PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Nutrition, companionship reduce pain in mice with sickle cell disease, UCI-led study finds

Serotonin-boosting antidepressant duloxetine had same effect, could be opioid alternative

2021-02-01
(Press-News.org) Irvine, Calif. -- Researchers from the University of California, Irvine and the University of Minnesota have found that an enriched diet and companionship can reduce pain in mice with sickle cell disease by increasing serotonin. They also discovered that duloxetine, an antidepressant that boosts serotonin levels, could be an alternative to opioids in treating chronic pain.

"Finding safe and effective alternatives to opioids is a research priority, especially for patients with sickle cell disease," said Dr. Keith Hoots, director of the Division of Blood Diseases and Resources at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. "It's encouraging to see a dose-response relationship to nutrients and companions in mice, which guides future research about the role foods and friends may have in helping humans manage chronic pain."

Scientists have long suspected that feeling pain is connected to a person's mood or state of mind, but the link has never been proven beyond doubt. This study, published Feb. 1 in Scientific Reports, supports that connection.

"Part of pain is perception," said Kalpna Gupta, a visiting professor of medicine at UCI and the study's lead author. "For instance, if I start watching a comedy, suddenly I might forget that I was hurting; mood and a feeling of well-being block pain from being perceived."

Sickle cell disease is a painful, lifelong condition that affects about 100,000 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the majority of whom are African American. Opioids are the most common method of treating their pain. But because they're addictive, and overdoses are a leading cause of death in the United States, Gupta's team has been investigating alternatives.

"By suggesting a safe alternative to opioids for pain control, the findings of this study have the potential to change the practice of pain management and save lives," said study co-author Dr. Rajendra Badgaiyan, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota at the time who's now at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

Love conquers pain The researchers found that mouse models of sickle cell disease in a "happy environment" experienced less pain from the disorder. Over a four-week period, pain was reduced for male mice that were placed with female companions and received a diet rich in protein, fatty acids and amino acids.

Their pain decreased as the diet and companionship caused their brains to secrete serotonin. Researchers quantified the mice's pain according to the frequency with which they lifted their paws in response to stimuli and by their ability to exert force.

To confirm that serotonin caused the reduction in pain, the mice were given duloxetine, an antidepressant that works by raising the amount of serotonin in the brain. The drug decreased pain levels for both male and female mice.

The researchers believe that adapting these conditions for humans would produce the same results. Gupta is recommending that duloxetine be used in clinical trials for sickle cell patients as an alternative to opioids for pain relief.

Combating pain and prejudice In the United States, the stigma associated with opioids can make it difficult for sickle cell patients to lessen their pain.

"Patients with sickle cell disease often have to navigate the complex social prejudices of the healthcare system in addition to dealing with severe pain," said Varun Sagi, a medical student at the University of Minnesota and a contributing author on the study. "Finding alternatives to opioids could help alleviate this burden."

Duloxetine could provide an easier-to-obtain alternative. Likewise, as in the mice, building strong relationships and improving nutrition might also stimulate serotonin production in humans and thus reduce their pain.

As the COVID-19 pandemic persists, social isolation can make relationship-building a challenge, and as unemployment continues to hover around 7 percent, many Americans lack food security. As the study suggests, this can impact pain for sickle cell patients and others, so Gupta stressed the importance of developing strategies to enhance social interaction and nutrition for those affected.

INFORMATION:

This project was supported by National Institutes of Health grants UO1 HL117664 and RO1 HL147562.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 222 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www.uci.edu.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Mayo Clinic research yields breakthrough in mobile determination of QT prolongation

2021-02-01
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Researchers from Mayo Clinic and AliveCor Inc. have been using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a mobile device that can identify certain patients at risk of sudden cardiac death. This research has yielded a breakthrough in determining the health of the electrical recharging system in a patient's heart. The researchers determined that a smartphone-enabled mobile EKG device can rapidly and accurately determine a patient's QTc, thereby identifying patients at risk of sudden cardiac death from congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) or drug-induced QT prolongation. The heart beats by a complex system of electrical signals triggering regular and necessary contractions. Clinicians evaluate the heart's rate-corrected QT interval, or QTc, as a vital ...

Alternate type of surgery may prevent total knee replacement

2021-02-01
An underused type of knee surgery in younger patients, called high tibial osteotomy, shows considerable success in reducing the need for total knee replacement, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). "High tibial osteotomy is a knee surgery aimed at younger patients in the earlier stages of knee osteoarthritis. One of its goals is to prevent or delay the need for knee replacement," says coauthor Dr. Trevor Birmingham, Canada Research Chair in the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Bone and Joint Institute at Western University, London, Ontario. "In some ways, it's like performing ...

Solving complex physics problems at lightning speed

Solving complex physics problems at lightning speed
2021-02-01
A calculation so complex that it takes twenty years to complete on a powerful desktop computer can now be done in one hour on a regular laptop. Physicist Andreas Ekström at Chalmers University of Technology, together with international research colleagues, has designed a new method to calculate the properties of atomic nuclei incredibly quickly. The new approach is based on a concept called emulation, where an approximate calculation replaces a complete and more complex calculation. Although the researchers are taking a shortcut, the solution ends up almost exactly the same. It is reminiscent of algorithms ...

Just add mushrooms: Making meals more nutritious

Just add mushrooms: Making meals more nutritious
2021-02-01
February 1, 2021 - Researchers have identified another good reason to eat more mushrooms. New research , published in Food Science & Nutrition (January 2021) found that adding a mushroom serving to the diet increased the intake of several micronutrients, including shortfall nutrients such as vitamin D, without any increase in calories, sodium or fat. Dr. Victor L. Fulgoni III and Dr. Sanjiv Agarwal modeled the addition of mushrooms to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2016 dietary data looking at a composite of white, crimini and portabella mushrooms at a 1:1:1 ratio; one scenario including UV-light exposed mushrooms; and one scenario including oyster mushrooms ...

Larger panel finds more gene mutations, treatment targets for leukemia

Larger panel finds more gene mutations, treatment targets for leukemia
2021-02-01
AUGUSTA, Ga. (Feb. 1, 2020) - A gene panel that looks for about 10 times the number of cancer-causing genes as panels currently used to diagnose and fine tune treatment for a variety of cancers is effective at identifying problematic genes in the most common leukemia, investigators report. The 523-gene panel, developed by San Diego-based biotech company Illumina, which includes all genes known to potentially cause cancer, can be readily adopted for use in clinical laboratories to diagnose acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, the investigators report in the journal PLOS ONE. Identifying ...

Patient-reported outcomes from the randomized phase III CROWN study of first-line Lorlatinib versus in ALK+ NSCLC

2021-01-31
(Singapore--January 31, 2021 2:40 p.m. SPT 1:40 a.m. EST)--Patient-reported outcomes from the phase III CROWN study showed that time to treatment deterioration (TTD) in pain in chest, dyspnea, and cough was comparable between those who received lorlatinib and patients who took crizotinib. The research was presented today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's 2020 World Conference on Lung Cancer Singapore. Lorlatinib, a third-generation ALK inhibitor, significantly improved progression-free survival compared to crizotinib in ...

Social & structural factors influence racial disparities in COVID-19 mortality

2021-01-31
COVID-19 mortality racial disparities in the U.S. are associated with social factors like income, education and internet access, according to a Rutgers study. The study, published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, highlights the need for public health policies that address structural racism. The researchers investigated the association between COVID-19 cases and deaths in 2,026 U.S. counties from January to October 2020 and social determinants of health, which can raise the risk for infection and death. They also looked at factors known or thought to impact COVID-19 outcomes, including the counties' population density, days since the first COVID-19 death and percent of residents who are over age 65, are smokers or who have chronic diseases such as obesity, ...

ERAS program expedites recovery for congenital heart surgery patients

2021-01-30
CHICAGO (January 30, 2021) -- Select patients born with heart defects and who undergo congenital heart surgery recover with few complications and reduced opioid use when a comprehensive, evidence-based enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) program is used, according to research presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. "We have embarked on a new paradigm for patient care with the goal of improving recovery, patient experience, and the value of care that we provide," said Nathalie Roy, MD, from Boston Children's Hospital in Massachusetts. ...

Women undergo less aggressive open heart surgery, experience worse outcomes than men

2021-01-30
CHICAGO (January 30, 2021) -- Women are significantly less likely than men to undergo coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) using guideline-recommended approaches, which may result in worse outcomes after surgery, according to a scientific presentation at the 57th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. "This study highlights key differences between women and men in surgical techniques used for CABG and reveals opportunities to improve outcomes in women," said Oliver K. Jawitz, MD, from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Using the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database--which contains records of nearly all CABG procedures performed in the US--Dr. Jawitz and colleagues from Duke and The Johns Hopkins University ...

'COVID effect' leads to fewer heart surgeries, more patient deaths

2021-01-30
CHICAGO (January 30, 2021) -- The most deadly global health crisis in a century has resulted in a substantial decline in overall heart surgery volume and an unexplained increase in deaths after coronary artery bypass grafting, according to late-breaking research presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. "This study was a true herculean analysis and tour de force that showed the COVID effect on adult cardiac surgery volume, trends, and outcomes," said Tom C. Nguyen, MD, from the University of California San Francisco. "The pandemic has changed the world as we know it, causing a dramatic drop in adult cardiac surgery volume and worsening patient outcomes." Dr. Nguyen and colleagues queried the STS Adult ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] Nutrition, companionship reduce pain in mice with sickle cell disease, UCI-led study finds
Serotonin-boosting antidepressant duloxetine had same effect, could be opioid alternative