Previous studies have implicated the dopamine and opioid systems in the induction and maintenance of ethanol consumption. This study investigated, in alcohol-preferring Fawn-Hooded (FH) rats, whether chronic free-choice ethanol consumption and subsequent withdrawal cause alterations in central mu-opioid, dopamine D(1), and D(2) receptor density using autoradiography. FH rats were given a free c...

OBJECTIVES Effective postoperative pain management is crucial in the care of surgical patients. Opioids, which are commonly used in managing postoperative pain, have a potential for tolerance and addiction, along with sedating side effects. Gabapentin's use as a multimodal analgesic regimen to treat neuropathic pain has been documented as having favorable side effects. This meta-analysis examin...

Background It is speculated that opioid-free anesthesia may provide adequate pain control while reducing postoperative opioid consumption. However, there currently no evidence to support the speculation. The authors hypothesized balanced anesthetic with dexmedetomidine reduces opioid-related adverse events compared remifentanil. Methods Patients were randomized receive a standard either intraop...

The pain and palliative care fields are encouraged to learn about government drug control policy and to engage with their governments to examine these policies and their implementation in order to address impediments to patient access to pain management. Although pain management is a necessary part of palliative care, it is often impossible because strict national and state regulations block ac...

BACKGROUND The relationship between ethnicity and early opioid consumption is not well understood. Our prospective cohort study tested whether Chinese patients in Hong Kong require less opioid after major abdominal surgery compared with Caucasian patients in Australia. METHODS Matched cohorts of patients from Hong Kong (n=68) and Australia (n=68) were recruited. Patient attitudes and expectat...

This retrospective study aims to determine whether there is a difference in the additional consumption of alcohol between addicts treated with methadone or dihydrocodeine (DHC) and untreated addicts injecting heroin. 1685 patients admitted for opioid withdrawal between 1991 and 1997 were reviewed. Cross-reference tables and multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out. 28% of patients...

BACKGROUND Quality of life is decreased in patients with hallux valgus deformity, mainly because of pain. Significant improvement is usually achieved by surgery. However, postoperative pain can be moderate to severe for 2-3 days. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of transdermal fentanyl for postoperative pain management after forefoot surgery. METHODS Sixty patients undergo...

Poorly controlled pain may lead to increased risk of cancer metastasis by suppressing natural killer (NK) cell activity. Ketamine may be beneficial by potentiating opioid-induced analgesia. We enrolled 59 participants in a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial and assigned them to receive propofol plus (1) saline, 2 mL; (2) ketamine, 0.5 mg/kg; or (3) ketamine, 1.2 mg/kg, f...

For these patients, the only realistic treatment option is pain relief and palliative care, except for Israel and Turkey, in all other Middle Eastern countries there is still a lack of governmental policies recognizing palliative care. As a result in most Middle Eastern countries the consumption of opioids is either virtually negligent or very low (Table 1). By and large, Fentanyl is currently ...