An elusive goal for centuries has been understanding the science behind pain, from a simple "ouch" to the chronic and excruciating. But now, researchers are reporting a promising step toward studying pain in action. In a study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, scientists describe the development of a new technique, which they tested in rats, that could result in better ways to relieve pain and monitor healing.
Pain Management During Labor
The labor pain or pain of childbirth is considered as the one of the most severe types of pain. It was in the mid- nineteenth century the pharmacologic management of labor pain was introduced.
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Sandip Biswal, Frederick T. Chin, Justin Du Bois and colleagues note that current ways to diagnose pain basically involve asking the patient if something hurts. These subjective approaches are fraught with bias and can lead doctors in the wrong direction if a patient doesn't want to talk about the pain or can't communicate well. It can also be difficult to tell how well a treatment is really working. No existing method can measure pain intensity objectively or help physicians pinpoint the exact location of the pain. Past research has shown an association between pain and a certain kind of protein, called a sodium channel, that helps nerve cells transmit pain and other sensations to the brain. Certain forms of this channel are overproduced at the site of an injury, so the team set out to develop an imaging method to visualize high concentrations of this protein.
They turned to a small molecule called saxitoxin, produced naturally by certain types of microscopic marine creatures, and attached a signal to it so they could trace it by PET imaging. PET scanners are used in hospitals to diagnose diseases and injuries. When the researchers injected the molecule into rats, often a stand-in for humans in lab tests, they saw that the molecule accumulated where the rats had nerve damage. The rats didn't show signs of toxic side effects. The work is one of the first attempts to mark these sodium channels in a living animal, they say.
Source: Eurekalert
Source: Eurekalert
Abdominal Pain
Abdominal pain occurs due to multiple causes. Pain due to obstruction in the small intestine appears around or above the umbilicus or belly button. Type of abdominal pain may vary from mild to severe.
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 Back Pain at Workplace: Prevention and ExercisesUnderstanding the basics about our back and our posture is very important in preventing back pain and improving workplace productivity. | Advertisement
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Breast Pain Symptom Evaluation
Breast pain is seen more commonly in women of the reproductive age group. The pain may vary in different stages of the menstrual cycle.
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