Cognitive impairment in diffuse axonal injury patients with favorable outcome.

Background And Purpose: Traumatic brain injury (TBI), especially the severe TBI are often followed by persistent cognitive sequalae, including decision-making difficulties, reduced neural processing speed and memory deficits. Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is classified as one of the severe types of TBI. Part of DAI patients are marginalized from social life due to cognitive impairment, even if they are rated as favorable outcome.

EMP3 mediates glioblastoma-associated macrophage infiltration to drive T cell exclusion.

Background: The immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment is a critical factor in the initiation and progression of glioblastoma (GBM), which is characterized by an abundance of tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) but a paucity of infiltrating T cells. In this research, we studied whether epithelial membrane protein 3 (EMP3) plays a crucial role in immune modulation in GBM.

Methods: TCGA and CGGA transcriptomic profiles of wild-type IDH1 GBM were used for bioinformatic analysis.

Plasma D-dimer as a novel biomarker for predicting poor outcomes in HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis.

This study aim was to evaluate whether plasma D-dimer levels could serve as a novel prognostic biomarker for 1-month mortality in patients with HBV-related decompensated cirrhosis (HBV-DeCi).This was a retrospective study that enrolled 132 HBV-DeCi patients. Univariate and multivariate regression models were used to identify risk factors for mortality.

Intramedullary Spinal Cord Metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Intramedullary spinal cord metastases from renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) are rare and can cause serious diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. The related reports are very few. This review was aimed to perform an analysis of all reported cases with intramedullary spinal cord metastases from RCCs.

HSPB1 Enhances SIRT2-Mediated G6PD Activation and Promotes Glioma Cell Proliferation.

Heat shock proteins belong to a conserved protein family and are involved in multiple cellular processes. Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27), also known as heat HSPB1, participates in cellular responses to not only heat shock, but also oxidative or chemical stresses. However, the contribution of HSPB1 to anti-oxidative response remains unclear.

Chloroquine, an autophagy inhibitor, potentiates the radiosensitivity of glioma initiating cells by inhibiting autophagy and activating apoptosis.

Background: Glioblastoma is refractory to conventional treatment, which is combined of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Recent studies have shown that glioma initiating cells (GICs) contribute to tumorigenesis and radioresistance. Recently, other studies showed that the GICs use the autophagy as the major pathway to survive.

Abducens nerve schwannoma in cerebellopontine angle mimicking acoustic neuroma.

The abducens nerve schwannoma is one kind of rare intracranial tumor. We report an interesting case of abducens nerve schwannoma in the right cerebellopontine angle in a 68-year-old male patient presenting only vertigo and headache, without any symptom of abducens nerve palsy. This is the oldest patient with abducens nerve schwannoma to date.

Multiple spinal cord melanoma: case report with emphasis on the difficult preoperative diagnosis.

Primary spinal melanoma (PSM) is rare and usually occurs in the cervical and thoracic regions. Here, we present a case of multiple spinal cord melanoma located at the level of cervical and upper thoracic spine in a 24-year-old male. The patient underwent a T6-T7 thoracic laminectomy and gross-total resection of the duty lesion.

Sellar and supra-sellar glioblastoma masquerading as a pituitary macroadenoma.

A few number of suprasellar gliomas have been reported thus far of which, some of them developed several years after radiation therapy for pituitary adenomas or craniopharyngiomas. Herein, we report a case of sellar glioblastoma with suprasellar extension with no prior radiation history who mimicked clinical and radiologic findings of a pituitary macroadenoma.

Atorvastatin reduces the expression of COX-2 mRNA in peripheral blood monocytes from patients with acute myocardial infarction and modulates the early inflammatory response.

Background: We examined the effect of atorvastatin on the expression of COX-2 in peripheral blood monocytes from patients with early stage of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and the plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations were also examined.

Methods: Patients with AMI (n = 40) and with stable coronary heart disease (CHD; n = 18) were registered, and patients with AMI were randomly separated to a group that received routine therapy (group A, n = 20) or to a group that received routine therapy plus atorvastatin at 20 mg/day (group B, n = 20) for a week. Peripheral blood monocytes from patients with AMI both before and after treatment and from patients with stable CHD were isolated and cultured for 24 h.

Neuropsychological findings in patients with intraventricular tumors.

Background: Intraventricular tumors are quite rare and become symptomatic with hydrocephalus-related signs such as headache, double vision, and seizures. Also, most of the patients show neuropsychological deficits, especially memory problems and lack of attention.

Methods: We reviewed the charts and computed tomographic/magnetic resonance images of 15 patients with tumors of the lateral and third ventricle, who were also examined by a neuropsychologist pre- and postoperatively.

[Significance and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA in peripheral blood monocytes in patients with acute coronary syndrome].

Objective: To determine the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA in peripheral blood monocytes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and to explore the effect of the expression of COX-2 mRNA in ACS.

Methods: The expressions of COX-2 mRNA in peripheral blood monocytes from 18 normal subjects and 42 ACS patients were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the monocytes from patients were incubated with celecoxib in vitro. The concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in supernates of monocytes were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).

Expression of VEGF and its receptors in different brain tumors.

Introduction: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors VEGFR-1 and -2 are considered to play a major in tumor angiogenesis, which is a prerequisite for growth of solid tumors. Glioblastoma multiforme is a prominent example of VEGF-induced tumor vascularization; however, little is known about VEGF and in particular VEGFR expression in other types of brain tumors.

Methods: VEGFR mRNA was quantified by real time RT-PCR in 12 different types of brain tumors and compared to VEGF protein content measured by ELISA.

Clinical and histological features of multiple meningiomas compared with solitary meningiomas.

Between 1991 and 2002, 456 patients with an intracranial meningioma were treated. Thirty-nine of these had more than one meningioma (8.6%).

Ganglioneurocytoma of the third ventricle.

We present a very rare case of an intracranial ganglioneurocytoma. This 57-year-old female patient noticed some concentration difficulties for about 5 months. Visual acuity was 80% on both sides.