http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Scientists have known for more than 200 years that vision begins with a series of chemical reactions when light strikes the retina, but the specific chemical processes have largely been a mystery. A team of researchers from the United States and Switzerland, have she new light on this process by "capturing" this chemical communication for future study. This research, published in the February 2009 issue of The FASEB Journal , may lead to the development of new treatments for some forms of blindness and vision disorders. http://www.physorg.com/news152468327.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:19:22 EST news152468327 (PhysOrg.com) -- Exercise is commonly used to improve physical function, decrease symptoms and minimize disability caused by chronic low back or neck pain. Numerous randomized trials and clinical practice guidelines have supported this practice, and studies suggest that individually tailored, supervised exercise programs are associated with the best outcomes. http://www.physorg.com/news152464135.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:09:46 EST news152464135 Osteoarthritis (OA) causes disability and is a major public health problem. A new study examined the effect of chondroitins 4 and 6 sulfate (CS) on OA progression and symptoms. CS, unlike other chondroitin sulfate products sold as dietary supplements in the U.S., has been approved as a prescription symptomatic slow acting drug for OA in many European countries. The study was published in the February issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism. http://www.physorg.com/news152462069.html Medicine & Health Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:35:20 EST news152462069 Motor control exercises, when performed in conjunction with other forms of therapy, can significantly reduce pain and disability in patients with persistent low back pain, according to a new systematic review published in the January issue of Physical Therapy (PTJ), the scientific journal of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). In addition to feeling less pain, patients performing these types of exercises are able to be more physically active and experience positive effects over a longer period of time than those who receive other treatments, according to researchers. http://www.physorg.com/news152378747.html Medicine & Health Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:26:16 EST news152378747 Is it possible to share a pain that you observe in another but have never actually experienced yourself? A new study uses a sophisticated brain-imaging technique to try and answer this question. The research, published by Cell Press in the January 29th issue of the journal Neuron, provides insight into brain mechanisms involved in empathy. http://www.physorg.com/news152341493.html Medicine & Health Wed, 28 Jan 2009 05:05:27 EST news152341493 The DREAM-gene which is crucial in regulating pain perception seems to also influence learning and memory. This is the result of studies carried out by researchers in Seville, Spain, and Vienna, Austria. The new findings could help explain the mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease and yield a potential new therapeutic target. http://www.physorg.com/news151235633.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:53:53 EST news151235633 Studies on the influence of quadriceps strength on knee osteoarthritis (OA), one of the leading causes of disability among the elderly, have shown conflicting results. In some studies, decreased quadriceps strength is associated with greater knee pain and impaired function, while other studies show mixed results on the effect of quadriceps strength on the structural progression of knee OA. http://www.physorg.com/news151089490.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:18:10 EST news151089490 The use of antidepressant medications by patients with fibromyalgia syndrome is associated with a reduction in pain, sleep disturbances and depressed mood and improvement of health-related quality of life, according to an analysis of previous studies, which is published in the January 14 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news151087767.html Medicine & Health Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:49:27 EST news151087767 Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's School of Dentistry have discovered a novel function of the peptide known as Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) in the development of the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve provides the signaling pathway for periodontal pain, dental surgical pain, and pain associated with temporomandibular disorder, trigeminal neuralgia, migraine, and other neuropathic and inflammatory conditions. http://www.physorg.com/news150644959.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:49:19 EST news150644959 (PhysOrg.com) -- Investigators at Georgia State University`s Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience are the first to identify the most likely reason analgesic drug treatment is usually less potent in females than males. This discovery is a major step toward finding more effective treatments for females suffering from persistent pain. http://www.physorg.com/news150389673.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:54:33 EST news150389673 Antioxidant supplementation was found to be effective in relieving pain and reducing levels of oxidative stress in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP), reports a new study in Gastroenterology. CP is a progressive inflammatory disease of the pancreas in which patients experience abdominal pain (in early stage) and diabetes and maldigestion (in late stage). Pain is the major problem in 90 percent of patients with CP and currently, there is no effective medical therapy for pain relief. Gastroenterology is the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. http://www.physorg.com/news150024131.html Medicine & Health Thu, 01 Jan 2009 09:22:11 EST news150024131 Contact with nature has long been suspected to increase positive feelings, reduce stress, and provide distraction from the pain associated with recovery from surgery. Now, research has confirmed the beneficial effects of plants and flowers for patients recovering from abdominal surgery. http://www.physorg.com/news149776173.html Biology Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:29:33 EST news149776173 Evaluation of chronic abdominal pain of luminal etiology is a challenging problem for the primary care physicians and gastroenterologists. The exact localization of lesion to either small or large bowel remains an elusive identity in many subjects. http://www.physorg.com/news149775591.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:19:51 EST news149775591 Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome is characterized by inflammation in perihepatic capsules with concomitant pelvic inflammation. The pain in the right upper abdomen appeared as the main symptom. These cases have to be cautiously differentiated from diseases for which the major symptom is pain in the right upper abdomen Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome has been classified as a benign disease that can be diagnosed by non-invasive methoids and treated readily by antibiotic therapy. Nevertheless, without sufficient understanding of this disease, it could be misdiagnosed as other acute diseases with similar clinical symptoms, and thus patients may undergo unnecessary treatment or tests. http://www.physorg.com/news149258531.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:42:11 EST news149258531 Investigators at Georgia State University's Neuroscience Institute and Center for Behavioral Neuroscience are the first to identify the most likely reason analgesic drug treatment is usually less potent in females than males. This discovery is a major step toward finding more effective treatments for females suffering from persistent pain. http://www.physorg.com/news149247807.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:43:27 EST news149247807 (PhysOrg.com) -- It's debilitating, isolating and can lead to severe depression - yet pain is widely accepted as something to be expected and regarded as 'normal' in later life. Now a new study from the University of Nottingham examines older people's experiences of pain and how best Government, the NHS and social care agencies can address the issue. http://www.physorg.com/news149185642.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:27:22 EST news149185642 (PhysOrg.com) -- The chronic pain from Fibromyalgia is devastating, but the suffering doesn't end there. According to a new study by the University of Alberta's Bruce Dick, people with the disease may have disruption in their memory because of the pain. http://www.physorg.com/news148912558.html Medicine & Health Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:35:58 EST news148912558 A commonly-prescribed drug for men suffering from a painful pelvic condition failed to significantly reduce patients' symptoms in an international study led by Queen's University professor and urologist at Kingston General Hospital, Curtis Nickel. http://www.physorg.com/news148840786.html Medicine & Health Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:39:46 EST news148840786 The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is urging patients with musculoskeletal pain to consider treatment by a physical therapist, in light of a new federal survey showing that more than one-third of American adults and nearly 12 percent of children use alternative medicine - with back and neck pain being the top reasons for treatment. Results of the 2007 survey of more than 32,000 Americans were released Dec. 11 by the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news148578291.html Medicine & Health Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:44:51 EST news148578291 People who use weight training to ease their lower back pain are better off than those who choose other forms of exercise such as jogging, according to a University of Alberta study. http://www.physorg.com/news148317907.html Medicine & Health Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:25:07 EST news148317907 People who use weight training to ease their lower back pain are better off than those who choose other forms of exercise such as jogging, according to a University of Alberta study. http://www.physorg.com/news148224598.html Medicine & Health Thu, 11 Dec 2008 13:29:58 EST news148224598 Non-cardiac chest pain remains a widespread symptom especially in western countries with a significant economic burden. Patients with chest pain and abnormal electrocardiographic (ECG) but normal coronary angiogram (i.e. exclusion of coronary heart disease) is termed Cardiac syndrome X (CSX) and represents a specific subform of non-cardiac chest pain. While etiology of non-cardiac chest pain has been studied in several projects, it is unclear in what extent CSX is based on disorders of the upper gastrointestinal disorder (GI) tract. A research group in Aachen, Germany, interviewed 119 patients with abnormal ECG findings after having received a normal coronary angiogram. http://www.physorg.com/news147367694.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:28:14 EST news147367694 Combining an ultrasound-guided technique with steroid injection is 95 percent effective at relieving the common and painful foot problem called plantar fasciitis, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). http://www.physorg.com/news147357965.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:46:05 EST news147357965 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists peered at the brains of people with a baffling chronic pain condition and discovered something surprising. Their brains looked like an inept cable guy had changed the hookups, rewiring the areas related to emotion, pain perception and the temperature of their skin. http://www.physorg.com/news146922947.html Medicine & Health Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:55:47 EST news146922947 By manipulating the appearance of a chronically achy hand, researchers have found they could increase or decrease the pain and swelling in patients moving their symptomatic limbs. The findings -reported in the November 25th issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication -reveal a profound top-down effect of body image on body tissues, according to the researchers. http://www.physorg.com/news146841327.html Biology Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:15:27 EST news146841327 Marijuana kills pain by activating a set of proteins known as cannabinoid receptors, which can also regulate appetite, inflammation, and memory. The body also has chemicals known as endocannabinoids that naturally activate these same receptors, namely N-arachidonoyl ethanolamine (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG). These natural components of the cannabinoid system remain the focus of intense efforts to develop new treatments not only for chronic pain, but also for obesity, anxiety, and depression. However, until the new paper, specific methods to study 2-AG signaling have been lacking. http://www.physorg.com/news146667273.html Chemistry Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:54:33 EST news146667273 Japanese research group, led by Prof Makoto Tominaga of National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Japan, found that the receptor for hot taste of WASABI, Japanese horseradish usually eaten with Sushi, can sense alkaline pH caused by base such as ammonia. The team reports their finding in Journal of Clinical Investigation on November 13, 2008. http://www.physorg.com/news145818500.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:08:20 EST news145818500 It`s a familiar sitcom scene: A woman in labor shows Herculean strength while her `birth coach` husband faints dead away. http://www.physorg.com/news145816928.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:42:08 EST news145816928 Unusually aggressive youth may actually enjoy inflicting pain on others, research using brain scans at the University of Chicago shows. http://www.physorg.com/news145252980.html Medicine & Health Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:03:00 EST news145252980 The brains of individuals with major depressive disorder appear to react more strongly when anticipating pain and also display altered functioning of the neural network that modifies pain sensitivity, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. http://www.physorg.com/news144950901.html Medicine & Health Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:08:21 EST news144950901