The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society
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The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of smoking status after a diagnosis of lung cancer on reported pain levels. We conducted a telephone survey of patients with lung cancer identified from 4 participating sites between September 2004 and July 2006. Patients were asked to rate their usual pain level over the past week on a 0 to 10 rating scale on which 0 was "no pain" and 10 "pain as bad as you can imagine." We operationally defined persistent smokers as patients who reported continuing to smoke after their lung cancer diagnosis. A logistic regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis that persistent smokers report higher usual pain levels than nonsmokers. Overall, 893 patients completed the survey. The majority (76%) was found to have advanced cancer (stages IIIb and IV). The mean age was 63 years (SD = 10). Seventeen percent of the patients studied were categorized as persistent smokers. The mean pain score for the study sample was 3.1 (SD = 2.7) and 41% reported moderate (4 to 6) or severe pain (7 to 10). A greater proportion of persistent smokers reported moderate or severe pain than nonsmokers or former smokers (P < .001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that smoking status was associated with the usual pain even after adjusting for age, perceived health status, and other lung cancer symptoms such as dyspnea, fatigue, and trouble eating. In conclusion, patients who continue to smoke after a diagnosis of lung cancer report higher levels of usual pain than nonsmokers or former smokers. More research is needed to understand the mechanisms that relate nicotine intake to pain and disease progression in late-stage lung cancer. ⋯ This article examines the relationship between pain and persistent smoking in patients with lung cancer. Although more research is needed to understand the mechanisms that relate nicotine intake to pain and disease progression, physicians can promote smoking cessation in patients with lung cancer to improve health and quality of life.
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Although intrathecal (i.t.) administration of the alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonist clonidine has a pronounced analgesic effect, the clinical use of clonidine is limited by its side effects. Previously, our laboratory has demonstrated that the subcutaneous injection of diluted bee venom (DBV) into an acupoint (termed apipuncture) produces significant analgesic effect in various pain animal models. The present study was designed to examine whether DBV injection into the Zusanli acupoint (ST-36) could enhance lower-dose clonidine-induced analgesic effects without the development of hypotension, bradycardia, or sedation. In the mouse formalin test, DBV injection produced a dramatic leftward shift in the dose-response curve for clonidine-induced analgesia. In a rat neuropathic pain model i.t. clonidine dose dependently suppressed chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, and this clonidine-induced analgesic effect was significantly potentiated by apipuncture pretreatment. DBV apipuncture alone or in combination with a low dose of i.t. clonidine produced an analgesic effect similar to that of the high dose of clonidine, but without significant side effects. The analgesic effect produced by the combination of i.t. clonidine and apipuncture was completely blocked by pretreatment with an alpha(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist. These data show that DBV-apipuncture significantly enhances clonidine-induced analgesia and suggest that a combination of low dose clonidine with acupuncture therapy represents a novel strategy for pain management that could eliminates clonidine's side effects. ⋯ This study demonstrated that intrathecal clonidine-induced analgesia is significantly enhanced when it is combined with chemical acupuncture treatment. The administration of low-dose clonidine in combination with acupuncture produced a potent analgesic effect without significant side effects and thus represents a potential novel strategy for the management of chronic pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Diclofenac potassium attenuates dysmenorrhea and restores exercise performance in women with primary dysmenorrhea.
We assessed the efficacy of diclofenac potassium, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, in alleviating menstrual pain and restoring exercise performance to that measured in the late-follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Twelve healthy young women with a history of primary dysmenorrhea completed, in a random order, laboratory exercise-testing sessions when they were in the late-follicular (no menstruation, no pain) phase of the menstrual cycle and when they were experiencing dysmenorrhea and receiving, in a double-blinded fashion, either 100 mg of diclofenac potassium or placebo. We assessed the women's leg strength (1-repetition maximum test), aerobic capacity (treadmill walking test), and ability to perform a functional test (task-specific test). Compared with placebo, diclofenac potassium significantly decreased dysmenorrhea on the day of administration (Visual Analog Scale, P < .001 at all times). When receiving placebo for menstrual pain, the women's performance in the tests was decreased significantly, compared with when they were receiving diclofenac potassium for menstrual pain (P < .05) and compared with when they were in the late-follicular phase of the menstrual cycle (P < .05 for treadmill test, P < .01 for task-specific test and 1-repetition maximum test). Administration of diclofenac potassium for menstrual pain restored exercise performance to a level not different from that achieved in the late-follicular phase of the cycle. ⋯ In women with primary dysmenorrhea, menstrual pain, if untreated, decreases laboratory-assessed exercise performance. A recommended daily dose of a readily available nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, diclofenac potassium, is effective in relieving menstrual pain and restoring physical performance to levels achieved when the women were in the late-follicular (no menstruation, no pain) phase of the menstrual cycle.
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Optimal methods to predict risk of aberrant drug-related behaviors before initiation of opioids for chronic noncancer pain and to identify aberrant behaviors after therapy is initiated are uncertain. We systematically reviewed published literature identified through searches of Ovid MEDLINE and the Cochrane databases through July 2008. Diagnostic test characteristics and accompanying confidence intervals were calculated with data extracted from the studies. Four prospective studies evaluated diagnostic accuracy of risk prediction instruments. Two higher-quality derivation studies found that high scores on the Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain (SOAPP) Version 1 and the Revised SOAPP (SOAPP-R) instruments weakly increased the likelihood for future aberrant drug-related behaviors (positive likelihood ratios [PLR], 2.90 [95% CI, 1.91 to 4.39] and 2.50 [95% CI, 1.93 to 3.24], respectively). Low scores on the SOAPP Version 1 moderately decreased the likelihood for aberrant drug-related behaviors (negative likelihood ratio [NLR], 0.13 [95% CI, 0.05 to 0.34]) and low scores on the SOAPP-R weakly decreased the likelihood (NLR, 0.29 [95% CI, 0.18 to 0.46]), but estimates are too imprecise to determine if there is a difference between these instruments. One lower-quality study found that categorization as high risk using the Opioid Risk Tool strongly increased the likelihood for future aberrant drug-related behaviors (PLR, 14.3 [95% CI, 5.35 to 38.4]) and classification as low risk strongly decreased the likelihood (PLR, 0.08 [95% CI, 0.01 to 0.62]). Nine studies evaluated monitoring instruments for identification of aberrant drug-related behaviors in patients on opioid therapy. One higher-quality derivation study found higher scores on the Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM) weakly increased the likelihood of current aberrant drug-related behaviors (PLR, 2.77 [95% CI, 2.06 to 3.72]) and lower scores weakly decreased the likelihood (NLR, 0.35 [95% CI, 0.24 to 0.52]). In 8 studies of other monitoring instruments, diagnostic accuracy was poor, results were difficult to interpret due to methodological shortcomings, or standard diagnostic test characteristics were not reported. Definitions for aberrant drug-related behaviors were not standardized across studies and did not account for seriousness of identified behaviors. No reliable evidence exists on accuracy of urine drug screening, pill counts, or prescription drug monitoring programs; or clinical outcomes associated with different assessment or monitoring strategies. ⋯ Evidence on prediction and identification of aberrant drug-related behaviors is limited. Although several screening instruments may be useful, evidence is sparse and primarily based on derivation studies, and methodological shortcomings exist in all studies. Research that performs external validation, uses standardized definitions for clinically relevant aberrant drug-related behaviors, and evaluates clinical outcomes associated with different assessment and monitoring strategies is needed.