Patient satisfaction with nursing after surgery due to cervical or lumbar discopathy.

Background: Relationships between patient satisfaction with nursing and patient clinical data have not been fully resolved in a Polish sample. Our objectives were to determine clinical factors associated with patient satisfaction with nursing and investigate differences between patients treated surgically for cervical or lumbar discopathy and degenerative changes.

Material And Methods: This prospective and cross-sectional study included 63 consecutively selected patients treated surgically for lumbar discopathy and degenerative spine disease and 41 patients undergoing surgery for cervical discopathy and degenerative spine disease from 1st June 2009 to 31st September 2010 in the Department of Neurosurgery and Neurotraumatology of Poznan University of Medical Sciences.

Synovial cysts of the lumbar spine.

Background And Purpose: Synovial cysts of the spine occur most frequently in the lumbosacral region. Methods of treatment vary, but in cases of chronic pain or neurological deficits surgical intervention is undertaken. The aim of this paper is to present indications, surgical technique and efficacy of surgical treatment in patients with synovial cyst of the spinal canal.

[Symptomatic vertebral hemangioma related to pregnancy. A case report].

Hemangioma is the most common primary tumor of the spine. Pregnancy is a risk factor increasing the possibility of disclosure or exacerbation of symptoms of spinal hemangioma. This paper presents a case of 32-year-old woman with hemangioma of Th6 vertebrae, which was revealed by paresis of the lower limbs and sphincters dysfunction at 34 weeks gestation.

Surgical treatment of symptomatic vertebral haemangiomas.

Background And Purpose: Vertebral haemangiomas are relatively common, benign vascular lesions; symptomatic ones that cause spinal cord compression are rare, however. Only 0.9-1.

Nucleic acid-based technologies in therapy of malignant gliomas.

Malignant gliomas are the deadliest brain tumors, which are characterized by highly invasive growth, a rampant genetic instability and intense resistance to apoptosis. Such an aggressive behavior of malignant gliomas is reflected in the resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy and weak prognosis in spite of cytoreduction through surgery. Brain tumors preferentially express a number of specific protein and RNA markers, that may be exploited as potential therapeutic targets in design of the new treatment modalities based on nucleic acids.

Promising human brain tumors therapy with interference RNA intervention (iRNAi).

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common type of malignant gliomas, characterized by genetic instability, intratumoral histopathological variability and unpredictable clinical behavior. Disappointing results in the treatment of gliomas with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have fuelled a search for new treatment modalities. Malignant gliomas express preferentially a number of surface markers that may be exploited as therapeutic targets, such as tenascin-C (TN-C), an extracellular matrix glycoprotein that contributes to tumor cell adhesion, invasion, migration and proliferation.

A multivariate analysis of patients with brain tumors treated with ATN-RNA.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common form of malignant glioma, characterized by genetic instability, intratumoral histopathological variability, and unpredictable clinical behavior. Malignant gliomas express preferentially a number of surface markers that may be exploited as therapeutic targets, such as tenascin-C, an extracellular matrix glycoprotein contributes to tumor cell adhesion, invasion, migration and proliferation. Disappointing results in the treatment of gliomas with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have fuelled a search for new treatment modalities.

Application of internal stabilisation in the surgical treatment of spinal metastases.

Background And Purpose: Neoplastic disease damages the spine more often than trauma. Metastatic tumour causes vertebral column instability and neurological deficit. Surgical intervention indications depend on the patient's general and neurological status.

Surgical treatment of spinal instability: a clinical analysis of 196 cases.

Fixation of the spine, consisting in surgical stiffening of vertebrae at various levels, was performed in 196 cases during the period 1995-1999 in the Department and Clinic of Neurosurgery at the Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences in Poznań. In all these cases there was damage to nerve structures, spinal cord and/or nerve roots, accompanied by spinal instability, resulting mainly from injuries (144 cases), less frequently from neoplastic diseases (24 cases), degenerative diseases (21 cases), or other causes (7 cases). There were 154 males and 42 females ranging in age from to 69 years (mean age 37,82 +/- 15,10).

[Surgical treatment of spondylitic spine with transpedicular stabilisation].

Background And Purpose: Widespread use of antibiotics resulted in considerable reduction of spondylitis, but despite that progress there are some cases where conservative treatment has failed. In these patients surgical intervention should be carefully considered. Early surgery in patients with increasing neurological deficits causes the uncertainty which exists in relation to possible complications.

Suppression of human brain tumor with interference RNA specific for tenascin-C.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) accounts for approximately 12-15% of intracranial neoplasms. The GBM remains refractory to therapy because of tumor heterogeneity, local invasion, and non-uniform vascular permeability to drugs. Patients with GBM have the median survival of approximately 8-10 months, and for those cases where tumor recurs, the average time of tumor progression after therapy is only eight weeks.

Analysis of structure and function of tenascin-C.

Tenascin-C is a multidomain large extracellular matrix glycoprotein composed of six monomers. The size of tenascin-C monomers (180-250 kDa) varies as a result of an alternative splicing of the fibronectin repeats at the pre-mRNA level. For the first time we applied bioinformatic and molecular modeling procedures, for detailed analysis of the organization of tenascin-C and we performed bioinformatic analysis of tenascin-C gene.

[The indications for occipito-cervical fixation. A report of three cases].

Lesions of the cranio-vertebral junction which affect bony structures and ligaments may cause instability and compression of the nervous and vascular structures. The goal of surgery is decompression of these structures and stabilization. The paper presents indications for performing the stabilisation procedure with CCD implementation in three patients suffering respectively from rheumatoid arthritis and neoplastic disease.

The diagnosis and therapy of brain tumours.

Neoplasms arising from glial cells make up the most common group of primary brain tumors. The clinical outcome, especially the survival rates of the patients with brain tumours depend on tumour grade expressing its malignancy. A prognosis for glioblastomas (WHO IV) is very poor, but for astrocytomas (WHO I and II) it is relatively favourable.

A simple epigenetic method for the diagnosis and classification of brain tumors.

The new, simple, and reliable method for the diagnosis of brain tumors is described. It is based on a TLC quantitative determination of 5-methylcytosine (m(5)C) in relation to its damage products of DNA from tumor tissue. Currently, there is evidence that oxidative stress through reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays an important role in the etiology and progression of several human diseases.

[Acute cervical epidural hematoma as a complication of anterior cervical C5-C6 diskectomy. A case report].

A 32 year-old woman with cervico-brachial pain and progressive neurological disorders was admitted to the Department and Clinic of Neurosurgery and Neurotraumatology of the K. Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences in Poznań. Neurological examination revealed right hemiparesis with muscular atrophy in the right upper limb, progressing in the past 3 months.

[Acrylic bone cement use for internal spondylodesis in neurosurgical operations].

Vertebral column stabilization relying on performing of surgical internal spondylodesis with acrylic bone cement (methylmethacrylate, MMA) was carried out in 27 cases treated surgically in Department and Clinic of Neurosurgery in Poznań from 1996 to 1999. The age of patients was 16-69 (mean age 50.29 +/- 15.

[Dysontogenetic tumors of the vertebral column].

13 patients were managed surgically for dysontogenetic tumours of vertebral column between 1970 and 1997. 6 males and 7 females aged from 3 to 45 years (average age = 28.46 +/- SD 12.

[Lipid image in glioblastoma multiforme].

Changes in the content and composition of lipids in brain tumours of different degree of malignancy are still the subject of numerous scientific studies. It is known that in developing brain tumours structural and functional changes of its cells, take place, in which lipids play a crucial role. The examination of the lipid spectrum was conducted in a material extracted from tumour adjacent areas (by means of fenestration) as well as from tumours themselves in 11 patients (mean age 56.

[8-oxoguanosine as a marker of neoplastic process in brain].

Reactive oxygen species are toxic and cancerogenic factors to living organisms. They are suggested to cause DNA damage (modification) that triggers cancer development. It seems that oxidative damage product 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG) which induces transversion of G to T could be a good chemical marker for cancerogenesis.

[Lumbar disk herniation treated by microsurgery].

Microsurgical technique was applied in 46 cases of lumbar disc herniation in the years 1993-1994. The group comprised 17 women and 29 men aged 17-46 years (mean age 39.54 +/- 8.

[Vertebral column primary neoplasms].

Clinical analysis was carried out in 53 cases treated surgically because of primary vertebral column neoplasms in Department of Neurosurgery in Poznań between 1976-1995. Plasmocytoma solitaire (9 cases), angioma (5 cases), osteoblastoma (4 cases) and aneurysmal bone cysts (4 cases) were observed most frequently. Neoplasms localization was as follows: cranio-vertebral junction (4 cases), cervical segment (14 cases), thoracic (23 cases) and lumbo-sacral segments (12 cases).

[Transpedicular stabilization in spinal and vertebral column injuries in thoracic and lumbar spine segments].

The authors present their own experience in application of transpedicular internal stabilization of the thoracic and lumbar spine. Clinical analysis was carried out in a group of 12 patients after vertebral column and spinal trauma managed surgically in the Department of Neurosurgery in Poznań between 1.06.

[Metastatic vertebral tumors diagnosed by percutaneous needle biopsy].

The purpose of this paper is to establish diagnostic value of percutaneous needle biopsy in patients with vertebral tumours treated in Department of Neurosurgery in Poznań between 1975 and 1996. Radiological examinations: X-rays, plain X-rays, CT and MR, demonstrated vertebral destruction and allowed needle biopsy performance. The most frequent destruction was observed in thoracic region (45% of cases), rarely--in sacral bone (5%).

[Large intracranial tumors invading skull base].

Large intracranial tumours (diameter > 4.5 cm) invading skull base are not frequent. In Department of Neurosurgery in Poznań 22 patients were operated on between 1977-1966.