25 Sep 2017
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Preventing Shingles in RA Patients

Chronic Pain News, Nerve Pain, Therapies & Treatments, ,
The live varicella-zoster vaccine can effectively prevent shingles in rheumatoid arthritis patients starting treatment with the drug tofacitinib, according to results of 2 recently-published studies in Arthritis & Rheumatology. Shingles causes a painful rash that may appear as a stripe of blisters on the trunk of the body. Pain can persist even after the rash is gone (this is called postherpetic neuralgia). Treatments include pain relief and antiviral medications such as acyclovir or valacyclovir. A chickenpox vaccine in childhood or a shingles vaccine as an adult can minimize the risk of developing shingles. Patients who received the shingles vaccine several weeks prior…
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21 Aug 2017
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Can Weed and Snail Venom Replace Opioids?

Chronic Pain News, Therapies & Treatments, , , ,
In the wake of mounting overdoses and deaths from the opioids-addiction crisis sweeping across the U.S., drugmakers are racing to come up with safer painkillers. Companies are highly motivated to create alternatives to the $4 billion opioid market. The federal government is cracking down on lax prescriptions that contribute to many thousands of deaths a year and has started to block the sale of medications it considers unsafe. Drugs such as morphine, fentanyl, and oxycodone are such powerful analgesics because they so effectively block pain signals by acting directly on the brain. Since they work at such a fundamental level, these…
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07 Aug 2017
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Vitamin B3 Reduces Pain From Chemo-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Chronic Pain News, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
Nicotinamide riboside (NR), a type of vitamin B3, may prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a recent study in animals has shown. Although chemotherapy increases survival rates, it can have serious side effects, including peripheral neuropathy, that affect quality of life.1 "Our findings support the idea that NR could potentially be used to prevent or mitigate CIPN in cancer patients, resulting in a meaningful improvement in their quality of life and the ability to sustain better and longer treatment," said Marta Hamity, PhD, assistant research scientist at University of Iowa, Iowa City. For this study, the researchers examined the effects of…
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17 Jul 2017
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Nerve Decompression Potentially Beneficial in Diabetic Neuropathy

Chronic Pain Conditions, Peripheral Neuropathy, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
This article is part of Endocrinology Advisor's coverage of the American Diabetes Association's 77th Scientific Sessions (ADA 2017), taking place in San Diego, CA. Our staff will report on medical research and technological advances in diabetes and diabetes education, conducted by experts in the field. Check back regularly for more news from ADA 2017. Results of research presented at the 77th American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions demonstrated that patients with painful diabetic neuropathy who underwent nerve decompression or sham surgery had greater reductions in pain when compared with patients who did not receive surgery. The researchers conducted a randomized, controlled,…
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26 Sep 2016
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy for Knees & Shoulders

Regenerative medicine, Therapies & Treatments, , , , ,
The power of the body to heal itself is amazingly evident in a promising newer treatment known as regenerative stem cell therapy. Which orthopedic surgeon Kevin D. Plancher, MD, founder of Plancher Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, is tapping more frequently to help restore pain-free movement in patients with stubborn knee or shoulder problems. A branch of healthcare known as regenerative medicine, stem cell therapy uses immature, self-renewing cells found in the bone marrow to rejuvenate a wide variety of tissues. This rapidly evolving field, the focus of mounting research, is helping people heal faster and more naturally. As well as…
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19 Sep 2016
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Therapeutic Interventions to Effect Repairs and Fight Disease

Chronic Pain News, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
Applications from regenerative medicine to gene therapy as well as antiviral therapeutic interventions emphasize self-healing possibilities. Therapeutic Interventions Emphasize Self-Healing Therapeutic interventions of various kinds try to improve the body’s capacity to defend, repair, and even cure itself. Interventions that attempt to enhance self-healing span cell-based therapy, gene therapy, small molecule drugs, biologics, and tissue engineering. Advances in each of these areas are being followed by Allied Market Research. Which has concluded that stem cell technologies look especially promising. For example, stem cell technologies are set to revolutionize the human ability to produce neural cells in abundance. Stem cells may…
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04 Jul 2016
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Manufactured Stem Cells Might Boost New Diabetes Therapies

Chronic Pain Conditions, Regenerative medicine, Therapies & Treatments, , , ,
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be generated from adult cells. iPSCs have the potential to develop into any cell type in the human body. These cells hold an enormous therapeutic potential in a variety of conditions. Including but not limited to cardiac diseases, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, and diabetes. A team of researchers from Lonza, developed clinical-grade iPSCs from human umbilical cord blood cells collected following a healthy birth. These cells, described in the study “cGMP-Manufactured Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Are Available for Pre-Clinical and Clinical Applications,” published in Stem Cell Reports. iPSCs are now available for…
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20 Jun 2016
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Sacral Neuromodulation for Sacrectomy Patients

Chronic Pain Conditions, Spinal Cord Stimulation, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
Sacral chordoma is a rare malignant tumor arising from remnants of the notochord. Due to its propensity for recurrence, the treatment of choice is surgical resection. Orthopedic and neurosurgical literature describe bladder dysfunction as prevalent in these patients, specifically urinary incontinence, however urologic literature is lacking in the exact nature of this dysfunction. Thus far, Sacral Nerve Stimulation (SNS) has not been described as a treatment option for these patients. We describe a 36-year-old female who underwent midsacral resection (S3 and below) for a sacrococcygeal chordoma. She suffered from postoperative urinary incontinence and incomplete emptying requiring intermittent catheterization. Urodynamic evaluation…
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13 Jun 2016
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Tarantula toxin untangles pain pathways

Chronic Pain News, Therapies & Treatments, , ,
A toxin isolated from the Togo starburst tarantula provides new insights into pain mechanisms and could lead to new treatments for irritable bowel syndrome. With their large, hairy bodies and long legs, tarantulas are an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare. For pain researchers, however, these outsized spiders are a dream come true: Their venom contains a cocktail of toxins, each of which activates pain-sensing nerve fibers in different ways, and researchers in the United States have now identified one such toxin that will help them to better understand pain, and could also lead to treatments for the chronic pain associated with irritable…
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30 May 2016
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Blocking Intracellular Glutamate May Halt Neuropathic Pain

Chronic Pain News, Peripheral Neuropathy, Therapies & Treatments, , , ,
Experiments to block receptors deep within spinal neurons, metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors (mGluR5), may open the door to more effective treatments for neuropathic pain. Understanding how the body processes pain is essential to understanding how to better treat it. Aiding in that understanding has been intense research on one of the key players that transmit nociceptive information through the body. G-protein-couple receptors (GPCRs) play a critical role in various bodily functions, including as a mediator of neuroplasticity underlying chronic pain.  One specific receptor, metabotropic glutamate 5 receptor (mGluR5), is heavily abundant in the dorsal horn (DH),1,2 prime real estate for…
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