This manuscript, developed by a group of chronic pain researchers and clinicians from around the world, aims to address the state of knowledge about fibromyalgia (FM) and identify ongoing challenges in the field of FM and other chronic pain syndromes that may be characterized by pain centralization/amplification/hypersensitivity. There have been many exciting developments in research studies of...

OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of a modified alternate rapid maxillary expansion and constriction (Alt-RAMEC) protocol in combination with facemask (FM) in Class III growing patients. SETTING AND SAMPLE POPULATION Thirty one Class III patients (17 males, 14 females) were treated with a modified Alt-RAMEC/FM protocol at the Department of Orthodontics of the University of Florence. MATERIAL...

Children with dyslexia often exhibit increased variability in sensory and cognitive aspects of hearing relative to typically developing peers. Assistive listening devices (classroom FM systems) may reduce auditory processing variability by enhancing acoustic clarity and attention. We assessed the impact of classroom FM system use for 1 year on auditory neurophysiology and reading skills in chil...

Adrenal gland blood flow (ABF) increases during hypoxemia in fetal sheep, but regulation of ABF is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of splanchnic nerve section on fetal ABF responses to hypoxemia using the fluorescent microsphere (FM) technique. At 125 days of gestation, 14 unanesthetized fetal sheep [bilateral splanchnicotomy (Splx, n = 6) and control (...

INTRODUCTION Fibromyalgia (FM) patients present pain, muscle stiffness, reduced physical condition and fatigue that limit their daily life activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the addition of 12 weeks of physical exercise in warm water to usual medical care on the impact of FM on physical and mental health in female patients. PATIENTS, MATERIALS AND METHODS Thi...

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study is to determine the frequency of enthesopathy in fibromyalgia (FM) by using a newly developed ultrasonography (US) method, the Madrid Sonography Enthesitis Index (MASEI). METHODS This study was conducted on 38 consecutive patients with FM and 48 healthy sex- and age-matched controls. Six entheseal sites (olecranon tuberosity, superior and inferior poles ...

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a group of positional and geometric isomers of conjugated dienoic derivatives of linoleic acid. CLA has been reported to be able to reduce body fat. In this study, we investigated the antidiabetic effect of fermented milk (FM) containing CLA on type II diabetes db/db mice. Mice were treated with 0.2% low FM, 0.6% high FM, or Glimepiride (GLM) for 6 wk. Our resu...

Background. Recently, it has been proposed that fibromyalgia (FM), a chronic widespread pain syndrome, results from overactive endogenous excitatory pain mechanisms. Experimental studies using temporal summation paradigms have confirmed this hypothesis but have included small samples of patients, prompting our group to perform a large-scale study. Methods. Seventy-two female FM patients and 39 ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of a 9-month physical activity intervention on cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity among prepubertal children. METHODS Prepubertal children (8- to 9-year-olds, N = 220, 103 girls) were randomly assigned to a 9-month physical activity intervention or a control group. The intervention provided 70 minutes (5 days/week) of moderate to vigorous physical acti...

OBJECTIVE Fibromyalgia syndrome (FM) is a controversial chronic painful syndrome. Although the aetiology is unknown, FM is frequently correlated with stressors events. Recent studies highlighted the frequent comorbidity with anxiety and depression and a close relationship between stress and pain. METHODS We evaluated the relevance of stressors events in 23 patients with FM (mean age: 45.7+/-7...