effective than minimal intervention for pain and disability. When Pilates was compared with other exercises we found a small effect for function at intermediate-term follow-up. Thus, while there is some evidence for the effectiveness of Pilates for low back pain, there is no conclusive evidence that it is superior to other forms of exercises. The decision to use Pilates for low back pain may be based on the patient's or care provider's preferences, and costs.