Articles: chronic.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Jul 2014
Comparative StudyAn Ex Vivo Comparison of Cooled-Radiofrequency and Bipolar-Radiofrequency Lesion Size and the Effect of Injected Fluids.
Radiofrequency (RF) neuroablation is a common therapy for alleviating chronic pain. Larger lesion volumes lead to higher chance of ablating small sensory nerves; therefore, bipolar-RF and cooled-RF are improved alternatives to conventional monopolar-RF. This work provides an ex vivo comparison of bipolar-RF to cooled-RF lesioning in the presence of bone structure using some conventional temperature and time programs and in conjunction with injection of a variety of clinically used substances. ⋯ Cooled-RF yields larger lesions than bipolar-RF under the conditions used in this study. The spherical shape of cooled-RF lesions provides larger volume coverage than lesions obtained with bipolar-RF at IED equals 5, 10, or 15 mm under similar electrode tip temperature and lesioning time.
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Variability in labor pain has been associated with demographic, clinical, and psychological factors. Polymorphisms of the β2-adrenergic receptor gene (ADRB2) influence sensitivity to experimental pain in humans and are a risk factor for chronic pain. The authors hypothesized that polymorphisms in ADRB2 may influence labor pain. ⋯ ADRB2 genotype correlates with labor pain but explained less than 1% of the intersubject variance in the model.
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Dysfunction of spinal glycinergic neurotransmission is a major pathogenetic factor in neuropathic pain. The synaptic glycine concentration is controlled by the two glycine transporters (GlyT) 1 and 2. GlyT inhibitors act antinociceptive in various animal pain models when applied as bolus. Yet, in some studies, severe neuromotor side effects were reported. The aim of the current study was to elucidate whether continuous inhibition of GlyT ameliorates neuropathic pain without side effects and whether protein expression of GlyT1, GlyT2, or N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit NR-1 in the spinal cord is affected. ⋯ Continuous systemic inhibition of GlyT significantly ameliorates neuropathic pain in rats. Thus, GlyT represent promising targets in pain research. Modulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor expression might represent a novel mechanism for the antinociceptive action of GyT1 inhibitors.