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Intravital or multiphoton microscopy and laser-speckle imaging have become popular because they allow live monitoring of several processes during cerebral ischemia. Available rodent models have limitations for these experiments; e.g., filament occlusion of the proximal middle cerebral artery (MCA) is difficult to perform under a microscope, whereas distal occlusion methods may damage the MCA and the peri-arterial cortex. We found that placement of a 10% FeCl3-soaked filter paper strip (0.3 × 1 mm2) on the duramater over the trunk of the distal MCA through a cranial window for 3 minutes induced intraarterial thrombus without damaging the peri-arterial cortex in the mouse. This caused a rapid regional cerebral blood flow decrease within 10 minutes and total occlusion of the MCA segment under the filter paper in 17±2 minutes, which resulted in a typical cortical infarct of 27±4 mm3 at 24 hours and moderate sensorimotor deficits. There was no significant hemispheric swelling or hemorrhage or mortality at 24 hours. Reperfusion was obtained in half of the mice with tissue plasminogen activator, which allowed live monitoring of clot lysis along with restoration of tissue perfusion and MCA flow. In conclusion, this relatively simple and noninvasive stroke model is easy to perform under a microscope, making it suitable for live imaging and thrombolysis studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Synthetic MRI (SyMRI) enables to quantify brain tissue and morphometry. We aimed to investigate the WM and myelin alterations in patients with unilateral hippocampal sclerosis (HS) with SyMRI. Methods: Adult patients with isolated unilateral HS and age-matched control subjects (CSs) were included in this study. The SyMRI sequence QRAPMASTER in the coronal plane perpendicular to the hippocampi was obtained from the whole brain. Automatic segmentation of the whole brain was processed by SyMRI Diagnostic software (Version 11.2). Two neuroradiologists also performed quantitative analyses independently from symmetrical 14 ROIs placed in temporal and extratemporal WM, hippocampi, and amygdalae in both hemispheres. Results: Sixteen patients (F/M = 6/10, mean age = 32.5 ± 11.3 years; right/left HS: 8/8) and 10 CSs (F/M = 5/5, mean age = 30.7 ± 7 years) were included. Left HS patients had significantly lower myelin and WM volumes than CSs (p <.05). Myelin was reduced significantly in the ipsilateral temporal lobe of patients than CSs, greater in left HS (p <.05). Histopathological examination including luxol fast blue stain also revealed myelin pallor in all of 6 patients who were operated. Ipsilateral temporal pole and sub-insular WM had significantly reduced myelin than the corresponding contralateral regions in patients (p <.05). No significant difference was found in WM values. GM values were significantly lower in hippocampi in patients than CSs (p <.05). Conclusion: SyMRI revealed myelin reduction in the ipsilateral temporal lobe and sub-insular WM of patients with HS. Whether this finding correlates with electrophysiological features and SyMRI could serve as lateralization of temporal lobe epilepsy need to be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the efficacy of immunohistochemical methods to determine molecular subgroups and prognostic predictions of medulloblastomas (MBs)., Material and Methods: β-catenin, GAB1, YAP1, filamin A and p53 were immunohistochemically stained, and MYC and MYCN fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) procedures were applied to 218 cases in our series., Results: Based on the histomorphological characteristics of the cases, 67.9% were deemed classic MB; 15.6% as desmoplastic/ nodular medulloblastoma (DNMB); 12.8% as large cell/anaplastic (LC/A) MB; 3.7% as medulloblastoma with extensive nodularity (MBEN). Molecular characteristics revealed that 50.5% had non-WNT/non-SHH; 33.9% had SHH-activated and TP53-wildtype; 8.7% had WNT-activated; 6.9% had SHH-activated and TP53-mutant. According to the survival curves, LC/A MBs or non-WNT/ non-SHH tumors showed the worst prognosis, whereas DNMBs and WNT-activated tumors showed the best prognosis. Classic MBs or SHH-activated tumors showed a moderate course. MYCN amplification was found to act as an independent poor prognostic factor in the study., Conclusion: The distribution of histological subtypes and molecular subgroups, amplification rates, and prognostic data obtained through immunohistochemical methods in our study were consistent with those reported in the literature. It was therefore hypothesized that the determination of molecular subgroups by immunohistochemical methods can be useful in daily diagnostic practice, especially in centers with limited access to molecular techniques.

Glioblastoma is one of the most devastating neoplasms of the central nervous system. This study focused on the development of serum extracellular vesicle (EV)-based glioblastoma tumor marker panels that can be used in a clinic to diagnose glioblastomas and to monitor tumor burden, progression, and regression in response to treatment. RNA sequencing studies were performed using RNA isolated from serum EVs from both patients ( n = 85) and control donors ( n = 31). RNA sequencing results for preoperative glioblastoma EVs compared to control EVs revealed 569 differentially expressed genes (DEGs, 2XFC, FDR < 0.05). By using these DEGs, we developed serum-EV-based biomarker panels for the following glioblastomas: wild-type IDH1 (96% sensitivity/80% specificity), MGMT promoter methylation (91% sensitivity/73% specificity), p53 gene mutation (100% sensitivity/89% specificity), and TERT promoter mutation (89% sensitivity/100% specificity). This is the first study showing that serum-EV-based biomarker panels can be used to diagnose glioblastomas with a high sensitivity and specificity.

Purpose: Hypophysitis is a heterogeneous condition that includes inflammation of the pituitary gland and infundibulum, and it can cause symptoms related to mass effects and hormonal deficiencies. We aimed to evaluate the potential role of machine learning methods in differentiating hypophysitis from non-functioning pituitary adenomas., Methods: The radiomic parameters obtained from T1A-C images were used. Among the radiomic parameters, parameters capable of distinguishing between hypophysitis and non-functioning pituitary adenomas were selected. In order to avoid the effects of confounding factors and to improve the performance of the classifiers, parameters with high correlation with each other were eliminated. Machine learning algorithms were performed with the combination of gray-level run-length matrix-low gray level run emphasis, gray-level co-occurrence matrix-correlation, and gray-level co-occurrence entropy., Results: A total of 34 patients were included, 17 of whom had hypophysitis and 17 had non-functioning pituitary adenomas. Among the 38 radiomics parameters obtained from post-contrast T1-weighted images, 10 tissue features that could differentiate the lesions were selected. Machine learning algorithms were performed using three selected parameters; gray level run length matrix-low gray level run emphasis, gray-level co-occurrence matrix-correlation, and gray level co-occurrence entropy. Error matrices were calculated by using the machine learning algorithm and it was seen that support vector machines showed the best performance in distinguishing the two lesion types., Conclusions: Our analysis reported that support vector machines showed the best performance in distinguishing hypophysitis from non-functioning pituitary adenomas, emphasizing the importance of machine learning in differentiating the two lesions., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Understanding the secondary damage mechanisms of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is essential for developing new therapeutic approaches. Neuroinflammation has a pivotal role in secondary brain injury after TBI. Activation of NLRP3 inflammasome complexes results in the secretion of proinflammatory mediators and, in addition, later in the response, microglial activation and migration of the peripheral immune cells into the injured brain are observed. Therefore, these components involved in the inflammatory process are becoming a new treatment target in TBI. Dexmedetomidine (Dex) is an effective drug, widely used over the past few years in neurocritical care units and during surgical operations for sedation and analgesia, and has anti-inflammatory effects, which are shown in in vivo studies. The aim of this original research is to discuss the anti-inflammatory effects of different Dex doses over time in TBI., Methods: Brain injury was performed by using a weight-drop model. Half an hour after the trauma, intraperitoneal saline was injected into the control groups and 40 and 200 μg/kg of Dex were given to the drug groups. Neurological evaluations were performed with the modified Neurological Severity Score before being killed. Then, the mice were killed on the first or the third day after TBI and histopathologic (hematoxylin-eosin) and immunofluorescent (Iba1, NLRP3, interleukin-1β, and CD3) findings of the brain tissues were examined. Nonparametric data were analyzed by using the Kruskal-Wallis test for multiple comparisons, and the Mann-Whitney U-test was done for comparing two groups. The results are presented as mean ± standard error of mean., Results: The results showed that low doses of Dex suppress NLRP3 and interleukin-1β in both terms. Additionally, high doses of Dex cause a remarkable decrease in the migration and motility of microglial cells and T cells in the late phase following TBI. Interestingly, the immune cells were influenced by only high-dose Dex in the late phase of TBI and it also improves neurologic outcome in the same period., Conclusions: In the mice head trauma model, different doses of Dex attenuate neuroinflammation by suppressing distinct components of the neuroinflammatory process in a different timecourse that contributes to neurologic recovery. These results suggest that Dex may be an appropriate choice for sedation and analgesia in patients with TBI., (© 2021. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature and Neurocritical Care Society.)

In our manuscript, we propose a common terminology in the Turkish language for the newly adopted WHO classification of the CNS tumors, also known as the WHO CNS 5th edition. We also comment on the applicability of this new scheme in low and middle income countries, and warn about further deepening disparities between the global north and the global south. This division, augmented by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, threatens our ability to coordinate efforts worldwide and may create significant disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers between the "haves" and the "have nots".

Poorly differentiated chordoma is a newly recognized entity in the recent World Health Organization (WHO) classification of tumors of soft tissue and bone. Slightly over 60 such cases have been documented. Herein, we present a clinicopathological profile, including radiological features, of nine cases, which occurred in five males and four females, with age varying from 1 to 29 years (median = 43), in the cervical spine (n = 2), skull base (n = 2), clivus (n = 2), thoracic spine (n = 1) lumbar spine (n = 1) and coccyx (n = 1) Average tumor size was 4.8 cm. None of the 6-referral cases was diagnosed as a poorly differentiated chordoma at the referring laboratory. Histopathologically, all cases displayed a cellular tumor comprising polygonal cells (n = 9) displaying moderate to marked nuclear pleomorphism with prominent nucleoli (n = 7), eosinophilic (n = 9) to vacuolated cytoplasm (n = 7), rhabdoid morphology (n = 4), interspersed mitotic figures (n = 5), focal necrosis (n = 6) and inflammatory cells (n = 9). A single tumor displayed areas resembling classic chordoma, transitioning into poorly differentiated areas. There were multinucleate giant cells and physaliphorous cells in two tumors, each, respectively. Immunohistochemically, tumor cells were positive for AE1/AE3 (7/7), EMA (7/7), cytokeratin (CK) MNF116 (1/1), OSCAR (1/1), brachyury (9/9, diffusely), S100P (4/7, mostly focally), and glypican 3(2/4). SMARCB1/INI1 was completely lost in all nine tumors. A single case tested by FISH showed homozygous deletion of the SMARCB1 gene. Therapeutically (n = 7), all patients were treated with surgical resection (invariably incomplete) (n = 5), followed by adjuvant radiation therapy (n = 4) and chemotherapy (n = 4). While a single patient partially responded to treatment and another patient is alive with no evidence of disease after 23 years, three patients died of disease, six, eight, and 11 months post-diagnosis, despite adjuvant treatments. A single patient presented with a metastatic lung nodule, while another developed widespread metastasis. Poorly differentiated chordomas display a spectrum of features, are associated with a lower index of suspicion for a diagnosis, and display aggressive outcomes. Critical analysis of radiological and histopathological features, including necessary immunostains (brachyury and SMARCB1/INI1), is necessary for their timely diagnosis. These tumors show loss of SMARCB1/INI1 immunostaining and homozygous deletion of INI1/SMARCB1 gene., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To identify the underlying genetic defect for a consanguineous family with an unusually high number of members affected by cerebral small vessel disease., Materials and Methods: A total of 6 individuals, of whom 3 are severely affected, from the family were clinically and radiologically evaluated. SNP genotyping was performed in multiple members to demonstrate genome-wide runs-of-homozygosity. Coding variants in the most likely candidate gene, HTRA1 were explored by Sanger sequencing. Published HTRA1-related phenotypes were extensively reviewed to explore the effect of number of affected alleles on phenotypic expression., Results: Genome-wide homozygosity mapping identified a 3.2 Mbp stretch on chromosome 10q26.3 where HTRA1 gene is located. HTRA1 sequencing revealed an evolutionarily conserved novel homozygous c.824C>T (p.Pro275Leu) mutation, affecting the serine protease domain of HtrA1. Early-onset of cognitive and motor deterioration in homozygotes are in consensus with CARASIL. However, there was a clear phenotypic variability between homozygotes which includes alopecia, a suggested hallmark of CARASIL. All heterozygotes, presenting as CADASIL type 2, had spinal disk degeneration and several neuroimaging findings, including leukoencephalopathy and microhemorrhage despite a lack of severe clinical presentation., Conclusion: Here, we clearly demonstrate that CARASIL and CADASIL type 2 are two clinical consequences of the same disorder with different severities thorough the evaluation of the largest collection of homozygotes and heterozygotes segregating in a family. Considering the semi-dominant inheritance of HTRA1-related phenotypes, genetic testing and clinical follow-up must be offered for all members of a family with HTRA1 mutations regardless of symptoms., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors report no disclosure., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Hereditary diffuse leukoencephalopathy with spheroids (HDLS), first described in 1984 is a rare disorder. Generally, it presents at adulthood with dementia, motor impairment, extrapyramidal abnormalities, and epilepsy. Definitive diagnosis is made by brain biopsy. Neuroimaging studies have revealed confluent white matter lesions predominantly in the frontal lobes, corpus callosum, and corticospinal tracts on conventional magnetic resonance imaging. Only a few reports showed diffusion restriction in the cerebral white matter; furthermore, rarer reports emphasized persistent foci of diffusion restriction as a diagnostic imaging marker., Objective: Herein, we have aimed to illustrate the first biopsy-proven Turkish HDLS pedigree consisting of 18 persons in 3 generations which contained 4 affected individuals., Materials and Methods: Four individuals in the pedigree of HDLS [two affected patients (patient III-1 and patient III-2) and two unaffected individuals (patient II-4 and patient III-5)] were investigated with conventional MRI and Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) using 1.5 Tesla (T) scanner. All four individuals were evaluated via neurological examinations and Mini-Mental State Examination. Brain biopsy study was performed on patient III-2. Finally, an extensive literature review involving pathology investigations and neuroimaging studies of HDLS patients was conducted., Results: DWIs of two investigated patients showed deep white matter lesions with persistent diffusion restriction. Computed tomography imaging showed punctate mineralization in the lesions. Biopsy specimens of patient III-2 demonstrated axonal spheroids which were typical for HDLS., Conclusions: Via the presentation of our pedigree and literature review, we suggest HDSL as a first-line differential diagnosis in patients with undiagnosed adult-onset familial leukoencephalopathy, in particular, those with MRI lesions of frontal white matter and centrum semiovale associated with foci of diffusion restriction and mineralization. Finally, we think that the persistence of the diffusion restriction in deep white matter lesions should be kept in mind as a crucial neuroimaging sign for HDLS., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2006 - 2020 Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology.)

Purpose: We aimed to investigate the exact localization of neural pathway and the frequency of nerve fibers, which are located in the pelvic facial layers in the prostate and periprostatic regions., Materials and Methods: We used four fresh frozen cadavers in this trial. Anatomical layers of anterior rectus fascia and abdominal rectus muscle were dissected to reach the retropubic area. Prostate, visceral and parietal pelvic fascia, levator ani muscle and puboprostatic ligaments were identified. Nine tissue samples, each 1x1 cm in size, were obtained from each cadaver and grouped separately. The locations of these samples are as follows. Group G I from 12 o'clock (apical region), G II from right prostatic apex, G III from 2 o'clock, G IV from right far pelvic lateral, G V from 5 o'clock, G VI from 7 o'clock, GVII from left far pelvic lateral, G VIII from 10 o'clock and G IX from left prostatic apex. Nerve distribution, frequency and diameters of these 9 groups were compared to each other., Results: 36 specimens were obtained from 4 cadavers. Mean number of nerve fibers was 14.1. The number of nerve fibers in each location were not statistically different from each other (P = .9). Mean nerve diameter was 89.1 µm. Mean diameter of nerves was statistically different between groups II, III IV and VI and VIII (P = .001). No difference was seen amongst others., Conclusion: The distributions of nerve fibers at prostate and peri-prostatic region were homogeneous while the nerve diameters varied amongst the different regions.

Aim: Cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. In this study, we examined the effects of L-carnitine on the cerebral vasospasm process., Material and Methods: Twenty male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into 4 groups. Group 1 served as control; group 2 was not subjected to SAH and received intravenous L-carnitine 3 times; group 3 was subjected to SAH and group 4 was subjected to SAH and treated with 100 mg/kg intravenous L-carnitine at 0, 24, and 48 hours after SAH. All animals were euthanized by perfusion-fixation 72 hours after SAH induction. The brains were then removed and stored in fixative +4°C overnight. The subjects" basilar arteries were sectioned from four separate zones. Basilar artery cross-sectional areas and thicknesses of vessels were measured by using the SPOT for Windows Version 4.1 computer programme. Statistical comparisons were performed by using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests., Results: Basilar artery wall thicknesses in group 4 were significantly lower than in group 3 (p=0.009). Basilar artery cross-sectional areas in group 4 were higher than in group 3 and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.008)., Conclusion: L-carnitine was shown to be potentially beneficial on the resolution of cerebral vasospasm following SAH.

Aim: Pediatric glioblastoma (GBM) is still a topic obscurity. The aim of this study was to explore clinical, radiological and pathological features, and prognostic factors affecting the outcomes., Material and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed our database for prognostic factors for 42 consecutive pediatric patients with histologically proven GBM treated in our hospital., Results: The study reached at 20 boys and 22 girls, with a mean age of 10.2 years. Almost all patients (97.6%) had supratentorial tumors; lobar/hemispheric (68.3%), thalamic (26.8%) and suprasellar-hypothalamic region (4.8%). Total of 11/42 children had seeding metastases (mean 11.5 months) either preoperatively or postoperatively. Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in 13 patients (30.9%) in the first surgery. Perioperative mortality and morbidity rates were 4.7% and 19%, respectively. Patients were followed for an average of 18.1 months. The median progression-free and overall survivals were 7.0 (95% CI: 5.9-8.0) and 11.0 (95% CI: 8.9-13.1) months, respectively. 1-year, 2-year and 5-year progression-free survival and overall survivals were 30.9% vs. 50.0%, 11.9% vs. 19.0%, 4.8% vs. 9.5%; respectively., Conclusion: Gross total resection should be safely attempted in pediatric GBM. In addition, a thorough and frequent radiological evaluation of the entire neuraxis for seeding metastases is recommended both at diagnosis and follow-ups.

Major discoveries in the biology of nervous system tumors have raised the question of how non-histological data such as molecular information can be incorporated into the next World Health Organization (WHO) classification of central nervous system tumors. To address this question, a meeting of neuropathologists with expertise in molecular diagnosis was held in Haarlem, the Netherlands, under the sponsorship of the International Society of Neuropathology (ISN). Prior to the meeting, participants solicited input from clinical colleagues in diverse neuro-oncological specialties. The present "white paper" catalogs the recommendations of the meeting, at which a consensus was reached that incorporation of molecular information into the next WHO classification should follow a set of provided "ISN-Haarlem" guidelines. Salient recommendations include that (i) diagnostic entities should be defined as narrowly as possible to optimize interobserver reproducibility, clinicopathological predictions and therapeutic planning; (ii) diagnoses should be "layered" with histologic classification, WHO grade and molecular information listed below an "integrated diagnosis"; (iii) determinations should be made for each tumor entity as to whether molecular information is required, suggested or not needed for its definition; (iv) some pediatric entities should be separated from their adult counterparts; (v) input for guiding decisions regarding tumor classification should be solicited from experts in complementary disciplines of neuro-oncology; and (iv) entity-specific molecular testing and reporting formats should be followed in diagnostic reports. It is hoped that these guidelines will facilitate the forthcoming update of the fourth edition of the WHO classification of central nervous system tumors., (© 2014 The Authors. Brain Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Neuropathology.)

Thyroid disorders are frequently encountered. The diagnosis is straightforward unless clinical or laboratory findings are inconclusive and/or perplexing. Hyperthyroidism due to a thyrotropin-secreting pituitary adenoma rarely occurs and symptoms due to thyroid hormone excess are subtle. The presentation of the disease becomes unusual when co-secretion of other hormones with thyrotropin or concomitant thyroid parenchymal pathology exist. We present the case of a 63-year-old female patient with thyrotropinoma co-secreting growth hormone and multinodular goiter. She developed hyperthyroidism first due to thyrotropinoma and later due to a toxic nodule. Herein, we discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of hyperthyroidism with atypical presentation.

Objectives: Pituitary apoplexy is a rare clinical syndrome associated with rapid enlargement of a pituitary mass. We report the initial presentation, subsequent course and outcome of an acromegalic patient who developed spontaneous remission following pituitary apoplexy with pathologic findings of tumor infarction., Clinical Presentation: A 38 year-old man with typical acromegalic features was referred to our hospital. He had been diabetic and hypertensive. His basal GH and IGF-1 levels were high (80 µg/L and 747 ng/mL respectively). Sella MRI showed a macroadenoma about 19×20 mm in size. He admitted to emergency department with complains of severe frontal headache accompanied by nausea and vomiting two days after MRI was taken. His neurological examination and visual field test were normal. Emergent MRI of the sella disclosed an enhancing intrasellar mass of 24×23 mm compressing the optic chiasm. The patient underwent transsphenoidal decompression of the lesion. Histological examination revealed an adenomatous tissue showing nonhemorrhagic coagulation necrosis. Before surgery, his GH levels declined to 2.72 µg/L spontaneously and after surgery he was in remission even leading to a state of growth hormone deficiency., Conclusion: When apoplexy occurs in functioning adenomas, it may cause spontaneous remission. However pituitary apoplexy due to tumor infarction is very rare. Various precipitating factors have been reported in 25-30% of pituitary apoplexy patients. Diabetes mellitus and diabetic ketoacidosis are one of these. The presence of contrast media induced endothelial swelling with the result of hypoperfusion and diabetes mellitus associated vasculopathy might be a precipitating factor in this patient.

Aim: In demyelinating disease spectrum, tumor-like (tumefactive) demyelinating lesions (TDL) are rarely seen. Atypical imaging and clinical features of these lesions may cause misdiagnosis of tumor or abscess., Material and Methods: 25 patients with TDL in our center were followed and clinical, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings and disease course were retrospectively evaluated., Results: Mean age at symptom onset was 29 years. Motor and sensory deficits were most common symptoms and 18 of them were polysymptomatic. Mostly frontal and parietal regions were affected. 10/25 patients were initially misdiagnosed clinically as brain abscess, primary central nervous system tumor metastasis. T2-hypointense rim, incomplete ring enhancement of the lesions on post-gadolinium T1- weighted imaging on brain MRI enabled accurate diagnosis of TDLs. 13 of 21 patients with first-TDL presentation sustained a monophasic course, remaining 8 patients converted to multiple sclerosis (MS) at a mean 38.4 months follow-up. Clinical isolated syndrome (CIS) patients were older than patients who developed MS and Expanded Disability Status Scale was lower (0.96 vs 3.7)., Conclusion: Although MRI, CSF and pathologic examination help in differential diagnosis of the mass lesions, close follow-up is still crucial for the definite diagnosis. A higher MS conversion rate was found in patients with a younger TDL onset age.

Aim: Cerebellar astrocytomas are benign tumors of the central nervous system. They represent 10% of all pediatric intracranial brain tumors and 30% of all pediatric posterior fossa tumors especially in the first two decades of life., Material and Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients; age at the time of surgery, pre- and post operative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), localisation of the tumor, hydrocephalus, surgical approach, pre- and post operative neurological status, post operative adjuvant therapy and outcome were documented., Results: The male to female ratio was 20/11. Age at the time of evaluation ranged from 3 to 23 years. Age at the time of surgery ranged from 1 to 18 years. Follow-up duration after surgery was 1-12 years. 55% of these tumors were located at the cerebellar vermis and 45% were at the cerebellar hemispheres. Complete surgical resection was done in 74% of these patients. 5 patients had a second operation because of residual tumor. Ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion was performed in 3 of 31 patients because of symptomatic hydrocephalus and 1 patient had an endoscopic third ventriculostomy pre-operatively. 90% of these patients had no neurological sequelae at follow-up evaluation., Conclusion: Cerebellar astrocytomas are benign tumors where total resection is possible in the majority of cases with an excellent outcome.

Aim: Our aim in this study was to investigate the efficacy of intravenous administration of cilostazol and compare these effects with intravenous usage of nimodipine in subarachnoid hemorrhage model., Material and Methods: Twenty-five male New Zealand White rabbits were assigned randomly to 1 of 5 groups. Animals in group 1 (n=5) served as controls, group 2 (n=5) was the SAH-only group, group 3 (n=5) was treated with intravenous 10 mg/kg cilostazol, group 4 (n=5) was treated with 0.05 mg/kg intravenous nimodipine, and group 5 (n=5) served as the vehicle group and treated with a mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide and phosphate buffer solution. Basilar arteries were removed from the brain stems and analyzed. The vessels were measured using computer-assisted morphometry (SPOT for Windows Version 4.1). Statistical comparisons were performed using the Kruskall-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests., Results: Basilar artery wall thicknesses in group 3 and 4 were smaller than the group 2 and this was statistically significant at p < 0.05. The mean arterial cross-sectional areas in group 3 and 4 were higher than group 2 and this was also statistically significant at p < 0.05., Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that intravenous administration of both cilostazol and nimodipine significantly attenuates cerebral vasospasm after SAH.

Purpose: It was the aim of this study to assess the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and extravascular matrix patterns (EMPs) in iris and ciliary body melanomas and their correlations with histopathologic parameters., Methods: The study was conducted on 3 iris and 15 ciliary body melanomas. All tumors were subjected to immunohistochemical techniques for VEGF-A and MMP-9 expressions, the presence of EMPs was assessed, and routine paraffin sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Cell type, tumor localization, degree of pigmentation, necrosis, mitotic index, lymphocytic infiltration and sclera invasion were analyzed using light microscopy., Results: The mean patient age at the time of treatment was 43 years (range 19-69, median 39.5); 10 (55.6%) patients were males and 8 (44.4%) females. Histopathological cell types were spindle cells in 55.6%, mixed cells in 16.7%, and epithelioid cell types in 27.8% of tumors. Positive reaction for VEGF-A and MMP-9 was present in 66.7 and 72.3% of the tumors, respectively. Microvascular loops and/or networks were seen in 33.4% of the tumors, with the remaining 66.7% of tumors displaying one or more of the other patterns. Metastatic disease developed in only 1 patient during follow-up. Tumor cell type, tumor size, mitotic rate, degree of pigmentation and EMPs were not correlated with metastasis., Conclusions: This study suggests that VEGF-A and MMP-9 were positive in the majority of iris and ciliary body melanomas. No correlation was found between VEGF-A and MMP-9 immunoreactivity and EMPs and occurrence of metastases in cases of anterior uveal melanoma.

The use of neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN) as a reliable neuronal marker in the differential diagnosis of clear cell neoplasms of the central nervous system was determined in a biopsy series of 23 cases. Immunohistochemical analyses were carried out by antisera against neuronal nuclear antigen, synaptophysin, neuron-specific enolase, microtubule-associated protein 2, and glial fibrillary acidic protein. All eight central neurocytomas were characteristically immunolabeled by NeuN. NeuN immunoreactivity was uniformly strong and basically located in the nuclei of neurocytes. Despite this uniform staining pattern of central neurocytomas, 12 cases of oligodendrogliomas and three cases of ependymoma were negative for NeuN. As the diagnostic criteria for central neurocytoma include immunohistochemical and/or ultrastructural evidence for neuronal differentiation, NeuN as a sensitive and specific neuronal marker in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues may greatly facilitate the differential diagnosis of central neurocytomas.