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Background and Study Aims: Perimesencephalic subarachnoid hemorrhage (PMSAH) was previously defined as a variant of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) associated with a relatively benign clinical presentation and better outcomes than aneurysmal SAH. However, several prior studies have shown complications associated with PMSAH including vasospasm and hydrocephalus, and the need for follow-up imaging. We therefore reviewed our experience to further characterize the clinical consequences of PMSAH., Materials and Methods: Eighty-eight consecutive patients who sustained spontaneous intracranial SAH and whose cerebral angiograms did not show any obvious source for SAH were retrospectively studied to characterize their prognosis and outcome based on SAH pattern. Glasgow Coma Scale and Hunt-Hess scores on admission, the incidence of vasospasm or hydrocephalus, the need for an external ventricular drain, and shunt dependence, along with Glasgow outcome score (GOS) at discharge and follow-up, were used to draw comparisons between perimesencephalic and diffuse SAH patient populations., Results: Patients with perimesencephalic SAH differed statistically (p < 0.05) from patients with diffuse SAH in regard to age, Hunt-Hess score on presentation, hospital length of stay, GOS at discharge, and incidence of hydrocephalus, angiographic vasospasm, and clinical vasospasm., Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that although the patients with perimesencephalic SAH fared better than those with diffuse SAH, their outcomes were worse than those of similar patients with PMSAH who have been previously reported in the literature., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Furanocoumarin imperatorin is the major active component of Angelica dahurica root extracts, widely used in traditional medicine to treat headache, toothache, and orbital eye pain. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms that may underlie the pain-relieving effects of the compound. We found that imperatorin significantly inhibited formalin- and capsaicin-induced nocifensive responses but did not alter baseline thermal withdrawal thresholds in the rat. We established that imperatorin is a weak agonist of TRPV1, a channel implicated in detecting several noxious stimuli, exhibiting a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 12.6 ± 3.2 μM. A specific TRPV1 antagonist, JNJ-17203212 (0.5 μM), potently inhibited imperatorin-induced TRPV1 activation. Site-directed mutagenesis studies revealed that imperatorin most likely acted via a site adjacent to or overlapping with the TRPV1 capsaicin-binding site. TRPV1 recovery from desensitization was delayed in the presence of imperatorin. Conversely, imperatorin sensitized TRPV1 to acid activation but did not affect the current amplitude and/or the activation-inactivation properties of Na(v)1.7, a channel important for transmission of nociceptive information. Thus, our data indicate that furanocoumarins represent a novel group of TRPV1 modulators that may become important lead compounds in the drug discovery process aimed at developing new treatments for pain management.

The case of General Leonard Wood is notable both for its contribution to the field of neurosurgery and its historical significance. As one of Harvey Cushing's first successful brain tumor operations in 1910, Wood's surgery was part of the case series that culminated in Cushing's monograph Meningioma. This case was important to the rise of Cushing's career and his recognition as a member of the next generation of neurosurgeons who did not settle for mere bony decompression to taper intracranial tension but who dared to pursue intradural resections-operations that had been performed by surgeons for decades but were frowned upon because of the attendant risks. Cushing's operation to remove a recurrent brain tumor ended Wood's life in 1927. The authors discuss the effects the tumor may have had on Wood's life and career, explore an alternate explanation for the cause of Wood's death, and provide a brief account of the life of General Wood, highlighting events in his military and administrative career juxtaposed against the progression of his illness. Furthermore, the case history of the General is reviewed, using information drawn from the original patient notes and recently discovered images from the Cushing Brain Tumor Registry that elucidate more details about General Wood's story, from the injury that caused his first tumor to his final surgery, leading to his demise.