Articles: neuropathic-pain.
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Complex craniofacial pain can be a challenging condition to manage both medically and surgically, but there is a resurgence of interest in the role of neurostimulation therapy. Surgical options for complex craniofacial pain syndromes include peripheral nerve/field stimulation, ganglion stimulation, spinal cord stimulation, dorsal nerve root entry zone lesioning, motor cortex stimulation, and deep brain stimulation. Peripheral nerve/field stimulation is rapidly being explored and is preferred by both patients and surgeons. Technological advances and improved understanding of the interactions of pain pathways with its affective component will widen the scope of neurostimulation therapy for craniofacial pain syndromes.
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Recent studies have revealed the antinociceptive effects of glycine transporter (GlyT) inhibitors in neuropathic pain models such as sciatic nerve-injured and diabetic animals. Bone cancer can cause the most severe pain according to complex mechanisms in which a neuropathic element is included. Bone cancer modifies the analgesic action of opioids and limits their effectiveness, and thus novel medicament for bone cancer pain is desired. ⋯ GlyT inhibitors with or without morphine may be a new strategy for the treatment of bone cancer pain and lead to further investigations of the mechanisms underlying the development of bone cancer pain.
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Expert Opin Investig Drugs · Oct 2014
Review Comparative StudyZucapsaicin for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
Neuropathic pain (NP) is a chronic disease that stems from a primary lesion or dysfunction of the central or peripheral nervous system. Zucapsaicin is a synthetic cis isomer of natural capsaicin that has shown therapeutic efficacy in pain accompanying osteoarthritis of the knee. It is also currently under investigation for the relief of severe pain in adults suffering from NP. ⋯ The mechanism of action and clinical indications of zucapsaicin are similar to that of its naturally occurring isomer, capsaicin. However, in contrast to capsaicin, zucapsaicin is better tolerated. In the future, zucapsaicin could become a valuable drug for treating pain relief. Indeed, it is possible, in addition to providing NP relief, that it may have a use in treating osteoarthritic pain, headaches and pain that accompany intestinal diseases.
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The dorsal root ganglion (DRG), in the not too distant past, had been thought of as a passive organ not involved in the development of abnormal aberrent neuropathic pain (NP), but merely metabolically "supporting" physiologic functions between the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and the central nervous system (CNS). New information regarding metabolic change within the DRG has dispelled this supportive passive role and suggests that the DRG is an active, not a passive, organ, in the process of the development of chronic pain. ⋯ The DRG is as involved in the process of generating NP as is the nociceptor and the dorsal horn of the spinal cord.
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Anesthesia and analgesia · Oct 2014
The Antihypersensitive and Anti-inflammatory Activities of a Benzofuranone Derivative in Different Experimental Models in Mice: The Importance of the Protein Kinase C Pathway.
Benzofuranone (BF1) was synthesized and its effects evaluated on mechanical hypersensitivity and paw edema models induced by different agents and on neuropathic pain induced by partial ligation of the sciatic nerve. An attempt was also made to elucidate the mechanism of action. ⋯ BF1 has dose-dependent antihypersensitive and antiinflammatory effects in both acute and chronic models of pain and inflammation, possibly mediated through interference with the PKC activation pathway. The easy and fast synthesis of this compound, low-cost, low-concentration-requirement, and once-daily-administration drug suggest it as a candidate for future clinical studies.