Acute onset of hemiparesis is a common initial presentation of cerebral vascular accidents, but many differential diagnoses should be considered. Hemiparesis results from an upper motor neuron lesion above the midcervical spinal cord, and the absence of cranial nerve signs or facial palsy suggests a lesion in the high cervical spinal cord. Most spinal cord lesions, however, result in quadriparesis or paraparesis, but not hemiparesis. We present a rare case of acute spontaneous cervical spinal epidural hematoma, with initial presentation of right hemiparesis and mild neck pain.
Arsenic is a well-documented environmental toxicant that can induce neurotoxicity and peripheral vascular diseases. In fact, arsenic trioxide has been used to treat various cancer types. Oral cancer has been in the top ten common cancers for decades in Taiwan, and the incidence rate is continuously increasing. The majority of oral cancers are associated with excessive tobacco, alcohol consumption and betel chewing. To the best of our knowledge, no study has revealed the effect of arsenic compounds on oral cancers. Thus, the present study used OEC-M1 oral squamous carcinoma cells treated with sodium arsenite (NaAsO 2 ) and dimethylarsenic acid (DMA) to determine whether both arsenic compounds could exert anticancer effects on oral cancer. The results demonstrated that NaAsO 2 and DMA induced rounding up and membrane blebbing in OEC-M1 cells, which are morphological characteristics of apoptosis. Annexin V/PI double staining analysis further confirmed that both arsenic compounds induced apoptosis of OEC-M1 cells. In addition, NaAsO 2 and DMA significantly decreased the survival rate and increased the percentage of OEC-M1 cells in the subG1 and G2/M phases (P<0.05). Furthermore, both arsenic compounds significantly activated the cleavage of caspase-8, -9, -3 and PARP, and the phosphorylation of JNK, ERK1/2 and p38 in OEC-M1 cells (P<0.05). Collectively, the findings of the present study indicated that NaAsO 2 and DMA stimulate extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways through the activation of the MAPK pathways to induce apoptosis of OEC-M1 cells, suggesting that NaAsO 2 and DMA may be used as novel anticancer drugs for oral cancers.
Our research was designed to evaluate the effect on bone regeneration with 3-dimensional (3D) printed polylactic acid (PLA) and 3D printed polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds, determine the more effective option for enhancing bone regeneration, and offer tentative evidence for further research and clinical application. Employing the 3D printing technique, the PLA and PCL scaffolds showed similar morphologies, as confirmed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mechanical strength was significantly higher in the PLA group (63.4 MPa) than in the PCL group (29.1 MPa) (p < 0.01). Average porosity, swelling ratio, and degeneration rate in the PCL scaffold were higher than those in the PLA scaffold. SEM observation after cell coculture showed improved cell attachment and activity in the PCL scaffolds. A functional study revealed the best outcome in the 3D printed PCL-TGF-β1 scaffold compared with the 3D printed PCL and the 3D printed PCL-Polydopamine (PDA) scaffold (p < 0.001). As confirmed via SEM, the 3D printed PCL- transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) scaffold also exhibited improved cell adhesion after 6 h of cell coculture. The 3D printed PCL scaffold showed better physical properties and biocompatibility than the 3D printed PLA scaffold. Based on the data of TGF-β1, this study confirms that the 3D printed PCL scaffold may offer stronger osteogenesis.
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