Cerebral Dural Sinus Thrombosis

Cerebral dural sinus thrombosis(CDST) has been described as a rare disease with a variety of patho-etiological factors. The diagnosis of CDST is difficult due to various symptoms and signs, none of which is specific to CDST. But timely diagosis is critical for effective management. The introduction and widespread use of computed tomography(CT), magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) and cerebral angiography made early diagnosis of CDST possible. In particular, MR venography is the most useful tool for establishing a correct diagnosis quickly. In early literature, mortality ranked between 30% and 50% but in more recent series it is between 5.5% and 30%. With the advent of diagnostic and therapeutic tools, early diagnosis and proper management has made the prognosis better. The appropriate therapy for CDST, however, has been the subject of much cortroversy. Individual variations of the venous system and collateral vessels are key factors to decide the proper treatment. In this report, we present two cases with symptomatic CDST treated without open surgical or direct endovascular interventions with good outcome.

Pain-reducing Effect by Transplants of Isolated Xenogeneic Chromaffin Cells in Mouse

OBJECTIVE: Adrenal medullary chromaffin cells are known to release analgesic substances such as opioides and catecholamines. Transplantation of them is a novel method that challenges current approaches in treating chronic pain. The transplantation of xenogeneic chromaffin cells into the central nervous system(CNS) supply antinociception in animals. In this study, we investigated the analgesic effects of rat adrenal medullary chromaffin cells transplanted into the CNS of the mouse. To study the antinociceptive efficacy of transplanted chromaffin cells, the survival of rat adrenal medullary chromaffin cells transplanted into the CNS of mouse was determined. METHODS: The adrenal medullary chromaffin cells isolated from rat were transplanted into the striatum of mouse. These cells were confirmed of the release of Met-enkephalin and Leu-enkephalin by HPLC, and immunoblots for tyrosine hydroxylase(TH). Two weeks after transplantation, we performed immunohistochemistry for TH to determine the survival of implanted cells and assessed pain sensitivity at the same time. RESULTS: The isolated rat adrenal medullary chromaffin cells were positive for anti-TH antibody and released Met-enkephalin and Leu-enkephalin more than rat endothelial cells. Transplanted rat chromaffin cells were stained with anti-TH antibody in striatum of mouse after 2 weeks. Pain sensitivity was reduced on the chromaffin cell-transplanted mouse compared to endothelial cell-transplanted mouse by the hot plate test. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the rat chromaffin cells were suitably transplanted into the CNS of mouse. This approach could be used as a therapy for reducing of chronic pain induced by cancer or neuronal injury.