Nongovernmental Organizations in Global Neurosurgery: Foundation for International Education in Neurological Surgery and Solidarity Bridge.

Health care disparities between high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are well established. The focus of the surgical aspect of health was identified in the early twenty-first century, and efforts to provide safe surgical intervention require the shift of resources from HICs to LMICs with specialized surgeons, anesthesiologists, and equipment. This intervention may make a difference on the short run; however, to achieve a long-term self-sustaining surgical service in the region of need, education and training of local physicians is key.

Socioeconomic Disparities in Outcomes Following Conservative Treatment of Spinal Epidural Abscesses.

Background: Primary spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is a rare but serious pathology that may result in severe neurologic injury. While certain literature has identified medical risk factors for failure of conservative therapy, no current evidence has been published regarding socioeconomic risk factors associated with failure of medical therapy.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of patients presenting with SEA from primary spinal infections.

Spinal fractures in the setting of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis conservatively treated via orthosis: illustrative cases.

Background: Fractures in patients with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) are considered highly unstable injuries with high risk for neurological injury. Surgical intervention is the standard of care for these patients to avoid secondary spinal cord injuries. Despite this, certain cases may necessitate a nonoperative approach.

Academics versus the Internet: Evaluating the readability of patient education materials for cerebrovascular conditions from major academic centers.

Background: Health literacy profoundly impacts patient outcomes as patients with decreased health literacy are less likely to understand their illness and adhere to treatment regimens. Patient education materials supplement in-person patient education, especially in cerebrovascular diseases that may require a multidisciplinary care team. This study aims to assess the readability of online patient education materials related to cerebrovascular diseases and to contrast the readability of those materials produced by academic institutions with those of non-academic sources.

Oxytocin receptor gene methylation as a molecular marker for severity of depressive symptoms in affective disorder patients.

Background: Oxytocin (OXT) is a neuropeptide and hormone involved in emotional functioning and also seems to play a role in moderating the stress response. Both preclinical and clinical studies point to an increased methylation status of the Oxytocin receptor (OXTR) promoter region with concomitant deficits in social, cognitive and emotional functioning. We hypothesize that methylation levels (%) of the oxytocin receptor promoter region correlate with the severity of depression symptoms and/or with the severity of childhood trauma within this present sample of affective disorder patients.

Cross-sectional survey of treatments and outcomes among injured adult patients in Kigali, Rwanda.

Introduction: Traumatic injuries and their resulting mortality and disability impose a disproportionate burden on sub-Saharan countries like Rwanda. An important facet of addressing injury burdens is to comprehend injury patterns and aetiologies of trauma. This study is a cross-sectional analysis of injuries, treatments and outcomes at the University Teaching Hospital-Kigali (CHUK).

Evaluation of Standard and Mobile Health-Supported Clinical Diagnostic Tools for Assessing Dehydration in Patients with Diarrhea in Rural Bangladesh.

Diarrhea remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the relative inter-rater reliability and usability of standard and Mobile health (mHealth)-supported World Health Organization (WHO) algorithms for dehydration assessment in patients with acute diarrhea in a rural, low-income country hospital. Two nurses blinded to each other's examinations assessed dehydration status on patients soon after hospital arrival using either the standard WHO algorithm printed on a laminated card or an mHealth-supported WHO algorithm downloaded onto a smartphone.

Improved strength on 5-hydroxytryptophan and carbidopa in spinal cord atrophy.

There is ample evidence of an important role of descending serotonergic projections in modulating spinal motor neuron activation and firing, and experimental studies suggest that 5-HT receptor stimulation can improve motor function after spinal cord injury; however, relevant clinical data is sorely lacking. We describe two sisters with hemiplegic migraine, low CSF and platelet serotonin levels, and progressive spastic paraparesis associated with profound spinal cord atrophy whose lower extremity strength and ambulation responded to a precursor replacement strategy (5-hydroxytryptophan and carbidopa administration), an approach that may have broader applicability in myelopathies of diverse etiology where descending serotonergic projections are compromised.

Evaluating the genomic and sequence integrity of human ES cell lines; comparison to normal genomes.

Copy number variation (CNV) is a common chromosomal alteration that can occur during in vitro cultivation of human cells and can be accompanied by the accumulation of mutations in coding region sequences. We describe here a systematic application of current molecular technologies to provide a detailed understanding of genomic and sequence profiles of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines that were derived under GMP-compliant conditions. We first examined the overall chromosomal integrity using cytogenetic techniques to determine chromosome count, and to detect the presence of cytogenetically aberrant cells in the culture (mosaicism).

Chromosome 7 and 19 trisomy in cultured human neural progenitor cells.

Background: Stem cell expansion and differentiation is the foundation of emerging cell therapy technologies. The potential applications of human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) are wide ranging, but a normal cytogenetic profile is important to avoid the risk of tumor formation in clinical trials. FDA approved clinical trials are being planned and conducted for hNPC transplantation into the brain or spinal cord for various neurodegenerative disorders.

Evaluation of a breast/ovarian cancer genetics referral screening tool in a mammography population.

Purpose: Simple screening tools are needed to facilitate the appropriate referral of patients for genetic counseling and testing for BRCA1/2 mutations. This study evaluated the reliability and accuracy of a "referral screening tool" designed for rapid identification of individuals at potential hereditary risk for breast/ovarian cancer.

Methods: The referral screening tool was administered to 2464 unselected women undergoing screening mammography.

Protocols for cytogenetic studies of human embryonic stem cells.

All cultured cells develop chromosome changes over time, including cultures of human embryonic stem cells (hESC), but only those cells with adaptive chromosomes changes survive. The most frequent chromosome changes in hESC cultures are trisomy 12 and trisomy 17. Cells with these trisomies are indistinguishable from normal cells by appearance and also demonstrate typical markers of pluripotency, making them difficult to identify without cytogenetic analysis.

Pre- and postnatal findings in trisomy 17 mosaicism.

Trisomy 17 mosaicism is one of the rarest autosomal trisomies in humans. Thus far, only 23 cases have been described, most of them detected prenatally. In only five instances has mosaicism been demonstrated in lymphocytes and/or fibroblasts postnatally, and only in these have multiple congenital anomalies (MCA), facial dysmorphisms, and mental retardation been reported.

Isolation and characterization of novel rhesus monkey embryonic stem cell lines.

ESCs are important as research subjects since the mechanisms underlying cellular differentiation, expansion, and self-renewal can be studied along with differentiated tissue development and regeneration in vitro. Furthermore, human ESCs hold promise for cell and tissue replacement approaches to treating human diseases. The rhesus monkey is a clinically relevant primate model that will likely be required to bring these clinical applications to fruition.

Embryonic and extraembryonic stem cell lines derived from single mouse blastomeres.

The most basic objection to human embryonic stem (ES) cell research is rooted in the fact that ES cell derivation deprives embryos of any further potential to develop into a complete human being. ES cell lines are conventionally isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocysts and, in a few instances, from cleavage stage embryos. So far, there have been no reports in the literature of stem cell lines derived using an approach that does not require embryo destruction.

Human embryonic stem cells derived without feeder cells.

Background: Human embryonic stem cells are likely to play an important role in the future of regenerative medicine. However, exposure of existing human embryonic stem-cell lines to live animal cells and serum risks contamination with pathogens that could lead to human health risks. We aimed to derive an embryonic stem-cell line without exposure to cells or serum.

Expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl promotes ocular melanoma cell survival.

Metastatic tumor cells originating from cancers of a variety of tissues such as breast, skin, and prostate may remain dormant for long periods of time. In the case of uveal melanoma, the principal malignancy of the eye, complete removal of the primary tumor by enucleation can nonetheless be followed by metastatic tumor growth in distant organs months, years, or even decades later. This suggests that tumor cells have already spread to secondary sites at the time of treatment and remain dormant as micrometastases.

Recurrent gain of chromosomes 17q and 12 in cultured human embryonic stem cells.

We have observed karyotypic changes involving the gain of chromosome 17q in three independent human embryonic stem (hES) cell lines on five independent occasions. A gain of chromosome 12 was seen occasionally. This implies that increased dosage of chromosome 17q and 12 gene(s) provides a selective advantage for the propagation of undifferentiated hES cells.

Localization of transfected B7-1 (CD80) DNA in human melanoma cells after particle-mediated gene transfer.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate stable DNA transfection of M-21 human melanoma cells with particle-mediated gene transfer (PMGT) with B7-1 cDNA and to identify sites of gene integration. Stable B7-1 transfectants (M-21-B7) were obtained with PMGT using a plasmid vector containing cDNA for both B7-1 and neomycin phosphotransferase, with subsequent selection with G418. The transfected cells were flow sorted by B7-1 expression into two populations, bright and dim.

Expression of angiogenic factors Cyr61 and tissue factor in uveal melanoma.

Objective: To study the expression of angiogenic factors Cyr61 and tissue factor (TF) in uveal melanoma and its correlation with blood vessel density.

Methods: Suppression subtractive hybridization was used to identify genes that are differentially expressed between cell lines of uveal melanoma and normal uveal melanocytes. Expression of these genes was subsequently verified in primary uveal melanomas and correlated with the number of blood vessels in archival specimens by immunohistochemical analysis.

Methylation of the androgen receptor minimal promoter silences transcription in human prostate cancer.

Advanced hormone-independent prostate cancer is characterized by a significant loss of androgen receptor (AR) expression in 20-30% of the tumors. The transcriptional block underlying this phenomenon is not known, but we have proposed that methylation of CpG sites in the AR promoter may reversibly inactivate transcription of the AR (D. F.