Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 2013
Surgical management of multicentric diffuse low-grade gliomas: functional and oncological outcomes: clinical article.
Multicentric diffuse low-grade gliomas (DLGGs) are defined as widely separated lesions in different lobes or hemispheres where there is no anatomical continuity between lesions. This condition is rare and its clinicopathological characteristics have been scarcely described in the literature. Here, the authors report the first consecutive surgical series of multicentric DLGGs with functional and oncological outcomes. ⋯ Multicentric DLGGs can be removed safely without inducing severe permanent neurological deficits. Interestingly, a single-stage resection of multiple lesions within different lobes may be performed if tumors are located in the same hemisphere. Therefore, the authors suggest considering surgery as the first therapeutic option for multicentric DLGGs, as in solitary DLGGs.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 2013
Detection of β-amyloid oligomers as a predictor of neurological outcome after brain injury.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is known to be a risk factor for Alzheimer-like dementia. In previous studies, an increase in β-amyloid (Aβ) monomers, such as β-amyloid 42 (Aβ42), in the CSF of patients with TBI has been shown to correlate with a decrease in amyloid plaques in the brain and improved neurological outcomes. In this study, the authors hypothesized that the levels of toxic high-molecular-weight β-amyloid oligomers are increased in the brain and are detectable within the CSF of TBI patients with poor neurological outcomes. ⋯ Detection of β-amyloid oligomers may someday become a useful clinical tool for determining injury severity and neurological outcomes in patients with TBI.
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Journal of neurosurgery · Jun 2013
Improvement in functional recovery with administration of Cerebrolysin after experimental closed head injury.
Cerebrolysin is a unique peptide preparation that mimics the action of neurotrophic factors. This study was designed to investigate the effects of acute treatment of experimental closed head injury (CHI) in rats with Cerebrolysin on neurological function. ⋯ Acute Cerebrolysin treatment improves functional recovery in rats after CHI. Cerebrolysin is neuroprotective for CHI (increased neurons in the dentate gyrus and the CA3 regions of the hippocampus and increased neuroblasts in the dentate gyrus) and may preserve axonal integrity in the striatum (significantly increased percentage of pNF-H-positive tissue in the striatum). Reduction of MMP-9 and elevation of VEGF likely contribute to enhancement of vascular patency and integrity as well as neuronal survival induced by Cerebrolysin. These promising results suggest that Cerebrolysin may be a useful treatment in improving the recovery of patients with CHI.