ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: To determine the effect on psychiatric symptoms and quality of life in 30 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) of both subthalamic nuclei (STN) after 1 year of follow-up. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We conducted a prospective 1-year follow-up study with a baseline assessment before and 6 and 12 months after surgery. The following were used as assessment instruments: the Bech-Rafaelsen Melancholia Scale (MES), the Bech-Rafaelsen Mania Scale (MAS), the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI), the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), the Oviedo Sleep Questionnaire (OSQ), the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), the dose of levodopa, and the active contact stereotactic coordinates. RESULTS: We recorded a clinical improvement between baseline with medication use (ON medication) and the results obtained at 6 and 12 months with medication use and stimulation (ON stimulation, ON medication) in MES and OSQ (p < 0.0001) and in SF-36 (p < 0.005). No changes were observed in MAS and SSI. There was a clinical improvement between baseline with ON medication and the results obtained at 12 months with ON stimulation, ON medication in Y-BOCS (p < 0.04). Also, there was a 53.3% reduction in levodopa at 6 months and a 54.7% reduction at 12 months after surgery (p < 0.0001). There was an improvement between baseline with OFF medication and the results obtained at 6 and 12 months OFF medication, ON stimulation (p < 0.0001) in UPDRS-III. There were no statistically significant differences between the initial and final active contact coordinates, or between stimulation parameters. CONCLUSIONS: DBS of the STN in patients with PD is associated with an improvement in psychiatric (affective and sleep-wake cycle) symptoms, clinical motor symptoms, and quality of life at 1 year after surgery.
Subject(s)
Deep Brain Stimulation , Parkinson Disease/psychology , Parkinson Disease/therapy , Quality of Life , Aged , Antiparkinson Agents/therapeutic use , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Levodopa/therapeutic use , Male , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Subthalamic Nucleus , Surveys and Questionnaires , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Chordomas are rare and low-grade malignant solid tumours, despite their histologically benign appearance, that arise in the bone from embryonic notochordal vestiges of the axial skeleton, a mesoderm-derived structure that is involved in the process of neurulation and embryonic development. Chordomas occurring in the skull base tend to arise in the basiocciput along the clivus. Three major morphological variants have been described (classical, chondroid, and atypical/dedifferentiated). The pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms involved in chordoma development remain uncertain. From a pathological standpoint, the microenvironment of a chordoma is heterogeneous, showing a dual epithelial-mesenchymal differentiation. These tumours are characterised by slow modality of biologic growth, local recurrence, low incidence of metastasis rates, and cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotype. The main molecular findings are connected with brachyury immunoexpression and activation of the downstream Akt and mTOR signalling pathways. The differentiation between typical and atypical chordomas is relevant because the tumoural microenvironment and prognosis are partially different. This review provides an insight into the recent and relevant concepts and histochemical markers expressed in chordomas, with special emphasis on dedifferentiated chordomas and their prognostic implications.
