Visceral Pain in Preterm Infants with Necrotizing Enterocolitis: Underlying Mechanisms and Implications for Treatment.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a relatively rare but very severe gastrointestinal disease primarily affecting very preterm infants. NEC is characterized by excessive inflammation and ischemia in the intestines, and is associated with prolonged, severe visceral pain. Despite its recognition as a highly painful disease, current pain management for NEC is often inadequate, and research on optimal analgesic therapy for these patients is lacking.

Pannexin-1 channel inhibition alleviates opioid withdrawal in rodents by modulating locus coeruleus to spinal cord circuitry.

Opioid withdrawal is a liability of chronic opioid use and misuse, impacting people who use prescription or illicit opioids. Hyperactive autonomic output underlies many of the aversive withdrawal symptoms that make it difficult to discontinue chronic opioid use. The locus coeruleus (LC) is an important autonomic centre within the brain with a poorly defined role in opioid withdrawal.

Targeting Pannexin-1 Channels: Addressing the 'Gap' in Chronic Pain.

Chronic pain complicates many diseases and is notoriously difficult to treat. In search of new therapeutic targets, pannexin-1 (Panx1) channels have sparked intense interest as a key mechanism involved in a variety of chronic pain conditions. Panx1 channels are transmembrane proteins that release ions and small molecules, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Genome-wide association study suggests a critical contribution of the adaptive immune system to chronic post-surgical pain.

Chronic post-surgical pain affects a large proportion of people undergoing surgery, delaying recovery time and worsening quality of life. Although many environmental variables have been established as risk factors, less is known about genetic risk. To uncover genetic risk factors we performed genome-wide association studies in post-surgical cohorts of five surgery types- hysterectomy, mastectomy, abdominal, hernia, and knee- totaling 1350 individuals.