Articles: analgesics.
-
Opioids exert analgesic effects by agonizing opioid receptors and activating signaling pathways coupled to receptors such as G-protein and/or β-arrestin. Concomitant respiratory depression (RD) is a common clinical problem, and improvement of RD is usually achieved with specific antagonists such as naloxone; however, naloxone antagonizes opioid analgesia and may produce more unknown adverse effects. ⋯ At present, the focus is mainly on the development of new opioids with weak respiratory inhibition or the use of non-opioid drugs to stimulate breathing. This review reports recent advances in novel opioid agents, such as mixed opioid receptor agonists, peripheral selective opioid receptor agonists, opioid receptor splice variant agonists, biased opioid receptor agonists, and allosteric modulators of opioid receptors, as well as in non-opioid agents, such as AMPA receptor modulators, 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor agonists, phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors, and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists.
-
Multicenter Study
Opioid prescribing requirements to minimize unused medications after an emergency department visit for acute pain: a prospective cohort study.
Unused opioid prescriptions can be a driver of opioid misuse. Our objective was to determine the optimal quantity of opioids to prescribe to patients with acute pain at emergency department discharge, in order to meet their analgesic needs while limiting the amount of unused opioids. ⋯ Two-thirds of opioid tablets prescribed at emergency department discharge for acute pain were unused, whereas opioid requirements varied significantly based on the cause of acute pain. Smaller, cause-specific opioid prescriptions could provide adequate pain management while reducing the risk of opioid misuse.
-
Letter Case Reports
Acetaminophen as a cause of "non-acetaminophen-related acute liver failure".
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Anterior quadratus lumborum block provided superior pain control and reduced opioid consumption in kidney transplantation: A randomized controlled trial.
The research aimed to assess the effectiveness of inside-out anterior quadratus lumborum (QL3) block and local wound infiltration in managing postoperative pain and total morphine dosage following kidney transplantation. ⋯ Ultrasound-assisted inside-out QL3 block significantly reduced postoperative pain levels at the 2nd and 4th hours, both at rest and during movement, and led to a reduction in cumulative morphine consumption from the 4th hour postoperatively, and persisting throughout the 24-hour period.
-
Background and Objectives: Attentional bias (AB) for addictive substances is a feature of attention found in individuals with substance misuse or diagnosed with substance use disorders. When AB exists, the attention of the addicted individual may be quickly oriented to cues related to the addictive substance or be maintained on these cues for a longer time. AB toward opioids was found in Western samples of smokers with chronic noncancer pain. ⋯ However, chronic pain nonsmokers exhibited initial orientation toward opioid-related cues when daily cigarette consumption was accounted for. According to previous research, this AB for shortly displayed opioid cues can be associated with the expectation of pain relief. The current finding also indicated general psychomotor retardation in individuals who were on long-term use of opioids.