Articles: pain-clinics.
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Case Reports
Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia mimicking ruptured ectopic pregnancy: A case report.
Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) refers to the hydatidiform mole tissue that invades the myometrium or even penetrates the uterine wall to the broad ligament or abdominal cavity, and a few have distant metastases through blood transport. According to the World Health Organization[1] 2020 (5th edition) classification lists an erosive hydatidiform mole as a borderline or biologically behavioral uncertain tumor, it continues to be clinically classified as a malignancy and combined with choriocarcinoma as a GTN. The clinical manifestations of GTN include amenorrhea, abnormal vaginal bleeding, and increased serum human chorionic gonadotropin level, which are also common clinical features of ectopic pregnancy. The diagnosis of typical GTN is not difficult. However, some patients with atypical clinical manifestations and a lack of specificity in their B-ultrasound images are easy to misdiagnose, especially when the lesions are located in special parts outside the uterus and lack specific imaging features. ⋯ Continued reporting of these cases are important so that the gynecologists are aware about the possibility of ruptured invasive mole and it should be kept as a differential diagnosis in all the pregnant women presents with acute onset lower abdominal pain.
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Meta Analysis
Effectiveness of scapular mobilization in patients with primary adhesive capsulitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of scapular mobilization on range of motion, shoulder disability, and pain intensity in patients with primary adhesive capsulitis (AC). ⋯ Scapular mobilization with or without other therapeutic interventions does not provide a significant clinical benefit regarding active shoulder range of motion, disability, or pain intensity in patients with primary AC, compared with other manual therapy techniques or other treatments; the quality of evidence was very low to moderate according to the grading of recommendation, assessment, development and evaluation approach.
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Observational Study
Cannabinoid Therapy: Attitudes and Experiences of People With Chronic Pain.
Clinical trials of cannabinoids for chronic pain have mixed and often inconclusive results. In contrast, many prospective observational studies show the analgesic effects of cannabinoids. This survey study aimed to examine the experiences/attitudes of individuals with chronic pain who are currently taking, have previously taken, or never taken cannabinoids for chronic pain to inform future research. ⋯ These findings underscore the importance of conducting high-quality clinical trials that include diverse pain populations and clinically relevant outcomes that if successful, could support FDA approval of cannabinoid products. Clinicians could then prescribe and monitor these treatments similarly to other chronic pain medications.
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Repeated stress produces hyperalgesic priming in preclinical models, but underlying mechanisms remain uncertain. As stress engages kappa opioid receptors (KORs), we hypothesized that repeated administration of KOR agonists might mimic, in part, stress-induced hyperalgesic priming. The potential contribution of circulating prolactin (PRL) and dysregulation of the expression of PRL receptor (PRLR) isoforms in sensory neurons after KOR agonist administration was also investigated. ⋯ Umbellulone-induced allodynia was prevented by cabergoline co-treatment during priming with KOR agonists in female, but not male, mice. Hyperalgesic priming therefore occurs in both sexes after either biased or nonbiased KOR agonists. However, a PRL/PRLR-dependence is observed only in female nociceptors possibly contributing to pain in stress-related pain disorders in females.
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Central sensitization (CS) is defined as an increased nociceptive responsiveness due to sensitization of neurons in the central nervous system, usually the result of prolonged nociceptive input or a disease state associated with noxious inputs (eg, polyarthritis). The concept of CS has recently been adopted in clinical assessments of chronic pain, but its diagnosis in humans may now include a wide range of hypervigilant responses. The purpose of this review is to ascertain whether self-report questionnaires linked with CS are associated with enhanced nociceptive responses or whether they measure sensitivity in a broader sense (ie, emotional responses). ⋯ The PSQ did, however, correlate strongly with phasic heat and tonic cold pain tests. The studies reviewed did not provide sufficient evidence that self-report measures reflect a canonical understanding of CS. The CSI more closely reflects psychological hypervigilance than increased responsiveness of nociceptive neurons.