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

In a world of chronic pain, individual treatment possible, Yale research shows

2012-11-13
(Press-News.org) An investigation into the molecular causes of a debilitating condition known as "Man on Fire Syndrome" has led Yale researchers to develop a strategy that may lead to personalized pain therapy and predict which chronic pain patients will respond to treatment.

More than a quarter of Americans suffer from chronic pain and nearly 40 percent do not get effective relief from existing drugs. In many common conditions such as diabetic neuropathy, no clear source of pain is found.

The new study published in the Nov. 13 issue of Nature Communications used sophisticated atomic modeling techniques to search for mutations found in a rare, agonizing, and previously untreatable form of chronic pain called erythromelagia, commonly referred to as "Man on Fire Syndrome." Researchers discovered that one of those mutations seem to predicted whether a patient would respond positively to drug treatment.

"Hopefully we can use this knowledge to help chronic pain patients in more systematic ways, and not depend upon trial and error," said Yang Yang, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Neurology and lead author of the paper.

Under the leadership of Stephen Waxman, the Bridget Marie Flaherty Professor of Neurology, professor of neurobiology and of pharmacology, and senior author of the new paper, Yale has been a leader in identifying the sodium channel Nav1.7 at the base nerve cells as the regulator of several forms of chronic pain. The members of the Waxman lab were intrigued when it was reported the anti-seizure medicine carbamazepine relieved pain in members of a family suffering from erythromelagia, apparently by working on the Nav 1.7 sodium channel.

Yale researchers conducted an exhaustive genetic analysis and discovered that a specific variant — a difference of a single amino acid among 1,800 — in the sodium channel explained why this family responded to the drug. In this new paper, the Yale team developed a three-dimensional structural model of human Nav1.7 channel and systemically looked at different erythromelagia mutations at the atomic level. The Yale team found an additional, second mutation that was sensitive to carbamazepine treatment. In theory, chronic pain patients with this mutation should respond to treatment with carbamazepine.

"This work shows us that the goal of personalized, genomically-guided drug treatment for pain is not unrealistic," Waxman said.

###The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs funded the work.

Other Yale authors include Sulayman D. Dib-Hajj, Lynda Tyrrell, and Mark Estacion.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

BOSS quasars unveil a new era in the expansion history of the universe

BOSS quasars unveil a new era in the expansion history of the universe
2012-11-13
BOSS, the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, is mapping a huge volume of space to measure the role of dark energy in the evolution of the universe. BOSS is the largest program of the third Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III) and has just announced the first major result of a new mapping technique, based on the spectra of over 48,000 quasars with redshifts up to 3.5, meaning that light left these active galaxies up to 11.5 billion years in the past. "No technique for dark energy research has been able to probe this ancient era before, a time when matter was still ...

Open access initiative reveals drug hits for deadly neglected tropical diseases

2012-11-13
[Geneva, Switzerland – 13 November 2012] - The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) announce today the identification of three chemical series targeting the treatment of deadly neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), through DNDi's screening of MMV's open access Malaria Box. The resulting DNDi screening data are among the first data generated on the Malaria Box to be released into the public domain, exemplifying the potential of openly sharing drug development data for neglected patients. The open access Malaria Box is an ...

Hormone combination effective and safe for treating obesity in mice

Hormone combination effective and safe for treating obesity in mice
2012-11-13
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Scientists at Indiana University and international collaborators have found a way to link two hormones into a single molecule, producing a more effective therapy with fewer side effects for potential use as treatment for obesity and related medical conditions. The studies were carried out in the laboratories of Richard DiMarchi, the Standiford H. Cox Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and the Linda & Jack Gill Chair in Biomolecular Sciences in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences, and of Matthias Tschöp, professor of medicine and director ...

Naïve fish: Easy targets for spear fishers

2012-11-13
Big fish that have grown up in marine reserves don't seem to know enough to avoid fishers armed with spear guns waiting outside the reserve. The latest research by an Australian team working in the Philippines into the effects of marine reserves has found there is an unexpected windfall awaiting fishers who obey the rules and respect reserve boundaries – in the form of big, innocent fish wandering out of the reserve. "There are plenty of reports of fish, both adults and juveniles, moving out of reserves and into the surrounding sea. Having grown up in an area where ...

A safer porn policy for employers

2012-11-13
Employers must have in place a strict policy regarding pornography in the workplace if they are to avoid legal action from sexual harassment and discrimination charges, according to a study by Craig Cameron of the Griffith University. Writing in the International Journal of Technology Policy and Law, Cameron identified five primary methods of what he refers to as pornography participation that require specific policies to protect both employer and employee in almost any jurisdiction. According to Cameron, technology has allowed pornography to infiltrate the workplace, ...

Principal plays surprising role in why new teachers quit

Principal plays surprising role in why new teachers quit
2012-11-13
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Why do so many beginning teachers quit the profession or change schools? Surprising new research finds it's not a heavy workload or lack of resources that has the most significant effect, but instead the relationship between teachers and their principal. Peter Youngs, associate professor of educational policy at Michigan State University and lead investigator on the study, said the findings reinforce the need for principals to serve as strong, supportive leaders in their schools. "The principal isn't there just to help the novice teacher handle ...

Extinct or passé? New research examines the term, 'metrosexual'

2012-11-13
Did the "metrosexual" male die out with the last decade, or has he become the new normal? Erynn Masi de Casanova, a UC assistant professor of sociology, will present her research about the label on Nov. 14, at the 111th annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association in San Francisco. Casanova's research, based on interviews with men in three major metropolitan cities, found that men in general were taking more interest in a well-groomed appearance and that they felt the term, "metrosexual," was a stereotype that had run its course. Some men who were interviewed ...

Researchers have made the production of batteries cheaper and safer

Researchers have made the production of batteries cheaper and safer
2012-11-13
Researchers at Aalto University, Finland have developed a method for producing lithium batteries that is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than previously used methods. This new process has succeeded in replacing the harmful methylpyrrolidone (NMP) solvent, which is traditionally used in the manufacturing of electrodes, with water. Removing this harmful solvent from the production process makes the production of batteries simpler and safer for employees. Production costs of batteries can be decreased by as much as 5 percent. Some of this savings comes from the reduced ...

Second most common infection in the US proving harder to treat with current antibiotics

2012-11-13
Washington, D.C.— Certain types of bacteria responsible for causing urinary tract infections (UTIs), the second-most-common infection in the United States, are becoming more difficult to treat with current antibiotics, according to new research from Extending the Cure (ETC), a project of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy. ETC released the research via its online ResistanceMap, an online tool created to track changes in antibiotic drug use and resistance. This year, ResistanceMap features analysis using ETC's Drug Resistance Index, a way for non-experts ...

Scientists discover how stomach cancer spreads

2012-11-13
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that the production of a protein that prevents the growth and spread of cancerous cells is impaired in patients with gastric cancer. Cancer of the stomach is the second most common cause of death due to malignant disease worldwide. New research findings at Liverpool, however, could contribute to the development of future gastric cancer therapies by restoring the functions of a protein called, TGFβig-h3. The protein is released by cells called myofibroblasts, which form part of the supporting tissue around cancer ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Program takes aim at drinking, unsafe sex, and sexual assault on college campuses

Inability to pay for healthcare reaches record high in U.S.

Science ‘storytelling’ urgently needed amid climate and biodiversity crisis

KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision​

Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response

Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid

Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia

Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients

Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years

Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations

New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients

New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans

Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production

New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination

Study examines lactation in critically ill patients

UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award

Doubling down on metasurfaces

New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders

Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana

PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation

ICRAFT breakthrough: Unlocking A20’s dual role in cancer immunotherapy

How VR technology is changing the game for Alzheimer’s disease

A borrowed bacterial gene allowed some marine diatoms to live on a seaweed diet

Balance between two competing nerve proteins deters symptoms of autism in mice

Use of antifungals in agriculture may increase resistance in an infectious yeast

Awareness grows of cancer risk from alcohol consumption, survey finds

The experts that can outsmart optical illusions

Pregnancy may reduce long COVID risk

Scientists uncover novel immune mechanism in wheat tandem kinase

Three University of Virginia Engineering faculty elected as AAAS Fellows

[Press-News.org] In a world of chronic pain, individual treatment possible, Yale research shows