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Neurol India 2020 May-Jun;68(3):617-623

Department of Neuroanaesthesiology and Critical Care, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Introduction: Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is commonly performed to treat chronic painful conditions, such as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and postherpetic neuralgia. However, whether it is effective in reducing anesthesia and analgesia requirement during surgery (acute pain) is not known.

Materials And Methods: Sixty American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I and II patients with CRPS type II undergoing surgery for repair of brachial plexus injury were randomized (1:1) to receive SGB with either 10 mL of 0. Read More

BMJ Open 2020 Jul 7;10(7):e037458. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Immunisation, Hepatitis and Blood Safety Department, Public Health England, London, UK.

Objectives: To assess the impact of herpes zoster vaccination in the 5 years after introduction for 70- to 79-year-olds in England in September 2013.

Design: Population based ecological impact assessment.

Setting: Hospitals covering the whole English population for the period 2008 to 2018 and 293 general practices (GP) for the period 2005 to 2018, in England. Read More

Trials 2020 Jul 8;21(1):630. Epub 2020 Jul 8.

Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Xindu, 610500, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is one of the most common types of chronic neuropathic pain, which seriously affects quality of the life because of pain severity and poor response to the currently available treatments. The main strategies for PHN management are medication and invasive interventional therapies; however, these approaches have many adverse effects, so it is important to find another effective and safe treatment for PHN.

Methods: A single-center, single-blind randomized clinical trial will evaluate 98 study participants randomized in a 1:1 ratio into control and experimental groups. Read More

J Pain Res 2020 22;13:1485-1496. Epub 2020 Jun 22.

Mid America PolyClinic, Overland Park, KS, USA.

Purpose: This study was designed to characterize drug delivery with lidocaine topical system 1.8% vs lidocaine patch 5% through 2 PK studies.

Patients And Methods: Two Phase 1, single-center, open-label, randomized PK studies were performed in healthy adults. Read More

J Pain Res 2020 10;13:1359-1367. Epub 2020 Jun 10.

Mid America PolyClinic, Overland Park, KS, USA.

Purpose: This study compares the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile, adhesion, and safety of lidocaine topical system 1.8%, a novel lidocaine topical system approved to treat postherpetic neuralgia, under conditions of heat and exercise vs normal conditions.

Materials And Methods: This open-label, 3-period, 3-treatment crossover study randomized 12 healthy adults to receive three lidocaine topical systems 1. Read More

Korean J Pain 2020 Jul;33(3):208-215

Department of Pain Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China.

Zoster sine herpete (ZSH) is one of the atypical clinical manifestations of herpes zoster (HZ), which stems from infection and reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in the cranial nerve, spinal nerve, viscera, or autonomic nerve. Patients with ZSH display variable symptoms, such as neuralgia, however, different from HZ, ZSH show no zoster, which makes clinical diagnosis difficult. ZSH not only causes initial symptoms, such as neuropathic pain in the affected nerve, Bell palsy, and Ramsay Hunt syndrome, but also postherpetic neuralgia and fatal complications such as VZV encephalitis and stroke. Read More

Korean J Pain 2020 Jul;33(3):201-207

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a challenging condition for pain management specialists. The prevention of herpes zoster (HZ) and subsequent PHN in individuals aged 50 years and older, via the development of new vaccines, is an ongoing research project. The live zoster vaccine (LZV, Zostavax) was the first proof of concept that vaccination could prevent HZ, but LZV cannot be used in various immunecompromised patients. Read More

J Proteomics 2020 Jun 30;225:103879. Epub 2020 Jun 30.

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Research center, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314001, China. Electronic address:

Herpes zoster (HZ), commonly called shingles, it is a distinctive syndrome caused by reactivation of varicella zoster virus (VZV). A better understanding of the biological characteristics of HZ patients can help develop new targeted therapies to improve the prognosis. High-throughput proteomics technology can deeply study the molecular changes in the development and progression of HZ disease and integrate different levels of information, this is important to help make clinical decisions. Read More

Physiol Rev 2020 Jun 25. Epub 2020 Jun 25.

Molecular Pharmacology, Institute for Pharmacology, Heidelberg University, Germany.

Neuropathic pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system is a common chronic pain condition with major impact on quality of life. Examples include trigeminal neuralgia, painful polyneuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia and central poststroke pain. Most patients complain of an ongoing or intermittent spontaneous pain of e. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Jun;99(25):e20680

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain medicine, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu, Republic of Korea.

Rationale: Herpes zoster (HZ) involving sacral dermatome is very rare, which can sometimes cause voiding dysfunction.

Patient Concerns: A 52-year-old man presented with acute pain and voiding dysfunction, following HZ in his right sacral dermatomes.

Diagnoses: Twenty two days before presentation HZ occurred and 9 days after the onset of the HZ, he had trouble with starting urination and weak urine stream which was managed with tamsulosin 0. Read More

Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown) 2020 Jun 15. Epub 2020 Jun 15.

Department of Neurosurgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used for chronic pain for decades, but its use is limited due to a lack of reliable data about its efficacy for specific indications.

Objective: To report on 9 patients who underwent DBS for facial pain, with a focus on differences in outcomes between distinct etiologies.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 9 patients with facial pain who were treated with DBS of the ventral posteromedial nucleus of the thalamus and periventricular gray. Read More

Pharm Pat Anal 2020 Jun 16. Epub 2020 Jun 16.

Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Viale Taramelli 12, 27100, Pavia, Italy.

Sigma-1 receptors (S1Rs) are strongly correlated to neuropathic pain (NP), since their inactivation may decrease allodynia or dysesthesia, promoting analgesic effects. In the recent patent landscape, S1R antagonists endowed with nanomolar S1Rs affinity emerged as potent antinociceptive agents. So far, three patented compounds have been proposed for counteracting NP. Read More

Pain Physician 2020 06;23(3):E281-E288

Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is one of the most common complications of herpes zoster (HZ). Heritable factors have been found to play a role in various clinical pain symptoms. However, the effect of gene variability on the susceptibility of PHN remains poorly understood. Read More

Pain Physician 2020 06;23(3):263-270

National Pain Management and Research Center, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) occurs in 9% to 34% of herpes zoster (HZ) patients, and the incidence of PHN is positively correlated with age. A number of patients suffer from poor therapeutic effects or intolerable side effects and need to accept minimally invasive analgesia.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) on the treatment of elderly patients with HZ-related pain persisting beyond the acute phase. Read More

Dermatol Ther 2020 Jun 8:e13793. Epub 2020 Jun 8.

University of Rome G. Marconi, Rome, Italy.

Acute herpes zoster lesions in most cases are self- limited except in older and immunocompromised patients, wherein the pain can cause significant suffering. Postherpetic neuralgia is a painful situation for patients that can compromise the quality of life. Here, we report a 30-year-old healthy young man who developed treatment-resistant post-herpetic neuralgia after herpes zoster (4 /5 thoracic segment) without any underlying immunocompromised state. Read More

Pain Res Manag 2020 17;2020:4298509. Epub 2020 May 17.

Central Laboratory, Baoshan District Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine of Shanghai, Shanghai 201999, China.

Objective: To evaluate ultrasound-guided inactivation of myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) combined with abdominal muscle fascia stripping by liquid knife in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) complicated with abdominal myofascial pain syndrome (AMPS).

Methods: From January 2015 to July 2018, non-head-and-neck PHN patients in the Pain Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, were treated with routine oral drugs and weekly paraspinal nerve block for two weeks. Patients with 2 < VAS (visual analogue scale) score < 6 were subjects of the study. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 May;99(22):e20298

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Korea University Medical Center, Guro Hospital, Guro-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Continuous epidural analgesia (CEA) using local anesthetics is frequently used to control herpes zoster pain and prevent postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). However, few studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy of epidural drugs administered as CEA to manage PHN. This retrospective study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of CEA with ropivacaine alone or with ropivacaine and fentanyl for controlling pain caused by PHN. Read More

Pain 2020 May 22. Epub 2020 May 22.

Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.

In clinical trials of treatments for chronic pain, the percentage of participants who withdraw early can be as high as 50%. Major reasons for early withdrawal in these studies include perceived lack of efficacy and adverse events. Commonly employed strategies for accommodating missing data include last observation carried forward, baseline observation carried forward, and more principled methods such as mixed model repeated measures and multiple imputation. Read More

J Pain Res 2020 4;13:909-918. Epub 2020 May 4.

Department of Anesthesiology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563002, Guizhou, People's Republic of China.

Objective: Multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to detect whether 6 months after pain relieving, the structural and functional abnormalities in the brain of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) patients are changeable.

Methods: Fifteen successfully treated PHN patients were enrolled; the brain activity and structural abnormalities were detected and compared before and 6 months after treatment. The functional parameters were evaluated with resting-state functional MRI technique, i. Read More

J Dermatol 2020 Jul 18;47(7):683-688. Epub 2020 May 18.

Office of New Drug IV, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Device Agency, Tokyo, Japan.

In July 2017, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare issued a marketing authorization valid throughout Japan for N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-N-(2-{[4-(1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl)phenyl]amino}-2-oxoethyl)-1,1-dioxothiane-4-carboxamide (amenamevir) for the first time worldwide. The decision was based on the favorable opinion of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Device Agency (PMDA) recommending a marketing authorization of amenamevir for treatment of herpes zoster (HZ). Amenamevir has a different action mechanism from previously approved synthetic nucleoside compounds for the treatment of HZ including acyclovir, valacyclovir and famciclovir. Read More

Hum Vaccin Immunother 2020 May 18:1-9. Epub 2020 May 18.

Faculty of Medicine and Health, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, Australia.

Herpes zoster (shingles) is a painful condition resulting from reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus (VZV). The Australian National Shingles Vaccination Program (commenced November 2016) provides free herpes zoster vaccination for eligible adults aged 70 years, with a 5-year catch-up program (until October 2021) for adults aged 71-79 years. Patterns and impact of the program were evaluated by analysis of vaccine distribution and delivery data and specific antiviral prescription data from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Read More

Schmerz 2020 Jun;34(3):204-244

Schmerzmedizin, Klinik für Anästhesiologie, Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, Göttingen, Deutschland.

Background: The second scheduled update of the German S3 guidelines on long-term opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain (CNCP), the LONTS (AWMF registration number 145/003), was started in December 2018.

Methods: The guidelines were developed by 28 scientific societies and 2 patient self-help organizations under the coordination of the German Pain Society. A systematic literature search in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE and Scopus databases (up until December 2018) was performed. Read More

Front Neurosci 2020 21;14:377. Epub 2020 Apr 21.

Department of Pain Management, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) seriously affects a patient's quality of life, and it is urgent to find a method that can effectively alleviate the PHN of the upper extremity.

Objective: To observe the Efficacy of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) to cervical nerve root for PHN in upper extremity under CT guidance.

Study Design: Retrospective comparative study. Read More

Pain Pract 2020 May 6. Epub 2020 May 6.

Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Chongming Branch of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, Shanghai, China.

Objectives: The ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve is one of the most frequently involved sites of postherpetic neuralgia. A single-center randomized controlled study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of local methylcobalamin injection for subacute ophthalmic herpetic neuralgia (SOHN).

Methods: One hundred and five patients with a pain score of 4 or greater were randomized to receive a combination of methylcobalamin and lidocaine via local injection (LM group, n = 35), intramuscular methylcobalamin and local lidocaine injection (IM group, n = 35), and oral methylcobalamin tablet and lidocaine local injection (OM group, n = 35) for 4 weeks. Read More

Pain Res Manag 2020 14;2020:8730918. Epub 2020 Apr 14.

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University, 1882 ZhongHuan South Road, 314001 Jiaxing, China.

This study aims to explore the value of serum galectin-3 in patients with herpes zoster neuralgia (HZN) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and other factors influencing HZN and PHN occurrence. Samples from forty patients with herpes zoster neuralgia (HZN) (Group H), 40 patients with nonherpes zoster neuralgia (Group N), and 20 cases of health check-up were collected. Patients were divided into PHN group (Group A) and non-PHN group (Group B) according to the occurrence of PHN in Group H. Read More

BMJ 2020 Apr 28;369:m1315. Epub 2020 Apr 28.

James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK.

Australas J Dermatol 2020 Apr 20. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

Department of Dermatology, Busan Paik Hospital, College of Medicine, Inje University, Busan, Korea.

Foreign body granuloma is a potential adverse effect of acupuncture and usually occurs as an inflammatory reaction to foreign bodies that are accidentally or intentionally injected. This case presents a foreign body granuloma caused by honeybee acupuncture at the site of postherpetic neuralgia and highlights the need for caution and awareness of the side effects of acupuncture-related procedures. Read More

Interdiscip Top Gerontol Geriatr 2020 9;43:131-145. Epub 2020 Apr 9.

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA.

Herpes zoster (HZ; shingles) results from reactivation of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) after primary infection as varicella (chicken pox). It affects mainly older adults and people with immunocompromising diseases or treatments. The most common complication is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), which has significant adverse effects on quality of life and activities of daily living. Read More

Adv Ther 2020 May 15;37(5):2003-2016. Epub 2020 Apr 15.

Valley Anesthesiology and Pain Consultants, Envision Physician Services, Phoenix, AZ, USA.

Purpose Of Review: This is a comprehensive review of the literature about the use of bupivacaine hydrochloride for the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). It briefly reviews the background, biology, diagnosis and conventional treatment for PHN, and then introduces and compares the recent evidence for the use of topical bupivacaine.

Recent Findings: PHN is defined by pain lasting 90 days or more after the initial presentation of herpes zoster ("Shingles", HZ) rash and is the most common complication of this disease. Read More

Minerva Med 2020 Feb;111(1):4-8

Unit of Hygiene and Public Health, Department of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.

Herpes zoster (HZ) infection is widespread in the general population - especially in the elderly - and can be associated with major sequelae such as post-herpetic neuralgia. Live attenuated zoster vaccine was licensed in Europe in May 2006 and in Italy in 2010; since March 2014, it has been commercially available in Italy. In Italy, vaccination against HZV is recommended in all subjects at risk - for example, those with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or patients on immunosuppressive agents - from the age of 50 years onwards and for all persons aged >64 years. Read More

J Dermatol Sci 2020 Apr 14;98(1):50-57. Epub 2020 Mar 14.

Department of Applied Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan. Electronic address:

Background: Amenamevir (AMNV) is a helicase-primase inhibitor with antiviral activity against herpesviruses [herpes simplex viruses (HSV)-1 and -2, and varicella-zoster virus], which are associated with the development of acute herpetic pain (AHP) and postherpetic neuralgia. However, the inhibitory effects of helicase-primase inhibitors on AHP and postherpetic neuralgia remain incompletely understood.

Objective: In this study, we investigated the effects of AMNV on AHP and postherpetic pain (PHP) in HSV-1-infected mice accompanied by zosteriform-like skin lesions. Read More

Med Glas (Zenica) 2020 Aug 1;17(2). Epub 2020 Aug 1.

Department of Dermatology and Venereology, School of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia.

Aim To investigate the impact of pain intensity of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) patients. Methods This cross sectional study included 30 PHN patients attended to the Dermatology and Venereology Department of the School of Medicine of Universitas Sumatera Utara during the period between April 2019 and October 2019. Zoster Brief Pain Inventory questionnaire including the worst pain in 24 hours and the level of interference with seven domains of quality of life (QoL) (general activity, mood, walking ability, working, relationship with other people, sleep and enjoyment of life) were used. Read More

J Tradit Chin Med 2020 Feb;40(1):121-127

Department of infectious,the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of electroacupuncture at Jiaji acupoints (EX-B 2) plus moxibustion and intermediate frequency on postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

Methods: A total of 140 outpatients who satisfied the inclusion criteria and volunteered for this treatment were randomly divided into treatment (n = 70) and control (n = 70) groups. Both groups received a localized lesion area and electroacupuncture treatment combined with moxibustion and intermediate frequency. Read More

Pain Physician 2020 03;23(2):E219-E230

Department of Pain Medicine, Shenzhen Sixth People's Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Shenzhen, China.

Background: Some 7.7% of the Chinese population suffer from herpes zoster each year, with 29.8% proceeding on to develop postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Mar;99(12):e19516

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's clinic, Seoul, Korea.

Established conventional treatments for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and postherpetic itch (PHI) are difficult and often disappointing. In this study, the authors investigated the effect and mechanisms of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) on pain and itch associated with PHN and PHI.Thirteen patients, 50 to 80 years of age, with symptoms associated with PHN or PHI (duration of persistent pain >3 months) and complaints of pain or itch rated >4 on a numerical rating scale (NRS), were included. Read More

Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2020 Apr;63(4):404-414

Abteilung für Epidemiologie, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH (HZI), Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Deutschland.

Background: Infectious diseases continue to play an important role for disease perception, health-economic considerations and public health in Germany. In recent years, infectious diseases have been linked to the development of non-communicable diseases. Analyses of the German National Cohort (GNC) may provide deeper insights into this issue and pave the way for new targeted approaches in disease prevention. Read More

Immun Inflamm Dis 2020 Jun 13;8(2):216-227. Epub 2020 Mar 13.

Department of Biotechnology, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, Republic of Korea.

Introduction: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a human alphaherpesvirus 3, elicits both chickenpox and shingles and/or postherpetic neuralgia. A live attenuated vaccine (LAV) and glycoprotein E (gE) subunit vaccine were developed to prevent VZV-induced diseases. We recently reported that single-strand RNA (ssRNA) based on the intergenic region of the internal ribosome entry site of cricket paralysis virus (CrPV) is an effective adjuvant for protein-based and virus-like particle-based vaccines. Read More

Drugs Today (Barc) 2020 Feb;56(2):135-149

Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Gastroenterology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

Neuropathic pain (NeP) is a global cause of suffering and debilitation leading to significant morbidity and reduced quality of life. New treatments are needed to address the growing prevalence of NeP and its impact on sleep, mood and functionality. Mirogabalin besylate (mirogabalin, Tarlige) is a gabapentinoid therapy developed by Daiichi Sankyo which is approved in Japan for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia and painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Read More

Aust Prescr 2020 Feb 3;43(1):2-6. Epub 2020 Feb 3.

National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, Kids Research, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney.

Acute Herpes Zoster And Associated Postherpetic Neuralgia Is Caused By Reactivation Of Latent Varicella Zoster Virus It Can Be Debilitating For Older Adults And Interfere With Activities Of Daily Living:

A Live Attenuated Single-dose Vaccine That Protects Against Both Acute Herpes Zoster And Postherpetic Neuralgia Is Available For Free To All Australians Aged 70 Years And In A Catch-up Program For Those Aged 71–79 Years:

The Vaccine Is Contraindicated In People Who Are Immunocompromised But Can Be Considered In Those Who Are Receiving Low Doses Of Selected Disease-modifying Antirheumatic Drugs:

Records Of The Australian Immunisation Register Suggest That Only A Third Of 70 Year Olds Received The Vaccine In The First Year-and-a-half Of The Program This Is Likely An Underestimation But Emphasises The Importance Of Ensuring The Vaccine Is Offered To All Eligible Patients And That Vaccination Is Recorded On The Register:

A Non-live Recombinant Herpes Zoster Vaccine Has Recently Been Developed Which Is More Efficacious Than The Live Vaccine In Clinical Trials It Is Registered In Australia But Not Currently Available: Read More

Indian J Palliat Care 2020 Jan-Mar;26(1):134-136. Epub 2020 Jan 28.

Department of Onco-Anaesthesia and Palliative Medicine, Dr. B.R.A. Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) refers to the chronic neuropathic pain that persists beyond the initial varicella-zoster rash. Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are susceptible to infections because of decreased immunity. Various treatment strategies including pharmacological, nonpharmacological, and interventional techniques have been described in the literature. Read More

Int J Neurosci 2020 Mar 11:1-5. Epub 2020 Mar 11.

Department of Pain, Linyi Central Hospital, Linyi, China.

To compare the therapeutic effects of continuous epidural block combined with drugs and oral drugs alone on postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Ninety-six PHN patients meeting the standard were selected and divided into group A and group B. Patients in group A had epidural block combined with oral administration of gabapentin and oxycodone-acetaminophen, and patients in group B received oral gabapentin and oxycodone-acetaminophen. Read More

PLoS One 2020 25;15(2):e0229224. Epub 2020 Feb 25.

Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.

Background: The current UK vaccination programme for herpes zoster (HZ) excludes people aged ≥80 years. This study aimed to quantify the number of individuals ≥80 years who missed HZ vaccination and the consequent epidemiological and economic burden of HZ and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN).

Methods: Immunocompetent individuals aged ≥80 years between 1st September 2013 and 31st December 2017 in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink were selected and linked to Hospital Episodes Statistics, where available. Read More

IBRO Rep 2020 Jun 7;8:56-64. Epub 2020 Feb 7.

System Emotional Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toyama, Japan.

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is functionally linked to the descending pain modulation system and has been implicated in top down pain inhibition, including placebo analgesia. Therefore, functions of the dlPFC may be impaired in patients with chronic pain. Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is one of several syndromes with chronic neuropathic pain. Read More

Jpn J Radiol 2020 May 18;38(5):440-450. Epub 2020 Feb 18.

Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Shizi Street 188#, Suzhou, 215000, China.

Purpose: To explore the brain microstructural and functional changes in patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

Materials And Methods: 12 PHN patients and 12 healthy volunteers were enrolled. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and resting-state functional MRI (rfMRI) sequences were scanned by a 3T MR scanner. Read More

Kans J Med 2020 31;13:19-20. Epub 2020 Jan 31.

Leavenworth Lansing Family Health Center, Lansing, KS.

Pain Physician 2020 01;23(1):65-72

Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.

Background: Acute pain is a risk factor for developing postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), the most common complication of herpes zoster (HZ). Supplemental analgesics are frequently used in the treatment of acute herpetic pain. However, there are insufficient data regarding when to begin supplemental analgesics, and it is unknown whether the delayed use of supplemental analgesics increases the risk of PHN in high-risk patients. Read More

BMC Anesthesiol 2020 01 28;20(1):26. Epub 2020 Jan 28.

Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Korea University Medical Center, Guro Hospital, Gurodong Road 148, Guro-Gu, Seoul, 08308, Republic of Korea.

Background: Continuous epidural infusions are commonly used in clinical settings to reduce the likelihood of transition to postherpetic neuralgia via pain control. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of conventional continuous epidural infusion to that of continuous epidural infusion in which the catheter is guided by electric stimulation to areas with neurological damage for the treatment of zoster-related pain and prevention of postherpetic neuralgia.

Methods: We analyzed the medical records of 114 patients in this study. Read More

J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 2019 Oct-Dec;31(Suppl 1)(4):S668-S671

Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Background: Herpes Zoster is a common dermatological ailment. Various treatment modalities are in use for prevention of Post Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN) which is the most common complication of herpes zoster. Our study aimed to compare the efficacy of famciclovir 250 mg versus 500 mg in this regard. Read More