Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for Patients With Chiari Malformation: Symptoms.

Background: Chiari I malformation (CIM) is characterized by descent of the cerebellar tonsils through the foramen magnum, potentially causing symptoms from compression or obstruction of the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Diagnosis and treatment of CIM is varied, and guidelines produced through systematic review may be helpful for clinicians.

Objective: To perform a systematic review of the medical literature to answer specific questions on the diagnosis and treatment of CIM.

Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for Patients With Chiari Malformation: Diagnosis.

Background: Chiari I malformation (CIM) is characterized by descent of the cerebellar tonsils through the foramen magnum, potentially causing symptoms from compression or obstruction of the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. Diagnosis and treatment of CIM is varied, and guidelines produced through systematic review may be helpful for clinicians.

Objective: To perform a systematic review of the medical literature to answer specific questions on the diagnosis and treatment of CIM.

Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines for Patients With Chiari Malformation: Surgical Interventions.

Background: Chiari malformation type I (CIM) diagnoses have increased in recent years. Controversy regarding the best operative management prompted a review of the literature to offer guidance on surgical interventions.

Objective: To assess the literature to determine (1) whether posterior fossa decompression or posterior fossa decompression with duraplasty is more effective in preoperative symptom resolution; (2) whether there is benefit from cerebellar tonsillar resection/reduction; (3) the role of intraoperative neuromonitoring; (4) in patients with a syrinx, how long should a syrinx be observed for improvement before additional surgery is performed; and 5) what is the optimal duration of follow-up care after preoperative symptom resolution.

Preconditioning with INC280 and LDK378 drugs sensitizes MGMT-unmethylated glioblastoma to temozolomide: Pre-clinical assessment.

Temozolomide (TMZ) therapy is the standard of care for patients with glioblastoma (GBM). Clinical studies have shown that elevated levels of DNA repair protein O (6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) or deficiency/defect of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes is associated with TMZ resistance in some, but not all, GBM tumors. Another reason for GBM treatment failure is signal redundancy due to coactivation of several functionally linked receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), including anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and c-Met (hepatocyte growth factor receptor).

Effect of Dovitinib (TKI258), a Multi-Target Angiokinase Inhibitor on Aggressive Meningioma Cells.

Meningiomas represent ∼30% of primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors. Although advances in surgery and radiotherapy have significantly improved survival, there remains an important subset of patients whose tumors have more aggressive behavior and are refractory to conventional therapy. Recent advances in molecular genetics and epigenetics suggest that this aggressive behavior may be due to the deletion of the DNA repair and tumor suppressor gene, neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) mutation on chromosome 22q12, and genetic abnormalities in multiple RTKs including FGFRs.

Single agent efficacy of the HDAC inhibitor DATS in preclinical models of glioblastoma.

Purpose/introduction: Glioblastoma (GB) remains incurable despite aggressive chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical interventions; immunotherapies remain experimental in clinical practice. Relevant preclinical models that can accurately predict tumor response to therapy are equally challenging. This study aimed to validate the effect of the naturally occurring agent diallyl trisulfide (DATS) in human GB in relevant pre-clinical models.

Subcortical DNET in a Patient With an Enzymatic Deficiency: A Rare Case and Review of the Literature.

Purpose: This case report describes a toddler with a medical history of biotinidase deficiency who presented with atypical seizures due to a brain tumor.

Methods: This is a case report.

Results: Electroencephalogram revealed a frontal lobe mass, with magnetic resonance imaging confirmation of a mass extending from the frontal lobe into the genu and anterior corpus callosum.

Re-Examining the Need for Tissue Diagnosis in Pediatric Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas: A Review.

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a malignant brain tumor of childhood that carries an extremely poor prognosis. There are ~200-300 new cases diagnosed each year, [1, 2] and little progress has been made in changing the prognosis and outcome of the tumor since it was first documented in the literature in 1926 [3]. The median overall survival is 8-11 months [4], with an overall survival rate of 30% at 1 year, and less than 10% at 2 years [4].