Amines

Intractable central post-stroke pain (CPSP) is one of the most common sequelae of stroke, but has been inadequately studied to date. In this study, we first determined the relationship between the lesion site and changes in mechanical or thermal pain sensitivity in a rat CPSP model with experimental thalamic hemorrhage produced by unilateral intra-thalamic collagenase IV (ITC) injection. Then, we evaluated the efficacy of gabapentin (GBP), an anticonvulsant that binds the voltage-gated Ca(2+) channel α2δ and a commonly used anti-neuropathic pain medication. Histological case-by-case analysis showed that only lesions confined to the medial lemniscus and the ventroposterior lateral/medial nuclei of the thalamus and/or the posterior thalamic nucleus resulted in bilateral mechanical pain hypersensitivity. All of the animals displaying CPSP also had impaired motor coordination, while control rats with intra-thalamic saline developed no central pain or motor deficits. GBP had a dose-relat...

The spectroscopic characteristics of the solid charge-transfer molecular complexes (CT) formed in the reaction of the electron donor 4-(aminomethyl) piperidine (4AMP) with the σ-acceptor iodine and the π-acceptors 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ), 2,4,4,6-tetrabromo-2,5-cyclohexadienone (TBCHD) and 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) have been studied in chloroform at 25°C. These were investigated through electronic, infrared spectra and thermal analysis as well as elemental analysis. The results show that the formed solid CT-complexes have the formulas [(4AMP)I](+)I3(-), [(4AMP)(DDQ)2] and [(4AMP)(TBCHD)] while in the case of 4AMP-TCNQ reaction, a short-lived CT complex is formed followed by rapid N-substitution by TCNQ forming the final reaction product 7,7,8-tricyano-8-aminomethylpiperidinylquinodimethane [TCAMPQDM] in full agreement with the known reaction stoichiometries in solution as well as the elemental measurements and the thermal analysis confirmed the structure of the obtained compounds. The formation constant kCT, molar extinction coefficient εCT, free energy change ΔG(0) and CT energy ECT have been calculated for the CT-complexes [(4AMP)I](+)I3(-), [(4AMP)(DDQ)2] and [(4AMP)(TBCHD)].

: Pregabalin (PGB) is an L-type, voltage-dependent, calcium-channel blocker, useful for the treatment of neuropathy pain and some forms of seizures. We report the case of a 64-year-old woman who developed full-blown parkinsonism after PGB administration. : A female patient who developed diabetic sensory-motor polyneuropathy began treatment with gabapentin 300 mg plus amitriptyline 25 mg at the age of 56 years, with good tolerance. Eight years later, PGB 150 mg was added, after 3 months she developed a parkinsonian-like syndrome with axial symptoms, bilateral symmetric postural tremor, bradykinesia, and rigidity in both upper and lower limbs. Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor score was 27/108 points at this time. Clear link to PGB introduction as well as symmetric limb involvement and symptom intensity made us suspect drug-induced parkinsonism. Pregabalin was withdrawn. Six months later, the patient had almost completely recovered; her Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor score dropped to 4/108; and 3 months after that, it was 0. : Although some cases of tremor were reported in clinical trials on PGB, to our knowledge, this is the first report of full-blown parkinsonism associated with PGB use. Vigilance of PGB-treated patients is recommended.

Biochemically modified proteins have attracted significant attention due to their widespread applications as biomaterials. For instance, chemically modified gelatin derivatives have been widely explored to develop hydrogels for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. Among the reported methods, modification of gelatin with methacrylic anhydride (MA) stands out as a convenient and efficient strategy to introduce functional groups and form hydrogels via photopolymerization. Combining light-activation of modified gelatin with soft lithography has enabled the materialization of microfabricated hydrogels. So far, this gelatin derivative has been referred to in the literature as gelatin methacrylate, gelatin methacrylamide, or gelatin methacryloyl, with the same abbreviation of GelMA. Considering the complex composition of gelatin and the presence of different functional groups on the amino acid residues, both hydroxyl groups and amine groups can possibly react with met...