Articles: neuropathic-pain.
-
Case Reports Observational Study
Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography to Distinguish Muscle Changes in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type 1 from Those of Neuropathic Pain: An Observational Study.
Musculoskeletal ultrasonography (MSK USG) can identify myofascial structural lesions. We describe in this retrospective report the observational findings of USG data of muscles from limbs affected with neuropathic pain in 7 patients and compare them with muscles affected with complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS-1) in 7 patients. We highlight findings that distinguish between the 2 conditions. ⋯ Muscle edema was found in some patients. In comparison, MSK USG in muscles affected by neuropathic pain exhibited structural normalcy, but also showed considerable reduction in muscle bulk. Musculoskeletal ultrasonography shows promise as a diagnostic modality to distinguish between these 2 conditions which presently have only clinical diagnostic criteria to aid diagnosis.
-
Recent studies reported the translocator protein (TSPO) to play critical roles in several kinds of neurological diseases including the inflammatory and neuropathic pain. However, the precise mechanism remains unclear. This study was undertaken to explore the distribution and possible mechanism of spinal TSPO against chronic neuropathic pain (CNP) in a rat model of L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL). ⋯ Ro5-4864 also attenuated the spinal CXCR2 and p-ERK expressions. These results suggested that early upregulation of TSPO could elicit potent analgesic effects against CNP, which might be partly attributed to the inhibition of CXCL1-CXCR2-dependent astrocyte-to-neuron signaling and central sensitization. TSPO signaling pathway may present a novel strategy for the treatment of CNP.
-
PainDETECT (PD-Q) is a patient reported screening questionnaire to identify patients with neuropathic pain based on questions regarding typically sensory symptoms of neuropathic pain. The aim of the present investigation was to assess the test-retest stability of pain descriptors of the PD-Q within a time window of 1-3 weeks. ⋯ The individual PD-Q pain descriptors showed accurate test-retest stability as a prerequisite for use in repeated measurements (e. g. post baseline or follow up data) in clinical trials.
-
Peripheral nerve injury leads to changes in gene expression in primary sensory neurons of the injured dorsal root ganglia. These changes are believed to be involved in neuropathic pain genesis. Previously, these changes have been identified using gene microarrays or next generation RNA sequencing with poly-A tail selection, but these approaches cannot provide a more thorough analysis of gene expression alterations after nerve injury. ⋯ Our findings suggest that next generation RNA sequencing can be used as a promising approach to analyze the changes of whole transcriptomes in dorsal root ganglia following nerve injury and to possibly identify new targets for prevention and treatment of neuropathic pain.
-
Small fiber neuropathy is a well-recognized complication of type 2 diabetes and has been shown to be responsible for both neuropathic pain and impaired wound healing. In previous studies, we have demonstrated that ganglioside GM3 depletion by knockdown of GM3 synthase fully reverses impaired wound healing in diabetic mice. However, the role of GM3 in neuropathic pain and small fiber neuropathy in diabetes is unknown. ⋯ These studies establish ganglioside GM3 as a new candidate responsible for neuropathic pain and small fiber neuropathy in diabetes. Moreover, these observations indicate that systemic or topically applied interventions aimed at depleting GM3 may improve both the painful neuropathy and the wound healing impairment in diabetes by protecting against nerve end terminal degeneration, providing a disease-modifying approach to this common, currently intractable medical issue.