The BRAIN TRIAL: a randomised, placebo controlled trial of a Bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist (Anatibant) in patients with traumatic brain injury.

Background: Cerebral oedema is associated with significant neurological damage in patients with traumatic brain injury. Bradykinin is an inflammatory mediator that may contribute to cerebral oedema by increasing the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. We evaluated the safety and effectiveness of the non-peptide bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist Anatibant in the treatment of patients with traumatic brain injury.

A study of meningiomas in South Africa: investigating a correlation between clinical presentation, histopathology and genetic markers.

Objective: To determine whether there are certain genetic markers which correlate with particular clinical characteristics of meningiomas including multiplicity, recurrence and calvarial erosion.

Methods: Thirty-eight South African-born patients with meningiomas were recruited for this study. At surgery, blood and tumour specimens were obtained for histopathological, cytogenetic and molecular analysis.

Penetrating civilian craniocerebral gunshot wounds: a protocol of delayed surgery.

Objective: Several factors have led to our unique approach of delayed definitive débridement. We wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of our management and compare it with the existing data in the literature.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 194 patients presenting between January 1996 and October 2003 with penetrating craniocerebral gunshot wounds.

Intractable intracranial tuberculous infection responsive to thalidomide: report of four cases.

Paradoxical enlargement and development of new intracranial tuberculomas and tuberculous brain abscesses on adequate antituberculosis treatment are well recognized and supposedly cytokine mediated. These lesions are often unresponsive to conventional antituberculosis treatment, corticosteroids, and surgery. We therefore assessed the effect of adjunctive thalidomide, a tumor necrosis factor alpha-modulating drug, in intractable intracranial tuberculosis that did not respond to standard medical and surgical therapy.

Penetrating civilian craniocerebral gunshot wounds: a protocol of delayed surgery.

Objective: Several factors have led to our unique approach of delayed definitive débridement. We wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of our management and compare it with the existing data in the literature.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 194 patients presenting between January 1996 and October 2003 with penetrating craniocerebral gunshot wounds.

Final results of MRC CRASH, a randomised placebo-controlled trial of intravenous corticosteroid in adults with head injury-outcomes at 6 months.

MRC CRASH is a randomised controlled trial (ISRCTN74459797) of the effect of corticosteroids on death and disability after head injury. We randomly allocated 10,008 adults with head injury and a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 14 or less, within 8 h of injury, to a 48-h infusion of corticosteroid (methylprednisolone) or placebo. Data at 6 months were obtained for 9673 (96.

Effect of intravenous corticosteroids on death within 14 days in 10008 adults with clinically significant head injury (MRC CRASH trial): randomised placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Corticosteroids have been used to treat head injuries for more than 30 years. In 1997, findings of a systematic review suggested that these drugs reduce risk of death by 1-2%. The CRASH trial--a multicentre international collaboration--aimed to confirm or refute such an effect by recruiting 20000 patients.