Type I astrocytes and microglia induce a cytokine response in an encephalitic murine coronavirus infection.

The pathogenesis of viral infections involves an immune response by cytokines, causing a deleterious effect on organ function, in addition to tissue destruction due to viral replication. Clinical symptoms and laboratory findings of the human coronavirus disease COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS CoV-2, indicate cytokine involvement. Our laboratory showed that an experimental murine coronavirus (MHV-A59) can be transmitted into the brain by intranasal or intracerebral exposure and that neurovirulence is mediated by cytokine secretion.

Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Secondary to Intravascular Lymphoma.

Background: To describe a case of optic neuropathy associated with intravascular lymphoma (IVL).

Methods: Case report and review of the literature.

Results: A case of asymmetric binocular vision loss is described, preceded by transient vision loss.

Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization as Treatment for Chronic Subdural Hematoma: A Case Series.

Background: Traditional treatment for symptomatic subdural hematoma (SDH) has been surgical evacuation, but recurrence rates are high and patients often harbor complex medical comorbidities. Growth and recurrence is thought to be due to the highly friable nature of the vascularized membrane that forms after initial injury. There have been reported cases of middle meningeal artery (MMA) embolization for treatment of recurrent SDH after surgical evacuation with the goal of eliminating the arterial supply to this vascularized membrane.

Novel activating BRAF fusion identifies a recurrent alternative mechanism for ERK activation in pediatric Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is an inflammatory myeloid neoplasm characterized by constitutive activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Genomic characterization has identified activating point mutations including mutually exclusive BRAFV600E and activating MAP2K1 mutations to be responsible for ERK activation in a majority of pediatric LCH patients. Here, we report the discovery of a novel BRAF kinase fusion, PACSIN2-BRAF, in a child with multisystem LCH.

Transtubular excisional biopsy as a rescue for a non-diagnostic stereotactic needle biopsy-case report and literature review.

Stereotactic needle biopsy, a standard of care for acquiring deep-seated pathology, has limitations and risks in some situations. We present an uncommon case with basal ganglia dematiaceous mycetoma. Due to the firm consistency of the lesion, the initial stereotactic needle biopsy failed to provide a diagnosis.

An Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis-Like Illness in the Elderly: Neuroimaging and Neuropathology Findings.

Introduction: Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a rare demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that classically occurs in children and adolescents. It characteristically presents with acute inflammation, resulting in demyelination, often following an infectious disease. ADEM has been described in adult patients, but the incidence in the adult and especially elderly population is low.

Polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young (PLNTY): an epileptogenic neoplasm with oligodendroglioma-like components, aberrant CD34 expression, and genetic alterations involving the MAP kinase pathway.

Epileptogenic tumors affecting children and young adults are a morphologically diverse collection of neuroepithelial neoplasms that, as a group, exhibit varying levels of glial and/or neuronal differentiation. Recent advances in molecular profiling technology, including comprehensive DNA sequencing and methylation analysis, have enabled the application of more precise and biologically relevant classification schemes to these tumors. In this report, we describe a morphologically and molecularly distinct epileptogenic neoplasm, the polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young (PLNTY), which likely accounts for a sizable portion of oligodendroglioma-like tumors affecting the pediatric population.

Imaging findings of spinal brown tumors: a rare but important cause of pathologic fracture and spinal cord compression.

Brown tumors rarely develop in the spine, and neurological compromise is exceedingly uncommon. There is a growing body of literature describing brown tumors that involve the spine, but few emphasize the radiographic findings. In the present case, we illustrate the development and progression of biopsy-proven brown tumors leading to neurological compromise through radiographs, computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and nuclear imaging acquired over a 4-year span.

CD1a Reactivity in Non-neoplastic Adenohypophysis.

Within the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with sellar or suprasellar lesions is Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). CD1a staining is frequently used to identify the presence of an abnormal proliferation of Langerhans cells on histologic sections and contributes to the diagnosis of LCH. Here, we report that the MTB-1 monoclonal antibody against the CD1a antigen reacts to native adenohypophyseal epithelial cells.

VZV, temporal arteritis, and clinical practice: False positive immunohistochemical detection due to antibody cross-reactivity.

Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) antigen has been reported to be present in the majority of temporal artery biopsies with implications for antiviral treatment in patients with giant cell arteritis. Using immunohistochemistry with VZV antibodies we found reactivity present in diverse myocyte types (smooth, skeletal and cardiac), diverse arteries (including temporal, coronary, and vertebral) and diverse clinical settings. This phenomenon is likely due to shared epitopes between VZV proteins and muscle elements and not due to actual VZV infection.

Pituitary adenoma-neuronal choristoma is a pituitary adenoma with ganglionic differentiation.

The presence of ganglion cells within an endocrine pituitary tumor has been named hamartoma, choristoma, gangliocytoma, or most recently pituitary adenoma-neuronal choristoma (PANCH). The presence of neuronal differentiation in regular pituitary adenomas has been previously suggested, however, its origin, the extent of its presence, and the relationship between the neuronal elements and the pituitary adenoma remain uncertain. Thus, to further explore the neuronal potential of pituitary tumors, we used immunohistochemistry on pituitary tumors of different grades, with a neuronal antigen protein (NeuN) antibody as a specific marker for mature neuronal differentiation.

Direct Invasion of the Optic Nerves, Chiasm, and Tracts by Cryptococcus neoformans in an Immunocompetent Host.

Cryptococcus spp is a common fungal infection and frequent cause of meningitis in immunocompromised patients; however, immunocompetent patients are also at risk of infection. Visual loss often occurs via elevated intracranial hypertension but can rarely occur through direct optic nerve, chiasm, or tract invasion. We report a case of a 38-year-old woman who presented with decreased acuity in both eyes.

Parasellar xanthogranulomas.

Object: Xanthogranulomas are rare inflammatory masses most often found in the skin and eye. The incidence of intracranial xanthogranulomas is 1.6%-7%, with those found in the sellar and parasellar region being exceedingly rare and their etiology controversial.

Toxicity evaluation of prolonged convection-enhanced delivery of small-molecule kinase inhibitors in naïve rat brainstem.

Purpose: Convection-enhanced delivery (CED), a local drug delivery technique, is typically performed as a single session and drug concentrations therefore decline quickly post CED. Prolonged CED (pCED) overcomes this problem by performing a long-term infusion to maintain effective drug concentrations for an extended period. The purpose of the current study was to assess the toxicity of using pCED to deliver single and multi-drug therapy in naïve rat brainstem.

Amyloid β-Related Central Nervous System Angiitis Presenting With an Isolated Seizure.

Amyloid beta-related angiitis (ABRA) of the central nervous system (CNS) is a very rare inflammatory disorder that causes destruction of CNS arteries and subsequent neuronal injury. Most patients with ABRA are old and present with cognitive dysfunction and stroke; however, some patients may present atypically. In this article, we report a 44-year-old man who presented with a first-time seizure but was otherwise neurologically intact and denied any headache.

Sellar collision tumor involving metastatic lung cancer and pituitary adenoma: radiologic-pathologic correlation and review of the literature.

Collision tumors of the sella turcica involving metastases to pituitary adenomas are rare. We report a case of a collision tumor involving metastatic lung cancer with an emphasis on the neuroimaging and histopathological studies. A review of the literature including the diagnostic and management implications as well as pathogenetic mechanisms is also discussed.

Glioblastoma-arteriovenous fistula complex: imaging characteristics and treatment considerations.

Although a certain degree of arteriovenous shunting may be expected in glioblastoma, to our knowledge, the coexistence of a glioblastoma and arteriovenous fistula has not been previously reported. In this case report, we present such a lesion and discuss its diagnosis with a multimodal imaging approach. Additionally, we discuss treatment considerations for such a lesion.

Stereotactic radiosurgery plays a critical role in enhancing long-term survival in a patient with pancreatic cancer metastatic to the brain.

Background: Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease which metastasizes readily. The presence of brain metastases from pancreatic cancer is rare and it carries a poor prognosis. Our approach to treating these lesions stresses extensive use of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), whereas other reports focus on surgical resection.

Multinodular and vacuolating neuronal tumors of the cerebrum: 10 cases of a distinctive seizure-associated lesion.

We report 10 cases of a non-neurocytic, purely neuronal tumor affecting adults. Situated in the cerebral hemispheres, with 7 of 10 confined to the temporal lobes, most presented with seizures as their principal clinical manifestations. On magnetic resosnance imaging (MRI), the tumors generally appeared solid and non-contrast enhancing with minimal diffuse infiltration, edema, or mass effect.

Phase I/II study of oral erlotinib for treatment of relapsed/refractory glioblastoma multiforme and anaplastic astrocytoma.

We evaluated the safety and survival benefits of orally administered erlotinib monotherapy for patients with relapsed/refractory glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) or anaplastic astrocytoma (AA). A dose escalation schedule was administered with a starting dose of 150 mg/day for the first cycle (28 days), followed by 100 mg twice daily for 14 days, and 150 mg twice daily for another 14 days. Assuming no dose limiting toxicities were observed, dosage was maintained at 150 mg BID for 10 more cycles.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen as a potential novel vascular target for treatment of glioblastoma multiforme.

Context: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is expressed in endothelium of vessels in malignant solid tumors but not in normal vessels.

Objective: To examine whether neovasculature of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) expresses PSMA. Design.