Pain is a universal human experience. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage.” Pain may be a symptom of an underlying disease or disorder, or a disorder in its own right.
Certain pain medications do not appear to be associated with skin cancer risk – Contrary to previous hypotheses, the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs does not appear associated with risk of squamous cell skin cancer, revealed by researchers.
Symptoms have little value for early detection of ovarian cancer – Use of symptoms to trigger a medical evaluation for ovarian cancer does not appear to detect early-stage ovarian cancer earlier and would likely result in diagnosis in only 1 out of 100 women in the general population with such symptoms, revealed in an article.
Landmark heart treatment study — Atrial fibrillation treatment with catheter shows better results than drug therapy – Treating a common heart rhythm disorder by burning heart tissue with a catheter works dramatically better than drug treatments, according to a landmark study published in the Jan. 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
‘Poop’ dermatitis linked to fashionable toilet seats, harsh chemicals – Considered a dermatological nuisance that was long gone, skin irritations caused by toilet seats appear to be making a comeback in pediatricians’ offices, according to research led by Johns Hopkins Children’s Center investigator Bernard Cohen, M.D.
FDA Approves Ampyra to Improve Walking in Adults with Multiple Sclerosis – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ampyra (dalfampridine) extended release tablets to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
UT rheumatologists advance genetic research related to disabling form of arthritis – Work done in part by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has led to the discovery of two new genes that are implicated in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), an inflammatory and potentially disabling disease.
Study explains why light worsens migraine headaches — Extreme light sensitivity in blind patients helps researchers identify a new visual pathway for photophobia during migraines – Ask anyone who suffers from migraine headaches what they do when they’re having an attack, and you’re likely to hear “go into a dark room.” And although it’s long been known that light makes migraines worse, the reason why has been unclear.
Johns Hopkins researchers say vaccine appears to ‘mop up’ leukemia cells Gleevec leaves behind — Team cautions that results are very preliminary and they cannot yet rule out other reasons for success – Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers say preliminary studies show that a vaccine made with leukemia cells may be able to reduce or eliminate the last remaining cancer cells in some chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients taking the drug Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec).
FDA Approves ACTEMRA? (tocilizumab) for the Treatment of Moderately to Severely Active Rheumatoid Arthritis – Genentech, Inc. , a wholly owned member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ACTEMRA? (tocilizumab) for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response to one or more tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist therapies.
Abuse in childhood linked to migraine and other pain disorders – Findings suggest abuse is a risk factor for chronic headache – Researchers from the American Headache Society’s Women’s Issues Section Research Consortium found that incidence of childhood maltreatment, especially emotional abuse and neglect, are prevalent in migraine patients.
Guideline: Widely used device for pain therapy not recommended for chronic low back pain – The transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS), a widely used pain therapy involving a portable device, is not recommended to treat chronic low-back pain — pain that has persisted for three months or longer — because research shows it is not effective.
Researchers discover new ‘golden ratios’ for female facial beauty – Beauty is not only in the eye of the beholder but also in the relationship of the eyes and mouth of the beholden. The distance between a woman’s eyes and the distance between her eyes and her mouth are key factors in determining how attractive she is to others.
