Pain Management – Proceedings of the Texas A&M Medical Student Grand Rounds

The Paradox of Pain Relief: Reevaluating the Opioid Standard in Acute Spinal Cord Injury

July 13, 2026 Aaryan Amin

Aaryan Amin Background: Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a traumatic event that leads to disturbances in sensory, motor, or autonomic function, with an estimated 14.5 million individuals living with the condition globally.1 Management of acute pain and anxiety is critical during the primary injury phase, and opioids are the current…

Impact of Anti-Fentanyl Vaccination on the Pharmacokinetics and Analgesic Efficacy of Fentanyl

July 1, 2026 Fatimah Khan

Fatimah Khan Background: The escalating opioid crisis has led to significant public health concerns, with fentanyl playing a central role due to its high potency and prevalence in illicit drug markets. 1,2 Fentanyl’s exceptional lipophilicity enables it to cross the blood-brain barrier and activate µ-opioid receptors, leading to powerful euphoria,…

Featured Abstracts Immunology Pain Management

The “Double-Edged Sword” of Opioid Therapy: Pursuing Safety Through Biased MOR Agonism

July 1, 2026 Subhaan Mian

Subhaan Mian Background: Opioids remain essential for treating moderate-to-severe pain, yet their clinical value is limited by opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD), a potentially fatal suppression of breathing that contributes to the ongoing opioid crisis.1 Traditional mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists, such as morphine and fentanyl, activate G protein signaling associated with…

Pain Management