Clinical evaluation of a portable near-infrared device for detection of traumatic intracranial hematomas.

The purpose of this multicenter observational clinical study was to evaluate the performance of a near-infrared (NIR)-based, non-invasive, portable device to screen for traumatic intracranial hematomas. Five trauma centers collected data using the portable NIR device at the time a computed tomography (CT) scan was performed to evaluate a suspected traumatic brain injury (TBI). The CT scans were read by an independent neuroradiologist who was blinded to the NIR measurements.

A panel of neuron-enriched proteins as markers for traumatic brain injury in humans.

Surrogate markers have enormous potential for contributing to the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic evaluation of acute brain damage, but extensive prior study of individual candidates has not yielded a biomarker in widespread clinical practice. We hypothesize that a panel of neuron-enriched proteins measurable in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood should vastly improve clinical evaluation and therapeutic management of acute brain injuries. Previously, we developed such a panel based initially on the study of protein release from degenerating cultured neurons, and subsequently on rodent models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and ischemia, consisting of 14-3-3beta, 14-3-3zeta, three distinct phosphoforms of neurofilament H, ubiquitin hydrolase L1, neuron-specific enolase, alpha-spectrin, and three calpain- and caspase-derived fragments of alpha-spectrin.

Magnetic resonance perfusion-weighted imaging defines angiogenic subtypes of oligodendroglioma according to 1p19q and EGFR status.

1p19q LOH has been shown to predict radio- and chemosensitivity and prolonged survival in oligodendrogliomas (OLs). We have recently shown that magnetic resonance perfusion-weighted imaging (MR-PWI) may be useful in predicting the histopathological grade or cytogenetic type of oligodendroglial neoplasms. MR-PWI allows noninvasive determination of relative tumor blood volume (rTBV), which may reflect the degree of neoplastic angiogenesis and metabolism.

Who will consent to emergency treatment trials for subarachnoid hemorrhage?

Objectives: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a devastating disorder that still requires much clinical study. However, the decision to participate in a randomized clinical trial, particularly a neuroemergency trial, is a complex one. The purposes of this survey were to determine who would participate in a randomized clinical trial that intended to examine transfusion practices after SAH, to identify who could serve as potential proxy decision-makers, and to find which patient characteristics were associated with the decision to participate.