by Alberto Feletti  , Elena Bianchini  , Anna De Gaetano  , Lara Gibellini  , Sara De Biasi  , Giacomo Pavesi  , Anna Vittoria Mattioli  , Milena Nasi  , Andrea Cossarizza  and Marcello Pinti

Received: 26 November 2018;  Published: 04 March 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1901021

Hemangioblastomas (HBs) are benign, highly vascularized tumors of the central nervous system. Approximately 75% of HBs are sporadic, while 25% are associated with von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) disease. HBs consist of two main components: a rich capillary network composed of vascular endothelia and pericytes, within large vacuolated stromal cells, which harbor the genetic defect. The mechanism by which the VHL gene product (pVHL) causes HB is not completely clear. Wild-type pVHL is involved in the response to hypoxia, tar [...]

by Nuria Arias-Ramos  , Jesús Pacheco-Torres  and Pilar López-Larrubia

Received: 11 November 2018;  Published: 30 January 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1901020

Background: Despite important advances in multimodal therapeutic options, glioblastoma (GBM), the most frequent and aggressive form of all astrocytomas, remains with a median overall survival period of 15 months. A direct correlation between GBM hypoxia and higher aggressiveness, poor prognosis and greater resistance to different treatments has been established. However, because of intratumoral and interindividual heterogeneity, it has not been possible to assess accurately the hypoxia degree from physiopathologica [...]

by Kirsten Greenlaw  and Jai Jai Shiva Shankar

Received: 07 October 2018;  Published: 13 January 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1901019

Background: Perfusion imaging, mainly MR perfusion (MRP), is performed frequently for brain tumor imaging. CT perfusion (CTP) is less studied as a method for characterizing brain tumors. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of CTP perfusion parameters in evaluating brain tumors and to compare it with MRP measures in the same patient population. Methods: Patients underwent CTP and MRP imaging prospectively. Images were processed with vendor-provided and vendor-neutral software. Four regions of [...]

by Rahul Abhyankar  , Divya Mella  and Edward Pan

Received: 12 November 2018;  Published: 04 January 2019;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1901018

Objective: To report a unique case of cerebellopontine angle glioblastoma with concurrent spinal cord involvement. Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignancy of the central nervous system (CNS), comprising 46.6% of all CNS malignancies. By anatomic location, cerebellopontine angle (CPA) GBMs are exceedingly rare. To our knowledge, the following case represents the tenth reported case of CPA GBM and the first with a corresponding spinal cord tumor on presentation. Methods: Retrospective cha [...]

by Melissa A. Maloney  , Katherine E. Lewinter  , Sally L. Davidson Ward  and Iris A. Perez

Received: 13 November 2018;  Published: 16 December 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1804017

Sleep complaints are common in pediatric patients with central nervous system (CNS) tumors. These problems may result from disruption of normal homeostatic, circadian, neuroendocrine, and cardiorespiratory pathways and vary by tumor location and treatment received. Children with tumors within the hypothalamus and surrounding regions are prone to excessive daytime sleepiness. Sleep-related breathing disorders, especially those involving abnormal control of breathing, may occur in patients with tumors of the brainste [...]

by Michele Bisceglia  , Stefano Pizzolitto  , Tullio Parracino  , Giovanna De Maglio  , Elena Minenna  , Serena D’Agostini  and Carlos A. Galliani

Received: 07 October 2018;  Published: 14 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1804016

Thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1) is a nuclear polypeptide and a tissue-restricted member of the homeobox protein family that, when attached to DNA, plays a crucial role in regulating the expression of select genes during early embryonic development of the thyroid, lung, and brain. As often happens, the initial enthusiasm for the diagnostic value of TTF-1 as a selective immunohistochemical marker of lung and thyroid tumors began to dwindle, due to its detection in tumors arising from other organs. TTF-1-expres [...]

by Richard A. Prayson

Received: 04 September 2018;  Published: 05 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1804015

by Divya B. Mella  , Josie Sewell  and Edward Pan

Received: 12 October 2018;  Published: 01 November 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1804014

Objective: To report three cases of refractory prolactinomas treated with Temozolomide (TMZ). Background: Prolactinomas account for 40% of pituitary adenomas. Dopamine agonists (DA) are the first line of treatment followed by surgical resection and radiation. TMZ is an oral chemotherapeutic agent used in gliomas, which has been given to patients with prolactinomas refractory to conventional treatments. Methods: Retrospective chart review was conducted for refractory prolactinoma patients treated between 2008 and 20 [...]

by Jai Jai Shiva Shankar  , Adil Bata  and Namita Sinha

Received: 07 August 2018;  Published: 25 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1804013

(1) Background: Current imaging standard for detecting and assessing glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) progression depends on contrast-enhancement on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Isolated foci of diffusion restriction have been observed to precede enhancement in GBM. The aim of our study was to investigate the frequency of isolated diffusion restriction that precede corresponding enhancement and to investigate the association between isolated diffusion restriction and survival in patients with GBM. (2) Metho [...]

by Ruth Prieto  and Jose M Pascual

Received: 11 September 2018;  Published: 15 October 2018;  doi: 10.21926/obm.neurobiol.1804012

The optimal treatment of craniopharyngiomas (CPs) represents a neurosurgical challenge, the major reason being their close relationship with the hypothalamus and the third ventricle (3V) boundaries. Nevertheless, CPs are generally defined as “suprasellar” lesions, an inexplicit and frequently defective term. Despite being heterogeneous lesions, CPs are actually characterized by repeating pathological patterns which depend on their point of origin along the pituitary-hypothalamic axis. Surgical plan in tailoring the [...]