S-100B protein as a serum marker of secondary neurological complications in neurocritical care patients.

There is growing evidence that S-100B protein measured by a simple blood test can be used as a novel biochemical marker of brain cell damage. The objective of our study was to investigate the potential of S-100B measurements to diagnose an acute neurological complication in the analgo-sedated and intubated intensive care patient and the impact on patient management. Serum S-100B levels were serially investigated in 246 neurocritical care patients.

Serum S-100B protein as a molecular marker in severe traumatic brain injury.

Purpose: There is growing evidence that S-100B protein may be used as a novel biochemical marker of brain cell damage, measured by a simple blood test. In this paper, we summarize the current knowledge about S-100B serum measurements in severe head injury and address actual controversies.

Methods: The material of the present analysis consists of a MEDLINE literature search for S-100 and severe head injury from 1966 to 2003.

Measurements of serum S-100B protein: effects of storage time and temperature on pre-analytical stability.

Measurement of S-100B protein in serum or cerebrospinal fluid is increasingly used as a molecular marker of brain damage. However, there is no information about the pre-analytical in vitro stability of S-100B. We have investigated whether storing blood samples at different time periods and conditions affected the measured levels of S-100B protein.

Does preoperative paresis influence intraoperative monitoring of the motor cortex?

Intraoperative monitoring of motor function by means of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) is a new method. The current study examines the influence of preoperative paresis on the feasibility and reliability of this method. Intraoperative monitoring of MEPs was performed in 58 patients during surgery in the central region.

Primary mucinous adenocarcinoma of the appendix: a rare entity in the differential diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

We report a 58-year-old female patient with the suspected diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Upon surgical exploration, examination of the appendix revealed the histological diagnosis of primary mucinous adenocarcinoma. This is an unusual consideration in the differential diagnosis of the ovarian cancer.

Comparison between monopolar and bipolar electrical stimulation of the motor cortex.

Intra-operative neurophysiological techniques allow reliable identification of the sensorimotor region and make their anatomical and functional preservation feasible. Monopolar cortical stimulation has recently been described as a new mapping technique. In the present study this method was compared to the "traditional" technique of bipolar stimulation.

Demonstration of cerebral plasticity by intra-operative neurophysiological monitoring: report of an uncommon case.

It has been postulated long ago that "eloquent" areas shift their location in patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVM). Obviously the "motor region" in not located in the precentral gyrus in a patient with an AVM in the "motor region". We report on the case of a 15-year old boy with an AVM in the left sensorimotor cortex, in whom intra-operative mapping showed an inexcitability of the precentral gyrus, while stimulation of the cortex anterior to the primary motor cortex elicited motor responses.