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Abstract: Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an odorless and colorless gas routinely used as an adjuvant of anesthesia and for short-duration analgesia in various clinical settings mostly in the form of an N2O/O2 50%-50% equimolar mixture (EMONO). Experimental studies have suggested that EMONO could also induce long-lasting analgesic effects related to the blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. We designed the first international multicenter proof of concept randomized, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of a 1-hour administration of EMONO or placebo (medical air) on 3 consecutive days up to 1 month after the last administration in patients with chronic peripheral neuropathic pain. A total of 240 patients were recruited in 22 centers in France and Germany and randomly assigned to 1 study group (120 per group). Average pain intensity (primary outcome), neuropathic pain characteristics (Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory), Patient Global Impression of Change, anxiety, depression, and quality of life were systematically assessed before and after treatment. The changes in average pain intensity between baseline and 7 days after the last administration were not significantly different between the 2 groups. However, evoked pain intensity (predefined secondary endpoint) and Patient Global Impression of Change (exploratory endpoint) were significantly improved in the EMONO group, and these effects were maintained up to 4 weeks after the last treatment administration. Mostly transient side effects were reported during the treatment administration. These encouraging results provide a basis for further investigation of the long-term analgesic effects of EMONO in patients with neuropathic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La migraine est une céphalée primaire (selon les derniers critères de l'International Headache Society) qui affecte environ 8% de la population africaine. Les femmes sont plus fréquemment touchées que les hommes et les crises apparaissent le plus souvent avant l'âge de 40 ans. Bien qu'un certain nombre de traitements, de mesure hygiéno-diététiques, et d'autres méthodes non pharmacologiques permettent de limiter l'intensité et la fréquence des crises, la prise en charge médicamenteuse de la crise de migraine est très souvent nécessaire. La disponibilité des traitements et l'accès aux soins diffèrent sur le continent africain et ont conduit à la réalisation du 1er consensus d'experts pour la prise en charge du patient adulte africain. Destiné aux praticiens, ce travail collaboratif multinational a pour objectif de fournir 16 recommandations de pratiques cliniques simples, fondées sur les preuves, et adaptées aux conditions de l'exercice médical en Afrique.

Objectives Promoting public awareness about dementia has been part of global initiatives in recent years; however, the impact on patterns of patient visits in memory clinics has not been investigated in Asian countries. Hence, the present study sought to investigate longitudinal patterns of patient characteristics among consecutive referrals to a memory clinic in Singapore from 2009 to 2015. Methods Consecutive first-visit patients who attended the National University Hospital memory clinic between 2009 and 2015 through referrals from primary and secondary health care services were included in the study. A retrospective review on patient demographics, clinical diagnosis, and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) was performed. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the changing patterns of patient characteristics over the 7-year period. Results A total of 1075 patients were included in the analysis, among whom 675 (62.8%) were diagnosed with dementia. Over the 7-year period, more dementia-free patients were seen compared to dementia patients (odds ratio [OR] = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.55-1.86). Among patients who visited the memory clinic and were subsequently diagnosed with dementia, an increasing number of mild dementia (CDR = 1) compared to moderate-to-severe dementia (CDR = 2 or 3) cases were found (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.02-1.21). Conclusion Changing patterns in characteristics of patients visiting the memory clinic were observed, with an increasing number of patients at a less severe stage of disease seeking medical management. These results suggest that efforts to promote awareness of dementia among the public have been effective. Future studies are recommended to confirm the causes and investigate potential consequences of the changing patterns of memory clinic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Les douleurs chroniques entraînent une consommation importante d'antalgiques et d'anti-inflammatoires non stéroïdiens (AINS) provoquant des effets secondaires fréquents et importants. Dans un essai clinique croisé, randomisé, conduit en ouvert, nous avons évalué l'épargne thérapeutique induite par un dispositif de neurostimulation électrique transcutanée utilisable en autonomie et proposant 5 programmes TENS de 30 minutes en comparaison au traitement antalgique habituel (TTH) [1]. Après 7 jours de run-in sous TTH, 24 sujets présentant des douleurs musculo-squelettiques chroniques importantes au niveau du genou ou du rachis étaient randomisés en 2 groupes : 1ère période de 28 jours avec TENS (et TTH si besoin) puis 2e période de 28 jours de TTH seul, ou à l'inverse, TTH en 1re période puis TENS. La différence de consommation d'antalgiques non-morphiniques, d'AINS et d'antalgiques morphiniques entre les périodes TENS versus TTH était évaluée. L'intensité de la douleur ressentie (Echelle Visuelle Analogique) avant et après 30 minutes d'application du TENS, le délai de ressenti de l'effet antalgique pendant l'application et le délai de réapparition de la douleur après l'arrêt du TENS étaient également évalués. L'opinion des sujets sur l'efficacité du TENS et la perception subjective d'une amélioration clinique étaient recueillies. Les événements indésirables (EI) étaient collectés pendant l'étude. Le TENS réduit significativement la consommation des antalgiques non morphiniques (différence TENS-TTH : −94 %, p < 0,001), des AINS (−93 %, p < 0,01) et des antalgiques morphiniques (−91 %, p < 0,05). Quatorze des 24 sujets arrêtent toute prise d'antalgiques pendant la période TENS. 10 des 13 sujets prenant des AINS pendant la période TTH les arrêtent sous TENS. L'intensité de la douleur diminue en moyenne de 50,7 % (p < 0,0001, N = 1280 applications) après l'application du TENS. Une diminution de la douleur est ressentie par les sujets pour 96 % des applications du TENS, dans les 15 premières minutes pour 72 % des applications. Après l'arrêt du TENS, le soulagement dure entre 2 et 6 h pour 49 % des applications et plus de 6 h pour 31 % des applications. Globalement 87,4 % des sujets jugent le TENS testé efficace et 87,5 % déclarent être satisfaits de son effet sur le soulagement de leur douleur. Les traitements étaient bien tolérés puisque seulement 27 EI non graves (17 en période TENS, 10 en période TTH) étaient rapportés. L'épargne thérapeutique significative en antalgiques non-morphiniques, AINS et antalgiques morphiniques, l'action rapide et durable sur le soulagement de la douleur ainsi que sa bonne tolérance et sa simplicité d'utilisation font du dispositif TENS une solution antalgique non pharmacologique susceptible d'être associée ou de remplacer les traitements pharmacologiques dans la prise en charge des douleurs articulaires et musculo-squelettiques chroniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies have highlighted multicolumn spinal cord stimulation (SCS) efficacy, hypothesizing that optimized spatial neural targeting provided by new-generation SCS lead design or its multicolumn programming abilities could represent an opportunity to better address chronic back pain (BP)., Objective: To compare multicolumn vs. monocolumn programming on clinical outcomes of refractory postoperative chronic BP patients implanted with SCS using multicolumn surgical lead., Materials and Methods: Twelve centers included 115 patients in a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. After randomization, leads were programmed using only one or several columns. The primary outcome was change in BP visual analogic scale (VAS) at six months. All patients were then programmed using the full potential of the lead up until 12-months follow-up., Results: At six months, there was no significant difference in clinical outcomes whether the SCS was programmed using a mono or a multicolumn program. At 12 months, in all patients having been receiving multicolumn SCS for at least six months (n = 97), VAS decreases were significant for global pain (45.1%), leg pain (55.8%), and BP (41.5%) compared with baseline (p < 0.0001)., Conclusion: The ESTIMET study confirms the significant benefit experienced on chronic BP by patients implanted with multicolumn SCS, independently from multicolumn lead programming. These good clinical outcomes might result from the specific architecture of the multicolumn lead, giving the opportunity to select initially the best column on a multicolumn grid and to optimize neural targeting with low-energy requirements. However, involving more columns than one does not appear necessary, once initial spatial targeting of the "sweet spot" has been achieved. Our findings suggest that this spatial concept could also be transposed to cylindrical leads, which have drastically improved their capability to shape the electrical field, and might be combined with temporal resolution using SCS new modalities., (© 2020 International Neuromodulation Society.)

Chronic postsurgical neuropathic pain (CPSNP) is frequent. While prevalence varies considerably according to type of operation and means of evaluation, it can reach 37% following breast surgery. Identification of risk factors related to the procedure and to the patient and taking into account the development of new, minimally invasive surgical techniques is increasingly nerve-sparing and reduces the likelihood of injury. CPSNP diagnosis in daily practice is facilitated by simple and quickly usable tools such as the NP4 4-question test. Management is based on pharmacological (analgesics, antiepileptics, antidepressants, local anesthetics) and non-pharmacological (kinesitherapy, neurostimulation, psychotherapy) approaches. In light of the present review of the literature, the authors, who constitute an expert group specialized in pain management, anesthesia and surgery, express their support for topical treatments (lidocaine, capsaicin) in treatment of localized postsurgical neuropathic pain in adults., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

The objective of the present systematic literature review was to provide an update on medical treatment of neuropathic pain in cancer patients. The number of cancer patients is steadily increasing. Pain is frequent in cancer patients. Few studies have focused on medical treatment of pain, and especially of neuropathic pain, in current or former cancer patients. The present systematic review of all studies published between December 2012 and August 2018 was intended to estimate the scale of this lack. In all, 27 articles were identified on a systematic PubMed search and from the authors' personal knowledge, confirming that scant data have been published. The heterogeneity of cancer patients, of cancer, and of pain go some way toward explaining this scarcity. Guidelines, founded mainly on results from non-cancer patients, recommend tricyclic antidepressants and antiepileptic drugs; local treatments have the advantage of good systemic tolerance. Larger-scale studies taking account of the etiology of neuropathic pain, its characteristics (strictly neuropathic or mixed) and patient characteristics (awaiting treatment, under treatment, recent or non-recent survivor, or in terminal phase) along the care pathway are needed to improve knowledge. The results of the present literature analysis can help future research., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Objective : To determine the mean number of procedural painful episodes per patient, and to retrieve information regarding diagnosis, therapeutic procedures and analgesic management, in patients visiting Emergency Departments (EDs) for minor trauma. Methods : This observational, non-interventional, multicenter study in adult patients was performed in 35 French EDs. All patients entering the EDs for minor trauma on a specified day between noon and 10 pm were registered; consenting patients were included in the study. Pain intensity was assessed using a verbal Numerical Rating Scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain). An episode was described as painful if the difference in pain intensity between pain just before the procedure and maximal pain during the procedure was ≥2. Two independent nurses recorded data on 1 day in each center. Results : Overall, 909 patients were registered, 422 were included in the study, and complete data for 409 patients (1899 procedures) were available for analysis. The mean number of painful episodes per patient was 1.0 ± 1.3. Fifty-one percent of patients reported at least one painful procedure episode. Twenty-one percent of procedures were considered painful. Clinical examination was the procedure most often reported as painful. No preventive or curative analgesic treatment was reported in 95.1% of procedures. Conclusions : There is a need for improvement in routine pain assessment and, therefore, procedural pain management for ED patients. Specific protocols should be developed for procedural pain management, and teams should be trained especially for procedures usually not considered painful.

Cancer pain is one of the most common, feared, debilitating, and often undertreated symptoms among cancer patients. It needs attention since it has a significant impact on the quality of life (QoL) of the patients. Also, since cancer has emerged as a major health problem in developing countries, there is a need to strengthen preventive strategies for effective cancer pain management and provide comfort to cancer patients. Nonetheless, various barriers limit developing countries toward optimal cancer pain management. To bridge the gap between adequate pain management and burden of cancer pain in developing countries, a comprehensive understanding of the limitations faced and the prevalence of cancer pain should be addressed. The aim of this literature review is to provide a deeper understanding on the factors associated with cancer pain as well as barriers toward optimal cancer pain management in developing countries. Some of the barriers addressed were administrative, judicial, economic, and professional barriers. Also, estimates on the prevalence of cancer pain and detrimental effects of pain on the QoL of cancer patients have been addressed. In summary, pain, which is one of the most debilitating symptoms of cancer, remains uncontrolled and undertreated in developing countries. It has a profound impact on the patient's QoL and can have physical, psychological, and social consequences; therefore, it needs to be managed urgently and appropriately. Most importantly, optimal treatment of cancer pain should be highlighted as a priority in developing countries and concerted efforts should be made to eliminate different barriers discussed in this review for effective and humane care., Competing Interests: Disclosure Sebastien Boisseau and Yacine Hadjiat are employees of Mundipharma Pte Ltd. Indira Umareddy is an employee of Kantar Health. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Purpose: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of pain among French adults and assess the impact of pain on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), activity impairment, and health care resource use (HRU)., Patients and Methods: Respondents from the 2015 France National Health and Wellness Survey (N=19,173) were categorized by self-reported pain (experienced pain in the past 12 months vs no pain) and compared on HRQoL (36-Item Short Form Health Survey version 2: Mental Component Summary, Physical Component Summary, and Short Form-6 Dimensions health utilities), activity impairment (Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire), employment status, and HRU (health care provider visits, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations). Bivariate analyses examined differences between pain groups stratified by age, sex, income, and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) scores., Results: Pain prevalence was 20.2% (n=4007). Mean Physical Component Summary decrements with pain ranged from 3.4 to 8.1 points among those aged <35 years to those aged 45-54 years, respectively. Results for Mental Component Summary and Short Form-6 Dimensions scores followed similar patterns. Regardless of income, sex, or CCI group, pain was associated with significant decrements on all HRQoL measures (for all, p <0.05). The impact of pain on activity impairment was lowest among those <35 years; this impact was higher in middle age and then tapered off among those aged ≥75 years. Pain was associated with greater activity impairment and more health care provider visits across income, sex, and CCI groups (for all, p <0.05). Generally, emergency room visits were more common among those with pain across age, sex, and CCI, but they were only significantly associated with pain in the lower income group ( p <0.01). Pain was associated with significantly more hospitalizations across age and income groups., Conclusion: Results suggest pain negatively affects HRQoL, activity impairment, and HRU across demographic subgroups. These findings help underscore the considerable health and economic burden of pain in France., Competing Interests: Disclosure YH, BC, and LG are employees of Mundipharma. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Pain is a real issue of public health, quality and evolution of a system of health test: this is a major social problem. Pain management meets a humanistic, ethical purpose and dignity of man because of the physical and psychological implications. It induces a disability which excludes the patient of society gradually or suddenly. The physical pain and mental suffering to all ages of life make more vulnerable people weakened by disease. Rebel chronic pain are sources of disability, disabilities, disability and major alterations in the quality of life. All of these data shows the impact of pain and its intensity on the professional conditions, on professional activity and productivity, on the use of care systems (very significant increase in medical consultations, hospitalizations), as well as on the mental and physical health. These results confirmed analyses which consider that the unrelieved pain has a major economic impact on care systems and constitutes a public health problem with around two thirds of persons professionally impacted by pain. The progress of medicine has helped the healing of certain serious diseases, but also favoured acute diseases to turn to chronic diseases. The result is an increase in of lifetime sometimes without disease, but this survival may be also accompanied by disease or disability. Progress, pain and suffering, the end of life, ethics will be the core of the basic thoughts of tomorrow.

We report the results of an investigation carried out on the activity of functional neurosurgery of the cranial nerves in the French-speaking countries, based on the analysis of a questionnaire addressed to all the members of the SNCLF. Eighteen centers responded to this questionnaire, which showed that activities and indications varied greatly from one unit to another. The results appear homogeneous and comparable with those reported in the literature. The questionnaire sought to provide a global perspective, open to the comments and questions of all responders on the various techniques raised, with the objective of establishing a common decisional tree for these pathologies and providing if possible to a consensus for better dissemination of these therapies.

In France, the actual anti-pain triennial plan (1998-2000) combines: the listening and the follow-up of the patient, the reinforcement of the fight against pain in health structures and care networks, the permanent information of medical and paramedical staffs, the information of the public.

Recent data indicate that 25 to 30% of the population in industrialized countries suffers from benign chronic pain. Among these patients, 50 to 75% are professionally incapable for varied lengths of time, from a few days to some weeks or months, or even definitively. The aetiology and clinical presentation of chronic benign pain are enormously varied because this definition includes such different pathologies as headache, pain of rheumatologic, postsurgical, organic, and post-zoster origin, lombalgia, radiculalgia, post-amputation pain, neuropathologic pain, causalgia, algoneurodystrophic pain, psychosomatic and idiopathic pain. Since these syndromes and causes of pain could not be discussed individually, they have been grouped according to their neurophysiology and pathophysiology.

The resulting changes in the regional cerebral blood flow of 18 patients suffering from idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia and treated by selective thermocoagulation of the trigeminal ganglion were measured by xenon-133 emission tomography. One hour after thermal stimulation, there was an asymmetric increase (P < 0.05) in cerebral blood flow, with a 14.7% mean increase in the ipsilateral cerebral hemisphere (P < 0.001) and a 12.7% mean increase in the contralateral side (P < 0.01). The increase in regional cerebral blood flow was not uniform but was most marked in the ipsilateral middle cerebral artery territory (P < 0.001). There was a slight decrease in cerebellar blood flow, but the reduction in the ipsilateral cerebellar lobe was less than that in the contralateral lobe (P < 0.01). The topography of the most significant changes coincided with that of the innervation of the cerebral vessels by the trigeminal nerve. Several mechanisms are involved in the increase in regional cerebral blood flow, including overall nonspecific activation of the central nervous system and local mechanisms associated with the trigeminal-vascular system.

After intracerebroventricular administration of morphine in four cancer patients, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was analyzed by two morphine radioimmunoassays (RIA), liquid chromatography (LC) and radioreceptor assay (RRA) to evaluate the presence of morphine metabolites. Immunoreactive morphine-like substances were detected by differential RIA's. The maximum concentrations of these compounds were achieved 3 hours after drug administration. These concentrations, according to the specificity of the antiserum, represent a mixture of several metabolites in which only morphine 3-glucuronide(M 3-G) and morphine 6-glucuronide (M 6-G) were identified by LC, and M 6-G by LC-RRA. These results confirm that brain is able to metabolize morphine to inactive (M 3-G) or more potent (M 6-G) derivatives.

Beta 1-24 corticotrophin was the object of an open trial in the "acute" treatment of chronic pain in 22 patients. The analgesic effect of the drug was assessed before and after two weeks of treatment by means of 3 subjective tests: visual analogue scale, numeric scale and Mac Gill pain questionnaire. The results were statistically significant (P less than 0.01). They confirmed that slow-release tetracosactide exerts a beneficial effect on the sensory-discriminative and affective-emotional components of pain. The drug may be prescribed for short periods (1 to 2 weeks) to patients with chronic pain refractory to the usual treatments. Its analgesic effect is immediate and enables a conventional treatment to be instituted.

Numerous effective treatments are available to relieve the intractable pain of terminal E.N.T. cancers when aetiological therapies are no longer of any use. These treatments must be prescribed as a progressive therapeutic scale ranging from analgesics, and notably morphine which remains the basic drug, to the classical or stereotactic surgical operations. To these must now be added other routes of administration of morphine (e.g. intraventricularly) which in some cases give unexpected results.

The publication of several accidents, possibly due to the reabsorption of irrigation solutions in the course of percutaneous nephrolithotomy, prompted the authors to quantify the amounts of glycine (1.50 per cent glycocol) reabsorbed in these operations, and to determine the metabolic consequences. In a prospective study of twelve patients subjected to fourteen percutaneous nephrolithotomies, the hemodilution parameters (natremia, protidemia, hematocrit and osmolality) and the amino acid content of the plasma were measured preoperatively, at operation, and immediately postoperatively. The study indicates that there is a hemodilution and reabsorption of irrigation solute comparable to that observed in transurethral resections of the prostate. The resultant hyperglycinemia probably explains the significant increase in ammonemia noted in all the patients. One theory is that hepatocellular insufficiency may increase this ammonemia. This might suggest the advisability of using saline solution, at least in these patients (that is, of course, in the absence of electrical lithotrity).