J-2156, a small molecule somatostatin type 4 receptor agonist, alleviated hindpaw hypersensitivity in the streptozotocin-induced rat model of painful diabetic neuropathy but with a 2-fold decrease in potency at an advanced stage in the model, mimicking morphine.

There is a large unmet need for novel pain-killers to improve relief of painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN). Herein, we assessed the efficacy of the somatostatin type 4 (SST) receptor agonist, J-2156, for relief of PDN in rats. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin (STZ; 70 mg/kg) and bilateral hindpaw hypersensitivity was fully developed by 8-week post-STZ.

MRI-guided thoraco-abdominal percutaneous needle biopsy: our initial experience.

Objective: The aim of this study is to describe the technique and to report early results of thoraco-abdominal biopsies in the Interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Suite (IMRIS).

Materials And Methods: We prospectively evaluated patients with indications for MRI-guided biopsy between January 2021 and May 2022. Exclusion criteria were indication for US-/CT-guided biopsy, contraindication to percutaneous biopsy, inability to lie flat for at least 30 min, claustrophobic, severe obesity, or non-MRI compatible devices.

Development of the Italian version of the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) measure: translation, internal reliability, and construct validity in patients undergoing rehabilitation after total hip and knee arthroplasty.

Purpose: To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) measure into Italian, examine its internal reliability, and construct validity in a rehabilitation setting.

Materials And Methods: The translation process consisted of two forward translations, a pre-final version, a back-translation, and a final version, in accordance with available guidelines. We administered the Italian version of the CARE measure to 101 patients hospitalised for rehabilitation after total hip or total knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA).

Gait analysis as a robust pain behavioural endpoint in the chronic phase of the monoiodoacetate-induced knee joint pain in the rat.

The monoiodoacetate-induced rat model of osteoarthritis knee pain is widely used. However, there are between-study differences in the pain behavioural endpoints assessed and in the dose of intraarticular monoiodoacetate administered. This study evaluated the robustness of gait analysis as a pain behavioural endpoint in the chronic phase of this model, in comparison with mechanical hyperalgesia in the injected (ipsilateral) joint and development of mechanical allodynia in the ipsilateral hind paws.

Interprofessional collaboration between different health care professions in Emilia Romagna.

Background: Interprofessional collaboration in the healthcare sector contributes to the delivery of high quality and safe services to patients across different subdivisions of the healthcare system which is faced with constant challenges. The international literature offers a plethora of tools for assessing the collaboration between health workers, but only a few of these have been validated in the Italian language. One that has undergone such validation is the interprofessional collaboration (IPC) scale, which measures the perception of collaboration among health professionals.

Pharmacological characterization of the chronic phase of the monoiodoacetate-induced rat model of osteoarthritis pain in the knee joint.

For patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, pain is the most debilitating symptom. Although it has been proposed that the chronic phase of the monoiodoacetate (MIA)-induced rodent model of knee joint pain may be superior to other chronic or acute OA models for assessing the analgesic efficacy of novel molecules, relatively few pharmacological studies have been conducted in the chronic phase of this model. Hence, this study was designed to use pharmacological methods to characterize the chronic phase of the MIA-induced rat model of knee joint OA pain.

Assessment of the Anti-Allodynic and Anti-Hyperalgesic Efficacy of a Glycine Transporter 2 Inhibitor Relative to Pregabalin, Duloxetine and Indomethacin in a Rat Model of Cisplatin-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy.

Cisplatin, which is a chemotherapy drug listed on the World Health Organisation's List of Essential Medicines, commonly induces dose-limiting side effects including chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) that has a major negative impact on quality of life in cancer survivors. Although adjuvant drugs including anticonvulsants and antidepressants are used for the relief of CIPN, analgesia is often unsatisfactory. Herein, we used a rat model of CIPN (cisplatin) to assess the effect of a glycine transporter 2 (GlyT2) inhibitor, relative to pregabalin, duloxetine, indomethacin and vehicle.

Characterisation of a rat model of mechanical low back pain at an advanced stage using immunohistochemical methods.

Chronic low back pain (LBP) has high prevalence in the adult population which is associated with enormous disability. Hence, our aim was to further characterise our LBP rat model by using immunohistological and immunohistochemical methods at an advanced stage (day 49) of the model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were anaesthetised and their lumbar L4/L5 and L5/L6 intervertebral discs (IVDs) were punctured (0.

Assessment of the anti-hyperalgesic efficacy of J-2156, relative to clinically available analgesic/adjuvant agents in a rat model of mild to moderate chronic mechanical low back pain (LBP).

Chronic mechanical low back pain (cLBP) is a leading cause of disability and a major socio-economic burden internationally. The lifetime prevalence of non-specific LBP is approximately 84%, with the prevalence of cLBP at about 23%. Clinically available analgesic/adjuvant medications often provide inadequate pain relief in patients experiencing cLBP.

Transcriptomic characterisation of the optimised rat model of Walker 256 breast cancer cell-induced bone pain.

In patients with breast cancer, metastases of cancer cells to the axial skeleton may cause excruciating pain, particularly in the advanced stages. The current drug treatments available to alleviate this debilitating pain condition often lack efficacy and/or produce undesirable side effects. Preclinical animal models of cancer-induced bone pain are key to studying the mechanisms that cause this pain and for the success of drug discovery programs.

J-2156, a somatostatin receptor type 4 agonist, alleviates mechanical hyperalgesia in a rat model of chronic low back pain.

Chronic low back pain (LBP) ranks among the most common reasons for patient visits to healthcare providers. Drug treatments often provide only partial pain relief and are associated with considerable side-effects. J-2156 [(1'S,2S)-4amino-N-(1'-carbamoyl-2'-phenylethyl)-2-(4"-methyl-1"-naphthalenesulfonylamino)butanamide] is an agonist that binds with nanomolar affinity to the rat and human somatostatin receptor type 4 (SST receptor).

Establishment and characterisation of a stavudine (d4T)-induced rat model of antiretroviral toxic neuropathy (ATN) using behavioural and pharmacological methods.

Human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) associated sensory neuropathy (SN) is a frequent complication of HIV infection. It is extremely difficult to alleviate and hence the quality of life of affected individuals is severely and adversely impacted. Stavudine (d4T) is an antiretroviral drug that was widely used globally prior to 2010 and that is still used today in resource-limited settings.

The Somatostatin Receptor-4 Agonist J-2156 Alleviates Mechanical Hypersensitivity in a Rat Model of Breast Cancer Induced Bone Pain.

In the majority of patients with breast cancer in the advanced stages, skeletal metastases are common, which may cause excruciating pain. Currently available drug treatments for relief of breast cancer-induced bone pain (BCIBP) include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and strong opioid analgesics along with inhibitors of osteoclast activity such as bisphosphonates and monoclonal antibodies such as denosumab. However, these medications often lack efficacy and/or they may produce serious dose-limiting side effects.

Establishment and Characterization of a Novel Rat Model of Mechanical Low Back Pain Using Behavioral, Pharmacologic and Histologic Methods.

Chronic low back pain (LBP), the leading cause of disability globally, is notoriously difficult to treat. Most rodent models of LBP mimic lumbar radicular pain rather than mechanical LBP. Here, we describe establishment of a new rat model of mechanical LBP that is devoid of a neuropathic component.

Comparison of Burrowing and Stimuli-Evoked Pain Behaviors as End-Points in Rat Models of Inflammatory Pain and Peripheral Neuropathic Pain.

Establishment and validation of ethologically-relevant, non-evoked behavioral end-points as surrogate measures of spontaneous pain in rodent pain models has been proposed as a means to improve preclinical to clinical research translation in the pain field. Here, we compared the utility of burrowing behavior with hypersensitivity to applied mechanical stimuli for pain assessment in rat models of chronic inflammatory and peripheral neuropathic pain. Briefly, groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were habituated to the burrowing environment and trained over a 5-day period.

Risk Factors for Immediate and Delayed-Onset Fever After Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage.

Objectives: To prospectively investigate the pre and intra-procedural risk factors for immediate (IF) and delayed-onset (DOF) fever development after percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD).

Methods: Institutional review board approval and informed patient consent were obtained. Between February 2013 and February 2014, 97 afebrile patients (77 at the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy and 20 at the Sun Yat-sen University of Guangzhou, China) with benign (n = 31) and malignant (n = 66) indications for a first PTBD were prospectively enrolled.

Electrophysiological characterization of spinal neurons in different models of diabetes type 1- and type 2-induced neuropathy in rats.

Diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) is a devastating complication of diabetes. The underlying pathogenesis of DPN is still elusive and an effective treatment devoid of side effects presents a challenge. There is evidence that in type-1 and -2 diabetes, metabolic and morphological changes lead to peripheral nerve damage and altered central nociceptive transmission, which may contribute to neuropathic pain symptoms.

The somatostatin receptor 4 agonist J-2156 reduces mechanosensitivity of peripheral nerve afferents and spinal neurons in an inflammatory pain model.

Somatostatin (SST) is a peptide hormone that regulates the endocrine system and affects neurotransmission via interaction with G protein-coupled SST receptors and inhibition of the release of different hormones. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the analgesic properties of the selective SSTR4 agonist J-2156 are mediated via peripheral and/or spinal receptors. Effect on mechanical hyperalgesia in the Complete Freund׳s Adjuvant (CFA) model was measured after intraperitoneal application of J-2156.

Anesthesia influences neuronal activity and drug effectiveness in neuropathic rats.

In the study of neuropathic pain, the reduction of spinal neuronal activity by an analgesic drug can inform about site and mechanistic aspects of action. Animal experiments such as in vivo electrophysiological recordings from spinal neurons, however, largely require anesthesia. The impact of the anesthesia on the interpretation of the experimental result has been mostly disregarded.

CCR1 plays a critical role in modulating pain through hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells.

Inflammation is associated with immune cells infiltrating into the inflammatory site and pain. CC chemokine receptor 1 (CCR1) mediates trafficking of leukocytes to sites of inflammation. However, the contribution of CCR1 to pain is incompletely understood.

The bradykinin B1 receptor antagonist BI113823 reverses inflammatory hyperalgesia by desensitization of peripheral and spinal neurons.

Background: Bradykinin is a neuropeptide released after tissue damage which plays an important role in inflammatory pain. The up-regulation of the bradykinin B1 receptor in response to inflammation makes it an attractive target for drug development. Aim was to investigate if the selective B1 receptor antagonist BI113823 reduces inflammation-induced mechanical hyperalgesia and if the effect is mediated via peripheral and/or spinal B1 receptor antagonism.

The CGRP receptor antagonist BIBN4096BS peripherally alleviates inflammatory pain in rats.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is known to play a major role in the pathogenesis of pain syndromes, in particular migraine pain. Here we focus on its implication in a rat pain model of inflammation, induced by injection of complete Freund adjuvant (CFA). The nonpeptide CGRP receptor antagonist BIBN4096BS reduces migraine pain and trigeminal neuronal activity.

Identification of the alpha2-delta-1 subunit of voltage-dependent calcium channels as a molecular target for pain mediating the analgesic actions of pregabalin.

Neuropathic pain is a debilitating condition affecting millions of people around the world and is defined as pain that follows a lesion or dysfunction of the nervous system. This type of pain is difficult to treat, but the novel compounds pregabalin (Lyrica) and gabapentin (Neurontin) have proven clinical efficacy. Unlike traditional analgesics such as nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs or narcotics, these agents have no frank antiinflammatory actions and no effect on physiological pain.