Publications by authors named "Barbara Masotto"

Noonan syndrome and related disorders are a group of well-known genetic conditions caused by dysregulation of the Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase (RAS/MAPK) pathway. Because of the overlap of clinical and molecular features, they are now called RASopathies. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 121 patients with a molecularly confirmed diagnosis of RASopathy, describing frequencies for clinical features in all organ systems as well as molecular data.

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  • The study investigates 11 previously unreported patients with a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) caused by genetic changes in the RNU4-2 gene, highlighting the need for better diagnostic approaches as many NDDs remain undiagnosed.
  • The patients, ranging from 13 months to 36 years old, exhibited severe developmental delays, distinct physical features, and other health issues like microcephaly and intrauterine growth retardation.
  • The findings enhance the understanding of RNU4-2 syndrome's phenotypic spectrum, emphasizing the importance of thorough clinical evaluations in identifying and characterizing new syndromes in patients with NDDs.
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  • The DIP2 gene, first found in fruit flies, is crucial for neuron branching and regeneration, with vertebrate versions (DIP2A, DIP2B, and DIP2C) being highly conserved in the central nervous system.
  • Research showed that mutations in DIP2C are linked to developmental delays in expressive language and speech articulation in 23 affected individuals.
  • Alongside developmental issues, some individuals with DIP2C variants also presented with various cardiac defects and minor facial anomalies, highlighting a connection between the gene's loss-of-function and neurocognitive and physical phenotypes.
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According to the fifth edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of tumors of the central nervous system (CNS), diffuse midline glioma H3 K27-altered is a grade 4 infiltrative glioma that arises from midline anatomical structures and is characterized by the loss of H3 K27me3 and co-occurring H3 K27M mutation or EZHIP overexpression. However, the H3 K27M mutation has also been observed in circumscribed gliomas and glioneuronal tumors arising in midline anatomical structures, which may result in diagnostic pitfalls.Rosette-forming glioneuronal tumor (RGNT) is a CNS WHO grade 1 neoplasm that histologically features neurocytic and glial components and originates in midline anatomical structures.

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The fifth edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of central nervous system (CNS) tumors introduced the new tumor type CNS tumor with BCOR internal tandem duplication (ITD), characterized by a distinct DNA methylation profile and peculiar histopathological features, including a circumscribed growth pattern, ependymoma-like perivascular pseudorosettes, microcystic pattern, absent or focal GFAP immunostaining, OLIG2 positivity, and BCOR immunoreactivity. We describe a rare case of a CNS tumor in a 45-year-old man with histopathological and immunohistochemical features overlapping the CNS tumor with BCOR internal tandem duplication (ITD) but lacking BCOR immunostaining and BCOR ITD. Instead, the tumor showed CREBBP::BCORL1 fusion and pathogenic mutations in BCOR and CREBBP, along with a DNA methylation profile matching the "CNS tumor with EP300:BCOR(L1) fusion" methylation class.

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Zhu-Tokita-Takenouchi-Kim syndrome is a multisystem disorder resulting from haploinsufficiency in the SON gene, which is characterized by developmental delay/intellectual disability, seizures, facial dysmorphism, short stature, and congenital malformations, primarily in the central nervous system, along with ophthalmic, dental, pulmonary, cardiologic, renal, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal anomalies. In this study, we describe the first Colombian patient with ZTT harboring a novel mutation that has not been previously reported and review the clinical and molecular features of previously reported patients in the literature.

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Coffin-Siris syndrome (CSS) is a rare neurodevelopmental and multisystemic disorder with wide genetic heterogeneity and phenotypic variability caused by pathogenic variants in the BAF complex with 341 cases enrolled in the CSS/BAF-related disorders registry by 2021. Pathogenic variants of ARID1A account for 7-8% of cases with CSS phenotype. Malignancy has been previously reported in six individuals with CSS associated with BAF mutations.

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Astroblastoma is a rare glial neoplasia of the central nervous system. It is histologically defined by the presence of neoplastic cells with non- or slightly tapering processes arranged around blood vessels (astroblastic rosettes) and conventionally subdivided into well-differentiated and anaplastic. It commonly affects children and young adults, although cases and due to its superficial location in the brain cortex, it can mimic an extra-axial mass on magnetic resonance imagining.

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Main Goals: To analyze how and when the endoscope is used in vestibular schwannoma surgery and identify the benefits of using endoscopy in this type of surgery.

Background: It is currently unclear if there is any benefit from using an endoscope in vestibular schwannoma surgery so this retrospective analysis set out to study this.

Methods: All the patients who underwent vestibular schwannoma surgery at our clinic were included for all the vestibular schwannoma approaches taken.

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Objective: Hearing restoration has always been a dream in vestibular schwannoma (VS) surgery. The aim of this study is to describe an endoscopic assisted transcanal retrocochlear approach to the internal auditory canal (IAC) with total removal of the VS; simultaneously we assessed the anatomical and functional aspects of hearing restoration with cochlear implant (CI).

Study Design: A retrospective case series.

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  • Vestibular schwannoma (VS) is a benign tumor located at the lateral base of the skull, with various surgical approaches available depending on the tumor size and location.
  • The expanded transcanal transpromontorial (ExpTT) approach is a new surgical technique proposed for larger VS, up to 3 cm in diameter, allowing for complete tumor removal while preserving facial nerve function.
  • A study involving 20 patients showed that the ExpTT approach resulted in successful tumor removal, no complications, and a good recovery in all cases over an average follow-up of 15 months.
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Background: Recently, the transcanal approach for the removal of acoustic neuromas has been introduced. Facial nerve (FN) preservation is one of the main challenges of this kind of surgery.

Objective: To describe our experience in the surgical treatment of acoustic neuromas, focusing on the functional results of FN preservation after a transcanal approach.

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The 16p11.2 recurrent microdeletion phenotype is characterized by developmental delay, intellectual disability, and/or autism spectrum disorder. This microdeletion is associated with variable clinical outcome, the phenotypical spectrum ranges from intellectual disability and/or multiple congenital anomalies, autism, learning and speech problems, to a normal Microdeleción 16p11.

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Objectives/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to describe and evaluate the feasibility of an expanded transcanal transpromontorial approach, developed from the exclusive endoscopic transcanal transpromontorial approach.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of 10 patients operated by an expanded transcanal transpromontorial approach in two tertiary referral centers (University Hospital of Modena, Italy and University Hospital of Verona, Italy).

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Surgical approaches to vestibular schwannomas (VS) are widely known and extensively recorded. For the first time, an exclusive endoscopic approach to the internal acoustic canal (IAC) was described and used to safely remove a cochlear schwannoma involving IAC in March 2012. The aim of this article was to summarize indications and technique to treat intracanalicular VS by transcanal/transpromontorial endoscopic approach.

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Medulloblastoma is the most common central nervous system tumor in children, while it is extremely rare in adults. Multimodal treatment involving surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy can improve the prognosis of this disease, and recent advances in molecular biology have allowed the identification of molecular subgroups (WNT, SHH, Groups 3 and 4), each of which have different cytogenetic, mutational and gene expression signatures, demographics, histology and prognosis. The present review focuses on the state of the art for adult medulloblastoma treatment and on novel molecular advances and their future implications in the treatment of this disease.

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Foramen magnum meningioma poses a challenge for neurosurgeons. Prognosis has generally improved with diagnostic and surgical advances over the past two decades; however, it may ultimately depend more on the surgeon's ability to tailor the approach and interpret intraoperative risks in single cases. The series comprised 64 patients operated on for ventral and ventrolateral foramen magnum meningioma.

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Leptomeningeal dissemination of low-grade gliomas is an uncommon event. A 43-year old male presented with dizziness, gait ataxia, and diplopia. A nonenhancing lesion in the right cerebellar peduncle was identified, subtotally resected, and diagnosed as a grade II astrocytoma.

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Hypothesis: Electrical stimulation of the inferior colliculus in the midbrain can provide a safe and efficacious alternative to auditory brainstem implants (ABIs).

Background: Patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) receive limited speech recognition with ABIs. Some ABI patients without NF2 can achieve excellent speech understanding, suggesting that the limited NF2 performance is due to brainstem damage from the tumor and its removal.

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  • Resident cells in immune-privileged tissues, like the nervous system, can induce apoptosis (cell death) in invading immune cells, which is important for regulating immune responses in those areas.
  • The study focused on Schwann cells (Sc) in peripheral nerves and found that they express two key molecules, fas ligand (fasL) and perforin, that can trigger immune cell death when activated by cytokines like TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma.
  • When treated with these cytokines, Schwann cells were able to kill T-lymphocytes via apoptosis and lytic mechanisms, but B-cells were less affected, indicating a selective damage capability of Schwann cells on different immune cell types.
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