Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0017636 (glioblastoma)
 18,345 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is the main water channel protein expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). AQP4 is densely expressed in astrocyte end-feet, and is an important factor in CNS water and potassium homeostasis. Changes in AQP4 activity and expression have been implicated in several CNS disorders, including (but not limited to) epilepsy, edema, stroke, and glioblastoma. For this reason, many studies have been done to understand the various ways in which AQP4 is regulated endogenously, and could be regulated pharmaceutically. In particular, four regulatory methods have been thoroughly studied; regulation of gene expression via microRNAs, regulation of AQP4 channel gating/trafficking via phosphorylation, regulation of water permeability using heavy metal ions, and regulation of water permeability using small molecule inhibitors. A major challenge when studying AQP4 regulation is inter-method variability. A compound or phosphorylation which shows an inhibitory effect in vitro may show no effect in a different in vitro method, or even show an increase in AQP4 expression in vivo. Although a large amount of variability exists between in vitro methods, some microRNAs, heavy metal ions, and two small molecule inhibitors, acetazolamide and TGN-020, have shown promise in the field of AQP4 regulation.
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PMID:Regulation of AQP4 in the Central Nervous System. 3211 Oct 87

Background: Perioperative infarcts are a known complication that can occur during the resection of glioblastoma (GBM). Recent studies suggest that gross total and even "supra-total" resections may be associated with an increased survival but the rate of complications, including perioperative ischemia, may increase with these more aggressive resection strategies. However, little is known about the impact that perioperative infarcts have on survival, functional outcomes, and tumor recurrence patterns. Our study attempted to quantify and characterize the functional consequences of a perioperative infarct, as well as risk factors associated with occurrence. Methods: Seventy-three patients with a diagnosis of GBM and perioperative ischemia by MRI were identified from the electronic medical record system. We obtained demographic, prognostic, and stroke risk factor data. Infarct volumes were calculated from diffusion-weighted MRI scans, and subjects were segregated into an infarct cohort or a control cohort based on whether the identified lesion appeared to be an infarct in an arterial distribution or instead appeared to be expected postoperative changes. A multivariate statistical analysis was performed on the dataset. Results: Median age was 58.6 years, median post-op KPS (Karnofsky Performance Status) was 90, and median extent of resection (based on MRI) was 97.8%. Overall, perioperative arterial infarcts were uncommon (2.0%), did not have a statistically significant impact on survival (17.9 vs. 18.9 months), did not worsen neurologic function, and did not alter the pattern of recurrence. Conclusion: Perioperative arterial infarcts were uncommon in our patients despite aggressive resection and when present had no impact on survival or neurologic function. Given the clear benefit of maximal tumor resection, the risk of perioperative infarct should not deter maximal safe resection.
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PMID:The Impact of Perioperative Arterial Infarct on Recurrence, Functional Outcomes, and Survival in Glioblastoma Patients. 3247 45

Stem cells are considered to have significant capacity to differentiate into various cell types in humans or animals. Unlike specialized cells, these cells can proliferate several times to produce millions of cells. Nowadays, pluripotent stem cells are important candidates to provide a renewable source for replacement of cells in tissues of interest. The damage to neurons and glial cells in the brain or spinal cord is present in neurological disorders such as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, spinal cord injury, lysosomal storage disorder, epilepsy, and glioblastoma. Therefore, stem cell transplantation can be used as novel therapeutic approach in cases of brain and spinal cord damage. Recently, researchers have generated neuron-like cells and glial-like cells from embryonic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, and neural stem cells. In addition, several experimental studies have been performed for developing stem cell transplantation in brain tissue. Herein, we focus on stem cell therapy to regenerate injured tissue resulting from neurological diseases and then discuss possible differentiation pathways of stem cells to the renewal of neurons.
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PMID:Transplantation of Stem Cells as a Potential Therapeutic Strategy in Neurodegenerative Disorders. 3259 73

BACKGROUND Glioblastoma (GB) is a common brain tumor that usually presents in the cerebral hemisphere. Very rarely, these tumors can present in the cerebellum. The tumor tends to have a diffuse infiltrative growth that follows the white-matter pathway. Cerebellar GB is often difficult to diagnose on imaging and a biopsy is often needed for diagnosis. Here, we present the case of an elderly woman who presented with symptoms suggestive of acute stroke. CASE REPORT An 82-year-old woman presented for intermittent dizziness that started 2 weeks prior to the presentation and had been progressively worsening. She had a prior history of stroke and was noted to have decreased motor strength and sensation to touch on the left side. A cranial nerve examination was normal, as was finger-nose testing. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain with and without contrast showed an enhancing lesion in the left posterior cerebellum producing a mass effect in the left lateral ventricle. The differential diagnosis included cerebellitis with abscess, neoplastic process with necrosis, and, less likely, a sub-acute infarction A suboccipital craniotomy with cerebellar biopsy-diagnosed cerebellar GB. CONCLUSIONS We report the unique presentation of cerebellar GB in an elderly woman who presented with left-sided weakness, elevated blood pressure, dizziness, vasogenic edema in the left cerebellum, and a mass effect on the fourth ventricle, mimicking acute stroke.
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PMID:A Rare Case of Cerebellar Glioblastoma Mimicking Acute Stroke in an Elderly Patient. 3290 40


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