Fibroblast Transplantation Results to the Degenerated Rabbit Lumbar Intervertebral Discs.

BACKGROUND: Our study is an analysis of the histological and radiological changes in degenerated lumbar intervertebral discs, after transplantation of fibroblasts in rabbits. With that study we aimed to show the viability of the fibroblasts injected to the degenerated discs, and observe their potential for further studies. METHOD: The apoptosis of the cell is one of the factors at the disc degeneration process. Fibroblasts may act as mesenchymal stem cells at the tissue to which they are injected and they may replace the apoptotic cells. The nucleus pulposus of the discs from eight rabbits were aspirated under scopic guidance to induce disc degeneration. RESULTS: One month later, cultured fibroblasts, which had been taken from the skin, were injected into the disc. The viability and the potential of the injected cells for reproduction were studied histologically and radiologically. Cellular formations and organizations indicating to the histological recovery were observed at the discs to which fibroblasts were transplanted. The histological findings of the discs to which no fibroblasts were transplanted, did not show any histological recovery. Radiologically, no finding of the improvement was found in both groups. The fibroblasts injected to the degenerated discs are viable. CONCLUSION: The findings of improvement, observed in this study, suggest that fibroblast transplantation could be an effective method of therapy for the prevention or for the retardation of the degenerative disease of the discs.

Perioperative dexketoprofen or lornoxicam administration for pain management after major orthopedic surgery: a randomized, controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are recommended for multimodal postoperative pain management. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the postoperative pain relief and opioid-sparing effects of dexketoprofen and lornoxicam after major orthopedic surgery. METHODS: After obtaining ethical committee approval and informed consent, 120 patients undergoing elective hip or knee replacement under general anesthesia were randomized to receive two intravenous injections of 50 mg dexketoprofen (GD), 8 mg lornoxicam (GL) or saline as placebo (GP) intravenously. Postoperatively, patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) morphine was started as a 0.01 mg.kg-1 bolus dose, with lockout time of 10 minutes without continuous infusion. Pain assessment was made using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at rest or during movement at postoperative 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 hours. RESULTS: The three groups were similar in terms of age, gender, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, number of patients who underwent hip or knee surgery, weight, height, and operation duration. Patients in GD and GL demonstrated significantly reduced pain scores at rest and active motion compared to GP, with lower scores in the dexketoprofen group. Patients in GD and GL used significantly less morphine in the postoperative period compared to GP. The total morphine consumption of patients in GD was lower than in GL. CONCLUSION: Intravenous application of 50 mg dexketoprofen twice a day and 8 mg lornoxicam twice a day improved analgesia and decreased morphine consumption following major orthopedic surgery. When the two active drugs were compared, it was found that dexketoprofen was superior to lornoxicam in terms of analgesic efficacy and opioid consumption.

Efficacy of quick-release lornoxicam versus placebo for acute pain management after dental implant surgery: a randomised placebo-controlled triple-blind trial.

AIM: To assess the efficacy of quick-release lornoxicam (LNX) on patient-reported acute pain after dental implant surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included subjects in good general health, aged 18 to 65 and scheduled to receive a maximum of three implants in the same quadrant. Participants received either 8 mg LNX or placebo and were asked to use the medications in case of pain in the first 120 min after implant surgery. Assessment of efficacy was performed using self-assessment questionnaires for the evaluation of pain intensity and pain relief for 12 h post dosing. Patients were also asked to record the rescue analgesic number. Evaluation of patient satisfaction was assessed using a 7-point scale. Safety was evaluated by the incidence of adverse events. RESULTS: A total of 83 (LNX/placebo, 42/41) patients who met the inclusion criteria and finished the evaluation period were included in the study. The proportion of patients experiencing postoperative pain was significantly lower in the LNX-treated group compared to the placebo group. Patients in the LNX group reported significantly higher pain relief scores than the placebo group. Twenty-nine patients in the placebo group and 6 patients in the LNX group used rescue analgesics. The number of used rescue analgesics was 1.024 ± 0.79 and 0.167 ± 0.43 in the placebo and LNX groups, respectively. The level of patient satisfaction was significantly higher in the LNX-treated patients (P = 0.007). No adverse events were reported during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Quick-release LNX is effective in postoperative acute pain control and has a high safety profile following dental implant surgery.

Comparison of efficacy of intraarticular application of magnesium, levobupivacaine and lornoxicam with placebo in arthroscopic surgery.

PURPOSE: Arthroscopic knee surgery is done in outpatient settings; however, postoperative pain is a major barrier for discharge and limits early rehabilitation. The efficacy of intraarticular application of magnesium sulphate, levobupivacaine and lornoxicam, with placebo on postoperative pain after arthroscopic meniscectomy was evaluated. METHODS: One hundred and twenty ASA status I-II patients undergoing elective arthroscopic meniscectomy were included in this randomized, single blind, prospective study. Group-M (GM) patients had intraarticular 500 mg of magnesium sulphate in 20 ml saline; group-P (GP) patients had intraarticular 20 ml saline; group-LB (GLB) patients had 100 mg levobupivacaine in 20 ml (0.5%); group-L (GL) patients had intraarticular 8 mg of lornoxicam in 20 ml saline before tourniquet deflation. Postoperative analgesia was maintained by iv tramadol PCA 0.3 mg kg(-1) bolus dose and 5 min lockout time during the first 4 h and later with paracetamol 500 mg. The NRS values at rest and at exercise and analgesic consumptions were evaluated at the end of the first, second and 4th hours and at the 12th, 24th and 48th hours by an anaesthesiologist who was blind to the solutions administered. RESULTS: All study groups provided analgesia when compared with GP. The first request of oral analgesic time was shorter in GP. Analgesic consumptions of GP were higher than other groups. Pain scores during 1, 2 and 4 h postoperatively were lower in all study groups than the GP. CONCLUSION: Administration of all the drugs provided better analgesia than placebo and the most effective one was lornoxicam.

Cranial magnetic resonance imaging in spontaneous intracranial hypotension after epidural blood patch.

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a syndrome characterized by orthostatic headache, nausea, vomiting, photophobia, and diplopia. Subdural effusion, diffuse dural enhancement, dilatation of epidural veins, and increased height of hypophysis are cranial magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings in SIH. Epidural blood patch is reportedly one of the effective treatment options. We present the follow-up MR imaging findings in a case of SIH after a successful epidural blood patch treatment. We propose that cranial MR imaging as an objective test to evaluate the success of epidural blood patch treatment.

[Comparison of analgesic activity of intraarticular lornoxicam, bupivacaine and saline after knee arthroscopy]. / Diz artroskopilerinden sonra intraartiküler olarak uygulanan lornoksikam, bupivakain ve serum fizyolojigin analjezik etkinliginin karsilastirilmasi.

Postoperative pain is an important parameter in discharge and rehabilitation in daycase arthroscopic knee surgery. This study compared the efficacy of intraarticular application of lornoxicam, bupivacaine and placebo on postoperative pain after arthroscopic knee surgery. With the approval of the local ethics committee and informed consent of the patients, 90 patients (ASA score I-II), aged between 18-65 years undergoing arthroscopic meniscectomy were included in this randomized, blinded, prospective study and were divided into three groups (30 patients each): 8 mg lornoxicam was applied to Group L (GL), 50 mg bupivacaine to Group B (GB) and normal saline to Group S (GS) in 20 mL volume intraarticularly. Postoperative analgesia was maintained by intravenous tramadol-HCl 50 mg/h at the first 4 h and then paracetamol 500 mg plus codeine 7.5 mg preparation as needed. The numeric rating scale (NRS) values were evaluated at rest and at active-passive motion at 4, 12, 24 and 48 h, total analgesic consumption were recorded. There were statistically significant differences between GS and GL and GS and GB in term of tramadol consumption (p < 0.05 and p < 0.05). The analgesiconsumption of GL patients at the end of 48 h were lower than GB and GS (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05). The NRS values of GL were always lower than the other groups with statistical significance at certain times. We concluded that intraarticular lornoxicam provided better pain control than bupivacaine and saline in arthroscopic knee surgery.

The efficacy and safety of venlafaxine in the prophylaxis of migraine.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of venlafaxine in the prophylaxis of migraine. BACKGROUND: The efficacy of venlafaxine, which is selectively effective on the serotonergic and noradrenergic mechanisms, on various headaches and chronic pain syndromes has been demonstrated. To our knowledge, this is the first placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized study of two different doses of venlafaxine for migraine treatment. METHODS: In this prospective study, 60 migraine patients without aura were randomly assigned to venlafaxine XR 75 mg, venlafaxine XR 150 mg, or placebo. The frequency of headache attacks, the severity and the duration of attacks, and analgesic use were monitored every 2 weeks for 2 months. Adverse events and patient satisfaction were also evaluated during these visits. At the end of the 2 months, global efficacy and tolerance were investigated. RESULTS: A significant difference was observed between the venlafaxine 150 mg and placebo groups in the number of headache attacks (P= .006). According to patient satisfaction comparisons, the active drug groups were significantly different when compared with placebo (P= .001 at visit 2 and visit 6). When the global efficacy was considered, 80% of patients in the 75-mg group and 88.2% of the patients in the 150-mg group evaluated treatment benefits as either good or very good. CONCLUSIONS: Venlafaxine was more effective than placebo and is safe and well tolerated as migraine prophylaxis.

Effect of agmatine on acute and mononeuropathic pain.

Agmatine is a polycationic amine synthesized from L-arginine by arginine decarboxylase in brain and several tissues. It binds to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamatergic, alpha(2)-adrenergic and imidazoline (I) receptors. The present study was designed to investigate effect of agmatine on acute and mononeuropathic pain after chronic constriction injury (CCI). CCI was created by four loose ligations around the right sciatic nerve. The analgesic threshold in rats was evaluated by using thermal hyperalgesia/allodynia (THA) at 4 degrees C. The evaluations were made preoperatively, on postoperative day 15, and after drug administration. Agmatine (10, 20, 40, 80, and 100 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally for 5 days beginning on postoperative day 15. Agmatine significantly reduced the hyperalgesia in all doses applied. When agmatine was injected intraperitoneally (10, 20, 40, 80, and 100 mg/kg), it increased the nociceptive threshold in the tail-immersion test in a dose-dependent manner, but it had no effect in the hot-plate test. This effect of agmatine in the tail-immersion test was blocked by both yohimbine (1 mg/kg) and idazoxan (0.5 mg/kg). When agmatine was administered intracerebroventricularly (25-200 microg/10 microL), it increased the nociceptive threshold in the hot-plate but not in the tail-immersion test. We conclude that agmatine, an endogenous substance derived from arginine, can modulate both acute and chronic pain.

Effect of harmane on mononeuropathic pain in rats.

This study was designed to investigate the effect of the endogenous beta-carboline, harmane, on neuropathic pain produced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve. Thermal allodynia evaluations were made preoperatively, postoperatively on the fifteenth day, and after harmane administration. Harmane (1, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally for 5 days beginning from postoperative day 15. Treatment with harmane had a profound anti-allodynic effect in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, harmane might provide a new approach to treatment of neuropathic pain.

Comparison of efficacy of intraarticular application of tenoxicam, bupivacaine and tenoxicam: bupivacaine combination in arthroscopic knee surgery.

Arthroscopic knee surgery is one of the most common surgeries done in outpatient settings; however, postoperative pain is believed to be the major barrier for discharge and early rehabilitation. In this study we evaluated and compared the efficacy of intraarticular application of long-lasting non-steroidal analgesic drug tenoxicam, a long-lasting local anaesthetic bupivacaine and combination of the two on postoperative pain after arthroscopic knee surgery. With the approval of the local ethics committee and signed informed consent of the patients, 75 American Society of Anesthesiologists I-II patients aged between 18 and 65 years going under elective arthroscopic meniscectomy were included in this randomized, blind, prospective study. The patients were divided into three groups: group-T (GT) patients ( n=25) had intraarticular 20 mg of tenoxicam in 20 ml normal saline; group-B (GB) patients ( n=25) had 50 mg bupivacaine in 20 ml normal saline (0.25%); group-BT (GBT) patients ( n=25) had intraarticular 20 mg of tenoxicam and 50 mg bupivacaine (0.25%) in 20 ml normal saline after completion of the surgery and before deflation of the tourniquet. Postoperative analgesia was maintained by intravenous tramadol hydrochloride 50 mg/s at the first 4 h and paracetamol 500 mg and codeine 7.5 mg preparation (Pacofen) as needed (maximum six per day) during the study period. The numeric rating scale (NRS) values were at rest and at active-passive motion at 4, 12, 24 and 48 h, total analgesic consumption, at 4 h for tramadol and at the end of 48 h for oral medication; and patient satisfaction at the end of 48 h was evaluated and recorded. The demographic features of the patients, and tourniquet times, were found to be similar between the groups. Group BT had significantly lower NRS values than GB at 12 h at rest. Group BT was found to have significantly lower NRS values at 4 h compared with GT, and significantly lower NRS values at 12 h compared with GB. Group BT was found to have significantly lower NRS values at 48 h compared with GB. Group T had significantly higher NRS values at 4 h compared with GB. Group B had significantly higher values at 12 h compared with GT and GBT. Group B used significantly more analgesics than GBT and GT throughout the study period. Group BT patients had significantly more satisfaction at the end of the study period when compared with GT and GB. Application of intraarticular tenoxicam-bupivacaine solution is a simple, safe and effective method of analgesia after arthroscopic meniscectomy with high patient satisfaction.

Childhood traumatic events and dissociative experiences in patients with chronic headache and low back pain.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine childhood traumatic experiences and dissociative characteristics in women with chronic headache and low back pain. SETTING: The patients were evaluated in the multidisciplinary pain clinic of a university hospital. SUBJECTS: This study included 73 patients: 41 with chronic headache and 32 with chronic low back pain. OUTCOME MEASURES: All the patients were assessed with use of a semistructured questionnaire, the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ), and the Childhood Abuse and Neglect Questionnaire. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences between the headache and low back pain groups in terms of prevalence of history of neglect; abuse; or sexual, physical, and emotional abuse separately. In addition, no significant differences were found between the groups with respect to the Dissociative Experiences Scale scores. However, analysis of the SDQ scores showed that the neglect rate in the two groups differed significantly. According to our findings, the neglect rate was higher in the headache group, thus warranting further research to investigate the sensitivity of the SDQ for neglect.

Depression, automatic thoughts, alexithymia, and assertiveness in patients with tension-type headache.

OBJECTIVE: The role of psychological factors related to headache has long been a focus of investigation. The aim of this study was to evaluate depression, automatic thoughts, alexithymia, and assertiveness in persons with tension-type headache and to compare the results with those from healthy controls. METHODS: One hundred five subjects with tension-type headache (according to the criteria of the International Headache Society classification) and 70 controls were studied. The Beck Depression Inventory, Automatic Thoughts Scale, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and Rathus Assertiveness Schedule were administered to both groups. Sociodemographic variables and headache features were evaluated via a semistructured scale. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, the subjects with headache had significantly higher scores on measures of depression, automatic thoughts, and alexithymia and lower scores on assertiveness. Subjects with chronic tension-type headache had higher depression and automatic thoughts scores than those with episodic tension-type headache. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested that persons with tension-type headache have high depression scores and also may have difficulty with expression of their emotions. Headache frequency appears to influence the likelihood of coexisting depression.

The effects of three different analgesia techniques on long-term postthoracotomy pain.

UNLABELLED: In this clinical, randomized, prospective study, we compared the effects of three different analgesia techniques (thoracic epidural analgesia [TEA] with and without preoperative initiation and IV patient-controlled analgesia [IV-PCA]) on postthoracotomy pain in 69 patients. In two groups, a thoracic epidural catheter was inserted preoperatively. Group Pre-TEA had bupivacaine and morphine solution preoperatively and intraoperatively. Postoperative analgesia was maintained with epidural PCA with a similar solution. Group Post-TEA, with no intraoperative medication, had the same postoperative analgesia as Group Pre-TEA plus the bolus dose. Group IV-PCA received only IV-PCA with morphine for postoperative analgesia. Pain was evaluated every 4 h during the first 48 h at rest, cough, and movement. Pre-TEA was associated with decreased pain compared with the other groups. Six months later, the patients were asked about their pain. The incidence and the intensity of pain were most frequent in Group IV-PCA (78%) and were the least in Group Pre-TEA (45%) (Group Pre-TEA versus Group IV-PCA, P = 0.0233; Group Pre-TEA versus Group IV-PCA, P = 0.014). Patients having pain on the second postoperative day had 83% chronic pain. TEA with preoperative initiation is a preferable method in preventing acute and long-term thoracotomy pain. IMPLICATIONS: Preoperatively initiated thoracic epidural analgesia has the most satisfying results in controlling postthoracotomy pain in the acute and long-term period, and it is associated with a decreased incidence (and intensity) of chronic pain compared with postoperative (epidural or IV) analgesia. Chronic pain has an incidence of 62%.