The pathophysiology of the chronic pain cycle.

The diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain is an area in which the field of medicine is failing to offer the best possible care to patients. This article presents a clinically driven view of the condition with an emphasis on active recognition and intervention. Defining aspects of chronic pain, including the emotional and psychologic components, are introduced with regard to recognition and diagnosis.

Evaluation of conflict of interest in economic analyses of new drugs used in oncology.

Context: Recent studies have found that when investigators have financial relationships with pharmaceutical or product manufacturers, they are less likely to criticize the safety or efficacy of these agents. The effects of health economics research on pharmaceutical company revenue make drug investigations potentially vulnerable to this bias.

Objective: To determine whether there is an association between pharmaceutical industry sponsorship and economic assessment of oncology drugs.

Subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis: overview and case report.

Phaeohyphomycosis describes a heterogenous group of mycotic infections caused by pigmented fungi. Previously uncommon to the United States, the number of case reports in the American literature has steadily increased over the past two decades. This has been attributed to the ever increasing number of immunocompromised individuals as well as an influx of immigrants from areas where these opportunistic fungi are more commonly found.

Temporal correlation analysis of penumbral dynamics in focal cerebral ischemia.

A novel temporal correlation technique was used to map the first-pass transit of iodinated contrast agents through the brain. Transit profiles after bolus injections were measured with dynamic computed tomography (CT) scanning (1 image/s over 50 s). A rabbit model of focal cerebral ischemia (n = 6) was used, and dynamic CT scans were performed at 30, 60, 90, and 120 min postocclusion.

Nerve growth factor-induced sprouting of mature, uninjured sympathetic axons.

The infusion of nerve growth factor (NGF) into the lateral ventricle of the mature rat brain elicits a sprouting response from axons associated with the intradural segment of the internal carotid artery. Using electron microscopic techniques, we observed a three-fold increase in the total number of perivascular axons. This NGF-elicited response is characterized by a dramatic reduction in glial cell ensheathment similar to that observed during development and by the presence of profiles devoid of organelles that may represent newly formed sprouts.