Endoscopic endonasal approach for olfactory groove meningioma resection: Strategies and outcomes in a retrospective case series.

Objective: Though the endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) is a widely accepted treatment for skull base tumors, the specific use of EEA for olfactory groove meningiomas (OGMs) is debated, with variable outcomes reported in the literature. We review the surgical results of OGM resections for one surgeon including the operative approach, surgical nuances, and outcomes, with a focus on factors relating to patient selection which favor EEA over transcranial approaches.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed thirteen cases of endoscopic endonasal resection of olfactory groove meningiomas.

Symptomatic perianeursymal cyst development 20 years after endovascular treatment of a ruptured giant aneurysm: Case report and updated review.

Perianeurysmal cysts are a rare and poorly understood finding in patients both with treated and untreated aneurysms. While the prior literature suggests that a minority of perianeurysmal cysts develop 1-4 years following endovascular aneurysm treatment, this updated review demonstrates that nearly half of perianeurysmal cysts were diagnosed following aneurysm coiling, with the other half diagnosed concurrently with an associated aneurysm prior to treatment. 64% of perianeurysmal cysts were surgically decompressed, with a 39% rate of recurrence requiring re-operation.

Social agent identity cells in the prefrontal cortex of interacting groups of primates.

The ability to interact effectively within social groups is essential to primate and human behavior. Yet understanding the neural processes that underlie the interactive behavior of groups or by which neurons solve the basic problem of coding for multiple agents has remained a challenge. By tracking the interindividual dynamics of groups of three interacting rhesus macaques, we discover detailed representations of the groups’ behavior by neurons in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, reflecting not only the other agents’ identities but also their specific interactions, social context, actions, and outcomes.

Efficacy and safety of erythropoietin for traumatic brain injury.

Background: Recent studies regarding the effects of erythropoietin (EPO) for treating traumatic brain injury (TBI) have been inconsistent. This study conducts a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the safety and efficacy of EPO for TBI patients at various follow-up time points.

Methods: A literature search was performed using PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library for RCTs studying EPO in TBI patients published through March 2019.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation versus Responsive Neurostimulator System in Patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Introduction: Patients with medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) are candidates for neuromodulation procedures. While vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) was historically the procedure of choice for this condition, the responsive neurostimulation system (RNS) has come into favor for its more targeted approach. While both VNS and RNS have been reported as efficacious treatments for TLE, the outcomes of these 2 procedures have not been directly compared.

Spine surgeon specialty differences in single-level percutaneous kyphoplasty.

Background: Percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) is a procedure performed by a spine surgeon who undergoes either orthopedic or neurosurgical training. The relationship between short-term adverse outcomes and spine specialty is presently unknown. To compare short-term adverse outcomes of single-level PKP when performed by neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons in order to develop more concretely preventive strategies for patients under consideration for single-level PKP.

Cervical Spine Osteomyelitis: A Systematic Review of Instrumented Fusion in the Modern Era.

Objective: For cases of cervical osteomyelitis that require surgery, concern has continued regarding instrumentation owing to the potential for bacterial seeding of the hardware. We performed a systematic review of the current data.

Methods: A search was performed using Medline, Embase, and Ovid for articles using the keywords "cervical osteomyelitis/spondylodiscitis" and "fusion" or "instrumentation" reported from 1980 to 2017.

Preoperative Stratification of Transsphenoidal Pituitary Surgery Patients Based on Surgical Urgency.

Background: Currently, there is no prioritization scale available to distinguish those patients with pituitary tumors who require urgent surgical intervention from those who are candidates for elective treatment.

Objective: To develop a classification system that can help primary care physicians, endocrinologists, neurosurgeons, ancillary support staff, and hospital administrators identify high-priority surgical candidates.

Methods: An expert international panel of clinicians consisting of endocrinologists and neurosurgeons who are involved in the diagnosis and management of sellar disease was convened.

History of endonasal skull base surgery.

While the endonasal approach to the skull base continues to advance, this paper invokes its long history. The centuries of medieval neuroanatomy and early neurosurgery enabled the conception of the first transfacial approaches in the late 1800s; Henry Schloffer performed the first transsphenoidal surgery in 1907. Although the procedure was initially met with much interest, Harvey Cushing eventually led the field of neurosurgery to abandon the transsphenoidal approach in the 1920s.

Modeling pain in vitro using nociceptor neurons reprogrammed from fibroblasts.

Reprogramming somatic cells from one cell fate to another can generate specific neurons suitable for disease modeling. To maximize the utility of patient-derived neurons, they must model not only disease-relevant cell classes, but also the diversity of neuronal subtypes found in vivo and the pathophysiological changes that underlie specific clinical diseases. We identified five transcription factors that reprogram mouse and human fibroblasts into noxious stimulus-detecting (nociceptor) neurons.

HIF induces human embryonic stem cell markers in cancer cells.

Low oxygen levels have been shown to promote self-renewal in many stem cells. In tumors, hypoxia is associated with aggressive disease course and poor clinical outcomes. Furthermore, many aggressive tumors have been shown to display gene expression signatures characteristic of human embryonic stem cells (hESC).

Embryonal carcinoma cell induction of miRNA and mRNA changes in co-cultured prostate stromal fibromuscular cells.

The prostate stromal mesenchyme controls organ-specific development. In cancer, the stromal compartment shows altered gene expression compared to non-cancer. The lineage relationship between cancer-associated stromal cells and normal tissue stromal cells is not known.

microRNAs regulate human embryonic stem cell division.

microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate numerous physiological processes such as cell division and differentiation in many tissue types including stem cells. To probe the role that miRNAs play in regulating processes relevant to embryonic stem cell biology, we used RNA interference to silence DICER and DROSHA, the two main miRNA processing enzymes. Consistent with a role for miRNAs in maintaining normal stem cell division and renewal, we found that perturbation of miRNA pathway function in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) attenuates cell proliferation.