Gamma Knife Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Combination with Bevacizumab for Recurrent Glioblastoma.

Background: Prior retrospective and prospective studies suggest improved survival with the use of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and bevacizumab in the treatment of limited-volume glioblastoma (GBM) recurrences.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our experience with gamma knife SRS in combination with bevacizumab for the treatment of focal GBM recurrence during 2009-2015. Outcomes include overall survival, progression free survival (PFS), and radiation-related adverse events.

Gli1-induced deubiquitinase USP48 aids glioblastoma tumorigenesis by stabilizing Gli1.

Aberrant activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway drives the tumorigenesis of multiple cancers. In this study, we screened a panel of deubiquitinases that may regulate the Hh pathway. We find that deubiquitinase USP48 activates Gli-dependent transcription by stabilizing Gli1 protein.

Prolonged Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption Following Laser Interstitial Ablation in Epilepsy: A Case Series with a Case Report of Postablation Optic Neuritis.

Objective: Laser interstitial thermal therapy has become increasingly popular for targeting epileptic foci in a minimally invasive fashion. Despite its use in >1000 patients, the long-term effects of photothermal injury on brain physiology remain poorly understood.

Methods: We prospectively followed clinical and radiographic courses of 13 patients undergoing laser ablation for focal epilepsy by the senior author (N.

miR-182-5p Induced by STAT3 Activation Promotes Glioma Tumorigenesis.

Malignant glioma is an often fatal type of cancer. Aberrant activation of STAT3 leads to glioma tumorigenesis. STAT3-induced transcription of protein-coding genes has been extensively studied; however, little is known about STAT3-regulated miRNA gene transcription in glioma tumorigenesis.

Crosstalk of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway with other pathways in cancer cells.

Many cancers have similar aberrations in various signaling cascades with crucial roles in cellular proliferation, differentiation, and morphogenesis. Dysregulation of signal cascades that play integral roles during early cellular development is well known to be a central feature of many malignancies. One such signaling cascade is the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which has a profound effect on stem cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation.

Pyogenic cerebral abscesses demonstrating facilitated diffusion.

Objective: Pyogenic cerebral abscesses are associated with high morbidity and mortality when treatment is delayed. Benign clinical presentation, as well as absence of restricted diffusion on MRI may contribute to missed diagnoses and delays. The authors sought to elucidate characteristics associated with facilitated diffusion on the MRIs of patients with pyogenic abscesses.

Emergent treatment of athletes with brain injury.

The focus of this article is the early recognition and emergent treatment of severe or catastrophic traumatic brain injury. The pathophysiology and management of mild traumatic brain injury are reviewed extensively in other sections. Classification of head injuries can be based on anatomic location (epidural, subdural, intraparenchymal), mechanism of injury (coup, contrecoup, linear, rotational), distribution (focal or diffuse), and clinical presentation.

Stereotactic laser ablation of epileptogenic periventricular nodular heterotopia.

Periventricular nodular heterotopia (PVNH) is a neuronal migrational disorder often associated with pharmacoresistant epilepsy (PRE). Resective surgery for PVNH is limited by its deep location, and the overlying eloquent cortex or white matter. Stereotactic MR guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLITT) has recently become available for controlled focal ablation, enabling us to target these lesions.