Evaluation of epidemiological and pathological features of symptomatic spinal metastases in Romania - what could we learn from a retrospective study?

Metastases are the most common tumors of the spine. As an important increase in the annual incidence of spinal metastases (SMs) has been observed in the last decade, the aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology and histopathological types of SMs surgically treated in the Neurosurgery Clinics of a Regional Hospital in North-Eastern Romania over a period of five years, in order to define a certain tumor profile that would benefit from an early screening. We retrospectively evaluated 115 adult patients, searching for demographic data (gender and age of the patients), primary tumor characteristics (location and histological type), topography of the SMs, and the time interval between the diagnosis of the primary tumor and the surgery for the SMs.

Clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of atypical meningiomas with bone invasion: a retrospective analysis of nine cases and literature review.

Background: Meningiomas are the most common primary neoplasms of the central nervous system in adults, arising from the arachnoid cap cells. Thus, grade 2 meningiomas are situated on the border between benignity and malignancy. Among the many prognostic factors that have been investigated in these tumors, bone invasion is one of them.

Humps and bumps of head: review of meningiomas of the scalp.

Meningiomas are a type of tumor that arises from meningothelial cells and primarily develops in intracranial space, being some of the most common benign tumors of the central nervous system. However, meningiomas can rarely occur on the scalp and are called primary cutaneous meningiomas. Since the pathogenesis of these lesions is still uncertain, these tumors still pose challenges in terms of histopathological diagnosis.

Predictor factors for recurrence in atypical meningiomas.

Background And Objectives: Atypical meningiomas (AMs), World Health Organization (WHO) grade 2, are a group of tumors with uneven and unpredictable clinical behavior. Our aim was to analyze possible tumor recurrence predictors, and to identify factors that improve progression-free survival (PFS).

Patients, Materials And Methods: Our retrospective study included 81 patients followed up in the Prof.

Epidemiological and pathological characteristics of spinal metastases from gastrointestinal cancers - a series of 40 cases.

Spinal metastases from gastrointestinal (GI) cancer are rare and as a result there are only case reports or small series in the literature. The aim of our work was to identify the demographic aspects, the location, and the histopathological aspects of spinal metastases from GI cancers diagnosed and treated in a reference Hospital in Romania over a period of nine years, and comparing the data obtained with those from the recent literature. This is a retrospective case series study on spinal metastases from GI cancers, developed in patients older than 18 years that were surgically treated between January 2013 and December 2021 within three Neurosurgery Clinics from Prof.

Cervico-Dorsal Intramedullary Spinal Cord Abscess with following Pulmonary Infection in an Immunocompetent Patient.

Invasive forms of aspergillosis of the nervous system are relatively rare and are usually diagnosed in immunocompromised patients. We present the case of a young female patient, treated in the last two months with corticosteroids and antifungal drug for pulmonary aspergillosis, who developed progressive paraparesis. An intramedullary abscess at the C7-D1 level was identified and the lesion was treated with a combination of surgery and antifungal therapy.

Anatomical study of circle of Willis on fresh autopsied brains. A study of a Romanian population.

Because the circle of Willis (CoW) supplies blood to the brain in case of occlusion of one of the cerebral arteries, identification of any change in its classical shape could be useful in the assessment of cerebrovascular morbidity. The purpose of our research was to study the anatomical variants of CoW identified on fresh brains obtained at the clinical autopsies of adult deceased patients belonging to a specific population (Northeastern region of Romania), as no data are available for Romania population up to date. The study group included consecutive patients who died in Prof.

Hydroxyapatite from Natural Sources for Medical Applications.

The aim of this work is to study the physical-chemical, mechanical, and biocompatible properties of hydroxyapatite obtained by hydrothermal synthesis, at relatively low temperatures and high pressures, starting from natural sources (Rapana whelk shells), knowing that these properties influence the behavior of nanostructured materials in cells or tissues. Thus, hydroxyapatite nanopowders were characterized by chemical analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In vitro studies on osteoblast cell lines (cytotoxicity and cell proliferation), as well as preliminary mechanical tests, have been performed.

Inflammatory and Cardiac Biomarkers in Relation with Post-Acute COVID-19 and Mortality: What We Know after Successive Pandemic Waves.

Background: Biomarkers were correlated with mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients. No prediction tools exist for noncritically ill COVID-19 patients. We aimed to compare the independent prognostic value of inflammation and cardiac biomarkers for post-acute COVID-19 patients and the 30-day mortality rate in noncritically ill COVID-19 patients, as well as the relation with the virus variant involved.

Clinical and immunohistopathological study of conjunctival melanocytic lesions in pediatric and adolescent patients. A case series.

Background: Conjunctival pigmented neoplasia can be benign, premalignant or malignant tumors. Our study aims to establish the epidemiological, gross morphological and immunohistopathological features of the conjunctival pigmented lesions in pediatric and adolescent patients (<18 years), to establish an accurate diagnosis.

Patients, Material And Methods: This is a retrospective case series study conducted within two Ophthalmology Clinics from Iaşi, Romania, on seven pediatric and adolescent patients.

Morphological aspects of the vasculogenesis and angiogenesis during prenatal edification of the circle of Willis: a review.

In the literature, there are many articles reporting anatomical variations of circle of Willis (CoW), defined as those changes that lead to the inability of this anastomotic structure to maintain adequate brain flow. Because there is such a wide variation in the configuration of the CoW, its anatomical variations affect the hemodynamics of blood flow, thus contributing to the development of aneurysms or stroke. As such, we consider that a good knowledge of the embryological development of the constituent arteries of the CoW can shed some light on the causes of the appearance of its anatomical variants.

From chronic pruritus to neuroendocrine tumor: A case report.

Chronic pruritus is a major and distressing symptom of many diseases of dermatological, neurological, psychogenic or systemic origin. This chronic itch could be a presenting sign of malignancy; therefore, paraneoplastic pruritus has also been associated with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). This article focuses on a patient presenting with chronic pruritus for the past 12 months and who received numerous treatment schemes with very poor clinical improvement, that presented in the hospital for worsening of the chronic pruritus associated with skin rash and significant weight loss (approximately 6 kg over a 2-month period).

Brain metastases originating in breast cancer: clinical-pathological analysis and immunohistochemical profile.

The incidence of brain metastases (BMs) originating in breast cancer (BC) is increasing due to advances in imaging techniques, which can detect such events early, and due to new therapies that can ensure longer survival. We performed a retrospective study on patients with BMs originating in BC and receiving surgical treatment in Neurosurgery Clinics of Prof. Dr.

The Myth of Prometheus in metastatic meningioma to the liver: from craniotomy to hepatectomy.

Metastases from intracranial meningiomas are rare, and among them, meningiomas with hepatic dissemination are extremely rare. Therefore, there are currently no guidelines for staging and treatment of metastatic disease in meningioma, a disease that is a challenge for both the clinician and the pathologist. Our literature review revealed 24 cases of liver metastases originating from intracranial meningiomas.

Thymus pathology in myasthenia gravis with anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies and concomitant Hashimoto's thyroiditis. A four-case series and literature review.

Objective: Identifying the morphological features of thymus in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) with anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies and concomitant Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), which were recruited from a single surgical unit of a tertiary referral hospital located in the North-Eastern region of Romania, over a period of 11 years.

Patients, Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed clinical, imaging, laboratory, thymic pathology, and outcome data that were obtained from medical records of patients with MG and concomitant HT, to whom a thymectomy was performed for a suspected thymic lesion. All the surgical interventions were done in the Third Clinic of Surgery, St.

The significance of erythropoietin and insulin administration on survival of fat tissue after autologous fat transplantation in Wistar rats. An experimental study.

Autologous fat transfer is widely used by plastic surgeons for aesthetic and reconstructive purpose, but it has a great disadvantage because of its high variability rate of resorption. Numerous studies have examined the use of different agents to increase the viability of fat grafts. The results were discouraging because the use of a single angiogenic factor to stimulate fat graft angiogenesis may be inappropriate.

Protection measures against SARS-CoV-2 infection for cytopathology and histopathology laboratories personnel: practical recommendations.

In the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, healthcare workers are at high risk to be infected with this new coronavirus, particularly when they handle not only patients, but also their body fluids. In Romania, even though the protective measures to be used by medical staff in emergency departments, clinical departments, radiology departments, clinical laboratories and morgues services are well known, there is little information about the protection of medical staff in the laboratories of cytopathology and histopathology. In this article, we will discuss the transmission routes of the new coronavirus, the surfaces it could contaminate in a hospital, as well as the modalities of its inactivation.

The discovery of the circle of Willis as a result of using the scientific method in anatomical dissection.

There are numerous articles on the discovery of this arterial polygon, its history being quite long, beginning with the Antiquity and up to the Modern Era. Making an analysis of the primary and secondary sources on this topic, the purpose of this article is to identify the significant moments of the discovery of this arterial polygon, which is an anatomical structure with great importance for neurologists and neurosurgeons. We will present the contributions to this topic from Renaissance and early Modern Era anatomists, such as Andreas Vesalius, Jean Fernel, Gabriel Fallopius, Giulio Cesare Casseri, Adriaan van den Spiegel, Johann Vesling, and Johann Jakob Wepfer von Schaffhausen.

Acute Clinical Syndromes and Suspicion of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: The Experience of a Single Romanian Center in the Early Pandemic Period.

: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, patients with chronic diseases suffering exacerbations have required acute medical care. The purpose of our study was to determine useful criteria for the differentiation of patients with acute clinical syndromes and suspicion of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. : This was an observational retrospective study, conducted in an internal medicine clinic from April to May 2020.

Tumor recurrence in parasagittal and falcine atypical meningiomas invading the superior sagittal sinus.

Objective: Parasagittal and falcine meningiomas are still a challenge in terms of surgical resection. Although maximal safe resection is the main therapeutic approach, numerous postoperative complications can still occur depending on the locations of these tumors. Moreover, previous studies have reported that parasagittal meningiomas have a higher recurrence rate than meningiomas with other locations.

Clinical, histopathological and immunohistochemical features of brain metastases originating in colorectal cancer: a series of 27 consecutive cases.

Introduction: Brain metastases (BMs) originating in colorectal cancer (CRC) have a significant importance for patients' survival. Because in literature there are only isolated case reports and only few series published on this issue, we aimed to assess the incidence of BMs from CRC, to identify patient's characteristics and BMs clinical, histopathological (HP) and immunohistochemical (IHC) features, and to compare the data we obtained with those from literature.

Patients, Materials And Methods: We present a retrospective study of 27 histologically confirmed cases of BMs from CRC among all 1040 patients who received metastasectomy in the Department of Neurosurgery, Prof.

CDK4/6 inhibitors in P16/HPV16-negative squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Purpose: Addition of CDK4/6 inhibitors to a variety of established treatments in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) has the potential to improve responses to other therapies and may help overcome treatment resistance. The SCCHN is a heterogeneous group of cancers of the oral cavity, the pharynx and the larynx with poor prognosis despite the aggressive multimodal therapies. In the past decade, significant advances were made in understanding of the molecular and genetic abnormalities leading to oncogenesis in SCCHN.

Clinical, imaging and histopathological correlations of gingival overgrowth: a retrospective analysis in northeastern Romanian population.

Background: Gingival overgrowth refers to an increase in the size of the gingival tissue. The etiology varies, and is often a multi-factor issue; what may contribute to gingival enlargement are aspects, such as disease, local and systemic conditions and idiopathic factors. The aim of the present study is to analyze and to correlate the clinical, epidemiological, imaging and histopathological (HP) features of gingival overgrowth in northeastern Romanian population.

Are there any correlations between demographic characteristics, tumor location, and Ki-67 labeling index in intracranial atypical meningiomas (WHO grade II)?

Unlabelled: Background∕Aim: Atypical meningiomas (AMs) account for about 30% of all meningiomas and it is difficult to predict their behavior. Nevertheless, the identification of protein markers responsible for the regulation of cell proliferation can be helpful. The purpose of this study is to find possible correlations between demographical characteristics of patients with AMs, tumor anatomic location, and intratumoral immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of Ki-67 labeling index (LI).