• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.458-467
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• 2022

Background: Few studies have investigated unspecified or idiopathic pain associated with COIVD-19. This study aimed to provide the incidence rates of unspecified pain and idiopathic pain in patients with COVID-19 for 90 days after COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods: A propensity score matched cohort was used, including all patients with COVID-19 in South Korea, and analyzed their electronic medical records. The control group consisted of those who had not had tests for COVID-19 at all. Unspecified pain diagnoses consisted of diagnoses related to pain included in the ICD-10 Chapter XVIII. Idiopathic pain disorders included fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint disorders, headaches, chronic prostatitis, complex regional pain syndrome, atypical facial pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and interstitial cystitis. Results: After matching, the number of participants in each group was 7,911. For most unspecified pain, the incidences were higher in the COVID-19 group (11.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.0-12.5) than in the control group (6.5%; 95% CI, 6.0-7.1). For idiopathic pain, only the headaches had a significantly higher incidence in the COVID-19 group (6.6%; 95% CI, 6.1-7.2) than in the control group (3.7%; 95% CI, 3.3-4.1). However, using a different control group that included only patients who visited a hospital at least once for any reasons, the incidences of most unspecified and idiopathic pain were higher in the control group than in the COVID-19 group. Conclusions: Patients with COVID-19 might be at a higher risk of experiencing unspecified pain in the acute phase or after recovery compared with individuals who had not had tests for COVID-19.

• Clinical Pain
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.70-75
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• 2019

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of infrared thermography in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome by comparing with electrodiagnostic and ultrasonographic findings. Method: From January 2014 to October 2017, electrodiagnosis, ultrasound, and digital infrared thermal image (DITI) of unilateral carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosed in a single hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The subjects with bilateral symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes, thyroid disease, fibromyalgia, rheumatic disease, systemic infection, inflammation, malignant tumor, and other musculoskeletal disorders such as finger osteoarthritis, peripheral neuropathy, cervical radiculopathy, and the previous history of surgery were excluded. Results: Of 53 patients diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, 11 were male and 42 were female. The visual analogue scale was 4.9 ± 1.9, and the duration of symptom was 11.8 ± 12.5 months. There was no statistically significant difference in the body surface temperature between the unaffected and affected sides. The severity of symptoms, electrodiagnostic findings, and cross-sectional area of the median nerve significantly correlates to each other. The temperature difference between the second fingers of the affected and unaffected sides showed a weak correlation with the amplitude of sensory nerve action potential and onset latency of compound muscle action potential, when there was no significant correlation with the other parameters. Conclusion: The difference in temperature on the surface of the body, which can be confirmed by DITI, is little diagnostic value when DITI is performed in unilateral carpal tunnel syndrome patients, especially when compared with ultrasonography.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.161-168
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• 2016

Purpose: Patients who suffer from rheumatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, other various inflammatory diseases and musculoskeletal disorders, which are all similar to temporomandibular disorders (TMD), have been complaining about changes in the level and type of pain in response to changes in weather conditions for a long time. Through an investigation about pain perception in TMD patients in response to weather conditions, our primary objective was to develop base materials for future studies on change in pain in response to meteorological factors. Methods: Among patients who presented with TMD to Department of Oral Medicine, Pusan National University Dental Hospital from August to October 2016, one hundred consecutive TMD patients diagnosed with TMDs according to Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) were recruited for the study and 28 patients were excluded according to exclusion criteria. Survey was done with the questionnaire and investigated whether there was any difference in incidence and level of pain in TMD patients between non-rainy and rainy days. Results: Among a total of 72 samples, 4 patients reported change in pain on rainy days rather than non-rainy days. Two patients from chronic group (joint and complex subgroup) reported increased pain on rainy days rather than non-rainy days but it was not statistically significant (p>0.05). One patient from chronic/muscle group reported the change in pain characteristics while pain intensity remained unchanged. One patient from acute/complex group reported decreased pain intensity. In comparison of the patients who reported increased pain on rainy days between acute and chronic groups, there were two reported cases and were both from chronic group only. There was a significantly higher chance of reporting increased pain on rainy days in chronic group than acute group (p<0.001). Conclusions: It is considered that TMD patients couldn't perceive the change in pain well in response to weather change on rainy days but some chronic patients could perceive the increase in pain in rainy days.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.176-182
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• 2011

Deep seawater (DSW) generally refers to seawater at depths equal to or greater than 200 meters. DSW is rich in inorganic materials which have attracted attention for its various applications. In this study we investigated the effects of the DSW upwelled from the East Sea, offshore Yang Yang (KangWon-do, Korea), on the expression of ${\mu}$-opioid receptor (MOR) of cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Neurons were grown in a minimal essential medium containing 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum and either 25% (v/v) distilled water, or hardness (H) 800, or H 1000 DSW. Cultures grown in the presence of DSW with H 800 and H 1000 exhibited robust MOR immunoreactive signals in both neurons and astrocytes. Interestingly, the increase in MOR immunoreactive signals was more dramatic in astrocytes than in neurons. Statistical analysis revealed that the relative intensities for MOR clusters increased approximately 4-fold in astrocytes cultured in H 800 and H 1000 media. These increases were statistically very significant (p<0.001). In contrast, the increase in intensities for MOR immunoreactive signals was relatively less dramatic in neurons, where only the increase in the H 1000 culture was statistically very significant (p<0.001). These results indicated that DSW promotes expression of MOR in both neurons and astrocytes, and more significantly in the latter.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.205-218
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• 2008

Interaction between pain and sleep has long been proved through many researches, and various studies are being conducted to identify its mechanism. However, these studies have targeted on patients with systemic disease, such as rheumatic disease and fibromyalgia. There are few researches on patients with orofacial pain including temporomandibular disorder(TMD). In this study, we studied interaction between pain aspect and sleep quality in 229 patients with TMD, who visited the TMJ and Orofacial pain clinic. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI), Epworth sleepiness scale(ESS) questionnaire were surveyed and sleep-screening device was operated. PSQI showed that sleep quality in TMD patients with pain was poorer than that in TMD patients without pain. The ratio of poor sleeper was higher in TMD patients with pain. Especially, TMD patients with chronic pain showed obviously poorer sleep quality than TMD patients with acute pain. The result of ESS showed that patients with painful TMD showed more daytime sleepiness than painless TMD patients. The ratio of TMD patients with chronic pain who had daytime sleepiness was higher than TMD patients with acute pain, and the amount of daytime sleepiness was higher in the group of chronic pain. In TMD patients with chronic pain, only the poor sleeper(PSQI>5) presented mean ESS>10(diagnostic criteria of daytime sleepiness). There was no correlation between pain intensity and sleep quality or daytime sleepiness. The result of ApnealinkTM for screening of sleep related breathing disorder showed that only 1 patient presented AHI>5 among 19 participants. TMD patients with chronic pain presented poor sleep quality and excessive daytime sleepiness similar to other chronic pain patients. Evaluation of sleep state by questionnaire might be useful for diagnosis and management of TMD, because sleep disturbance decreases pain threshold and pain disturbs sleep. In addition, sleep-screening device would be useful for screening sleep related breathing disorder in dental clinic.