Gene Mutation Causes Woman to not Feel Any Pain

A 65 year old woman from Scotland went to a Doctor complaining that she was having issues with her hip. Upon running tests, it was concluded that she suffered from severe joint degeneration (a very painful disease)-but she felt no pain. Dr. Devjit Srivastava, a consultant in Anesthesia and Pain Medicine at NHS hospital in Scotland, diagnosed her to having an insensitivity to pain. The woman also confessed to never being stressed, anxious, or ever needing any painkillers-even after surgery.

The woman was sent to a pain geneticists at the University of Oxford and it was discovered that she had two mutations in her genes: one was a microdeletion is a pseudogene which researchers has described for the first time as FAAH-OUT, and another mutation in the neighboring gene that controls the FAAH enzyme. The FAAH gene is responsible for signaling pain sensation, mood and memory.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190327203450.htm

Researchers believe there are many more people with this mutation in their FAAH gene, but live their lives completely unaware they even have it. By studying these gene mutation more, it can help immensely with people that live in chronic pain, or even patients recovering from surgery. By manipulating the FAAH-OUT gene, Doctors would be able to treat their post-surgery patients without the use of opioids, and decrease their patients healing time. In my opinion, this would be a very interesting research to conduct as the opioid crisis is at its all time high. 

Blood Test for Pain

According to Science Daily, an article called "Breakthrough toward developing blood test for pain" introduces a test which can measure pain biomarkers in blood. This study was influenced by the opioid crisis in Indiana. This blood test, would allow more accuracy for doctors to treat the patient in pain. Since pain is only sensed by the patient, it is hard for physicians to measure the level of pain the patient has, they can only go by what the patient says.

Opioid epidemics occur because addictive medications were overprescribed due to the fact that there was no objective measure whether someone was in pain or how severe the pain was. The biomarkers are like fingerprints, the doctors will match it against a database and see which compound would normalize the signature.

This blood test will allow the patient to be matched to the right drug, without overprescribing medication. Doctors and researchers believe that this will end the opioid epidemic and will allow future monitoring of the patients health. Doctor and researcher Niculescu of this blood test is hoping to raise some money in order to further this study and allow it to be put into action.

I think that this is a good invention, a lot of doctors would much rather prescribe medication to treat pain, not fully knowing the severity of pain and if there are signs of pain. I actually had a personal experience where I had horrible knee pain and in order to rid of the pain, a doctor prescribed opioids. I was later diagnosed by another doctor with a torn meniscus. I, personally, never took the opioids and stuck to over-the-counter medication for pain. But it is the idea that, I never asked for opioids, nor did I wish to take them, however the doctor thought it was best for pain.  Hence why the opioid epidemic is a serious issue, not only in United States but all over the world.

Genes Linked to Addiction

   

    Studies have been done to discover the linkage of genetics and addiction. With the opioid epidemic striking the population, this topic has been a cause of interest for many people. The gentic  information in our cells influence the way our brains function and our physical responses to chemicals within our bodies. Therefore, it is apparent that some people become addicted to drugs based off of the way they respond to the chemicals they are exposed to. The Human Genome Project allowed scientists to study the entire genetic make up of humans and figure out how they can use genetics to compete with addiction. There are limitations to this experiment, however researchers are working on a discovery to help those who suffer from addiction. Researchers are also studying the family linkage of drug abuse. While studying this linkage, they have found genetic markers that may trigger addiction, but have also found the same genetic markers in family members who are not addicted to drugs.
     According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, genetic information only accounts for half of a person's vulnerability. Other factors include age when a person starts using mind altering substances, neighborhood, availability, presence of mental health issues, and gender. Addiction genes need a trigger from the environment to be activated.
     I believe this is a topic that should be further studied to figure out a better way to treat those who suffer from drug abuse. I personally believe it is a disease that should be treated like one and many people are dying from this disease. It is an extremely hard subject to find a definite solution to, however, we can keep trying.

www.addictionandrecovery.org
https://thecanyonmalibu.com/drug-addiction/genetics

Chronic Back Pain Stem Cell Treatment Could Cut Need for Opioids

There is an opioid epidemic killing the nation.  Back pain affects roughly twenty-eight million people in the United States.  The stem cell treatment discussed in this article could bring relief millions of people and the best part is that it would not require individuals to take opioids.  Unfortunately, opioid overdose has increased about four times since 1999; they account for 33,000 deaths in 2015 alone.  A leading cause to overdose is from getting a serious injury that requires the individual injured to rely on opioids.  Sometimes these individuals become addicted to the opioids.  However, stem cell treatment aims to stop this epidemic. 

In this stem cell treatment, stem cells are injected into the damaged discs between the vertebrae of the spine.  Each dose or stem cell contains about six million cells called mesenchymal precursor cells.  These cells decrease inflammation and secrete factors which help rebuild the damaged tissue in the spine.  The stem cells being used for these injections are being tested for treating degenerative disc diseases.  The discs between vertebrae act as cushions that absorb the shock from the normal wear and tear of every day life.  When these discs wear down and become thinner, they loose their ability to cushion the vertebrae.  This then leads individuals to seek relief from opioids.  Studies done with stem cell treatment show that one injection of stem cells helped individuals become mobile again and did not experience back pain for two years. 

Stem cell treatment is the new pain killer.  Using stem cell injections will lower the opioid epidemic across the nation.  I found this article informative and relatable.  Almost every individual experiences lower back pain at some point in their life, and those who have know it is an unbearable pain.  However, for those individuals who may be affected by addiction stem cell treatment is a perfect replacement for opioids.  Overall, I agree with the ideas presented in this article and I am excited to learn about future stem cell treatments.