Articles: neuralgia.
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The decline of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) is thought to be related to the risk of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) as well as herpes zoster (HZ). However, the relationship between immunological condition and the incidence of PHN is still unclear. ⋯ The incidence of PHN is significantly associated with the decline of VZV-specific CMI, but not related to VZV-specific humoral immunity.
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Observational Study
High Prevalence of Neuropathic Pain Features in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study.
The present epidemiological research evaluated the prevalence of neuropathic pain characteristics in patients with painful knee osteoarthritis (OA) and the plausibility that such neuropathic features were specific of OA. ⋯ A relevant proportion of patients with chronic pain associated with knee OA featured neuropathic pain qualities that were not explained by other conditions. The present research has provided reasonable epidemiological grounds to attempt their definite diagnosis and classification.
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Support Care Cancer · Sep 2015
Cancer treatment-related neuropathic pain: proof of concept study with menthol--a TRPM8 agonist.
Effective treatment of neuropathic pain without unacceptable side effects is challenging. Cancer sufferers increasingly live with long-term treatment-related neuropathic pain, resulting from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) or surgical scars. This proof-of-concept study aimed to determine whether preclinical evidence for TRPM8 ion channels in sensory neurons as a novel analgesic target could be translated to clinical benefit in patients with neuropathic pain, using the TRPM8 activator menthol. ⋯ This proof-of-concept study indicates that topical menthol has potential as a novel analgesic therapy for cancer treatment-related neuropathic pain. Improvements in patient-rated measures are supported by changes in objective measures of physical function and sensation. Further systematic evaluation of efficacy is required.
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Observational Study
Validation of the Greek Version of the DN4 Diagnostic Questionnaire for Neuropathic Pain.
The Douleur Neuropathique 4 questionnaire (DN4) was developed by the French Neuropathic Pain Group and is a simple and objective tool, primarily designed to screen for neuropathic pain. The aim of our study is to validate the DN4 in the Greek language. ⋯ The Greek version of DN4 is a valid tool for discriminating between neuropathic and nociceptive pain conditions in daily practice.
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J Neuroimmune Pharmacol · Sep 2015
Alterations in Spinal Cord Metabolism during Treatment of Neuropathic Pain.
Therapeutic options for neuropathic pain have improved over the last 20 years yet still only provide partial relief with numerous side effects. Recently, metabolomics revealed that the concentration of the endogenous metabolite N,N-dimethylsphingosine (DMS) is increased in the spinal cord in a model of neuropathic pain. ⋯ We found that the concentration of DMS in the spinal cord was not significantly altered upon pregabalin treatment of rats suffering from neuropathic pain. We further explored whether modulating lipid metabolism may impact neuropathic pain by testing NOE as a potential novel therapeutic.