Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs following different types of crushes. External and internal outcomes of SCI are including paralysis, cavity, and cyst formation. Effects of dietary derived antioxidants, such as palm vitamin E on central nervous system (CNS) encourage researchers to focus on the potential therapeutic benefits of antioxidant supplements. In the present study, experiments were carried out to evaluate the neuro-protective effect of the palm vitamin E on locomotor function and morphological damages induced SCI. Seventy-two male rats (Sprague-Dawley) were randomly divided into four groups: sham (laminectomy); control (supplemented with the palm vitamin E at a dose of 100 mg/kg/day); untreated-SCI (partial crush, 30-33% for 20 sec); treated-SCI (partial crush, 30-33% for 20 sec supplemented with the palm vitamin E at a dose of 100 mg/kg/day). The treatment with the palm vitamin E significantly improved the hind limb locomotor function, reduced the histopathological changes and the morphological damage in the spinal cord. Also, the palm vitamin E indicated a statistically significant decrease in the oxidative damage indicators, malondialdehyde (MDA) level and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in the treated-SCI compared to the untreated-SCI.
This study evaluated the neuroprotective effect of intrathecally infused paclitaxel in the prevention of motoneuron death and mitochondrial dysfunction following brachial plexus avulsion injury.
The Nipah virus is a newly identified paramyxovirus responsible for an outbreak of fatal encephalitis in Malaysia and Singapore. This paper reports the follow up clinical and magnetic resonance imaging findings in 22 affected subjects. Of 13 patients with encephalitis, one died, one was lost to follow up, and seven recovered. Among the four remaining patients, one had residual sixth nerve palsy, another suffered from severe clinical depression, and a third patient had evidence of retinal artery occlusion. One patient with delayed onset Horner syndrome had a single lesion in the cervical spinal cord. The brain magnetic resonance findings were stable or improved in nine patients over 18 months of follow up. Among a second group of nine asymptomatic seropositive abattoir workers, magnetic resonance examination in seven subjects revealed discrete small lesions in the brain; similar to those detected in encephalitis patients. These findings suggest that in addition to encephalitis, the newly discovered Nipah virus affects the spinal cord and the retina. Late clinical and radiological findings can occur in Nipah virus infections as with other paramyxoviruses.