Use of amitriptyline for the treatment of chronic tension-type headache. Review of the literature

Amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant, considered the treatment of choice for different types of chronic pain, including chronic myofascial pain. Its antinociceptive property is independent of its antidepressant effect. Although its analgesic mechanism is not precisely known, it is believed that the serotonin reuptake inhibition in the central nervous system plays a fundamental role in pain control. Although this medication is widely used in the prevention of chronic tension-type headache, few studies have investigated the efficacy of this treatment and the published results are contradictory. The objective of this article was to review the literature published on the use of amitriptyline in the prophylactic treatment of chronic tension-type headache, considering the level of scientific evidence of the different studies using the SORT criteria. From this review, 5 articles of evidence level 1, and another 5 articles of evidence level 2 were selected. Following analysis of the 10 studies, and in function of their scientific quality, a level A recommendation was made in favor of using amitriptyline in the treatment of chronic tension-type headache.

Use of asthma medication during pregnancy and risk of specific congenital anomalies: A European case-malformed control study.

BACKGROUND: Pregnant women with asthma need to take medication during pregnancy. OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify whether there is an increased risk of specific congenital anomalies after exposure to antiasthma medication in the first trimester of pregnancy. METHODS: We performed a population-based case-malformed control study testing signals identified in a literature review. Odds ratios (ORs) of exposure to the main groups of asthma medication were calculated for each of the 10 signal anomalies compared with registrations with nonchromosomal, nonsignal anomalies as control registrations. In addition, exploratory analyses were done for each nonsignal anomaly. The data set included 76,249 registrations of congenital anomalies from 13 EUROmediCAT registries. RESULTS: Cleft palate (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.05-2.52) and gastroschisis (OR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.12-3.20) had significantly increased odds of exposure to first-trimester use of inhaled β2-agonists compared with nonchromosomal control registrations. Odds of exposure to salbutamol were similar. Nonsignificant ORs of exposure to inhaled β2-agonists were found for spina bifida, cleft lip, anal atresia, severe congenital heart defects in general, or tetralogy of Fallot. None of the 4 literature signals of exposure to inhaled steroids were confirmed (cleft palate, cleft lip, anal atresia, and hypospadias). Exploratory analyses found an association between renal dysplasia and exposure to the combination of long-acting β2-agonists and inhaled corticosteroids (OR, 3.95; 95% CI, 1.99-7.85). CONCLUSIONS: The study confirmed increased odds of first-trimester exposure to inhaled β2-agonists for cleft palate and gastroschisis and found a potential new signal for renal dysplasia associated with combined long-acting β2-agonists and inhaled corticosteroids. Use of inhaled corticosteroids during the first trimester of pregnancy seems to be safe in relation to the risk for a range of specific major congenital anomalies.

Circadian variation of salivary immunoglobin A, alpha-amylase activity and mood in response to repeated double-poling sprints in hypoxia.

PURPOSE: To assess the circadian variations in salivary immunoglobin A (sIgA) and alpha-amylase activity (sAA), biomarkers of mucosal immune function, together with mood during 2 weeks of repeated sprint training in hypoxia (RSH) and normoxia (RSN). METHODS: Over a 2-week period, 17 competitive cross-country skiers performed six training sessions, each consisting of four sets of five 10-s bouts of all-out double-poling under either normobaric hypoxia (FiO2: 13.8 %, 3000 m) or normoxia. The levels of sIgA and sAA activity and mood were determined five times during each of the first (T1) and sixth (T6) days of training, as well as during days preceding (baseline) and after the training intervention (follow-up). RESULTS: With RSH, sIgA was higher on T6 than T1 (P = 0.049), and sAA was increased on days T1, T6, and during the follow-up (P < 0.01). With RSN, sIgA remained unchanged and sAA was elevated on day T1 only (P = 0.04). Similarly, the RSH group demonstrated reduced mood on days T1, T6, and during the follow-up, while mood was lowered only on T1 with RSN (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The circadian variation of sIgA and sAA activity, biomarkers of mucosal immune function, as well as mood were similar on the first day of training when repeated double-poling sprints were performed with or without hypoxia. Only with RSH did the levels of sIgA and sAA activity rise with time, becoming maximal after six training sessions, when mood was still lowered. Therefore, six sessions of RSH reduced mood, but did not impair mucosal immune function.

Prevention of vascular dysfunction and arterial hypertension in mice generated by assisted reproductive technologies by addition of melatonin to culture media.

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) induce vascular dysfunction in humans and mice. In mice, ART-induced vascular dysfunction is related to epigenetic alteration of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene, resulting in decreased vascular eNOS expression and nitrite/nitrate synthesis. Melatonin is involved in epigenetic regulation, and its administration to sterile women improves the success rate of ART. We hypothesized that addition of melatonin to culture media may prevent ART-induced epigenetic and cardiovascular alterations in mice. We, therefore, assessed mesenteric-artery responses to acetylcholine and arterial blood pressure, together with DNA methylation of the eNOS gene promoter in vascular tissue and nitric oxide plasma concentration in 12-wk-old ART mice generated with and without addition of melatonin to culture media and in control mice. As expected, acetylcholine-induced mesenteric-artery dilation was impaired (P = 0.008 vs. control) and mean arterial blood pressure increased (109.5 ± 3.8 vs. 104.0 ± 4.7 mmHg, P = 0.002, ART vs. control) in ART compared with control mice. These alterations were associated with altered DNA methylation of the eNOS gene promoter (P < 0.001 vs. control) and decreased plasma nitric oxide concentration (10.1 ± 11.1 vs. 29.5 ± 8.0 μM) (P < 0.001 ART vs. control). Addition of melatonin (10(-6) M) to culture media prevented eNOS dysmethylation (P = 0.005, vs. ART + vehicle), normalized nitric oxide plasma concentration (23.1 ± 14.6 μM, P = 0.002 vs. ART + vehicle) and mesentery-artery responsiveness to acetylcholine (P < 0.008 vs. ART + vehicle), and prevented arterial hypertension (104.6 ± 3.4 mmHg, P < 0.003 vs. ART + vehicle). These findings provide proof of principle that modification of culture media prevents ART-induced vascular dysfunction. We speculate that this approach will also allow preventing ART-induced premature atherosclerosis in humans.

Comparative Effect of a Renin Inhibitor and a Thiazide Diuretic on Renal Tissue Oxygenation in Hypertensive Patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The purpose of the present study was to compare the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren to the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in their ability to modulate renal tissue oxygenation in hypertensive patients. METHODS: 24 patients were enrolled in this randomized prospective study and 20 completed the protocol. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either aliskiren 150-300 mg/d or HCTZ 12.5 - 25 mg/d for 8 weeks. Renal oxygenation was measured by BOLD-MRI at weeks 0 and 8. BOLD-MRI was also performed before and after an i.v. injection of 20 mg furosemide at week 0 and at week 8. BOLD-MRI data were analyzed by measuring the oxygenation in 12 computed layers of the kidney enabling to asses renal oxygenation according to the depth within the kidney and by the classical method of regions of interest (ROI). RESULTS: The classical ROI analysis of the data showed no difference between the groups at week 8. The analysis of renal oxygenation according to the 12 layers method shows no significant difference between aliskiren and HCTZ at week 8 before administration of furosemide. However, within group analyses show that aliskiren slightly but not significantly increased oxygenation in the cortex and decreased medullary oxygenation whereas HCTZ induced a significant overall decrease in renal tissue oxygenation. With the same method of analysis we observed that the response to furosemide was unchanged in the HCTZ group at week 8 but was characterized by an increase in both cortical and medullary oxygenation in aliskiren-treated patients. Patients responding to aliskiren and HCTZ by a fall in systolic blood pressure of >10 mmHg improved their renal tissue oxygenation when compared to non-responders. CONCLUSION: With the classical method of evaluation using regions no difference were found between aliskiren and HCTZ on renal tissue oxygenation after 8 weeks. In contrast, with our new method that takes into account the entire kidney, within group analyses show that aliskiren slightly increases cortical and medullary renal tissue oxygenation in hypertensive patients whereas HCTZ decreases significantly renal oxygenation at trough.

Low Dynamics, High Longevity and Persistence of Sessile Structural Species Dwelling on Mediterranean Coralligenous Outcrops

There is still limited understanding of the processes underlying benthic species dynamics in marine coastal habitats, which are of disproportionate importance in terms of productivity and biodiversity. The life-history traits of long-lived benthic species in these habitats are particularly poorly documented. In this study, we assessed decadal patterns of population dynamics for ten sponge and anthozoan species that play key structural roles in coralligenous outcrops (~25 m depth) in two areas of the NW Mediterranean Sea. This study was based on examination of a unique long-term photographic series, which allowed analysis of population dynamics over extensive spatial and time spans for the very first time. Specifically, 671 individuals were censused annually over periods of 25-, 15-, and 5-years. This long-term study quantitatively revealed a common life-history pattern among the ten studied species, despite the fact they present different growth forms. Low mortality rates (3.4% yr−1 for all species combined) and infrequent recruitment events (mean value of 3.1±0.5 SE recruits yr−1) provided only a very small fraction of the new colonies required to maintain population sizes. Overall, annual mortality and recruitment rates did not differ significantly among years; however, some species displayed important mortality events and recruitment pulses, indicating variability among species. Based on the growth rates of these 10 species, we projected their longevity and, obtained a mean estimated age of 25-200 years. Finally, the low to moderate turnover rates (mean value 0.80% yr−1) observed among the coralligenous species were in agreement with their low dynamics and persistence. These results offer solid baseline data and reveal that these habitats are among the most vulnerable to the current increases of anthropogenic disturbances.

Novel Proteins Involved in Dynamics of The Photosynthetic Apparatus

During the past few years, a considerable number of research articles have been published relating to the structure and function of the major photosynthetic protein complexes, photosystem (PS) I, PSII, cytochrome (Cyt) b6f, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase. Sequencing of the Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) genome together with several high-quality proteomics studies has, however, revealed that the thylakoid membrane network of plant chloroplasts still contains a number of functionally unknown proteins. These proteins may have a role as auxiliary proteins guiding the assembly, maintenance, and turnover of the thylakoid protein complexes, or they may be as yet unknown subunits of the photosynthetic complexes. Novel subunits are most likely to be found in the NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (NDH) complex, the structure and function of which have remained obscure in the absence of detailed crystallographic data, thus making this thylakoid protein complex a particularly interesting target of investigation. In this thesis, several novel thylakoid-associated proteins were identified by proteomics-based methods. The major goal of characterization of the stroma thylakoid associated polysome-nascent chain complexes was to determine the proteins that guide the dynamic life cycle of PSII. In addition, a large protein complex of ≥ 1,000 kDa, residing in the stroma thylakoid, was characterized in greater depth and it was found to be a supercomplex composed of the PSI and NDH complexes. A set of newly identified proteins from Arabidopsis thylakoids was subjected to detailed characterization using the reverse genetics approach and extensive biochemical and biophysical analysis. The role of the novel proteins, either as auxiliary proteins or subunits of the photosynthetic protein complexes, was revealed. Two novel thylakoid lumen proteins, TLP18.3 and AtCYP38, function as auxiliary proteins assisting specific steps of the assembly/repair of PSII. The role of the 10-kDa thylakoid lumen protein PsbR is related to the optimization of oxygen evolution of PSII by assisting the assembly of the PsbP protein. Two integral thylakoid membrane proteins, NDH45 and NDH48, are novel subunits of the chloroplast NDH complex. Finally, the thylakoid lumen immunophilin AtCYP20-2 is suggested to interact with the NDH complex, instead of PSII as was hypothesized earlier.

Geomorphological mapping of granite zones in the province of Girona (Catalunya, Spain)

Since 1978, the unity of Geodynamics of the University of Girona has been publishing a series of detailed geological and geomorphological maps of different municipal terms of the Province of Girona, mainly on the scale of 1:10.000, situated for the major part in the Littoral and Prelittoral mountain ranges of the Cadena Costera Catalana. These mountain ranges are constituted of materials belonging to the palaeozoic era, basically metamorphous and igneous rocks (plutomc and hypoabyssal rocks)

A novel method for fast enrichment and monitoring of hexavalent and trivalent chromium at the ppt level with modified silica MCM-41 and its determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

Chromium(III) at the ng L-1 level was extracted using partially silylated MCM-41 modified by a tetraazamacrocyclic compound (TAMC) and determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emision spectrometry (ICP OES). The extraction time and efficiency, pH and flow rate, type and minimum amount of stripping acid, and break- through volume were investigated. The method's enrichment factor and detection limit are 300 and 45.5 pg mL-1, respectively. The maximum capacity of the 10 mg of modified silylated MCM-41 was found to be 400.5±4.7 µg for Cr(III). The method was applied to the determination of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in the wastewater of the chromium electroplating industry and in environmental and biological samples (black tea, hot and black pepper).

Novel Robot Solutions for Carrying out Field Joint Welding and Machining in the Assembly of the Vacuum Vessel of ITER

It is necessary to use highly specialized robots in ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) both in the manufacturing and maintenance of the reactor due to a demanding environment. The sectors of the ITER vacuum vessel (VV) require more stringent tolerances than normally expected for the size of the structure involved. VV consists of nine sectors that are to be welded together. The vacuum vessel has a toroidal chamber structure. The task of the designed robot is to carry the welding apparatus along a path with a stringent tolerance during the assembly operation. In addition to the initial vacuum vessel assembly, after a limited running period, sectors need to be replaced for repair. Mechanisms with closed-loop kinematic chains are used in the design of robots in this work. One version is a purely parallel manipulator and another is a hybrid manipulator where the parallel and serial structures are combined. Traditional industrial robots that generally have the links actuated in series are inherently not very rigid and have poor dynamic performance in high speed and high dynamic loading conditions. Compared with open chain manipulators, parallel manipulators have high stiffness, high accuracy and a high force/torque capacity in a reduced workspace. Parallel manipulators have a mechanical architecture where all of the links are connected to the base and to the end-effector of the robot. The purpose of this thesis is to develop special parallel robots for the assembly, machining and repairing of the VV of the ITER. The process of the assembly and machining of the vacuum vessel needs a special robot. By studying the structure of the vacuum vessel, two novel parallel robots were designed and built; they have six and ten degrees of freedom driven by hydraulic cylinders and electrical servo motors. Kinematic models for the proposed robots were defined and two prototypes built. Experiments for machine cutting and laser welding with the 6-DOF robot were carried out. It was demonstrated that the parallel robots are capable of holding all necessary machining tools and welding end-effectors in all positions accurately and stably inside the vacuum vessel sector. The kinematic models appeared to be complex especially in the case of the 10-DOF robot because of its redundant structure. Multibody dynamics simulations were carried out, ensuring sufficient stiffness during the robot motion. The entire design and testing processes of the robots appeared to be complex tasks due to the high specialization of the manufacturing technology needed in the ITER reactor, while the results demonstrate the applicability of the proposed solutions quite well. The results offer not only devices but also a methodology for the assembly and repair of ITER by means of parallel robots.

Curiosidades sobre a reação aldólica utilizada como etapa chave na síntese Brasileira dos ácidos pterídicos A e B

This work describes an overview of our synthesis of pteridic acids A and B and discloses some interesting results related to the lithium enolate-mediated aldol reaction used as key step to set up the C5-C15 fragment of these natural products. This first example, as far we know, of an aldol reaction between a chiral enolate of a (Z) enone and a chiral aldehyde has driven us to a series of experiments showing the remarkable relation between enolization selectivity and reaction conditions.

Preparation of PVP hydrogel nanoparticles using lecithin vesicles

Hydrogels micro, sub-micro and nanoparticles are of great interest for drug encapsulation and delivery or as embolotherapic agents. In this work it is described the preparation of nano and sub-microparticles of pre-formed, high molecular weight and monomer free poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) encapsulated inside the core of lecithin vesicles. The hydrogel particles are formed with a very narrow diameter distribution, of about 800 nm, and a moderate swelling ratio, of approximately 10.

Autoagregação da 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-metoxifenil)porfirina (tmpp): estudos espectroscópicos e análises multivariadas

In this work, the spectroscopic properties of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-methoxyphenyl)porphyrin (TMPP) in solvents of different polarities and water/ethanol mixtures were studied by electronic absorption spectroscopy and resonance light scattering associated with statistical analysis. The molar absorption coefficient and emission maximum of TMPP were dependent on solvent polarity. In the water/ethanol mixture, TMPP remained monomeric up to 25% of water, when it reaches its critical aggregation percentage. Oblique head-to-tail aggregate was found at intermediate water content (35 - 55%), while formation of a J-type aggregate was observed at higher water content (> 60%).

TUNGSTOPHOSPHORIC ACID HETEROGENIZED ONTO NH4ZSM5 AS AN EFFICIENT AND RECYCLABLE CATALYST FOR THE PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF DYES

Materials based on tungstophosphoric acid (TPA) immobilized on NH4ZSM5 zeolite were prepared by wet impregnation of the zeolite matrix with TPA aqueous solutions. Their concentration was varied in order to obtain TPA contents of 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30% w/w in the solid. The materials were characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, XRD, FT-IR, 31P MAS-NMR, TGA-DSC, DRS-UV-Vis, and the acidic behavior was studied by potentiometric titration with n-butylamine. The BET surface area (SBET) decreased when the TPA content was raised as a result of zeolite pore blocking. The X-ray diffraction patterns of the solids modified with TPA only presented the characteristic peaks of NH4ZSM5 zeolites, and an additional set of peaks assigned to the presence of (NH4)3PW12O40. According to the Fourier transform infrared and 31P magic angle spinning-nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, the main species present in the samples was the [PW12O40]3- anion, which was partially transformed into the [P2W21O71]6- anion during the synthesis and drying steps. The thermal stability of the NH4ZSM5TPA materials was similar to that of their parent zeolites. Moreover, the samples with the highest TPA content exhibited band gap energy values similar to those reported for TiO2. The immobilization of TPA on NH4ZSM5 zeolite allowed the obtention of catalysts with high photocatalytic activity in the degradation of methyl orange dye (MO) in water, at 25 ºC. These can be reused at least three times without any significant decrease in degree of degradation.

Electrometric studies on formation of cerium vanadates as a function of pH

The precise nature of the reaction between nitric acid and sodium ortho-vanadate solutions has been studied by means of electrometric techniques involving potentiometric and conductometric titrations. The well defined inflections and breaks in the titration curves confirm the existence of the anions, pyro-V2O7(4-), meta-VO3- and poly-H2V10O28(4-) corresponding to the ratios of VO4(3-):H+ as 1:1, 1:2 and 1:2.6 in the neighborhood of pH 10.5, 7.4 and 3.6, respectively. The interaction of cerium(III) nitrate with sodium vanadate solutions, at specific pH levels 12.4, 10.5, 7.4 and 3.6 was also studied by potentiometric and conductometric titrations between the reactants. The end-points obtained from the sharp inflections in the titration curves provide definite evidence for the formation and precipitation of cerium ortho-Ce2O3.V2O5, pyro-2Ce2O3.3V2O5 and meta-Ce2O3.3V2O5 vanadates in the neighborhood of pH 7.4, 6.2 and 4.8, respectively. Analytical investigations on the precipitates formed confirm the results of the electrometric study.