Rathke's cleft cyst with non-hemorrhagic rupture resulting in alteration of signal intensity for a short period: a case report.

In a case of 23-year-old female with Rathke's cleft cyst (RCC), unusual changes with size and morphology on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance images (MRI) were noted in a short period of 3 weeks after spontaneous rupture. The CT noted that the intracystic isodensity was changed to hyperdensity. And MRI showed not only a decrease in size of the lesion but also changing from hypo- and hyperintensity in T1- and T2-weighted images to hyperintensity in both T1- and T2-weighted images.

Symptomatic hemorrhage associated with recurrent pilocytic astrocytoma with granulation tissue--case report.

A 51-year-old woman had been followed up for 10 years for recurrence of pilocytic astrocytoma 5 years after the initial treatment consisting of subtotal resection, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The patient presented with sudden onset of headache and vomiting. Computed tomography and T(2)*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging revealed hemorrhage in the tumor located in the right basal ganglia, thalamus, and hypothalamus.

The role of cerebral cyst formation in the intractability of epilepsy.

Objectives: The aims of the present study were: (1) to examine single focal, intractable epilepsy associated with gliotic changes and (2) to discuss the mechanisms underlying seizure intractability.

Patients And Methods: Records of 34 patients with surgically treated intractable epilepsy were analysed retrospectively. Thirteen out of 34 patients had single epileptic focus histologically identified as a gliotic change.

Unusual progression of pleomorphic adenoma of the lacrimal gland: case report.

A 72-year-old female complained of acute pain on left eye movement followed by progressive exophthalmos. Neuroimaging revealed a large well-demarcated lesion consisting of solid and cystic parts, as well as bone destruction and hemorrhage, within the left orbital cavity. The preoperative diagnosis was pleomorphic adenoma with or without malignant transformation, or cavernous angioma.

Unusual variant of the anterior cerebral artery.

A rare abnormality of the A1 segment of the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) is reported. The right ACA bifurcated into two parts at the middle point of the A1 segment, and these segments did not rejoin. The superior right A1 segment connected with the left A1 and formed a single pericallosal artery.

Brain stem glioblastoma with multiple large cyst formation and leptomeningeal dissemination in a 4-year-old girl.

The authors report a 4-year-old girl who developed brain stem glioblastoma. Meningeal irritation was present at onset. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed intracranial and intraspinal leptomeningeal dissemination, which progressed faster than the original tumor.

[Evaluation of brain tumors by simultaneous dual isotope SPECT with 201Tl-chloride and 99mTc-MIBI].

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is useful for detecting brain tumors. In this study, we evaluated the utility of simultaneous dual SPECT with 201Tl-Chloride (Tl) and 99mTc-MIBI (MIBI) for diagnosis of brain tumors. We evaluated 20 cases, including 2 glioblastomas, 7 anaplastic astrocytomas, 2 oligodendrogliomas, 2 anaplastic ependymomas, 2 medulloblastomas, 2 meningiomas, 1 malignant meningioma, 1 pituitary adenoma, and 1 craniopharyngioma.

Synergistic augmentation of antimicrotubule agent-induced cytotoxicity by a phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor in human malignant glioma cells.

Because the aberrantly activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway renders tumor cells resistant to cytotoxic insults, including those related to anticancer drugs, inhibition of the pathway may possibly restore or augment the effectiveness of chemotherapy. Using the human malignant glioma cell lines U87, A172, LN18, and LN229, we examined effects of the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 on both apoptosis and cytotoxicity induced by chemotherapeutic agents, including antimicrotubule agents vincristine and paclitaxel, an alkylating agent 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, a topoisomerase II inhibitor etoposide, and a DNA cross-linking agent cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum), and we compared the LY294002-induced enhancement of effects of those agents. Ten to 20 micro M LY294002 augmented both apoptosis and caspase 3-like activity caused by antimicrotubule agents to a larger extent than induced by 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, etoposide, and cisplatin in all four malignant glioma cell lines examined.

A new, miniature ultrasonic surgical aspirator with a handpiece designed for transsphenoidal surgery. Technical note.

The authors describe an innovative surgical instrument designed to remove hard fibrous masses from the pituitary region, which cannot be completely removed using standard transsphenoidal surgical procedures. The innovative features of the instrument include a miniature ultrasonic surgical aspirator and an extra-long bayonet handpiece with a 1.9-mm-diameter translucent tip.

Experimental appraisal of the lack of antitumor natural killer cell-mediated immunosurveillance in response to lymphomas growing in the mouse brain.

Object: Natural killer (NK) cell-mediated immunosurveillance in the brain is currently obscure, in contrast with the intracerebral immune reaction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) to tumor cells. The goal of this study, in which a controlled tumor model was used, was to investigate a relationship between NK cells and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class I gene expression in intracerebral tumor-bearing hosts.

Methods: A matched set of two cloned tumor cell lines (lymphoma+ and lymphoma-), which differ only in MHC Class I gene expression, was established from the parental YAC-1 cell line (a target widely accepted as being sensitive to murine NK cells).

Growth inhibition of human malignant glioma cells induced by the PI3-K-specific inhibitor.

Object: The phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted from chromosome 10 (PTEN) functions as a tumor suppressor by negatively regulating the growth/survival signals of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K)/Akt pathway. The PI3-K/Akt pathway in PTEN-deficient tumors may be one of the key targets for anticancer therapy. The authors examined the effects of the PI3-K inhibitor 2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenylchromone (LY294002) on human malignant glioma cells, and compared these effects on PTEN-deficient cells with those on PTEN-wild-type (PTEN-wt) cells.

Integration of ultrasonography and endoscopy into transsphenoidal surgery with a "picture-in-picture" viewing system--technical note.

A technique to integrate ultrasonography and endoscopy is described for transsphenoidal surgery to prevent intraoperative internal carotid artery (ICA)-related, life-threatening complications such as aneurysmal formation and carotid-cavernous fistula. The ultrasound unit helps avoid direct injury to the ICA. The technical advantage of this system is the miniature 1-mm diameter microvascular probe, which does not disturb the operative field.

Experimental validation of deuterium oxide-mediated antitumoral activity as it relates to apoptosis in murine malignant astrocytoma cells.

Object: Deuterium oxide (D2O), or heavy water, affects a variety of biological activities different from those of water. The authors examined the antitumoral effect of D2O on brain neoplasms and demonstrated D2O-mediated cytotoxicity by using a Rous sarcoma virus-induced murine malignant astrocytoma cell line, RSVM. The mechanism of the observed cytotoxicity may involve D2O-induced apoptosis and cell-cycle modulation.