Articles: neuralgia.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The Effect of Erector Spinae Plane Block With and Without Addition of Magnesium on Relief of Pain from Post-herpetic Neuralgia.
The best tool for management of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a matter of debate. The use of ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block (ESPB) in patients with PHN may decrease pain severity and the need for analgesics. ⋯ ESPB with or without adding magnesium sulphate is an effective pain management tool for cases of PHN. It leads to a significant decrease in pain score and analgesic requirements.
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Neuropathic pain in rodents can be driven by ectopic spontaneous activity (SA) generated by sensory neurons in dorsal root ganglia (DRG). The recent demonstration that SA in dissociated human DRG neurons is associated with reported neuropathic pain in patients enables a detailed comparison of pain-linked electrophysiological alterations driving SA in human DRG neurons to alterations that distinguish SA in nociceptors from SA in low-threshold mechanoreceptors (LTMRs) in rodent neuropathy models. Analysis of recordings from dissociated somata of patient-derived DRG neurons showed that SA and corresponding pain in both sexes were significantly associated with the three functional electrophysiological alterations sufficient to generate SA in the absence of extrinsic depolarizing inputs. ⋯ These findings suggest that conserved physiological mechanisms of SA in human nociceptor somata can drive neuropathic pain despite documented cellular differences between human and rodent DRG neurons. PERSPECTIVE: Electrophysiological alterations in human sensory neurons associated with patient-reported neuropathic pain include all three of the functional alterations that logically can promote spontaneous activity. The similarity of distinctively altered spontaneous depolarizations in human DRG neurons and rodent nociceptors suggests that spontaneously active human nociceptors can persistently promote neuropathic pain in patients.
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Classic trigeminal neuralgia (CTN) is a neuropathic pain disorder displaying spontaneously stabbing or electric shock-like paroxysms in the face. Previous research suggests structural and functional abnormalities in brain regions related to sensory and cognitive-affective dimensions of pain contribute to the pathophysiology of CTN. However, few studies to date have investigated how changes in whole-brain functional networks and white matter connectivity are related to CTN. ⋯ These results suggest that altered structural and functional connectivity between aIns and ACC may underpin the aberrant SN in patients with CTN and provide an alternative target for clinical interventions. PERSPECTIVE: This article presents distinctive abnormalities of functional and structural connectivity from aIns to ACC in the patients with CTN, which is associated with pain ratings. This measure could potentially provide an alternative target for clinicians to alleviate this type of intermittent and refractory pain.
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Observational Study
Correlation Between Electromyography and Severity and Prognosis of Upper Limb Herpes Zoster.
There are differences in the clinical treatment schemes for patients with different severities of herpes zoster (HZ). Therefore, effective and accurate evaluation of disease severity is of great significance for the formulation of treatment plans. Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) with long-term chronic pain leads to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts, which place a heavy burden on society and the family. Therefore, identifying risk factors and taking early intervention to reduce the occurrence of PHN is meaningful. Electromyography (EMG) can provide technical support for the early diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy. However, the application of EMG in HZ and PHN has rarely been reported. The purpose of this study was to compare the detection indices of EMG in patients with different severities and prognoses of HZ and to analyze the application of EMG in severity and prognosis of HZ. ⋯ The CMAP and SNAP amplitudes of the median nerve on the affected limb were related to the degree of pain in patients with upper limb HZ. The CMAP and SNAP amplitudes of the median nerve on the affected limb can be used as prognostic factors for patients with upper limb HZ, and CMAP amplitude combined with SNAP amplitude is more valuable in predicting prognosis.
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Capsaicin is a specific agonist of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), which is enriched in nociceptors. Capsaicin not only produces acute pain but also leads to long-lasting analgesia in patients with chronic pain. Although capsaicin-induced TRPV1 and Ca 2+ /calpain-dependent ablation of axonal terminals is necessary for long-lasting analgesia, the mechanisms underlying capsaicin-induced ablation of axonal terminals and its association with analgesia are not fully understood. ⋯ Despite the suggested involvement of TRPV1 Ser801 phosphorylation on microtubule integrity, capsaicin-induced analgesia was not affected in TRPV1 S801A knock-in mice. In conclusion, capsaicin-induced depolymerization of axonal microtubules determined capsaicin-induced ablation of nociceptive terminals and the extent of analgesia. Further understanding of TRPV1/Ca 2+ -dependent mechanisms of capsaicin-induced ablation and analgesia may help to improve the management of chronic pain.