One epigenetic factor, known as HDAC4, as well as one organic anion transporter (OAT1) contribute to the development of chronic pain. Using mouse models, researchers demonstrated that HDAC4 influences the expression of genes in neuronal cells involved in the processing of pain. The experiments also revealed that OAT1 regulates pain sensitivity in the spinal cord.
Researchers found a bull ant venom component that exploits a pain pathway in mammals, which they believe evolved to stop echidnas attacking the ant's nests.
Results from a new clinical trial demonstrate that an eight-week mindfulness-based therapy decreased opioid use and misuse while reducing chronic pain symptoms, with effects lasting as long as nine months.
Most post-COVID nerve damage appears to be caused by infection-triggered immune dysfunction -- not by lingering infection -- suggesting patients might benefit from currently available immunotherapies.
A natural product from the dried root of a pea-family plant, potentially combined with an enzyme inhibitor, may provide hope in alleviating neuroinflammation in Parkinson's disease.
Analyzing the brain changes that occur in the first stages of juvenile fibromyalgia could help to better understand the pathophysiology of this syndrome.
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disorder where red blood cells become sickle/crescent shaped. It causes frequent infections, swelling in the hands and legs, pain, severe tiredness and delayed growth or puberty. Treatment typically focuses on controlling symptoms and may include pain medicines during crises; hydroxyurea to reduce the number of pain episodes; antibiotics and vaccines to prevent bacterial infections and blood transfusions. While a remedy for this severe disease has remained elusive, a recent study, if proven applicable, may be a possible cure.
As many as one in two patients stop taking statins, reduce the dose or take them irregularly because they believe the cholesterol-lowering drugs cause muscle pain and other side-effects. Now, a new study of over four million patients has shown that the true prevalence of statin intolerance worldwide is between six to ten percent.
Vaccine-associated myocarditis shows a similar injury pattern on cardiac MRI compared to other causes of myocarditis, but abnormalities are less severe, according to a new study.
Researchers may have found an explanation in a new study that suggests that circuitry in the brain responsible for motivation and pleasure is impacted when someone experiences pain.
An expert in autoimmune diseases and systemic lupus erythematosus has identified potential biomarkers for neuropsychiatric symptoms of lupus after conducting a large-scale protein study.
An international team of researchers has discovered that Schwann cells -- which are abundant in the peripheral nervous system and create a protective sheath around nerve fibers -- play an essential role in migraine pain. Their study illustrates how pain is signaled from within Schwann cells and finds several ways to block this signaling, providing potential targets for new migraine treatments.
Researchers have identified a mechanism that underlies inflammation and pain in the colon, and demonstrated that blocking a key receptor from entering colon cells can inhibit inflammation and pain, uncovering a potential target for treating pain in inflammatory bowel disease.
With one in five people experiencing ongoing pain long after knee replacement surgery, new research has shown a way to help reduce people's continuing pain that could also save time and money too.
Researchers have discovered that a particular molecular signaling pathway plays an important role in producing osteoarthritis (OA) pain. Using a mouse model of painful osteoarthritis, they show that blocking this signaling pathway eliminates pain and results in a return to normal limb use. This work is the first to find an association between this pathway and OA pain, and could lead to the development of new, effective pain treatments for human OA sufferers.
A novel technique that transplants a patient's own fat into the sole of their foot could offer relief to those suffering from a common and painful condition called plantar fasciitis.
In a new article, experts highlight what is currently known about the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the brain, the importance of increased research into the underlying causes of Long COVID and possible ways to treat its symptoms.
COVID-19 has shown us images of patients dying in isolation, apart from loved ones during their final moments. But even before the pandemic, harrowing deaths were all too common in most parts of the world, a new survey of end-of-life care shows. The study ranked 81 countries on how well their health systems provide for the physical and mental wellbeing of patients at the end of life. Only six countries earned an A grade.
