Massive intracranial hemorrhage caused by intraventricular meningioma: case report.

BACKGROUND: Meningiomas are the most common benign intracranial tumors, and commonly comprise high-vascularizing but slow-growing tumors. On the other hand, meningiomas arising from the ventricular system are of rare occurrence, and spontaneous hemorrhage is an infrequent event. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe here the rare clinical manifestations of a 28-year-old female with acute intracranial hemorrhage located in the trigone of the lateral ventricle who was initially thought to have suffered an acute cerebrovascular accident, but was subsequently confirmed to have a benign intraventricular meningioma. To clarify the clinical features of such a rare course of meningioma, we also present a short literature review of acute intracranial hemorrhage caused by intraventricular meningioma. CONCLUSIONS: Ventricular meningioma presenting with hemorrhage such as acute stroke is a rare event, but recognition of such a pathogenesis is important. Although further accumulation of clinical data is needed, we suggest that early surgery should be undertaken in patients with lateral ventricular meningioma, even if it is not so large or asymptomatic.

Fluctuations of Nutrition-Associated Markers After Decompressive Hemicraniectomy in Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Patients.

Cerebral infarction (CI) caused by middle cerebral artery occlusion exhibits a very high mortality rate. To reduce this rate, a decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) is performed clinically based on several randomized trials. In ischemic stroke, a state of malnutrition leads to poor outcomes. However, little evidence is available on nutrition state in the acute phase after DHC. This preliminary study focuses on serum markers, especially dynamic or static nutrition-associated markers including prealbumin, transferrin, retinol binding protein (RBP) and serum albumin under tube feeding with Peptamen®AF (Nestlé Health Science Japan). Blood samples were collected from four patients and analyzed at 6 time points over 14 days (preoperative day, post-operative day (POD) 1, POD 3, POD 7, POD 10, and POD 14). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), post hoc Least Significant Difference (LSD), was employed to analyze the blood levels at each time point. The prealbumin and RBP levels showed no significant difference between preoperation and POD 3, although they decreased gradually, while transferrin decreased significantly between the preoperative day and POD 3 (P < 0.05). The level increased significantly on POD 14 as compared to POD 3 (P < 0.05) for each dynamic marker, respectively. The albumin value decreased significantly on POD 3 to POD 7 as compared to the preoperational day (P < 0.05), while the total protein fell significantly on POD 3 (P < 0.05). The total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglyceride, glucose, transferrin, and C-reactive protein were also investigated. Some markers fluctuated significantly, especially on POD 3. The duration may represent a hypercatabolic phase for malignant cerebral infarction with DHC. Based on these findings, further investigations among these markers, the tube fed contents, physiological changes and disability could lead to better outcomes following malignant CI.

Neuroprotective effects of silymarin on ischemia-induced delayed neuronal cell death in rat hippocampus.

We examined the effects of silymarin, which was extracted from Silybum marianum, on delayed neuronal cell death in the rat hippocampus. Rats were divided into four groups: sham-operated rats (sham group), rats which underwent ischemic surgery (control group), rats which were treated with silymarin before and after ischemic surgery (pre group), and rats which were treated with silymarin after ischemic surgery only (post group). We performed the ischemic surgery by occluding the bilateral carotid arteries for 20min and sacrificed the rats one week after the surgery. Silymarin was administered orally at 200mg/kg body weight. Smaller numbers of delayed cell deaths were noted in the rat CA1 region of the pre- and post-groups, and no significant difference was observed between these groups. There were few apoptotic cell deaths in all groups. Compared to the control group, significantly fewer cell deaths by autophagy were found in the pre- and post-group. We concluded that silymarin exerts a preservation effect on delayed neuronal cell death in the rat hippocampus and this effect has nothing to do with the timing of administering of silymarin.