ENTPD1 (CD39) and NT5E (CD73) expression in human medulloblastoma: an in silico analysis.

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant tumor in the pediatric population. Its classification has incorporated key molecular variations alongside histological characterization. CD39 (also known as ENTPD1) and CD73 (also known as NT5E), enzymes of the purinergic signaling pathway, act in synergy to generate extracellular adenosine, creating an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

CD68 in Cerebral Aneurysms of Smokers and Nonsmokers: An Immunohistochemical Analysis.

Background:  There is some evidence indicating that inflammation of the aneurysmal wall is related to aneurysmal growth and rupture. The presence of CD68 may indicate greater inflammatory activity. The objective of this study is to evaluate CD68 immunoexpression in surgically resected brain aneurysms and its association with smoking.

ENTPD1 (CD39) and NT5E (CD73) expression in human glioblastoma: an in silico analysis.

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common primary brain tumor in adults and carries a dismal prognosis, despite the best available treatment. The 2021 WHO Classification of CNS tumors incorporated molecular profiling to better define the characteristics and prognosis of tumor types and subtypes. These recent advances in diagnosis have not yet resulted in breakthrough therapies capable of shifting the treatment paradigm.

Cerebrospinal fluid purinomics as a biomarker approach to predict outcome after severe traumatic brain injury.

Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with high rates of mortality and long-term disability linked to neurochemical abnormalities. Although purine derivatives play important roles in TBI pathogenesis in preclinical models, little is known about potential changes in purine levels and their implications in human TBI. We assessed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of purines in severe TBI patients as potential biomarkers that predict mortality and long-term dysfunction.

Image-guided Temporal Bone Dissection Course.

 Temporal bone anatomy is complex and demands a profound anatomical knowledge. Association between surgery and imaging helps in the process of learning three-dimensional (3D) anatomy and surgical techniques. High definition temporal bone imaging can play an important role in dissection training.

Vascularization of the uncus - Anatomical study and clinical implications.

Background: The objective of this paper was to describe the arterial supply of the uncus and quantify the branches directed to the anteromedial aspect of the human temporal cortex.

Methods: We studied 150 human cerebral hemispheres identifying main afferent arteries supplying the anteromedial temporal cortex with particular attention to the uncus, determining the territory supplied by each artery through either cortical or perforating branches.

Results: The uncus was supplied by 419 branches of the anterior choroidal artery (AChA), 210 branches of the internal carotid artery (ICA), 353 branches of the middle cerebral artery (MCA), and 122 branches of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA).

Magnetic resonance imaging findings of the posterior fossa in 47 patients with mucopolysaccharidoses: A cross-sectional analysis.

Background: Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) is a group of hereditary multisystemic lysosomal disorders. Most neuroimaging studies in MPS have focused on the supratentorial compartment and craniocervical junction abnormalities, and data regarding posterior fossa findings are scarce in the literature. Thus, our purpose is to describe posterior fossa findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of MPS patients.

Hippocampal vascularization: Proposal for a new classification.

Background: Anatomy of the hippocampal arterial supply is key to successful surgeries in this area. The goal of the current study is to present the results we obtained from our microsurgical dissections of the temporal lobe and to propose a new classification for the hippocampal arteries (HAs).

Methods: Fifty-six brain hemispheres were analyzed.

Medical management with interventional therapy versus medical management alone for unruptured brain arteriovenous malformations (ARUBA): final follow-up of a multicentre, non-blinded, randomised controlled trial.

Background: In A Randomized trial of Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous malformations (ARUBA), randomisation was halted at a mean follow-up of 33·3 months after a prespecified interim analysis showed that medical management alone was superior to the combination of medical management and interventional therapy in preventing symptomatic stroke or death. We aimed to study whether these differences persisted through 5-years' follow-up.

Methods: ARUBA was a non-blinded, randomised trial done at 39 clinical centres in nine countries.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Collected by Lumbar Puncture Has a Higher Diagnostic Accuracy than Collected by Ventriculostomy.

Background: Patients harboring an external ventricular drain (EVD) who develop signs of infection require screening for infection in the central nervous system (CNS). The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can be collected by the EVD or by lumbar puncture (LP). If only one sample is analyzed, the diagnosis might be dubious or false-negative.

Cortical thickness in visuo-motor areas is related to motor outcomes after STN DBS for Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a widely accepted therapy for Parkinson's disease. While outcome predictors such as levodopa-response are well established, there remains a need for objective and unbiased predictors in clinical practice. We performed an exploratory study to examine whether cortical thickness, derived from preoperative MRI, correlates with postoperative outcome.

Development and characterization of CD73-siRNA-loaded nanoemulsion: effect on C6 glioma cells and primary astrocytes.

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common malignant brain tumor and is characterized by high invasiveness, poor prognosis, and limited therapeutic options. Silencing gene expression, through the use of small interfering RNA (siRNA), has been proposed as an alternative to conventional cancer therapy. Here, we evaluated the potential of CD73 as a new therapeutic target, since it is overexpressed in solid tumors and has emerged as a promising target to control GB progression.

Ruptured aneurysm in the posterior communicating segment of carotid artery presenting with contralateral oculomotor nerve palsy.

Background: Brain aneurysms are mostly discovered during the investigation of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Some patients present neurological signs that may suggest the aneurysm's topography, and the oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP) of the same side of the aneurysm is the most common sign. Only one case report of contralateral palsy was previously described in the medical literature.

Double-blind randomized clinical trial of vancomycin in spinal arthrodesis: no effects on surgical site infection.

Objective: Surgical site infection (SSI) results in high morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing spinal fusion. Using intravenous antibiotics in anesthesia induction reduces the rate of postoperative infection, but it is not common practice to use them topically, despite recent reports that this procedure helps reduce infection. The objective of this study was to determine whether the topical use of vancomycin reduces the rate of postoperative SSI in patients undergoing thoracolumbar fusion.

The Role of Low-Cost Microsurgical Training Models and Experience with Exercises Based on a Bovine Heart.

Background: Microscopic training is essential for development of neurosurgical skills. A range of models is reported in the literature for this purpose, including live animals, exvivo, and synthetic material. Among the factors involved in selection and development of a training station, cost is a decisive one.

Grades of brain arteriovenous malformations and risk of hemorrhage and death.

Objective: To assess the relationship of the grade of unruptured and untreated Brain Arteriovenous Malformations (AVMs), with the risk of subsequent stroke and death during follow-up.

Methods: This prospective study was drawn from a cohort of adult patients with unruptured AVMs, who participated in the conservative treatment arm (medical management only for headache or seizures) of the randomized clinical trial of unruptured brain AVMs (ARUBA study). The grade of AVMs (Spetzler-Martin scale) was dichotomized into categories: AVMs of grades I and II were considered low grade; AVMs of grades III and IV were considered high grade.

Ex vivo model with bovine heart: a proposal for training microscopic dissection and vascularmicroanastomoses.

Training is a process that requires patience and constant practice. The execution of microscopic procedures is present in the day-to-day of several surgical specialties, but unfortunately experimental models are not easy to access in our environment. We propose a bovine heart model used by residents and young surgeons in the training of microscopic dissection and microanastomoses.

Acute Spontaneous Subdural Hematoma in Posterior Fossa: Great Outcome.

Background: Acute subdural hematomas are frequently seen in brain trauma-injured patients. However, spontaneous subdural hematomas are uncommon, especially those localized in the posterior fossa, where fewer than 10 case reports have been described in the medical literature.

Case Description: We describe a patient who suddenly had a headache and progressed rapidly to coma and signs of brainstem compression.

A comparative study on the recruitment of shoulder stabilizing muscles and types of exercises.

The shoulder is susceptible to disturbances caused by microtraumas due to direct contact of the surrounding skeletal structures or failure of the soft parts of the rotator cuff and other muscles inserted into the glenohumeral joint. The purpose of the study was to compare the electromyographic signal in the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder during the diagonal elevation exercise as recommended by the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) method and dumbbell exercise. This study is classified as Quase-experiment.

Electromyographic analysis of constraint-induced movement therapy effects in patients after stroke in chronic course.

[Purpose] The purpose is to analyze the effects of Constraint-induced Movement Therapy in post stroke patients in chronic course. [Subjects and Methods] This is a Quasi-experiment study and the adopted protocol consisted of a three-hour therapy for ten consecutive working days applied to a constraint intact upper limb. Surface Electromyography, Motor Activity Log, Wolf Motor Function Test and Functional Independence Measure were used for evaluating the experiment.

Functional impairments for outcomes in a randomized trial of unruptured brain AVMs.

Objective: To investigate the effects of medical vs interventional management on functional outcome in A Randomized Trial of Unruptured Brain Arteriovenous Malformations (ARUBA).

Methods: We used the initial results of a nonblinded, randomized, controlled, parallel-group trial involving adults ≥18 years of age with an unruptured brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) to compare the effects of medical management (MM) with or without interventional therapy (IT) on functional impairment, defined by a primary outcome of death or symptomatic stroke causing modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≥2. ARUBA closed recruitment on April 15, 2013.

Cell Index in the Diagnosis of External Ventricular Drain-Related Infections.

Background: The use of an external ventricular drain is required for the treatment of many diseases, such as traumatic brain injury and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Meningitis and ventriculitis are frequent complications arising from the use of external ventricular drain therapy. This study aimed to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and cutoff point for cell index (CI) in patients with traumatic brain injury, SAH, and hemorrhagic stroke.

Elevated glutamate and lactate predict brain death after severe head trauma.

Objective: Clinical neurological assessment is challenging for severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients in the acute setting. Waves of neurochemical abnormalities that follow TBI may serve as fluid biomarkers of neurological status. We assessed the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of glutamate, lactate, BDNF, and GDNF, to identify potential prognostic biomarkers of neurological outcome.

External Ventricular Drain-Related Infection in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Objective: We aimed to analyze infection rates in patients with spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage who underwent surgical external ventricular drain (EVD) placement.

Methods: This prospective study included 94 consecutive patients who required an EVD for spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage at the Neurosurgery Department of Hospital Cristo Redentor, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Results: The mean duration of EVD use was 7 days.

The hidden symbols of the female anatomy in Michelangelo Buonarroti's ceiling in the Sistine Chapel.

A number of published articles have suggested that each element of Renaissance art contains an inner meaning. Some of these elements include the choice of theme and protagonists, faces selected for the characters, colors used, species of flowers and trees chosen, animals depicted, positions of the elements, posture of the characters and their gestures, juxtapositions in the scenes, and even the very scenario or landscape. All of these elements are thought to have hidden meanings.