Neuropathology and applied neurobiology
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Neuropathol. Appl. Neurobiol. · Feb 2011
ReviewReview: role of cerebral vessels in ischaemic injury of the brain.
This review discusses the pathological changes in the heart and vessels underlying brain ischaemic injury, with a major focus on atherosclerotic disease of the brain induced by lesions of the extracranial cervical and major intracranial arteries and small-vessel disease of the brain. The carotid bifurcation is the primary site for atherosclerotic changes, for which extensive clinical trials and pathological analyses on carotid endarterectomy specimens have been performed. Plaque rupture and erosion give rise to thrombus formation, which leads to brain ischaemic injury. ⋯ Small-vessel disease of the brain induces fibrinoid necrosis, microaneurysm, fibrohyalinosis, lipohyalinosis and microatheroma, changes commonly associated with hypertension. The acute hypertensive small-vessel changes organize to create segmental arterial disorganization and deep small infarcts when they escape from rupture. Some specific vascular diseases responsible for brain ischaemic injury are briefly reviewed also.
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Neuropathol. Appl. Neurobiol. · Dec 2010
Comparative StudyTumour vasculature and angiogenic profile of paediatric pilocytic astrocytoma; is it much different from glioblastoma?
Pilocytic astrocytomas are the most frequent brain tumours in children. Because of their high vascularity, this study aimed to obtain insights into potential angiogenic related therapeutic targets in these tumours by characterization of the vasculature and the angiogenic profile. In this study 59 paediatric pilocytic astrocytomas were compared with 62 adult glioblastomas, as a prototype of tumour angiogenesis. ⋯ Despite the fact that pilocytic astrocytoma showed a different vessel architecture compared with glioblastoma, a critical overlap in vessel immaturity/instability and the angiogenic profile was seen between both tumours. These findings suggest encouraging possibilities for targeting angiogenesis (for instance with anti-VEGF) as a therapeutic strategy in pilocytic astrocytoma.
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Neuropathol. Appl. Neurobiol. · Aug 2010
Effect of hyperoxic resuscitation on propensity of germinal matrix haemorrhage and cerebral injury.
Intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) and cerebral injury are major neurological disorders of premature infants. The effect of hyperoxic resuscitation on the occurrence of IVH and cerebral injury is elusive. Therefore, we asked whether hyperoxia during neonatal resuscitation increased the incidence and severity of IVH and cerebral injury in premature newborns. ⋯ Our data suggest that 100% oxygen exposure for 1 h does not increase the risk of IVH or cerebral injury in premature rabbit pups. Although extrapolating rabbit neural developmental data into humans has obvious limitations, we speculate that hyperoxia of short duration at birth in premature infants may not result in major neurological adverse effects.
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Neuropathol. Appl. Neurobiol. · Aug 2010
Expression of diagnostic neuronal markers and outcome in glioblastoma.
High-grade gliomas featuring giant cells, often demonstrate immunoreactivity for neuronal markers, a finding prognostically significant according to some studies. We investigated this event in glioblastomas (GBM). ⋯ Neuronal marker expression is a frequent feature of GBM. Its prognostic significance is limited to the giant cell GBMs expressing two or more neuronal markers, these being associated with shorter survival.