Lumbo‐sacral cavernous hemangioma : a rare case

Pure spinal epidural cavernous angiomas are very rare, with only less than 100 cases on literature review. The average age of onset is 51 years, and it is more common in women than in men. Lumbo‐sacral spine is involved in less than 10% of reported cases. A 50 years old man with history of chronic hepatitis presented urinary retention and dysuria since 3 months. Clinical examination showed no significant abnormalities. A thorough central nervous system examination revealed no hypoesthesia nether weakness in the lower limbs. MRI revealed a well‐defined epidural lesion at the L5 S1 level. The diagnosis of nerve sheath tumor was suspected and an excision was performed. Histo‐pathological examination concluded to cavernous hemangioma. The patient improved after the excision of the lesion. The best treatment of spinal epidural cavernous angiomas is total surgical removal at an early stage

VALEUR PREDICTIVE POSITIVE DU TEST DE RESISTANCE ET DE LA PONCTION LOMBAIRE DEPLETIVE DANS L’HYDROCEPHALIE CHRONIQUE DE L’ADULTE: SUR UNE SERIE DE 46 CAS

Introduction : L’hydrocéphalie chronique de l’adulte (HCA) a une expression clinique reposant sur une triade d’Adams Hakim, associant des perturbations locomotrices, des troubles intellectuels et une incontinence urinaire. Devant un tableau clinique évocateur, les principaux arguments restent l’imagerie et la réversibilité des signes après la réalisation de ponctions lombaires déplétives. Matériels et Méthodes : étude rétrospective portant sur 46 patients suivis pour une hydrocéphalie chronique de l’adulte entre Janvier 1997 à Décembre 2013 dans notre service en insistant sur l’intérêt du test de résistance à l’écoulement de LCR. Résultats : il s’agissait de 25 hommes et 21 femmes, l’âge moyen était de 62 ans. La durée moyenne d’évolution des symptômes était de 18 mois.La triade d’Adams Hakim était complète chez 19/46 (41.3%), les troubles moteurs au 1er plan chez 12/46 (26%), suivi des troubles sphinctériens chez 8/46 (17.3%), et les démences chez 7/46 (15.2%). Une ponction lombaire soustractive d’au moins 30cc a été réalisée chez tous les patients et le test de résistance chez 33 patients (71.7%). La ponction lombaire était positive chez 39 patients, dont 28 se sont améliorés après dérivation. Le test de résistance à l’écoulement de LCR était positif chez 24 patients, dont 19 se sont améliorés après dérivation. La valeur prédictive positive des deux tests diagnostic est de 79.1% pour le test de résistance et de 72% pour la ponction lombaire. Conclusion : Le test de résistance à l’écoulement de LCR, bien que rarement utilisé, a pourtant toute sa place parmi les outils diagnostiques

GLIOBLASTOME MULTIFORME INTRAVENTRICULAIRE : A PROPOS D’UN CAS ET REVUE DE LA LITTERATURE

Les glioblastomes (GBM) multiformes représentent 15-20% des tumeurs cérébrales. Ils sont plus fréquents chez les sujets âgés et sont le plus souvent localisés au niveau des lobes frontal et temporal. Leur localisation intraventriculaire est rare. Nous rapportons le cas d’une femme de 44 ans qui présente des signes d’hypertension intracrânienne et de trouble de la mémoire. L’imagerie cérébrale (TDM et IRM) retrouve deux lésions hétérogènes, à contours irréguliers et prenant le contraste de façon hétérogène associées à une hydrocéphalie. Elles se sont développées aux dépens de 2 cornes frontales et du corps des ventricules latéraux. Après une dérivation ventriculo-péritonéale et une biopsie stéréotaxique, l’histologie confirme le diagnostic de GBM multiforme. Nous rapportons cette observation avec une revue de la littérature tout en insistant sur l’aspect pathogénique

Exploration of 2-deoxy-D-ribose and 17β-Estradiol as alternatives to exogenous VEGF to promote angiogenesis in tissue-engineered constructs

Aim: In this study, we explored the angiogenic potential and proangiogenic concentration ranges of 2-deoxy-D-ribose (2dDR) and 17β-Estradiol (E2) in comparison with VEGF. The 2dDR and E2 were then loaded into tissue engineering (TE) scaffolds to investigate their proangiogenic potential when released from fibers. Materials & methods:Ex ovo chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay was used to evaluate angiogenic activity of 2dDR and E2. Both factors were then introduced into scaffolds via electrospinning to assess their angiogenic potential when released from fibers. Results: Both factors were approximately 80% as potent as VEGF and showed a dose-dependent angiogenic response. The sustained release of both agents from the scaffolds stimulated neovascularization over 7 days in the chorioallantoic membrane assay. Conclusion: We conclude that both 2dDR and E2 provide attractive alternatives to VEGF for the functionalization of tissue engineering scaffolds to promote angiogenesis in vivo

Absence of pathogenic mitochondrial DNA mutations in mouse brain tumors

BACKGROUND: Somatic mutations in the mitochondrial genome occur in numerous tumor types including brain tumors. These mutations are generally found in the hypervariable regions I and II of the displacement loop and unlikely alter mitochondrial function. Two hypervariable regions of mononucleotide repeats occur in the mouse mitochondrial genome, i.e., the origin of replication of the light strand (O(L)) and the Arg tRNA. METHODS: In this study we examined the entire mitochondrial genome in a series of chemically induced brain tumors in the C57BL/6J strain and spontaneous brain tumors in the VM mouse strain. The tumor mtDNA was compared to that of mtDNA in brain mitochondrial populations from the corresponding syngeneic mouse host strain. RESULTS: Direct sequencing revealed a few homoplasmic base pair insertions, deletions, and substitutions in the tumor cells mainly in regions of mononucleotide repeats. A heteroplasmic mutation in the 16srRNA gene was detected in a spontaneous metastatic VM brain tumor. CONCLUSION: None of the mutations were considered pathogenic, indicating that mtDNA somatic mutations do not likely contribute to the initiation or progression of these diverse mouse brain tumors

A framework to guide planetary health education

People around the world are increasingly facing the pressing challenges of today's interconnected environmental, social, and health crises. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an important wake-up call reminding us that we need a healthy planet to ensure the health of all people. The emerging field of planetary health is a framework for understanding these interconnections and identifying solutions to the complex challenges confronting our civilization. Building on the unique role and responsibility of education institutions in shaping our futures, embedding planetary health education in curricula is an essential step to achieving the transformative change needed. Planetary health education across all levels and disciplines will equip and enable learners to drive transdisciplinary and mutually reinforcing actions to protect and restore planetary health and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

Dietary restriction reduces angiogenesis and growth in an orthotopic mouse brain tumour model

Diet and lifestyle produce major effects on tumour incidence, prevalence, and natural history. Moderate dietary restriction has long been recognised as a natural therapy that improves health, promotes longevity, and reduces both the incidence and growth of many tumour types. Dietary restriction differs from fasting or starvation by reducing total food and caloric intake without causing nutritional deficiencies. No prior studies have evaluated the responsiveness of malignant brain cancer to dietary restriction. We found that a moderate dietary restriction of 30–40% significantly inhibited the intracerebral growth of the CT-2A syngeneic malignant mouse astrocytoma by almost 80%. The total dietary intake for the ad libitum control group (n=9) and the dietary restriction experimental group (n=10) was about 20 and 13 Kcal day−1, respectively. Overall health and vitality was better in the dietary restriction-fed mice than in the ad libitum-fed mice. Tumour microvessel density (Factor VIII immunostaining) was two-fold less in the dietary restriction mice than in the ad libitum mice, whereas the tumour apoptotic index (TUNEL assay) was three-fold greater in the dietary restriction mice than in the ad libitum mice. CT-2A tumour cell-induced vascularity was also less in the dietary restriction mice than in the ad libitum mice in the in vivo Matrigel plug assay. These findings indicate that dietary restriction inhibited CT-2A growth by reducing angiogenesis and by enhancing apoptosis. Dietary restriction may shift the tumour microenvironment from a proangiogenic to an antiangiogenic state through multiple effects on the tumour cells and the tumour-associated host cells. Our data suggest that moderate dietary restriction may be an effective antiangiogenic therapy for recurrent malignant brain cancers

Ganglioside composition and histology of a spontaneous metastatic brain tumour in the VM mouse

Glycosphingolipid abnormalities have long been implicated in tumour malignancy and metastasis. Gangliosides are a family of sialic acid-containing glycosphingolipids that modulate cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions. Histology and ganglioside composition were examined in a natural brain tumour of the VM mouse strain. The tumour is distinguished from other metastatic tumour models because it arose spontaneously and metastasizes to several organs including brain and spinal cord after subcutaneous inoculation of tumour tissue in the flank. By electron microscopy, the tumour consisted of cells (15 to 20 μm in diameter) that had slightly indented nuclei and scant cytoplasm. The presence of smooth membranes with an absence of junctional complexes was a characteristic ultrastructural feature. No positive immunostaining was found for glial or neuronal markers. The total ganglioside sialic acid content of the subcutaneously grown tumour was low (12.6 ± 0.9 μg per 100 mg dry wt, n= 6 separate tumours) and about 70% of this was in the form of N-glycolylneuraminic acid. In contrast, the ganglioside content of the cultured VM tumour cells was high (248.4 ± 4.4 μg, n= 3) and consisted almost exclusively of N-acetylneuraminic acid. The ganglioside pattern of the tumour grown subcutaneously was complex, while GM3, GM2, GM1, and GD1a were the major gangliosides in the cultured tumour cells. This tumour will be a useful natural model for evaluating the role of gangliosides and other glycolipids in tumour cell invasion and metastasis. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co