Large haemorrhage within glioblastoma mimicking haemorrhagic stroke and coexistance of meningioma: a case of collision tumours.

Intracranial collision tumours are rare pathologies in which two distinct neoplasms are found in the same location. We present an unusual case of an intracranial collision tumour composed of meningothelial meningioma (CNS WHO G1) and glioblastoma (IDH-wildtype, CNS WHO G4). This collision tumour was found in a 64-year-old man.

Clinical efficacy and safety of anterior thalamic deep brain stimulation for intractable drug resistant epilepsy.

Background: Deep brain stimulation of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT DBS) is a neuromodulation therapy for patients with refractory focal seizures evolving into bilateral tonic-clonic seizures when pharmacotherapy as well other neuromodulation techniques including vagus nerve stimulation or responsive neurostimulation have failed.

Objective: We performed a prospective single-center study investigating the clinical efficacy and exact ANT DBS lead location in patients with DRE.

Methods: The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients with more than 50 % reduction in diary-recorded seizures when compared to three preoperative months (baseline seizure frequency).

Convulsive status epilepticus management in adults and children: Report of the Working Group of the Polish Society of Epileptology.

Introduction: The Working Group was established at the initiative of the General Board of the Polish Society of Epileptology (PSE) to develop an expert position on the treatment of convulsive status epilepticus (SE) in adults and children in Poland. Generalized convulsive SE is the most common form and also represents the greatest threat to life, highlighting the importance of the choice of appropriate therapeutic treatment.

Aim Of Guideline: We present the therapeutic options separately for treatment during the early preclinical (>5-30min), established (30-60min), and refractory (>60min) SE phases.

Differentiating Stroke and Seizure in Acute Setting-Perfusion Computed Tomography?

Background: Perfusion computed tomography (PCT) is part of acute stroke protocol in many hospitals; however, its clinical utility is still being disputed. Beyond its use in core and penumbra estimation, there is also a question about PCT role in stroke mimics diagnosis. Case series or small, retrospective studies showed equivocal results.

Heterogeneity of histopathological presentation of pilocytic astrocytoma - diagnostic pitfalls. A review.

Pilocytic astrocytomas (PAs) are the most frequent primary astroglial tumours affecting children and adolescents. They occur sporadically or in association with a genetically determined syndrome - neurofibromatosis type 1. Classic PA usually manifests as a well-circumscribed, often cystic, slowly growing tumour, which corresponds to WHO grade I.

Protective effect of valproic acid on cultured motor neurons under glutamate excitotoxic conditions. Ultrastructural study.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that involves the upper and lower motor neurons and leads to the patient's death within 5 years after diagnosis. Approximately 2 per 100,000 people worldwide are affected every year. The only FDA-approved drug available for medical treatment is riluzole.

Ganglion cell tumours in the sella turcica in close morphological connection with pituitary adenomas.

Ganglion cell tumours in the sellar region are uncommon. They are usually associated with pituitary adenomas, while isolated ganglion cell neoplasms are extremely rare. We report the clinicopathological studies of five cases diagnosed as ganglion cell tumours located in the intrasellar region: four mixed/collision tumours composed of gangliocytoma and pituitary adenoma, and one isolated ganglioglioma unrelated to adenoma.

The coexistence of pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma and arteriovenous malformation. A case report.

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) is a rare, low-grade astrocytic tumour corresponding to WHO grade II that is usually diagnosed in adolescents and young adults with epileptic seizures. Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma typically appears as a superficial, often cystic mass lesion predominantly affecting the temporal lobe. Cases with typical pathology and total tumour excision have a favourable prognosis.

[Difficulties in the diagnosis of the first symptoms of brain tumors prehospital delay diagnosis].

Unlabelled: The nervous system tumors pose a current challenge to modern medicine. Diagnosis, established at an early stage of tumor development, increases the chance of the use of radical therapeutic methods, which is associated with better prognosis. The preferred method of treatment of brain tumors is the surgical treatment.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - looking for pathogenesis and effective therapy.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of motor neurons in the spinal cord, brain stem and motor cortex which dramatically reduces life expectancy. ALS occurs either in familial or, more frequently, in sporadic forms. It finally results in death due to respiratory failure that occurs typically 2-5 years after the disease onset.

Neuroprotective effect of erythropoietin in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) model in vitro. Ultrastructural study.

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a chemokine hormone that is widely distributed throughout the body including nervous system. For last years its role as cytokine involved in many physiological processes out of the bone marrow has been suggested. Moreover, it plays a very important role in CNS as potential neuroprotective agent.

CDP-choline protects motor neurons against apoptotic changes in a model of chronic glutamate excitotoxicity in vitro.

Cytidine-5-diphosphocholine (CDP-choline, citicoline) is an endogenous nucleoside involved in generation of phospholipids, membrane formation and its repair. It demonstrates beneficial effects in certain central nervous system injury models, including cerebral ischaemia, neurodegenerative disorders and spinal cord injury. Defective neuronal and/or glial glutamate transport is claimed to contribute to progressive loss of motor neurons (MNs) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Astroglial alterations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) model of slow glutamate excitotoxicity in vitro.

Chronic excitotoxicity mediated through defective glial and/or neuronal glutamate transport may contribute to several neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This study was performed to determine the ultrastructural characteristics of astroglial changes concomitant with motor neuron (MN) degeneration in a model of slow excitotoxicity in vitro. The study was performed on organotypic cultures of rat lumbar spinal cord subjected to the glutamate uptake blockers threohydroxyaspartate (THA) and L-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylate (PDC).

Apoptotic neuronal changes enhanced by zinc chelator--TPEN in organotypic rat hippocampal cultures exposed to anoxia.

Both the neurotoxic and neuroprotective effects of zinc have been well established, but the exact mechanism of its dual abilities still remains unclear. It has been shown that zinc deficiency leads to progressive neuronal injury. Therefore a safe zinc concentration levels seem to be necessary in neuronal protection from different noxious factors.

Hypersexuality in two patients with epilepsy treated with lamotrigine.

Purpose: Lamotrigine (LTG) is a novel anticonvulsant drug that exerts an antiepileptic effect by decreasing glutamate release through inhibition of voltage-sensitive sodium channels. LTG has no effect on serum levels of most female reproductive hormones, but its effect on male reproductive hormones still remains unclear. Improvement in sexual function after LTG treatment has been reported, and could have been caused by reduction of seizures, inhibition of focal discharges, or an unknown effect of LTG on reproductive hormones and protein levels.

Risk factors for depression in patients with epilepsy.

Purpose: Symptoms of depression are present in 40 to 60 percent of patients with epilepsy. Prior research indicated significant correlation between the incidence and frequency of focal seizures and clinical depression, especially in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. Anticonvulsive drugs and psychosocial factors contribute to the occurrence of depression as well.

Meningioma with the unique coexistence of secretory and lipomatous components: a case report with immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study.

Meningiomas exhibit a broad spectrum of differentiation potency corresponding to different histological subtypes. The separate secretory or lipomatous transformation of meningothelial cells is uncommonly encountered in meningiomas classified into distinct secretory or lipomatous variants. The coexistence of these two different histological subtypes is extremely rare.

Autophagic degeneration of motor neurons in a model of slow glutamate excitotoxicity in vitro.

There is increasing evidence that so-called "autophagic cell death" participates in cell degeneration in certain pathological conditions. Autophagy might be involved in some neurodegenerative processes, including lateral amyotrophic sclerosis (SLA). The exact mechanism leading to progressive motor neuron (MN) loss remains unclear, but glutamate-mediated mechanism is thought to be responsible.

Expression of apoptosis-related proteins in model of anoxia in vitro.

There has been growing evidence that different modes of cell death exist, among them the apoptosis is thought to be an important mechanism of nerve cell loss implicated in various pathological states. A number of proteins mediated with apoptotic process have been identified, including p53, BAX, BCL-2 and BCL-X. We examined the expression of proteins related to programmed cell death in hippocampal neurons in vitro, exposed to pure anoxia or pretreated with apoptosis modulating agents: zinc and zinc chelator - TPEN.

The mode of spinal motor neurons degeneration in a model of slow glutamate excitotoxicity in vitro.

The defective glial and/or neuronal glutamate transport may, in chronic neurotoxicity, contribute to several neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)--a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of lower and upper motor neurons (MNs). To determine the detailed ultrastructural characteristics of excitotoxic motor neurons neurodegeneration we used a model of slow excitotoxicity in vitro based on selective inhibition of glutamate uptake. The study was performed on organotypic cultures of the rat lumbar spinal cord subjected to various concentrations of glutamate uptake blockers: threohydroxyaspartate (THA) and L-trans-pyrrolidine-2, 4-dicarboxylate (PDC).