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Biomedicines
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Advanced Research on Fibromyalgia (2nd Edition)
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Advanced Research on Fibromyalgia (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular and Translational Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 4207

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Elena Lucarini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, Neurofarba, Pharmacology and Toxicology Section, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
Interests: pain pharmacology; chronic pain; neuropathic pain, visceral pain; peripheral nervous system; central nervous system; glia; neuroimmune interactions; gut microbiota
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fibromyalgia is a chronic and debilitating disorder that manifests with diffuse musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, psychological distress, poor quality of life, sleep issues and cognitive dysfunction. The global prevalence of fibromyalgia is high and is estimated to occur in 2 to 8% of the general population. Diagnosis is primarily established clinically, per the American College of Rheumatology 2010 diagnostic criteria. Importantly, there is a paucity of data supporting the use of diagnostic and treatment-related biomarkers of fibromyalgia.

Treatment is often challenging in patients with fibromyalgia, and current therapeutic options often have limited efficacy. To date, there are only three analgesic medications approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia, including pregabalin, duloxetine and milnacipran. These medications typically only offer approximately 30% improvement in pain intensity, which is often unsatisfactory in patients with fibromyalgia who suffer from comorbid psychosocial issues, cognitive dysfunction and mood disorders.

This Special Issue welcomes all types of manuscripts providing insight into aspects relevant to basic science and clinical research in fibromyalgia. We are interested in a wide range of work, including pathophysiology, diagnostic biomarkers, treatment-related biomarkers and outcomes-related research in fibromyalgia. Moreover, we are interested in understanding the epigenetics and genetics of fibromyalgia, specifically genetic mutations and polymorphisms related to fibromyalgia. Finally, data from clinical trials of therapies for fibromyalgia will be highly appreciated. The Special Issue is open for both basic science and clinical studies and will cover original articles, high-quality reviews and a limited number of pertinent meta-analyses.

Dr. Elena Lucarini
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fibromyalgia
  • chronic fatigue syndrome
  • myofascial pain syndrome
  • diagnostic biomarkers
  • biomarkers for predicting treatment response
  • disability
  • rehabilitation
  • chronic pain
  • mutations and polymorphisms of genes related to fibromyalgia
  • epigenetics

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 898 KiB  
Article
Association of Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity, Sedentary Time, Fat Percentage, and Physical Fitness with Gait Parameters in Women with Fibromyalgia: The Al-Ándalus Project
by Sergio Llorente-Romero, Manuel Herrador-Colmenero, Pedro Acosta-Manzano, Milkana Borges-Cosic, Blanca Gavilán-Carrera, Pedro Ángel Latorre Román, Manuel Delgado-Fernández and Víctor Segura-Jiménez
Biomedicines 2024, 12(4), 829; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12040829 - 09 Apr 2024
Viewed by 481
Abstract
Gait impairments have been found in women with fibromyalgia, reducing the physical activity possibilities in this population and leading to a negative correlation with fibromyalgia impact. The aim of this study was to analyze the individual and independent associations of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [...] Read more.
Gait impairments have been found in women with fibromyalgia, reducing the physical activity possibilities in this population and leading to a negative correlation with fibromyalgia impact. The aim of this study was to analyze the individual and independent associations of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary time, fat percentage, and physical fitness with gait parameters in women with fibromyalgia. A total of 84 women with fibromyalgia were included. MVPA and sedentary time were assessed with accelerometry, fat percentage with bioimpedance analysis, and physical fitness with field-based fitness tests. Gait was assessed during a “6 min walk test” and categorized in velocity, cadence, step length, step cycle duration, unipedal stance phase, and bipedal stance phase. Individual relationships were analyzed by partial correlations and independent relationships by linear regressions, adjusting by age and height. MVPA, sedentary time, fat percentage, and physical fitness were correlated with most gait parameters (rpartial between |0.842| and |0.219|; p ≤ 0.05). Physical fitness was independently associated with all gait parameters (β between |0.346| and |0.761|; p ≤ 0.002). In addition, MVPA was independently associated with velocity and step length (β = 0.241 and 0.292; both p = 0.004), and fat percentage was associated with bipedal stance phase (β = 0.242; p = 0.049). Good levels of MVPA, physical fitness, and adequate weight balance are associated with improved gait parameters in women with fibromyalgia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Fibromyalgia (2nd Edition))
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16 pages, 3399 KiB  
Article
Electroacupuncture Reduces Fibromyalgia Pain via Neuronal/Microglial Inactivation and Toll-like Receptor 4 in the Mouse Brain: Precise Interpretation of Chemogenetics
by Sheng-Ta Tsai, Chia-Chun Yang, Hsien-Yin Liao and Yi-Wen Lin
Biomedicines 2024, 12(2), 387; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12020387 - 07 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1073
Abstract
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex, chronic, widespread pain syndrome that can cause significant health and economic burden. Emerging evidence has shown that neuroinflammation is an underlying pathological mechanism in FM. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key mediators of the immune system. TLR4 is expressed [...] Read more.
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex, chronic, widespread pain syndrome that can cause significant health and economic burden. Emerging evidence has shown that neuroinflammation is an underlying pathological mechanism in FM. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key mediators of the immune system. TLR4 is expressed primarily in microglia and regulates downstream signaling pathways, such as MyD88/NF-κB and TRIF/IRF3. It remains unknown whether electroacupuncture (EA) has therapeutic benefit in attenuating FM pain and what role the TLR4 pathway may play in this effect. We compared EA with sham EA to eliminate the placebo effect due to acupuncture. We demonstrated that intermittent cold stress significantly induced an increase in mechanical and thermal FM pain in mice (mechanical: 2.48 ± 0.53 g; thermal: 5.64 ± 0.32 s). EA but not sham EA has an analgesic effect on FM mice. TLR4 and inflammatory mediator-related molecules were increased in the thalamus, medial prefrontal cortex, somatosensory cortex (SSC), and amygdala of FM mice, indicating neuroinflammation and microglial activation. These molecules were reduced by EA but not sham EA. Furthermore, a new chemogenetics method was used to precisely inhibit SSC activity that displayed an anti-nociceptive effect through the TLR4 pathway. Our results imply that the analgesic effect of EA is associated with TLR4 downregulation. We provide novel evidence that EA modulates the TLR4 signaling pathway, revealing potential therapeutic targets for FM pain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Fibromyalgia (2nd Edition))
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Review

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30 pages, 899 KiB  
Review
The Fibromyalgia Pain Experience: A Scoping Review of the Preclinical Evidence for Replication and Treatment of the Affective and Cognitive Pain Dimensions
by Cassie M. Argenbright, Alysia M. Bertlesman, Izabella M. Russell, Tracy L. Greer, Yuan B. Peng and Perry N. Fuchs
Biomedicines 2024, 12(4), 778; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12040778 - 02 Apr 2024
Viewed by 545
Abstract
Fibromyalgia is a chronic, widespread pain disorder that is strongly represented across the affective and cognitive dimensions of pain, given that the underlying pathophysiology of the disorder is yet to be identified. These affective and cognitive deficits are crucial to understanding and treating [...] Read more.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic, widespread pain disorder that is strongly represented across the affective and cognitive dimensions of pain, given that the underlying pathophysiology of the disorder is yet to be identified. These affective and cognitive deficits are crucial to understanding and treating the fibromyalgia pain experience as a whole but replicating this multidimensionality on a preclinical level is challenging. To understand the underlying mechanisms, animal models are used. In this scoping review, we evaluate the current primary animal models of fibromyalgia regarding their translational relevance within the affective and cognitive pain realms, as well as summarize treatments that have been identified preclinically for attenuating these deficits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Fibromyalgia (2nd Edition))
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11 pages, 422 KiB  
Review
Restrictive Diets in Patients with Fibromyalgia: State of the Art
by Miriam Almirall, Marta Musté, Mayte Serrat, Rafael Touriño, Esther Espartal and Sara Marsal
Biomedicines 2024, 12(3), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12030629 - 12 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1443
Abstract
Around 20–30% of Fibromyalgia patients modify their dietary habits after diagnosis, including avoiding certain food groups such as cereals. In this systematic review, we used the PRISMA guidelines to select the main studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of restrictive diets, including elimination [...] Read more.
Around 20–30% of Fibromyalgia patients modify their dietary habits after diagnosis, including avoiding certain food groups such as cereals. In this systematic review, we used the PRISMA guidelines to select the main studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of restrictive diets, including elimination and vegetarian diets, in patients with Fibromyalgia. Data on vegetarian/vegan diets are more consistent than data on elimination diets due to higher quality and better results of the published studies. Although the results are favorable in most of the studies, their heterogenicity and the scarce and low quality of the evidence (small number of patients included, often non-randomized and uncontrolled studies and multiple confounding factors and biases) does not allow for a positive recommendation about these restrictive diets in Fibromyalgia patients. Several factors other than food restriction could influence the symptomatic and functional improvements observed after restrictive diets, such as the placebo effect, weight loss that often occurs, coexistence with gastrointestinal diseases and positive effects of unrestricted foods. We must advance more and improve in our knowledge of the effectiveness of restrictive diets and variables related to them before recommending them systematically to all patients with Fibromyalgia. Randomized, placebo-controlled trials with large sample sizes, longer follow-up periods and standardized outcome measures that explore predictors of dietary response are needed to better understand the relationship between Fibromyalgia and nutrition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Fibromyalgia (2nd Edition))
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