Articles: pain-measurement.
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Ketamine produces potent analgesia combined with psychedelic effects. It has been suggested that these two effects are associated and possibly that analgesia is generated by ketamine-induced dissociation. The authors performed a post hoc analysis of previously published data to quantify the pharmacodynamic properties of ketamine-induced antinociception and psychedelic symptoms. The hypothesis was that ketamine pharmacodynamics (i.e., concentration-effect relationship as well as effect onset and offset times) are not different for these two endpoints. ⋯ The authors conclude that their data support an association or connectivity between ketamine analgesia and dissociation. Given the intricacies of the study related to the pain model, measurement of dissociation, and complex modeling of the combination of ketamine and norketamine, it is the opinion of the authors that further studies are needed to detect functional connectivity between brain areas that produce the different ketamine effects.
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JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc · Apr 2022
Mean Canal-body Ratio among Specimens of Dried Lumbar Vertebrae in the Department of Anatomy of a Medical College: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.
Lumbar spinal canal stenosis is assumed to be one of the chief causative factors for low back pain. The measurement of lumbar canal and body dimensions has thus become an important tool for the diagnosis and treatment of spinal stenosis. This study aims to find out the mean canal-body ratio among specimens of dried lumbar vertebrae in a medical college. ⋯ anatomy; bones; lumbar vertebrae.
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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common chronic autoimmune disease that contributes to progressive disability, systemic complications, higher mortality, and societal burden. Typical symptoms of RA include symmetrical pain and swelling in multiple joints, morning stiffness, and elevated levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and rheumatoid factor. The representative treatment for RA is medication, including disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, glucocorticoids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. However, these medications are not yet curative nor preventative and are associated with several adverse effects, leading to their discontinuation. Recent articles reported that Simiao Xiaobi decoction (SXD) could relieve the symptoms of RA by clinical trial and experimental study, but an evidence-based review on the effectiveness and safety of SXD on RA has not yet been provided. ⋯ Searching for randomized controlled trials on the use of SXD for RA will be performed by using multiple electronic databases, manual search, and contacting the authors by e-mail if needed. Studies will be selected according to the predefined criteria and the data collected on study participants, interventions, control groups, outcome measurements, their results, adverse events, and risk of bias will be summarized. The primary outcome will be the disease activity score (including effective rate, swollen joint count, tender joint count, and morning stiffness), and the secondary outcomes will be blood tests (including erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and rheumatoid factor) and adverse events. We will use Review Manager software to perform a meta-analysis, the Cochrane Collaboration "risk of bias" tool for assessing the risk of bias, and grades of recommendation, assessment, development and evaluation for the determination of the quality of evidence.
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Service members endure a number of musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) during service (e.g., ankle sprains and chronic back pain). Musculoskeletal injuries can reduce engagement in physical activity after military service and contribute to a sedentary lifestyle that diminishes physical health and elevates the risk for psychological distress including suicide-related behaviors. Yet, little is known about barriers and facilitators to accessing care in veterans with co-occurring MSI and mental health conditions. The purpose of this study was to pilot two brief measures of barriers and facilitators to rehabilitation and mental health services in military veterans with musculoskeletal and mental health conditions. Self-report tools vary in their response formats in ways that can impact usability, data quality, and completeness. We examine two response styles (i.e., checklist vs. thermometer) for two health services (mental health and rehabilitation) to determine usability, patterns in item endorsement, and veteran preference. ⋯ Results of this pilot comparing two measurement approaches identified actionable next steps. Brief barriers and facilitators checklists were viable for veteran ratings across type of health. The thermometer-based tool captured the perceived strength of barriers and facilitators but yielded problematic rates of missing data in its current form and was not preferred by veterans.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Mar 2022
Review Meta AnalysisEfficacy of topical cannabinoids in the management of pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies.
Cannabinoids are emerging as an alternative pain management option, preliminarily supported by preclinical and clinical studies. Unwanted side effects from oral or inhaled cannabinoids remain, however, a major barrier to widespread use. Peripherally acting cannabinoids (eg, topically applied) may circumvent these side effects while providing localized pain management. ⋯ Preclinical animal studies provided low-quality evidence for peripherally administered cannabinoids to provide regional, antinociceptive effects. The scarcity of high-quality human studies underscores the need to translate preclinical evidence into well-controlled human trials.