OBJECTIVETo review the mechanisms and current clinical application of pharmacological interventions for phantom limb pain.

DATA SOURCESBoth Chinese and English language literatures were searched using MEDLINE (1982 - 2011), Pubmed (1982 - 2011) and the Index of Chinese Language Literature (1982 - 2011).

STUDY SELECTIONData from published articles about pharmacological management of phantom limb pain in recent domestic and foreign literature were selected. Data extraction Data were mainly extracted from 96 articles which are listed in the reference section of this review.

RESULTSBy reviewing the mechanisms and current clinical application of pharmacological interventions for phantom limb pain, including anticonvulsants, antidepressants, local anaesthetics, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, tramadol, opioids, calcitonin, capsaicin, beta-adrenergic blockers, clonidine, muscle relaxants, and emerging drugs, we examined the efficacy and safety of these medications, outlined the limitations and future directions.

CONCLUSIONSAlthough there is lack of evidence-based consensus guidelines for the pharmacological management of phantom limb pain, we recommend tricyclic antidepressants, gabapentin, tramadol, opioids, local anaesthetics and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists as the rational options for the treatment of phantom limb pain.

Analgesics ; therapeutic use ; Analgesics, Opioid ; therapeutic use ; Anticonvulsants ; therapeutic use ; Antidepressive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Phantom Limb ; drug therapy ; Tramadol ; therapeutic use

Pain is a complex, unpleasant feeling and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, and manifests itself in certain autonomous psychological and behavioral responses. The commonly used opioid and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics(NSAIDs) may cause adverse reactions to the kidney, liver, cardiovascular or gastrointestinal system and cause problems of drug abuse. Therefore, it is necessary to study new analgesic drugs with less side effects and significant analgesic effects. A variety of natural products derived from terrestrial plants, microorganisms, marine organisms and fungi have been an important source of clinical medicines and provide an inexhaustible resource for the development and innovation of modern medicines. Therefore, this paper mainly reviews the natural non-alkaloids with analgesic activity in order to provide reference for the research and development of analgesic drugs derived from natural products.
Analgesics/therapeutic use* ; Analgesics, Opioid/therapeutic use* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/therapeutic use* ; Biological Products/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Pain/drug therapy*

To further standardize the sedation and analgesia treatment for neurocritical care patients, the National Center for Healthcare Quality Management in Neurological Diseases and Chinese Society of Critical Care Medicine organized national experts in this fields to form Working group of the Expert consensus on sedation and analgesia for neurocritical care patients in order to update the Expert consensus on sedation and analgesia for patients with severe brain injury (2013) based on evidence-based medicine. This update aims to provide scientific guidance for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of neurocritical care patients. The working group followed the definition of clinical practice guidelines by the Institution of Medicine (IOM) and the World Health Organization guidelines development handbook and Guidelines for the formulation/revision of clinical guidelines in China (2022) to register and draft the Expert consensus on sedation and analgesia for neurocritical care patients. The working group will strictly adhere to the consensus development process to formulate and publish the Expert consensus on sedation and analgesia for neurocritical care patients (2023). This protocol primarily introduces the development methodology and process of the Expert consensus on sedation and analgesia for neurocritical care patients (2023), including the purpose of the update, the target population, the composition of the consensus development working group, the presentation and collection of clinical questions, evidence evaluation and summarization, and the generation of recommended opinions. This will make the consensus development process more standardized and transparent.
Humans ; Consensus ; Analgesia ; Analgesics/therapeutic use* ; Pain Management ; Critical Care

Analgesics, Opioid ; poisoning ; Diphenoxylate ; poisoning ; Humans ; Naloxone ; therapeutic use ; Narcotic Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Poisoning ; drug therapy

Acetaminophen ; therapeutic use ; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic ; therapeutic use ; Aspirin ; therapeutic use ; Fever ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Humans ; Ibuprofen ; therapeutic use ; Sulfonamides ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy and safety of different analgesic and sedative treatments in children with mechanical ventilation in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

METHODSEighty children with mechanical ventilation in the PICU who needed analgesic and sedative treatments were equally and randomly divided into midazolam group and remifentanil+midazolam group. The sedative and analgesic effects were assessed using the Ramsay Scale and the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry and Consolability (FLACC) Scale. The following indices were recorded for the two groups: vital signs, ventilator parameters, organ function, total doses of remifentanil and midazolam, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of PICU stay, PICU cost, and incidence of adverse events.

RESULTSSatisfactory sedation was achieved in the two groups, but the remifentanil+midazolam group had a significantly shorter time to analgesia and sedation than the midazolam group. The remifentanil+midazolam group had a significantly higher percentage of patients with grade 3-4 on the Ramsay Scale and a significantly lower dose of midazolam than the midazolam group (P<0.05). Both groups showed decreases in heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and spontaneous breathing frequency (RRs) after treatment. However, the remifentanil+midazolam group had significantly greater decreases in HR at 3-24 hours after treatment and MAP and RRs at 3-12 hours after treatment than the midazolam group (P<0.05). Compared with the midazolam group, the remifentanil+midazolam group had significantly higher ventilator tidal volume and transcutaneous oxygen saturation at 6 and 12 hours after treatment and significantly lower end-tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure at 6 and 12 hours after treatment (P<0.05). The remifentanil+midazolam group had significantly shorter time to awake, extubation time, duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of PICU stay than the midazolam group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in PICU cost, incidence of adverse events, and hepatic and renal functions before and after treatment between the two groups (P>0.05). Both groups showed a significant decrease in fasting blood glucose level after treatment (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSFor children with mechanical ventilation in the PICU, remifentanil+midazolam treatment can rapidly achieve analgesia and sedation, improve the effect of mechanical ventilation, and reduce the dose of sedative compared with midazolam alone, and is well tolerated.

Analgesics ; therapeutic use ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Hypnotics and Sedatives ; therapeutic use ; Infant ; Intensive Care Units, Pediatric ; Male ; Midazolam ; therapeutic use ; Piperidines ; therapeutic use ; Respiration, Artificial

OBJECTIVETo compare the preemptive analgesia efficacy between two cycloxygenase-2 inhibitors, rofecoxib and etoricoxib in the ambulatory uterine evacuation patients.

METHODSIn this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial 60 patients were randomly divided into three groups and received a single dose of placebo, rofecoxib 50 mg, or etoricoxib 120 mg, respectively, before operation. Patient's visual analogue score (VAS) was rated postoperatively at 15 min, 30 min, 60 min, time-to-discharge, 6 h and 24 h. Fentanyl (in post-anesthesia care unit) and paracetamol (at home) were supplementary analgesics and the dosage was also recorded. Patient's satisfaction score was rated at 24 h postoperatively.

RESULTSEtoricoxib 120 mg and rofecoxib 50 mg were significantly superior to placebo at 6 h postoperatively (P < 0.05) while there was no significant differences of VAS at other time points. The amounts of Fentanyl used in post-anesthesia care unit were similar in three groups, but paracetamol taken at home was much less in rofecoxib group and etoricoxib group than in placebo group (P < 0.01). Compared to rofecoxib, etoricoxib provided better pain relief after discharge (P < 0.05). The overall pain management satisfaction score was significantly higher in etoricoxib group (96 +/- 7) than in other groups (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONPreemptive rofecoxib 50 mg and etoricoxib 120 mg may significantly decrease VAS at 6 h postoperatively, and reduce the usage of analgesics in ambulatory uterine evacuation patients. Etoricoxib 120 mg offeres better pain relief at home compared with rofecoxib 50 mg.

Abortion, Induced ; adverse effects ; Acetaminophen ; therapeutic use ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Ambulatory Surgical Procedures ; Analgesics, Non-Narcotic ; therapeutic use ; Analgesics, Opioid ; therapeutic use ; Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Double-Blind Method ; Female ; Fentanyl ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Lactones ; therapeutic use ; Pain Measurement ; Pain, Postoperative ; prevention & control ; Preoperative Care ; Pyridines ; therapeutic use ; Sulfones ; therapeutic use

We investigated the anti-nociceptive effect of Excoecaria agallocha (E.agallocha) against chemically and thermally induced nociception, Albino mice received a dose of 10, 15, 20, or 25 mg/kg of alkaline chloroform fraction (Alk-CF) of E.agallocha by oral administration. Compared with controls, Alk-CF decreased the writhing numbers (P<0.01) in a dose dependent manner. Further we determined that, Alk-CF contained, a potent compared to control, also potent anti-nociceptive agent that acted via opioid receptors and using HPLC, identified this compound as Rutin. Docking simulation demonstrated that Rutin interacted strongly with cyclooxygenase, forming a number of specific hydrogen bonds. In conclusion we have identified peripheral and central anti-nociceptive activities of E.agallocha that involve opioid receptor, and in which the active compound is Rutin.
Analgesics ; isolation & purification ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; Euphorbiaceae ; chemistry ; Female ; Male ; Mice ; Pain ; drug therapy ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Rutin ; isolation & purification ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo compare the postoperative analgesic efficacy and safety of the non-addictive propacetamol hydrochloride (Pro-Bufferin) injection and dolantin in a prospective, randomized, double blind and controlled clinical trial.

METHODSAfter the pain intensity was assessed when the patients were undergone thoracic and abdominal selective surgery became fully conscious, 40 consecutive patients with moderate to severe postoperative pain (equivalent to Pain Grade I and II of American Anesthesia Association classification) were randomized into the study against the control groups. The two groups were similar for age, sex, height/weight, disease categories, operation categories, anesthesia methods and duration, vital signs, hepatorenal function, and blood cell count (P = 0.06-0.93). In the study group, 2 g propacetamol in 100 ml normal saline (NS) intravenously with 1.0 ml NS intramuscularly as the placebo control to dolantin were administered. In the control group, 1.6 g mannitose in 100 ml NS intravenously as the placebo control to propacetamol with 50 mg dolantin (1.0 ml) intramuscularly as the positive control to propacetamol were administered. The intensity change of postoperative pain was then evaluated 10 times with visual analog scale and verbal describing scale during 6 h from the beginning of propacetamol infusion. Vital signs and adverse reactions were also documented. After all data were put into the computer, the blinding codes were decoded and the statistic analysis was then made.

RESULTSThere was no significant difference (P = 0.93) about the area under the curve of "Pain Relieve Score vs. Time". The "starting to effect" time (15-30 min), analgesic duration (6 h) and the percentage of excellent or good analgesic effect (90%) in the two groups were the same. Adverse reactions didn't reached the statistic different level (P = 0.35).

CONCLUSIONSPropacetamol HCL injection 2 g intravenously could be an alternative to dolantin 50 mg intramuscularly for moderate to severe postoperative pain with its advantage of being non-addictive.

Acetaminophen ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Adult ; Aged ; Analgesics ; therapeutic use ; Double-Blind Method ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Meperidine ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Pain, Postoperative ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the feasibility and safety of patient controlled analgesia (PCA) technology during double balloon endoscopy(DBE) inspection.

METHODSAccording to the anesthesia, 120 patients with suspected intestinal disease were randomized into non-anaesthesia(Group A), propofol infusion with TCI vein pump(Group B), and remifentanil vein infusion with PCA pump(Group C), with 40 patients in each group. The feasibility and safety of the three methods in double balloon endoscopy(DBE) inspection were evaluated.

RESULTSThe tolerance in groups B and C was good and the procedure success rate was 100%, significantly higher than Group A(80%, 12/40, P<0.01). The fluctuation of blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation was significantly greater in groups A and B, while patients in Group C remained stable. The detection rate was 67.5%(27/40) in Group B and 72.5%(29/40) in Group C, significantly higher than that in Group A(37.5%, 15/40, all P<0.01). The depth of endoscope was longer and the length of hospital stay shorter in Group C as compared to Group B(both P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe application of PCA technology in the double-balloon endoscopy inspection can meet the individualized analgesic needs of patients in different period, increase the tolerance and compliance of patients to the inspection, facilitate patient-operator communication and positions change, reduce the operation risk, and increase the success rate of double balloon endoscopy.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Analgesia, Patient-Controlled ; Analgesics ; therapeutic use ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Piperidines ; therapeutic use ; Propofol ; therapeutic use ; Prospective Studies ; Young Adult