Morphological study of the pituitary gland of the studanese Nile fish Clarias Lazera

C. lazera was studied using some standard techniques employed in the study of vertebrate pituitary. The pituitary gland is attached to the infundibular region of the brain by a cylindrical infundilbular stalk. The gland is composed of two main divisions; the pars glandularis and the pars nervosa. The former is subdivided into an anterior, middle and posterior glandular regions. The anterior glandular region is composed mostly of clusters of acidophils which surround blood capillaries, giving the region a follicular appearance. The middle region is composed of basophils, acidophils and chromophobes. The distribution of the three types of cells has no definite pattern. The basophils are characterized by possessing colloidal globules, and therefore such basophils are described as globular basophils. The posterior region is formed mostly of dull acidophils, with few interspersed dull faint basophils. The two types of cells are scattered singly or in groups arround the branches of the pars nervosa. The pars nervosa, which is the continuation of the infundibular stalk, form a central core around which the three glandular regions of the pituitary gland are arranged. The processes of the pars nervosa are elaborate, with a fanning root – like nature, in the posterior glandular region and scanty in both the anterior and middle glandular regions. The pars nervosa appears as a fibrous tissue with scattered nuclei belonging to neuroglia cells. It is characterized by the colloidal Herring materials, basophil and acidophilic glandular cells. Infundilbular stalk, which link the floor of hypothalamus and the terminal zone of the anterior glandular region was found to be a thin lamina of nervious tissue with a layer of epindymal cell lining the third ventricle. The middle glandular region was found to consist of three chromophils cells, only one type of acidophil was identified. It took both OG and erythrosin. The other two types were found to be basophilic and they were designated as type 2 and type 3. Basophils type 3 were PAS, AF positive but AB negative. The pars nervosa was found to be small, and contained more stainable neuro-secretory materials.

Management of Choroid Plexus Papillomas

Introduction: Choroid plexus papillomas are rare neuroepithelial tumors found primarily in children. It represents less than 1% of all central nervous system tumors. Materials and methods: A retrospective study including 14 patients with choroid plexus papilloma tumors were performed at the Neurosurgery Department in Ait IDDIR Health Hospital Establishment between January 2010 and December 2017. In each case, diagnosis was made clinically and confirmed radiologically and histo-pathologically. All patients were operated. Results and discussion: The mean age was 26 years (ranged 3 months –48 years) .In our department, we grouped together 14 cases of choroid plexus papilloma tumors. For mortality we had one case who died during surgery, survival rate for 04 years is 100% .We had not recurrence during the study period.All patients had intracranial hypertension (HIC) without neurological deficit and benefited from brain CT, MRI and an Angiography. The location of the tumor was: Lateral ventricle, Fourth ventricle, Third ventricle. All patients underwent surgical excision with or without ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. Conclusion: Choroid plexus papillomas are rare neuroepithelial tumors, typically considered benign lesions, derived from the choroid plexus and appear like cauliflower.

Falcotentorial meningiomas: Optimal surgical planning and intraoperative challenges – case report

Meningiomas arising from the falcotentorial junction are rare, and the selection of the optimal surgical approach is essential. We report a 41-year-old man presented with progressive left paresis in the lower limbs. An MRI showed a solid mass inside the third ventricle in contact with the falcotentorial dural junction. The tumor was removed by the transtentorial/transfalcine occipital approach, performed with the patient in the three-quarter prone position. The tumor was devascularized from the tentorium, then debulked and finally dissected. The affected falx and tentorium were resected, but all of patent dural venous sinuses were preserved. The tumor was a subtotal resect. Choosing the surgical approach is essential for the safe and effective removal of an FTM and preoperative imaging analysis should identify the tumor’s anatomical relations and guide toward the least disruptive route that preserves the neurovascular structures. This article aims to report a successfully treated FTM.

Papillary craniopharyngioma: a type of tumor primarily impairing the hypothalamus. A comprehensive anatomo-clinical characterization of 350 well-described cases

Objective: Papillary craniopharyngiomas (PCPs) represent a rare histological variant of craniopharyngiomas (CPs) usually involving the hypothalamus. This study systematically analyzes the clinical-anatomical correlation between tumor topography and symptoms related to hypothalamic dysfunction in the largest series of PCPs ever gathered. Methods: From 5,346 CP reports published from 1856 to 2021, we selected 350 well-described cases of the squamous-papillary type. Clinical presentation, tumor topography, severity of hypothalamic adhesion, patient outcome and tumor recurrence were thoroughly analyzed. Results: PCPs predominantly occur in adult (96.3%), male (61.7%) patients presenting with headache (63.4%), visual alterations (56.2%) and psychiatric disturbances (50.4%). Most PCPs are solid (50%), round (50%) lesions that occupy the third ventricle (3V, 94.8%) and show low-risk severity adhesions to the hypothalamus (66.8%). Two major topographical categories can be found: strictly 3V (57.5%), growing above an intact 3V floor (3VF) and not-strictly or infundibulo-tuberal (32.9%), expanding at the infundibulum and/or tuber cinereum. The hypothalamic syndrome predominated among strictly 3V PCPs (p<0.001). Psychiatric symptoms (p<0.001) and high-risk hypothalamic attachments (p=0.031) related to unfavorable postoperative outcomes among patients treated from 2006 onwards. The not-strictly 3V topography was identified as the major predictor of high-risk hypothalamic attachments (71.2% correctly predicted), which, along with incomplete tumor removal (p=0.018), underlies the higher tumor recurrence of this topography (p=0.001). Conclusions: This systematic review evidences that PCP topography is a major determinant of hypothalamic-related symptoms, type of hypothalamic attachments and tumor recurrence rate. Accurate preoperative definition of PCP-hypothalamus relationships is essential for the judicious, safe management of these complex lesions.

Administration of miR-195 Inhibitor Enhances Memory Function Through Improving Synaptic Degradation and Mitochondrial Dysfunction of the Hippocampal Neurons in SAMP8 Mice

Background: Mitochondrial dysfunction is an early feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and miR-195 is involved in mitochondrial disorder through targeting MFN-2 protein in hippocampal neurons of AD. Objective: To clarify if administration of miR-195 inhibitor could enhance the memory deficits through improving hippocampal neuron mitochondrial dysfunction in SAMP8 mice. Methods: The expression of miR-195 was detected by RT-qPCR in primary hippocampal neurons and HT-22 cells treated with Aβ 1–42. Morris water maze (MWM) was used to assess the learning and memory function in SAMP8 mice administrated with antagomir-195. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to determine the morphological changes of synapses and mitochondria of hippocampus in SAMP8 mice. Mitochondrial respiration was measured using a high-resolution oxygraph. Results: The expression of miR-195 were upregulated in the primary hippocampal neurons and HT-22 cells induced by Aβ 1–42. Inhibition of miR-195 ameliorated the mitochondrial dysfunction in HT-22 cells induced by Aβ 1–42, including mitochondrial morphologic damages, mitochondrial membrane potential, respiration function, and ATP production. Administration of antagomir-195 by the third ventricle injection markedly ameliorated the cognitive function, postsynaptic density thickness, length of synaptic active area, mitochondrial aspect ratio, and area in hippocampus of SAMP8 mice. Finally, antagomir-195 was able to promote an increase in the activity of respiratory chain complex CI and II in SAMP8 mice. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that miR-195 inhibitor ameliorated the cognitive impairment of AD mice by improving mitochondrial structure damages and dysfunction in the hippocampal neurons, which provide an experimental basis for further exploring the treatment strategy of AD.

Gender differences in the structure of the cerebrospinal fluid system of pre-school children

Relevance Investigation of the cerebrospinal fluid system of children of different ages, especially pre-school and school periods of childhood, becomes essential, since the further development of the brain and its proper functioning depends on the way it functions. Considering the MRI indications of the elements of the cerebrospinal fluid system of children is important for the development of neurology and neurosurgery, it is necessary to consider gender differences in the brain size and structure.Objective To study the sex differences in the structure of the cerebrospinal fluid system in seven-year-old children.Material and Methods For the study, archival data on the sizes of the lateral ventricles of the brain of 120 children aged 7 (60 boys and 60 girls) were involved, in particular: 1) the length of the anterior horn; 2) the width of the anterior horn; 3) the length of the central part; 4) the width of the central part; 5) the length of the posterior horn; 6) the width of the posterior horn; 7) the length of the lower horn; 8) the anteroposterior size; 9) the distance between the anterior horns; 10) the distance between the posterior horns; 11) the length of the third ventricle; 12) the height of the third ventricle; 13) the length of the aqueduct; 14) the length of the fourth ventricle; 15) the height of the fourth ventricle. The studies were carried out using the method of magnetic resonance imaging. Quantitative indicators were assessed for compliance with the normal distribution using the KolmogorovSmirnov test. The accumulation, correction, systematization of the initial information were carried out in Microsoft Excel 2016. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Statistica 10.0 software (StatSoft Inc., USA). The results were considered statistically significant at p < 0.05.Results The data obtained in the study of the cerebrospinal fluid system in children during their pre-school period of childhood are indicators of the norm and can be used for diagnostic studies in the departments of radiation diagnostics. The bilateral asymmetry of the lateral ventricles of the brain in pre-school children, discovered during the work, is of crucial clinical significance. The morphometric indicators of the elements of the cerebrospinal fluid system should be considered by specialists in the study of brain neuroplasticity.Conclusion Analysis of the obtained in vivo encephalometric data indicates the presence of sexual variability of the brain and parameters of the structures of the cerebrospinal fluid.

Expanded Transsphenoidal Trans-Lamina Terminalis Approach to Tumors Extending Into the Third Ventricle: Technique Notes and a Single Institute Experience

ObjectThe trans lamina terminalis approach (TLTA) has been described as a way to remove third ventricular tumors. The aim of this paper was to analyze the feasible outcomes of TLTA applied to tumors extending into the third ventricle in our institute.MethodsSuprasellar tumors (n = 149) were treated by the extended endonasal approach from September 2019 to December 2020 in Beijing Tiantan Hospital. Eleven of the tumors were treated by TLTA or TLTA via the trans-chiasm-pituitary corridor (TCPC). The surgical technique notes of TLTA were described and indications and outcomes of the approach were analyzed.ResultsThere were 11 patients enrolled in the study, six with papillary craniopharyngiomas, two with adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas, one with a germinal cell tumor (GCT), one with cavernous malformation and one with chordoid glioma. Four of the patients received a radical resection by TLTA alone, while seven of them received TLTA via the TCPC. Gross total resection was achieved in eight patients (72.7%), and partial resection in three patients (27.3%). Visual function was improved in four of the 11 patients (36.4%), was unchanged in five patients (45.5%), and deteriorated in two patients (18.2%). New-onset hypopituitarism occurred in seven patients (63.3%) and new-onset diabetes insipidus occurred in two patients (18.2%). Electrocyte imbalance were observed in six patients (54.5%) at post-operative week 2. There were no surgery-related deaths or cerebrospinal fluid leaks. Postoperative intracranial infection was observed in one patient (9.1%), and during the follow-up period, tumor recurrence occurred in one patient (9.1%).ConclusionThe expanded TLTA provides a feasible suprachiasm corridor to remove tumors extending into the third ventricle, especially for craniopharyngiomas. Sound understanding of the major strengths and limitations of this approach, as well as strategies for complication avoidance, is necessary for its safe and effective application.

Reinvestigating Tumor–Ventricle Relationship of Craniopharyngiomas With Predominantly Ventricular Involvement: An Endoscopic Endonasal Series Based on Histopathological Assessment

ObjectiveCraniopharyngiomas (CPs) predominantly involving the third ventricle were commonly termed “intraventricular” lesions. The aim of this study was to clarify the anatomical relationship between the tumor and the third ventricle by both surgical and histological investigation.MethodsA retrospective review of primarily resected CPs by endoscopic endonasal surgery was performed. CPs with predominantly ventricular involvement were selected for study inclusion by preoperative imaging. The surgical procedure of each case was reviewed. The wholly removed tumor specimens were histologically analyzed, in all cases, to investigate the tumor–third ventricle relationship using hematoxylin and eosin, immunochemical, and immunofluorescence staining.ResultsTwenty-six primary CPs predominantly involving the third ventricle were selected from our series of 223 CPs treated by endoscopic endonasal surgery between January 2017 and March 2021. Gross-total resection was achieved in 24 (92.3%) of 26 patients, with achievement of near-total resection in the remaining patients. A circumferential layer of stretched third ventricle floor was identified surrounding the tumor capsule, which could be peeled off easily from the ventricle floor remnants at most areas of the plane of tumor attachment. Some portions of the tumor capsule tightly adhered to the third ventricle floor were removed together with the floor. A breach of various size was observed at the third ventricle floor after tumor removal in most cases, the floor remaining intact in only two cases (7.7%). Histological examination on marked portions of tumor capsule showed that the pia mater was frequently detected at most of the tumor–brain interface, except at the antero-frontal border of tumor contacting with the third ventricle floor. At this point, a layer of gliosis with various thickness was observed between the tumor and the neural tissue of the third ventricle floor.ConclusionCPs with predominantly ventricular involvement should be considered as lesions with an extraventricular, epi-pia topography rather than “intraventricular” or “subpial” topography. Accurate understanding of the relationship between the third ventricle and such tumors would predict the circumferential cleavage plane of dissection, and remind neurosurgeons of performing dissection along the safe surgical plane to achieve total tumoral resection with minimizing hypothalamic damage.