Complications of Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) is an established treatment option for chronic subdural hematoma. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to establish estimates of the pooled incidence for complications following MMAE.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane were searched for studies reporting complications following MMAE through January 2023.

Bivalirudin as a substitute for heparin in neurointervention for patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

Objectives: Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is a known complication of heparin exposure with potentially life-threatening sequelae. Direct thrombin inhibitors can be substituted for heparin in patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia that require anticoagulation. However, the use of direct thrombin inhibitors as a substitute for heparin has not been widely reported in the neuroendovascular literature.

Management of moyamoya disease: a review of current and future therapeutic strategies.

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is characterized by idiopathic, progressive stenosis of the circle of Willis and the terminal portion of the internal carotid arteries with the development of prominent small collateral vessels and a characteristic moyamoya or puff-of-smoke radiographic appearance. The incidence and prevalence of MMD varies by region, age, and sex, with higher rates in Asian and East Asian populations compared to North American or European populations. There is a bimodal distribution of patients diagnosed with MMD.

Holohemispheric Prostate Carcinoma Dural Metastasis Mimicking Subdural Hematoma: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Prostate carcinomas are the most common malignancy to metastasize to the dura. These metastases can commonly mimic subdural hematomas and may similarly present with brain compression. The optimal management and outcomes after surgical management are not well characterized.

Embolization of the internal maxillary artery via open retrograde superficial temporal artery approach.

Sentinel bleeds in head and neck cancer patients present as an ominous symptom often necessitating urgent endovascular embolization. However, this approach can be complicated in patients who have previously undergone head and neck cancer ablation and reconstruction, thus altering the standard arterial vascular supply. Herein we describe an innovative method of internal maxillary artery (IMA) access in a patient with a sentinel bleed who previously underwent proximal external carotid artery (ECA) rerouting for free flap reconstruction.

Analysis of Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke on Nights and Weekends Versus Weekdays at Comprehensive Stroke Centers.

Objective: The "weekend effect" has been shown to affect outcomes in acute ischemic stroke. We sought to compare metrics and outcomes of emergent stroke thrombectomy at three affiliated comprehensive stroke centers on weekdays versus nights/weekends for a three-year period beginning in 2015, when thrombectomy became common practice for large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of all stroke thrombectomy patients treated from 2015 to 2018 to compare standard thrombectomy metrics and outcomes in patients presenting during weekdays or nights/weekends.

Role of Procalcitonin as a Predictor of Clinical Outcome in Acute Diabetic Foot Infections: A Prospective Study.

Background: Prediction of outcome in diabetic foot infection (DFI) remains difficult due to lack of active signs of infection, and apparently normal white blood cell (WBC) count. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) have been studied previously in this regard and were not useful. Hence, we evaluated procalcitonin (PCT) as a prognostic marker in this study.

Robot-assisted resection of pre-sacral schwannoma.

Resection of a giant pre-sacral schwannoma originating from the right S2 nerve in a 22-year-old woman illustrates the potential for robotic surgery. The da Vinci Robot Surgical System facilitates visualization deep in the pelvis and allows for bimanual wristed instrument control to dissect the tumor from surrounding sensitive structures. Neurostimulation to identify critical nerves is possible and complete resection of the tumor can be achieved.

Pentraxins coordinate excitatory synapse maturation and circuit integration of parvalbumin interneurons.

Circuit computation requires precision in the timing, extent, and synchrony of principal cell (PC) firing that is largely enforced by parvalbumin-expressing, fast-spiking interneurons (PVFSIs). To reliably coordinate network activity, PVFSIs exhibit specialized synaptic and membrane properties that promote efficient afferent recruitment such as expression of high-conductance, rapidly gating, GluA4-containing AMPA receptors (AMPARs). We found that PVFSIs upregulate GluA4 during the second postnatal week coincident with increases in the AMPAR clustering proteins NPTX2 and NPTXR.

Parasellar xanthogranulomas.

Object: Xanthogranulomas are rare inflammatory masses most often found in the skin and eye. The incidence of intracranial xanthogranulomas is 1.6%-7%, with those found in the sellar and parasellar region being exceedingly rare and their etiology controversial.

Comparative dynamics of NMDA- and AMPA-glutamate receptor N-terminal domains.

Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) harbor two extracellular domains: the membrane-proximal ligand-binding domain (LBD) and the distal N-terminal domain (NTD). These are involved in signal sensing: the LBD binds L-glutamate, which activates the receptor channel. Ligand binding to the NTD modulates channel function in the NMDA receptor subfamily of iGluRs, which has not been observed for the AMPAR subfamily to date.

AMPA receptor assembly: atomic determinants and built-in modulators.

Glutamate-gated ion channels (iGluRs) predominantly operate as heterotetramers to mediate excitatory neurotransmission at glutamatergic synapses. The subunit composition of the receptors determines their targeting to synaptic sites and signalling properties and is therefore a fundamental parameter for neuronal computations. iGluRs assemble as obligatory or preferential heteromers; the mechanisms underlying this selective assembly are only starting to emerge.

Intrinsic motions in the N-terminal domain of an ionotropic glutamate receptor detected by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.

Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) mediate excitatory neurotransmission in the central nervous system and play key roles in brain development and disease. iGluRs have two distinct extracellular domains, but the functional role of the distal N-terminal domain (NTD) is poorly understood. Crystal structures of the NTD from some non-N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) iGluRs are consistent with a rigid body that facilitates receptor assembly but suggest an additional dynamic role that could modulate signaling.

Unraveling a 146 years old taxonomic puzzle: validation of Malabar snakehead, species-status and its relevance for channid systematics and evolution.

Background: The Malabar snakehead Channa diplogramma is one of the most enigmatic and least understood species within the family Channidae, which comprise one of the most important groups of freshwater food fish in tropical Asia. Since its description from peninsular India in 1865, it has remained a taxonomic puzzle with many researchers questioning its validity, based on its striking similarity with the South East Asian C. micropeltes.

Subunit-selective N-terminal domain associations organize the formation of AMPA receptor heteromers.

The assembly of AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) into distinct ion channel tetramers ultimately governs the nature of information transfer at excitatory synapses. How cells regulate the formation of diverse homo- and heteromeric AMPARs is unknown. Using a sensitive biophysical approach, we show that the extracellular, membrane-distal AMPAR N-terminal domains (NTDs) orchestrate selective routes of heteromeric assembly via a surprisingly wide spectrum of subunit-specific association affinities.

Dynamics and allosteric potential of the AMPA receptor N-terminal domain.

Glutamate-gated ion channels (ionotropic glutamate receptors, iGluRs) sense the extracellular milieu via an extensive extracellular portion, comprised of two clamshell-shaped segments. The distal, N-terminal domain (NTD) has allosteric potential in NMDA-type iGluRs, which has not been ascribed to the analogous domain in AMPA receptors (AMPARs). In this study, we present new structural data uncovering dynamic properties of the GluA2 and GluA3 AMPAR NTDs.

Structural basis of the cross-reactivity of genetically related human anti-HIV-1 mAbs: implications for design of V3-based immunogens.

Human monoclonal antibodies 447-52D and 537-10D, both coded by the VH3 gene and specific for the third variable region (V3) of the HIV-1 gp120, were found to share antigen-binding structural elements including an elongated CDR H3 forming main-chain interactions with the N terminus of the V3 crown. However, water-mediated hydrogen bonds and a unique cation-pi sandwich stacking allow 447-52D to be broadly reactive with V3 containing both the GPGR and GPGQ crown motifs, while the deeper binding pocket and a buried Glu in the binding site of 537-10D limit its reactivity to only V3 containing the GPGR motif. Our results suggest that the design of immunogens for anti-V3 antibodies should avoid the Arg at the V3 crown, as GPGR-containing epitopes appear to select for B cells making antibodies of narrower specificity than V3 that carry Gln at this position.

Electrooculogram based system for computer control using a multiple feature classification model.

This paper discusses the creation of a system for computer-aided communication through automated analysis and processing of electrooculogram signals. In situations of disease or trauma, there may be an inability to communicate with others through standard means such as speech or typing. Eye movement tends to be one of the last remaining active muscle capabilities for people with neurodegenerative disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Transgenic overexpression of galanin in the dorsal root ganglia modulates pain-related behavior.

The neuropeptide galanin is expressed in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and spinal cord and is thought to be involved in the modulation of pain processing. However, its mechanisms of action are complex and poorly understood, as both facilitatory and inhibitory effects have been described. To understand further the role played by galanin in nociception, we have generated two transgenic lines that overexpress galanin in specific populations of primary afferent DRG neurons in either an inducible or constitutive manner.

Sodium channels in primary sensory neurons: relationship to pain states.

Electrophysiological studies of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, and the results of PCR, Northern blot and in situ hybridization analyses have demonstrated the molecular diversity of Na+ channels that operate in sensory neurons. Several subtypes of alpha-subunit have been detected in DRG neurons and transcripts encoding all three beta-subunits are also present. Interestingly, one alpha subunit, Na(v)1.

Flanking regulatory sequences of the locus encoding the murine GDNF receptor, c-ret, directs lac Z (beta-galactosidase) expression in developing somatosensory system.

RET forms the catalytic component within the receptor complex that transmits signals from the GDNF family of neurotrophic factors. To study the mechanisms regulating the cell-type specific expression of this gene, we have cloned and characterised the murine c-ret locus. A cosmid contig comprising approximately 60 kb of the mouse genome encompassing the entire structural gene and flanking sequences have been isolated and the transcription initiation site identified and promoter characterised.