Health News

For Returning Veterans With Major Limb Injuries, Pain Improves During First Year But Mental Health Problems Linger

Date: Apr-15-2013
Veterans who sustained major limb injuries during combat reported little improvement in symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental-health problems up to 2 years post injury, according to research. In contrast, pain showed the most improvement 3-6 months after acute hospitalization, and then leveled off after 1 year. The investigative team, led by Rollin M. Gallagher, MD, MPH, reported results during a poster session at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine...

Some Sufferers Of Low-Back Pain Benefit From Bone-Marrow Grafts

Date: Apr-15-2013
A new study suggests that the type of bio-cellular grafts increasingly used by surgeons to repair damaged tissue may be useful for treating low-back pain (LBP). However, not all sufferers responded equally to the novel therapy. Results reported today at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine ranged from complete pain relief to no improvement. The procedure involved injecting a concentrated form of bone-marrow cellular aspirate into lumbar discs in patients with clinical and objective evidence of disc degeneration...

Most Comprehensive Study Of Radiofrequency Heat Lesion Size For Pain Management

Date: Apr-15-2013
Changing the parameters used to deliver radiofrequency (RF) treatment greatly affects the size of the resulting heat lesion, researchers reported in a study expected to deliver greater precision and more treatment options in interventional pain management. Results were presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. "This is the most comprehensive study of radiofrequency heat lesion size for pain management to date," said the study's lead author, Eric Cosman Jr., PhD, scientific director of Cosman Medical in Burlington, Mass...

Tiny Wireless Device Generates Reward In Mouse Model: Implications For Sleep, Depression, Addiction, Anxiety

Date: Apr-15-2013
Using a miniature electronic device implanted in the brain, scientists have tapped into the internal reward system of mice, prodding neurons to release dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure. The researchers, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, developed tiny devices, containing light emitting diodes (LEDs) the size of individual neurons. The devices activate brain cells with light. The scientists report their findings in the journal Science...

Recruitment And Prescreening For Clinical Pain Trials Enhanced By Web-Based Tools

Date: Apr-15-2013
Researchers are suggesting new ways to use existing Internet tools to recruit more study participants for clinical pain trials and to increase the likelihood they will remain throughout the study period. An innovative website allowed recruiters to reach out broadly to target and recruit potential subjects and to avoid many of the common difficulties of pain research, according to results presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine...

Productivity At Work Improved For Sleep Apnea Patients Using CPAP

Date: Apr-15-2013
The study was presented at the Sleep and Breathing Conference in Berlin, organised by the European Respiratory Society and the European Sleep Research Society. Previous research has demonstrated that people with sleep apnoea are less productive at work, usually due to excessive daytime sleepiness. This study aimed to assess whether continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) improved productivity at work...

Promising Therapy For Heart Failure Patients Using Cardiopoietic 'Smart' Stem Cells

Date: Apr-15-2013
Translating a Mayo Clinic stem-cell discovery, an international team has demonstrated that therapy with cardiopoietic (cardiogenically-instructed) or "smart" stem cells can improve heart health for people suffering from heart failure. This is the first application in patients of lineage-guided stem cells for targeted regeneration of a failing organ, paving the way to development of next generation regenerative medicine solutions. Results of the clinical trial appear online of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology...

Patients With Systemic Sclerosis May Soon Benefit From Gene Testing

Date: Apr-15-2013
Systemic sclerosis, also known as scleroderma, is a rare autoimmune connective tissue disorder that's difficult to treat. However, thanks to new research at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, doctors may be able to treat some patients more effectively. Characterized by thickening of the skin, scleroderma can also cause significant complications in the joints and internal organs - particularly the esophagus, lower gastrointestinal tract, lungs, heart and kidneys...

The Pros And Cons Of High-Dose Opioids

Date: Apr-15-2013
Half of patients on high-dose, long-term opioid therapy had hormonal disturbances or signs of inflammation, while 100 percent reported improved pain control and mental outlook, new research shows. The results, reported today at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, present rare data on the effects of opioids beyond 10 years. Most clinical trials that examine opioid use are of short duration, and little is known about long-term outcomes, particularly in patients who suffer from noncancer pain...

People With Parkinson's Subject To 'Intolerable' Discrimination And Prejudice

Date: Apr-15-2013
Four in ten people with Parkinson's experience discrimination because of their condition People with Parkinson's are being subjected to 'intolerable' levels of prejudice and discrimination by institutions, members of the public and even their own friends, new research from Parkinson's UK reveals today...