Clinical presentation and treatment of distal anterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysms.

Aneurysms located at the distal portion of the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) are rare, and their clinical features are not fully understood. We report the clinical features and management of nine distal AICA aneurysms in nine patients treated during the past decade at Kagoshima University Hospital and affiliated hospitals. Our series includes seven women and two men.

Germinoma with syncytiotrophoblastic giant cells arising in the corpus callosum.

A previously healthy 31-year-old Japanese man presented with a very rare germinoma of the corpus callosum without other intracranial lesions manifesting as transitory speech disturbance. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed a heterogeneously enhanced mass in the corpus callosum extending into the cavity of the septum pellucidum. A tumor specimen obtained by stereotactic biopsy revealed a two-cell pattern germinoma containing human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG)-beta-positive giant cells.

Changes in tissue factor and the effects of tissue factor pathway inhibitor on transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats.

Introduction: To determine the contribution of tissue factor (TF) to focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, we investigated the changes in TF in rat brains with transient focal cerebral ischemia and also assessed the effect of TF pathway inhibitor (TFPI).

Materials And Methods: Spontaneous hypertensive rats were subjected to 90-min of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and then were reperfused for up to 24 h. Immediately after MCAO, recombinant human TFPI (rhTFPI) (50 or 20 microg/kg/min) was administered by means of a continuous intravenous injection for 4.

Clinical significance of ABCA2' a possible molecular marker for oligodendrogliomas.

Objective: ABCA2 is a member of the adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette transporter superfamily and is proposed to exert critical functions in the transmembrane transport of endogenous lipids such as myelin. It is expressed predominantly in the cytoplasm of oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells, the myelin-forming cells in the brain and peripheral nerves. Recently, it has been shown that it may be a useful marker for the cellular characterization of vestibular schwannomas.

Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) regulation of the cell viability in PTEN mutant glioblastoma and in vitro inhibition by the specific COX-2 inhibitor NS-398.

We report the increased activity and expression of the ILK protein in human glioblastomas and demonstrate that ILK activity is regulated by PTEN. The transfection of wild type-PTEN into the glioblastoma cell line U-251 MG altered the localization of ILK in the cell membrane; transfection with PTEN down-regulated PKB/Akt-Ser-473 phosphorylation via the inhibition of ILK-signaling. Our results suggest that ILK is critical for the PTEN-sensitive regulation of PKB/Akt-dependent cell survival.

Tumefactive myelinoclastic diffuse sclerosis--case report.

A 6-year-old boy presented with mental disturbance and progressive left hemiparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated large intracranial mass lesions with ring-like enhancement. His neurological condition deteriorated rapidly.

Postoperative regression of desmoplastic infantile gangliogliomas: report of two cases.

Objective And Importance: Desmoplastic infantile gangliogliomas (DIGs) are extremely rare tumors that respond well to treatment. However, their biological behavior remains to be clarified. We describe two patients whose DIGs spontaneously regressed after surgery, without adjuvant therapy.

Inhibition of migration of human glioblastoma cells by cerivastatin in association with focal adhesion kinase (FAK).

To investigate the biological effect of cerivastatin on glioblastoma cells, we exposed them to various concentrations of cerivastatin. Cerivastatin exhibited dual effects on glioblastoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed disruption of actin stress fibers and focal adhesion plaques even at nanomolar concentrations.