Long-term quality of life and functional outcomes in adults surgically treated for intramedullary spinal cord tumor.

Introduction: Intramedullary spinal cord tumors (IMSCTs) are rare but clinically significant entities that may cause severe neurological decline with progressive pain and motor or sensory deterioration. Beyond the beneficial effects of surgical treatment and the long-term progression-free survival, neurological deficits may still persist after surgery, and information about the long-term patients' health-related quality of life (QoL) is still lacking. In this study, we investigate the patients' health perception 15 years after the surgery in an overall patients' wellbeing framework.

JMJD6 Shapes a Pro-tumor Microenvironment via ANXA1-Dependent Macrophage Polarization in Breast Cancer.

Unlabelled: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women worldwide, with the luminal subtype being the most widespread. Although characterized by better prognosis compared with other subtypes, luminal breast cancer is still considered a threatening disease due to therapy resistance, which occurs via both cell- and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms. Jumonji domain-containing 6, arginine demethylase and lysine hydroxylase (JMJD6) is endowed with a negative prognostic value in luminal breast cancer and, via its epigenetic activity, it is known to regulate many intrinsic cancer cell pathways.

The Prognostic Potential of Human Prostate Cancer-Associated Macrophage Subtypes as Revealed by Single-Cell Transcriptomics.

Macrophages in the tumor microenvironment are causally linked with prostate cancer development and progression, yet little is known about their composition in neoplastic human tissue. By performing single cell transcriptomic analysis of human prostate cancer resident macrophages, three distinct populations were identified in the diseased prostate. Unexpectedly, no differences were observed between macrophages isolated from the tumorous and nontumorous portions of the prostatectomy specimens.

Extradural Motor Cortex Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease: Long-Term Clinical Outcome.

Previous investigations have reported on the motor benefits and safety of chronic extradural motor cortex stimulation (EMCS) for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), but studies addressing the long-term clinical outcome are still lacking. In this study, nine consecutive PD patients who underwent EMCS were prospectively recruited, with a mean follow-up time of 5.1 ± 2.

Extradural Motor Cortex Stimulation might improve episodic and working memory in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Electric Extradural Motor Cortex Stimulation (EMCS) is a neurosurgical procedure suggested for treatment of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). We report two PD patients treated by EMCS, who experienced worsening of motor symptoms and cognition 5 years after surgery, when EMCS batteries became discharged. One month after EMCS restoration, they experienced a subjective improvement of motor symptoms and cognition.

Androgen receptor signalling in macrophages promotes TREM-1-mediated prostate cancer cell line migration and invasion.

The androgen receptor (AR) is the master regulator of prostate cancer (PCa) development, and inhibition of AR signalling is the most effective PCa treatment. AR is expressed in PCa cells and also in the PCa-associated stroma, including infiltrating macrophages. Macrophages have a decisive function in PCa initiation and progression, but the role of AR in macrophages remains largely unexplored.

Frameless stereotaxy in subthalamic deep brain stimulation: 3-year clinical outcome.

Background: In most centers, the surgery of deep brain stimulation (DBS) is performed using a stereotactic frame. Compared with frame-based technique, frameless stereotaxy reduces the duration of surgical procedure and patient's discomfort, with lead placing accuracy equivalent after the learning curve. Although several studies have investigated the targeting accuracy of this technique, only a few studies reported clinical outcomes, with data of short-term follow-up.

HLA class II expression on tumor cells and low numbers of tumor-associated macrophages predict clinical outcome in oropharyngeal cancer.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is a highly immunogenic tumor and differences in tumor microenvironment might contribute to the improved survival of HPV-positive OPSCC patient.

Methods: A comprehensive multivariate analysis with clinical and immune variables (human leukocyte antigen [HLA] I/II, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), programmed death receptor 1 (PD1), T cells, and macrophages) was performed in 142 OPSCC patients.

Results: We found an inverse correlation between the expression of HLA class II molecules on tumor cells and CD68+ CD163+ tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs).

Loss of androgen receptor signaling in prostate cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) promotes CCL2- and CXCL8-mediated cancer cell migration.

Fibroblasts are abundantly present in the prostate tumor microenvironment (TME), including cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) which play a key role in cancer development. Androgen receptor (AR) signaling is the main driver of prostate cancer (PCa) progression, and stromal cells in the TME also express AR. High-grade tumor and poor clinical outcome are associated with low AR expression in the TME, which suggests a protective role of AR signaling in the stroma against PCa development.

Androgen receptor moonlighting in the prostate cancer microenvironment.

Androgen receptor (AR) signaling is vital for the normal development of the prostate and is critically involved in prostate cancer (PCa). AR is not only found in epithelial prostate cells but is also expressed in various cells in the PCa-associated stroma, which constitute the tumor microenvironment (TME). In the TME, AR is expressed in fibroblasts, macrophages, lymphocytes and neutrophils.

The adaptive immune system promotes initiation of prostate carcinogenesis in a human c-Myc transgenic mouse model.

Increasing evidence from epidemiological and pathological studies suggests a role of the immune system in the initiation and progression of multiple cancers, including prostate cancer. Reports on the contribution of the adaptive immune system are contradictive, since both suppression and acceleration of disease development have been reported. This study addresses the functional role of lymphocytes in prostate cancer development using a genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) of human c-Myc driven prostate cancer (Hi-Myc mice) combined with B and T cell deficiency (RAG1 mice).

Pre-seizure architecture of the local connections of the epileptic focus examined via graph-theory.

Objective: Epilepsy is characterized by unpredictable and sudden paroxysmal neuronal firing occurrences and sometimes evolving in clinically evident seizure. To predict seizure event, small-world characteristic in nine minutes before seizure, divided in three 3-min periods (T0, T1, T2) were investigated.

Methods: Intracerebral recordings were obtained from 10 patients with drug resistant focal epilepsy examined by means of stereotactically implanted electrodes; analysis was focused in a period of low spiking (Baseline) and during two seizures.

Motor cortex stimulation for movement disorders.

Introduction: Motor cortex stimulation (MCS) was introduced by Tsubokawa in 1991 1 for the treatment of thalamic pain, after coming to the conclusion that the hyperactivity of thalamic neurons after spino-thalamic tractotomy was inhibited by stimulation of the motor cortex. MCS has been reported not only to be effective on pain, but also to improve movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, tremor, dystonia, poststroke movement disorders and hemiparesis. Most of these publications are case reports or small series, and the real impact of MCS on movement disorders remains to be determined.

The role of laminoplasty in preventing spinal deformity in adult patients submitted to resection of an intradural spinal tumor. Case series and literature review.

Objective: Laminectomy has normally been used as a standard approach for intradural spinal tumors but this procedure is associated with spinal instability and deformity. Laminoplasty was developed to overcome these limitations. Controversies still exist regarding its actual role in preventing spinal deformity in adults.

The role of percutaneous balloon compression in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia recurring after other surgical procedures.

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) recurring after surgery can be difficult to treat. Treatment algorithms have not been standardized or universally accepted. Here we investigated the effectiveness of percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) in the treatment of patients with TN recurrence after other surgical techniques and analyzed the role of some clinical and operative factors in determining the prognosis.

Primary multicentric anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma with atypical features.

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) is a rare tumor with good prognosis after surgery. Few cases of anaplastic PXA (either de novo or secondary to transformation of a recurrent low grade PXA) have been reported. Moreover, primary anaplastic PXA with dissemination at diagnosis has been described only in two patients, to our knowledge.

What is the best treatment of drug-resistant trigeminal neuralgia in patients affected by multiple sclerosis? A literature analysis of surgical procedures.

Objective: Drug-resistant trigeminal neuralgia (TN) can complicate the clinical course of patients affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). Various surgical procedures have been reported for the treatment of this condition, but there is no agreement on the best management of these patients. To our knowledge, there is no critical literature analysis focusing on this particular topic.

Unilateral extradural motor cortex stimulation is safe and improves Parkinson disease at 1 year.

Background: The primary motor cortex, which is part of the corticobasal ganglia loops, may be an alternative option for the surgical treatment of Parkinson disease.

Objective: To report on the 1-year safety and efficacy of unilateral extradural motor cortex stimulation in Parkinson disease.

Methods: A quadripolar electrode strip was extradurally implanted over the motor cortex.

Chronic motor cortex stimulation in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease and effects on striatal dopaminergic transmission as assessed by 123I-FP-CIT SPECT: a preliminary report.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess striatal dopamine transporter availability in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) before and after 13 months of unilateral extradural motor cortex stimulation (EMCS) with [123I]N-ω-fluoropropyl-2-β-carbo-methoxy-3-β-(4-iodophenyl)nortropane single photon emission computed tomography (123I-FP-CIT SPECT).

Methods: Six PD patients (five women and one man, aged 63.2 ± 5.

Percutaneous balloon compression for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia in patients with multiple sclerosis. Analysis of the potentially prognostic factors.

Background: The role of different procedures for the treatment of drug-resistant trigeminal neuralgia (TN) in patients affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) is under discussion and there are no clear indications in the literature. In particular, the role of percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) has been poorly addressed so far. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, there are no reports analysing the factors potentially related to the prognosis in these patients.

Spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of refractory angina pectoris: a multicenter randomized single-blind study (the SCS-ITA trial).

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is believed to be effective in treating refractory angina. The need for SCS-related chest paresthesia, however, has hitherto made impossible placebo-controlled trials. Subliminal (non paresthesic) SCS, however, might be also effective on anginal pain.