Epidemiology of acute spinal cord injuries in the Groote Schuur Hospital Acute Spinal Cord Injury (GSH ASCI) Unit, Cape Town, South Africa, over the past 11 years.

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is devastating to both patient and society, with acute management and ongoing care being extremely expensive. Few epidemiological data are available on SCIs in South Africa (SA).

Objectives: To identify the epidemiological profile of SCI patients at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH), Cape Town, SA, and identify seasonal trends and peak periods.

General pathway for a convenient one-pot synthesis of trifluoromethyl-containing 2-amino-7-alkyl(aryl/heteroaryl)-1,8-naphthyridines and fused cycloalkane analogues.

A convenient and general method for the synthesis in 26-73% yields of a new series of 7-alkyl(aryl/heteroaryl)-2-amino-5-trifluoromethyl-1,8-naphthyridines from direct cyclocondensation reactions of 4-alkoxy-1,1,1-trifluoroalk-3-en-2-ones [CF₃C(O)CH=C(R¹)OR, where R¹ = H, Me, Ph, 4-MePh, 4-OMePh, 4-FPh, 4-BrPh, 4-NO₂Ph, 2-furyl, 2-thienyl and R = Me, Et] with 2,6-diaminopyridine (2,6-DAP), under mild conditions, is described. Another synthetic route also allowed the synthesis of 2-amino-5-trifluoromethyl-cycloalka[b][1,8]naphthyridines in 33-36% yields, from direct or indirect cyclo-condensation reactions of five-, six- and seven-membered 2-trifluoroacetyl-1-methoxy-cycloalkenes with 2,6-DAP.