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Introduction: The discovery of the relationship between immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and gut microbiota has highlighted gut microbiota as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for ICI treatment. In this study, the effectiveness of anti-PD-1 (programed cell death protein) treatment in brain tumor-bearing mice treated with antibiotics and Bifidobacterium will be examined. Method: Mice in the antibiotic group were treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics before tumor implantation. Mice in the treatment group received 5 doses of anti-PD1 intraperitoneally. Bifidobacterium is administered to mice by oral gavage for 7 doses. Mice were monitored daily after tumor implantation and sacrificed when they met the euthanasia criteria. Results: Antibiotic-treated mice (group 2) did not show a significant increase in survival rates when they received anti-PD1 (group 4) (mean survival days: Abx 15±0.6; Abx + anti-PD1 17±0.9). However, antibiotic-treated mice showed a significant increase in survival rates when they received both anti-PD1 and Bifidobacterium (group 5) when compared to only antibiotic-treated mice (group 2) (mean survival days: Abx 15±0.6; Abx + anti-PD1 + bifido 18±0.5, p<0.005 by t-test). Conclusion: The effect of intestinal microbiota on anti-PD1 treatment response was examined for the first time in a melanoma brain metastasis model. The results of our study show that gut microbiota can influence immunotherapy response in melanoma brain metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Gamma knife is a stereotactic radiosurgical technique that focuses radiation on a specific target in the brain using 192 or 201 different Co60 sources. Because gamma knife is an effective and safe treatment, it is widely used for treating acoustic neuroma. In this study, patients with acoustic neuroma who were treated using gamma knife were reviewed, and the effectiveness and its side effects of the treatment were assessed. Methods: Patients with acoustic neuroma who underwent gamma knife between August 2014 and May 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Magnetic resonance (MR) images of the brain before and after the treatment for every 3 months were assessed. In addition, during that period, clinical follow-up records were reviewed. Results: During the study period, 18 patients (11 males and seven females) were treated. Median age was 56 years (38-72 years). Lesion were present on the left side in 14 (78%), intracanalicular extensions in 15 (83%), and brainstem compressions in four (22%) patients were observed. The median tumor volume before gamma knife was 1.94 cm3 (0.25-14 cm3). The median treatment dose was 12.5 Gy (12-13 Gy). Median follow-up duration was 4 months (1-8 months). Of the 18 patients, the lesion size decreased in three, increased in one, and remained stable in 14. Only one patient (%6) developed hemiparesthesia, which resolved after steroid treatments. Conclusion: Gamma knife is an effective and safe treatment for treating patients with acoustic neuroma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormalities in proto-oncogene B-Raf (BRAF) are typical in several subgroups of gliomas, including pilocytic astrocytomas, optic nerve gliomas, pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas (PXA), anaplastic PXAs and gangliogliomas. However, they are rarely reported in adult gliomas. BRAF alterations are frequent in a distinct variant of glioblastomas (GBMs) known as epithelioid GBMs (E-GBMs). There are limited studies on whether immunohistochemistry (IHC) can be used to determine the presence of BRAF VE1 mutations in these tumors. The aim of the current study was to examine BRAF V600E mutations in 20 GBMs, including GBMs with epithelioid features, giant cell GBMs and conventional GBMs. V600 mutations were detected using the Cobas 4800 BRAF V600 Mutation Test, and IHC analysis was also performed. Of the 6 cases of GBM with epithelioid features, 1 exhibited a BRAF V600E mutation, while the other cases did not. IHC staining was positive in 3 out of the 8 conventional GBMs. Vemurafenib is a targeted therapy that has mainly been used for the treatment of melanoma patients for several years, and as a possible alternative treatment for cases of GBM harboring BRAF mutations, its existence may make testing for BRAF status important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verapamil, a calcium-channel blocker, has shown promising results on cerebral vasospasm. However, it has not yet been accepted for treatment or prevention purposes because of the associated side effects. Although the effective results of nimodipine and nicardipine's intrathecal administration are well known, intrathecal verapamil has not been considered earlier. We used an experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage–induced vasospasm model for the evaluation of vasodilator and neuroprotective effects of intrathecal verapamil. A total of 24 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following 3 groups: group 1 (sham), group 2 (subarachnoid hemorrhage), and group 3 (verapamil). A double hemorrhage method was used. Group 2 did not receive any treatment. Verapamil (Eporon, Dem Ilac, Turkey) at a dose of 1000 μg/kg was given intrathecally to group 3 rats. The animals were euthanized on day 7 of the procedure. Arterial wall thickness and lumen diameter in the basilar arterial cross-sectional areas, endothelin-1 serum level, oxidative stress index, and apoptosis were measured in all groups. In the verapamil group, wall thickness, endothelin-1 level, oxidative stress index, and apoptosis were found to be significantly lower than the subarachnoid hemorrhage group, but the lumen diameter was found to be greater. Intrathecal verapamil was found to decrease vasospasm parameters and apoptosis and increase the antioxidant and antiapoptotic pathways. Our findings suggest that intrathecal verapamil can prevent vasospasm, oxidative stress, and apoptosis after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Brain biopsy is a commonly used method for diagnosing deeply located or generalized intraparenchymal brain lesions and determining the further treatment options. A number of comparative studies have been performed with open surgical biopsy, framed or frameless biopsy methods. In this study, we shared the results of the framless neuronavigation assisted biopsy in our clinic and diagnostic sensitivity of this method. Methods: Twenty-four cases of frameless neuronavigation assisted biopsy for cerebral intraparenchymal lesions between 2014 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Seven cases had thalamic and 1 case had hypothalamic deep masses. Four cases had deeply located lesions on eloquent brain areas, 6 patients had diffuse lesions passing to the opposite cerebral hemisphere. Five cases had multiple cerebral masses and 1 case had exophytic mass originating from brainstem. Results: Histopathologic diagnosis in 14 of 24 cases was grade IV glial tumor, diffuse grade III glial tumor in 1 and diffuse grade II glial tumor in 2. Histopathologic diagnosis of 5 cases were reported as B-cell lymphoma, whereas 1 case was reported as having gastrointestinal system metastasis. In one case, the diagnosis could not be made despite the biopsy was performed twice. The mitotic index (ki-67) showing tumor aggressiveness was 28.43% and range was 1-90%. Twenty three of the 24 patients had a definite histopathological diagnosis and 1 patient had no histopathological diagnosis. Conclusion: Frameless neuronavigation assisted brain biopsy is one of the most sensitive, safe and easy to perform stereotactic biopsy methods. The method which will be used with high accuracy and planning of biopsy require surgical experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Factor H acts as an inhibitory molecule in the complement activation pathways. Certain cancers express Factor H to escape the harmful features of the immune system. Here, we carried out high-throughput docking to determine a candidate inhibitor for Factor H-C3d binding. Hypothetically, the candidate inhibitor may serve as a possible additional therapeutic for certain cancers including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Method: Two approaches to computer-aided drug discovery were used. "Heuristic method" employed Factor H's binding pocket to construct counterpart molecules. "Comprehensive strategy" screened existing libraries for a potential inhibitor. Possible inhibitor molecules (target leads) were obtained from the Zinc20 database for the in silico, virtual screening purpose. Molecules that pass the Kd threshold were further analyzed by Molecular Dynamics simulations. Results: Three molecules were identified to be a suitable fit to inhibit Factor H in silico settings after a detailed investigation using both Heuristic and Comprehensive approaches. The molecule AQKQ had the smallest overall Root-mean-square deviation value. Molecule ARRE provided the best total energy (62,675 kJ/mol) for the system environment among the MD simulations performed. AQKQ-Factor H binding had the lowest energy with 24,852 kJ/mol. Wander will binding was shown to be higher for this molecule (23,724 kJ/mol). Following AQKQ, ARRE and THRS also displayed good binding energies (62,675 kJ/mol and 29,415 kJ/mol respectively). Conclusion: The findings of this study point to the possibility of using three compounds as a cancer therapeutic. Although the compounds demonstrated excellent binding abilities, their effectivity on cell level is still unclear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Meningiomas are the most common primary brain tumors in adults. The diagnosis of meningioma can be made using magnetic resonance imaging of brain. However, there are difficulties differentiating the grades of the tumor, which is important for choosing the right treatment (follow, surgical resection, Gamma Knife) and extent of tumor resection if surgery is preferred. However, there is no established method for meningioma grading. Although the expression of c-MYC, FABP7, GATA4, and MAOB have been investigated in meningioma tissues, their expression in serum has not been described. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the role of liquid biopsy by investigating the expression of these genes in meningioma patients. Method: Twenty patients who underwent surgical resection of intracranial meningiomas were enrolled. Tumor and serum samples were obtained during the surgery. Real time polymerase chain reaction was performed to assess the expression of FABP7, GATA-4, c-MYC, and MAOB in tumor tissue and in serum. Patients' clinical data including age, gender, radiological findings, simpson grade were retrospectively collected. Results: The expression levels of FABP7 and MAOB in serum of meningioma patients were significantly higher than healthy controls (p<0.05). The expression levels of MAOB in serum of grade 2 meningioma were significantly higher than those with grade 1 (p=0.032). MAOB, c-MYC and GATA4 genes were expressed significantly higher (p=0.031, p=0.041, p=0.003, respectively) in tumor tissues from grade 2 meningioma patients compared to grade 1. We did not observe any of these genes to be correlated with patients' clinical data and local tumor control. Conclusion: Our results suggested that expressions of FABP7 and MAOB genes in serum could be implemented as diagnostic marker for meningiomas. However, further studies are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]