Chronic subdural hematoma associated with arachnoid cyst. Two case histories with pathological observations.

Arachnoid cysts are well known to induce chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) after head injury. However, histological observations of the arachnoid cyst and hematoma membrane have only been rarely described. An 8-year-old boy and a 3-year-old boy presented with CSDH associated with arachnoid cyst. Surgical removal of the hematoma and biopsy of the hematoma membrane and cyst wall were performed. Clinical courses were good and without recurrence more than 1.5 years after surgery. Histological examination suggested that the cysts did not contribute to hematoma development. Pediatric hematoma membranes, similar to adult hematoma membranes, are key in the growth of CSDH. Therefore, simple hematoma evacuation is adequate as a first operation for CSDH associated with arachnoid cyst.

[Dynamics of cerebral circulation in patients with chronic cerebrovascular disease--analysis with multi-channel near infra-red spectroscopic topography plus hand grasp as the exercise task].

We used multi-channel near infra-red spectroscopic topography to evaluate the dynamics of cerebral circulation of patients with cerebrovascular disease (CVD). The subjects included 17 patients with chronic CVD, while 11 physically unimpaired persons served as controls. We used a spectroscopic topography device (Hitachi, ETG -100) to determine the topographic values of oxy-Hb, deoxy-Hb, and total-Hb in the right and left cerebral hemispheres. Hand grasp for 30 or 60 second duration was used as the exercise task, and each task was tried twice. In the control group, the oxy-Hb values of the left cerebral hemisphere were elevated by bilateral hand grasp, while those of the right cerebral hemisphere were elevated by left hand grasp. In patients with a lesion in the left cerebral hemisphere, oxy-Hb values of the left hemisphere were elevated by the bilateral hand grasp, while those of the right hemisphere were elevated only by the healthy left hand grasp. When the 30- and 60-second-duration grasp exercises were compared, it was found that the oxy-Hb values in the control group corresponded to the loading time. In patients with either right or left cerebral lesion, the oxy-Hb peak values were lower than those of the control group, while the peak values did not show any difference between the 30-and 60-seconds hand grip durations themselves. The latency from the start of the grasp to the maximum peak of the oxy-Hb value was significantly prolonged in CVD patients as compared with that in the control group. As for the relation between the degree of hemiparesis and the oxy-Hb values, the value of the oxy-Hb in the left cerebral hemisphere during right hand grasp decreases depending on the severity of paralysis induced by the left cerebral lesion. The determination of cerebral oxy-Hb values by near infra-red spectroscopic topography using exercise test appeared to be useful for the evaluation of the dynamic of cerebral circulation in stroke patients. Furthermore, the possibility of inducing recovery by the rehabilitation of stroke patients, who were in the chronic stage, should be studied.

[Vertebral arteriovenous fistula as a complication of atlantoaxial transarticular screw fixation--case report].

We report a rare case of a vertebral arteriovenous fistula that developed as a complication of atlantoaxial transarticular screw fixation. The patient was a 44-year-old male with a history of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. He had undergone an atlantoaxial transarticular screw fixation for an atlantoaxial dislocation. At 2 months after the surgery, he complained of right-side tinnitus. A selective left vertebral angiography showed a high-flow arteriovenous fistula of the right V2 segment and occulusion of the right vertebral artery at the level of the C3 vertebral body. Endovascular embolization of the arteriovenous fistula was successfully performed using detachable coils. No deficits were observed after the treatment, and the tinnitus disappeared completely. Endovascular coil embolization is currently an effective and safe treatment for the vertebral arteriovenous fistula.

Modulation of multidrug-resistance-associated P-glycoprotein in human U-87 MG and HUV-ECC cells with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to MDR1 mRNA.

OBJECTIVE: Glioblastoma is the highest dedifferentiated form of astrocytic brain tumors, and it is refractory to chemotherapy in most cases. To improve the clinical outcome of such tumors, new therapeutic strategies are needed. While malignancy is mainly associated with a nonfunctional apoptotic pathway, the lack of chemotherapeutic success correlates with overexpression of the multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene product P-glycoprotein (P-gp). Previous investigations have shown that not only glioblastoma cells but also endothelial cells are important in the response to chemotherapy. The aim of the present investigations was to reduce the expression of P-gp in the human glioblastoma cell line U-87 MG and in the human endothelial cell line HUV-ECC. METHODS: Therefore, these cells were treated with antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (asn-ODN) directed against the P-gp mRNA in order to increase the intracellular retention of doxorubicin (DOX) which had been given previously. RESULTS: Flow cytometry revealed about 4-fold increased intracellular retention of DOX in both asn-ODN-treated cell lines as compared to asn-ODN non-treated cell lines. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that asn-ODN-mediated inhibition of P-gp expression is an efficient way to increase intracellular retention of DOX.

Repetitive doxorubicin treatment of glioblastoma enhances the PGP expression--a special role for endothelial cells.

The glioblastoma is the highest dedifferentiated form of astrocytic brain tumors, which is refractory to chemotherapy in most cases. The lack of chemotherapeutic success is correlated with overexpression of the product P-glycoprotein (PGP) coded by the multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene and a subsequent release of drugs from the tumor cells. For the chemotherapeutical treatment of glioblastomas, the endothel cell is of special importance since due to its manifold metabolic and protective tasks within the blood-brain barrier, it already has a relatively high PGP expression under physiological conditions. The aim of the present study was to analyze the uptake of the antimitotic drug Doxorubicin (DOX) and the expression of PGP in human and rat glioblastoma cell lines and in a human endothelial cell line at different time points. In the following in vivo approach DOX enriched glioblastoma cells were transplanted into rats and the developed tumor was investigated histologically. The results showed an increased uptake and an enhanced expression of PGP at certain time points in every cell line. In the tissue a DOX release was mainly observed in perivascular surroundings. It was concluded that DOX enhanced the constitutive PGP expression which led to a subsequent exclusion of DOX in tumor cells but also in the endothelial cells of the tumor vasculature. Since the vascularization is a prerequisite for tumor growth, the inhibition of the PGP expression in tumor endothelial cells might be a clinical approach to make the DOX treatment more effective.