ScienceDaily: Top Health News

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• Higher Functioning Endogenous Opioid System Predicts Better Treatment Response For Neuropathic Pain Treated With Topical NSAIDs
• Half of veterans prescribed medical opioids continue to use them chronically
• Opioid regimens that deliver best pain control reflect assay findings of cytochrome defects
• Combined use of oxytocin and human chorionic gonadotropin in intractable pain patients
• Stem cell transplant shows 'landmark' promise for treatment of degenerative disc disease
• Ever-so-slight delay improves decision-making accuracy
• The dark side of fair play
• New study of proteins in space could yield better understanding, new drug development

Higher Functioning Endogenous Opioid System Predicts Better Treatment Response For Neuropathic Pain Treated With Topical NSAIDs Posted: 08 Mar 2014 06:52 AM PST Not only are neuropathic pain symptoms quite common in knee osteoarthritis, but scientists can predict who will respond to treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by assessing the nervous system's own capacity to regulate pain, new research suggests. Patients whose tests had indicated superior conditioned pain modulation (CPM) had less pain and fewer neuropathic symptoms.

Half of veterans prescribed medical opioids continue to use them chronically Posted: 08 Mar 2014 06:48 AM PST Of nearly 1 million veterans who receive opioids to treat painful conditions, more than half continue to consume opioids chronically or beyond 90 days, new research says. A number of factors were associated with opioid discontinuation with the goal of understanding how abuse problems take hold in returning veterans.

Opioid regimens that deliver best pain control reflect assay findings of cytochrome defects Posted: 08 Mar 2014 06:48 AM PST Most patients with multiple defects of the cytochrome P450 system, which is largely responsible for metabolizing opioids, naturally gravitated toward an opioid regimen primarily metabolized through the cytochrome P450 3A4 enzyme or a non-cytochrome, metabolic pathway, a new study suggests.

Combined use of oxytocin and human chorionic gonadotropin in intractable pain patients Posted: 08 Mar 2014 06:48 AM PST Two hormones credited with reducing pain and need for opioid analgesics when released naturally during pregnancy and childbirth worked similarly when administered simultaneously to patients with intractable pain, research shows.

Stem cell transplant shows 'landmark' promise for treatment of degenerative disc disease Posted: 08 Mar 2014 06:48 AM PST Stem cell transplant was viable and effective in halting or reversing degenerative disc disease of the spine, a meta-analysis of animal studies showed, in a development expected to open up research in humans. Recent developments in stem cell research have made it possible to assess its effect on intervertebral disc (IVD) height, researchers reported.

Ever-so-slight delay improves decision-making accuracy Posted: 07 Mar 2014 01:59 PM PST Researchers have found that decision-making accuracy can be improved by postponing the onset of a decision by a mere fraction of a second. The results could further our understanding of neuropsychiatric conditions characterized by abnormalities in cognitive function and lead to new training strategies to improve decision-making in high-stake environments.

The dark side of fair play Posted: 07 Mar 2014 01:59 PM PST We often think of playing fair as an altru­istic behavior. We're sac­ri­ficing our own poten­tial gain to give others what they deserve. What could be more self­less than that? But new research sug­gests another, darker origin behind the kindly act of fairness. An expert in the evolution of spite has investigated possible explanations for fair behavior that hadn't been considered before.

New study of proteins in space could yield better understanding, new drug development Posted: 07 Mar 2014 11:30 AM PST Innovative methods of drug discovery don't always take place in an academic laboratory. They may start there, but they can also happen in orbit aboard the International Space Station, as protein crystallization research is about to demonstrate once again.

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