Methods of diagnosis and rehabilitation of dysphagia in patients with spinal cord injury: a systematic review.

Introduction: Latest epidemiological metrics put a global prevalence of 20.6 million people suffering from spinal cord injury (SCI), leading to a burden of functional disability, deterioration in quality of life and reduced life expectancy. A thorough statement of diagnostic methods and treatment protocols for swallowing disorders after SCI stands as a major priority to streamline patient care and cost-sharing.

Pain Management in Knee Osteoarthritis: Insights from an Exploratory Online Survey of Italian Patients and Physicians.

Background: In Italy, knee osteoarthritis (KOA) accounts for over 5 million prevalent cases and requires long-term multidisciplinary management. The most frequent KOA symptom is pain. The aim of the survey is to provide a national overview of the current management of moderate-to-severe pain associated with KOA from both clinicians' and patients' perspectives.

Opportunities and barriers for telemedicine in pain management: insights from a SIAARTI survey among Italian pain physicians.

Background: The integration of telemedicine in pain management represents a significant advancement in healthcare delivery, offering opportunities to enhance patient access to specialized care, improve satisfaction, and streamline chronic pain management. Despite its growing adoption, there remains a lack of comprehensive data on its utilization in pain therapy, necessitating a deeper understanding of physicians' perspectives, experiences, and challenges.

Methods: A survey was conducted in Italy between January 2024 and May 2024.

A Review of Current Approaches to Pain Management in Knee Osteoarthritis with a Focus on Italian Clinical Landscape.

The global cases of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) are projected to increase by 74.9% by 2050. Currently, over half of patients remain dissatisfied with their pain relief.

Radiofrequency stimulation of the dorsal root ganglion as a diagnostic tool for radicular pain syndromes: six representative cases.

Background: We discuss the diagnostic benefit of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in a case series of patients with different pathologies. We expand the diagnostic potential of DRG stimulation beyond paresthesia mapping by using DRG stimulation to help determine the role of the DRG in the patient's pain and narrow down the etiology. In some cases, DRG stimulation was also part of the treatment plan.

Constipation and pain in Parkinson's disease: a clinical analysis.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by both motor and non-motor symptoms (NMS). Among NMS, constipation and pain are both highly prevalent and debilitating affecting up to 80% of PD patients and impairing their quality of life. Here, we investigated the relationship between constipation and pain in PD patients.

The role of mesotherapy in the management of spinal pain. A randomized controlled study.

Background: Mesotherapy is a technique through which active ingredients are administered into the thickness of the skin in order to increase the local analgesic effect.

Methods: 141 patients with spinal pain not responding to systemic therapy with NSAIDs were randomized to receive one or more intra-cutaneous drugs on a weekly basis.

Results: All patients achieved a pain reduction of at least 50% compared to baseline, and all tolerated the therapy without having to resort to systemic drug dose increases.

Dopamine Transmission Imbalance in Neuroinflammation: Perspectives on Long-Term COVID-19.

Dopamine (DA) is a key neurotransmitter in the basal ganglia, implicated in the control of movement and motivation. Alteration of DA levels is central in Parkinson's disease (PD), a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and non-motor manifestations and deposition of alpha-synuclein (α-syn) aggregates. Previous studies have hypothesized a link between PD and viral infections.

Breakthrough pain in patients with multiple myeloma: a secondary analysis of IOPS MS study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to characterize breakthrough pain (BTcP) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM).

Patients And Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a large multicenter study of patients with BTcP. Background pain intensity and opioid doses were recorded.

Strategies to build and maintain competence in pain management: Insights from a SIAARTI survey on educational needs among Italian anesthesiologists.

Purpose: Fulfilling educational needs in pain management should be a lifelong process, even involving physicians board certified in pain medicine such as the anesthesiologists/pain therapists. The aim of the study was to investigate Italian anesthesiologists' self-perceived competency, confidence, and interest to attend educational programs in relation to their seniority in pain management.

Methods: SIAARTI members were sent an online questionnaire addressing the following items: education, skills (both soft and hard skills), technical expertise and engaged to participate between December 2020 and January 2021.

Raising Awareness on the Clinical and Social Relevance of Adequate Chronic Pain Care.

Appropriate pain care should be regarded as a right and effectively guaranteed to people with chronic pain (CP). Law 38, enacted in Italy in 2010, establishes the citizen's right not to suffer. Twelve years later, such right appears still disregarded in Italy and the current access to adequate pain care reveals significant shortcomings.

Axial postural abnormalities and pain in Parkinson's disease.

Axial postural abnormalities and pain are two main determinants of poor quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Indeed, a detailed characterization of pain and other non-motor symptoms in patients with PAs has not been provided yet. The aim of this study is to assess the phenomenology of pain and other non-motor symptoms in PD patients with Pisa syndrome and camptocormia compared to PD patients without axial postural abnormality.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Cancer Pain Management in Italy: Findings from a Nationwide SIAARTI Survey.

Objectives: Despite guidelines, a large percentage of cancer patients continue to suffer from ineffectively treated pain. The authors undertook this survey to assess the strengths and weaknesses of cancer pain management in Italy.

Design: This was a prospectively administered survey.

Bibliometric Network Analysis on Rapid-Onset Opioids for Breakthrough Cancer Pain Treatment.

Background And Objectives: Proper breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) management is of pivotal importance. Although rapid-acting, oral and nasal transmucosal, fentanyl formulations (rapid-onset opioids, ROOs) are licensed for BTcP treatment, not all guidelines recommend their use. Presumably, some research gaps need to be bridged to produce solid evidence.

Intradermal therapy (mesotherapy): the lower the better.

Background: Intradermal therapy (mesotherapy) is a technique used to inject drugs into the surface layer of the skin. The intradermal micro deposit allows to modulate the kinetics of drugs, slowing down its absorption and prolonging the local mechanism of action. This technique is applied in the treatment of some forms of localized pain when a systemic drug-saving effect is useful, when it is necessary to synergize with other pharmacological or non-pharmacological thera-pies, when other therapies have failed or cannot be used.

"I'm still here, but no one hears you": a qualitative study of young women's experiences of persistent distress post family-based treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa.

Background: Family-based treatment (FBT) is the current treatment of choice for adolescent AN based on positive outcomes that include weight restoration in around two-thirds of adolescents. Nevertheless around a quarter drop-out from treatment, particularly in the earlier phases, and a notable proportion of treated adolescents are reported to experience ongoing psychological distress during and post-treatment. This study explores the under-researched experiences of these adolescents.

Erector Spinae Plane Block Serratus Plane Block in Breast Conserving Surgery: Α Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background/aim: Erector spinae plane block (ESP Block) was introduced in 2016 as a surgical post-operative analgesia procedure. The present prospective, randomized trial aimed to compare ESP Block with serratus plane block (SPB) plus pectoral nerve blocks (PECS I) during breast conserving surgery (BCS).

Patients And Methods: Between February 2019 and March 2021, 104 patients undergoing BCS were randomized to receive either ESP block (ESP group n=54) or SPB+PECS I (SPB group=49).

Exploitation of Thermal Sensitivity and Hyperalgesia in a Mouse Model of Dystonia.

Neuropathic pain is characterized by mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia to heat, and it affects some 20% of European population. Patients suffering from several neurologic diseases experience neuropathic pain, often finding no relief in therapy. Transgenic mice expressing the gene encoding the human mutant (hMT) or the human wild-type (hWT) torsin A represent a preclinical model of DYT1 dystonia which is the most common form of early-onset inherited dystonia.

Multidimensional Statistical Technique for Interpreting the Spontaneous Breakthrough Cancer Pain Phenomenon. A Secondary Analysis from the IOPS-MS Study.

Breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) is a temporary exacerbation of pain that "breaks through" a phase of adequate pain control by an opioid-based therapy. The non-predictable BTcP (NP-BTcP) is a subtype of BTcP that occurs in the absence of any specific activity. Since NP-BTcP has an important clinical impact, this analysis is aimed at characterizing the NP-BTcP phenomenon through a multidimensional statistical technique.

Ultrasound-guided pulsed radiofrequency of the saphenous nerve for knee osteoarthritis pain: a pilot randomized trial.

Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease complicated by pain and functional limitation. Newer pain-relieving interventions include pulsed radiofrequency (PRF), but studies on its efficacy have limitations including lack of control group and retrospective design that prevent sound conclusions. We conducted a blind prospective randomized sham-controlled crossover pilot trial according to the CONSORT guidelines, to evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided saphenous nerve PRF in gonarthritis pain.

Should we be concerned when COVID-19-positive patients take opioids to control their pain? Insights from a pharmacological point of view.

Objective: The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss the available information regarding the currently utilized COVID-19 therapies (and the evidence level supporting them) and opioids for chronic pain with a focus on warnings of potential interactions between these two therapeutic approaches.

Materials And Methods: Papers were retrieved from a PubMed search, using different combinations of keywords [e.g.

A Call to Action by the Italian Mesotherapy Society on Scientific Research.

Mesotherapy (local intradermal therapy, LIT) is a technique used to slowly spread drugs in tissues underlying the site of injection to prolong the pharmacological effect with respect to intramuscular injection. Recommendations for proper medical use of this technique have been made for pain medicine and rehabilitation, chronic venous disease, sport medicine, musculoskeletal disorders, several dermatological conditions, skin ageing, and immune-prophylaxis. Although mesotherapy is considered a valid technique, unresolved questions remain, which should be answered to standardize methodology and dosing regimen as well as to define the right indications in clinical practice.

A Longitudinal Study of Breakthrough Cancer Pain: An Extension of IOPS-MS Study.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to longitudinally assess the characteristics of background pain and breakthrough pain (BTcP), analgesic treatment, and satisfaction with treatment four weeks after the first assessment.

Methods: Adult cancer patients with a diagnosis of BTcP were included. At T0, age, gender, visit setting, cancer diagnosis, the extent of the disease, ongoing anticancer treatments, and Karnofsky level were recorded.