A History of the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies.

As neurological surgery evolved into its own subspecialty early in the 20th century, a need arose to create an environment for communication and education among those surgeons working in this burgeoning surgical discipline. As the socioeconomic climate in health care began to change in the United States, an unforeseen need arose that was outside the scope of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, and Society of Neurological Surgeons. The capacity to understand and address the evolving socioeconomic landscape and to offer a platform for advocacy required a new entity.

Neurosurgery concepts: Key perspectives on dendritic cell vaccines, metastatic tumor treatment, and radiosurgery.

Background: This is a laboratory study to investigate the effect of adding brain-derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in a poly (N-isopropylacrylamide-g-poly (ethylene glycol) scaffold and its effect on spinal cord injury in a rat model.

Methods: This is a laboratory investigation of a spinal cord injury in a rat model. A dorsolateral funiculotomy was used to disrupt the dorsolateral funiculus and rubrospinal tract.

Quality of life and outcomes in glioblastoma management.

This article explores the effects of modern treatment on the health-related quality of life in patients who suffer from glioblastoma multiforme.

Metabolic targeting of lactate efflux by malignant glioma inhibits invasiveness and induces necrosis: an in vivo study.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are the most malignant among brain tumors. They are frequently refractory to chemotherapy and radiotherapy with mean patient survival of approximately 6 months, despite surgical intervention. The highly glycolytic nature of glioblastomas describes their propensity to metabolize glucose to lactic acid at an elevated rate.

Safety of instrumentation in patients with spinal infection.

Object: Treatment of spine infection remains a challenge for spine surgeons, with the most effective method still being a matter of debate. Most surgeons agree that in early stages of infection, antibiotic treatment should be pursued; under certain circumstances, however, surgery is recommended. The goals of surgery include radical debridement of the infective focus.

Diagnostic and therapeutic strategy for confounding radiation myelitis.

We report a case of confounding radiation myelitis to demonstrate the usefulness of surgical biopsy in ensuring the correct diagnosis and to avoid unnecessary treatment. The patient was a 40-year-old man with a history of epiglottis carcinoma and sarcoidosis. Six months after radiation therapy and chemotherapy for epiglottis carcinoma, he noticed paresthesia and dysesthesia in the left arm and leg.

Synchronous meningioma and anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

Synchronous primary brain tumors are exceedingly rare. When they occur, most cases are associated with metastatic disease. To the best of our knowledge, we report the first case of an atypical meningioma infiltrated by a T-cell-primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), specifically anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL).

Periodic alternating nystagmus and periodic alternating skew deviation in spinocerebellar ataxia type 6.

The combination of periodic alternating nystagmus (PAN) and periodic alternating skew deviation (PASD) is rare. We report a case of PAN and PASD in a patient with spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA-6) and discuss the role of the cerebellum as a plausible mechanism for this combined pathologic condition.

Pediatric spinal clear cell meningioma. Case report.

In this report the authors describe a unique case of spinal clear cell meningioma in a 13-year-old girl. Clear cell meningiomas (CCMs) are not uncommon. To the authors' knowledge, 14 cases of pediatric CCM occurring in the spinal canal have been reported.

Delayed lateral rectus palsy following resection of a pineal cyst in sitting position: direct or indirect compressive phenomenon?

A rare case of delayed lateral rectus palsy in a patient following resection of a pineal lesion in the sitting position is presented. Postoperative pneumocephalus is common following craniospinal surgical intervention in the sitting position. The sixth cranial nerve is frequently injured because of its prolonged intracranial course.

Outcome of brain abscess by Clostridium perfringens.

Objective: Despite the aggressive infection of soft tissue caused by Clostridium perfringens (gas gangrene-necrotizing fasciitis), a brain abscess with this bacteria treated by early surgical excision, debridement of necrotic tissue, and antibiotic coverage may be expected to have a good recovery. Long-term follow-up has not been well established in this group of patients. We report this case to show the outcome at 3 years post surgical and antibiotic treatment for C.

Lactate and malignant tumors: a therapeutic target at the end stage of glycolysis.

Metabolic aberrations in the form of altered flux through key metabolic pathways are primary hallmarks of many malignant tumors. Primarily the result of altered isozyme expression, these adaptations enhance the survival and proliferation of the tumor at the expense of surrounding normal tissue. Consequently, they also expose a unique set of targets for tumor destruction while sparing healthy tissues.

Metabolic remodeling of malignant gliomas for enhanced sensitization during radiotherapy: an in vitro study.

Objective: To investigate a novel method to enhance radiosensitivity of gliomas via modification of metabolite flux immediately before radiotherapy. Malignant gliomas are highly glycolytic and produce copious amounts of lactic acid, which is effluxed to the tumor microenvironment via lactate transporters. We hypothesized that inhibition of lactic acid efflux would alter glioma metabolite profiles, including those that are radioprotective.

Clinical outcomes in patients with Chiari I malformation: a review of 27 cases.

Background: Chiari I malformation is a congenital maldevelopment defined as downward herniation of the cerebellar tonsils through the foramen magnum. It has been treated using a variety of surgical procedures. Surgical outcomes have been reported with varying results throughout the literature.