Microgravity Effects on Glioma Cells: A Comprehensive Review.

High-grade gliomas (HGGs) represent a formidable challenge in neuro-oncology due to their aggressive nature and resistance to current therapeutic interventions, which include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and emerging immunotherapies. Despite these efforts, the prognosis for patients remains poor, emphasizing the urgent need for novel treatment strategies. One promising avenue of exploration is microgravity, a condition experienced during spaceflight and simulated in laboratories on Earth, which induces significant physiological changes in cells and tissues.

IMProve-DURA: Investigations of Molecular Patient Profiles and Anatomical Cadaveric Characteristics of the Dura Mater-A Pilot Study Protocol.

Background: The dura mater, a fibrous membrane protecting the brain and spinal cord, is prone to lacerations during spinal surgery, often leading to complications such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage. Anatomical differences in the spinal dura mater, particularly in regions under high biomechanical stress, suggest that chronic inflammatory processes may compromise its structural integrity. This pilot study investigates the molecular and anatomical characteristics of the spinal dura mater, focusing on its response to inflammation and the challenges of surgical repair.

Pre-treatment DTI markers: predicting clinical outcomes in microvascular decompression for classic trigeminal neuralgia - a systematic review.

Background And Purpose: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a severe chronic pain condition, typically affecting patients over 50-year-old, caused by the compression of the nerve at the root entry zone (REZ) by blood vessels. While the diagnosis is clinical, advanced imaging like diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is crucial to identify underlying causes and assessing nerve damage. DTI may help develop neuroimaging markers to improve understanding of TN and predict surgical outcomes.

The role of MRgFUS in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders: a state of the art.

Introduction: Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is a contemporary non-invasive ablative procedure that utilizes high- or low-intensity ultrasound, guided and monitored by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While MRgFUS has been established as an effective treatment for conditions like essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease, it has recently emerged as a safe and promising ablative minimally invasive procedure for the management of treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders. Indeed, despite the availability of various pharmacological and behavioral therapies, a subset of psychiatric patients remains refractory to conventional treatments.

Alterations of the Glymphatic System in Glioblastomas: A Systematic Review.

Background/aim: The glioblastomas, aggressive brain tumors with a poor prognosis, have drawn interest in their interaction with the glymphatic system-an emerging brain drainage network. This review explores the relationship between glioblastomas and the glymphatic system, aiming to elucidate their impact on disease progression. The aim of the study was to address the alterations in the glymphatic system in the presence of glioblastoma, and their implications for disease pathogenesis and prognosis.

Nuclear medicine imaging modalities to detect incidentalomas and their impact on patient management: a systematic review.

Purpose: This systematic review aims to investigate the role of nuclear imaging techniques in detecting incidentalomas and their impact on patient management.

Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted from February to May 2022. Studies in English involving patients undergoing nuclear medicine studies with incidental tumor findings were included.

Hypothalamic Hemangioma-like Pilocytic Astrocytoma in an Adult Patient: A Systematic Review with a Focus on Differential Diagnosis and Neurological Presentation.

Pilocytic astrocytoma (PCA) are commonly observed as slow-growing noncancerous brain tumors in pediatric populations, but they can also occur in adults, albeit rarely. When located in diencephalic regions, particularly in the hypothalamus, they present unique diagnostic and management challenges due to their rarity and overlapping clinical and radiological features with other intracranial pathologies. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of hypothalamic PCA in adults, focusing on their differential diagnosis, neurological presentation, diagnostic modalities, treatment strategies.

No evidence of Fabry disease in a patient with the new p.Met70Val GLA gene variant.

Background: Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by variants in GLA gene leading to deficient α-galactosidase A enzyme activity. This deficiency leads to the accumulation of glycosphingolipids, particularly globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), in various tissues and organs, which can result in life-threatening complications. The clinical presentation of the disease can vary from the "classic" phenotype with pediatric onset and multi-organ involvement to the "later-onset" phenotype, which presents with predominantly cardiac symptoms.

Multiple Abdominal abscesses following ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement in an immunosuppressed patient: An illustrative case.

Background: Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement is one of the most performed procedures in neurosurgery to treat various types of hydrocephalus (HC). Immediate or late postoperative complications may quite commonly occur, especially in immunosuppressed patients, who are predisposed to develop rare and difficult-to-treat conditions.

Case Description: Herein, we report the case of a 41-year-old female patient with a prior history of acute myeloid leukemia, followed by a tetra-ventricular acute HC due to a spontaneous non-aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Large Skull Metastasis in Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma: A Comprehensive Case Presentation and Systematic Review.

Background:  Skull metastases from follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) are infrequent but clinically significant, often presenting with localized pain, neurologic deficits, and cranial nerve dysfunction. Early detection and accurate diagnosis pose challenges due to their asymptomatic nature in some cases.

Methods:  A systematic literature review, conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, identified and analyzed 15 relevant studies focusing on large skull metastases in FTC.

Intraventricular Cerebral Metastases: A Comprehensive Systematic Review.

Background/aim: Intraventricular cerebral metastases (IVCM) are a rare but clinically significant subset of brain metastases. This systematic review aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of IVCM by synthesizing current literature on epidemiology, clinical presentation, imaging features, pathophysiology, and treatment options.

Materials And Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted, identifying 11 relevant studies encompassing 11 studies encompassing 842 IVCM cases.

DNAJB11 Mutation in ADPKD Patients: Clinical Characteristics in a Monocentric Cohort.

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is a late-onset cilia-related disorder, characterized by progressive cystic enlargement of the kidneys. It is genetically heterogeneous with and pathogenic variants identified in approximately 78% and 15% of families, respectively. More recently, additional ADPKD genes, such as , have been identified and included in the diagnostic routine test for renal cystic diseases.

The Use of Intraoperative Microvascular Doppler in Vascular Neurosurgery: Rationale and Results-A Systematic Review.

Surgical treatment of neurovascular lesions like intracranial aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and arteriovenous dural fistulas is still associated with high morbidity. Several recent studies are providing increasing insights into reliable tools to improve surgery and reduce complications. Inadvertent vessel compromise and incomplete occlusion of the lesion represent the most possible complications in neurovascular surgery.

Improving mixed-reality neuronavigation with blue-green light: a comparative multimodal laboratory study.

Objective: This study aimed to rigorously assess the accuracy of mixed-reality neuronavigation (MRN) in comparison with magnetic neuronavigation (MN) through a comprehensive phantom-based experiment. It introduces a novel dimension by examining the influence of blue-green light (BGL) on MRN accuracy, a previously unexplored avenue in this domain.

Methods: Twenty-nine phantoms, each meticulously marked with 5-6 fiducials, underwent CT scans as part of the navigation protocol.

The role of extended reality in eloquent area lesions: a systematic review.

Objective: The surgical approach to lesions near eloquent areas continues to represent a challenge for neurosurgeons, despite all of the sophisticated tools currently used. The goal of surgery in eloquent areas is to maintain a good oncofunctional balance, that is, to preserve neurological function and ensure maximum tumor resection. Among all the available tools, extended reality (used to describe both virtual reality [VR] and mixed reality) is rapidly gaining a pivotal role in such delicate lesions, especially in preoperative planning, and recently, even during the surgical procedure.

Fluoroscopy-Assisted Freehand Versus 3D-Navigated Imaging-Assisted Pedicle Screw Insertion: A Multicenter Study.

Introduction: Pedicle screw placement is a widely accepted surgical procedure for spinal fixation. Despite increases in knowledge about and expertise in pedicle screw insertion techniques, overall reported screw misplacement rates are still high. Spinal neuronavigation and intraoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging improves the accuracy and safety of pedicle screw placement through the continuous monitoring of screw trajectory.

Pedicle Screw Placement Aided by C-Arm Fluoroscopy: A "Nevermore without" Technology to Pursue Optimal Spine Fixation.

The surgical technique and the intraoperative technology that support spinal pedicle screw placement have consistently evolved over the past decades to decrease the misplacement rate of pedicle screws. We retrospectively evaluated our case series by analyzing the period 2016-2020. Patients undergoing pedicle screw fixation for cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spine degenerative diseases have been included.

An Insight into the Prospects and Drawbacks of Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injuries: Ongoing Trials and Future Directions.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating neurological disorder that has a substantial detrimental impact on a person's quality of life. The estimated global incidence of SCI is 40 to 80 cases per million people and around 90% of cases are traumatic. Various etiologies can be recognized for SCI, and post-traumatic SCI represents the most common of these.

The Role of Augmented Reality Neuronavigation in Transsphenoidal Surgery: A Systematic Review.

In the field of minimally invasive neurosurgery, microscopic transsphenoidal surgery (MTS) and endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery (ETS) have been widely accepted as a safe approach for pituitary lesions and, more recently, their indications have been extended to lesions at various skull base regions. It is mandatory during transsphenoidal surgery (TS) to identify key anatomical landmarks in the sphenoid sinus and distinguish them from the lesion. Over the years, many intraoperative tools have been introduced to improve the neuronavigation systems aiming to achieve safer and more accurate neurosurgical interventions.

Remote intracerebral hemorrhage following craniotomy for an intracerebral hematoma: A case report.

Remote intracerebral hemorrhage (RICH) is a rare yet highly consequential complication that can occur after a craniotomy performed for the evacuation of an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). In this case report, we present the clinical details of a 74-year-old female patient who underwent a supratentorial craniotomy to address an ICH, and subsequently developed RICH. A 74-year-old woman was admitted to our department with a severe headache, onset of dysarthria, and left-sided brachio-crural hemiparesis.