Correction to:The innervation of extensor hallucis longus muscle: an anatomical study for selective neurotomy

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Vagal nerve stimulation for treatment resistant depression: A report of two cases with a very long-term follow-up

We present the case of two patients with a diagnosis of treatment-resistant major drug depression (TR-MDD) treated with Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS) surgery in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Before surgery the symptoms of sadness, frustration, guilty feelings and loss of interest in socialization severely interfere with everyday life and were worsened by epilepsy in one of the two cases. After surgery both patients experienced great improvement in MDD symptoms and in quality of life that persisted in the last 15 and 16 years. We report these cases since the literature lacks of long-term follow-up for VNS treatment in TR-MDD patients

The Lipid Asset Is Unbalanced in Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors

Peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNSTs) include schwannomas, neurofibromas (NFs), and plexiform neurofibromas (PNFs), among others. While they are benign tumors, according to their biological behavior, some have the potential for malignant degeneration, mainly PNFs. The specific factors contributing to the more aggressive behavior of some PNSTs compared to others are not precisely known. Considering that lipid homeostasis plays a crucial role in fibrotic/inflammatory processes and in several cancers, we hypothesized that the lipid asset was also unbalanced in this group of nerve tumors. Through untargeted lipidomics, NFs presented a significant increase in ceramide, phosphatidylcholine, and Vitamin A ester. PNFs displayed a marked decrease in 34 out of 50 lipid class analyzed. An increased level of ether- and oxidized-triacylglycerols was observed; phosphatidylcholines were reduced. After sphingolipidomic analysis, we observed six sphingolipid classes. Ceramide and dihydroceramides were statistically increased in NFs. All the glycosylated species appeared reduced in NFs, but increased in PNFs. Our findings suggested that different subtypes of PNSTs presented a specific modulation in the lipidic profile. The untargeted and targeted lipidomic approaches, which were not applied until now, contribute to better clarifying bioactive lipid roles in PNS natural history to highlight disease molecular features and pathogenesis