Quantitative profiling of genes associated with cancer pathways in brain tumors.

Background: Brain tumors are a heterogeneous group of malignancies characterized by inter- and intratumoral heterogeneity. Among them, the most aggressive and, despite advances in medicine, still incurable remains glioblastoma. One of the reasons is the high recurrence rate of the disease and resistance to temozolomide, a golden standard in chemotherapy of brain tumors.

Metabolomic profiling of blood plasma in patients with primary brain tumours: Basal plasma metabolites correlated with tumour grade and plasma biomarker analysis predicts feasibility of the successful statistical discrimination from healthy subjects - a preliminary study.

The brain tumours represent a complex tissue that has its own characteristic metabolic features and is interfaced with the whole organism. We investigated changes in basal blood plasma metabolites in the presence of primary brain tumour, their correlation with tumour grade, as well as the feasibility of statistical discrimination based on plasma metabolites. Together 60 plasma samples from patients with clinically defined glioblastoma, meningioma, oligodendrioglioma, astrocytoma, and non-specific glial tumour and plasma samples from 28 healthy volunteers without any cancer history were measured by NMR spectroscopy.

Influence of cerebellar stereotactic stimulation on left-right electrodermal information transference in a patient with cerebral palsy.

Background And Objectives: Recent evidence indicates that cerebral palsy is connected to specific autonomic dysregulation between sympathetic and parasympathetic efferent pathways, likely linked to hemispheric influences. These findings suggest a hypothesis that contralateral interhemispheric disinhibition, which may occur on various levels of brain processing including motor functions, could be linked to specific functional dysregulation and structural lesions, which may play a specific role in the modulation of autonomic functions and lead to autonomic dysregulation in cerebral palsy.

Method: With the aim of comparing autonomic functions as they relate to interhemispheric modulatory influences during therapeutically indicated stereotactic cerebellar stimulation, we have performed bilateral electrodermal activity measurement and calculations of pointwise transinformation (PTI) in a patient with cerebral palsy.

Intraoperative electrical stimulation in awake craniotomy: methodological aspects of current practice.

There is increasing evidence that the extent of tumor removal in low-grade glioma surgery is related to patient survival time. Thus, the goal of resecting the largest amount of tumor possible without leading to permanent neurological sequelae is a challenge for the neurosurgeon. Electrical stimulation of the brain to detect cortical and axonal areas involved in motor, language, and cognitive function and located within the tumor or along its boundaries has become an essential tool in combination with awake craniotomy.

Clinical evaluation of deep cerebellar stimulation for spasticity in patients with cerebral palsy.

Background And Purpose: The purpose of this study is to present the results of deep cerebellar stimulation in spasticity as a main symptom of cerebral palsy (CP).

Material And Methods: Thirteen patients suffering from CP were surgically treated with deep cerebellar stimulation of the superior cerebellar peduncle region between April 2003 and April 2007. Outcome was evaluated in 11 out of 13 patients (two patients had their stimulators removed due to infections).