The development, evolution and rupture of intracranial aneurysms are in part related to genetic factors. The role of collagen type-I a2 genetic polymorphisms has not been clarified yet.A meta-analysis was realized by means of a genotype model-fitting process (allele contrast, recessive, dominant, additive and co-dominant), and a model-free approach using the generalized odds ratio. The latter was assessed in association to the degree of dominance (h-index).No statistically significant association was documented between EX28 G>C collagen type-I a2 variant and intracranial aneurysms (generalized odds ratio = 1.23, 95% confidence interval = 0.57, 2.63). Significant associations between INT46 T>G collagen type I a2 variant and intracranial aneurysms were documented in three models, the dominant [0.52 (0.38, 069)], the co-dominant [0.50 (0.32, 0.78)] and the allele contrast models [0.63 (0.49, 0.82)]. The generalized odds ratio was estimated to be as high as 1.94 (1.23, 3.06). The degree of dominance (h-index = -1.54) indicated that the TG genotype was characterized by lower risk of developing intracranial aneurysms compared to the TT genotype.The available literature data demonstrated that there is no association of collagen type-(2a) and intracranial aneurysms, through EX28 G>C (rs42524) polymorphism according to the model-fitting process and the model-free approach. Regarding the INT46 T>G (rs2621215) polymorphisms, the latter models indicated that there could be a protective effect of the G-allele against the development of intracranial aneurysms. However, the majority of studies are from East Asia, therefore the results are applicable primarily to that patient population.
Head injuries in infants are very common and usually asymptomatic.We report an eleven-month old female, who suffered repeated episodes of emesis caused by a mild head trauma.At the admission, the girl was neurologically intact, but she quickly became deteriorated and drowsy, presenting the setting sun sign.Brain CT scan revealed acute obstructive hydrocephalus at the level of the aqueduct.Even though there was no evidence of intraventicular hemorrhage, we urgently performed an external ventriculostomy in order to control her intracranial hypertension.Afterwards, the neurological signs, as well as the imaging findings, were rapidly improved.Two years follow-up revealed an absolutely normal psychomotor development of the child.To conclude, transient acute obstructive hydrocephalus in children is an uncommon entity and its pathogenesis remains unclear.However, a mild head trauma could be the underlying pathogenic mechanism for this rare clinicopathological entity.
Studies on head injury-induced pituitary dysfunction are limited in number and conflicting results have been reported.To further clarify this issue, 29 consecutive patients (24 males), with severe (n = 21) or moderate (n = 8) head trauma, having a mean age of 37 ± 17 years were investigated in the immediate post-trauma period.All patients required mechanical ventilatory support for 8-55 days and were enrolled in the study within a few days before ICU discharge.Basal hormonal assessment included measurement of cortisol, corticotropin, free thyroxine (fT4), thyrotropin (TSH), testosterone (T) in men, estradiol (E2) in women, prolactin (PRL), and growth hormone (GH).Cortisol and GH levels were measured also after stimulation with 100 µg human corticotropin releasing hormone (hCRH) and 100 µg growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), respectively.Cortisol hyporesponsiveness was considered when peak cortisol concentration was less than 20 µg/dl following hCRH.TSH deficiency was diagnosed when a subnormal serum fT4 level was associated with a normal or low TSH.Hypogonadism was considered when T (males) or E2 (women) were below the local reference ranges, in the presence of normal PRL levels.Severe or partial GH deficiencies were defined as a peak GH below 3 µg/l or between 3 and 5 µg/l, respectively, after stimulation with GHRH.Twenty-one subnormal responses were found in 15 of the 29 patients (52%) tested; seven (24%) had hypogonadism, seven (24%) had cortisol hyporesponsiveness, five (17%) had hypothyroidism, and two patients (7%) had partial GH deficiency.These preliminary results suggest that a certain degree of hypopituitarism occurs in more than 50% of patients with moderate or severe head injury in the immediate post-trauma period, with cortisol hyporesponsiveness and hypogonadism being most common.Further studies are required to elucidate the pathogenesis of these abnormalities and to investigate whether they affect long-term morbidity.
Neurosurgery is one of the most demanding medical specialties. For neurosurgeons, balancing professional activity with personal life can be challenging.To evaluate gender differences in contribution of neurosurgeons in the household and child-rearing, as well as their impact on personal life and career.An anonymous, electronic, 59-item web-based survey was administered to National Neurosurgical Societies of Europe, and European Member Societies of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (June-October 2021).A total of 205 European neurosurgeons (87 females and 118 males, mean age 40.7) are included in our survey. In neurosurgery, females are significantly more likely to be alone (37.9%), while males are significantly more likely to have children (66.9%). In terms of household efforts, females spend more time than males on the same tasks. Most participants (71.2%) view gender issues as a disadvantage in career pursuing. Women feel less accepted (54.3%) and having fewer opportunities (58.6%), while men believe that pregnancy/child-rearing (65.8%) and having many roles (51.3%) are the main obstacles. Both genders (77.6%) favor more convenient working conditions for young parents.Discussion and Conclusion. In our study we found that, women neurosurgeons take more responsibilities at home, especially in the child-rearing years. Female neurosurgeons are more likely to live alone or stay childless more often compared to their male colleagues. Supportive facilities, flexible programs, universal life policies and presumably curbing of the social stereotypes are of importance to overcome gender inequities that women are still facing in neurosurgery.
Chylothorax is a rare form of chyle accumulation that can be associated with both traumatic and non-traumatic causes. We described a case of a patient who sustained a thoracic spine fracture-dislocation and presented with a left-sided chylothorax as a late complication to his thoracic spine trauma. A 19-year-old multi-trauma patient with bilateral pneumothorax, bilateral lung contusions and a severe thoracic spine fracture-dislocation was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of our hospital intubated due to his unstable respiratory function. Bilateral thoracostomies were placed to his thoracic cavity prior to his admission to the ICU. The thoracic fracture-dislocation was stabilized with posterior fixation of his thoracic spine during his stay at the ICU. He was transferred to the neurosurgery department where at the 50th day of his hospitalization, a left-sided chylothorax was identified. Conservative management was decided and the chyle leak ceased over a period of 2 weeks. The patient was discharged from the clinic after a 3-month period of hospitalization. Traumatic chylothorax is a rare complication directly linked to thoracic spine fractures. It can occur immediately after trauma or several weeks after as in our case. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for the avoidance of severe complications linked to the chyle loss. J Med Cases. 2015;6(12):568-571 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc2364w
Human tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 (TFPI-2) is a 32-kDa serine protease inhibitor that inhibits plasmin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, cathepsin G, and plasma kallikrein but not urokinase and tissue-type plasminogen activators or thrombin. After discovering that TFPI-2 expression is down-regulated or lost during tumor progression, we investigated the role of TFPI-2 in the invasiveness of the prostate cancer cell line (LNCaP). We stably transfected LNCaP cells with a 0.7-kb vector expressing TFPI-2 in the sense orientation and measured the expression of TFPI-2 protein and mRNA by these cells by western and northern blotting. Neither TFPI-2 protein nor mRNA was expressed by parental LNCaP cells or vector-transfected controls, but levels of both protein and mRNA were significantly increased in the sense-TFPI-2 clones. The sense clones were less invasive than the control cells in Matrigel invasion and spheroid migration assays. This is the first demonstration that upregulation of TFPI-2 plays a significant role in the invasive behavior of human prostate cancer cells.
Decompressive craniectomy (DC) is considered a cornerstone in the management of refractory intracranial hypertension. For decades, DC was known as an occasionally lifesaving procedure; however, it was associated with numerous severe complications. The present study is a single-center retrospective case series study on with 321 patients who underwent DC between January, 2010 and December, 2020. All patients were divided into four groups as follows: Group A included patients who suffered from a space-occupying middle cerebral artery (MCA) ischemic event; group B included individuals who developed intracerebral hemorrhage; group C included patients admitted for traumatic brain injury; and group D included patients with other neurosurgical entities that underwent DC, such as subarachnoid hemorrhage, tumors, brain abscess and cerebral ventricular sinus thrombosis events. The present study enrolled a total of 321 patients who underwent DC. Group A included 52 out of the 321 (16.1%) patients, group B included 51 (15.8%) patients, group C included 164 (51.0%) patients, and group D included 54 (16.8%) patients. Of the 321 patients, 235 (73.2%) were males, and the median age was 53.7 years. Multivariate analysis revealed that only the group A parameter was an independent factor associated with a Glasgow outcome scale score >2 during follow-up (P<0.05). On the whole, the results of the present study suggest that among patients who underwent DC with different neurological entities, those who had experienced MCA events had more favorable outcomes.
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