[Two Cases of Caudal Alcohol Block for Perineal Pain that Occurred in Cancer End-of-Life].

We experienced two cases of end-of-life cancer patients with perineal pain, whose pain was relieved by 5 ml absolute ethanol caudal block. Although the first injection was ineffective, the second injection resulted in significant relief of pain in both cases. Although the indication should be carefully considered, alcohol caudal block is an analgesic method worth considering for the end-of-life cancer patients complaining of perineal pain.

Electrical Conductivities of Narrow-Bandgap Polymers with Two Types of π-Conjugated Post-Crosslinking.

Bandgap energy is one of the most important properties for developing electronic devices because of its influence on the electrical conductivity of substances. Many methods have been developed to control bandgap, one of which is the realization of conducting polymers using narrow-bandgap polymers; however, the preparation of these polymers is complex. In this study, water-soluble, narrow-bandgap polymers with reactive groups were prepared by the addition-condensation reaction of pyrrole (Pyr), benzaldehyde-2-sulfonic acid sodium salt (BS), and aldehyde-containing reactive groups (aldehyde and pyridine) for post-crosslinking. Two types of reactions, aldehyde with p-phenylenediamine and pyridine with 1,2-dibromoethylene, were carried out for the π-conjugated post-crosslinking between polymers. The polymers were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), UltraViolet-Visible-Near InfraRed spectroscopy (UV-Vis-NIR), and other analyses. The bandgaps of the polymers, calculated from their absorption, were less than 0.5 eV. Post-crosslinking prevents resolubility and develops electron-conducting routes between the polymer chains for π-conjugated systems. Moreover, the post-crosslinked polymers maintain their narrow bandgaps. The electrical conductivities of the as-prepared polymers were two orders of magnitude higher than those before the crosslinking.

[Epidural blood patch as a successful treatment of Barrè-Lièou syndrome: report of two cases].

Barrè-Lièou syndrome accompanies neurological symptoms after neck sprain, and is often difficult to treat. We describe two young men with various neurological symptoms after traffic accident, who were diagnosed with Barrè-Lièou syndrome. Both case 1 (41-year-old man) and case 2 (34-year-old man) showed no abnormal findings in head and cervical X-ray, CT-scan and MRI. Only radionuclide cisternography (RNC) showed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak into epidural space at thoracolumbar level. Three months (case 1) and four years (case 2) had passed after each accident. Two patients underwent epidural blood patch (EBP) for total of three times. The average volumes of the blood used for EBP were 30 ml (case 1) and 24 ml (case 2). The procedure improved various symptoms except for neck stiffness and dizziness. EBP had led to low back pain, which disappeared within three days. CSF leak vanished in RNC after EBP. Severe complication, for example epidural infection or neurological disorders due to hematoma, was not noticed. While neural blockade did not relieve pain before EBP, we could get good effect from neural blockade for remaining symptoms after EBP. We consider that Barrè-Lièou syndrome is due to CSF leak and EBP may be one of the useful treatments.