Small correlation between salivary alpha-amylase activity and pain intensity in patients with cancer pain

Establishment of quantitative indicators for an efficient treatment on masticatory muscle pain

BACKGROUND

Although several studies have investigated effective treatments for masticatory muscle pain (MMP), no unified conclusion has been drawn regarding the effectiveness of these treatments.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to define quantitative indicators for predicting the outcome of MMP treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In total, patients aged 20-70 years were recruited and divided into the MMP (n = 24) and control (n = 36) groups, based on the presence of MMP according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders. At pretreatment, the MMP group was assessed using quantitative indicators such as subjective pain levels, pain duration, graded chronic pain scale (GCPS), and perceived stress scale (PSS). Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were analyzed. The masticatory muscle palpation score and the range of mouth opening were measured. At posttreatment, subjective pain levels, mouth opening, and treatment/medication duration were examined. The PSS and sAA levels were assessed in the control group.

RESULTS

sAA levels in the MMP group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p < .05). The masseter muscle palpation score (MPS) showed a positive correlation with IL-6 levels (ρ = 0.503, p < .05) and a negative correlation with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) treatment period (ρ = -0.462, p < .05). The temporalis muscle palpation score (TPS) was positively correlated with pain duration and GCPS grade (ρ = 0.483, p < .05, and ρ = 0.445, p < .05, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment with NSAIDs was effective in the MMP group with high MPS and IL-6 levels, but not in the MMP group with high TPS, pain duration, and GCPS grade.

Relevance of cortisol and copeptin blood concentration changes in an experimental pain model

The effect of pain and analgesics on stress biomarkers is not well studied. We evaluated the effect of acute pain and analgesics on serum cortisol and copeptin in an experimental pain model in healthy volunteers. Healthy volunteers presented at 8 a.m. for an experimental pain stimulation. Cortisol and copeptin levels were measured before, during and after electrophysiological stimulation, first before and then during opioid delivery. Difference in biomarker levels compared to baseline levels was calculated, and potential influencing factors were evaluated by linear regression analysis. Cortisol decreased by 13% during the 10 min of rest at baseline, but copeptin did not change significantly. Cortisol had a median decrease of −24% or −83 nmol/l (−44 to −124 nmol/l, p = 0.0002) during the electrophysiological stimulation training session, while the median difference for copeptin was −22% or −1.01 pmol/l (−2.35 to 0.08 pmol/l, p = 0.0003). After administration of opioids, cortisol did not decrease but increased by 3% (p = 0.043), indicating an increasing opioids effect on cortisol. This effect was not visible for copeptin (median change −0.003 pmol/l (−0.50 to 0.24), p = 0.45). In this experimental pain model performed in the morning, moderate pain did not have a relevant effect on cortisol or copeptin levels, whereas opioids led to a discrete peak of cortisol.

Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01975753 (registered on November 5, 2013, before start of recruitment).

Salivary Alpha-Amylase in Experimentally-Induced Muscle Pain

Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) is a marker of psychological stress and might also be a potential marker for pain-associated stress due its non-invasive, cost-effective, and stress-free collection. The current study aimed to investigate whether the levels of sAA are influenced by experimentally induced muscle pain. In this study, 26 healthy, pain-free and age-matched participants (23.8 ± 2.6 years) were included, 13 women and 13 men. Prior to the experiment, questionnaires assessing health and anxiety were completed. Muscle pain was then induced through intramuscular injection of 0.4 mL hypertonic saline (56.5 mg/mL) into the masseter muscle and unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected at baseline before injection, 2 min, and 15 min after injection. A commercially available colorimetric assay was used to analyze the sAA. Perceived pain and stress were assessed using a 0–100 Numeric Rating Scale for each sample. There were no significant differences in sAA levels prior and after injection of hypertonic saline (p > 0.05) although sAA levels showed a slight decrease during experimentally-induced muscle pain. However, a strong correlation was observed between self-reported pain and perceived level of stress during experimentally-induced muscle pain (r₂ = 0.744; p < 0.0001). Furthermore, there was a moderate correlation between the levels of sAA at baseline and during experimental pain (r₂ = 0.687; p < 0.0001). In conclusion, this study could not show any association between the levels of sAA and perceived pain and or/stress. However, since a significant strong correlation could be observed between perceived stress and pain intensity, this study indicates that experimentally-induced muscle pain could be used as a stress model.

Time course of copeptin during a model of experimental pain and hyperalgesia: A randomised volunteer crossover trial

BACKGROUND

A reliable biomarker for quantifying pain or hyperalgesia has yet to be found. A surrogate marker of arginine vasopressin, copeptin, is elevated in a number of states of physiological and psychological stress and may have a role in quantifying pain and/or hyperalgesia.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate copeptin as a biomarker for pain or hyperalgesia developing after 120 min of sustained electrical stimulation.

DESIGN

Secondary analysis of a randomised, double-blinded, crossover trial.

SETTING

Single, tertiary university hospital from September 2014 to January 2015.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 16 healthy, opioid-naïve white men with no confounding medication or history of pain.

INTERVENTIONS

Copeptin and cortisol were measured five times during an established model of transdermal electrical stimulation designed to assess pain and hyperalgesia.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome was the change in copeptin concentration after 120 min of sustained electrical stimulation. Secondary outcomes were copeptin and cortisol concentrations after a subsequent period of rest and analyses of copeptin and cortisol concentrations were made in high-dose and low-dose fentanyl groups separately.

RESULTS

Total copeptin concentrations were not significantly elevated after 120 min [9.15 pmol l (interquartile ranges (IQR), 3.45 to 35.45 pmol l); P = 0.150] compared with baseline [6.15 pmol l (IQR, 3.60 to 10.62 pmol l)]. In the high-dose fentanyl group, there was a significant increase in copeptin within individuals [P = 0.001; median, 37.9 pmol l (IQR, 8.1 to 62 pmol l)] after 120 min, and in the low-dose fentanyl group a significant decrease in copeptin concentrations within individuals [P = 0.006; median, 4.7 pmol l (IQR, 3.13 to 9.35 pmol l)]. No correlation between copeptin concentration and either the area under the pain curve or area under the hyperalgesia curve could be found, indicating that the observed differences may be due to other fentanyl-mediated effects.

CONCLUSION

Copeptin concentrations do not appear to be associated directly with pain and hyperalgesia. Instead, some fentanyl-mediated effect or effects appear to have greatly increased copeptin concentrations from baseline to 120 min.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02252458.

Salivary Cortisol and Alpha-amylase-Biomarkers of Stress in Children undergoing Extraction: An in vivo Study

Aim

The anxiety of dental procedure evokes physiological response in the human body similar to fear. The level of cortisol and alpha-amylase in saliva can be considered as one of the major biomarkers of stress and anxiety. Our study was aimed to correlate the stress and anxiety with the levels of salivary cortisol (SC) and salivary alpha-amylase (SAA) in patients undergoing routine dental extraction.

Materials and methods

The levels of SC and SAA were assessed pre- and postextraction in the salivary samples of 20 children.

Results

The values of cortisol and alpha-amylase showed a significant increase postextraction.

Conclusion

Salivary cortisol and SAA can be considered an important and noninvasive tool for assessment of anxiety, such as dental extraction, in children.

Clinical significance

Increase in the stress levels of a child in the dental operatory procedures like tooth extraction suggests the use of some behavior modification and shaping techniques by dentists to overcome the anxiety of the child before commencement of the procedure. This can aid in better cooperation of the child during treatment as well as helps in internal motivation toward future dental treatment.

How to cite this article: Chaturvedi Y, Chaturvedy S, Marwah N, Chaturvedi S, Agarwal S, Agarwal N. Salivary Cortisol and Alpha-amylase—Biomarkers of Stress in Children undergoing Extraction: An in vivo Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2018; 11(3):214-218.

Tolerable pain reduces gastric fundal accommodation and gastric motility in healthy subjects: a crossover ultrasonographic study

Background

Obstacles to pain management include patients’ reluctance to inform healthcare provides about their pain, and differences in the pain management aims between patients and healthcare providers. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether tolerable pain influences gastric fundal accommodation and gastric motility in healthy subjects.

Methods

We undertook a crossover comparison study to evaluate gastric fundal accommodation and gastric motility in 74 healthy subjects in the presence or absence of tolerable pain. The intensity of tolerable pain was defined as the upper limit of pain compatible with comfortable daily life. Pain was generated by clipping a clothes pin to the ear lobe, and the intensity of pain was adjusted by inserting the gauze between the ear lobe and the pin. Gastric fundal accommodation and gastric motility were assessed by external ultrasonography. The cross-sectional area of the proximal stomach was measured after subjects had taken 100 mL-liquid meals four times, then the amplitude and frequency of antral contractions were measured.

Results

The median numerical rating scale of tolerable pain was 3 (interquartile rang 2–4). Gastric fundal accommodation, gastric motility and gastric emptying were all significantly impaired by tolerable pain (P < 0.001 for all comparisons).

Conclusions

Even tolerable pain can reduce gastric fundal accommodation and gastric motility, which could result in anorexia or decreased quality of life. Our findings provide important insights into pain management education for patients tolerating pain and healthcare providers encouraging patients to tolerate pain. This study was registered retrospectively.

Salivary Alpha-Amylase Correlates with Subjective Heat Pain Perception

OBJECTIVE

Self-reports of pain are important for an adequate therapy. This is a problem with patients and infants who are restricted in providing an accurate verbal estimation of their pain. Reliable, real-time, economical, and non-invasive physiological correlates might contribute to a more comprehensive description of pain. Salivary alpha-amylase constitutes one candidate biomarker, which reflects predominantly sympathetic nervous system alterations under stressful conditions and can be measured non-invasively. The current study investigated the effects of acute heat pain on salivary alpha-amylase activity.

METHODS

Heat pain tolerance was measured on the non-dominant forearm. Participants completed visual analog scales on pain intensity and unpleasantness. Saliva samples were collected directly after pain induction.

SUBJECTS

Twenty-seven healthy volunteers were recruited for this study.

RESULTS

While salivary alpha-amylase levels correlated positively with intensity and unpleasantness ratings in response to acute heat pain stimuli, there was no corresponding association with pain tolerance.

CONCLUSIONS

Salivary alpha-amylase is suggested to be an indirect physiologic correlate of subjective heat pain perception. Future studies should address the role of salivary alpha-amylase depending on the origin of pain, the concerned tissue, and other pain assessment methods.

Comparative effects of acupressure at local and distal acupuncture points on pain conditions and autonomic function in females with chronic neck pain

Acupressure on local and distal acupuncture points might result in sedation and relaxation, thereby reducing chronic neck pain. The aim was to investigate the effect of acupressure at local (LP) and distal acupuncture points (DP) in females with chronic neck pain. Thirty-three females were assigned to three groups: the control group did not receive any stimuli, the LP group received acupressure at local acupuncture points, GB 21, SI 14 and SI 15, and the DP group received acupressure at distal acupuncture points, LI 4, LI 10 and LI 11. Verbal rating scale (VRS), Neck Disability Index (NDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), muscle hardness (MH), salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity, heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV) values and satisfaction due to acupressure were assessed. VRS, NDI, STAI and MH values decreased after acupressure in the LP and the DP group. HR decreased and the power of high frequency (HF) component of HRV increased after acupressure in only the LP group. Although acupressure on not only the LP but also the DP significantly improved pain conditions, acupressure on only the LP affected the autonomic nervous system while acupuncture points per se have different physical effects according to location.