Hydrocephalia

INTRODUCTION: The blockade of interleukine-1 (anakinra and canakinumab) is a well-known highly effective tool for monogenic autoinflammatory diseases (AIDs), such as familial Mediterranean fever, tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome, hyperimmunoglobulinaemia D syndrome, and cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome, but this treatment has not been assessed for patients with undifferentiated AIDs (uAIDs). Our study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of canakinumab for patients with uAIDs...

Adequate pupil dilation is needed to evaluate some neonates at risk of developing illness during this stage. However, this procedure is not free of adverse effects, either local or systemic. One of these complications is the local vasoconstriction of the preterm baby’s skin following the application of mydriatic eye drops. OBJECTIVE: To describe secondary local and systemic complications of pharmacological pupil dilation in 2 newborns. Clinical case 1: Full term baby with diagnosis of low-birth weight and hydrocephalia...

SUMMARY: The role of mechanical forces influencing the growth of a pituitary adenoma is poorly understood. In this paper we report the case of a young man with hyperprolactinaemia and an empty sella secondary to hydrocephalia, who developed a macroprolactinoma following the relief of high intraventricular pressure. LEARNING POINTS: The volume of a pituitary tumour may be influenced not only by molecular but also by local mechanical factors.Intratumoural pressure, resistance of the sellar diaphragm and intracranial liquid pressure may play a role in the final size of a pituitary adenoma...

Papillary tumor of the pineal region (PTPR) is a rare neuroepithelial tumor of the pineal region of adults. We herein describe on a 34-year-old female the cytologic features of a PTPR studied using Diff-Quik stain. The patient presented hydrocephalia secondary to a pineal tumor. During surgery an intraoperative pathologic consultation was requested. Smears were hypercellular with numerous papillary tissue fragments and single cells. Papillary fragments had an evident inner vascular core. Neoplastic cells displayed moderate pleomorphism, plasmocytoid morphology, and cytoplasmic fragility...

We report a case of brain metastasis from rectal cancer a long time after the initial resection. A 62-year-old woman, diagnosed with lower rectal cancer with multiple synchronous liver and lung metastases, underwent abdominoperineal resection after preoperative radiochemotherapy (40 Gy at the pelvis, using the de Gramont regimen FL therapy: 1 kur). The histological diagnosis was a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Various regimens of chemotherapy for unresectable and metastatic colorectal cancer were administered, and a partial response was obtained; thereby, the metastatic lesions became resectable...

Oxidative stress, one of the crucial factors of genomic instability, is involved in many illnesses - from DNA damage and repair (DDR) related diseases to neurological abnormalities and cancer. Patients with defective DDR pathways display high level of cancer predisposition and at the same time - reveal hydrocephalia, dementias and even diabetes mellitus - all representing common hallmarks of mitochondria-related disorders. Since mitochondria are responsible both for the cell energetic metabolism and for reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (RO/NS) formation, mitochondrial dysfunction (MDF) play a pivotal role in the above disorders...

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a heterogeneous disease associated with a bone marrow failure, cancer predisposition and hypersensitivity to DNA crosslinking agents. To date, 15 different genes have been shown to cause FA, all of which have some role in repair of defective DNA interstrand crosslinks. On a biochemical level, many FA individuals display insufficient growth hormone production, abnormal glucose or insulin metabolism. Clinical phenotype may include hydrocephalia, the erythrophagocytosis and diabetes mellitus, thus linking FA with metabolic disorders that involve impaired oxygen metabolism and mitochondrial alterations...

This study is designed to evaluate the roles of oxidative and nitrosative stress in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients. Oxidative stress markers thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), 8-epi-PGF2α, conjugated diene and nitrosative stress markers nitrotyrosine, nitrit-nitrate were analysed in serum and CSF of 20 newly diagnosed RRMS patients before and after methyl prednysolone (MP) therapy (1000 mg/day i.v., for 5 days) and in healthy control group...

OBJECTIVES: The majority of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are affected during their peak reproductive years. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of both diseases. Today, anti-TNFα blockers are an essential treatment for these patients. To identify male patients who achieved pregnancy development during their management with anti-TNFα blockers (infliximab). METHODS: We reviewed the data of 65 patients with AS and 30 patients with PsA who were followed-up in our rheumatology outpatients clinic and they were on infliximab therapy between January 2001 and December 2010...

AIM/BACKGROUND: Chronic Intestinal Pseudo Obstruction (CIPO) and Berdon Syndrome (BS) are motility disorders with still unclear pathophysiology, and challenging diagnosis and management. Patient and methods. 26 patients (8M/18F) treated of CIPO (21) or BS (5) at our institution between 1982-2009 were retrospectively reviewed and clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic and follow-up data were analyzed. RESULTS: 77% had a neonatal onset by the 3rd month of life (5 had a prenatal diagnosis of megacystis)...

We describe a case of teniasis in a child, associated to the finding of Taenia proglottids in a classroom of a primary school in the area of Cuneo (Local Health Unit Cn-1, Piedmont Region, Italy). Several proglottids had been repeatedly found by cleaners on the bookbox of several schooldesks in the same classroom. Laboratory investigation was able to identify Taenia saginata proglottids and cooperation of the local Public Health Unit with the school management allowed to identify and treat the affected child...

Goldenhar syndrome, also known as oculo-auriculo-vertebral syndrome, is a rare illness with unknown etiology. It happens in 1 of 50,000 newborns and is characterized by first and second brachial arch changes, with variable grades of hemifacial hypoplasia. We report a clinical case of a 39-years-old woman with a BMI of 33, family history of diabetes mellitus decease, and two fetal losses with unknown etiology. We first met patient at 24 gestational weeks. Second level ultrasound findings were: fetus with tri-ventricular obstructive hydrocephalia, symmetrical macrocranium, and occipital encephalocele...

INTRODUCTION: Neurocysticercosis (NC) is a chronic parasitary disease that may have different neurological manifestations, such as seizures, dementia or obstructive hydrocephalus. On rare occasions, pictures secondary to hydrocephalia may occur with Parkinsonian syndrome. CASE REPORT: We present the case of a 29-year old woman with serologically confirmed NC and obstructive hydrocephalia secondary to a cyst in the IV ventricle. The patient required repeated ventricle-peritoneal shunt replacement because of valvular malfunction and obstructive hydrocephalia...

INTRODUCTION: Spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is idiopathic in 15% of cases. They represent a group whose characteristics are different from those with an aneurysmal etiology. We present a retrospective longterm follow up of 60 patients, analyzing symptomatology, complications and evolution and identify a subgroup of patients with a perimesencephalic pattern (PMP) in computed tomography (CT) for their excellent prognosis. METHODS: We collected information on 60 patients admitted to our center between 1992 and 2000 and divided them into three groups, according to neuroimage: 26 had a PMP, 28 showed an aneurysmal pattern (AP), and 6 patients had normal TC, with complete arteriographic study...

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Thirty patients with systemic sclerosis (SS), aged 20-55 years, illness duration 1-10 years, were observed. Vasospastic syndrome of different expression predominated in the clinical picture of the disease. Among neurological signs, prevalent were peripheral nervous system lesion--isolated (20% of the cases) or in combination with chronic insufficiency of brain circulation (80%). Vascular pathology was distinctly determined by ophthalmoscopy: angiopathy was found in 42% of the patients, angiospasm--in 25%, angiosclerosis--in 17%...

The aim of this paper was to evaluate S-100 concentration in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with different neurological disorders, and in subjects with no proven neurological pathology, in order to study possible differences in their protein concentrations. The total number of patient-samples examined was 119 (58 males and 61 females; mean age 35 yrs, 1-79 yrs). Based on the final diagnoses, nine patient groups were studied: a control group, meningitis, acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL), dementia, hydrocephalia, polyneuropathy-motor neuron disease, acute cerebral infarction (ACI), and patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis...

Headache caused by sexual activity, or coital headache, is included in International headache classification (1988). The paper presents 19 cases (15 males, 4 females, mean age 34 years) examined by the authors. In 58% of the cases, headache developed before orgasm, in 26%--during orgasm and in 16%--after it. Duration of severe headache was from several to 15 min and of moderate one--up to 7 h. In total, disease lasted from 1 week to 8 years. Focal neurological symptoms were absent; magnetic resonance tomography did not reveal any changes in 68% of the patients, while the others had mild hydrocephalia...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

CLINICAL CASE: A 12-year old girl was brought to the emergency ward because of headache and diplopia for 4 days. Bilateral papilledema was observed. Ancillary studies showed Arnold-Chiari Type I malformation without hydrocephalia. Cranial decompression treatment was performed but papilledema persisted and a progressive visual field deterioration was assessed. One month later, an optic nerve sheath fenestration was performed. DISCUSSION: Arnold-Chiari I malformation is characterized by downward displacement of cerebellar tonsils below the foramen magnum plane...