Pain News

Monday, October 31, 2005 Regular Physical Activity May Strengthen Knee Cartilage
A novel magnetic resonance imaging technique used in a new study suggests that human articular cartilage can adapt to physical load, and that modest exercise improves knee cartilage glycosaminoglycan content in patients at risk for developing osteoarthritis …  Roos EM, Dahlberg L. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:3507-3514.

Monday, October 24, 2005 Studies Outline Weaknesses of DAS28 as Rheumatoid Arthritis Assessment Tool
Two new studies add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that the disease activity score-28 (DAS28), a tool often used to determine the intensity of antirheumatic therapy, is not an appropriate gauge of remission in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 Fatigue in Lupus Linked to Depression and Pain, but Often Missed by Standard Disease Assessment Tools
New research suggests that depression, pain, and perceived lack of social support are often-overlooked predictors of fatigue in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)—findings that may lead to a better understanding of psychosocial factors and a more specific therapeutic target for the treatment of this debilitating disease... Jump RL, et al. J Rheumatol. 2005;32:1699-1705.

Friday, September 23, 2005 FDA Issues "Non-Approvable Letter" for Pfizer's Injectable COX-2 Drug
Just 1 week after receiving a nonapprovable letter for their new osteoporosis drug lasofoxifene (Oporia), Pfizer Inc announced Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a nonapprovable letter for parecoxib sodium, an injectable COX-2 inhibitor used to treat acute pain in the postsurgical setting... Pfizer receives FDA non-approvable letter on parecoxib [press release]. PR Newswire; September 20, 2005.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005 Low-Dose Safer Than High-Dose Steroids in Rheumatoid Arthritis
A new literature review suggests that the toxicity associated with glucocorticoids is largely a result of higher doses, a finding that may serve to restore greater use of long-term, low-dose glucorticoid therapy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)... Da Silva JAP, et al. Ann Rheum Dis [serial online]. August 26, 2005.

Monday, September 19, 2005 Abuse-Resistant Oxycodone Clears Trial
Remoxy, a new oxycodone compound, may change the tide of abuse by making injection or snorting difficult due to its sticky, high-viscosity formulation...

Tuesday, September 13, 2005 Low-Dose Aspirin May Protect Against Cardiac Hypertrophy and Cardiac Fibrosis in Coxib Users
New murine studies suggest that low-dose aspirin may mitigate the cardiovascular damage known to arise from use of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors... Francois H, et al. Cell Metabolism. 2005;2:201-207.

Friday, September 09, 2005 FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee Gives Preliminary Go-ahead to Abatacept
A Food and Drug Administration Arthritis Advisory Committee unanimously recommended approval of Orencia®  (abatacept) Tuesday, stating that the benefits of the costimulation blocker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) outweighed the risks of serious infections like pneumonia and some cancers.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005 Aromatase Inhibitors Linked to Arthralgias
With increasing use of aromatase inhibitors as both a breast cancer treatment and preventive agent, rheumatologists should be aware of associated joint pain and musculoskeletal aching... Felson DT, Cummings SR. Arthritis Rheum. 2005;52:2594-2598.

Monday, August 29, 2005 Short-Term Acupuncture Found to Relieve the Pain, Fatigue, and Anxiety of Fibromyalgia
Following the results of a study indicating that acupuncture has no effect on fibromyalgia (FM), new research suggests that short-term acupuncture does improve symptoms of pain, fatigue, and anxiety in FM patients. Presented at the 11th World Congress of the International Association for the Study of Pain in Sydney, Australia...