Objective:The aim of this study was to assess safety and efficacy of fixed combination oxycodone prolonged release (PR)/naloxone PR in terms of both analgesia and improving opioid-induced bowel dysfunction (OIBD) and associated symptoms, such as opioid-induced constipation (OIC), in adults with chronic non-cancer pain.Study design:These were open-label extension studies in which patients who had previously completed a 12-week, double-blind study received oxycodone PR/naloxone PR for up to 52 weeks. The analgesia study assessed pain using the modified Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF). The bowel function study assessed improvements in constipation using the Bowel Function Index (BFI).Results:At open-label baseline in the analgesia study (n = 379), mean score [± standard deviation (SD)] for the BPI-SF item ‘average pain over the last 24 h’ was 3.9 ± 1.52, and this remained low at 6 months (3.7 ± 1.59) and 12 months (3.8 ± 1.72). Mean scores for BPI-SF item ‘sleep interference’, and the BPI-SF ‘pain’ and ‘interference with activities’ subscales also remained low throughout the 52-week study. In the bowel function study (n = 258), mean BFI score (± SD) decreased from 35.6 ± 27.74 at the start of the extension study to 20.6 ± 24.01 after 12 months of treatment with oxycodone PR/naloxone PR. Pain scores also remained low and stable during this study. Adverse events in both extension phases were consistent with those associated with opioid therapy; no additional safety concerns were observed.Conclusion:Results from these two open-label extension studies demonstrate the long-term efficacy and tolerability of fixed combination oxycodone PR/naloxone PR in the treatment of chronic pain. Patients experienced clinically relevant improvements in OIBD while receiving effective analgesic therapy.

Our study has shown that preoperative administration of 300 mg pregabalin in patients undergoing transperitoneal nephrectomy reduces postoperative opioid consumption and decreases the area of mechanical hyperalgesia.

In 2009, Scott S. Reuben was convicted of fabricating data, which lead to 25 of his publications being retracted. Although it is clear that the perpetuation of retracted articles negatively effects the appraisal of evidence, the extent to which retracted literature is cited had not previously been investigated. In this study, to better understand the perpetuation of discredited research, we examine the number of citations of Reuben's articles within 5 years of their retraction. Citations of Reuben's retracted articles were assessed using the Web of Science Core Collection (Thomson Reuters, NY). All citing articles were screened to discriminate between articles in which Reuben's work was quoted as retracted, and articles in which his data was wrongly cited without any note of the retraction status. Twenty of Reuben's publications had been cited 274 times between 2009 and 1024. In 2014, 45 % of the retracted articles had been cited at least once. In only 25.8 % of citing articles was it clearly stated that Reuben's work had been retracted. Annual citations decreased from 108 in 2009 to 18 in 2014; however, the percentage of publications correctly indicating the retraction status also declined. The percentage of citations in top-25 %-journals, as well as the percentage of citations in journals from Reuben's research area, declined sharply after 2009. Our data show that even 5 years after their retraction, nearly half of Reuben's articles are still being quoted and the retraction status is correctly mentioned in only one quarter of the citations.

In case of missing contraindications, the preoperative administration of methylprednisolone is recommended, a routine medication for more extended procedures in oral surgery.

The present study shows with a sophisticated quantitative method a change in blood flow velocity in a cerebral artery in response to acupuncture. Monitoring of transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) was examined in 12 healthy volunteers (mean age: 35.2+/-4.4 years; 26-41 years; 4 female, 8 male) before, during and after acupuncture. In all persons the same unspecific scheme of acupuncture with a "general increase of Qi-energy" was used. The measurements were performed with new robotic TCD-probes allowing three-dimensional imaging by using multi-scan methods. The results showed a significant (p < 0.01; ANOVA; Tukey test) increase in mean blood flow velocity, which was measured at different depths of the right middle cerebral artery. Quantitative determination of the physiological effects during acupuncture can lead to a better acceptance of this unconventional complementary medical method.