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This study systematically compared 2 opioids, morphine (MOR) and fentanyl (FEN), and 2 lockout intervals, long (L) and short (S) in patients utilizing patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Seventy-eight women undergoing gynecological surgery were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: MOR-S (7 min), MOR-L (11 min), FEN-S (5 min), FEN-L (8 min). PCA measures obtained during the first 24 h after surgery...
The aim of this study was to determine whether trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) neurons show differential inhibitory effects produced by parabrachial area (PBA) or nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) conditioning stimulation (CS) on their A-fiber versus C-fiber inputs electrically evoked from cutaneous and deep tissues. A total of 55 Vc neurons in urethane/chloralose-anesthetized rats were functionally...
Antinociceptive tolerance to morphine (MOR) was induced in groups of Sprague-Dawley rats receiving continuous intravenous infusions of morphine sulphate administered by 3 different MOR dosing regimes. At appropriate intervals throughout each infusion period, antinociceptive testing was performed using the tail-flick latency test and blood samples were collected. Groups of saline (SAL)-infused control...
The relationships between mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and the activity of putative pain modulatory neurons of the rostroventral medulla (ON and OFF cells) were determined in intact and cardiopulmonary deafferented rats. A total of 173 neurons were recorded from 97 rats as follows: 32 ON cells and 25 OFF cells from 39 intact rats; 32 ON cells and 20 OFF cells from 24 rats with bilateral sino-aortic...
Recurring headache syndromes, such as migraine, are common problems for women throughout their adult lives. Headache symptoms often fluctuate over the years that they are present and, for most headache sufferers, these changes seem to occur randomly. For many women, however, chronic headache changes in predictable patterns in relation to alterations in hormonal states. Clinically, headache is often...
In 34 cancer patients treated with chronic slow-release oral morphine, plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) minimum steady-state concentrations of morphine (M), morpine-3-glucuronide (M3G) and morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G) were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Both plasma and CSF morphine, M3G and M6G, concentrations were linearly related to dose of morphine. At steady...
Intercostal neuralgia is one of many possible neurological disorders associated with pregnancy. A woman presented in the 34th week of her 4th pregnancy with progressing right-sided pain and hypoesthesia in the ribs, right upper quadrant of the abdomen, and mid-thoracic area of her back. With a clinical diagnosis of pregnancy-related intercostal neuralgia, we inserted an epidural catheter at T8 for...
The development of central hypersensitivity as a result of a routine surgical procedure, midline ovariohysterectomy, was investigated in rats using the paw pressure test (PPT) and tail-flick latency (TFL) tests of spinal reflex activity. In addition, the modulating effect of pre-emptive versus post-operative administration of pethidine (a short-acting pure μ-opioid agonist) on the development of...
In order to investigate the effects of spatial summation on the spinal transmission of nociceptive information, we compared in intact and spinal anaesthetized rats, responses of lumbar convergent neurones elicited by noxious heat stimuli applied to areas of the body much greater in size than their individual excitatory receptive fields, located distally on the hindpaw. Twenty-four neurones were recorded...
A single dose of nerve growth factor (NGF, 1 μg/g, i.p.) administered to rats aged between postnatal days (PND) 12 and 14 resulted in a behavioural hypersensitivity of the hindlimb flexion withdrawal reflex to mechanical stimuli which developed 2 h after NGF and remained significant for 24 h. Heat hyperalgesia occurred some 4 h following NGF injection and lasted for 24 h.Isolated spinal cords were...
In a prospective, open study, 37 advanced cancer patients in poor pain control receiving high doses of subcutaneous hydromorphone (mean daily dose: 276 ± 163 mg) were switched to methadone by use of custom-made capsules (21 patients) or suppositories (16 patients). The change in opioid took place over 6.5 ± 3.6 days (oral) and 3.2 ± 2.7 days (rectal). The methadone/hydromorphone dose ratios were...
Compared with other European countries, French laws and restrictions concerning the use of opioids are of medium severity only. Still, together with Germany, Belgium and Spain, France belongs to the group of countries with a low national consumption of morphine, calculated by the International Narcotics Control Board of United Nations. In order to elucidate the current practice of French physicians...
To investigate the relationship between plasma atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) levels, impaired myocardial contractility and pain intensity in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) we introduced a procedure estimating the pain component not influenced by the individual emotional reaction to stress, i.e., the original pain sensation. We deduced this pain component during AMI by correcting the personal...