BDNF and serum S100B levels according the spectrum of structural pathology in chronic pain patients.

Central sensitivity syndrome (CSS) consists of adaptive pathophysiological changes associated with neuroplasticity in some chronic pain disorders. It could be grouped in two main conceptual conditions: one includes those chronic pain patients without overt structural pathology such as fibromyalgia, and the other subgroup includes conditions with recognizable structural abnormalities, both somatic (osteoarthritis) and visceral (endometriosis). In order to understand the role of neuromodulators in CCS we aim to determine whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and S100B are associated to specific chronic pain disorders.

Clinical Value of Serum Neuroplasticity Mediators in Identifying the Central Sensitivity Syndrome in Patients With Chronic Pain With and Without Structural Pathology.

Background And Objectives: Central sensitivity syndrome (CSS) encompasses disorders with overlapping symptoms in a spectrum of structural pathology from persistent somatic nociception (eg, osteoarthritis) to absence of tissue injury such as in fibromyalgia, chronic tension-type headache, and myofascial pain syndrome. Likewise, the spectrum of the neuroplasticity mediators associated with CSS might present a pattern of clinical utility.

Methods: We studied the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukins 6 (IL-6) and IL-10 in female patients with CSS absent of structural pathology (chronic tension-type headache [n=30], myofascial pain syndrome [n=29], fibromyalgia [n=22]); with CSS due to persistent somatic/visceral nociception (osteoarthritis [n=27] and endometriosis [n=32]); and in pain-free controls (n=37).

Melatonin analgesia is associated with improvement of the descending endogenous pain-modulating system in fibromyalgia: a phase II, randomized, double-dummy, controlled trial.

Background: Central disinhibition is a mechanism involved in the physiopathology of fibromyalgia. Melatonin can improve sleep quality, pain and pain threshold. We hypothesized that treatment with melatonin alone or in combination with amitriptyline would be superior to amitriptyline alone in modifying the endogenous pain-modulating system (PMS) as quantified by conditional pain modulation (CPM), and this change in CPM could be associated with serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

Higher serum S100B and BDNF levels are correlated with a lower pressure-pain threshold in fibromyalgia.

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is conceptualized as a central sensitization (CS) condition, that presents high serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neuroglia activation. Although the S100B protein regulates neuroglia functions, it has been traditionally used as a proxy of central nervous system damage. However, neither BDNF nor S100B association with the clinical picture of FM has been elucidated.

A pilot study of acupuncture as adjunctive treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

We evaluated the efficacy of acupuncture as a useful adjuvant treatment in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A pilot, randomized, double-blind, and controlled clinical trial was conducted. Forty RA patients with active disease despite stable therapy for at least the preceding 1 month were randomized to receive a standard protocol of acupuncture (AC) or superficial acupuncture at non-acupuncture points (controlAC) for 9 weeks.